My family spent a wonderful Spring Break in the mountains of Tennessee. We’ve gone before and the kids love it. After a complete meltdown by all parties on the way there (an 11-hour road trip with two children who know how to push each other’s buttons got to all of us!), we finally arrived at our gorgeous cabin and settled in for the week. We were very happy with this cabin because there were three levels. Elizabeth took the top floor, Christopher took the bottom floor, and we took the middle.
Living Room
Dining Room
Kitchen
Elizabeth’s Bedroom
Elizabeth’s Den
Our Bedroom
Christopher’s Bedroom
Christopher’s Den
Game Room
Hot Tub
Porch/Deck
There was enough room for us all to have our own space. Very important after a long car ride!
We did lots of tourist-y things and had a lot of fun.
This is Wonderworks. A really cool, interactive science-y kind of place. The building looks like it’s upside down!
This the ceiling in the lobby!
This is Elizabeth in an astronaut suit.
We went to the aquarium. We love that place!
The kids played Dork Ball. They both cheated. A lot.
One day, it rained, so we just hung out at the cabin.
Christopher rode this crazy coaster that went up into the mountains.
We went shopping at the outlet mall. This is my “yay-we’re-shopping!” look. I hate shopping
We ate lunch out on most days, but I cooked breakfast and dinner every day.
One morning, I decided to make migas – which is a Tex-Mex breakfast dish that I really love. Because it was the morning of our last full day there, I used it as an opportunity to clean out the fridge and pantry. Most migas have eggs, bell peppers, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, corn chips, and cheese. But there are tons of variations.
I added ground sausage and hash browns to mine and, boy, were they fantastic! The whole family loved them! It also made a ton, so we heated up leftovers the next morning! My tribe is divided about spicy food, so I didn’t add the jalapenos. I also didn’t have all the fresh veggies I would have had at home, so I improvised by using a jar of salsa.
Every-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Migas
- 1 pound of ground breakfast sausage
- 1/2 bag of frozen, shredded hash browns (about 3-4 cups)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup of salsa
- 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips
- 18 eggs
- 3 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Olive Oil
- 1 stick of butter
Break eggs into a large bowl and whisk until yolks are broken and all are combined. Set aside
In a large non-stick skillet, brown the sausage until done. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Drain the oil from the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and half a stick of butter. Add the hash browns. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stir or flip over. Cook until desired crispiness. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Add other half of the stick of butter and melt over medium heat. Add tomatoes and stir for about a minute. Add the salsa and stir until heated through. Add the crushed tortilla chips and stir until they start to absorb the liquid. Add the whisked eggs and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan, just like you’re making scrambled eggs. When eggs start to set up, but are still very liquidy, add the sausage and hash browns and stir to combine. Continue to stir until eggs are scrambled and down. Remove the pan from the heat and top with cheese. Allow cheese to melt before serving.
Well Duh #1: I only used 17 eggs because one had broken in the carton. It was OKAY.
Well Duh #2: I used mild salsa, but you can use whatever your family likes best.
Well Duh #3: I use salted butter. Always.
Well Duh #4: Make sure you start with a really large pan. You’ll use it for everything in this dish.
Well Duh #5: I used Fritos Scoops for the tortilla chips because that’s what we had.
I absolutely love the corn flavor that comes from the tortilla chips in this dish! It’s very filling. It’s savory. It’s cheesy. It’s just delicious!
Our trip was awesome! We loved everything about it. The drive back was not as meltdown-inducing because the kids were both tired, so they didn’t fight as much. Big improvement!
One other fun thing we did was our Road Trip Snack Mix. I started it at home with plantain chips, banana chips, mixed nuts, and chocolate-covered dried cranberries.
Every time we stopped along the way, somebody picked out a new thing to add. We added crispy M&Ms, birthday cake M&Ms, cinnamon-sugar pretzel pieces, salted caramel pretzel pieces, more mixed nuts. I lost track! But the mix evolved along the way! It’s a fun tradition for our road trips!
As good as it was to get away, it was even better to come home. Although I was disappointed that the house cleaning fairy didn’t come while we were gone! The house was just as messy as we left it. Shocker!
Back to school, work, and reality tomorrow!
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