An Ode to Tacos

An Ode to TacosMove over, spaghetti. There’s a new kid in town vying for the title of My Favorite Food. And seeing that National Taco Day is trending on Twitter right now, I just couldn’t let today go by without proclaiming my love for this glorious food in the form of an ode to tacos!!

I’ll just make it really clear from the beginning so there’s absolutely NO confusion: I LOVE TACOS. OK, that’s a bit of an understatement. I *really* love tacos. It’s the kind of love that’s unconditional and deep and pure. It’s the kind of love that doesn’t judge, but rather just accepts you as you are.

Maybe I’m so obsessed with tacos because I can truly identify with them. The way I see it, tacos can be misunderstood sometimes. I mean, think about it: They have a hard exterior in their shell, so that’s how the world sees them all the time. But if you look a little closer, you’ll see what they’re like on the inside — soft and sometimes fragile. They may put on a brave face with that hard outer shell, but don’t let that fool you. They’re a lot more emotional than they let on.

Alright, alright…enough projecting and personifying for now!

But, seriously, an affinity for all things taco must run in my family. My Grandmother, for example, was one of the only people I know who could easily eat four tacos. She was a rather petite lady, but she never met a taco she didn’t like. I remember many family vacations spent sitting around the kitchen table at dinner time, my Grandmother telling us how surprised she is that she can eat so many tacos — her enthusiasm was downright infectious!

As for me, I’ve even broken rules to satiate my love of tacos and feed my fix. Don’t worry, it’s nothing illegal. More like self-imposed rules I’ve had for myself. You see, I usually have a two night threshold for leftovers. I can tolerate two nights in a row of the same food — no more, no less. And yet, we’ve had tacos for the last three nights and I could honestly eat them AGAIN tonight.

See what I mean? I’m a taco-eating fiend!

I’ll close this blog post with a couple poems — one haiku and one limerick, written by none other than Ms. Bear herself! In fact, she suggested I write this ode today and I suppose she wanted to be included in all the fun festivities! Check out her mega talent…

HAIKU

Tacos are so fine
Today is the day we dine
And celebrate them

LIMERICK

There once was a really great food
It puts you in such a great mood
You can serve it to your friends
They’ll love you ’til the end
And that’s why it’s a great food, DUDE!

Are you craving tacos yet, friends? Having them in honor of National Taco Day?? What’s your all-time favorite food?? You know, that one delicious food that…you…just…can’t…live…without… xoxo

P.S. Thanks to Ms. Bear for snapping the wonderful pic of our taco dinner last night!!

P.P.S. I’m thinking of doing “An Ode to…” about food every season. Thoughts??

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: Make-your-own pizza

As the summer winds down, so are we! So, we decided to make a simple dinner the other night. We felt like pizza, but wanted something a little healthier than the store-bought or take-out kind. Melissa and I were talking about how when she was young, we would make a Chef Boyardee pizza kit. All four of us would make our own little pizza with our favorite toppings. Then we would all take our food into the living room, get comfy and watch ER, which we had taped (remember those old things called VHS tapes?!?!?) and saved for the weekend. Good times!

Here’s how we made the pizza this time. You need…

*Green pepper, onions, roma tomatoes…chop them all up
*Turkey pepperoni
*Mozzarella cheese, shredded
*Jiffy pizza crust mix
*Pizza sauce (I used the Chef Boyardee canned sauce, for old times sake!)
*Green salad ingredients and raspberries to round out the meal

All you have to do is follow the directions on the Jiffy box and assemble your pizza however you like! Enjoy! Watch an old TV show when you eat and talk about old times. You’ll be glad you did!

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen will be back around the holidays for more Blake family recipes! Thanks for reading all summer. It’s been fun!!!

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: Summer’s final hurrah…

Summer is winding down, school has started again and believe it or not, Labor Day is right around the corner! So, in the spirit of one last hurrah for summer, we just had a fun meal today! It was easy, quick and delicious.
We heated up some turkey smoked sausage and put it in a warm bun.

We topped it with chopped onions and tomatoes. Add some fun summer sides like corn on the cob and potato salad and enjoy a final salute to summer!!!! Enjoy!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter this year’s BIC Back-To-School giveaway — lots of great office goodies await one lucky winner!

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: DIY chopped salad

Hello to Melissa’s blog readers! We have a winning recipe today…we all liked it the best of anything so far! Of course, there is yet another funny story to go along with this one. Weird things are always happening to us!

