By Offseason weight room started this week. The glamorous life of a high school football coach: standing in a room that smells like iron and teenage ambition at six in the morning, watching sixteen-year-olds try to bench press their body weight while their buddies spot them with the attentiveness of distracted golden retrievers. I love it. I genuinely, unironically love it. There is something about a kid who showed up in September weighing a hundred and fifty pounds putting up one-eighty-five in May that makes me believe in the whole operation. You put in the work, you get stronger. It's the simplest equation in the world, and it applies to everything.
Diego's school year is winding down — he's finishing third grade and already talking about fourth grade like it's a promotion, which in his mind it is. The kid has my competitive streak, for better or worse. He came home with a B+ on a math test and was mad about it. Not sad. Mad. Lisa and I looked at each other over his head and had one of those silent married-people conversations that went something like: That's your gene. No, that's your gene. We're both responsible for that gene.
The twins had their end-of-year preschool performance on Thursday. I will describe it as honestly as I can: twenty-three three-year-olds stood on a low stage and sang a song that may have been "You Are My Sunshine" or may have been something else entirely. Marco sang at full volume facing the wrong direction. Elena stood perfectly still and stared at the audience like she was memorizing every face. Lisa cried. I filmed it on my phone and have watched it six times. If you have ever seen a preschool performance and not been moved, I don't trust you and you're not welcome at my tailgate.
I'm running low on green chile — three bags left in the freezer, and September is four months away. This is the annual crisis. Every spring I swear I'll freeze more in the fall, and every spring I'm rationing like it's wartime. I used one of the precious bags to make green chile breakfast burritos on Saturday morning — scrambled eggs, crumbled chorizo, roasted green chile, shredded cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla the size of a hubcap. No sauce. The chile is the sauce. Diego ate two. Lisa ate one and said it was the best thing I've made in a month, which is high praise from a woman who doesn't give it freely. Two bags left. I'm going to make them last. I'm probably not going to make them last. Feed your people. The game is won at the table.
Watching Diego and Lisa at that table Saturday morning—Diego already reaching for his second burrito before I’d finished my first, Lisa quiet in that way she gets when something actually lands—I knew I’d spent one of my last two bags of green chile exactly right. When you’re rationing something precious, you want the occasion to be worth it, and a morning like that one was. Here’s how I put it together.
Green Chile Breakfast Burritos with Chorizo
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4 burritos
Ingredients
- 4 large flour tortillas (10–12 inch)
- 8 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 8 oz fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed
- 1 cup roasted green chile, chopped (thawed if frozen)
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil or butter
Instructions
- Cook the chorizo. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
- Scramble the eggs. Whisk eggs with milk, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and add butter or oil to the pan. Pour in the egg mixture and cook, folding gently with a spatula, until just set and still slightly glossy. Do not overcook. Remove from heat.
- Warm the tortillas. One at a time, heat each tortilla directly over a gas burner or in a dry skillet for 20–30 seconds per side until pliable and lightly charred in spots.
- Build the burritos. Lay a tortilla flat. Layer a quarter of the eggs down the center, followed by a quarter of the chorizo, 1/4 cup of the green chile, and a generous handful of shredded cheese. The chile is the sauce—don’t skip it, don’t supplement it.
- Wrap and sear. Fold in the sides of the tortilla, then roll tightly from the bottom up. Place seam-side down in the same skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until the outside is golden and the cheese inside has melted. Repeat with remaining burritos.
- Serve immediately. Cut in half on the diagonal if you’re feeling generous. Serve as-is if you’re feeding people who earned it.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 620 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 36g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 980mg