I drove home, where I sat my sweaty self down on the couch and didn’t move until the end of the game, which I think was around 5:15 or so?  Starving people had come home from the ski hill.  Starving people were loudly demanding to know what was being served for dinner.  How the heck should I know, I thought – I’ve been pretending to care about the outcome of this stupid game for the past three hours.  Quite honestly, I had no idea what to make for dinner.  And obviously, I hadn’t ever made it to the store.  The Husband kindly volunteered to pull something together.  But as we all recognize by now I have control issues when it comes to my, I mean our kitchen, so I decided to see what I could scrounge.

This is what we had, and it was really, really good.

HUEVOS RANCHEROS IN TORTILLA CUPS
SERVES:  6
SOURCE:  epicurious.com

Neutral cooking oil
6 – 6″ diameter corn tortillas
1 – 15 oz. can pinto beans or black beans, drained
2/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 t. ground cumin
Kosher salt
6 large eggs (Shurfresh XL Eggs are on sale)

1 c. purchased pico de gallo
2 -3 t. bottled chipotle hot sauce
3/4 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese (Sargento Shredded Cheeses are on sale)

Preheat oven to 350.  Brush six compartments of a muffin tin generously with some of the oil.  Stack the tortillas; microwave uncovered until warm and flexible, about 25 seconds.  Gently press 1 tortilla into each cup.  Brush tortillas with additional oil. **see note**

Place pinto beans, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, and cumin in a small bowl; mash coarsely with fork.  Season with kosher salt.  Spoon bean mixture into bottom of tortilla cups, spreading and dividing evenly.  Crack 1 egg into each tortilla cup atop beans.  Sprinkle eggs with a bit of kosher salt.  Bake uncovered until egg yolks are firm to the touch and whites are set, about 26 minutes (yolks will still be soft inside).

Meanwhile, mix pico de gallo, 1/3 cup cilantro, and hot sauce in a small bowl.  Using a large spoon, lift tortilla cups from muffin tin; transfer to plates.   Top eggs with pico de gallo and cheese and serve immediately.

**NOTE:  I put the warmed tortillas on my cutting board and brushed them with oil on both sides, then fit them into the cups.  BE GENEROUS with the oil on the bottom of the muffin tin; some of my finished Huevos stuck horribly to the pan and it wasn’t a good look.

When I finally did make it to the store at 4:20, I was on a mission to just pop in and keep to the task at hand, which was to grab the seven things I needed to make fish tacos for dinner.  No idle chit chat, no goofing around, no loafing.  (LOAFING, get it?  grocery humor. har.)

Well.

The Mequon store is going through a remodel right now and yesterday they began unveiling their brand new CHEESE DEPARTMENT.  Lord have MERCY, it is FABULOUS!!  Stunningly beautiful in every way, and it’s not even 100% finished yet.  A total WOW.  Spectacular.  You must go see it, although the displays are so gorgeous you may feel compelled to pile hunks of triple creme anything in your cart faster than you can say bocconcini.

But I guess that’s the idea.

So yeah, I was sidetracked because I stopped to ogle the goods and chat up my friends Crystal and Sarah, who had been working all day to move the department to its new location.  I hope they’re proud of themselves.  When you stop in, make sure to say HI and compliment them on the great job they did. 

Now I’ve talked to much, and fish tacos have nothing to do with cheese.

These were supposed to be made with mahi mahi, but yesterday there was none to be had.  I decided to give the swai a go – it’s a new fish Sendik’s just started carrying – and quite a bargain at 4.49 a pound.  Thin and flaky like tilapia, it’s just as mild in taste.  The mahi was supposed to be grilled, but I didn’t trust the swai to stay together, so I sauteed it instead.

Although it was completely different from mahi, I thought it made great tacos.  I’d definitely buy it again.  Hope you like it!

