So when I read a Twitter about a Tatcho plate in Portland, I had to have some.  Lucky for me, I read the tweet on a weekend day, so I was able to satiate my immediate and primal hunger right then!

Tatchos

1 package tator tots

1 cup canned pinto beans

1/2 lb ground meat

1 small onion

Taco seasoning

Shredded Cheese (colby jack blend)

Add favorite traditional nacho or baked potato toppings.

Prepare ground meat with taco seasoning and saute the onion, set aside. Heat pinto beans.

Place tator tots in oven and season generously with taco seasoning.

1/2 through heating tots, top with beans, meat/onion mixture and lots of cheese.

My tips is to use more of the seasoning an d cheese than you think may be necessary. The potatoes really absorb the flavors.

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A few years ago, my kitchen mini-prep food processor was on the chopping block. I was inventorying my kitchen appliances and was on the fence on weather or not to donate it. Why not, I had a larger higher duty food processor.

I’m happy I hung onto it.

This salsa has some kick to it. I recommend having a refreshing beverage close by. For some reason, I think a horchata is the right cooling agent.

Crunchy Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

Salsa Verde Crujiente con Aguacate

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Recipe from Season 7 of Mexico – One Plate at a Time

Ingredients

8 ounces (about 4 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1/2 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped cilantro

Hot green chiles to taste (roughly 2 small serranos or 1 small jalapeño), stemmed and roughly chopped

1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin

1 small white onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Salt

Directions

Roughly chop half of the tomatillos and scoop them into a food processor with the cilantro and green chiles. Measure in 1/4 cup water and process to a slushy, coarse puree. Roughly chop half the avocado, add it to the processor and pulse until it is incorporated into the salsa. Scrape into a serving dish. Scoop the onion into a small strainer and rinse under cold water. Add to the salsa. Finely chop the remaining tomatillos and add them, too. Finally, chop the remaining avocado into 1/4-inch pieces and stir them into the salsa. Taste and season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon.

Alternative Method: Put all the tomatillos (quartered), cilantro and chiles through a meat grinder to chop them (no water necessary), then stir in finely chopped avocado and rinsed onion.

via Recipes from Chef Rick Bayless – Rick Bayless | Frontera.

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I couldn’t help but wonder what their opinions are regarding the bill.

I wasn’t at the grocery store however to interview people or to overly think what’s happening with the State. I was at the grocery store picking a few odds and ends and thinking about Creamy Taco Mac.

There is nothing too spectacular about the preparation or ingredients in this recipe. It’s just plain simple and tasty.

I enjoyed this outside enjoying the last few days of Spring, sipping a virgin margarita .

Creamy Taco Mac

Ingredients:

1¼ lbs. ground turkey

8 oz. dry pasta shapes

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

4 tbsp. taco seasoning

3 oz. cream cheese

½ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Source: adapted from Delish

via Annie’s Eats.

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A few weeks ago I decided to change up my hair and I had bangs cut. My hair stylist said something about Heidi Klum and before I knew it I had a new look. I should issue an apology to Superwife, because I didn’t consult with her before I made this leap and she had to find out via a Flickr upload.

It seems to me that some people think the bangs make me look Italian. At least 3 people this week made a comment about it and truth be told, I’m okay with that! Italy far and away is my most favorite place in the world.

Perhaps it was all my Italianess this week that put Bellini’s on my mind.

I think this recipe is close to the original Harry’s Bar Bellini in Italy. It was crisp and refreshing. The original Bellini isn’t served like a peach diquari like you get at most restaurants State side.  (<–I don’t mind the frozen ones either.)

Arizona Peach Bellini

ingredients:
3 oz. peach puree
Drop of pureed raspberries
3 oz. Peach Schnapps
Champaign, Sparkling Wine or Prosecco to top the glass

Mixing instructions:
Puree ripe peaches in a blender and spoon into a large, chilled wine goblet. Sprinkle pureed raspberries. Fill with ice cold Peach Schnapps and champagne.

You can substitute peach juice or peach nectar for the peach puree.

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Pretty soon we’ll have breezes that feel like you’ve turned on a hair dryer and pointed it straight at your face and night time temperatures that don’t  dip below triple digits. And when all your phone conversations to home have some sort of comment about the Arizona dry heat.

My summer cooking regiment in Arizona is an odd mix of “mix it in” salads and cupcakes. Salads because they’re cool and refreshing and cupcakes, because summer is the time of year when I feel most confined to the house. I celebrated one of the last heat tolerable nights of the Spring by making a Black Bean and Tropical Fruit Salsa.

