Taco Night!

There are many things I love about taco night:

1. It's a "build it yourself" type meal, so everyone can pick and choose their favorite ingredients.
2. The ingredients look so fresh and pretty all set out on the table.
3. This is a great way to highlight seasonal produce with sliced veggies and homemade salsas.
4. It's fun!

To have your own taco night...

1. The ingredients:
• Small corn tortillas, wrapped in damp paper towel and warmed in microwave
• Shredded meat (slow cooked and seasoned chicken thighs/pork shoulder/beef roast) or beans
• Grated cheese
• Veggies (shredded lettuce, green onion, tomatoes, cilantro, radishes, etc.), the more varied in color, the better!
• Salsas, hot sauces
• Sour cream
2. Gather up small plates and bowls for the ingredients. Split the ingredients between the dishes, mixing up the colors as much as possible. I put the bright yellow cheese against the dark greens, and the bright pink and red against the cilantro and scallion greens. Jars of salsa, sour cream, and hot sauces go out as is.
3. If serving alcohol, crack open some beers or make up a pitcher of margaritas. Perhaps a round of tequila shots for the more adventurous??
4. Sit down and enjoy! Encourage people to use their hands to grab ingredients--this is not a formal occasion ;)

Any leftovers make for great next day lunches or dinners. I like to use my leftovers to create fresh salads, quesadillas, or Chipotle-style rice bowls.

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Rebel with a Cause, Cont.

Continued from last time...


We can't deny that our food choices are deeply personal as it really should be. We're all born into food cultures, shaped by our heritage, location, and socio-economic status which incluences the way we view food (favorite foods, comfort foods, holiday meal traditions, ingredient/meal preparations, taboo foods, etc). Who am I to say my food choices are "better" than yours or you tell me that my choices are inferior to yours? Doing so offends us at our core and no one will win that game.


I do think we're taking the easy way out as a society when processed and/or fast food becomes the norm. We've pushed a lot of our food choices out into the world for the lowest bidder to come along and provide us the illusion of cheap options (microwaved meals, fast food burgers, instant noodles we can buy for $2 or less). Cheap, quick, and easy today doesn't necessarily translate to health and vitality tomorrow. And it certainly doesn't translate to self-sufficiency. I believe we all need the fundamental knowledge and skills to prepare our own meals without being drained of too much time, money, or energy. Here are some tips of my own tips:

1. Learn to cook real food! Home cooked foods don't have to be elaborate, time consuming, or expensive to be nutritious and filling. Learn new skills and recipes from family and friends, enroll in a local cooking class, check out a cookbook or blog, or watch tutorials online.
2. Shop smarter at the grocery store! Groceries are generally less expensive when you buy pantry staples in bulk (think rice, grains, dried beans, spices, etc) and produce when in season. Most grocery stores now post their ads online so you can check out the specials ahead of time. Get the lowest price by checking the price per ounce/pound/unit when comparing bulk and prepackaged items or packaged items of different sizes (you might be surprised!). Stock up on meats when on sale and freeze individual portions.
3. Keep quick meal staples in the pantry, fridge, and freezer! You have limitless possibilities with rice/grains, frozen vegetables, and beans (pre-cooked or canned) or meat. Stir-fry, fried rice, and beans and rice are just a few simple ideas that can be served humbly with minimal seasoning or dressed up with spices and sauces. Always having at least one "pantry ready" meal helps with those nights when you're low on energy or not feeling creative. Let's face it--this happens to all of us.
4. Plan meals around like ingredients! Cook up larger portions of protein staples like meat and beans to be used across multiple meals throughout the week. Shredded chicken/beef/pork can go into tacos, burritos, quesadillas, rice bowls, or salad. I like to do this with greens and lettuces too, for salads, sauteed greens, and also chopped up into noodle or rice bowls.
5. Don't be afraid to experiment and make mistakes! Try new cooking techniques, ingredients, and recipes. If it turns out, you've got something new in your arsenal and if not, most of those "mistakes" are probably still edible ;)

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Rebel with a Cause: Foodie Elitism (Article)

http://handpickednation.com/read/rebel-with-a-cause-foodie-elitism/

It’s an interesting question: should I feel guilty for spending extra money on local/organic food? People are starving in the world and here I am eating an organic apple. While I fill my grocery basket with organic produce at a local market, other people don’t even have access to fresh produce in their stores.

Did you know over 13 million people in the US live in a food desert? About 80% of these people are in urban areas.

It’s also peculiar the kind of meaning we give food. When was the last time you heard someone say they felt guilty for buying clothing/jewelry/cars/houses/vacations and feeling guilty about it? However, food has become highly politicized as we assign labels “good” vs “bad” to food depending on how it was grown, manufactured, transported, and prepared so this is just an extension of that trend. We've polarized the issue so much that if you have the means and/or skills to cook your own food from scratch, you're elitist and out of touch which means fast food and microwaved meals are the norm.

Jamie Oliver has been a very public figure in trying to reverse this trend in order to combat obesity and health complications in the US and the UK, but this is something we're all going to have to have an active role in order to bring change.

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back to cookies

It's no secret I love baking, but I feel like I don't often get the chance to do it. Or more accurately, I don't make the time to do it. I decided to go for it this afternoon and try an experimental butterscotch pecan oatmeal cookie inspired by one I tried at Saint Cupcake (Butterscotch Galore Cookie) this weekend. I went out and bought the butterscotch chips that night in preparation.

Things didn't start off so well when I ended up accidentally measuring out the sugars for a full batch of cookies (I normally make a half batch, doing the math in my head). The logical thing to do would be to start over, but I went with it! Between the butter, sugars, oatmeal, and add-ins, this made about 5 pounds of dough. More cookies to take to work, more dough to freeze, and more to eat now :)

Cooling the butterscotch cookies...

These should make for a very happy Friday!

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How to Cut Pineapple...the right way!

Did you know there's more than one way to cut a pineapple? Odds are, you're doing it wrong. And so was I.

Instead of ineffectively attempting to explain how to do it, watch this video. It starts off slow, but wait until 1:40 when your mind will be blown:

I used to pass buy whole pineapples at the grocery store (even on special!) because it always felt so wasteful to buy one and throw what felt like at least half to two-thirds of it away. At the same time, the precut stuff is too expensive to justify.

I did a test using the "right" method of cutting a pineapple and calculated the cost per pound of the pineapple when cut by hand. My original pineapple was on special for $0.99/lb and I determined the price of the cut-by-you pineapple to be $2.50/lb. Compare that to the $4.99/lb at several grocery stores in the area! I'm definitely more likely to buy one as a special treat once in a while knowing how to cut it and the "real" price per pound.

DIY bonus: With proper planning, you can make tepache - a lightly fermented pineapple drink - with the leftover rind and core of the pineapple. (I found a recipe in this book from the library, though there are similar ones online)

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finished project: chocolate stout cake

It took almost two years, but I finally got around to baking something on my list: chocolate stout cake. I originally spotted this recipe a while back, bought the Guinness, and then neglected to make any movement on the project. Just a few days ago I found another recipe for the cake and coincidentally had everything I needed to make it. Off I went! Cracking open that beer this morning (for the cake, not drinking!) felt very satisfying in that I finally finished what I set off to do so long ago.

I baked my stout cake in an 8 inch springform pan and enjoyed a nice slice tonight after dinner. Was it worth the wait? YES. Moist and rich, it was satisfying even to a non beer fan like myself. Most will make its way to the freezer and be enjoyed for many weeks to come.

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