So dramatic

Thatbrother was born into the wrong family. Name a sport, and he follows it. Without training a day, he ran a 10k and came in first for his division. He plays golf with his friends, was on the baseball team in high school, and is always up for a pickup game of basketball. Normal boys his age get this love of athletics from their fathers. But not in our family. Every one in our family is more interested in theater than sports. Thatmom took part in every camp play growing up. Thatdad was auditioning for Broadway shows, and well, we all know I took my theater love allllll the way through college.

While many other parents had season tickets to baseball games, or college football games, Thatparents had season tickets to the performing arts center. When Thatdad died, Thatmom decided she didn't want to go to the rest of the shows this season by herself. We divied up the tickets for the remaining shows between family and friends.

Saturday it was Thatboy and my turn to see a show - "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," one of Thatdad's favorite movies. During the show it made me sad to think about how he much he would have enjoyed it.

We took our seats and were introduced to the seatholders beside us, who had grown to be friends with Thatparents over the years. Even though their relationship was relatively superficial, they mentioned how much they had enjoyed spending time with Thatdad and how saddened they were by his death. It reminded me how many lives he touched.

The show itself didn't live up to expectations - well with the exception of the flying car which had Thatboy staring, mouth agape like a kid in a candy store. One of the dancers was probably 7 feet tall, and I couldn't watch any dances without becoming completely distracted by his height. Which was probably all for the best given that most of the dancers were out of step with each other. The female lead had such a distinct break between her chest and head voice that it sounded like two different people singing. And then there was the kid who was definitely channeling Carol Channing.........

The other big Saturday plans were a trip to the farmer's market with Thatmom. I main things we were looking for? Asparagus and wild mushrooms for bread pudding. I had explained to Thatmom that we probably wouldn't find asparagus because the growing season is pretty much April. We had decided that a good alternative would be either zucchini or leeks. But low and behold, when we showed up at the farmer's market, there was asparagus everywhere! Must be because of the unseasonably cold weather we had this spring.

No trip to a farmer's market is complete without picking up some strawberries.


My favorite stall in the Irvine Farmer's Markets has the most gorgeous greens and herbs. I always stop by here to pick something up.

That mom was a little disappointed that we weren't going to be using leeks, which she loves. I can't blame her - I love leeks too. So I agreed to pick up some leeks and use them to top our grilled chicken.

The stash:


peaches
parsley
mushrooms
broccoli sprouts
tomato
maui onion
asparagus
strawberries
mint
plums

And the results:


Asparagus and Morel Bread Pudding (recipe available at animalvegetablemiracle.com)

I was a little concerned about this recipe for a couple of reasons. First because I don't like asparagus. What I didn't realize, was that Thatmom isn't a huge asparagus fan either. I also was 99% sure we wouldn't find morels, and I was right! Luckily I followed Camille Kingsolver's suggestion of using wild mushrooms instead, which we could get our hands on. Thatbrother really liked the bread pudding, but I think it's because it had mushrooms in it. Thatmom was surprised by how much she liked it, given her dislike of both asparagus and bread pudding, but she did note that next time she would prefer it to have some more herbs/spices as she felt it was a little bland. Thatboy felt that the bread pudding met his expectations. As for me? I impressed myself by eating asparagus! They didn't have nearly the bitter flavor I associate with asparagus, nor did they have the mushy texture. It definitely made me realize that a great way to get kids to eat vegetables is to have them help make the dish, because there was no way I was going to miss eating this gorgeousness. And it really was gorgeous!



Local ingredients used:
Spring onions (from Oceanside Farmer's Market)
Multigrain bread (From Oceanside Farmer's Market)
Asparagus (From Irvine Farmer's Market)
Wild Mushrooms (From Irvine Farmer's Market)
Parsley (From Irvine Farmer's Market)
Oregano (From Oceanside Farmer's Market)

"Leafy greens are nature's spring tonic."

I came up against my first battles in cooking through Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. I knew it was going to be a problem after reading the first chapter on asparagus and the short growing season. Although I scoured the farmers' markets looking for spinach for the spinach lasagna, I was pretty sure I wouldn't find it.