Black Bean and Tropical Fruit Salsa

1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup of yellow corn
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 cup diced fresh mango
3 T finely diced purple onion
2 T finely diced jalapenos
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 chopped cilantro
3 T fresh lime juice
Season with garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Mix in a bowl and give it an hour in the fridge so the flavors can mix.

This “salsa” ate more like a spiced up black bean salad although that didn’t stop me from using a chip as my preferred delivery device.

Other mix in salads on this blog:

Confetti Salad
Quinoa Salad
Black Bean Couscous Salad

Other salad recipes:

Black Bean Confetti Salad at Smitten Kitchen
Confetti Pasta Salad at Good-bye Martha

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A few months ago, my officemate mentioned horchata cupcakes. I remembered thinking that was an amazing idea. Off and on over the past few months I’ve experimented with making homemade horchata, only to realize, I don’t really like the stuff. I don’t get it, watery rice milk with almond and cinnamon.Yuck. But, the idea of putting almond and cinnamon in a cupcake, now that’s an idea I could get behind.

A few weeks ago, I was ready to start baking and get an early El Dia de los Muertos post up, when I had a great idea. Wouldn’t it be fun to put sugar skulls on top of the cupcakes? Little did I know that the next 6 hours of my day would be spent hunting down the plastic sugar skull molds I’d need to get started. Where did I not find sugar skulls?

• Michael’s
• Target
• Wal-Mart
• Joann’s
• Lee Lee Market
• Dollar Store
• Big Lots
• Bashas
• Albertsons
• Frys
• Hobby Lobby

Where did I find them? Well, there were plenty of places online where I could find them, but wasn’t helping my Saturday morning impulse to whip up a few Mexican inspired decorations. Finally, I found the molds at Suenos Latin Imports at 7th Street and Bethany Home. Thank Heaven!

The best howtos for sugar skulls I was able to find online were:

• Mexican Sugar Skulls
• Crafty Chica
• Suenos Latin Imports offerd me free Sugar Skull support hot line too!

When making the sugar mixture most descriptions will use the description, “sugar should feel like wet sand.” I remember mixing the sugar, closing my eyes and trying to remember what wet sand felt like. It was nice sensory vacation, even if it was just for a minute.

These little guys needed to cure for 8 hours and then they’re ready for hair and make up!

And I think they dressed up quite nicely with their royal frosting decorations. This one is Carolina.

It didn’t take me long to realize that decorating all these guys was going to take quite a bit of time. But I think it was worth it. As I was working on each one, I’d give them a name, make up their history and put them aside for the next one.

I should really write a novella, trust me, there was some drama in this group!

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Usually when I’m out and order a margarita, I order it “on the rocks, no salt.” And I’m always disappointed when I do order them. The other weekend at Cadilac Ranch in Tempe at the Marketplace was no exception. So, I usually just order a Tecate and save myself the disappointment. Where do you get a good margarita in Phoenix?

I do believe I turned a corner with salting the rim of a margarita; Add a little sugar and lime zest. I didn’t measure out who much of each one, but if you like it a little sweeter, add more sugar, if you like a little more salt…well, you get the picture right?

And if you haven’t checked out Liquious, it’s a new site from NOTCOT that’s all about mixology.

Other margarita inspired posts you might enjoy:

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Now, it’s back to usual in the Valley and I really need to get back in the saddle with taking my lunch to work. I cannot stress how much better I feel during the day when I bring my own lunch, rather than eat whatever is available. Because if I was left to my own devices my daily nutrition would consist of a breakfast Jack, Sonic Wacky Pack and Hostess Cupcakes from Circle K. I’ve actually survived for days on that diet. Ugh.

Part of what helps me during the week with taking my lunch to work is prepping lunch on Sundays. My goal with weekday lunches is to:

• Prepare something that will last at least 4 days in the fridge.
• Look for recipes that I don’t have to reheat.

I typically end up with some freshly cut fruit and some sort of salad. This summer so far has been all about confetti salads. For me, those are rice based salads with lots of mixins. This past week, I learned that you can spice up your rice by combining in spices while the rice is cooking. Adding a teaspoon of cumin, tumerick or lemon zest to the boiling water before adding the rice can add a new level of flavor to the rice.

