Heading Out This morning, Into the Sun

Freshly made guacamole

Homemade hot sauce, or salsa as the locals say

My own invention of a fresh green apple, tomatillo, jalapeno, avocado sauce for dipping, salad dressing or over meats.

My visiting buddy left.  I put her in an Uber and waved goodbye and she drove off into the sun.  I rushed to a much needed physical therapy session but when I came back, I realized I had a fridge full of fun food to play with.  I bought all of this to entertain and delight her but we never got to it. 

Having this bounty, it became necessary to create a worthy salad.  I grilled up some shrimp over an arugula and cilantro mix and turned it into a taco bowl. 

You know it's spring when your dinner plates become as colorful as the outdoors

For breakfast, yogurt, granola and berries 

For Those About To Rock!

If I was really cool I'd have super tight relationships with all of my immediate family including their offspring now including my in-laws. I'm reaching for a partial on that one, in this lifetime anyway.  I'm the kind of person that is not capable of being true friends with a large quantity of people, but more a select hand picked small group.

So I was thrilled to correspond again with the spawn of my brother and one of my favorite nephews of all time. And best of all, he is a foodie!  I knew he had the passion for music and soul and heart of and actually IS an artist but to learn he shares the deep love and appreciation for food makes this monkey so happy and proud!

I recently shared a recipe for my green apple tomatillo salsa and within a few days he came back with photos!  And he used it one day for carnitas and then the next in a new way, cooked to make a chili verde sauce!  That's the way to do it with these gorgeous sauces, forget those little salt filled seasoning packets! Screw that and get with this!

By the pictures I suspect he may have what I call the Goldilocks principle.  My sister R has it and my mom has it.  They have the unique ability to season, temper and cook things 'just right' to where it hits some other level of awesome, of comfort, hits that sweet spot on your tongue, soul and everywhere in between.  

He can also make menudo which is like tamales, a right of passage of sorts in Mexican cooking.  I must salute his tenacity and bravery.  And he got the recipe from his dad.  How cool is all of this?!

The Thought I'll Have Again Tomorrow That Just Came Back From Yesterday

When I was in my late teens, early twenties I felt I had an endless supply of magic moments to reach for like candy in the back pocket of my Levi's jeans.  And to be fair, I did have an awful lot of them and hopefully it's not over yet.  I guess I like reminiscing.  Looking at old photos, remembering I want to say, times of grace. New science says the past is still here, somewhere.  That it doesn't go away at all.  Maybe we know that inherently and some of us go to to where it still exists and get in it like a hot bath.  Let it surround us and feel it again, for the first time so to speak.  The first time you met someone, that feeling you got when you just knew they are going to be very special and undoubtedly change your life in some mysterious way.  Food!  I remember the dang lighting when I ordered my first Spaghetti Supreme and how the fluorescents hit it when the waitress brought it out in that silver baking dish in the back dining room of the Pizza Hut. I remember sneaking downstairs and smelling my mom's ham in the ovens we kept in the basement she used only for the holidays.  I remember eating the best Chicken Mole on a paper plate at my brother David's house that his wife made.  So many enthralling instances.  I'm not unhappy in the present, any more than usual I should say.  I just happen to also ache for the past.   How can you not?  You already know how it turns out!

I used to eat pork and I love it, almost any way you can cook it.  I had some on this night, a cajun rubbed chop that I lathered on my cool refreshing green apple tomatillo sauce.  

 

And then, because it was just so dang memorable, I had it again the next night on a Mexican pork stir fry accompanied by corn and zucchini.

Now, thinking about this dish weeks later, the pork with that sauce on top, how they complimented each other so well makes me want to write a damn country song.

What May Seem LIke Love Will Soon Fall Apart

Sometimes you wake up and you just want to eat all day.  These are the days when I used to indulge in a giant plate of buttered pasta with various tomato sauces.  The satisfaction of a large amount of hot noodles does something to a girl.  I could never quite pin it down exactly but it felt like a really good trusted friend saying over and over while giving you gentle pats on the back for reassurance, 'it's okay, everything is okay, you're going to be alright now, just eat it all up and then relax awhile.'

There was a slight feeling of sedation.  Because I wasn't badly overweight, I didn't see it as a problem.  But a little voice in my head always whispered, 'you might wanna look into this'.  And I'd say 'shut up little one and pass the cheese!'

I changed my diet a whole lot and now to satisfy those urges I put more color on the plate, I try to make it look prettier and use foods that will help me, not knock me out or depress me.

That's a theme in my life right now, if it doesn't have a positive purpose than I need to decide to get rid of it or repurpose it, whether it be food, friends or objects.  I loved pasta but it left me bloated, feeling uncomfortably full, lethargic and blank.  But yes, the flavors are amazing so I'll have it sometimes in smaller portions but mostly I'll keep the sauce and put it over Veggetti or corn meal, healthier options that leave me feeling lighter and not sluggish.

For breakfast I made soft boiled eggs over cannellini beans and tomatillo sauce with a couple of herb and flax seed crusted chicken tenders.

I can't say I'm all energetic and jumping around over here thanks to my dietary changes in recent years.  I still get stuck in ruts and in my own head, can't get my giddy-up going and maybe this is just who I am but at least I'm no longer feeding the machine that makes it so.