Kingsolver explains how to determine what produce is in season by describing a plant she calls the vegetannual - a hybrid which miraculously grows every fruit and vegetable as an illustration of the lifecycle of a plant. If you think of how a plant grows, this makes perfect sense. The first thing out of the ground is going to be the stem and leaves, hence the first produce season is made up of leaves - spinach, kale, lettuce, chard. They wilt and wane when the weather gets warm - and here we are in July.........and it's HOT, so no spinach. (On a side note, I DID find one place that still had some spinach at the Irvine farmer's market - but a day late and a dollar short. The lasagna had already been made)

So I had to decide what to do - should I sub in a different, more seasonal vegetable? Or take the easy way out and head the grocery store where I can find spinach year round. I knew I could use chard, which manages to stick around longer than most other greens, but I thought I might be pushing my luck a bit with serving Thatboy chard two nights in a row, so I relented and picked up some spinach from the supermarket.

My second problem was that San Diego doesn't have a lot of dairy farms, making local cheese a bit hard to find. I knew my local cheese shop got their mozzarella and ricotta from a place in LA and research showed it was exactly 102 miles from my home...just 2 miles over the typical "100 mile radius" that determines if something is local or not. Close enough, right?

Today's Farmer's Market field trip was to Rancho Bernardo's Farmer's Market.

The RB Farmer's Market was disappointing after the Oceanside one. There just wasn't much produce. I stopped off at my cheese shop on the way back.

The stash:

Eggplant
Burrata - seriously they had just unloaded it. There was no way I was leaving without it.
Mozzarella
Ricotta
Bermuda triangle - a triple cream goat cheese. I like to pick up a new cheese every time I go. This one is fantastic on some toasted french bread.
Prima Donna - a gift for Thatmom, it's one of her favorites

And the results:

Spinach Lasagna (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)

I have to say, fresh ricotta in spinach lasagna is heavenly. You wouldn't think it would make that much of a difference but oh golly does it. A world of difference. I didn't even season the ricotta, just spooned it right out of the container. Even Thatboy noted that he prefers meat lasagna to vegetarian lasagna (which is funny given that 90% of the time I make spinach lasagna, just because it's so much faster and easier than having to cook the meat) but he really liked this one. (Don't tell him about the whole wheat noodles...I didn't) He might have even said it was the best spinach lasagna he ever had, but I might have been a little light-headed from the ricotta.

Local ingredients used:
ricotta (from Gioia Farms)
mozzerella (from Gioia Farms)

Ready for a new adventure?

Last year around this time I was reading Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires. Remember how much fun we had as I "cooked the book" and made all the recipes? Well it's been almost a year, and as fate would have it, I've started another book that revolves around food, eating, and contains a bunch of new recipes. So I've decided it's time for another "cook the book." This one, however, requires a little more of me than stopping off at the store after reading each chapter.

Barbara Kingsolver is one of Thatmom's favorite authors. I remember when I was young seeing her collection of every book Kingsolver had written, neatly lined up on her bookshelf in her office. When I was in high school, The Bean Trees was on our reading list one year, and being familiar with the author I was eager to read it. I've been afraid to change a tire on my car ever since.

When I saw Kingsolver's latest book in the bookstore I was surprised to find it in the nonfiction section. I took a closer look. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - A Year of Food Life. It's the story of how Kingsolver and her family picked up and moved from Arizona to Virginia and attempted to live off the land for a year. Locally grown, caught, and killed food - including that produced on their very own farm. The idea is intriguing and romantic. Almost Rosseauian (is that a word? As in, relating to the French philosopher Jean Jaques Rosseau, and returning to a state of nature.) I immediately added the book to my reading list, but it's taken me until now to begin it.

The idea of "local eating" or localtarianism or locavores isn't a new idea. I'm very behind on the trend. And I want to preface this by noting that I am not plannig on going local. There are plenty of people who have taken a "1 month challenge" to eat locally and that's not where this blog is about to go. However, I did figure that as long as I was going to make these recipes, I would do my best to try to use local ingredients.

And I'm pretty lucky. In San Diego, there's a farmer's market every day of the week but Monday - and since it's summer, many of them are even in the evenings! Now, because the book takes place over a year, not everything is going to be available to me during these summer months. I'm still going back and forth over whether I'm going to sub in supermarket finds or try to find substitute produce - you'll have to stick around and find out.

I decided to start this new adventure on my way up to grab a bite to eat with Sweetcakes. I stopped off at the Oceanside Farmer's Market to pick up ingredients for the first recipe - Eggs in a Nest.

