taqueria taco truck

grilled jalepeño, 1 shredded pork & 1 pollo taco

taqueria taco truck. on a mission to find a good taco truck on a beautiful sunday lead us to a non-descript trailer, pulled by a truck, parked under a car wash roof with lots of seating; 6 stools and a table with 6 chairs. bingo. no name posted. no menu. the mamacita inside slid the window open and recited the day’s menu. coming up; 1 each of chicken, shredded pork and steak traditional (to mexico) tacos. small white corn tortilla with meat, white onion, cilantro and optional cheese, served up on a real plate! bottles of homemade avocado sauce and hot sauce stood by to douse it all. offered and accepted: a grilled jalepeño pepper: charred, kinda sweet and not too hot, a perfect accompaniment. mamacita watched intently and as the last bite was taken ~ the window quickly slid open as she yelled “one more taco?”. i love an upsell. these tacos are DELICIOSO. period. mamacita has tamales, burritos and soups too. VAMOS.

mamacita

taqueria taco truck

4500 baseline road at doyle road (look for the car wash)

open 9a to 9p every day except wednesday

taqueria taco truck at baseline & doyle roads

snow day carrot soup, bitches!

quick & easy carrot soup!

carrot soup. snow day carrot soup in the house, bitches! too simple. too delicious. made with 6 ingredients. make it! here’s how:

1 onion, diced
celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
carrots, about 6-10 depending on size, cut into rounds
2 veg boullion cubes or veg stock or chicken stock (i used veg stock cubes)
1 bay leaf
olive oil or butter or a mix of both

add butter/olive oil to large pot. add diced onions and celery. sprinkle salt over veg and sauté for 6-8 minutes on medium heat. add carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. add 4-6 cups water (start with 4, yo) and add veg boullion cubes. OR add a quart box of veg/chicken stock. add bay leaf. bring to boil. partially cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. remove bay leaf. blend with immersion blender. soup!

DIP!

caramelized onion green onion & chive dip!

caramelized onion, green onion & chive dip. OMG! i was smart enough to save some caramelized onions back the last time i made french onion soup. the caramelized onions makes this dip divine! when you use leftover caramelized onions, this dip comes together in a snap. YUM! here’s how:

1 cup caramelized onions
chives, about ¼ C
3-4 green onions
½ C mayo
1½ C sour cream
beau monde seasoning to taste
white pepper to taste   
cayenne pepper to taste

in a large bowl mix all above ingredients. taste and refrigerate. makes enough for a party. cut chives with kitchen shears, it’s easier. mince the caramelized onions. dice the green onions. try it. you’ll like it. and, you’ll be able to say you’ve eaten real onion dip and not that shit from the dairy section. yeah, i said it.

if you have never caramelized onions...below is a technique adapted from america’s test kitchen. takes about 3.5 hours. the last 45 minutes is the stirring. the first 2.75 hours the oven does the work. i doubled the recipe below and made french onion soup & dip. here’s how:

4 lbs yellow onions, peeled, halved pole to pole and slice lengthwise
3 tablespoons butter, cut into 3 pieces
salt

adjust oven rack to lowest middle position and preheat oven to 400℉. use a large dutch oven, (minimum size: 7 quarts). add butter to dutch oven and then add sliced onions with 1 teaspoon of salt sprinkled over. cover and cook for 1 hour. remove pot and stir. place lid back on dutch oven slightly ajar and cook for another hour and 45 minutes. stirring and scraping bottom of pot after 1 hour.

remove lid and place on top of stove. cook onions stirring frequently over medium-high heat until liquid evaporates and onions begin to brown. 15-20 minutes. reduce heat if onions brown too quickly. continue to cook until a brown crust forms on bottom of pot. 6-8 minutes. stir in ¼ C water scraping bottom of pot and repeat 3 more times until onions are very dark brown. stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently until the sherry evaporates about 5 minutes. done.

pay it forward?

beer batter cod & curly fries $5.99

beef o’brady’s. this post isn’t about the anemic beer battered cod sticks or the sad curly fries. it’s about hearing the waiter say: your bill was taken care of by table 82. ok, i didn’t notice a familiar face in the sports bar. i didn’t look at the people at table 82. i don’t even know where table 82 is. i’d like to think i got a mysterious free lunch because i radiate sexiness. but, after sending two texts out the answer i got was: pay it forward. we’ll see.