No argument, Thanksgiving is the quintessential soul-feeding, heart-warming, pant-button-unfastening meal of the year. This year, like all others before it, I enjoyed the potluck of too much turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, perfectly salted and buttered mashed potatoes, collard greens, butternut squash gratin and a fall salad.

The meal was comforting and delicious, but as soon as I finished my first helping I knew that I didn’t want to simply reheat it and eat it again. I was musing over what I would do with the leftovers!

Tacos filled with either leftover mashed potatoes or turkey

If I had my way the entire meal would have been Mexican, but my guests and boyfriend had the right to an almost* traditional All-American meal. I saved the Mexican meal in me for the next day and made both turkey and mashed potato tacos!

*Of course, I laced one of the two stuffed birds with oregano, cilantro and green chile powder and stuffed her with cornbread, pepitas and green chile dressing.

Ingredients:
Make as many or as few as you like according to how much leftover food you have.

leftover mashed potatoes
leftover turkey deboned and shredded
corn tortillas
tomatoes
cilantro or lettuce
queso blanco or monterrey jack cheese
hot sauce
vegetable oil
sour cream (optional)

Pre-heat a comal or griddle on the stove top on high for five minutes. Once hot, place corn tortillas one at a time on the comal. Heat each tortilla for 30 seconds on each side, flipping with a metal spatula. Place hot tortillas in a clean dish towel so they stay warm and soft while you heat the desired amount of tortillas.

Now, pour approximately a quarter inch of vegetable oil into a cast-iron or heavy-duty frying pan. Heat the oil on medium for about five minutes until it’s hot enough for frying.

Meanwhile, spread about 2 tablespoons of potato or the equivalent amount of turkey in each tortilla. This may seem like a small amount, but really it is not! Over-filling the tacos makes them difficult to fry. Gently fold the tortilla in half like a shell and CAREFULLY place in the hot oil using tongs. Fry each taco for about five minutes, two and a half minutes on each side until a crisp golden brown. Remove from oil and drain excess grease.

Place on a plate with paper towels to remove even more oil. Remove paper towels and garnish tacos with cheese, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, hot sauce and sour cream.

The saying small but mighty really comes to life in this taco joint easy to find off San Pedro which runs through the heart of the city this tiny taco house can get very packed especially on sunday mornings so get there early before the line is out the door the eggs are superb and tortillas are fresh and hot but don’t expect to sit and chat on a weekend this is a get in get out taco place and on a rare cold day count count on this place for a big bowl of soup (caldo). The staff is friendly and prompt. One down fall I found about Taco Taco is that the sodas are served from cans not fountains. All in all though you maybe be crowded it just means your closer to your taco and that can be a very good thing.

@tastyconclusion: Great tacos but come early on saturday and sunday mornings as to avoid long lines.

145 E Hildebrand Ave
San Antonio, TX 78212
(210) 822-9533

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Due to the overwhelming ammount of project management and to finnalize a few things and polish the game, we are delaying the launch until after the new year. This moves A Stwalart’s Tale over into 2010, we have a finnalized launch date of 1/14/2010 . I feel this is best for both me as a developer and the player community as a whole. In terms of what still has to be done before launch I have compiled the jargon below.

Shop Database Reform
Vault Gameplay Development
Tier 2 Content
Re-Adjust Skill scripts for the new items database
Re-balance Whispering caverns
Fix Spell Bugs
Fix Item Stacking Sell bugs
Sellas Fringe Layering Check
Kobold Caverns Fringe layering Check
Finish the saludio ashlands zone

El viernes pasado, tuve un evento de trabajo en las afueras de la ciudad. La cita fue a las 9:30am así que sugerí un desayuno rápido antes de llegar al evento! Seamos sinceros… quién se resiste a un buen desayuno?

El trayecto nos llevaba por la carretera a Ameca y trás hacer un recorrido mental del camino sugerí improvisar algo llegando a La Venta del Astillero, parecía el lugar ideal. Para aquellos que han circulado por ahí, saben que el cruce por Venta del Astilero, esta bordeado de puestos y restaurantes ofreciendo lo típico en “comida de carretera”. Burritos, Pollo Asado, Borrego y Carnitas. Nunca había comido ahí pero la sabiduría popular es fuerte y no debe de ser ignorada. Algo bueno habría, era cuestión de saberlo encontrar.

Venta del Astillero - esquina de puestos

Sugerí que nos estacionáramos en la zona y camináramos hasta encontrar algo que se viera interesante. Elegir un lugar puede parecer trivial pero es, en realidad un gran compromiso. Una mala decisión puede terminar en la intoxicación de algún estómago débil y peor aún, la pedida absoluta de la confianza de la gente… algo que un blogger de comida, no se puede permitir. Para aumentar la presión, caminabamos en terreno inexplorado… nunca había comido por ahí… básicamente, lo único con lo que contaba, era mi experiencia y 6to sentido. Lo demás, era solamente una apuesta.

Se sugirieron un par de opciones, restaurantes al pie de la carretera, todos ofreciendo desayunos (huevos, chilaquiles, tortas…) pero algo no estaba bien… se respiraba intranquilidad en el grupo. Leyendo esto, decidí cambiar el rumbo de la expedición…. y dirigirme a terrenos más conocidos. Un puesto de calle.