I like to read aloud to Thatboy - even though he hates it and most of time ignores me. The first section of the book I read aloud to Thatboy was about heirloom tomatoes. Thatboy HATES raw tomatoes, but the spoiled brat has decided he loves heirlooms. He'll only eat heirloom tomatoes. If I serve tomatoes in salads, or on sandwiches or burgers his first question before determining if he'll eat it is "Are these heirloom tomatoes?"


So what did I end up with?
corn
chard
basil
oregano
rosemary
cilantro
strawberries
tomatoes
and multi-grain bread
not pictured: chocolates!!! It's not a San Diego farmer's market without chocolate, we have so many artisan producers down here.

And then it was off to meet Sweetcakes. Since it's been a few years since I've lived in Orange County, I forgot what a zoo parking in San Clemente was. Sweetcakes wasn't very familiar with the area either so we both ended up being the exact same amount of late. Sweetcakes picked the restaurant and the view was definitely worth the parking troubles.

For both of us, it was our first trip to La Galette Creperie, but the older couple seated next to us informed us that this was one of their favorite restaurants.

Sweetcakes ordered the Farallon - mushrooms, chicken, herbed potatoes in a honey rosemary sauce. She loved it and kept offering me bites - but I'm not one to get between a pregnant woman and her food. If you look closely, you can get a glimpse of Sweetcupcake - who is waiting to make her arrival any day now. In fact, I kept having terror visions that Sweetcakes would go into labor during our visit.

I had the Caprese, one of my favorite combinations.

Mozzarella, roma tomatoes, basil, and basalmic dressing. There is something SO good about fresh mozzarella. I decided that I was going to pick some up from my cheese store as soon as possible.

It was all too soon when we realized Sweetcake's meter was probably long overdue and it was time to say goodbye. I have a feeling I won't be seeing her again until Sweetcupcake's arrival.

As for my first Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (AVM) recipe, it was a complete and total sucess. When I told Thatboy we were having poached eggs, chard, and brown rice he told me he thought it was going to be "too healthy." When I told my friend Tesseract what I was making there was a long pause on the other side of the phone line before she cackled "yeeaaaahhh....you let me know how that goes."

I have to admit, I wasn't incredibly excited about the idea...until I started cooking it. I LOVED how colorful it was! There is something about eating a meal that has so many colors of the rainbow - red tomatoes and chard, orange carrots, green chard, and white onions. Then it was just so darn cute with the little eggs in their spaces. Finally, there was the taste. Simple, but SO good. Thatboy said I had to call Tesseract back and tell her "I loooooved it, Thatboy looooooved it and you really missed out. So there." I didn't call her back. But I do enjoy when Thatboy enjoys a meal so much. Especially when he tried to tell me he doesn't like a main ingredient...like chard.

Eggs in a Nest (recipe available at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
Local ingredients used:
Chard (from Oceanside Farmer's Market)

Mission: Chicken Sausage

Every now and then I do a fridge inventory and think "how did that get in there, and how long has it been there?" This happened to me recently with some chicken sausage. Since this fridge inventory was in response to the inlaw's visit, I was trying to use up as much as I could to make room for the food I was going to be making for them. The chicken sausage had to go. And of course I mean that in the nicest way possibly.

So what do you do with chicken sausage? Well, this one was filled with sundried tomato and basil, which to me screams "ITALIAN!" As much as a sausage can scream. And frankly, screaming sausage just takes me to a place I don't want to go. Childhood nightmares from Upton Sinclair's The Jungle come racing back to me. Let's get back to my happy place.........

I decided first and foremost to make a sausage lasagna. Most of my lasagnas are vegetarian, and I know Thatboy prefers some meat in his - even if it is "chicken." My latest trick is making the lasagna in a brownie pan. Then we have the perfect serving for 4 people...or 2 people with leftovers the next night. So much better than the huge pans I ususally make for Thatmom and which fill our freezer.

Chicken Sausage Lasagna

• 16 oz ricotta
• 1/2 bunch of fresh basil, chiffonade
• 2 links of sundried tomato and basil sausage, sliced
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 1/2 cups of your favorite tomato/marinara sauce
• 8 lasagna noodles
• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated

1. Preheat oven to 425. Mix ricotta, basil, sausage, milk, garlic, chili flakes and some salt in medium bowl.
2. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 8x8 baking dish.
3. Lay 2 noodles over the sauce.
4. Cover with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and another 1/2 cup of the sauce.
5. Repeat with noodles, 1/3 cheese mixture, and 1/2 cup sauce twice more.
6. Top with last layer of pasta, remaining ricotta mixture and sauce, and grated parmesean.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes, until the top is golden.

