While in Tucson visiting Gina and the Pilot, they took us to their favorite restaurant, Café Poca Cosa. I’d seen Gina rave about it before, and I truly couldn’t wait to try it for myself.

The food (and company) didn’t disappoint, and to be honest, the vegetarian tamale pie was quite possibly the best thing I ate during my four-day trip.

I’ve made tamale pie before, but it was more like a chili casserole with a cornmeal crust. Delicious, yes, but nothing like the amazing corn goodness both Gina and I ate that night. Digging into the mound of cheese-laced cornmeal, then chomping down on the fresh roasted green chiles and roasted corn made me realize I was dealing with a whole other (vegetarian) animal.

[source]

As soon as I’d made it through 3 more days of camp, then a sweltering day at the (terrible) Cubs game on Saturday, I was ready to cook on Sunday. And cook I did… I was bound and determined to replicate the deliciousness from Cafe Poca Cosa.

One thing I found interesting about the original dish at the restaurant was that the corn base was topped with any variety of things. Mine had corn and chiles, the Pilot’s had a creamy broccoli and avocado sauce, and Kristin’s had banana. I was partial to mine with the corn and chiles, so that was what I set out to recreate.

I started with a simple cornmeal base. Two parts water to one part finely ground cornmeal (not masa which is corn flour, but a finely ground meal.) seemed to be the right proportions. I roasted corn, I chopped chiles, things were baked, topped with cheese and…

It certainly smelled right. The key would be the texture… did it remain soft? Was it as creamy as I’d hoped?

Why yes, yes it was! I plated generous helpings for Adam and I, and made the executive decision to top it with corn, chiles, avocado, and halved baby tomatoes.

Oh, and crema. Crema is sour cream’s tangier Mexican cousin. The final product was pretty freaking delicious.

Cafe Poca Cosa Inspired Tamale Pie

print this recipe!

serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely ground cornmeal
• 4 cups water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups quesadilla cheese (or any creamy white cheese)
• 2 cans roasted green chiles, sliced
• 2 cups corn kernels
• 3 tsp. butter
• avocado
• tomatoes
• sour cream
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*F. Boil the water and salt in a large pot. When the water is boiling, sprinkle the cornmeal over the water. Lower the heat and stir until the mixture is creamy. Add half the cheese, half the chiles, and half the corn. Mix gently, then press into a baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake until lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, heat the remaining corn and sliced chiles with the remaining salt and pepper. Roast together until the corn is lightly browned. Add the butter and stir well.

Remove the corn mixture from the oven and serve immediately with toppings of choice.

Devour.

Then go back for seconds. Or thirds. Be glad that there are a few more servings for meals to follow…

Realize that, due to insane temperatures, the oven will likely not be turned on for another 4 days.

Sigh and paint your nails with cupcakes.

Then go to bed grateful for working air conditioning and cool showers…

You all didn’t know me in my enchilada days.

When I moved out on my own (ok, with two roommates) I was so excited to have a kitchen that I could actually cook in, and a dining room to sit in and eat meals with friends and family. I cooked many meals for many different people in that kitchen.

In fact, my sister made my mom and David’s wedding cake in that kitchen.

I also discovered my love of enchiladas in that kitchen.

When I had my mom and David over for the first time, I made them chicken enchiladas that weren’t the least bit healthy. They had shredded chicken, sour cream, cheese, homemade enchilada sauce and more cheese. And I loved them. And I made a healthified version with lower fat cheese and less sour cream almost weekly for almost a year.

These are not those enchiladas. These are even better. These have… *gasp* vegetables in them.

We require a brief Spanish lesson from your resident Spanish teacher.

Espinacas is Spanish for “spinach”. It is a word that is plural even in the singular, much like moose and fish in English.

So can you guess what’s in these enchiladas?