Justo en la esquina de la calle donde nos estacionamos y la carretera, había dos puestos establecidos ( establecidos = mesas, sillas y un toldo). Unas señoras despachaban una gran, y rica variedad de tacos de olla: lengua, chorizo, rajas, champiñones, barbacoa, quesadillas… dí luz verde para que todos pidieran. La decisión había sido tomada y la moneda estaba en el aire.

Gordita de Frijoles con queso

El que hoy este escribiendo sobre esta experiencia, subraya el éxito del desayuno. Para ser justos, no fueron los mejores tacos que haya probado en mi vida… pero no se trataba de eso, se trataba de desayunar algo rico que no intoxicara a nadie. Era sobrevivir una experiencia cotidiana, no era el fin de la jornada, era tan sólo un paso. Los tacos estaban ricos, pero lo que realmente dejó huella, fue la quesadilla y la gordita (no la que desapachaba sino la que pedí con frijoles y queso).

La gordita estuvo fácil 10 minutos sobre la plancha, dorándose lentamente y transmitiendo el calor a través de la masa — los frijoles — hasta llegar al queso y lentamente fundirlo, sin quemar el exterior !  Acompañada de un poco de nopales y unas salsas… aunque en realidad no necesitaba nada ! DELICIOSA  y sencilla… el tipo de comida que se pide en un puesto así.

Quesadilla - ya preparada

La quesadilla era única, el ABUNDANTE queso aportaba la sal necesaria para agregar a cada mordida una experiencia. A diferencia de las tortillas de los tacos, esta era más gruesa, con más masa para proteger al queso y permitir que el calor lo fundiera, hasta llegar al punto perfecto . La quesadilla iba perfecto con un poco de frijoles, mismos que te podías servir a gusto. Las salsas y los nopales…. todo se orquestaba para que el plato fundamental del desayuno, fuera algo tan sencillo como una quesadilla.

Todo esto me dejó pensando en la importancia de saber elegir un buen puesto, y saber que pedir en el puesto. Las salsas, el comal, el menú, la caja, los refrescos, el ambiente, la gente, quién despacha… todo se convierte en factor clave a la hora de elegir un buen puesto. Una vez ubicado el puesto, se debe de saber que pedir ! Esto me da pie para un próximo post ¿Cómo elegir un buen puesto de calle y qué pedir en él? Obviamente tengo ya mis propias teorías pero no esta de más pedir sugerencias… cómo eligen ustedes sus puestos, dónde comen y dónde no? recordemos el buen Fugu ! jejeje Pero bueno… por lo pronto, hablando de este puesto en lo particular, no me daría la vuelta hasta Venta del Astillero para comer una quesadilla, pero tengan por seguro que si voy rumbo a Vallarta y tengo hambre. Pasaré por una Gordita antes de pararme a comer un Vikingo del Oxxo más cercano !

Saludos y Provecho !

The Belly is back after a long work-related hiatus.  I’m jumping right back into it with reviews of 2 of Austin’s most popular restaurants, Garrido’s and Uchi.

Garrido’s, in the swanky 360 building (Nueces and 3rd), is one of several high-end Mexican places that have popped up recently downtown (La Condesa and Cantina Laredo being the others).  I was pretty excited to try it out as the founder, owner, and head chef is David Garrido, who was head chef at Jeffrey’s in its heyday.

Like any respectable Austin Mexican joint, Garrido’s does an array of tequila-based drinks, heavy on the margaritas.

The Mexican Martini (basically, a margarita with olives) was very strong.  This is a good thing, as it’s a wallet-exploding $8.50, and it comes in a single glass, not a 3-glass shaker like at Trudy’s, purveyors of the original and standard MexiMart.  I hoped this one would be better than that cheaper but reliable classic, and it was.  There was a little saltiness from the olive juice, and the citrus flavors were aromatic rather than syrupy sweet.  Still, Trudy’s is a better value.

The Paloma, on the other hand, at $6, was my fave tequila beverage of the night.

With El Jimador, grapefruit juice, and a splash of soda in a tall glass with crushed ice, it was basically a greyhound with tequila instead of vodka: simple and refreshing, mildly sweet, perfect for a summer night.

For dinner I mixed it up with some bocaditos (literally, little mouthfuls, the heartier Mexican version of amuses bouches) and some tacos, which are the mainstay of the menu.

The pork tostadas with goat cheese, pepitas, watermelon, and chipotle ($7.50)

and coffee marinated ribeye steak tacos with queso asadero and chipotle horseradish aioli ($10.75)

were both clearly made with fresh, high-quality ingredients.  But the flavors didn’t jump off the tongue the way I expected them to.  With the tostadas, the pungent goat cheese completely dominated everything else, and the pork was dry.  With the ribeye tacos, the coffee, horseradish, and queso flavors were missing in action, leaving me with the Taco Cabana-esque taste of beef tacos with mayonnaise.

Garrido’s was a little disappointing given its lofty pedigree and reputation, but I’d go there again.  If you’re a taco purist, you’re probably better off hitting a cheaper 1st street or east side establishment, but Garrido’s has more going for it than against it–reasonable prices, high-quality drinks, nice decor, a great back patio with a view of Shoal Creek, and a sexy clientele.  And nice bathrooms.

