Fried Chicken Tacos
We’ve all had friends move at some point in our lives. Sometimes, it works out that it is just to a neighboring community or even a short drive. Other times, we see them change time zones, states or continents. When I was a kid, my best friend/neighbor moved away and it was so hard to say “see you soon.” Our parents were friends though and they worked hard at keeping our friendship alive. Back in those days, we wrote letters, visited occasionally and sent cards to one another at birthdays and holidays. In May of 2017, I travelled to Las Vegas where she currently lives and after a teary reunion, we spent an entire afternoon chatting about our lives. Over thirty years later from being neighbors and there we were, clinking mojito glasses and laughing the way only forever friends can.
Cajun Beer Battered Avocado Tacos with Corn and Red Pepper Salsa
We are back from our Disney cruise to Vancouver. I swear it took me three days to get rid of my sea legs. We had a great time exploring San Francisco and catching up with old friends, a cold and rainy day in Victoria where we spent time with some peacocks, baby pigs and goats and explored the city and we ended the cruise in Vancouver where we explored Granville Island, toured the city and ate some ridiculously great food and drank some amazing craft beers.
Highlights:
1. Each city we visited boasted that their Chinatown was the largest Chinatown in North America.
2. Buggies and Pixie drank out of a toilet/drinking fountain at the Observatory in San Francisco.
3. Pixie sang “California Here I Come” while standing on the Golden Gate Bridge.
4. The International waters off of California are neither warm nor calm during the month of May.
5. No one puked.
Smoked Gouda and Drunk Onion Quesadillas
These quesadillas were another huge hit at every party we catered. They are so easy and so, so, so good. People would ask, “how do you get the onions to taste so sweet yet savory.” Our answer? Get ’em good and drunk! Add half a bottle of wine and boil the hell out of ’em.
Spicy Dr. Pepper Pork Tacos
Obviously I was having a rough week last week. Buggies had pushed me over the edge of sanity and right into the Grand Canyon. Come to find out, poor little miss needed some antibiotics and is doing much, MUCH better. I, of course, feel like “parent of the year” for allowing myself to get so frustrated with her. So, after hugging and kissing her a million times, we packed up our trailer and headed to the beach to do some beach camping. Thanks to global warming, Los Angeles has been 75 degrees for the last week. So, an impromptu camping trip sounded like a great idea. And it was! Three families, six kids and the beach? How could we go wrong! We sat by the campfire, had s’mores and the kids played and played and played. They came home covered in splinters, dirty as could be and totally exhausted. Which means it was a damn good trip.
Chicken Chutney Tacos
I’m living with a terrorist.
She’s about 3 feet tall, has blonde pigtails and responds to the A.K.A. of “Buggies.”
Toddlers are like little terrorists or drug addicts. Happy one second, hysterical and jones-ing for “insert-anything-from-Goldfish-to-favorite-blankies-here” the next; ready to blow the roof off my house if I don’t allow her to have a “nack” an hour before dinner.
Pure Comfort Enchiladas
So, we live in California and one of the perks that goes with the outrageous amount of money we spend on houses and property taxes is that we are surrounded by the best Mexican food in America. And of all the Mexican food available, the Enchilada is by far my favorite. It’s a squishy, yummy, delicious combination of all the best flavors our California Mexican food has to offer. And I say Californian Mexican food, because it really is it’s own style of mexican food. I’ve been to Mexico. I’ve eaten the food, got the t-shirt. I honestly prefer ours California version. And when it comes to Mexican restaurants here in CA, I quite honestly judge them based on their enchiladas. Ok, their chips and salsa have to be good to. And their Guacamole. And their chile rellenos better be good too. I know. I’m judgmental.
These enchiladas are the perfect comfort food and quite amazing. Pixie always has second helpings when these pop out of the oven.
Hubby’s note: These things are ridiculous. They’re so good in fact that they are almost a substitute for sex. But not quite. I prefer mine with no cheese, for Lactosian reasons. But I HIGHLY recommend adding ground beef to these. My wife makes me my own separate enchilada pie with no cheese and lots and lots of taco meat (ground beef soaked in taco seasoning). HUBBY APPROVED!