Keep in mind the slaw needs to marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
BAJA FISH TACOS WITH SOUTHWESTERN SLAW
Serves:  8
Source:  adapted from epicurious.com

2 lb. swai (on sale)
1/2 c. vegetable oil (Colavita Canola Oil is on sale if you’re running low)
3 T. fresh lime juice (limes are on sale)
5 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 t. ground coriander
3 cloves garlic, pressed
kosher salt to taste
8 flour tortillas, 8″ in diameter

Southwestern Slaw, recipe follows
Pico de Gallo

Combine the oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic, and salt.  Coat the fish with the marinade and set aside while you make the Southwestern Slaw.

Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium high heat.  Place the fish in the hot pan and sear 3 minutes (undisturbed) on first side (it may be necessary to work in batches; do not crowd pan).  Use a spatula to gently flip fish; cook and additional 3 minutes on second side.  Transfer to work surface.  Cut fish into 1″ thick slices.

Stack and wrap tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until hot.  Divide fish, slaw, and Pico de Gallo among the tortillas and serve tacos immediately.

SOUTHWESTERN SLAW
Makes 8 servings
Source:  epicurious.com

2 c. finely shredded green cabbage (I used a basic slaw mix)
2 t. fresh lime juice (limes are on sale)
2 t. honey
2 T. minced red onion
2 t. minced jalapeno
2 t. minced cilantro
Kosher salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and toss well.  Allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes, and up to 8 hours.  Serve with fish tacos.

“Oh Leah, Cinco de Mayo is not a serious holiday in Mexico (“May-he-co”),” she said.  “It was only a small battle where we crushed the French.  Our real Independence Day is September 16th.  Then we celebrate!”

Pffft, seriously?  While I am slightly embarrassed that I am not up on my history of Mexico, I have to celebrate anyway.  I simply cannot wait until September to satisfy the craving that the current sale has planted in my brain.    On the upside, Fernanda did promise to make authentic posole when September rolls around, and I’m looking forward to that day.

For now, here’s a little recipe I found recently and just had to try.  I used corn tortillas, which I happen to like, but they crack easily when they’re rolled.  If you find these cracks unsightly, go ahead and use small flour tortillas instead.  My kiddos seem to like the flour ones better anyway — either way, both corn AND flour tortillas are on sale through tomorrow night.   We’re going to have these taquitos with a simple salad and a batch of refried beans.

As for Wellness Month, this recipe isn’t ‘diet’ per se, but it’s far lighter than traditional, deep fried taquitos.  Spraying them lightly with oil helps crisp them slightly without the calories (and mess) of deep frying.  I also used light cream cheese and light shredded Mexican cheese to cut down on fat.  Keep in mind that rotisserie chickens will be on sale tomorrow (Tuesday) and would be perfect here.

Enjoy!

BAKED CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS
Makes:  12
Source:  food.com

1/3 cup cream cheese (Shur Fresh is on sale)
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (Rotisserie Chickens will be on sale on Tuesday)
1 cup shredded Mexican Blend Cheese (Sargento Shredded Cheeses are on sale)
About 12 small corn or flour tortillas (Mission Brand Tortillas are on sale)
Kosher salt
Cooking spray
Pico de Gallo & Guacamole as accompaniments (Sendik’s Brand Pico’ and Guac’ are on sale in the produce department)
Sour cream (Daisy Sour Cream is on sale)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder and mix well. Add cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

The corn tortillas are harder to roll without cracking. For the corn tortillas: work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and roll it up as tightly as you can.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Makes around 12 taquitos.  Transfer to a platter and serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream as desired.

Ever mindful of the fact that it’s still Wellness Month at Sendik’s, I decided to give the tostadas a bit of a facelift.  The original recipe called for a quarter cup of olive oil to make the refried beans, another quarter cup of oil for the chicken, full fat cheese and sour cream, and deep frying tortillas at home.  I cut back on the oil in a big way, swapped in reduced fat cheese and sour cream, and bought pre-made tostada shells (which are still deep fried, sorry — there’s just  no getting around that.).  I’ll tell you honest-and-true, these modifications were not noticeable at all in taste.  They are still delicious, but with slightly less guilt – which leaves more room for pilfered peanut butter eggs and a bunny ear or two.