Uchi, on the other hand, never disappoints.  Since its opening I have failed to find a better restaurant in Austin.  Add the hip architecture and decor courtesy of Austin local Michael Hsu, the chic but friendly service, and the extensive wine/sake list to the world-class food, and Uchi is the undisputed king.  (Also, for you star-chasers, once I saw Jake Gyllenhall and the guy who plays Sabertooth in Wolverine on the same night.  My wife almost had a heart attack.)

Uchi’s concept is Japanese/Western fusion.  Before founding Uchi, Chef Tyson Cole (who’s been on Iron Chef America but lost to the master, Morimoto) was a sushi chef at Musashino, Austin’s best traditional Japanese place, and he has trained in Japan with the best.  For some reason though, the more traditional Japanese fare here isn’t as good as Musashino’s and doesn’t hold a candle to the much more inventive fusion fare.

Every time I go, I try something new from the nightly menu, but I always return to a few mainstays from the permanent menu.  This time my go-to was the bond roll with salmon ($10).

The menu says it consists of avocado, sundried tomato, white soybean paper, and salmon.  That’s a simple ingredient list, but it explodes with flavor.  That’s because, like everything else on Uchi’s menu, the ingredients are the freshest and most expertly prepared in town.  The avocado is creamy and buttery, the salmon is tender but not mushy, and the rice (something lesser sushi joints neglect) is perfect–toothsome, not overly vinegared, rolled tight.  The accompanying mango sauce lends a wild kick of perfume that transforms this dish from merely fresh to unforgettable.

Another classic is the age dofu ($5), cubes of battered and fried tofu with dried bonito shavings and green onion in dashi (fish-and-kelp) broth.

Everything about this dish is perfect at Uchi–the hot, crispy exterior and gelatinous interior of the tofu, the heaps of bacony bonito shavings, the gentle and distinctly Japanese umami flavor of the broth.

One of the new things we tried from the nightly menu was the tara miso (casco bay cod with celery root and toasted almonds).

I loved the play between the sweet/savory almonds and caramelized exterior of the fish against the cool celery.  You can seldom go wrong with celery.

The star of the night though had to be the madai carpaccio (thin slices of raw Japanese black snapper, with shiso oil, san bai sweet vinegar, sea salt, micro greens, and green onions, $18).

The fish couldn’t have been fresher, and it had just the right combination of sea salt, vinegar and green onions to gently swathe it in a translucent sweet/sour/green cloak of flavor.  The salt, simple as it sounds, was key–it’s very rare that something will be perfectly salted in a restaurant, when the kitchen has to turn out plate after plate.  Somehow Uchi always gets it exactly right.

Some other new delciacies we had that night:

tomato katsu (fried green tomatoes Japanese-style in delicate panko breaking, with hot mustard sauce, $5),

hotate adzuki (diver scallops, adzuki bean, bacon, brussels sprouts), a combination of silky, sexy scallop and homey smoke flavors,

tempura ($12 for a vegetable combo, $5 for shrimp), very good, fresh, hot, and crispy, but again, for some reason, greasier and heavier than Musashino’s flawless rendition,

and jizake creme caramel with brown butter sorbet and ginger consomme, $9 (one of my all-time favorite desserts–it needs no explanation).

Outside Salon Corona

Salon Corona is a must-eat place. It should be a UNESCO World Heritage site. People should get married here. Locally popular, downright packed and standing-room only sometimes, I went here twice it was so good. A colleague from the conference had been here before, and we wandered around until we could find it. What a find.

We sat down at this busy place in the afternoon, and as soon as we were seated, I noticed something a little disturbing—this placemat:

I can't make this kind of thing up....

But then, I heard someone call my name. What the hell? Who would be calling my name in Mexico City?!? Turned out that one of the conference organizers was at a table nearby with his friends. Isn’t that good sign? Jaime came over, and it was like we belonged there. He told us what was good on the menu: the quesadillas, the piernas….

Piernas

Oh my god, the piernas! Apparently it’s a pulled/stewed pork made from the leg of the pig. It is indescribably delicious.

And then, as if I couldn’t love this place more. For no apparent reason, and with no tourists really besides us in the dining room, suddenly, two mariachis show up and start playing. A random guy from the next table sang along.

Mariachis, just because

While in San Francisco for work, my coworkers and I decided to try Kung Fu Tacos, a taco truck serving Asian Fusion tacos.  They have a twitter that you can follow to know exactly where they will be located each day.  The menu is very limited – only four varieties of tacos and not much else.  Each taco is $2-3 and three to four is a good amount of food for a quick lunch.

I ordered three tacos for my lunch – chicken, steak and duck breast.  The tacos have a lot of flavor, especially with the cilantro and lime juice.  It was definitely different from tacos I’m used to and it was a welcomed change because I am such a fan of Asian food.  There’s not much more to say about this place because the concept really is simple: a variety of made to order tacos that are more Asian than Mexican.  If you’re looking for a quick lunch in the area, I would say try it out.  It could be hit or miss though – some people (like me) really enjoyed my meal, while others like some coworkers preferred traditional tacos more.