Nope. You can’t tell from this angle either. Maybe this will help:

Spinach Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 2/3 cup low fat sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese
• 1 small can diced green chiles
• 14 oz. can tomato paste
• 24 oz. chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1 Tb. ground cumin
• 1 Tb. kosher salt
• 2 tsp hot sauce (or to taste)
• 12 corn tortillas

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375*F. Place the chicken breasts in a shallow pan. Cover with water, place over medium heat, and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Shred with two forks, and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the enchilada sauce. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan. When the garlic is sizzling, add the tomato paste and cumin and stir well. Add the chicken broth and hot sauce, and whisk until smooth. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by 1/4.

Then, mix the chicken with sour cream, most of the cilantro, chiles, 1/2 cup of the cheese, 1/4 of the sauce, and the thawed spinach. Stir until well-combined. Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture. Roll the tortillas around the filling, place seam-side down in a baking dish, and then pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

And have another serving if you want. They’re pretty healthy!

Don’t forget to enter to win a new Camelbak Groove filter bottle by commenting on yesterday’s post!

In the midst of the craziness that has been Project Food Blog (have you voted for my Challenge 7 entry yet?) I have found myself wanting to create simple recipes during the week, but the craving for complex flavors still lingers.

I’m learning more and more about creating layers of flavors that hit the palate at different times of a bite, and I really nailed it with this next recipe. I’m pretty proud of it, and while I used chicken for additional protein, it was really extraneous and could easily be left out. Without the chicken, it would take a simple substitution of vegan cheese to make this recipe vegan!

I’m calling this Chilaquiles Cubanos, which is kind of inaccurate geography. Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican food created from tortillas, protein, sauce, and sometimes eggs. Cubanos implies “from Cuba”, which chilaquiles definitely are not. But, the flavor combination is: sweet potato, black beans, chicken, tortillas, and spicy chiles. This comes from the interesting foods native to Cuba… one day, I’ll make a Cuban sandwich, but for today, enjoy this random creation!

Chilaquiles Cubanos

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 12 regular size corn tortillas (or 18 mini ones)
• 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1 can chipotle chiles in adobo
• 4 cups water, divided
• 2.5 Tablespoons chili powder, divided
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 Tablespoons oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375*. Heat a large pan with the oil. Add the diced sweet potatoes, and sautee until lightly browned. Add 2 cups of the water, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sweet potatoes are soft. Drain and coarsely mash.

Heat a small saucepan with the remaining water, half the chili powder, and the entire can of chipotle chiles in adobo. Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 c. of the cooked sweet potatoes and puree the whole mixture with a stick blender. Set aside.

Spray a 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray, then pour about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Lay down 4 of the tortillas. Add chicken, black beans, and sweet potato in an even layer. Sprinkle with chili powder and 1/3 of the cheese. Add 4 more tortillas, then chicken, black beans, sweet potatoes, chili powder, and cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, and then pour the remaining sauce over the top slowly and allow it to soak in a bit. Top the entire thing with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is browned and the edges are bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Remember how I mentioned about layers of flavor? Well, initially, this dish is slightly sweet and creamy. Then, the bite of the chili powder hits, along with the earthy flavor of the beans. It ends with a spicy and smoky finish from the chipotles… man, I gotta make this again…

Ever since I saw Ashley’s post on chiles rellenos, I’ve been dying to try my hand at making them. I had that pesky little oven problem, and I knew I didn’t want to fry them. After frying beignets, I knew that frying really isn’t for me.

Traditional chiles rellenos (literally means stuffed chiles) are filled with meat and cheese or just cheese, and then battered and deep fried. They’re also rarely a meal on their own, but rather a side dish to a more major meal. Being the cook that I am, I couldn’t leave well enough alone, and started brainstorming the moment my toes hit the linoleum at Caputo’s market.

4 Poblano chiles? Check.

1 lb. fresh ground chorizo? Check

1 c. Brown rice? Check.

4 slices Manchengo cheese from the deli? Check.

Fresh cilantro? Tomatillos? Onions? Serrano chiles? Garlic? Check!

I was set. Dinner was to be green!

