Fish Tacos


Fish Taco

Fish Taco

Whenever I think about making tacos, I start to imagine what people from my childhood used to do for “taco night,” and I shudder a little.  I just picture walking into the supermarket, picking up a box of stale taco shells, a packet of seasoning, and some fatty ground beef.  Don’t get me wrong, I think my taste buds are doing a little dance right now thinking about that spicy grease dribbling down my chin, but my ticker just slowed a little at the prospect of that dinner.  Equally frightening and tasty are some of the traditional Mexican preparations of fish tacos, which often incorporate fried chunks of firm whitefish with soft tortillas and a spicy, creamy sauce.  When our lovely friend recently suggested we make Fish Tacos together for dinner one night, I envisioned the cast iron filled with peanut oil and admittedly balked.  I decided that there must be a way to make them without frying, surely.  On a whim, I reviewed some recipes on Epicurious and found a good number that used firm fish sauteed, then flaked into small pieces.  The key, it seemed, was a brief marinating period before cooking.  With a chunky Avocado-Mango Guacsa (not to get too Rachael Ray on you with the hybrid word), I didn’t think anyone would miss the creamy sauce, or the frying, for that matter.  The result?  A pretty incredible dinner.  Our party was quite pleased and it wasn’t long before we were making them again!

Ice Cream!


The Bun and I spent a weekend in Indianapolis visiting family and generally gorging ourselves on homemade treats that his sister-in-law Amy made for us, along with a few yummy things from other cooks in the family (thanks, Aunt Mary, for the Pie Crust Cookies!).  

Pie Crust Cookies!

Pie Crust Cookies!

Amy and I got to talking about making ice cream, and so I started to crave it, of course; along with the warm weather teases, I am likely to make at least one batch soon, and maybe more.  Some of the more creative flavors of ice creams and sorbets that we’ve tried are a twist on the traditional, including:  

Bees and Flowers Ice Cream (flavored with lavender and honey)
Peach-Bay Sorbet (using white peaches and fresh bay leaf)
Citrus-Basil Sorbet
Spice Cream (using many of the “warm” spices you might use in gingerbread)

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Basics: Roast Chicken


Roast chickens, I think, are a carnivore’s dream and a veggie’s nightmare.  Granted, there is something very carnal about eating an (almost) entire animal, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  In the days of nuggets and patties and fingers, there is something very real and very grounded about preparing and eating a chicken as a whole.  In my experience, there is not a more satisfying or surprisingly easy thing to make for yourself or for guests, and it this is something you can definitely throw together on the fly.  All you really need is a chicken, some olive oil, and some salt and pepper; any other seasonings beyond these are up to you. Continue reading