Godkväll!

Idag har varit en superbra dag. Jag har, utan anledning egentligen, varit på väldigt bra humör!
Jobbet gick suveränt. Vi har inte så mycket att göra just nu så dagen bara gled förbi.
När jag slutade så var det äntligen dags för lite styrka på gymmet! Love it! Sen efter träningen så gick jag och mötte Per.
Det var så kul att träffa han! Som vanligt.
Vi gick och solade i världens varmaste solarie. Helbae vad varmt det var. Jag brände mej nästan på rumpan och fläkten blåste varm luft.
Så det var ingen behaglig solning. Men jag blev i alla fall brun och fin. Hehe.
Vill man vara fin..
När vi solat så gick vi hem.
Väl hemma i min underbara lägenhet så stod, konstigt nog, inte maten på bordet som den brukar göra?
Så då var det bara att sätta på sej jackan igen för att gå till affären och handla.
Idag åt vi tacos!! Mums!
Det var sjukt gott. Känns nästan som att det är fredag. Hehe.

Imorgon är det helg. Funderar på vad jag ska göra då. Hmm….

Happy Thanksgiving to all the gorgeous American readers out there!!

How about skipping the turkey, and instead indulging in Ange’s vegan pumpkin pie or maybe choosing a few dishes from Gena’s ‘mostly raw, all vegan Thanksgiving menu‘. There’s so much more you can eat than poor turkeys, and they will thank you for sparing their lives!

I have to admit; I’m a bad vegetarian, because although I don’t miss most meats, I am still missing turkey. Let’s face it: it tastes ahhhmazing. I tried to figure out why I think it tastes so good – and I suppose it just reminds me of family, of comfort, of being safe. It has a warm, homey taste. BUT. My selfish desire to have a few moments of pleasure can’t justify an animal being cruelly and viciously slaughtered. SO. This year at Christmas, my plan is to eat all the veggies, naturally, with a big side of mashed potatoes {mmmm!} and a few slices of Quorn ‘roast’. I’m also going to get in the kitchen myself over the holidays {yay for helping out my darling Mother!} and prepare a few appetizers and dishes that I think everyone will enjoy – like Bloody Mary shots with avocado toasts, pumpkin soup, ricotta and basil pizza bread and quite possibly, the afore-mentioned vegan pumpkin pie.

So, what have I been up to? Well, it’s been a CRAZY few weeks – our business has skyrocketed lately. Call after call, meeting after meeting. We have tons of work booked for the next while – plus some in the New Year, which is what we wanted, so it’s fantastic.Even though the business is there – it doesn’t mean that the money necessarily is – it’s all coming later, so right now, we’re pretty poor, ha ha.

So, we’re struggling with raising the money we need to make sure everyone we love has amazing Christmas presents from us – it’s so frustrating to not have enough to give to the people who make our lives so special. I was able to send a few gifts to my brother in Afghanistan, which was my priority — and he’s already received them AND opened them {boys can never wait}. That put a big smile on my face.

Otherwise, we’re going to have go easy on other gifts. Hopefully everyone will understand. I can’t wait until we’re making a lot of money and we can spoil everyone we love!!!

Since we’ve been so busy, it’s difficult to stay focused, but I’ve been trying. For instance, I found an old bottle of Greens + Multi in one of our cupboards – HALLELUJAH – this stuff is unbelievable for energy. I’ve been using the leftover powder until I get the stuff my Mother is sending me from Canada. I mix a scoop {I’m hardcore} with a cup of vanilla rice milk and to be honest, I think it tastes rather good. And it keeps me buzzing all day. I love it!!

And of course… taking my vitamins:

One of my recent new favourites is Ginger Root, which has anti-inflammatory properties and is fantastic for digestion.

Eating my veggies…

I really do love celery. I remember I used to like it with Cheez Whiz, lol. That is low fat soft cheese mixed with Total 0% greek yogurt, with hot salsa for dippers.

Exercising! It’s been hard to exercise, but I’ve been doing the Shred fairly regularly – plus, basically doing weights anytime I get a free moment. So when I’m reading emails in the morning, I do tricep kickbacks, or when I’m watching TV, I do lunges with bicep curls. It’s fairly simple and it keeps me motivated. Every little bit counts.

I’ve also been eating things that look like junk, but actually… they’re healthy!!

Like… tacos!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

My recipe:

1 can of organic chick peas, marinated in 1 tsp sunflower oil, 2 tbsp hot chili powder, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp tamari {gluten-free soy sauce}, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp organic sea salt and then roasted for 15-20 minutes until crisp. Watch them like a hawk. I burned my first batch. This WILL make extra – store them for salads or more taaaacos!!

3 Discovery taco ‘trays’ {I don’t know – these might only be in the UK}

lettuce, shredded

1 tomato, de-seeded and chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

These would be excellent with guacamole, but I only had salsa:

These were so freaking amazing, I had them again for lunch today:

So pretty. With Amy’s chunky tomato bisque:

They bring a whole new meaning to the term ‘foodgasm’.

Okay, off into town with the boy to get toothpaste and hand wash. SEXY!

