Bake. Laugh. Eat. Repeat.
What You’ll Be Eating This Cinco de Mayo Week continues with some tacos, some crazy good crema, and some truth talk: tell me true – do you ever find yourself becoming that person???
That person who insists on humming along with the radio throughout an entire 8 hour road trip?
That person who puts empty milk and juice cartons back into the fridge?
That person with that habit you swore you’d never, ever, ever, never -not EVER- be like?
Don’t forget, this is truth talk time…
This is a special time of year, don’t you think?
Let’s look at the facts:
1. It’s cold outside. Which means you want to stay inside. And probably eat a little more than usual.
2. There are a lot of entertaining things to watch on the TV these days, while you’re stuck inside. Sporting things. Like that big game coming up that’s so super.
3. When you’re inside, watching super games, eating a little more than usual, it’s much more fun to be sitting on the couch with friends. Eating. Watching. Enjoying. Rather than cooking. Working. And hearing all of the fun being had in the next room.
What does all of this mean? Just one thing: it’s time for some simple, super, social snacks that can be enjoyed by friends on couches in front of TVs across the land.
Towering avocado tostadas to the rescue!
I love serving these tostada towers because they are impossibly simple to prepare, incredibly fun to share with friends, and absolutely, absolutely delicious. Plop a platter in front of your couch-sitting friends and watch them disappear – each friend simply pulls off a layer and puts it in their face!
Preparing these babies is the simple work of smashing Avocados From Mexico, then stirring in a few additional ingredients designed to make the fresh, ripe flesh shine: plump cherry tomatoes to bring out the avocados’ natural sweetness, herbaceous cilantro and chives to emphasize their earthy flavor, and of course, bright lime juice and jalapeño to kick things up a notch. Crisp tostada shells provide a vehicle for all of that deliciousness, and stacking them up means you can make a game out of your snacks. Tostada Jenga, anyone?
I’ve been doing a fair amount of nervous-anxious-comfort eating lately. Here’s what that looks like:
Gee, that doughnut sure looks good. And so does that cupcake. Hey! You got your doughnut on my cupcake! And you got your cupcake on my doughnut! Nothing left to do but eat the whole dang mess…
It’s fifty shades of ugly. For sure.
Things came to a head the other night when I sat down next to A. on the couch with my Dignity Droppin’ Dessert du jour and he looked over and actually started laughing. Out loud.
I, of course, responded in the only way possible – with preemptive aggression: “What?!?!”
He, of course, responded in the only way possible – with a life-saving change of subject: “Uh, I just read something funny online. Have you heard this joke about the fiscal cliff?”
Well played, my friend. Well played.
So, you know, it occurred to me that it may be time to start getting some more veggies into my diet. And then I discovered this recipe.
Let’s just say that when you can get a chicken nugget-shoving, cupcake-pounding, queso fundido-funneling girl to look forward to eating fresh green beans, you’re doing something right.
The idea is to char the whole beans in a screaming hot skillet, then toss them with a light and lovely Harissa sauce. It is such a wonderful alternative to the heavy, cream of mushroom soup-laden green beans that we’re all expected to eat this time of year. You might want to considering switching things up at the Thanksgiving table, green bean-wise.
Sometimes the simplest recipe can end a weekend on the right note…
or start a week off in the perfect way.
Take this salsa borracha, for example: it’s simple, it’s succulent, and it hits all the right garden-fresh notes, with subtle hints of smoky charred chiles and earthy gold tequila. I make it in big batches on Sundays and then serve it with eggs for breakfast, quesadillas for lunch, and a roast and rice for dinner throughout the week. Seriously? Seriously. Simple, simple, simple.
And don’t worry! It’s perfectly fine to make Weekend Salsa on a Monday or Tuesday – the flavor should stay the same. I can’t vouch for any Thursday salsas, though… you’ll have to take on a Thursday Salsa at your own risk.
Sometimes things will come onto your radar and stay for just a little while: legwarmers, high-waisted jeans, Garbage Pail Kids trading cards, New Coke…
And then sometimes things will come into your life and stay for a long, long time. You’ll make space for them in your dresser, tuck them away in your wallet, and create special shelves for them inside your fridge.