To save on time I used a Sendik’s rotisserie chicken, which yielded nearly 5 cups of shredded meat.  This recipe calls for 3 cups, so I stashed the remaining meat in the freezer.  The original recipe calls for homemade pico de gallo, but today I used Sendik’s own salsa because 1).  I LOVE the stuff, and 2). it’s on sale. 

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s a quick and easy weeknight dinner, but would also fit in perfectly at any Cinco de Mayo party.  Heck, you could even fix ’em for your mama on Mother’s Day.  If someone fed these to me, I sure wouldn’t complain.

Have a great week!

CHICKEN TOSTADAS
Makes 6
Source:  foodnetwork.com

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. olive oil  (Sendik’s Olive Oil is on sale if you’re running low)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

REFRIED BEANS (recipe follows)
6 Tostada Shells (Mission Tostada Shells are on sale)

1/2 c. shredded Mexican Blend Cheese (Sargento Shredded Cheeses are on sale)
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
1 avocado, thinly sliced OR guacamole (Sendik’s Guacamole is on sale)
Fresh salsa (Sendik’s Fresh Salsa is on sale)
1/2 c. sour cream (Daisy Sour Cream is on sale)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Wedges of lime and cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, lime juice, oil, cilantro, and salt and season with pepper to taste.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

To assemble the tostadas, preheat the broiler.  Spread the beans evenly over one side of each tostada shell and sprinkle with some of the shredded cheese.  Transfer to a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is lightly browned and melted, about 30 seconds.  Divide the tostadas among six plates.

Evenly mound the chicken on each tostada and top with shredded lettuce.  Top each tostada with avocado, salsa, and a dollop of sour cream.  Sprinkle with scallion and garnish each tostada with cilantro leaves and lime wedges.  Serve immediately.

REFRIED BEANS
PLEASE don’t skip these, I beg you!  They are fabulous and not at all difficult to make.  However, if you are feeling way too time challenged, LaPreferida Refried Beans are on sale. 

1 T. olive oil  (Sendiks Olive Oil is on sale)
1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped (Vidalia Onions are on sale)
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. ground cumin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 1/2 oz. can pinto beans (with liquid), mashed (LaPreferida Pinto Beans are on sale)
1/4 t. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion, coriander, and cumin and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more.  Add the beans and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and amber brown in color, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste.

For as simple as these enchiladas are to make, I am absolutely blown away by how delicious they are.  Truly.  I’m mad for them, I tell you!  MAD!!  A couple beautiful aspects of the dish:  Sendik’s has already done the dirty work of roasting a perfectly good chicken for you.  Also the sauce, which tastes bright and lovely and totally homemade, is nothing more than two cans of enchilada sauce and a hefty bunch of fresh cilantro, pureed in the blender to an irresistible, gorgeous green.  If you like it hotter, toss in a jalapeno for good measure.   I might try that next time.Man alive, these are some good eats.  Although I call them ‘weeknight enchiladas’, they’d be a lovely entree at any Mexican themed dinner party, especially if you’re a no-fuss kind of entertainer.

I just downed the photo shoot.  burp.   S’cuse me.