Bye bellas!

Así estoy. He encontrado un poco de paz y la radio que sintoniza a volumen bajo ahora se cuela indiscreta en mis sueños. Los personajes se condesan, y forman una anomalía única difícil de interpretar. Cuando despierto, solo quedan transposiciones de imágenes vagas.

Tan vagas como ruedan las preguntas en mi cabeza, que van y vienen, una y otra vez. La inercia me controla, y yo la dejo hacer. Soy, como decirlo, su puta.

Tengo claro que pasado el letargo, tendré que tomar algunas decisiones. Quizás no muy gratas, empero, saludables.

Quiero noches filosóficas, de amigos, de delirios sin juzgamientos.

Quiero noches filosóficas, de un hombre que me acaricie con palabras, a quien pueda azorar con mis pensamientos,a veces retorcidos. Quiero sentir la necesidad de besarlo, atravesarnos, caer rendidos y volver a sumirnos en palabreríos eternos.

Que la calentura llegue por mi mente y me invada cada centímetro cuadrado de la piel.

Complicidad, quiero complicidad.

Así era con Chinaski. Una vez le dije: – Mé acariciás con las palabras, me tocás íntimamente sin siquiera acercarte.

No hay un maldito día en que no lo recuerde. Ocho dice que lo puse en un podio de donde no puedo arrojarlo.

Pero Ocho no estaba ahí para mirar, para escuchar.

Con Chinaski podía andar descalza, fumar, comer spaguetti en la cama, y tomar helado mientras me devoraba parte de su cuerpo.

Él era feliz cuando me paseaba en tacos. Y me cortaba frutas de todos los colores y me las alcanzaba a la cama.

Que egoísta fui. Andaría en zancos ahora, de saber que puedo pasar una noche hundiendo mi cara en su espalda.

Tuve la esperanza de que Comodoro sería versión mejorada esa historia. Pero no fue. Fue la versión de ella. Que se dio el lujo de pensarlo.

Tal vez, también yo debería haberlo pensado, y no abrirme de par en par para dejarlo seguir de largo.

Y ahora, Crítico cuenta los pelos que se me caen en el baño, el vaso de agua que no dejo en su lugar, los bordes de las sábanas asimétricos, la pelusa en el sweater, y el pelo al huevo, no registra si ando de tacos, sandalias, o pantuflas y esperé un año para que me bese sin que sea un mero rozamiento de labios, y para colmo  de males cuando me toca una teta, pretende que yo entienda que quiere sexo.

Crítico no tiene la culpa, él es así.

Pero yo no, mi cuerpo está atado a mis pensamientos, y éstos a mis emociones.

Necesito que me miren más allá de mis ojos. Necesito encontrar una alma detrás de un iris.

Aletargada, pero con pensamientos.

Rubio’s is having their seasonal lobster tacos & burrito offering. Have to say they are wonderful. They’re honest that its langostino lobster meat, which in this case doesn’t really matter because it is delicious and the lobster is well represented.

These taco’s are respected webwide, here is a flickr search http://www.flickr.com/photos/slworking/4034749889/

Rubio’s is having their seasonal lobster tacos & burrito offering. Have to say they are wonderful. They’re honest that its langostino lobster meat, which in this case doesn’t really matter because it is delicious and the lobster is well represented.

These taco’s are respected webwide, here is a flickr search http://www.flickr.com/photos/slworking/4034749889/

I’m leaving on a jet(Blue) plane first thing tomorrow morning, so cue a straight week of eating my face off and watching 19+ hours of “Days of Our Lives.” It happens. I’ll try and work in the occasional lake run, but I can’t make any promises. Until then, I’d like to live off my recent accomplishments. Indulge me.

To begin with, I’ve been running every single day. I look like her, except turn the intensity waayyy down. I’m all for rock running, but I’ve been sticking to my diluted version with the treadmill and some “Lady Gaga” on Pandora. I cut out the elliptical for good, which seems a little finite considering how good it is to my knees. I’ve never been that impressed with the results, though, so for now it’s over between us. On Saturday, I ran two miles, and then I walked an entire mile by bringing the incline gradually up to 10, and then back down to one. Then, I ran two MORE miles. How serious am I? Not as serious as this girl, but I’m at least halfway there.

On the food front, I’ve been making delicious stuff lately that is just not so photogenic. I’m too honest and law abiding to superimpose one of Giada’s recipes on one of my plates, so I’ve decided to leave them out of this. One was pretty clever, though, so it’s a shame. My friend and I had brunch plans last Sunday, so I was up and doing my morning gymming when I got a text from that friend. He was all, “Can we do a cheap-ass diner instead?” which I read as “dinner,” and immediately started making my own brunch. Once I realized my mistake, I had an over easy egg just hanging out with nowhere to go. I tupperwared it and met my friend for brunch.

Later that night, I was considering making a carbonara to make use of my egg. I don’t eat bacon, I’m mostly off cheese, and the egg was already in a phase not compatible with carbonara, so I had to nix that idea. I made a pasta and my own sauce out of tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, onions and garlic, and at the last minute I threw the egg in there to heat it. I ended up eating it altogether, and it was pretty amazing. Seriously. Just not so pretty, so you’ll have to use your imagination.