I decided that I had enjoyed my NYC chopped salad so much that I would make something similar for this week’s Ms. Bear’s Kitchen. So, Janelle and I set out for our afternoon jaunt to the Y and it was a beautiful, sunny day. We came out and went to the grocery store. When we were in the store, I heard a funny sound that sounded like rain. I knew it was sunny when we went in, so, being such an optimist, I told myself that they must have turned on the fans or something. Not! I was soooo wet when I finally got in the car. After unloading all the groceries, I shook myself off and water sprayed off me into the radio. Now the radio doesn’t work!!! It was quite funny!

Anyway, here is the recipe for chopped salad!

*1 bag Romaine lettuce
*1 can corn — drained
*1 can black beans — drained
*Assorted chopped veggies…whatever you like. I used green pepper, cucumbers, onions and Roma tomatoes
*1 can rotel lime and cilantro tomatoes
*Chicken breast/cheese/olives/Parmesan

It was so easy. I just put the lettuce into a big bowl, chopped all the veggies, added the corn and beans (just add as many as you think you want) and anything else you want. I used the rotel tomatoes as my dressing…leaving the liquid on them. Spicy! Melissa just used regular dressing, as she is wimpy about spicy food (sorry, Melissa, but you know it’s true!).

Mix everything up and serve with some fruit and bread for a great dinner! And for dessert, I made a delicious lemon blueberry cake. Here’s what you’ll need…

*1/3 cup melted butter
*1 cup sugar
*3 tablespoons lemon juice
*2 eggs
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1 teaspoon salt
*1/2 cup milk
*2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
*1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
*1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

And to make the most delicious glaze EVER…

*2 tablespoons lemon juice
*1 tablespoon butter melted
*1 cup confectioners sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, 1 cup sugar, juice and eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk. Fold in lemon zest, nuts, and blueberries. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 60 to 70 minutes. Combine all ingredients mix well. Drizzle over bread.

Until next time, readers…..go do some cooking!!!!!

Ms. Bear’s Mini Guide to NYC Dining

Hello again for another installment of Ms. Bear’s Kitchen! Before I went to NYC last week, Melissa told me to take pictures of all my food and talk about the culinary experience one can have in NYC. Most of the time, I remembered to photograph my meals, except on the rare occasions that we were starving or that a fantastic looking dessert came…then I forgot all about taking a picture…LOL! So, here is a rundown on some of the restaurants and meals I had while on the Upper West Side of New York! There is a lesson to be learned from my culinary adventures, which I will share with you at the end!

The first day I got in, we went to Shake Shack, which is one of my favorite places! Their food is remarkable. Unfortunately, the calories are right on the menu, so there is that bit of a shock, which we got over quickly! We had cheeseburgers, fries and ice cream, washed down with Diet Coke! We were pretty full that night, so we had cheese, bread and salami from a little deli around the corner from my niece Mona’s. We also had a nice bottle of imported beer to wash it down!

The next day started with bagels and fruit in Central Park while walking Howie, Mona’s dog — he is so cute that he has been stopped and petted by Martha Stuart herself! For lunch, we went to Lenny’s, a nice NY deli, and had sandwiches and salads. Funny story….my salad was super expensive because I didn’t know they charged for each separate ingredient! They also charge for pop refills, just a good thing to know if you ever go there!

Mona made great steaks for dinner that night!

The third day, we went out to a restaurant called Boulud Sud. It was Restaurant Week, and there were lots of specials at the high-end restaurants. Imagine my surprise when my tuna appetizer was raw! We had a phenomenal dessert there too.

The last day we met my sister-in-law, Barb, and went to Sarabeth’s. We had a lovely lunch of soup, salad and dessert. Then we went to the famous Zabars deli and stocked up on black and white cookies — a NY tradition!

I learned a couple of lessons on my foodie trip. First, I am really a plain eater, nothing fancy for me! When we got to the tollway oasis on the way home, I had a slice of pizza and a salad and was very happy! Second, it wasn’t the food that made this trip so special, even though it was delicious — it was being with my family and sharing good times.

And, lastly, if you ever go to NYC, make sure you go to Shake Shack, Magnolia Bakery (cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes!) and visit some of the great delis and street-side fruit stands that they have there. Most of all, enjoy the company you are with.
Until next time…..