Tasty Taco Thursday

Working in the San Diego Metro area makes it so much easier for me to talk myself into meeting up with friends for dinner, drinks and other downtown evening adventures. As of late I have been devoting Thursday nights for meet ups with my brother, Chris. Last week we went to Bernardo and Melanie Bermudez’s condo for a delicious dinner al fresco.

 

Chris works in Imperial Beach and is always so kind as to pick up lots of fresh Mexican goodies whenever we are meeting up for dinner. The night of our gathering at the Bermudez’s he brought along some pollo asado, queso fresco and a bundle of freshly made corn tortillas and since I was coming straight from Specialty I brought along some fresh veggies.

 

Super Scrumptious Soft Tacos and Stuffed Peppers

Feel free to mix and match ingredients as you like. Between the four of us these just happened to be the ingredients that we had on hand and they made for a most delicious dinner.

 

Ingredients for Stuffed Peppers

Bell Peppers

Mushrooms, roughly chopped

Garlic, minced

Onion, minced

Queso fresco, crumbled

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Cut the tops off the peppers, deseed them and then set aside. In a small bowl combine the chopped mushrooms, onion, garlic, queso fresco, salt and pepper. 

Stuff each pepper with the filling and then set aside. 

 

Ingredients for Tacos

Bell Peppers, cut into bite sized pieces

Zucchini, cut onto bite sixed pieces

Corn Tortillas

Queso Fresco

Pollo Asado

Once you have all the peppers stuffed and the veggies for the tacos prepared you are ready to head out to the grill and get cooking. Arrange all of your goodies on the grill and let cook until the veggies are tender, the chicken cooked through, and the stuffed peppers piping hot.  

Once the taco filings are done warm the tortillas on the grill, fill them with the veggies and chicken, and top with a sprinkling of queso fresco.

 

We also made salads with field greens, cucumbers, mushrooms and a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and balsamic.

 Everything was delish! Bernardo and Melanie’s condo has a wonderful outdoor sitting area that not only has a grill but a lovely arrangement of couches, chairs and a fire pit perfect for relaxing with friends long into the evening.

  

Many thanks to the Bermudez's for having us over for such a delicious dinner! In addition to being fabulous hosts Bernardo and Melanie are both talented artists as well. Melanie is a fabulous painter and web developer and Bernardo is an amazing singer.

The Last Peach Supper

Originally when I made the peach butter I envisioned the little jars of gooey peachy goodness lasting easily through the summer and fall and well into the winter months but after sharing a few jars with friends and family and many mornings of delicious peachy yogurt and fresh baked muffins spread with peach butter my jars of peach butter have dwindled down to only 2 ½! I decided that I would have to exercise a bit of self-control and ration my last two full jars of summery fruit saving one for fall and another for winter. The last half full jar in the fridge I would use for something special, a peachy dinner to celebrate my last taste of peach butter for the season.

Peachy Chicken Tacos with Peach Salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients for Salsa

4 peaches, peeled and chopped into small pieces

½ jalapeño chile, finely chopped (take out the seeds first if you like a milder salsa)

2 or 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

juice of 1 lime

Ingredients for Chicken

1 cup peach butter

2 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

Preparing the Salsa

Combine the peaches, jalapeño, cilantro and lime in a bowl and stir to combine, add salt and pepper to desired taste. Pop in the refrigerator to chill until the chicken is ready.

Preparing the Chicken

In a large pan simmer over medium low heat the peach butter, mustard, and honey until it starts to bubble a bit then add the chicken pieces. Simmer the chicken in the sauce for 15 minutes or until fully cooked.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Putting it all together

Make soft tacos using warmed corn or brown rice tortillas stuffing them with the peachy chicken and an ample portion of peachy salsa. Serve with desired side dish of choice, I had guacamole and brown rice. It was a delicious way to savor my last taste of summery peach butter for the season. While I am sure there are a few more weeks of delicious peach eating days left of the summer I am already looking forward to cracking open my fall jar of peach butter.