Dudes in the Deep End: A Weekend in Palm Springs

Hopefully you've got yourself a group of friends, who despite the passing years and varied life paths still find a way to get together. The opportunities may be less frequent, the outings more (or less) age-appropriate. But you all make it happen, because, well... it has to be done.

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Corn, Tomato & Sweet Onion Salad with Basil Dressing

Corn salads rule. They're almost foolproof. Especially in the peak of summer when corn is at its most sweet and flavorful. Cook some corn, slice it off the cob, combine it with some other fresh seasonal vegetables and a nice vinaigrette, and you're good to go. This one, with cherry tomatoes and sweet onion, is a perfect picnic salad. Light, flavorful, herbaceous... an ode to the flavors of summer.

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Simple Cherry Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes! Everywhere! Heirlooms, jubilees, beefsteaks, romas, as far as the eye can see. With so many varieties of tomatoes available this time of the year, it's easy to forget about the humble cherry tomato. Truth-be-told, I'm not usually that big of a fan. Maybe it's because I only run across them in the occasional office party crudité platter... thick-skinned, flavorless. But after buying a couple small baskets for a corn salad, I had a bunch of tasty and tender balconi reds and yellow pear cherry tomatoes laying around.

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Gluten-free Vegan Pancakes

Full disclosure... I'm not vegan. And I don't eat exclusively gluten-free. But somewhere over the course of managing our kids' various and ever-changing dietary needs, I cobbled together this recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free, even soy-free pancakes. Honestly, they're probably my proudest food achievement to date. Not only do they earn me cheers from the family, I'd even go so far as to say that I prefer them to the "real" things.

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Stone Fruit Creamsicles

For the last few weekends, stone fruit has been spilling out of farmers market stands all around these parts. Last Saturday, we came home with a bounty of nectarines, plums, and pluots. Then I remembered a Sunset Magazine article I dogeared last summer with a recipe for nectarine creamsicles. Since I'm always looking for an excuse to break out the popsicle mold, I thought I'd give it a try.

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Grilled Ancho Chili-Spiced Skirt Steak

Sure, we've been taking it easy on the red meat as of late. But that doesn't mean the urge doesn't come calling. You know which one I'm talking about. Especially now that summer is in full swing and the smell of charcoal wafting through the evening breeze is a nightly happening. So when the opportunity arose to pick up a beautiful 1.5 pound skirt steak, I jumped on it. 

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Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

I must have been ten or eleven. My mom was trying out a recipe from her co-worker Maria, and made this huge jar full of what looked like some primordial green stew. Herbs and vegetable chunks floating in a semi-transparent, vaguely swamp-water-ish-looking broth. I tried a bite and that's all it took. I was hooked. Tart, spicy, faintly sweet... this was some next level flavor.

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A Fresh Start

About three years ago I started a food blog called Sunday Cooking. The idea was to document and share recipes for special-occasion-type meals that I'd make on Sundays, when there was ample time to go hunting for ingredients and spend the afternoon cooking. Grilled shrimp with romesco sauce. Slow-roasted pork shoulder. Jamaican jerk chicken. It didn't always go well (I'm looking at you habanero salsa), but it did get me fired-up and fairly confident about gettin' down in the kitchen.

Pretty soon afterwards my wife and I had our second daughter. Then the Mrs. went back to school full time. And all of a sudden spending Sunday in the kitchen or outside over the grill, camera in hand, was more of a nuisance than anything. So the blog got shelved. 

Over the last couple of years, I've been itching to resurrect Sunday Cooking. But new questions have surfaced - special occasion meals are great, but what about the rest of the week? What about the ingredients themselves - their quality, where they come from? And what about making food for the kids, both of whom have specific dietary restrictions? 

These questions then led to broader thoughts about health and well-being. And pretty soon it became clear that Sunday Cooking wasn't gonna cut it anymore. 

So here we are. Welcome to Love & Tacos! I can't predict exactly where this is headed, but I hope you'll join me on the ride.

Here's to good food, family and friends, and inspired living! Cheers!

Image by Sam Catch via Flickr

 

Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad

I love macaroni salad. Like "sneaking huge spoonfuls out of the fridge at midnight" love macaroni salad. It's my favorite part of any hawaiian plate lunch, and it's totally easy to make at home. Start with the base, add in whatever you like, and enjoy!

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Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Soup

Fresh ingredients prepared simply… that’s usually all it takes to make delicious food. This soup is exactly that. With just 3 main ingredients – red peppers, potatoes, and an onion – you’ve got the makings of a soup that is smokey, rich, creamy, and filled with flavor.

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Bánh Mì Style

One bite and I guarantee you will declare bánh mì - the Vietnamese sandwich and street food staple - a triumph of rich, sweet, spicy, tangy, herbaceous deliciousness. And what's not to love? Traditionally made with a light French baguette (a vestige of Vietnam's French-colonial history), pickled carrot and daikon, spicy chili sauce, mayo, cilantro, cucumbers, and a richly flavored proteinous filling, the bánh mì is a category of flavor combinations unto itself. The beauty of the bánh mì (which actually only means "bread" in Vietnamese, although the term has come to be associated with the sandwich) is in its ability to accomodate a range of fillings - from steamed, roasted, or grilled meats to tofu, even eggs. Included below is a recipe for chicken meatballs.

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Grilled Shrimp with Romesco

Sometimes I go into the weekend with my mind already made up about what to make. Other times I let the ingredients lead the way. Such was the case this last weekend when a trip to the Mar Vista Farmers Market brought me to these beautiful red peppers. For a while now, I've been wanting to try to make a romesco sauce - think pesto, but Spanish-style, with red peppers and almonds as the base - so here was my chance. Threw some shrimp on the grill, brushed on the romesco, served them with some fresh lemon and more romesco sauce for dipping... wow. Earthy and sweet, with layers of flavor and texture.

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Tacos Tacos Tacos

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