WEEKNIGHT ENCHILADAS VERDE
Serves: 4-6
Source:  allrecipes.com

2 – 10 oz. cans green enchilada sauce (LaPreferida is on sale, I used the Medium Green Chile)
1 ¼ c. fresh cilantro, chopped (I just used one bunch and saved out a small chunk for garnish)
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
2 ½ c. shredded Mexican cheese blend
12 (6”) corn tortillas (corn are traditional, but LaPreferida FLOUR tortillas are on sale if you’d like to use them instead – but they’d be more like burritos)

Preheat the oven to 400.  Grease a 13×9” baking dish.  Puree enchilada sauce and 1 cup cilantro in blender until smooth.  Combine 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture, chicken, and 1 ½ cups cheese in large bowl and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

Wrap tortillas in clean kitchen towel and microwave until pliable, 30-60 seconds.  Top each tortilla with ¼ cup chicken mixture and roll tightly.  Arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dish.  Spray lightly with cooking spray, then top with additional 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture and remaining cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through, 15 – 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.  Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.
*NOTE*  LaPreferida Spanish Rice is on sale too; we had this alongside the enchiladas, along with a simple romaine salad (romaine is on sale as well).

Seester’s has a great summer vibe.  I love the spectacular lake view.  I love their chilly margaritas and their super-atomic-fireball-salsa that makes my nose run like a faucet and forces beads of sweat to appear from out of nowhere on my forehead.

(I don’t think super-atomic-fireball-salsa is actually what they call it, but I love the stuff.  It lets me know I’m alive!)

Apart from all the amazing summer energy the place gives off, my favorite thing about Seester’s is their awesome chipotle shrimp tacos – smokey hot shrimp topped with creamy slices of fresh avocado (you have to ask for that special), a little cheese and cilantro, wrapped up in a soft corn tortilla……oh lawsie, do I love those tacos!

This afternoon a chipotle taco craving was darned near enough to overwhelm me, but because back-to-school errands are all but consuming my days and nights, I certainly did not have the time to haul myself out to Pewaukee for tacos al fresco.  Alas, I made do with my own little creation, which didn’t taste exactly the same as the fabulous tacos at Seester’s, but were perfect in a pinch.

One word of warning:  don’t serve these tostadas to guests donned in ballgowns, tuxedos, or formalwear of any degree.  You’re gonna make a mess eating these.  You’ll probably break a sweat too.

Ole!

CHIPOTLE SHRIMP TOSTADAS WITH SIMPLE PICO
Makes 4 tostadas
SOURCE:  adapted from foodandwine.com

4 Sendiks Shrimp Skewers (on sale in the fresh fish case) **see note**
3 T. butter
1 T.++  Salsa Chilpotle ** see note **

2 avocados, halved cut into thin slices (on sale)
Tostada shells
Lime wedges and cilantro sprigs for garnish
Cholula Hot Sauce, for an extra punch, optional

Simple Pico de Gallo, recipe follows

Melt butter in microwave and whisk in chipotle sauce to blend.  Taste and adjust to the level of spiciness you like.  (I don’t recommend seasoning the sauce with salt and pepper because the shrimp skewers are already seasoned).

Preheat grill to medium high.  Preheat oven to 350.

Brush the shrimp skewers on both sides with the chipotle butter, then grill for two to three minutes per side.  Do not overcook.  Remove from grill and slide shrimp off the skewers when they’re cool enough to handle.  Remove tails if desired.

While shrimp are grilling, place tostada shells in the oven to warm for 5 to 7 minutes.

To serve, divide avocado slices among toasted tostada shells.  Top with grilled shrimp and some of the pico de gallo.
Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs if desired.

SIMPLE PICO DE GALLO

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small
¼ small white onion, small dice
½ fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced
Smallish handful of fresh cilantro sprigs, chopped
Generous squeeze of fresh lime juice (limes are on sale)

Place all ingredients in a small glass bowl and toss to blend.  Season with salt to taste.

**NOTES**
These can be made with regular peeled and deveined shrimp if you like (I plan on trying that soon; I’ll probably aim for a 16-20 count).  The original recipe calls for melting the butter mixture in a large skillet and sautéing the shrimp until they’re cooked evenly, then drizzling the finished tostadas with the remaining butter from the pan.  In this case you should definitely hit them with a little salt and pepper.

Also, I just found this yummy stuff in the Ethnic aisle:  it’s by La Preferida and it’s called “Salsa Chilpotle”.  It comes in a 7 ounce can.  I’m freezing the rest for the next time I get a Seester’s craving. 

