Yummy Thursday - Redfield Fiesta

So not only is Installment Two of Yummy Thursday pretty lame… it’s a day late.  Sorry about that.  This week has been kind of insano. 

This week’s recipe (or mere “tip,” rather) was inspired by the fact that I had half a bunch of cilantro left over from last week’s chimichangas.  I was racking my brain to figure out a meal that would use up the cilantro without having to go to the store for extra ingredients, but would still be exciting enough for only the second week of Yummy Thursday.  Well, I accomplished the “no additional groceries” part by choosing a relatively boring, unblogworthy meal: tacos.  But I make them a little special, so let’s call them Redfield Tacos.  No, Redfield Fiesta! That’s better.

My husband loves tacos almost as much as he loves me and Libby.  Tacos are a remnant of his childhood, along with spaghetti, pizza, and hamburgers.  No matter how perfect of a steak I marinate and prepare for him, no matter how many hours I slave over something “from scratch,” no matter how much he appreciates my homemade, “extra-mile” efforts… he will always be a Taco Man at heart.

The one thing I have always hated most about tacos is all the putsy little leftover containers in my fridge.  Like I said last week, we’re a leftover kind of family.  But nothing drove me battier than fifteen little individual cups of tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives, etc, and having to shove each and every one aside to get to the coffee creamer in the morning.

One week about a year ago, driven by sheer frustration which turned out to be a stroke of culinary genius, I got out a huge salad bowl and dumped ALL the toppings together (minus Tim’s black olives – blech!).  That night the toppings were pretty basic, but I did have a lime in the fruit drawer, so I juiced half of it over the “salad” and let it sit about a half hour before we ate.  When Tim came into the kitchen to make his tacos, his world was turned upside down at the “Taco Dump” I had created.  I reassured him, “It’s okay.  I promise it’s all the same toppings as normal.  Start with your meat and cheese over here like you always do.  Then, instead of ten dirty dishes, lids, and spoons, I just have all the veggies in one salad, so just take a scoop and put it on top of your taco.”

And our lives have never been the same.

I think it was the lime juice that really did it.  “Taco Dump” would probably never have earned the title of “Redfield Fiesta” were it not for the fresh lime juice.

 So that’s my “recipe” for this week.  It has really made my life happier and my fridge neater since I started doing tacos this way.  Of course, we are a home free of picky eaters, so I can’t imagine the chaos that would ensue if any of you with picky littles tried to revolutionize taco night in this manner.  But for those of you familes who “generally” agree on most taco toppings… it is pretty nice to do it this way.

Funny story… that cilantro that forced my hand… it was spoiled.  Our tacos were sadly cilantro-free.  But still delicious, and so I’m glad the cilantro talked me into making Redfield Fiesta once again.

 

See you next week :) Which will be a variation from tex-mex, I promise!

 

This week's salad contained romaine, tomatoes, green onions, red and green peppers, carrot, avocado, and sweet corn.  And, of course!!!, the fresh lime juice we can't live without.

 

A little "plug" for the Pampered Chef Julienne Peeler.  LOVE it.

 

Finished toppings.  When it's time to make a taco, just meat-and-cheese your shell, then add a scoop of Fiesta!