I love a good taco, so I decided to make some shrimp tacos on Monday. I started with some pre-cooked and frozen shrimp, which I ran water over and then heated with some butter. I toasted a low-carb wrap (obvs), and then heated some black beans alongside my shrimpies. I have this delicious corn-chile salsa from TJ’s, so that became a pretty serious part of the meal. On the side, I chopped tomatoes and fresh cilantro. Not only were they delicious (roommate-approved!), but they’re so easy on the eyes. See below:

~ Zacharius Zetch, 4th day of the 33rd year.

I have made it along with Balizi through the Shadowed Forest. He does not see the bounty of the land before him. I will make my capitol here upon this citadel before the greater mountains. Zamilidor, I will call it. Balizi will be leaving through the pass and into the desert in the morning. His disband from our group only leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

~ Illani Dan E’ri the first Stwalart

And so they met in the desert 10 years after their departure. Each had prospered on his own side of the valley, and each had conquest in their eyes. As they came together for their first meet in those ten long years,  Zacharius slew Balizi with a dagger. And so the bloody conflict engulfed the desert. And the two nations became mortal enemies. Before that battle in the desert each faction was left without a leader, for Zacharius died of thirst wandering the desert a misfortune of the gods some called it.

Shortly after two leaders emerged bearing new banners of war,  Queen Salth’iri of the Black Roses and Darmurian of The Sacred Swords. Salth’iri was a emmissary of the countries to the far east beyond the sea. She in the best interest of making Zamilidor and it’s countries colonies of the Taborean Empire began to lead under the banner of a Black Rose. A symbol of a darker time in the Taborean Empire.

Darmurian was one of the most loyal knights under Balizi and during the original conflict fought off Zacharius and his men. He emerged taking Balizi’s Sword and carrying it back to Kerotor garnering the respect of it’s citizens.

And both…met 12 years later, under different circumstances they met…me.

Certain things are simply not done justice by mere description. Nevertheless, endeavor in the face of adversity is the most noble of human pursuits, so I will endeavor here to shed light upon the fantastic piece of wonderful that is the fish taco. (Therefore, fish tacos are noble human pursuits. Just go with it.) There are some who will say that a fish taco is not a real fish taco unless it comes directly from a recipe conjured in the magical lands that are the kitchens of Baja California where it was jealously guarded until a brave soul managed to bring it north of the border. This is sadly untrue, as a good fish taco does not need to have been bathed in the water of the Pacific and treated with the essence of surfer and patchouli to be considered a real commodity. The lesson learned is that a good fish taco can take ever so many different forms.

This is perhaps one of the best things about them: their variability (panacea for life 1). The means and ingredients are very simple, but the end result is very complex. Though this is a general principle of the taco, it is never more evident with the fish taco. For example, the fish can be tilapia, it can be mahi, it can be ahi tuna, shrimp (see picture), squid, octopus-it can be just about any fish that absorbs flavor well and doesn’t overpower with its fishiness. It addition, it does not have to be prepared in just one way-it can be fried (traditionally) or grilled (more modern). Now that we have our fish, let us move to the shell that it is in.

Both flour and corn tortillas are available-yet another manifestation of the aforementioned panacea-variability. Though flour tortillas may be more flexible, corn tortillas normally impart a bit more flavor to your taco, especially if the tortilla is toasted as delicately as a scientist handles samples of radioactive plutonium on a flat-top ever so slightly beforehand. In addition, the tortillas themselves may be fried to increase their crispiness and flavor. And now for what is in my opinion the most important-the slaw of vegetables and sauce(s) that accompany the wonderment we are creating.

Thus far, we have imparted the wonderment of perfectly grilled and seasoned fish and a wonderful, authentic shell in which to place it. Before we continue, let’s not forget another highly important balancing factor-the beverage. I find here that the originals did it best-by this I mean that when you’re eating Mexican food, have a Mexican beverage. Dos Equis is preferred but Corona will do quite nicely as well. Though let’s all be honest here: when talking about beer and food pairings, I think many people would just take the beer. For the non-alcoholic crowd, Jarritos soda’s many diverse flavors will go exceedingly well here too-I leave the experimentation to you. To the slaw we go now. The slaw should be crunchy and fresh, bright with a measure of zip and possibly of heat as well. Again, variability is the fish taco’s greatest advantage. Staples of a good slaw will include cabbage in various forms, possibly some carrot, onion, pico de gallo and the tang added by the addition of citrus, preferably lime. The entire combination produces a veritable symphony of flavors that is so rewarding: light seafood that has been well cooked combined with a slaw that is bright and crunchy. Both elements contribute to the texture of the dish and add flavor.

An important point is not to overload your taco: guacamole is generally not preferred on a fish taco, especially if it has been spiced heavily. They will simply overpower the lightness of the fish and take over the dish, blocking out some of the texture contributed by the slaw with its smoothness. In contrast, crema (a sort of runny Mexican sour cream) is just opportune-it adds authenticity and a measure of flavor all its own. Our end result is a concoction for which a general case can be made that it was magicked down to to our eateries by a benevolent force for our enjoyment-proof that we are loved as a human race.