Not to throw more fuel on the fire, but I’m here to remind you (in a very peaceful, calming, mom-type voice) that busy people are hungry people. Dinner must be served. Don’t shoot the messenger, you had to know it was coming.

Denial – it ain’t just a river in Africa.

(I love that joke.)

Here’s an easy meal for you to make in the morning and stick in the fridge for later in the day. It looks like tacos, but it’s actually a Mexican spin on traditional Sloppy Joe’s. You can serve it on hard shells, soft shells, tostadas, or plain old hamburger buns. We have here a recipe that’s meant to bend the rules, people! If you’re a first-born, type-A, rule following kinda gal, you might want to look for a different, more rigid recipe. Or, have Jimmy John’s tonight.

Anyway, this recipe comes together so fast, you’ll have no excuse not to check a couple of chores off of your ‘to do list’ this afternoon. Like walking the dog. Or quizzing your punk on his Spanish vocab. Or helping to glue foam letters on poster board, fishing paper out of a jammed printer, and writing a thank you note to your kid’s teacher.

Actually, forget all that. In the time you’ve saved by making this simple yet nourishing supper, I recommend that you plop down on the patio with an icy cold beverage and enjoy a few moments of solitude.

You’ve earned it.

SLOPPY JOSE’S
Serves: 4
Source: cookscountry.com

2 T. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
½ t. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. chili powder
2 T. cumin
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1 lb. ground beef (I used the sale Tall Grass Ground Chuck)
Ground black pepper
1 t. brown sugar
1 c. tomato puree
½ c. ketchup
¼ c. water
¼ t. Tobasco
1 minced chipotle chile (cut this if YOU CAN’T HANDLE the heat)
1 15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
Taco shells, heated according to instructions on box, or hamburger buns

Shredded cheese (Sargento Cheeses are on sale) optional
Shredded lettuce if desired (romaine is on sale) optional

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and stir until coated with the oil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. If onion begins to burn after 5 minutes, reduce heat to low. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until just pink, about 3 minutes. If mixture appears greasy, drain off the oil and return the meat mixture to the pan. (Mine was; I did.)

Add ¼ teaspoon pepper, brown sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, water, Tobasco, chipotle, and black beans. Simmer until sauce is slightly thicker than ketchup, 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Spoon meat mixture into taco shells or buns, top with cheese and lettuce if desired, and serve.

NOTE: This recipe is easily doubled and freezes well.

There are already so many great Mexican-inspired recipes here on this blog – from dips, soups, and salads to fish tacos and brisket burritos (check out the archive for plenty of inspiration).  But I feel pretty sure I’ve never covered how to make a decent guacamole from scratch.  And I definitely have not discussed the recipe for my favorite margarita.  Your fiesta will not be complete without either of these two all-important items, my amigos!

The guacamole recipe comes to you from my brother, Adam.  He’s a master guacamole maker and his creation is my go-to recipe.  The margarita concoction is compliments of my friend Jim.  Jim McSchmeegan(*).  With an Irish name like that, you’d think he’d be more adept at pouring the perfect Black & Tan – but margaritas are his specialty and boy howdy, are they GOOD!

Please enjoy these recipes responsibly!  Too much guacamole will make your tummy jiggle, and too many margs’ will impede your ability to walk home from your neighborhood fiesta.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you, my little cucarachas!

(*) Not his real name, although he is Irish in real life.  He prefers to remain anonymous here because 1). he is terribly shy and 2). he doesn’t want to be held responsible for any hangovers that may occur throughout the greater Milwaukee area as a result of his recipe.

