Taco Bar!

Today my sweet husband asked for soft tacos for dinner.  I decided to go a little crazy and give my family LOTS of things to add to their soft tacos!

Here is the list of what was on the table:

1. Seasoned ground beef (of course!)
2.  Fried chicken strips cut into chunks (no I did not fry them, got them from Harris Teeter pre-made and on sale!!)
3.  Fresh baby spinach leaves
4. Fresh salsa (courtesy of Harris Teeter again!)
5. chopped jalapenos (with the seeds left in!)
6.  Chimichurri sauce (which I made from scratch)
7. chopped tomatoes
8. chopped green onions
9.  bean sprouts
10.  alfalfa sprouts
11. Daisy sour cream (love the dollop! :) )
12.  Mexican blend of four cheeses, shredded
13.  chopped cucumber
14. re-fried beans
15. flour tortillas
16. Goya Spanish rice
17. Newman's Own Salsa con Queso
18. Broccoli slaw with fresh lime juice squeezed on it

Whew!! That was a lot to get ready! Of course, I cheated a little bit by using a few pre-made things from Harris Teeter.

The chimichurri sauce I made tonight was the best one I have made yet.  I did not follow any specific recipe, I just threw a bunch of ingredients in the blender and then blended and tasted until it was good.  I used a lot of it on my tacos.  It was delicious.  I love a "make it anyway you want" kind of plate! It was nice to have the whole family at the table.  My husband and children are such blessings!!

Potatoes, Parrots and other GREEN things

Tonight's dinner was cube steak, baked potatoes and corn.  I wanted REAL steak but feeding a family of five + one requires some frugalness!  I needed steak as I have been dying to make a chimichurri sauce ever since I had it at a restaurant. And I must say, it turned out beautifully!

This is what I did:

(1) large bunch of cilantro, stems chopped off
(1) large bunch of Italian parsley, stems chopped off
(3) cloves of garlic, chopped and smashed
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
water

I do not own a food processor.  If I did, I definitely would have used it!  I put the most of it in my Kitchen Aid blender.  I added the garlic and then (1) tablespoon of the oil, vinegar and water.  I pulsed it for a minute then continued to add the liquid ingredients a tablespoon at a time until I got a smooth-like consistency.

I then transferred the ingredients to a bowl and let sit and "marry" while my son (God bless him) went outside in the 29 degree cold weather on the back porch to grill my steaks! He put the fire pit on to keep his backside warm while the front side of him was kept warm by the grill! It was not too bad for him out there!

I guess by now you are wondering where the potatoes and parrots come in, right?  We had one baked potato left over after dinner.  Our parrot LOVES potatoes!  I cut open the potato and put it in his cage where he happily proceeded to eat it.  He is such a goof ball.

Dinner was successful overall.  There was no steak or chimichurri left over. And the last potato went to the parrot!  This is a picture of me and Louie! My lovable, crazy Yellow Naped Amazon Parrot!