A Few of My Favorite Things
Can you believe it’s already February?? The days pass far too quickly. I usually don’t care much for February, but I have decided to make the conscious effort to celebrate instead of be sad. While I don’t feel his loss as much, February has been hard for years as it is the month he passed away. Anytime I get sad, I am going to celebrate our love as best I can. I think that is a much better way to live. So forgive me if next week, I travel memory lane again. He is on my mind frequently as I miss him constantly and it’s hard to keep it from bleeding into the column.
Tex-Mex Dinners
Can you believe it’s already February?? The days pass far too quickly. I usually don’t care much for February, but I have decided to make the conscious effort to celebrate instead of be sad. While I don’t feel his loss as much, February has been hard for years as it is the month he passed away. Anytime I get sad, I am going to celebrate our love as best I can. I think that is a much better way to live. So forgive me if next week, I travel memory lane again. He is on my mind frequently as I miss him constantly and it’s hard to keep it from bleeding into the column.
I had some extra ground turkey this week so I went with Tex-Mex this week. I do so love it. I can eat tacos or nachos three or four times a week. Yum! It was also a favorite of my husband. We ate tacos at least five times a month.
Tex-Mex usually contains canned ingredients, which saves on time. Since most of what I cook is after work, I am all about saving time where I can. It also includes ingredients not generally found in Mexico. Ingredients like beef, yellow cheese (like cheddar), wheat flour, black beans, canned vegetables (especially tomatoes), sour cream and cumin are all common in Tex-Mex, but not traditional Mexican cuisine.
Mexican food has more ingredients freshly prepared and takes more time to complete. Meat is locally grown depending on local it may be pork or chicken or, if a costal location, shrimp or crab. It’s more likely topped with a green tomatillo sauce or mole whereas Tex-Mex is more cheese covered. Fresh or grilled onions, homemade salsa or guacamole are also popular toppings, depending on what you are eating. Mexican tends to be healthier as well because the ingredients are generally fresh and less processed.
A couple of things to keep in mind this week. Beans can be added to all recipes. Personally, I don’t care for beans so I remove them from all recipes. However, brown, Ranch or pinto beans are all good options for adding to Tex-Mex foods or you can serve with a side of refried beans if you prefer. You can also serve rice as a side dish if you would like to complete your meal. Some popular taco toppings are salsa, jalapeno, lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado or guacamole, shredded cheese (I use Mexican blend for almost everything, but feel free to use your favorite), and sour cream. This weekend, check your ingredients and make your grocery list. Then, meet me in the kitchen for Tex-Mex dinners!
