This was a pretty tasty variation on tacos, spurred on by the fact that I had a lot of sweet potatoes to use. This is typically how I pick which recipe to make out of this book - use the index in the back based on what I have that is about to go bad!

Spicy Sweet Potato and Pork Tacos
*adapted from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook

Makes: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes

2-3 Tbs olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
8 oz of boneless pork chops, pork loin or pork shoulder, sliced thinly
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I didn't have any, but definitely use it!)
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbs chili powder
12 corn tortillas
1 avocado, skin and pit removed, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 cup sliced radishes

1. Put 1-2 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the jalapeno and pork. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, turning as needed, until the pork is cooked through.

2. Remove the pork and jalapeno from the skillet. Add the remaining 1 Tbs olive oil, along with the sweet potatoes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring very frequently, until the potato is soft and cooked through - 5 minutes or less. (If the potato is in bigger pieces, you may want to add 1-2 Tbs water initially to help it steam and cook through).

3. Turn off the heat and add the cilantro, lime juice, chili powder and pork. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Warm your tortillas in a dry skillet or wrap in a damp kitchen towel and zap in the microwave for 1 minute. Put 3 tortillas on each plate, distribute pork and potato mixture evenly, garnish and serve.

Notes / Tips:
- This was originally a recipe for Fish Tacos with Wilted Cabbage. Many of the recipes in this book have a variation for a different protein source, or main veggie, or sauce - very flexible! You can use whatever combo you want - just make sure the protein is in bite-size pieces and the veggie is grated, shredded or finely chopped.
- Our side dish was my go-to citrus salad that I serve with Mexican food: grapefruit and orange slices over sliced romaine hearts and a drizzle of store-bought poppyseed dressing (Brianna's is good). Did you notice I was too lazy for the romaine this time?

what happens when your 2-year-old doesn't nap.




** I promise, no toddlers were harmed in the making of this video. I promptly picked her up - no crying involved - and she was back to the spinning! **

Ells needs to get her haircut again, but it's just something else on the list that hasn't happened yet. I put it up in piggy tails today to keep it from hanging in her face. I forgot how much I loved her little pigtails - I could just eat her up!


She is pretty excited about it, too ....

We mix holidays around here ...

The sun is shining.
The temperature is warming.
Erik is home from Vegas.
Hooray!

Erik usually brings Ellen a surprise from his work trips. Last year, it was the Wonderpets. This time, he pulled Boots out of the bag and Ells said, "Hey! Is Dorla in there?" (We are fully into the phase of toddler-hood that is defined by Dora the Explorer). She shrieked with joy!

Then, she proceeded to change Dorla's poopy diaper.

Ells always lines her dolls up like this - face down on the couch in a row. It is kind of skeevy, like a firing squad or something, but I won't dwell on that this beautiful Friday!

Happy Weekend-ing!

I will not call these a huge win, but maybe you would like them? Ellen does.

I will just link to the recipe here: Spiced Coconut Pancakes with Tropical Fruit. It is from Bon Appetit, but there is a similar recipe in The Food Matters Cookbook.


They are coconut-y, which I like, but I thought they were just so-so. In fairness, though, I didn't make the fruit topping. You do really have to spread them out to get them to cook evenly. Ellen liked them just fine, so I put all the leftovers in the freezer for future breakfasts. She likes anything that looks like a pancake and can be called a pancake ...

Erik got a bird feeder for Christmas, which has been nice entertainment for Ellen. She just stands at the back door and watches the activity only a few feet away.

Didn't take long for these fellas to figure it out. We have a LARGE squirrel population in our yard, and I'm sure this isn't helping. It's like Cirque du Squirrel on our deck these days.

Now, if I could just train them to use a shovel, we would really be getting somewhere ...

From our dinner last night, oh how mealtime changes with toddlers.

Erik titles this "The Four T's": Taco, Tantrum, Toot, Taco

Now THIS is a snow day!

We got about 10-12 inches, I think, though it is kind of hard to tell because it blew all over the place. My drive home from work yesterday was one of the worst I remember - almost zero visibility - and my mom may or may not have been seen running in the street at Nall and I-435.

In concordance with the Great Blizzard of 2011, I am undertaking the Great Purge of 2011 and getting rid of stuff from all corners of our house. I will be tackling our filing cabinets today, but Ellen is occupying the file boxes in the meantime.

And Ells spent some time watching Erik shovel this morning - good job, Daddy!