One of the many variations offered by Mercadito Cantina, East Village, NY

Circa el hospital beneficial espanola y hot dog maruchas.

Este era uno de mis lugares preferidos hasta hace dos semanas.  El punto de precio es parecido a lo de Sancho Panza en el rango un poquito arriba de lo normal, sin salir caro.  El local esta a lado de un semáforo y aunque no es un lugar ideal es adecuado para llenar el estomago, sino que no es un lugar para sentarte y contemplar la mescla de los olores que entran.

Los tacos enfocan en la carne de res y los granjeros son grandes, llenos de queso fresco y sabor, con carne blandita.  Las salsas presentes no ofrecen mayor variación de las típicas, no obstante el ingrediente importante es la res y aquí si hay sabor en abundancia.

Sin embargo, no recomiendo este lugar.  Aunque los tacos son sabrosos, varias veces he encontrado irregularidades en la cuenta.  En el momento de llamar la atención del macero el “error” ha sido corregido, sino que he visto este “error” una cantidad de veces suficiente para decir con seguridad que ellos intentan estafar sus clientes.

Mejor que no vayas.

I’ve compiled this list after extensive and exhaustive taco cart research to let you know that there are only three taco carts in Vallarta worth trying.  They are bomb.  I kept it simple with each nominee representing a different kind of taco.

This list only covers the main tourist drag from  Col. Emiliano Zapata in the south to Wal-Mart at the north end.  So don’t get offended if I didn’t mention your favorite Pitillal tacos (Mr. Memo’s?).  I’m not even sure if Nuevo Vallarta has a taco truck within its limits.

I definitely appreciate more recommendations, so if you got the inside scoop on something new, or old, leave a comment.  Just a note, all of the photos were taken with my full-frame, 32.5-megapixel camera phone.  The lens is a Carl Zeiss and it shoots HD video.  Oh, you didn’t know?

These carts all have two things in common: fresh ingredients and cheap.  The ladder is not so hard to find among taco carts but the freshness and quality of ingredients is what turns me off, or on, to a lot of them and in particular to these three.


Tacos de Pescado/Camarón – Marisma

Location – Colonia Emiliano Zapata on Calle Naranjo in between Calle Basilio Badillo and Calle Venustiano Carranza

Cost – About 12-14 pesos a taco

Hours – 10am-4pm daily

Tacos de Asada – I really should know the name.  I’ve eaten their many many many times and never once asked or heard what it was called.  But I’ve never had to.  It’s not like it’s going anywhere.  (They might not even have a name)

Location – Col. Emiliano Zapata on Calle Naranjo in between Calle Venustiano Carranza and Calle Lázaro Cárdenas.

Cost – About 8 pesos

Hours – 8:30pm-ish till 2am-ish

Tacos Al Pastor – El Carboncito

Location – Col. 5 de Diciembre on Calle Honduras near Avenida Mexico (down the street from the Pemex)

Cost – About 8 pesos

Hours: 8:30pm-ish – 2am-ish

Good evening humans. I’m back with my first addition to what I’ll just call COOLNESS. Occasionally we all run across that thing that we just have to share, text and tweet to the whole world about, hence the coolness. I plan to bring you lovely little bits from all over, but this entry is a little something for my locals. Luckily for a fluffy gal like me, I was born in south Louisiana, a region that is overrun with wonderful restaurants. I tend to get hooked on something in the area about once a month. Really. Right now (and probably for as long as they stay in business) my lunch time favorite is Taco Sisters. Located on upper end of Johnston Street in Lafayette LA, this cute little orange drive thru has the best fish tacos on planet earth.

Trust a fluffy girl, as I kid you not when I say that they’re orgasmic. Made fresh to order, this little shop is open five days a week from 11 am to 2pm serving tacos, “smoky boats” and salads that will provide a welcome change to your lunch routine. The food is the business, the service is always great and the prices are recession friendly. If you’re ever in the area, check the sisters out and try the fish taco with avocado and cheese. So much better than a run for the border.

Check out the website: http://www.TacoSisters.com

A.K.

I ganska många veckors tid har jag pratat om festen som vi faktiskt hade nu i helgen. De flesta glada ZoNare var där och hade allmänt trevligt, men inte jag. De flesta undrar säkert varför, och svaren är enkla, men ganska många.

Vi kan börja med onsdagen, ett rent helvete för mig, blev bokstavligen utsparkad ur huset, så jag knatade till Fors (3,7 km) för att kunna ta mig till Becka och kanske få ett ställe att sova på. Det fick jag och kunde äntligen andas ut. Denna händelse gjorde att jag inte kunde koncentrera mig riktigt i skolan. Men där va jag inte särskilt länge, hade turen att jag skulle sova över hos Bobbin på kvällen, första gången jag var där och så sov jag över. Jag tycker att det är scary, fast jag överlevde så jag får väl anta att det inte var så farligt ändå. Han gör världens godaste pannkakor, bara så att ni vet. Vid åtta-tiden väcktes jag av att nån (gissa vem) petade på mig så att jag skulle vakna, inte jättebehagligt, men det funkade. Senare åkte vi iväg för att byta bil och hämta upp Tina. Vi skulle ut och shoppa! Så vi åkte iväg till City Gross för att införskaffa köttfärs, majs (mumsigt), gurka, dricka… Ja, allt som var nödvändigt för att festen skulle bli så awsome som möjligt.  Sedan var det bara att åka tillbaka till folkets hus och packa upp varorna. Sedan kom det ytterligare ett mindre helvete, vi skulle röja på Nolvinden. Det stod både koppar och gammalt godis framme, bord, stolar, fotöljer och en massa annan bråte stod framme. Så större delen av kvällen gick åt till att röja, så att vi tillslut skulle kunna pynta iordning. Det tog även det sin tid och jag var nog hemma efter 21 tror jag. Så det var väldigt skönt att gå och lägga sig.

