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!

Healthy eating for a picky eater.

My daughter loves a plain old teriyaki bowl with white rice so I checked my handy dandy Deceptively Delicious cookbook, thanks Mrs. Seinfeld! That cookbook was gifted to me when I needed it the most, thanks Will! Since then, I have used purees in almost all of my kids meals. My favorite threesome to use in a puree is what some call the trinity or mirepoix, it's carrots celery and onion and the flavors combined really pack a punch. I use that particular puree in anything from meatloaf, meatballs and turkey burgers.

But back to the rice bowl...

I try to match the puree first to compliment the flavor of the dish and a very close second to match the color of the dish, because kids or at least my kids will freak out if there is anything visibly green or red or...whatever on their food. So I use cauliflower for the white rice.

The puree

I start with a complete stalk of cauliflower. Wash and break apart the cauliflower then steam in until it is fork tender. I use a blender and set it to puree adding drops of water if I need to (stop the blender as you add the water) for the perfect consistency. What you want is a baby food like texture.

The rice

You can make the white rice as you usually do. I measure 2 cups of water to 1 cup of jasmine rice. Wait for the water to come to a very low simmer then add the jasmine rice. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of garlic powder. When the rice has cooked for 10 minutes I stir in the puree, about a 1/2 cup. You want the puree to get 'cooked' into the rice. In another 5 to 10 minutes the rice should be ready.

The chicken

I like to use boneless skinless breast. Cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces, season with salt and pepper (my kiddos don't mind black stuff). Warm your skillet and add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and garlic, I use either crushed garlic or 1 clove cut in two. Add the chicken and cook until ready and lightly golden. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite teriyaki sauce into the skillet and toss the chicken around until it's coated with the sauce. Serve the chicken over the rice. My daughter takes soy sauce on hers (low sodium). The grownies can add chopped scallions and sriracha to their bowls.

Enjoy!

Movie Night!

Family movie night became a tradition last summer.

It's a cherished time for me because not only do I get to kick my heels up and relax, but I get to do it with my nearest & dearest. Sans kids. Okay, we let them comesometimes.

Movie night is hosted by my Tio, he's my favorite uncle and took on the role of Dad when my father passed away when I was two.

Movies are chosen democratically, we tend to stick to classic films.

With a few exceptions, 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles', was a group favorite favorite:)

And there's the food.

Courtesy of one of the most incredible cooks ever, Will.

If it wasn't for Will, there'd be no beet.

From fish tacos to pozole, southern fried chicken, carnitas tacos...

Not to mention the cocktails, 'ritas, cosmos, whiskey sour, champagne...

The Movie: Vertigo

Kim Novak is a stunner! I was given a grey suit just like hers for my last birthday:)

Vertigo was brilliant.

The Movie Meal

Boeuf bourguignon a la Julia Child with a twist of Will, creamy mashed potatoes & fresh baked yeast rolls.

For dessert we had fresh baked brown butter chocolate chip cookies and the lightest angel food cake torte with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Thanks Mari & Will!

Do this with your loved ones! Begin a new tradition:)

*The recipe for boeuf bourguignon can be found on-line or in Julia Child's, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The cookie and torte recipe will be posted soon.

Kid favorite.

I have to give my husband credit for this one. It's a deliciously eye pleasing kid pleaser.

Noodles in a chicken and vegetable broth with a slight citrus taste.

You can find ramen noodles at your local asian market.

Or Nissin ramen noodles from essentially any market are just as good.

For the broth:

There are two ways to go about it.

Want to be sneaky? Make a chicken broth including carrots, celery, onion and zucchini. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

The key is to cut the veggies into nice big pieces so it is easier to remove them later.

When your broth is ready remove veggies and set them aside.

Bring your broth to a low boil in a small soup pot and add noodles.

Cook until your noodles reach desired tenderness.

Now, you can take a piece of each veggie and some broth, place them in a blender or food processor and blend until you have a slurry consistency. That slurry could go straight into your pot of soup or if you have an extra picky kiddo, you can use a strainer so you will not have any dreaded veggie bits in the soup.

Or... If your kiddo doesn't mind veggies, give yourself a big ol' pat on the back!!! Yes, I'm being sarcastic;p

But seriously, congrats & all that...

Where was I...You can avoid the chunky veggies, chop them up as you wish and keep them in the soup. I add the veggies for taste, but sometimes I keep the veggies in for a more traditional chicken soup taste. I also shred the chicken from the broth and add that to the noodles, we all enjoy that.

Any way you have your soup enjoy it. Make a sandwich & split it. Add a little lime if you'd like.

D'oh!

I call these little goodies Homer's doughnut.

Again I used a store bought vanilla cake mix and vanilla frosting which I doctored with a touch of maple syrup for a yummy doughnut taste.

To make these delicious d'oh!-nuts simply follow the cake mix directions and add maple syrup to it.

I used a 1/4 cup.

I say go with your taste buds on this one because you may want more of a maple taste or less.

As for the frosting do the same as with the cake mix.

I used 2 tablespoons.

Sprinkle with colorful sprinkles or if you're feeling naughty crumbled bacon;)

Up to this point I've been inspired by cartoon or stop motion characters-we'll I should say real characters because I've made these for people I love and who inspire my creative side. I know a real life Coraline, an energetic high jumping Mario and dare I say, a Homer:)

Enjoy.

Rolling fondant is not a pain when you do it for the ones you love.

My adorable golden tousled nephew requested Mario Bros. inspired cupcakes for his birthday.

I have to say I had a blast making them, I had my ipod on shuffle and boogied in between frosting and painting. Most importantly the little guy was happy:)

I've gotten more comfortable with fondant. I just sprinkle my tabletop with a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar and roll it out. I've begun to collect cookie cutters in different shapes to use as cutouts too! Although for the top of the mushrooms I just rolled a bit of fondant in the palm of my hand and pressed down on them until they were little mounds. Like my daughters cake I used store bought cake mix, but an incredible cook I know gave me the lowdown on how to doctor store bought cake mixes:)