COOKING UP A STORM

I wrote last time about the Mexican market I visited and how Emily and I planned to make a family feast with all the great food I found, and Sunday, that's how we spent our day. Had I known years ago that my first born daughter and I would be cooking along side each other in the kitchen, loving every minute of it...well, I'd have been ecstatic. We really had a good time and Emily has really become quite the chef. She. Is. Good.

I was in charge of the flank stank which I pounded out to tenderize and then marinated in lime juice, olive oil, cumin and garlic. I then layered chorizo sausage, poblano pepers, cilantro and chihuahua cheese over the meat and then rolled it up jelly roll fashion. Tied with kitchen twine, I baked it for an hour and when it was cool, sliced it into little pinwheels. There is a definite lack of pictures here because our hands were always busy and full of messy gook.

Emily cooked the beef riblets in a sauce that she found on the Food Network, a sweet and spicy concoction that had me whimpering when I tasted it. I am going to have to do my own searching online for the recipe as she's not sharing. Little devil. I think the sauce would go well with pork and chicken. After cooking it in the crockpot, she removed the bones and although the meat wouldn't shred, she was able to pull it apart into small chunks and we had it on soft corn tortillas with the sauce, sour cream and cheese.

In addition to this, I steamed tamales and Em made quesadillas. For appetizers, we had nachos, chips and guacamole. Somewhere in the middle of all this, Emily made Irish Soda Bread, in keeping with our own heritage.
In setting the table, I had some bright dishes, but all of my napkins were pretty bland. I think a shopping trip is in store. Emily found some fabric she had from school and fashioned some napkins in red, white and black. Aren't they cute?
The whole gang was here and despite the pretty table, we all ate standing up, walking around and trying all the dishes, laughing and just having a great time. It was truly a fiesta!
Don't you just love the cover of this book? The recipes are pretty wonderful, too. I won it in a giveaway by Sharon Lovejoy who has a great blog called Sharon Lovejoy Writes From Sunflower House And A Little Green Island
Sharon also sent me these cute little note cards she illustrated and some lettuce seeds. If you go to her blog you will see what a wonderful artist and writer she is and stick around for a tour of her magical garden. This is good reading. Thank you so much, Sharon!
I'm off to the grocery store with my list for Easter. I love shopping for holidays, knowing that I'll spend the day in the kitchen and then we will all gather around the table to celebrate and enjoy each other's company. These are the best of times and I am so grateful.

In spite of the rain and wind and gloom, I've had a good week. I do hope it warms up though. I like the sun out on Easter...in fact, I can't remember one that wasn't sunny as far back as I can think. I'll be coloring my eggs on Saturday. No wee ones to help me, but I love it just the same. My best eggs were made one year when I left the eggs in the dye and went to take a shower. When I came out, they were so brilliant, it hurt your eyes! My sister thought they were fake!

Enjoy the rest of your week and I will be back again before Sunday! :-)