What's for Dinner: Taco Salad

I'll admit, I'm pretty proud of this one. For several reasons. This past weekend, DH and I went grocery shopping together for the first time in... years. Not because I don't like grocery shopping (I do) -- it's simply because we discovered in the first few years of marriage that it was one of those activities we couldn't do together. Brand preferences abound, arguments ensued. But, since it is one of those domestic tasks that DH actually enjoys accomplishing (and once I got over my own case of housewifely pride), he took over all grocery shopping a couple years ago. He really gets a kick out of finding the best deal. I'm not complaining.

I also happened to clean out our refrigerator on Saturday for the first time in.... wait, I don't want to tell you that. Let's just say it had been a while since the walls of that fridge saw bleach. Either way, thanks to this new-found nesting instinct I'm getting a lot accomplished around the house these days (and on this blog, if you haven't noticed)! So our sparkly clean fridge was ready to house the small assortment of carefully planned food items I picked out for this week's dinners. DH does the shopping but I still do the meal-planning (most days) and the goal is always healthy and tasty. Sometimes it's hard to get both. But this meal really worked!

So tonight's dinner incorporated not only a healthy dose of fresh veggies, but also a little bit of leftovers magic. Last night's dinner was Grilled Sausage Hoagies with Sauteed Red Peppers & Onions and Summer Corn Salad (with a few tweaks). I used fresh corn for the recipe (how could you not in the middle of summer!) -- a quick steam in the microwave makes for fast and easy cooking. And fresh just tastes better. I chopped up onions, red peppers and celery to toss with the corn. I then stowed away half of the mixed in tupperware for what would become a portion of tonight's taco salad. The remaining mixture was the perfect amount to serve two for the Corn Salad (note: I left out the feta cheese, it really didn't need it, although it probably would have tasted good).

Tonight when I got home from work, my first task was to prepare the yummy Mexican-cuisine-inspired dressing for the salad. This is the recipe I started with, but ended up adjusting it a little bit based on my available ingredients. Here's what I ended up with:

Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

• 3 T lime juice (about 1.5 limes)
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce + 1/2 T sauce (find it in the Hispanic food aisle at the grocery store)
• 1 1/2 tsp honey 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/4 tsp onion powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1/3 cup water 
• 1 T sugar  
• 1 T chopped cilantro 

Mix all ingredients together in a blender and add water or sugar to taste (will tone down spiciness if it's got too much heat) 

I was hoping to have some leftover of this dressing to use another night, but we liked it so much we used it all up! My lettuce mix included chopped Romaine hearts (I cheated and bought the bagged version), my corn-onion-celery-red pepper mix from last night's dinner, fresh chopped cilantro, 1 diced tomato and half a cucumber, diced. Lots of good veggies! I also dished out a separate portion of this salad mix into a tupperware for my lunch tomorrow... aren't I great at planning ahead? ;)

For the protein, I sauteed half a pound of ground beef with a fancy taco mix DH picked up at Whole Foods. I don't remember the brand name, but you mix it with 1/3 cup of beer -- great flavor! I tossed in a can of black beans at the end to prevent overcooking. Each element of the salad was "self serve" at the table and we topped it off with a handful of crushed Trader Joe's Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips. I meant to add a little shredded cheese on top as well, but forgot. It didn't really need it. You know how I know this dinner was a success? DH went for seconds. :) This recipe is definitely a keeper. And I would use this dressing on just about any salad or maybe as a marinade -- it's the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.

Enjoy!

Cherries Galore!

I have really been enjoying cherry season this year and especially with our local farmers market around the corner, we are taking advantage of every organic pound of cherry goodness we can get! DH picked up a big sack of sour cherries last weekend and I decided to make a sauce out of them since they're a little tart to eat plain. It was a simple recipe from my Joy of Cooking cookbook (my favorite right now) and it is delicious over vanilla ice cream!

I took a few photos on my phone (Instagram style) and they're a little blurry, but you get the idea. Looking forward to this "fancy" dessert again tonight!

