Everyone loves tacos and tacos don’t have to be fancy! So this post shows you how to fry a corn tortilla!

Tortillas for Tasty Soft Tacos

How to Fry Corn Tortillas for Tasty Soft Tacos goes hand in hand with adding your favorite toppings.

Serve these tortillas on my Taco Tuesday Epic Fish Taco Board, Easy Pork Carnitas Taco Board, or this MOST POPULAR Easy Taco Recipe Dinner Board!

If you have chicken lovers, try this Taco Tuesday Chicken Taco Bowl Board where guests make their own chicken taco bowls! Perfect! (more…)

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I recently saw this somewhere, and it stuck in my mind: Your kitchen is your canvas … make something of it.

Sometimes I get into a funk with my kitchen, because we’re a busy household and it can get cluttery – fast! I hate cooking in clutter, and since the kitchen is the most popular room in our house, it’s very lived in.

Your kitchen is a canvas.

Today I’m sharing a few tips that have helped me regain my love for the kitchen and desire to cook more meals, and create a sanctuary for me and my family. I do love the thought of my kitchen being a beautiful, big canvas, with so much opportunity and ways to spread love to others with food!

So why not make it pretty? We were recently up in Seattle and I bought a couple things at World Market and {one} splurge at Anthropologie (those pretty salad servers). (more…)

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I have never understood that saying, “Time flies by as you get older,” but now I do. In fact, it was at this dinner party where my girlfriends gathered in my home, where all eight of us were moms of 8 high school seniors, all our babies—which means we’re all headed toward empty-nesting. We often talk about how quickly time is running by, how did this happen, how did we get here? Less time seems to be a huge reality right now, although we’ve all been given the exact amount of time in the day, and that never changes.

Enjoy each moment.

As time looks and feels different than it did years ago, I want to think that we’re handling it more “maturely” now, or that we’ve simplified, slowed down, and learned to enjoy each moment of the day.

That is a daily goal of mine, not that there aren’t spurts of busyness.

Find good hiking friends.

To fight the winter doldrums, my husband and I have been trying to enjoy more of nature together each week, whether soaking up some sunshine, working in the yard, going on a walk or a hike. Getting into the great outdoors feels just right—a place where we both long to be.

Oregon is filled with beauty, and this past week we hiked with our hiking buddies to the top, above the Jacksonville Reservoir. Neither my husband or I have been there. We love being with our friends … we feel so blessed to share special moments with friends in our lives. (more…)

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It’s been a very busy season for me this past month; a little busier than I’d normally like it to be. At the same time, it’s been filled with meals, gatherings, toasts, laugher, outdoor concerts, fly-fishing, meeting new friends, reconnecting with old. It’s been a long month full of beautiful celebrations.

I think about the specialness of birthdays, the uniqueness of gifts from others, and then all the thank you notes that have to be written. Not really have to be written, but ones I want to write. I hope the art of writing real thank you notes never goes away.

My sweet niece, Lisa, who blogs at Run, Ride, Eat, gave me one of my favorite gifts this year. It’s hard to say “favorite gift,” but it’s true. This one was the icing on the cake. An embosser with “RE.”

She said she saw it, and thought it was perfect me me.

I agree, I am going to have fun with this new little gadget!

I already stamped up a stack of cocktail napkins, but I thought I’d ask my readers for your ideas. I can think of stickers, note cards, place cards, tags for homemade gifts …

I’d love to hear your creative ideas for this new beautiful RE embosser?

For those asking how to purchase one for yourself, the website is called Pick Your Plum, and the tagline is “get it before your neighbors.” You’ll have to check it out yourself, but this is where this special little gadget was purchased.

Fun concept!

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We were recently in Portland with our friends seeing Garrison Keillor, which was fantastic. He is such a legend. It was dreamy how he weaved his way through the audience singing folksy American favorites, love songs, and a few hymns. Earlier that day, after going to the Farmer’s Market in downtown Portland, and indulging in a mixed variety of berries, I thought about the shelf life and how to store berries on the counter to make them last longer, and a new quick way that we came up with in our home.

As soon as we pick our berries from the vine, we can’t eat them fast enough. So my very smart husband came up with a really snappy idea for making the fruit last.

Best way to store berries on the counter:

-Take containers from fruit bought in the store and rinse them out.

-Pick homegrown berries; rinse and store in the plastic containers.

-It makes the fruit last much longer, with the ventilation.

One of our favorite late summer snacks is to take a bowl of raspberries, and add a tiny bit of half-and-half or cream to the bowl.

You think you’ve died and gone to heaven.

It’s better than ice cream!

How do you make berries last longer on the counter?

Better yet, are you a Keillor fan?

