By The expanded "Pantry Rules" manuscript went to the publisher. Red Dirt Books has the final version — 84 food bank recipes plus 20 new recipes plus 15 personal essays. The essays are the heart: the tornado, the flashlight homework, the dropping out, the GED, the market, the food bank, the house. The essays connect the recipes to the life. Without the essays, it's a cookbook. With them, it's a memoir that happens to include instructions for making lentil soup.
The publisher wants to release it in spring 2028. Six months from now. Spring — the season of new things, of gardens waking up, of markets reopening. The book will arrive with the tomato seeds and the first warm breeze and the feeling of starting over that spring always brings. Good timing. Right timing.
I wrote the dedication: "For the families at the kitchen table, doing the math. The math always works." The dedication is not for Mama this time (Mama is in the first book — she's covered, she's permanent, she's page 47 forever). This one is for the families. The families in the classes. The families in the food bank lines. The families at the kitchen table at 10 PM, calculator out, wondering if they can afford chicken this week or if it's beans again. The families doing the math. My families. The math always works. Not easily. Not comfortably. But the math always, always works.
Carol at the food bank is hosting a launch event. At the Pine Street location. Free food (obviously — it's a food bank), free books (the food bank edition is still free), and a cooking demonstration. I'll make the chicken and rice bake. $3.47. Live. In front of an audience. The recipe that started everything, demonstrated at the place where everything leads back to: the food bank kitchen, where the canned goods become dinner and the dinner becomes hope.
The chicken and rice bake gets the spotlight at the launch event — it’s the recipe that started everything, and it deserves the stage. But when I’m home the night before, too wound up to sleep and too tired to fuss, this is what I make: the Picante Omelet Pie, the recipe I reach for when the refrigerator is running low and the pantry has to carry the weight. Eggs, picante sauce, a little cheese, a little onion — it’s the kind of dish that proves the dedication true without saying a word. The math always works.
Picante Omelet Pie
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup picante sauce or chunky salsa
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, divided
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Sour cream and sliced green onions for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish or oven-safe skillet and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from heat.
- Mix the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, picante sauce, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper until fully combined. Stir in the sautéed vegetables and 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese.
- Fill and top. Pour the egg mixture into the prepared pie dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 28–32 minutes, until the center is set and no longer jiggles when the dish is gently shaken. The top should be lightly golden.
- Rest and serve. Let the pie rest 5 minutes before slicing into 6 wedges. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a scatter of green onions if you have them.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 178 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 390mg