I am addicted to taco salad. Seriously, who ever invented this stuff was brilliant. Meat, beans, cheese, lettuce and other raw vegetables…Just add watermelon for dessert and you have all four food groups!

Back in the day, when I forst got married everyone made taco salad the same way. Doritos, canned kidney beans, cheddar cheese, hamburger, sour cream, iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and catalina dressing.  There might be a little variation on that but not much.

Well, taco salads have evolved into much more than that. They are still easy and budget friendly, but fresher and more delicous I think. If you have an electric fryer I highly recommend making your own fresh tortilla chips. They don’t take long at all and the difference is amazing. It is one of those small things that takes food from average to incredible.

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This is not your traditional pasta dish. You might have noticed that I have been on a Southwestern food kick. So has everyone else. Something about hot weather that gives me a taste for the spicy foods; the tangy, warm, earthy flavors of the Southwest.

This dish really does need a strong pasta to handle it. I recommend whole wheat because it has a firmer texture and the nutty flavor is perfect. The rich sauce is tangy but it cools the heat of the peppers.The cumin’s warm, earthiness pulls it all together into creamy, spicy perfection. Normally I would not serve corn with pasta- it is just too weird but you know what? Corn works here. I like to leave it on the cob and rest it up by the pasta but you can add the kernels to the dish as well.

I think this pasta is addictive.  This is my submission to Presto Pasta Nights. This week it is hosted by Daphne of More Than Words.

Fettucine Creme Fraiche

• 2 lbs wholewheat pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 zucchini, diced
• 8 ears of corn, cut in half and cooked
• 1 poblano, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 cups creme fraiche or sour cream

1. Saute the zucchini, peppers, onions, and garlic in the olive oil until just tender. This works great in a wok.
2. Stir in the cumin.
3. Add the drained fettucine and stir well.
4. Stir in the cilantro and creme fraiche until all is well mixed and the pasta is coated.
5. Sprinkle with the cheese
6. Serve with the buttered corn on the side.

Serves 8

Tomorrow is my biopsy at 2:45. I have several posts scheduled over the next few days but I may not be available to answer questions. I just want to thank you guys for reading, for encouraging me, and for praying for me. You have been awesome, you have been friends, and I am grateful to count you among my many blessings. I am not looking forward to this thing but I am not worried about it either. I plan on posting on Thursday to let you know how it went, but in case I am unable to I wanted you to know why.

image: marye audet

It has been awhile since we did the whole guilty pleasures thing. It is hard because, although I get a lot of companies interested in sending me things not many of those things are products that I would pass on to you. And of the ones that I get not all of them are worthy of the space to review!

A few weeks ago a representative of FarmRich emailed me to see if I would be interested in a cookbook and a sample of meatballs. Sure!

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A couple of weeks ago I bought two huge pork roasts.  It was during the height of the swine flu scare and all the pork was clearanced because no one was buying it.  At 99 cents a pound there was no need to analyze the budget.

When I get huge amounts of meat like that I like to  slow cook it.  I can’t remember if I posted the pulled pork sandwiches ..I don’t think I did.  In fact…I have a huge number of posts to catch up on.  Anyway, to slow cook a large batch of pork roast, just salt and pepper it generously and toss it in the slow cooker with 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of chipotle, and some onion.  I slow cooked mine for a full 24 hours but there was about 20 lbs in there.  I cooked it until it shredded easily.  Then I bag it in portion sized amounts in freezer bags.  Simple dinners.

O.k..on to the Pork Tacos.

These were really quite quick because the pork was all ready cooked.  I warmed it slowly while I was making the salsa.

The key to this salsa is really ripe mangoes.  This recipe is based on the one in Bobby Flay’s Mesa Cookbook.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa

• 2 cups black beans, cooked and rinsed
• 2 very ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/8 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• a splash of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to combine.  Allow flavors to blend for 30 minutes.

For Tacos

• 16 corn tortillas, warmed and kept warm in a moist towel
• 4 cups of shredded, cooked pork
• 1/2 lb aby spinach leaves
• Mango salsa

Place a few spinach leaves on the tortilla.  Top with 1/4 cup of the pork and then a few tablespoons of the salsa.

Serves 8

Images:maryeaudet

I love Pasta Primavera.  It is light, flavorful, and really fast.  Can you ask for more? I don’t think so!  The only thing I thought it was missing is a little “bite-cha-back.  You know what I mean.

Chipotle.

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When I am looking for a dinner recipe that is quick, easy, and cheap, pizza burgers come to mind.  They come to mind when I am not looking for that kind of recipe, too, because they are just that good.

When I was growing up in Pennsylvania we used to go to this pizza place that was called Frankie and Johnny’s.  I don’t remember a whole lot about it except that the seats were blue vinyl, it smelled heavenly, and they had the best hoagies, pizza, and pizza burgers in the known universe.

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This is my entry for Presto Pasta Nights, but it may not be my only one.  It is Presto Pasta Night’s 100th posting date and I wanted to do something special..This was incredible but I am still working on a more incredible birthday surprise..which may or may not work.

Seriously.  Cajun Black Bean Fettuccine. Yum.  You have to like spice for this…and you have to go to Bacon Freaks and get the cajun bacon.

This is spicy.  And different.  And good.

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This is my entry for this weeks Presto Pasta night hosted by Haalo of  Cook Almost Anything.

One of my favorite things to experiment with is pesto.  It is just so darn good!  I like to grow different kinds of basil because each one adds a different complexity to the pesto.

Then I started experimenting with different herbs as the basic ingredients.  I found that one of my favorite spins on fresh pesto is to make it with cilantro and pecans.

Welcome to Texas.

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Honey mustard chicken is one of those dishes that is quick, easy, and family friendly.  It is flavorful enough to make the most discriminating palate happy while being easy enough to serve for a busy weeknight supper.

You wanna talk versatile? Slice it on the diagonal and put it on top of organic baby herbs for an incredible, quick salad…put it in a tortilla, with some sliced, ripe heirloom tomatoes and you have a wrap.  Serve it with  some deep, black grapes, some artisan bread, and endive with oil and vinager and you have a picnic in the French countryside.  How can you miss? Read more

I know that usually I highlight recipes from different blogs.  Today I want to do something a little different.

Were you aware that today is the 20th of December?  Were you also aware that that means there are only five more days until Christmas?  I don’t know about you but for me…well I am swamed with stuff to do and my time is at a premium.  As much as I love to cook I need some really fast, easy, good meal ideas.  I want to spend time with the kids doing important stuff.

Like watching movies and making cookies.

You? Yep.  I thought so…

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