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I’m pretty sure that lettuce season in our backyard is the happiest for me, because we harvest it from late April to late June. Two months of heavenly salads. There’s nothing like fresh lettuce. Period.

Part of the joy is giving the lettuce away … usually in a bag or a box.

I’ve had a few friends ask me what the best way to wash and dry the lettuce is, when I cut off a head from the garden and share with them. And I always say, Salad Spinner!

I’ve had a few over the years, but the one I’m using now is XOX brand and under $20. Best investment ever!

The process for me goes like this:

Pull off the leaves from the outside and use the lettuce as you need it.

OR

Cut the entire head for harvesting.

How to spin fresh garden lettuce:

1. Wash the entire head of lettuce, pulling off the leaves.

2. Place about 8-12 leaves in the spinner, depending on their size.

3. Spin the lettuce.

4. Place in Ziploc bags, squeezing out all of the air, and seal.

5. Store in fridge up to 1 week!

It’s amazing how fresh the lettuce stays when you take care of it right away. The sooner it’s cut from the ground and spun, the fresher and longer it will keep.

Another option is to spin and then place on a towel and totally dry the lettuce.

I also use the basket of the spinner for a colander, all the time! Comes in handy!

A bag of store-bought lettuce costs twice as much as a fresh head, so it’s cost-worthy to grow your own if you can!

Our favorite salads have been made with shrimp, beets, fresh dill and goat cheese. It’s a fantastic combo for a light summer salad!

Do you ever spin your own lettuce?

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We’re a Mexican-food family for sure. Anything with beans, rice, spice, tortillas … we love. And I’ve also found that for large group entertaining, hosting a Mexican themed party is always easy, especially if you are delegating dishes. It offers a wide variety of choices for your guests to bring, from entrees to chips and guacamole, to single condiment options such as olives, sour cream, onions, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, peppers, cilantro. The list goes on and on if you’re hosting a taco bar!

I love hosting Mexican dinners because you can spread the food in a buffet-style – right on your kitchen counter!

But heating tortillas? It can be tricky, especially when you’re feeding a crowd.

How do you keep them soft and healthy, or do you like them fried and crisp? How do you serve them hot?

So many questions.

And so many options!

I’m always asked about the quickest way to heat a tortilla, since frying them is not always the healthiest approach to take, even though we love the flavor.

Our go-to preparation: Steam!

But when we want a real treat (the way I grew up eating them), we fry them. Delicious!

Here are more options to try …

How to Prepare Tortillas:

Steam (Cloth) Method: Moisten a cloth towel or paper towel, wrap the tortillas (12 at a time) in the cloth (or paper towel) and microwave for 1 minute. This method gives you very soft and moist tortillas.

Steam (Plate) Method: Place the tortillas on a plate. Flip another plate upside down on top of it. Microwave as you would normally. The tortillas steam with the moisture that’s already inside them and the plates contain that steam. Works every time!

Stove Top Method: Place tortillas directly on the stove burner for a few seconds until warm, then flip. This method works great if you’re heating up a few tortillas.

Frying Method: I wrote about how to cook (fry) soft tortillas, here. It’s one of my favorite childhood memories!

Cast Iron Skillet Method: In a dry, medium-high pan, place the tortillas. They will puff up, soften, and toast as you cook on both sides.

Flat Griddle Method: Follow the same method as you would for a cast iron skillet.

Oven Method: Wrap 6-8 tortillas in tin foil and place in pre-heated 350° oven for 15-20 minutes. If you need to heat multiple stacks, this method works great.

Gas Charring Method: Place the tortilla over the gas flames for a few seconds on each side. Flip by using tongs.

Happy Cinco de Mayo this weekend, Friends!

What’s your go-to method for heating tortillas for a larger group while entertaining?

The post 8 ways to Prepare Tortillas for Mexican Dishes appeared first on Reluctant Entertainer.

I love bread and my family loves bread, so we are a bread-lovin’ family!

When it comes to a dinner party, the kind of bread I love to serve is crusty and hearty, and warm and crunchy when you take that first bite.

My heart is racing right now just thinking about it. Especially if there is real butter nearby. :)

I have a standard bread that I love to serve at most every dinner party if I’m in charge of the bread.

Everyone always asks … what kind of bread is this? Because it’s really that good.

Other fresh breads are just as delicious to buy at the market, too, but the process of freezing it first is PERFECT for last-minute company! Because you’ll always be prepared with it stored in the freezer, and pulled out last-minute for baking.

The bread I serve is a whole grain loaf from La Brea Bakery, which I buy at Costco, but I’ve also seen in local grocery stores, too.