Sedan var det Lördag och dags för festen me stort F (undrar varför man säger så egentligen…). Först var det bestämt att vi (jag, Jessi och Tina, Bobbin hade spelning på kvällen dök kom senare) skulle samlas vid 13, detta ändrades till 14, men Jessi och Tina var en halvtimme sena. Sedan var det bara att göra iordning det sista för att kunna ta emot alla. Sedan var det bara att sätta sig ner att äta, duka undan, köra lekar, äta efterrätt och läsa upp diplom. Hade gått hur bra som helst om det inte vore för att en styck Jessi vägrade göra någonting som skilde henne från sin älskade Johan, vilket innebar att jag fick höra all skiten. Visst det var kul, men hon var ledaren. Fick höra att JAG hade arrangerat allting jättebra, det var ju hon som skulle ha gjort det. Denna fråga pyrde under hela kvällen, natten får man nog säga, tills jag helt enkelt inte orkade vara i samma rum som någon. Jag gick helt enkelt ut till våran hångelhörna och fick efter en stund sällskap av Bobbin (han kom i lagom tid till glassen) och även Emely. För första gången på flera timmar kunde jag slappna av, jag hade kul på riktigt och det var väldigt skönt. Blev en hel del flum och misstolkningar, som det av någon mystisk anledning alltid blir när Bobbin är i närheten. Tillslut så bestämde vi oss för att det var dags att sova, klockan var runt 05:15. Sedan vaknade man av att en styck Emely sparkade på en för att hon hade något mycket viktigt att säga, vad nu det var… Sedan var det bara att knata bort till till folkets hus, äta en god tacofrukost för att sedan plocka ihop på både folekts hus och Nolvinden.

Det var väl festfixandet i stort. Får nog knata till sängs nu, försov mig i morse rätt rejält… //MollBarn

Yet again, I was forced to dine at Trudy’s. I guess “forced” is the wrong word. It’s just that Trudy’s is the only place one of my roommates ever wants to go to and I’m more of an adventurous diner.

I decided to order something I’ve never had before: Tinga Tacos.  Two tortillas filled with smoked mesquite brisket in a super spicy chipotle and onion blend (the pictures of the meat itself doesn’t look very appetizing). The brisket was fantastic! So much smokey flavor, and a sharp spicy bite. Other than that, however, the tacos were pretty plain. There weren’t any veggies inside and my tortillas were hard… like they’d been sitting out for too long. One of my friends ordered the Tinga Nachos which also looked delightful.

Tinga Tacos

Also, my roommate ordered the Stuffed Avocado which was absolutely phenomenal! I was trying to figure out how it worked and I think this is what I concluded: chicken, veggies, layered in an avocado/guacamole spread, then flash fried. Whew! A delicious creamy white sauce drenched the stuffed avocado, truly making this dish a hidden gem on the menu. Folks, you need to try it. Then fast for the next couple of days because I don’t even want to think about the calories in this guy.

Stuffed Avocado

Då var ännu en helg till ända. Ännu en helg utan någon som helst uppdatering här. Men är det nåt jag verkligen inte haft en tanke på denna helgen så är det bloggen. Drog raka vägen ut till Sandra efter jobbet i fredags och tillbringade hela helgen där. I fredags var även fröken Jenny med oss. Vi svullade massa tacos, drack vin, öl och spelade diverse spel. När vi vaknade till liv på lördagen hade Jempa redan hunnit hem. Jag och sötisen drog ner till Vällingby C där vi fikade och shoppade lite. Jag lyckades äntligen hitta ny mössa Sen vankades middag och hemmafest. Det blev ännu mer öl och ännu mer spelande. Igår blev det en tur till Ikea. Drog mest dit för att det är trivsamt att springa omkring där med jämna mellanrum, men även för att jag var sugen på en köttbulletallrik och behov av lite nya matlådor. Fick även med mig lite ljusstakar och annat nödvändigt hem. Hela helgen avslutades hemma hos mig. Kikade nyaste Wallander och mös lite innan ljuset släcktes för denna helgen. Underbart härlig helg med det finaste av sällskapet

Nu är det bara en vecka kvar av november. En veckas slit för att få in det sista som ska in av novemberbudgeten. Hoppas det är “stolpe in vecka”! På fredag blir det konsert med Mattihoe och på söndag snackas det om julmarknad i Gamla Stan. Ännu en helgrym helg att se fram emot med andra ord! JAG ÄLSKAR MITT LIV!!!