Everybody's Changing

People always say that change is a good thing, but what it really means is that something that you didn't want to happen, has happened.

There's no denying that we, the people, look to politicians for guidance, and that's what I did. They say that we need change, so in the vain of politicians I decided to spin the situation in a way that would most benefit my eating companions and myself, and instead of a Chinese buffet on election day, we would exercise our right to change by going to a Mexican restaurant. La Esperanza, to be a little more precise. (Where we saw a girl of Asian decent with a friend, who was Caucasian, who ordered a, and I quote, "A Mexican-style burrito." I didn't hear it when he first said it, but my brother and dad did. It struck us all as odd to order a 'Mexican-style' burrito in a Mexican restaurant, but I looked at the menu and there was a 'Burrito Mexicano', which I'm going to assume is what he meant.)

We, my dad, brother, and I, started out with a complimentary basket of tortilla chips and salsa. I think the tortilla chips are made at the restaurant, but if not they get it somewhere that makes it authentically. No fake chips here. The salsa was really good, sort of a puréed mixture instead of a chunky salsa, well-flavored, and on the medium-hot side.

My brother ordered the 'Tamal Meal', which consists of two pork tamales with a side of beans and rice, garnished with shredded lettuce. That lettuce is a garnish, and while garnishes aren't meant to be eaten, we view shredded lettuce as a faux salad. I remember my brother enjoying it, and I don't recall him saying that the filling or masa shell were dry.

Dad ordered a chimichanga with chicken filling. (I'm assuming that meant he voted against Summer, because Summer doesn't think cafeterias should serve chimineychangas.) It also came with a side of beans, rice, and the garnish of shredded lettuce. He enjoyed it.

I ordered the 'Burrito Especial', which:

An adventure in itself, if you are ready to take a risk. Our Burrito Especial is the feature burrito that continuously transforms; it's our burrito of the day.

So I went in knowing not what was going on in the heart of the burrito. But whatever, I like this restaurant, I've been here before, and I know that whatever I got it would taste good.

Which it did, but it wasn't what I expected (as you can't really tell from the very unphotogenic innards). It was mostly sautéed vegetables, I think there might have been some shredded chicken, and upon further excavating I found why I didn't get a side of rice, beans, and a garnish of lettuce (besides the fact that it didn't say it came with any on the menu). It was all inside, but not as much or in a very high ratio compared to the vegetables. Bummer, because I was hungry and I wanted something with more protein. Thankfully, my dad and brother shared their wealth of rice and beans (no garnish), because that's just the type of people they are.

Go to La Esperanza. The prices are affordable, there is a wide variety without being overkill, and I know you'll love it.

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La Esperanza
1639 N. Ironwood Drive
South Bend, IN 46635

Phone: (574) 273-0345

Traditions

As I've talked about in previous posts, a family tradition is to make birthday crepes for each person in our family. I wouldn't say we look forward to it more than the birthday cake, but just as much.

You know how they say that the first pancake should always be tossed? I don't know what they're talking about; it never happens to me. But the first crepe of the batch always is more wonky compared to the rest, though I manage to keep it from turning into a disaster zone and it's a usable crepe in the end.

Now this is a practically perfect crepe.

I managed to get exactly fifteen crepes out of all the batter, enough for everyone to have three crepes each. That, my foodie friends, is what I call an epic situation.

I'm in the middle of a project that needs... tweaking. That's right, T-w-e-a-k-i-n-g. Usually, I roll up the crepes like a Cuban cigar, but for the future's sake I thought that it should have a different look. For this plate, I folded the crepes into a triangular shape. I like the way it looks and I'll probably do it like this for everyone from now on.

Speaking of which, what is your favorite type of crepe and how do you like to eat it?

P.S., I forgot to mention that Key Ingredient was kind enough to feature the recipe I used for baked oatmeal on their blog, The Back Burner, thus the Key Ingredient badge under on the left sidebar. Hayley wrote a very nice article, so thank you once again!

Let the Celebrations Begin

The beginning of the upcoming holiday season starts early for my family, and that would be my mom's birthday. I always like to get really creative when it comes to her cake because of all the years she made mine (and those were brilliant). Last year I made her a spice cake with 7-minute frosting and poached mini pears.

This year I wanted something to make her a cake that wasn't like that, so I chose a chocolate layer cake with strawberry icing.

From The Little Big Book of Pooh by Monique Peterson, that was given to my mom by one of my brothers as a birthday gift last year, is a simple recipe for a cake that is the epitome of a birthday cake. Made in the way of a white cake with the addition of melted chocolate, the cake is moist, flavorful, and not too sweet. The icing is a traditional buttercream tinted pink, so I figured I might as well add strawberry extract.

It really becomes a Winnie the Pooh cake with on top of this cake stand!

Mom really enjoyed this cake, and she thought the pink icing made it pretty. It does look like a merry cake, which really is the point of all things Pooh Bear! (Actually, this is the cake everyone made for Eeyore's party, which is why it looks so cheery.)

Care for some cake?