project 52:7 {life}

You knew I had to do food with a theme like red hot, didn't you?

We had tacos for dinner last night. Growing up, I did not like tacos. What was wrong with me? I didn't like hamburgers either. Go figure. I can remember the first time I ever had guacamole, and that wasn't until I was in high school. I'd gone to dinner with my friend Seamane and her parents to a Mexican restaurant, and her mom and dad enocuraged me to try the guacamole. Thank goodness for them, that's all I have to say.

We had guacamole last night, but there's not much red hot about guacamole. That's part of its charm. Smooth and mellow to counteract the spice.

And spice is what I want to talk about today. I'm reading and re-reading my new bible The Kitchen Counter Cooking School. I've gotten so evangelical about that book that I talked my dad into getting himself a copy yesterday. I'll have more to say about it in the coming week, I'm sure, but for right now I'm just cooking (and planning to pick up the hardcover edition too). In keeping with Kathleen Flinn's philosophy that runs roughly along the lines of why buy what you can make, I made, rather than ripped open a packet, of taco seasoning today.

It was easy enough to make me wonder why I don't do this everytime. From now on I will.

1 T chili powder

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t onion powder

crushed red pepper flakes (add more for more spice)

pinch of oregano

1/2 t dried paprika

1/4 t cinnamon

pinch of sea salt.

Mix seasoning together. Cook a pound of ground meat (we use chicken), and once cooked through add 2T seasonings and 1/2 cup of water. Cook until water is absorbed and meat is spiced. The longer it sits, the better it'll tast. Now you're ready for tacos!

I am never buying the packets again.

tweaked {life}

I could never be a food blogger. I think I'd love to be a food blogger, but I don't think I have it in me.

When I first started blogging, I posted my versions of recipies for our meals all the time. I was forever titling posts, "Not a Food Blog, I Promise." Or "Still Not a Food Blog."

I should have known back then just how hand-in-hand food and photography went for me.

But still. I can't ever consider myself a food blogger. I am a cookbook devourer and a recipe hound, but I am not a recipe generator. I envy those who can pull together a delicious meal from a quick peek into cabinet or fridge, but that's just not me. In cooking I guess, I'm a follower, not a leader. I need a foundation to build upon. Give me the bricks and mortar and I'll make a castle, but I need to know about those bricks first, please. I'm a tweaker.

When it comes to tweaking, I almost can't help myself.

That's why I love recipes like the one for this tart that I've been promising you. Basic foundation, with endless posibility. The inspiration is from Lynne Rossetto Caspar's cookbook The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper (and if you like deviled eggs, this cookbook has just about the best recipe, ever.). She takes a puff pastry, thawed, and creates a tart bottom by folding up the sides and places it on an ungreased cookie sheet. I mixed some greens with her dressing, which was garlic, zest of a lemon, salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Spread the greens on the puff pastry along with my chosen veggies: red onion, green seedless grapes and roasted beets. Bake for about 15 minutes at 500 degrees (F).

While it's baking, mix some shredded cheese (about 1 cup -  she calls for Asiago, which I didn't have, so I used Monterey Jack) with about 1/4 cup cream. Spread the cheese over the tart and bake until melted, about 6 or so more minutes. You'll have to let it sit a bit out of the oven to let the cheese firm up, but hello.

Puff pastry is the kind of thing I tend to dread working with, but I forget that it can be like crepes, a foundation for all sorts of wonderfulness. LRC had three suggestions for various tarts depending on the season, and I managed to pull from all of them, and a little from my own pantry too. Tweaking, to my mind, is not such a bad thing! For more shots from Tweaked, head over to the Still + Life facebook page!