I come from a traditional taco shell family, but Eaman’s family is all about the taco salad. I think I always shied away from taco salads because I hate salads and am reluctant to give any a chance. But once I realized the taco salad is basically a glorified nacho — YES — I became a convert.
Recently we searched for the brand his family uses, but when we couldn’t find it, we figured it wouldn’t be all that hard to make the bowls ourselves. And guess what? It’s really, ridiculously easy. Find out how after the jump:
I’m endlessly fascinated by what people eat. And when they eat. And where they eat (i.e. kitchen table, work, subway). Not to get too psychoanalytical, but I think a peek at someone’s food diary is a (pretty telling) peek at someone’s personality. Do you love cooking at home or is your stove a mysterious, never-used contraption? Do you frequent the same spot because you crave familiarity or is visiting new restaurants how you get your kicks? Do you take your coffee the same way every day? Or do you think coffee is a heathen beverage akin to crack in a cup?
I read dozens of blogs each week, but there are three in particular I read religiously. Naturally they all feed my stalker-like obsession. Get to know ’em after the jump:
I don’t know about you guys, but in this summer heat, I have trouble making proper meals. Anything that requires a hot stove top — or worse — a long bake time in the oven, is just out of the question on these sweltering days. More days than not, you can find me with a piece of toast, a swipe of pesto, cubed mozzarella and sliced tomatoes fresh from the farmer’s market. The summer tomatoes have been delicious, and I think they figure into 5 out of the 7 days of my week. (Sorry, bell pepper. You will be missed.)
I recently made this one-pot pasta with cherry tomatoes but didn’t like the idea of nuking something that’s so amazing when eaten fresh. So I thought I’d collect a few recipes — in the vein of this avocado post — to share with you some easy and tasty ways to make use of summer’s greatest bounty. Specials thanks to our new balcony basil plant. I couldn’t have done it without you.
I’ve never been one to class up a picnic. In fact, I had every intention of sharing a few snaps from a little outing we had a few weeks ago. Eaman and I had picked up sandwiches from BFD (Big Front Door) — skip the overpriced sandwiches, go for the cool craft sodas and epic cookies — and headed over to Old Trolley Barn Park on Adams Avenue in University Heights. (It sounds much more “country jamboree” than it really is.) But the fact of the matter is, there wasn’t much to show. A canvas tote? Small sandwiches? Tattered blanket? It got me thinking about how I’d style my own picnic given an expense account and some freedom to go with a melon color palette.
During my junior year at college, while I heated up frozen Boca Burgers and cooked frozen veggies in tabasco sauce nearly every day — don’t ask — my then-roommate was making Indian food, crepes and homemade yogurt in our meager kitchen. I was always blown away by what she’d whip up, but nothing lured me quite like the granola she made. Oh, that granola. I could eat it by the bowlfuls — with milk, without milk, when hungry, when not hungry.
Avocados. Never have I eaten so many since moving to California. But after making bowls upon bowls of guacamole and adding sliced avos to sandwiches for lunches until the end of time, I realized I needed to find new ways to make use of this superfood.
Today I’m sharing with you the fruits of my research labor. We’ve got hors d’oeuvres, breakfast, a face mask and even dessert! Check out five new ways to use an avocado:
Walking in Balboa park, Teddy adorably playing an ice cube for the first time (TOO CUTE), hosting friends from out of town, eating Mexican food, shopping at the farmers market, (finally) running around with Teddy after his vaccines were complete, stuffing my face at a bake sale — just a little glimpse into life in May.
Check it out:
Music: “Out of My League” by Fitz and the Tantrums
Today, on this Memorialiest of Days, I’m sharing a recipe for a refreshing mocktail that incorporates California’s most omnipresent produce: oranges and lemons.
Once upon a time, I enjoyed alcohol. I may or may not have been of age, but that’s besides the point, mom and dad. Never a fan of beer or wine, I was a cocktail queen and loved anything fruity, particularly when paired with Malibu or tequila. Then in 2006, I signed up for my first marathon (Chicago), and in effort to train properly, I cut out alcohol, which seemed downright masochistic as a senior in college. But I actually loved this new elimination diet, which resulted in more energy, leftover cash and fewer pounds.
When I moved to New York in 2007 and lived paycheck to paycheck, drinking was the first thing to go. I drank on a few special occasions, but in general, I went dry. Since then, I’ve completely lost my taste for alcohol and whenever I do happen to get a sip — or even a whiff — I want to gag.
This means I’m always on the hunt for mocktail recipes, especially ones that can incorporate alochol for my booze-loving friends. The Kitchn‘s rosemary citrus spritzer was a huge hit this weekend. I don’t particularly love honey’s distinct taste in food and drinks, so I used just under one cup of sugar instead. And if you have leftover syrup, save it in a screw-top container in the fridge. It should last up to a month thanks to the preservative powers of sugar.