Best Ever Guacamole from Scratch

Serves: 1  (kidding, makes about 2 cups)

• 3 ripe avocados, 2 mashed and 1 chunked – on sale
• ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded if YOU CAN’T HANDLE the heat
• ¼ c. chopped cilantro
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ c. minced white onion
• ½ tomato, seeded and diced small – stem tomatoes are on sale

Squeeze fresh lime juice to taste

Gently combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Adjust lime juice and salt to taste.  Serve immediately with your favorite chips (Matilda are my fav’!).  Unfortunately, there is no way to keep your guacamole from browning.  The only way to prevent browning is to eat all of this guac’ in one sitting.  Sorry.  The end.

THE LAKE COUNTRY RELAXER, aka THE PERFECT MARGARITA

Makes 1 pitcher

• 2 c. good quality tequila (Azul is on special; Jim uses Silver)
• 1 c. Cointreau or Triple Sec (*)
• 1 c. fresh lime juice; or ½ c. lime juice and ½ c. fresh orange juice (– yes, FRESH!)
• 1 splash simple syrup, available in the liquor department at Sendik’s

• Lime wedges
• Coarse salt (salt is optional, unless you’re a salt fiend like me)
• Ice!  Lots and lots of ice!

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher.  Place coarse salt in a shallow dish.  Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each glass and dip rim in coarse salt.  Carefully fill the glass with ice.  Give the margaritas a good stir and pour over the ice.  Garnish rim with lime wedge.  Enjoy responsibly!

(*) You could also substitute 1 cup Roses Non-Alcoholic Triple Sec.  Jim swears this keeps The Cook in his house on her toes and helps keep her alert mostly through the dinner hour. (*GRIN*)

The problem is that I could eat it almost every da’gum day.   I just got a sneak peak at the sale ad that comes out tomorrow – and let’s just say, if you’re like me (swimming in the deep end of the crazy pool over Mexican food), you’re gonna love it.   So let’s kick off a little fiesta with the King of Mexican condiments:  salsa!

The FamDam has a favorite Mexican restaurant.  It’s downtown, on 4^th Street.  It shall remain nameless here today.  If they had given me their salsa recipe when I begged them for it recently, maybe I would have mentioned them here.  But they didn’t, so – too bad.  No plug.  To be fair, they don’t need a plug from me.  If you stop in on any given Saturday night, you’ll have a wait.  A big one.  So they’re doing just fine without free advertising from little old me.

“Bitter, party of one?”

I kid, I kid!  Back to the issue at hand today: SALSA.  For me, the mark of a great Mexican restaurant is their salsa.  Don’t you agree?  If I don’t like what a taquieria is serving up with its chips, I don’t go back.  And that’s why I’m such a fan of La Fue — oops, I wasn’t going to mention them.  They have GREAT salsa.  Amazing, even.  I could eat it with a spoon!  It’s smooth, with the perfect balance of tomatoes, onions, and cilantro –and it’s always nice and cold.  Soooo delicious with a chilly margarita and a basket of warm, toasty chips … aye caramba! I feel a swoon coming on.

My friend Lori has also made an attempt to garner this particular recipe, and like me, has come up empty handed.  She and I have gone ‘round and ‘round ad nauseam, speculating as to how the people at La Fue – darn, there I go again – this restaurant – make their salsa.  After much discussion, we’ve concluded that there is no possible way they use fresh tomatoes.  Forget it – there are canned tomatoes involved.  We also agree that onion, fresh jalapeno, tons of cilantro, a bit of garlic, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice are also in the mix.

We can’t quite seem to duplicate it, but I have to say, this version comes close.  And because I’m nice, and I don’t run a Mexican restaurant, and there’s no proprietary information involved here, I’m going to share it with you.

Give it a whirl!  See what you think.  Serve it up on Sunday while you watch the big game – it’s also great with the Shrimp Quesadillas I’m going to have up here tomorrow.  And if you have any insight as to how these restaurants down on 4^th street make their salsa, feel free to chime in at any time.

Happy Tuesday, my little cucarachas!

