Lists

I feel like I have a lot of lists going currently. I made it through finals...everything is graded and posted, but now there is a list of things that need to be done for summer school. I've made a lot of progress on that list and feel pretty ready for summer, I think one more morning of work and I'll be set to go. I have a list of things that need to be done before we go on vacation on Monday...when someone stays at your house while you're gone, you really can't leave your house looking like a pit. I also have a list of things for McClary while we're gone, things like put the remotes on the window sill or they will be promptly eaten when you leave the house. A list of things to pack in my little duffle bag and a list of things that I have already shipped down to where we are staying. But vacation lists are a good thing...it means you are about to go on vacation :)

A Birthday Feast

For Brad's birthday, I asked him where he would like to go out for dinner or what he would like to have at home. He asked to have some tacos out of our Rick Bayless cookbook. There were some that I had tried once before and never got around to making again, so I decided to make those and some home made salsa. I made some copies of the recipes and headed to walmart after work where I bought more produce in a single trip than I think I ever have before.
I started with roasted tomatillo salsa. I roasted the tomatillos and garlic in a skillet and then tossed them in the blender with a chopped up roasted poblano pepper. Blended those up and then stirred in some super finely chopped onion and salt. The recipe also called for cilantro, which I had, but forgot to put in. The salsa turned out super delicious, a nice change from the usual red tomato salsa. Not very spicy, but very flavorful, and went really well with the tacos.
So the tacos...roasted two more poblanos and cooked up a bunch of onion in a skillet. The chicken was seasoned with salt and pepper and then cooked in the skillet. Once it was done, I added fresh squeezed lime juice and chopped garlic and let it cook down to a nice glaze on the chicken. Chopped up the chicken and stirred it in with the onion and chiles for some tasty taco filling.
At the East Peoria walmart, I found some different shells to try. They were locally made (Sterling, IL) which is always nice to be able to support. They were pretty cheap so I grabbed both flour and corn for a little variety, and also picked up some queso fresco (white crumbling cheese) to top off the tacos.
It was a fun meal...more food than we needed for two people, but all very tasty. I really enjoy cooking like this, I'm just not very fast at getting it all together. I think maybe once I've made some of these recipes a few more times it will get easier, once I know what I can be working on simultaneously.