First, I set the tomatillos, onions, serranos, and garlic on a sheet pan to roast in a 400*F oven for about 40 minutes. While those cooked, I sauteed the chorizo (and drained the fat), added about 2 c. water and then 1 c. brown rice. Meanwhile, I cut the tops off the poblano peppers and deseeded them. I filled each pepper with about 1/2 c. of the rice/chorizo mixture. The stuffed peppers went onto a rack and then into the oven for about 30 minutes.

The hot roasted veggies went into the food processor and pulsed until smooth-ish.

The cheese went on top of the hot peppers until melted, and then….

Lovely roasted green salsa atop a lovely roasted and stuffed poblano pepper… The extras were promptly packed up for lunches, and thoroughly enjoyed again.

Not bad for a weeknight meal!

Don’t forget that voting on Project Food Blog Challenge #5 is open!

At our last meeting, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pans decided on a date and theme for our next get-together: it would be Spain at Emily’s house on August 26. At the time, the summer was just beginning, I’d just completed my first week of camp, my tan had yet to develop, and school was the farthest thing from my mind.

Nine weeks of sun later, August 26 rolled around, my first week of school was nearly complete, and the time had come for the Sisterhood to meet again!

Spain is near and dear to my heart, as it was the first (and only) European travel experience I’ve ever had, and well, being a Spanish teacher, the rest is obvious. I love the language, the culture, and of course, the food.

After work on Thursday (I’ve had some blog uploading issues, hence the late post), I met my mom at her house and we carpooled to our meeting place. The car smelled delicious on our way there with both of our dishes sitting in the back seat.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Murphy, Emily’s adorable Shih-Tzu/Tibetan Terrier mix. I wanted to just cuddle her!

There was also, of course, Spanish wine to enjoy. I’d recommend either of these!

The wine was flowing, as was the conversation, while everyone put the finishing touches on their dishes. It was so great to catch up with everyone after so many weeks! Emily’s son Luca came in to say hi to everyone too!

Ok, I’ll just get to the food already. We had a variety of tapas-style dishes, including croquetas made with (you really should sit down for this ingredient list) butter, cream, flour, ham, chicken, and then they were rolled in breadcrumbs and pan fried. Croquetas are among the most popular tapas dishes, and they’re found on most tapas menus across Spain.

Liz had hit the jackpot at Green City Market earlier in the week and purchased shishito and padron peppers, which she flash fried in oil and then we dipped in a salbixada sauce. This was a dish that hailed from the Cataluña region of Spain, where Barcelona is. Let’s just say, these were phenomenal! They were dusted with sea salt, and then devoured faster than Liz could fry them!

Sue (you know her as Eo) brought a marinated orange salad with nuts and red onions, as well as a phenomenal cooked mushroom, olive, and tomato salad that I could’ve eaten by the bucketful.

Amy got to work setting up all of her gazpacho toppings. The recipe can be found on her blog, WorldPlates, and I kid you not, it was the best gazpacho I’ve had in a long time, if not ever. She brought a multitude of toppings, including the traditional “pan frito” or fried bread, cucumber, and then some non-traditional ones: egg, crab, avocado, and an herb that I can’t remember the name of.

At this point, we sat down at the beautifully set table to begin enjoying all of our other dishes. I couldn’t wait to dig in!

First, we enjoyed a cool bowl of Amy’s amazing gazpacho. I topped it with a little of everything. I’ll be making it soon for sure!

Then, we brought our plates into the kitchen to serve ourselves some of the other main courses. Emily made Pisto Manchengo, a stew-like dish full of vegetables and Spanish chorizo. I somehow managed to not take a picture of it?! I’m mad at myself… sorry Emily!

Beth made a remarkable paella with chicken and chorizo and the perfect amount of crispy saffron rice. I could eat paella every day… no, really, I could.

You’re all wondering what I made, aren’t you? Well, being the Spanish teacher nerd that I am, I had to choose a dish that was not only delicious but fun to say in Spanish as well. So, I made Albóndigas con Salsa de Azafrán y Almendras. In English? Meatballs with Saffron-Almond sauce. The recipe can be found on Andalucía.com and (gasp!) I followed the recipe to a T!