Now if you're paying any attention at all you'll notice that lasagna recipe only has 2 sausages in it...which left me with two more sausages (and who says theater majors can't do math...other than me?) So I turned to my favorite source of "crap I need to use up something in the fridge fast" resources - blogs. Sweet tea in Texas had used chicken sausages to make a Rachel Ray recipe.




I have to say that I am generally unimpressed with Rachel Ray recipes. She failed the "three strikes, your out" test in my kitchen after three practically inedible dishes. So now, I only make RR recipes after someone else does it first and has success. Enter Sweet tea in Texas...she noted that the flavors were good, but she didn't like the bread....and I'm a HUGE fan of bread so I thought I might like it even more than she did. I have to say - this one was a success. So if you're a chicken sausage fan, or a Rachel Ray fan, or a Sweet tea in Texas fan I highly recommend this sandwich. And if you cut the recipe in half, it uses up all your leftover chicken sausage! Voila, voici, and je vous en pris!

Apologies to Cindy Lauper -

- but for some reason, every time I start making kebabs, I sing my own version of the classic masturbation song "She bop." Somehow I think my lyrics are probably far cleaner. They go something like "Ke-bab, she bab, and he bab/I bab, you bab and we bab/be bab be bab a loo ke-bab."

Since it's summer kebabs are frequently part of our weekly meal plan. There's something so summery about a stick filled with summer's freshest fruits and vegetables...and of course - meat. The easiest kebab marinade is teriyaki. Mostly because I don't have to make it - but with any storebought marinade, I always like to add a couple little twists to it.

Teriyaki Rosemary Kebabs

• 1 sirloin steak, cut into bite size cubes
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
• 1/2 red onion, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary

1. Place steak and veggies in large ziplock bag. Combine teriyaki, mustard, and rosemary and pour over steak and vegetables. Refrigerate 2 hours.
2. Place steak and vegetables alternately on skewer.
3. Heat grill pan over medium high heat and grill skewers 5 minutes per side.

Teriyaki Pineapple Kebabs

• 1 pork tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 pineapple, cut into chunks
• 15 cherry tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1. Place pork and teriyaki sauce in ziplock bag and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Thread pork, pineapple, and vegetables alternately on skewer.
3. Heat grill pan over medium high heat and grill 15 minutes, until done - turning half way through.

Today I grabbed a late lunch with my friend Mertile. We missed Mertile's wedding because the inlaws were in town so I used this opportunity to surprise her with some gifts. Mertile is just as into cooking as I am, and before Thatdad died we had planned to get together once a month to cook with each other, alternating houses. Unfortunately, we were never able to start this plan of action - but that didn't stop me from outfitting her kitchen anyway! Mertile is one of my ridiculous number of pregnant friends. so we toasted her recent nuptials with ice tea and water, that didn't stop me from whipping up a celebratory drink in her honor once I got home. And nothing complements a summer dinner like a sweet and tangy pitcher of cosmos - right? I add grand mariner in mine for a little extra citrus.

Not just a bang, but a whimper

For some reason, my holiday weekends seem destined to be destroyed. I knew that there was a three day weekend coming up when last Sunday night I started getting sick. This time, it wasn't just the day off that was at stake, but a 10k on Saturday morning. So I laid low allll week. No drinking, no fair, no beach, none of our usual evening activities. Poor Thatdog didn't even get to go to the dogpark. By Friday, I was back to feeling my old self. In honor of the race, Thatmom decided to spend the weekend here with us, so she could cheer me on. She brought down TMD and we were giving the dogs a quick walk before heading out to dinner. I think I heard the "pop" before I got the familiar feeling of nausea in the pit of my stomach. My ankle had just rolled right out from under me. I was able to bear weight on it, which is always a good sign, and we headed back for the ever-familiar "RICE" therapy. (Rest - Ice - Compression - Elevation) RICE did a great job, by the end of the night there was no swelling or redness, but there was no way I was running a 10k the next day. I could bear weight on it, but it was definitely painful. A very mild sprain, but a sprain nonetheless. Dr.Thatmom noted that if this had happened a day or two earlier, I probably would have been fine to run. As I complained to Thatboy about how I would feel better about missing the race if there was SOME outward showing of injury, since there was no swelling, Thatboy pointed out the bruise that ran up my foot from beside my anklebone, up along the tendon line to my calf. Nice.