Some recipe notes:  I used a whole, unseeded jalapeno in mine, but of course you could cut this if you’re not in to the heat (“What are you, a man or a mouse? I mean, a woman or a wouse?” Name that movie!).  Also quite important is that you allow enough time for this salsa to chill in the fridge (ideally, overnight).  You would not believe how the flavors are going to improve when they’re all allowed to mingle for a spell!

RESTAURANT STYLE SALSA

Makes about 6 cups

A collaborative effort of Lori & Leah!

• 2 15 oz. cans whole tomatoes, undrained (Shurfine are on sale)
• 1 14.5 oz can Rotel (find this on the top shelf where the tomatoes are)
• ¼ medium onion, rough chopped
• 1 whole jalapeno, stemmed and rough chopped (leave the seeds and the ribs if you like it HOT) – these are on sale
• 1 clove garlic, rough chopped
• Small handful of cilantro (half a bunch, maybe?) rough chopped – on sale
• Generous squeeze of fresh lime juice – on sale
• Pinch sugar
• Sea salt to taste

Place all of the ingredients in your food processor and pulse until you get it to the consistency that you like.  I like mine pretty smooth, so for me that’s 10-12 big pulses.  Season with salt to taste.  Transfer to a lidded container and chill for at least two hours, occasionally shaking the container to blend.  Store overnight if possible.

Now, for the love of all that is good and right in the world, please serve this salsa with a decent, restaurant quality chip!  My favorites are Matilda’s or Xochitl, and both are on sale this week.

(Sad, isn’t it?  Maybe if a sale at the grocery store is enough to get me this excited, I need to get a new hobby.  Maybe I need some new friends.  Maybe if I serve these tacos, I’ll get some new friends.  Maybe those new friends can introduce me to some alternate interests….hhm…it’s worth a try.  And  I’m not above  - beneath? – bribing people for their friendship in exchange for tacos.)

I digress…I’ll try to pull myself together.

I don’t usually cook dinner on Fridays, but those sale chuck roasts were just so darned tempting, I gave in to my carnivorous side and headed for the kitchen.  It seemed like the right thing to do.  Plus, the chores on my ‘to do’ list aren’t all that attractive today: vacuuming, folding whites, scrubbing crusty blue goo out of my kid’s sinks, etc…I think not.  The obvious choice is to while away a rainy afternoon in the kitchen.  C’mon, let’s go!

If you choose not to make these tacos today  – like for instance, if you HAVE interesting hobbies and a whole gaggle of friends who are tempting you with other activities – they would make a great Sunday supper!  And a bonus:  your house will smell divine!

BEEF SOFT TACOS WITH SALSA

Serves: 4

Source: epicurious.com

• 1 T. oil
• 1 ½ lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut into ¾” cubes  (on sale this week, 10/7/09 – 10/13/09)
• 1 c. bottled chunky salsa (I used the medium hot Pace Salsa that’s on sale this week, 10/7/09 – 10/13/09)
• ½ c. beef broth (or slightly more; you’ll want enough liquid to cover all of the beef)
• 2 T. chopped garlic
• 2 T. packed brown sugar
• 1 T. soy sauce

• ¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 T. fresh lime juice

• 12 6” flour tortillas
• Shredded cheese (or, use the sale pepperjack and shred it yourself)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Saute half of beef until browned on all sides, about three minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to a bowl.  Saute remaining beef until brown, about another three minutes.  Return all beef to the pot.  Add salsa, broth, garlic, brown sugar, and soy sauce and stir to blend.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover pot and simmer until beef is tender, stirring often, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Uncover pot and simmer stew until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Mix in cilantro and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat tortillas and wrap in a clean dishtowel to keep warm.  Serve stew with tortillas and shredded cheese.

Note:  Just a thought (and only a thought; I’ve never actually tried this), but if you didn’t feel like futzing with cubing all of the beef, you could probably sear the whole roast on both sides, cover it with the remaining ingredients, and then cook it off like a regular pot roast.  I think it would be good shredded on tostadas, or sliced and served over rice with the gravy.  Just a thought.  If you try it like this, let me know!