I’m no longer trading Phony Lisa for Scotty Potty and I’ve (thankfully) hung up my high-waisted jeans. But from the moment I first tasted Sriracha it was love at first bite, and the Red Rooster has taken up permanent residency in my kitchen.
I’m convinced it’s the successful marriage of savory & sweet, flavor & heat, and consistency & color that makes Sriracha so dang addictive. I put it on anything and everything and I’m not ashamed to say so. I put some Sriracha on my New Coke yesterday in an attempt to make it taste more like Old Coke. It didn’t work, but the New Coke did taste a lot better.
Not much to say today, just the short story of the little huevos that could…
Imagine sitting patiently, waiting in your carton with 11 of compatriots, knowing you’re destined for greatness but watching yourself be passed over morning after morning.
There goes the Greek yogurt…
And now it’s those mangoes’ time to shine…
Of course. Today it’s chorizo and some queso fresco. Really??
Imagine the hurt, the shame… you eventually have to ask yourself if the yolk’s on you. (Awful. I tried so hard, but couldn’t resist. Forgive me? I’ll serve you some amazing breakfast.)
Dear Nachos,
This is, for the most part, a love letter. Because I love you! And I have for so long.
But Dr. Phil says that love is a journey, so I think it may be time for us to consult our Garmin and make sure that we’re on the right track.
I know you’ll agree that it really was love at first sight for us. Your melted cheese first caught my eye from across the room that fateful night, but when I finally worked up the nerve to come over and introduce myself, your fresh salsa and salty, crunchy corn chips had me at ‘Hello’.
To this day, your creamy sour cream and tart lime juice-laced guacamole still make me weak in the knees.
Ah, travel… you’re the best of times and the worst of times.
You suck me in with your tropical vistas and umbrella-adorned potent potables, and then you crush my spirit with your baggage service fees and crabby rental car company representatives. But one can hardly complain when one is returning from a trip to one’s favorite place in the world accompanied by one’s favorite person in the world.
Yes, indeedy. I’m back from paradise and I’m over-brimming with the sweet spirit of the Aloha State.
This girl did the hula dance.
This girl swam the lava rocks.
This girl ate more fresh ahi poke than is generally considered appropriate in polite company.
But much, much more on all that later. For now, we’ve got two salsas to talk about – I think they’re going to play an important role in your 4th of July festivities. So let’s get started.
I think I’m on the record as being a little crazy for condiments.
Silly over sauces.
Goofy for gravies.
Delirious about dressings.
And, of course, round the bend when it comes to relishes.
So, you know, recipes like these are important business.
When I’m working on condiments I like to set aside a whole day. I gather my produce and my glass jars about me, I chop, process and puree, and I end up with whole shelves of my refrigerator stocked and stacked with delightful jars of luscious condiments.
It’s colorful. It’s tasty. It’s incredibly satisfying.
And then, when some special occasion rolls around, say a Day whose name rhymes with attendance, you have a bevy of beautiful brines, magnificent mustards, and comely catsups to choose from.
I have a confession to make: I’m completely and utterly addicted to Twitter.
I know, it’s ugly. And I wish I could tell you something better. Like that I’m addicted to doing sit ups or taking heart-healthy vitamins.
No, my friends, I’m just a tweet-loving, twit-obsessed girl who can’t stop living life in just under 140 characters. Please at least allow me to explain how this happened.
First thing’s first: Shelly, please check your email, because you’re the winner of my Cookie Dough Lover’s Giveaway! I just loved reading all of your entries about cookie dough – you guys are really, REALLY into some serious cookie dough action. I don’t have any plans to come between you and your dough anytime soon.
And because I think you’re all totally rad, I’m hosting another giveaway for another awesome book! You can enter to win here.
But wait! There’s even more! I’ve got some condiment love coming your way, just in case you needed a little cool dip to round out your Wednesday. It’s fresh. It’s creamy. And you’re going to want to spread it on everything from your sandwiches to your tacos to your cookie dough. Uh, maybe not. We’ll see about that last one… but tacos and tortas for sure.