So instead of getting up at 5AM to run, we slept in and then I fixed up breakfast for the three of us. We headed to the mall for a little retail therapy. Pretty soon it was 4pm, and time to head to the beach. San Diego has a host of fireworks options, and we had decided that we were going to head to La Jolla - but not the La Jolla most of you tourists know. We headed to La Jolla Shores. Better parking, nicer beach, and we'd get to see the fireworks from SeaWorld, La Jolla, and the Fair. La Jolla Shores is much more of a locals beach - most tourists rarely venture past Prospect.

We parked and headed to the Cheese Shop to pick up dinner. Thatboy and I are pretty boring when it comes to beach food. There's nothing either of us likes better than sandwiches on the sand. The Cheese Shop is located just off the beach and is 100 times better than a Subway, Quiznos, or Togos. To start with, there's the candy selection.

Thatmom was happier than a pig in, well, you know. She kept picking up candy after candy and declaring that it was from her childhood and she loved it so much. We left the store with probably her weight in candy in an inconspicuous brown bag.

Then of course there's the sandwich selection - fresh meats, cheeses, breads. There's a set menu, but you can change around any aspect of any sandwich. Thatboy got the pork tenderloin on sourdough. I chose the turkey, jack, and avocado on sourdough, and Thatmom had turkey, Jarlsberg and avocado on pumpernickel.

There are also the other fun aspects of the Cheese Shop, including a wall of imports like Cadbury candies, marmite, and other things that you don't usually get to see in a sandwich shop.

We made our way down to the beach and set up shop. Thatboy couldn't wait to dig into his sandwich.

We played a couple games of Mille Bourne before Thatboy suited up and headed into the water to catch a few waves before the fireworks. Thatmom and I stayed on our blanket and read.

Before we knew it, the sun was setting.

And there was a familiar figure running towards us to warm up before the shows began.

We got to begin with the SeaWorld show, which I used to test out the special "fireworks" setting on my little point and shoot. Yup. I've got a fireworks setting. And a beach setting. And a sunset setting. I knew i wanted to take some fireworks shots ever since seeing Winnie's gorgeous ones. Of course, her shots were taken with a fancy DSLR, with a zoom lens and a tripod while mine are with a little point and shoot, no zoom, and no tripod.

Sunday morning we took Thatmom to Del Mar for breakfast since she had never been there. We decided to give Americana a try since we'd never been there and it's in the heart of the village. Unfortunately, as much as we love Del Mar, we are usually unimpressed with the food there and Americana fit right in with our preconceptions. It wasn't bad food, just nothing impressive.

Thatboy ordered Oscar's choice, which usually comes with pancakes, eggs, and bacon. However, Thatboy was dying for some French toast, so he subbed that in, and was a little annoyed by the substitution charge. But it was still cheaper than the $5 side of bacon.



Thatmom ordered eggs, and was also a bit annoyed by the charge for egg whites as well as the charge for fruit instead of potatoes or grits. Not pictured is her "challah" appropriately quoted because it was SO not challah. You'll see in my selection below.



I had the Del Mar Powerhouse - egg whites with tomatoes, green onions, and herbs. You can see my "challah" here. Looks like plain old toast, right? That's pretty much what it tasted like. Cara and I had a discussion a while back when there were a bunch of "challah" recipes floating around the internet, about how non-jews don't really get challah. They pass off any bread made with egg as "challah" when it really lacks most of the best qualities of challah. So my word of advice, if you're going to make challah, get your recipe from someone Jewish, or a recipe that comes from a Jewish baker. Trust me on this one.



Happy Independence Day from Thatfamily!

Wrapping it All Up

So we got another day and a half with the inlaws, but I was spared with any more cooking, which is perfect because my allergies decided to come in full force. In general I don't have allergy issues, but this year - UGH! I'm stuffy, congestion, and I won't even start with what's running down the back of my throat. So Thatboy sold the inlaws on our fancy schmancy "McDonald's Bistro" with chandeliers, gilt framed photos, leather armchairs, paninis, gelatos, pastas, and salads.

