Tacos are always a family favorite. You can pretty much make them from start to finish in 20 minutes. It is great for finicky eaters because you can keep everything on the side and let everyone choose their own combo. Tacos can also be a great way to empty the fridge and the pantry.

Our tacos usually start with 85% ground beef, some kind of beans, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Traditionally, we used Gebhardt Chili Powder, but lately we have been experimenting with some more heat (ancho and guajillo chili powders). These get added to taste to the ground beef while browning it along with salt and black pepper. When the beef is brown, remove some of the fat (we usually just use paper towels, but you can pour it off). Add onion and garlic to the browned meat and saute until the onions are soft and garlic is fragrant. Adjust the seasoning as needed. We sometimes add chili beans or tomatoes to the meat. Other times will serve beans on the side.

Some traditional Mexican toppings are radishes, cilantro (love it or hate it), onion, and salsa (pico de gallo). We also add avocado, scallions, and the ever present Tabasco. If you have a gas stove, you can just heat the tortillas directly over the flame until soft and lightly colored on both sides. Otherwise, warm them in the microwave or oven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great meal to get on the table quickly or for a fun and hands on party where your guests can help! Get creative and make it yours!

Sneezing hurt my abs today. I guess it is just part of getting back after my fitness goals for 2011. Started slow with the fitness regime on January 1st with a very slow and VERY cold walk. In my defense, it was 1 degree! Started out the door with every intention of getting a good walk/run start to the year but when my face stung after 200 yards, I decided to ease in to the year.

We have always had fitness goals as a family and this year is no exception. We started this morning with our early morning CrossFit class (at CrossFit Julia) and started prepping for their Vision Quest Fitness Challenge starting this week. If you aren’t familiar with CrossFit, the workouts combine Olympic weight lifting with plyometrics and cardio. The workouts are short(ish) but intense. You generally start with a warm up and stretching and skills building before transitioning into the WOD (work out of the day). The workouts range from 10 min-45 min but you never stop moving. What is great about CrossFit is that you workout with people of all different levels. When starting out, it is more about beating your own benchmarks than competing with others. Anyway, I am really sore…in a good way.

In 2010, the whole family took on our first half marathon together. We all did Big Sur Half Marathon in November to finish up the year. It was a great accomplishment for everyone to be healthy and finish! We are looking for another race for this year. My dad is a dedicated runner and inspired the rest of us to get moving. If you are looking for some new inspiration for the new year, take one step at a time and make it fun! Getting fit and staying on track is always easier when it is fun. Find a buddy and mix it up. Set goals and write everything down. That is my formula for success, now just go for it! We would love to hear your goals and accomplishments as well!

Growing up we spent most holidays at my grandparents house in Southern California. It always meant lots of people gathered around and on New Year’s, it always meant football. My Grandma Del always made soup as an easy way to feed the crowd after having festivities for several weeks.

This year, my dad decided he wanted to attempt the soup. Even though he is not the cook in our family, he followed the recipe to the letter. I think it came out just like hers. I never would have gotten it that way because I would have fiddled with it along the way. This is an old fashioned home-style Midwestern soup. It is delicious in its own right, but it we thought it needed some more oomph for today’s tastes. The ever-present bottle of Tabasco and Parmesan didn’t hurt and neither did the homemade french bread (courtesy of Peter Reinhart).

Grandma Del’s New Years Day Vegetable Soup

Shop on the 30th of December.  On New Years Eve Day morning put ½ gallon of water in big soup pot.  Cut in small pieces 2 ½ lbs of any good beef.  Round, chuck or Rump.   Add to water.  Include any bones.  Cut off green leaves of 2 stalks celery.  2 onions cut in ½ and pepper, garlic, basil,  rosemary.  Simmer all day, adding water.  Drain stock into big bowl.  Discard all except meat.

New years day while watching parade.  Return stock and beef to clean soup pot.  Cut small the two stalks celery, 2 more onions, 4 potatoes, 1 bunch carrots, salt and pepper to taste.

when first football game comes on add 1 lg can tomato sauce, salt pepper and basil.

2nd game add water – Stir.

3rd game add ¼ c rice.

At half time Rose Bowl Game add large package frozen mixed vegies.  Do not boil.  Serve w/ French bread butter cheese and leftover fruitcake and cookies.

Courtesy fairfieldafterdark.com

We would like to kick off 2011 by welcoming you to Zest! We hope you enjoy our upcoming posts on food, fashion, fitness and anything we find fresh. We hope to share with you some useful tidbits and tips that we love and use in our everyday lives.

Share with us your favorite things as well! Cheers to a very Happy New Year from Zest!!