Love this quote right on the package:

Upon your first bite, the crackle of the crust gives way to a caramelized layer of crunch that surrounds the loaf; a slight sweetness and developed tang, in one wonderful taste. – Nancy Silverton, Founder and Chief

Here’s my secret on how to bake and get that fresh taste–and crunchiness on the outside–that I learned from my friend, Jami. And remember you can follow this method with almost any kind of bread, as long as it’s frozen first.

How to bake and prepare La Brea Bakery’s Whole Grain Loaf

1. Buy the bread fresh and immediately freeze (in the same packaging it comes in).

2. Heat oven to 375.

3. Take the bread out of the freezer right before baking, and place in the oven for 23 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven; let sit for 3-5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Connecting through a home-cooked meal has always been one of my favorite ways of catching up with friends and getting to know someone new! And it always tastes better with bread and wine.

So try the bread; with butter, of course.

I just know that your guests will ask you about it …

Every single time.

Do you have any bread secrets to share, what’s easy and what kind you love to serve at a dinner party?

If you’re looking for a new spin on butter to serve with the bread, try my Meyer Lemon Honey Butter.

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There’s nothing worse than working in the kitchen with a bad knife.

It sucks the joy out of cooking. Every. Single. Time.

I’ve cut myself too many times, partly because I wasn’t using a good “tool.” So today I’m sharing with you my new favorite knife that my husband surprised me with this past Christmas … Ceramic Kyocera Knife.

Here’s what I love about my new Kyocera Ceramic Knife:

-It’s light. Half the weight of a normal steel knife.

-It fits my hand. The ergonomic handle gives me the controlled grip that I need. Makes me feel in control.

-It’s sharp and reliable.

-It’s ceramic and cuts perfectly through veggies, fruits, and even meats.

-All you have to do is wash or wipe the knife with a clean towel.

-You can use it on a wooden or plastic cutting board.

What I didn’t know, until I used the knife for several months, was that the blade is made out of a ceramic material that is razor sharp, and retains its original sharpness more than 10 times longer than steel knives.

It also doesn’t transfer metal ions to food, and it doesn’t corrode from acids or oils in fruits and vegetables, because it doesn’t rust. (I’m getting ready to cut these beautiful Brussels Sprouts. Did you read my post on how to make your own Superfood Salad Mix recipe?)

I’m raising my hand HIGH. I’ve never liked my kitchen knives, and I’ve tried a lot of different brands.

And I think I read you can send the knives to the manufacturer for sharpening. That, I will have to look in to.

But for now, I’m dying to know if any other home cooks out there LOVE this brand or have tried it?

Or, what’s your favorite knife?

This post was not sponsored. I’m just writing about a product that I highly recommend.

The post Using a Ceramic Kyocera Knife in the Kitchen appeared first on Reluctant Entertainer.

I’m beginning to love kale, Napa cabbage, and Brussels sprouts more and more!

My daughter and I shop Costco together. We try to stick to the outside aisles and buy only the necessary things. :) Sometimes we get distracted, but mostly we’re in and out of the store quickly.

We tried a brand new salad mix that we really liked, but when we went back, they were out of stock. So, my lovely Abigail said, “Mom, why don’t we make our own superfood salad mix?”

Brilliant girl. And more cost effective. AND … she did the chopping and got us organized for the week to enjoy healthy salads! :)

What greens did we use?

-Kale
-Brussels sprouts
-Napa cabbage

What is the mixture to a superfood salad?

Our version is:
-Kale
-Napa cabbage
-Brussels sprouts
-Grated carrots
-Red onion
-Bluberries
-Seeds or nuts
-Edamame soybeans, shelled
-Grape tomatoes
-Blueberries

The secret to healthy salads is to be prepared. Buy the right ingredients, chop up ahead of time what you can (what will stay fresh, i.e. onions, peppers, etc.) Things like tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados … you don’t want to pre-chop those.

How to make your own superfood salad mix:

1. Chop up kale, Napa cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.

2. Mix together in a large bowl.

3. Place the greens in Ziploc bags. Squeeze the air out and seal.

4. For large quantities, mark the bags with a date. The mix lasts up to a week in your fridge!

Having the bag of greens ready to go makes salad making EASY!

In our household, were all trying to reach for salads FIRST, for lunch or dinner.

Do you buy salad mix in bags or do you make our own?

More healthy salad recipes from some of my favorite blogs:

Iowa Girls Eats: Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Betsy Life: Kale Superfood Salad
Three Many Cooks: Quinoa-Kale Salad with Kefir-Cumin Dressing
Ingredients, INC: High Antioxidant Superfoods Salad
Haute Apple Pie: Superfood Salad with Clementine Vinaigrette
Oh She Glows: Weekend Glow Kale Salad
Skinny Taste: Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado

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