Autumnal Thoughts

Fall seems to have fallen upon us. Very quickly. From the dog days of summer with blistering temperatures in the 90s, the weather has turned decidedly cooler  (mid-high 60s) and that fall feeling is in the air. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I am savouring all of the wonderful things it brings:

• Pumpkin, apple and all things spice-flavored (looking forward to trying this recipe for homemade Pumpkin Spice syrup)
• Football (although not a die-hard fan, I enjoy the idea of it... and the tailgating)
• Fall wardrobe switch -- there's a reason all the fashion mags release their big issue in September... everyone is ready for a fresh look not dictated by hot weather!
• That "new school year" feeling: I've never been able to rid my self of the sense of excitement and expectation experienced with the beginning of each new school year. An 18-year habit is hard to break.... and I love the feeling anyway! It's like the sense of inspiration that accompanies the New Year -- an emotion spontaneous and fleeting, I enjoy it while I can! 

What are you favorite Fall things? Here's a shot of a Chicago Fall scene. Though we're not seeing this quite yet, I'm looking forward to the leaves changing and some crisp Autumn morning walks in the Park! So, I leave you with this image and a favorite poem befitting the multi-hued resplendence of fall.

Photo credit: TravelSmart Blog 

Pied Beauty

Glory be to God for dappled things--
   For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
       For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
   Landscape plotted and pieced--fold, fallow, and plough;
       And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
   Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
      With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
                                     Praise Him. 

Gerard Manley Hopkins 

Recipe FAIL

I wouldn't call myself a gourmet chef, and I don't really make up recipes off the top of my head... so I generally spend a little time each week perusing my small collection of cookbooks, or cooking websites for recipes that I can use for dinner. My most recent exciting discovery is The Nest website (sequel to "The Knot" for brides-to-be, prequel to "The Bump" for moms-to-be and so on... they seriously have you set up for life) filled with articles and information for newly-weds from decorating to cooking for two or buying a new home. I've had some fun searching through their recipes database and decided to try this one out last night for dinner:

Meatballs and Snowpeas

Unfortunately, it didn't work out as expected. It could have been that I'm recovering from a cold and my sense of smell (therefore, taste) is still a little off... or it could just be the recipe, but DH and I were both a little put off. I didn't even finish mine! His first comment was "Tastes like ketchup...." (and I had left the ketchup out of the recipe). I was really hoping it would be as delectable as it looks in the photo, but it was definitely a recipe FAIL. Perhaps it needs some tweaking? I'd be willing to try again with suggestions.... any takers?

The Bourgeois Pig

Met a friend here for coffee today: The Bourgeois Pig
(I always have trouble spelling that word--"bourgeois" not pig)

It's a quaint little coffee cafe off Fullerton in the heart of Lincoln Park, and right next door to the DePaul campus. This may have been the reason it was a tad crowded in the main room. We did not venture upstairs to the "additional seating" area, although from the pictures online
it appears to be pretty cozy.


The extensive menu includes a variety of salads, soups, hot & cold sandwiches, and a host of coffees concoctions and teas. I ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I have no previous experience with this drink for comparison (no, I have not had the Starbucks version although I hear it is great), but I was a little disappointed by the Bourgeois Pig's offering. I was expecting more pumpkin+spice flavor (?).....and it fell a tad short. Although, it could have been the abundance of whipped cream topping off the coffee.

I will gladly try the place again, though -- any cafe with a menu that large must have something good.

Listening to Iron&Wine Around the Well -- and wondering if I will ever be warm again.

Marge's Still

This has been a favorite place of mine to eat lately, whether it be a late lunch (and my lunches usually are), or a Sunday brunch. Marge's offers a concise menu of fresh salads (including my favorite: Grilled Salmon Salad), traditional hot sandwiches, great big burgers and some delish entrees (or so I'm told). My only dilemma in visiting Marge's Still is that we usually go on a Sunday, when they offer their weekend brunch buffet -- and it is enticingly hard to resist. Offered with or without a selection of breakfast plates (Eggs Benedict is the fav), the buffet includes fresh fruit, waffles, sausage links/bacon, bagels & lox, a selection of cold salads, and a variety of yummy desserts. Like I said: hard to resist. For this reason, I have yet to try most of the dinner entrees, although it is my firm intention to do so within the next year (at least).

One of the most enjoyable aspects of living in a city like Chicago is having quaint little restaurants, bars and boutiques like this in close proximity -- you'd be hard-pressed not to fall in love with any one of the little neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area!