The next morning, Thatboy decided to use his family's visit as an excuse to check out a breakfast place he'd be dying to try.

Apparently, Thatboy passes Pannikin Coffee and Tea on some of his surfing trips. Even though I tried to explain to him that it was a chain, with an outpost around the corner from us, he was adamant that this was a "good place for groups" and so we were off.

I can recommend Pannikin for couples like Thatboy and I, but I don't think it's really great for a large family breakfast. The menu isn't extensive so Thatneice and Thatnephew were disappointed by their lack of choices. Of course, part of the problem could be that TBIL and TSIL didn't actually let Thatneice and Thatnephew look at the menu - instead they ordered 2 dishes that they wanted and shared them with the kids. (Really, do you know a lot of 6 year olds that like quiche? Or eggs with basil and tomato in them?)

TSIL and I got the Greek eggs - with basil, feta, and tomato. As soon as it arrived at the table, TFIL pronounced it was his dish and he took it before TSIL noticed. I'm not sure why he thought it was his, since he had ordered just plain ole scrambled eggs, but it caused endless confusion later on when TSIL complained they never brought her meal. Luckily I ordered mine with egg whites - which the inlaws won't touch with a ten foot pole. My bagel, however, was a different story. After finishing his eggs, english muffin, granola, and fruit bowl, TFIL also enjoyed my bagel.

TMIL and Thatboy both ordered the Huevos Ranchero. All the eggs here are "steam scrambled." I'm not really sure what that means, but it sure sounds healthy, doesn't it?


And with that, the inlaws were on their way back home - it took them a lot longer to get back up there, because TBIL insisted on taking the "shorter route" which Thatboy and I warned him usually had a couple hours more traffic than the "long way." As they left, Thatboy remarked that it made him a little sad that the only one who seemed genuinely upset to say goodbye was Thatneice, as usual.

To celebrate their departure, Thatmom took Thatboy and I out for dinner at her neighborhood Mexican joint, since TFIL refuses to eat Mexican. Thatboy still owes me a BBQ dinner.



I'm not used to getting an amuse bouche at a Mexican restaurant, but I must frequent the wrong places.

Almost as soon as we were sat, our waiter came by with these taquitos, a toastada, and some pickled carrots.

Fried bites are a good place to start - but we needed something a little more.....liquidy.

After my week, I thought a tequila sampler would be a good way to go. I had the Frieda Kahlo sampler - with a blanca, reposada, and anejo. The reposada was my least favorite. Usually I'm an anejo girl, for the smokier, more complex flavors - but this time I thought I prefered the blanca. It was so sweet! Even Thatmom enjoyed it and the only time she drinks tequila is if it's hidden in a weak margarita. After finishing the sampler though, I think my heart went back to the anejo, sweet and smokey.

Thatmom ordered the del la casa sangria, which the waiter assured us was the sweetest. He also promised he'd let them know to make it extra sweet. When it came out in a pitcher, we thought they had made a mistake. Our waiter informed us that they've recently switched up the sizes on the sangria - "but it's the same price as the old glass, so it's a really good deal." In these economic downfall times, it's unusual to see a restaurant giving you MORE for your money.

Thatboy, our designated driver, refrained himself from ordering anything but a margarita. He did, however, make sure it was a "grand" with shot of grand mariner.



It's not a dinner out at a Mexican restaurant without some guac and chips. I liked that this one came in the avocado shells and the chips were fun. I just like my guac with some tomatoes thrown in - I'm a tomato kind of girl.

Thatmom ordered the pork medallions off the "specials" menu with grilled eggplant and rice. After a couple bites she told me to remind her never to order pork again. It's not that the dish was bad, she's just not a pork fan. She enjoyed Thatboy's dish much more than her own.

Thatboy ordered the arroz con pollo. He quickly divided up Thatmom and my portions, and after checking to make sure we didn't want any more he came pretty close to licking his plate. He loved the rice, the chicken, the sauce.

I got the blackened chicken burrito. which Thatboy had been thinking about. After eating his part of the burrito, he decided he was glad he had chosen the arroz con pollo since the burrito wasn't as spicy as he would have liked. On the other hand, I didn't mind the lack of spice, since it was a yummy chicken burrito. And Thatmom, who doesn't like spicy, probably enjoyed it more than if it had been up to Thatboy's spice level.