Recipe: Morphic Breakfast

I've made this since I was a teenager, and I have no idea where it came from or what it's actually called. For years I thought I learned it because my mother made it, until one day my mother, while eating it, said “this is good. Where'd you get the recipe?” You can probably imagine how that conversation went.

As both my aunts, all of my friends, and the only uncle who cooks also deny prior knowledge of this recipe, I've come to the conclusion that it spontaneously appeared in my brain one morning when I was hungry. Eventually, after being asked so many times what this is called, I've called it “breakfast.”

I like to make this for breakfast for a crowd, since it's as much work to feed one with this as it is to feed ten, and I took it to end-of-term potlucks in college where, sitting smugly amongst chips and dip, it was always VERY well-received. I've met a few people over the years (almost exclusively at potlucks) who have made this or something very like it, and none of them know what it's called either, or quite remember where they picked it up. I'm beginning to think this dish is a kind of morphic knowledge.

At its most basic this casserole has only three ingredients: eggs, filler (such as water or milk), and tortillas. Like nachos, the interest (and the appeal) comes from what you put in it. It's excellent for potlucks when you're busy for the same reason why it makes a great people-are-over breakfast for hosts who are not morning people: you put everything in a dish in five minutes and go do something else for forty-five, such as shower or wait for the caffeine to kick in.

The following recipe is for potluck-size, a 9x13-inch baking dish. Smaller dishes (6x8) serve two to three people (depending on presence of toast), tend to cook in twenty to twenty-five minutes, and use correspondingly fewer ingredients. I've made this non-dairy, but never with soy cheese. Experiment at your peril.

You need:
eggs: 8 for a smaller group, 12 for a full class potluck (the general rule is one per person until you get to six, then it's two for every three people, and somehow a dozen eggs will feed twenty to twenty-four at a potluck.)
water or milk (recommend milk)
corn tortillas or tortilla chips
salt and pepper
toppings (see below)

Variations:
note: all meat (like bacon or sausage) is added pre-cooked. Any onion except spring/green onions should be pre-cooked unless you like your onions to bite.

THE SIMPLE: cheese and canned chiles. Or just cheese.
THE MORNING AFTER: more cheese, sausage, frozen hash browns, canned chiles, presence of bacon
THE VAGUELY MEXICAN: olives, tomatoes, black beans, canned chiles, green onions, and after it's baked, topped with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream
THE FAUX LORRAINE: swiss cheese and bacon
THE PRETENTIOUS VEGGIE: swiss cheese, sour cream, mushrooms, asparagus, and spinach
THE MASSIVE CREPE: swiss or other white cheese, chicken, mushrooms, and sauteed onions
THE KITCHEN CONTENTS: leftover deli or dinner meat; leftover side dishes like rice, veggies, or potatoes; cheese; canned chiles; canned beans; any vegetables about to turn, like tomatoes.
STEPHANIE'S FAVORITE: cheese, canned chiles, black beans, green onions, and bacon.

So! The directions:

preheat the oven to 375ºF. Start the bacon or sausage cooking if you need to.
Slice or tear the tortillas into strips (or pieces) and line the bottom of the baking dish with a layer 2 or 3 tortillas deep. If using tortilla chips, pour'em in and crunch 'em up until they lie more or less flat.
In a bowl mix the eggs with 1 cup milk for 8 eggs, two cups milk for 12. If you don't feel like measuring, close enough is close enough.
Add salt and pepper if you're using tortillas. If you're using tortilla chips DO NOT ADD SALT. Only pepper.
Add toppings. For example, my favorite uses one can of chiles, four green onions, chopped, a cup of shredded cheese, and half a can of black beans. All your toppings added together should come out to be between one and three cups of stuff, with the general goals of having enough eggs to make it all stick together and still being able to fit most of it (if not all of it) in the pan.
Mix well, then pour into the tortilla/chip-lined baking dish, taking care not to disturb the tortillas/chips much.
Top with more cheese, if desired, and place in the oven.
Bake for 45 minutes. It's done when the eggs in the center are firm, exactly like scrambled eggs. If this is me and I'm in college, use this time to shower and wash your hair for the first time in a week. Ahh.
Remove from oven and, for a potluck, fold a bath towel (or two) in quarters (as in in half one way, then in half the other way), put the pan in the middle of the folded towel and use as a combination pot-holder and trivet to transport.