Taco Sunday

The Gilbertson's and the Kallos' came for dinner last night as well as for Peter to take some photos of the kids. Seemed that everyone had a great time and I know for sure the boys had very fully bellies (mine was not far behind) and I believe Jeremy may have severally hurt himself trying to keep up with the likes of the Kallos' brothers!

On the menu was Guacamole, Salpicon (shredded beef), Ranch Beans, Mexican Rice, & Blondie's with ice cream for dessert.

The Guacamole is a recipe I have had in my head for years.

3- Ripe Haas Avocados
1- Sm. Jalapeno, seeded & finely diced
1/4 Sweet Onion, finely diced
1- Sm. Tomato, seeded & finely diced
1/2 Tsp. Cumin
Juice of one Lime
Salt & Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl mashing the avocados until almost smooth but still chunky.

The Salpicon is a recipe I first made for Peter's 30th birthday party almost two years ago. It was a hit then and I made it once or twice shortly after but had not in a long while which is what inspired the entire meal.

The recipe is from a book, Fiesta Mexicali, By Kelley Cleary Coffeen and is described as "a cold marinated beef salad". Cold did not appeal to me so I adapted the recipe to be served warm in tortilla's, the only difference is I serve it immediately rather than waiting for it to cool.

5-6 Pound Beef Brisket
2- Large Onions, quartered
4- Whole Garlic Cloves
1- Cup Cilantro, chopped
1- 12 oz. can Whole Tomato's
1- Tbls. Chipotle in Adobo, finely diced
3/4 Cup- Italian Salad Dressing
Salt & Pepper

Place brisket slow cooker and just cover with water. Add onions, garlic, and 1/2 cup of the chopped cilantro, along with the tomato's, salt, & pepper. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8.

Remove meat and cool slightly. Shredded meet with a fork. Place shredded beef in a large bowl. Thoroughly combine the chipotle in adobo, salad dressing, reserved cilantro, and several of the cooked tomatoes. Pour over beef stirring to combine.

I served the beef on fresh tortilla's which I literally fought a woman for at Whole Foods in Alpharetta. Apparently these tortilla's are in high demand, which I can see as they are truly delicious!

Traci rounded out the meal with the Mexican Rice and Ranch beans, both recipes can be found on epicurious.com and were very good. I will try them both myself the next time we have a craving for Mexican food.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/109800
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/103144

Dessert was Blondie's from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook- The Original Classics which I served with vanilla bean ice cream. The recipe calls for Kosher Salt which I thought was very odd but it turned out to give the blondie a sweet yet slightly salty taste which I love. The recipe also calls for chopped pecans which I do not care for, so I substituted them with chopped toffee bars. They turned out great!

12 tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup semi- sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup Heath bar, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center of the oven. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture; beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and Heath bar.

Spread batter into pan. Bake until the surface is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out barely clean 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer to wire rake to cool. Cut into squares.