Taco Night

To say that I enjoy Tacos would be an understatement.

Tacos are a family friendly meal because you can build them any way you want and cause dang it, tacos are fun!

These particular tacos are al pastor. I usually marinate the meat myself but I thought why not give Northgate a shout out on the ol' blog.

I bought 2 lbs of their carne al pastor.

First I cooked a small amount of meat to test the taste and found it needed a kick.

So I added..A splash of orange juice, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teasppon of cumin, juice of half a lemon, chopped cilantro (as much as you like) and finely chopped pineapple (about 1/4 cups worth). That sat in the fridge an marinated for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Then in a nicely warmed skillet I heated 1 tablespoon of canola oil & 1 crushed clove of garlic. Once the garlic was translucent I added the meat and cooked it (stirring occasionally) for about 20 minutes.

I like to serve tacos with black beans or refried pinto beans, the rice I could do without, but my kiddos were in dire need for it on this particular occasion. They just had to have it. Anywaaay...I topped the tacos with a homemade salsa and chopped cilantro & onion.

If you want to make the salsa..

Take 2 tomatoes 1 garlic clove whole and wrap them in aluminum foil. You can roast the tomatoes and garlic in you broiler or right on the stovetop, I use a griddle and turn the package so every side has exposure to the heat. Once the tomatoes are roasted I remove them from the heat and let them rest until they cool off a bit. In the meantime I toast (right on the griddle) about 10 chiles piquin for no more than 3 minutes. Next I toss everything in a blender, but not the chiles, I add those to taste little by little. Once I reach a salsa heat I'm comfy with I pour the salsa into a bowl and finish it off with chopped cilantro and onion and salt to taste.

Mother's Day Brunch

My mom, sisters & I were treated to a delicious Mother's day brunch yesterday courtesy of our beloved Uncle Manuel.

The table was set adorably. The menu was an array of savory goodies. Crispy chilaquiles with perfectly seasoned scrambled eggs (thanks Danny!) smothered in a tasty tomatillo sauce & topped with crema fresca and queso cotija, velvety refried beans, crispy bacon & polish sausage. For dessert, courtesy of Will, we had a delightfully moist applesauce cake, a zesty refreshing orange cake that made me feel as if I were biting right into a juicy sun kissed orange and farm fresh strawberries straight from the farmer's market. Ooh the icing on the cake was too die for! And my hubby brought the kiddos muffins (bless his heart), it was a group effort;)

The Momma's

(aka my sisters and our mom)

From left to right-Teresa, Mari (standing), Ampro, Mom & me.

We had brunch at my sister & brother in laws house. Their backyard is easily one of my favorite places, they have a vast & beautiful assortment of flowers (including plumeria and chocolate orchids that really smell like chocolate!) and fruit trees. Heavenly!

Pictured below, the grownies grubbing.

From bottom corner left-My sis Amparo, Mom, me, my hubby, my sis Lucy, Will, Tio, my sis Mari, my bro in law Danny & his lovely wife Teresa.

It was great to spend time with the family. The Mom's were spoiled, wonderful food & roses from Danny. What else could we ask for? I love my family!