Cumin Rice Salad

Ingredients
1 t ground cumin
1 t olive oil
1 cup rice, uncooked

Chopped roasted red peppers, green peppers
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 can drained and rinsed sweet corn
Sprig of Cilantro

Method
Heat the cumin in your rice pot, add olive oil and when the flavors release add your water and rice and cook according to the directions on the package. Once rice is finished, allow it to cool and add peppers, beans, corn and cilantro.

Check out these other lunch perfect salads:

Citrus Quinoa Salad

Black Bean Couscous Salad

CRUNCHY SALAD

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The deeper I dive into the Junior League the more I appreciate the dueling facets of the membership. There are the traditional elite. The few who were raised in privilege and live lives that are tied into expectations. They have pedigrees that are stocked with trust funds and endowments.

Then theres the group within the League who are educated, self-made and polished. They come from families who put value in hard work, some come from homes where they didn’t struggle with life, but maybe they didn’t take family vacations to Hawaii either.

It’s these two backgrounds that help make the Junior League successful. The group who isn’t afraid to write big checks, think nothing of asking a benefactor for thousands and are glamorous enough to have people talking about them for weeks after an event.

Then theres the group who are willing to log volunteer hours cleaning rooms, planting shrubs and putting together projects with homeless children.

In my opinion that is what makes the Junior League a unique and high impact group. You’ll hear quite often the slogan around the League, “When the Junior League gets behind a project, Phoenix changes.” And that is so true. We are unique in that we have a group who can get out there and get the money to fund a project and we have a group who is willing to support a project with their sweat equity.

I went to a Junior League meeting this week at one of our past projects. One that was started and finished way before I moved to Phoenix. But one that,as a resident of Phoenix, I truly appreciate. It’s the Orpheum Theater in downtown Phoenix. I’d like the share this excerpt from the Orpheum’s website:

In the early 1980’s Nederlander decided to put the property on the market rather than renovate it for reuse. It shared the block with a drive-thru restaurant and a parking lot — an incompatible icon of a bygone era.

The theater’s location on the west side of Central Avenue may have had more to do with its survival than any other factor. Many older buildings fell victim to destruction by fire or were razed to accommodate high rise development in the 1970’s. But Second Avenue and Adams Street was not in the direction Phoenix’ downtown rebirth was headed.

Concurrent to the Orpheum’s near demise, the Junior League of Phoenix initiated a project to inventory historic buildings in the downtown area. Although the Orpheum was identified as a valuable historic property, some potential buyers considered razing the theater to put a new commercial building there.

Then-Mayor Terry Goddard and his newly formed historic preservation task force endorsed the idea of having the city buy the theater to ensure its long-term preservation. Shortly thereafter, the Junior League of Phoenix spearheaded a community effort to retain the architectural and historical integrity of Phoenix’ last historic theater and helped place the Orpheum on the National Register of Historic Places.

If you live in Phoenix and are interested in joining the Junior League, we’re accepting applications though the end of May 2008.

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My dad as often said that he doesn’t know where I got my ’spice’. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the food, the people and the culture of Mexico. But oddly enough, I didn’t make this batch of cupcakes specifically for Cinco de Mayo, but for bookclub tonight.

We read two books this time, The Great Gatsby and The Double Bind. I had read Gatsby two summers ago when I went to Minnesota (F. Scott Fitzgerald is from MN and when I travel I try to grab a book that has some tie into the place I’m going). You don’t have to read Gatsby for the Bind to make sense, but it does help to have some familiarity with the story.

The book was excellent and I’m glad it was selected. I would have NEVER picked it up for myself. When I choose books they’re usually historical fiction or on an Oprah list somewhere. This one was set in the NE US (I’ve only been to New England area once) and it was nice to read more about the landscape in Vermont. And it wasn’t quite a mystery, but there was a whodoneit (or in this case whoisit) factor that was thrilling. The paperback is 430+ pages, but I finished it in a week.

It just so happens that the date we’re meeting about the book IS on Cinco de Mayo, so our food theme for this evening is Mexican food. I’ve made a variation of this recipe before and got rave reviews from people. I like to have a few semi-homemade cupcake recipes on hand to use when I need an easy baking night. This is one of those recipes.

Chiplote Cinnamon Cupcakes- adapted from VanillaGarlic

1 box Devil’s Food Cake

2 T minced chiplotes in adobo sauce

1 pinch chili powder

Make cake according to box directions and add in pepper puree and chili powder. Top with frosting of your choice, I chose a simple buttercream with cinnamon.

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