I served myself a portion of everything, and just when I thought I couldn’t eat any more, out came my mom’s dish: an almond-orange flan! She had quite an adventure making it (guest post, perhaps?) but it was absolutely fantastic! Delicately flavored, decadent, and beautiful…

I believe this next photo sums up the night perfectly. Granted, I stole the idea from Liz, but I loved it!

I was bummed that I had to leave early since I had work in the morning, and my 5:15 a.m. alarm always comes way too soon… but I know that before I can blink, our October meeting will be upon us!

Thank you again, Sisterhood, for ¡una noche fantástica con comida perfecta! (A fantastic night with perfect food). I’m truly grateful to be a part of such a fabulous group of women!

I’m a sucker for a great farmer’s market. I think it’s been engrained in me from a very young age that food from the farmer’s market is just better than food from the grocery store. In recent years, I’ve learned to truly appreciate the wonderful flavors that come from produce grown in our own time zone, state, or county. When I was contacted by Lauren, a representative of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (ICBINB), to participate in a Chicago Farmer’s Market tour, I jumped at the chance! What better way to spend my last Saturday of Summer vacation than at the biggest farmer’s market in the area?

Then, the event just got more appealing from there. Not only would there be a tour of the market itself, but we’d then go back to a restaurant kitchen with a local chef, and use our purchases to create a unique, fresh, and local meal! I took the train from our area downtown so as to avoid the insane traffic, and then walked about a mile and a half to the market. I was a little early, and was lucky enough to meet up with my sister and her boyfriend during their shopping trips for their respective restaurants. I can proudly say, I carried the flat of blackberries used for Gilt Bar yesterday!

Moving on…

I met up with Jaclyn, our ICBINB rep for the day, chef Rhonda Cady, and Tracey (a twitter pal of mine!) and we proceeded to go from stall to stall in the huge Green City Market, sampling as we went.

And I took about a million pictures (ok, really it was 276, but it seems like a million), so I’ll let them do the talking with minimal words from me, unless they’re actually necessary. It was a perfect day for photos too… a few clouds for great light, but enough sun to make everything look wonderful.

Some early hard squashes

Various eggplants, beans, and tomatoes from Nichols Farm in Marengo, IL. They’re conveniently located on my way home from work, so I may need to stop there…

Harmony peaches, blackberries, and raspberries from Mick Klug farms in Michigan. These were some of the best peaches I’ve ever tasted, and needless to say, I brought some home!

Local meats, all grass fed and organic… thought of my friend Stephanie!

Seedy bread from Bennison’s Bakery

More bounty from Mick Klug farms (Thanks to Leigh for introducing me to them!)

Small local watermelons

French breakfast radishes (We later enjoyed these with ICBINB and salt, quite a delicious combo!)

You know how I love my small food…

More beautiful produce… I wish I had written down this farm’s name…

Chef Rhonda had quite a sense of humor!

Sampling “personal sized” watermelon at Seedling farms’ stand

Gooseberries and fresh chamomile at Seedling

It had quickly gone from a mildly warm and humid day to a wicked hot and humid day…and then we saw a sign:

We went for it! I got a lovely peach-raspberry smoothie made with fresh cider. It was quite possibly the most delicious smoothie EVER.

Next up: some “extras” for our meal… I had it in my head that we had to find some local goat cheese. And find it we did! This is for you, Gina:

And then, I just went photo-happy (as if I wasn’t already.) Everything looked so fresh and delicious, and since I couldn’t ACTUALLY eat it all, I did with my camera…

Heirloom cherry tomatoes from Growing Home, an amazing program here in Chicago

Then, after walking, sweating, and shopping, we hopped in a taxi to Splice Kitchen to cook a delicious meal with our purchases.

You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the rest of the process. I think I’ve overrun your senses with all these photos for now. Thanks to ICBINB for sponsoring this event! It just got better from here!

I’ve talked a few other times about “recipe trust”.

You know, those people that, when they send you a recipe, you know it must be tried? I’ve got a few people that I trust unconditionally when it comes to recipes.

Well, my mom is one of those people. I don’t know that there’s ever been a recipe that she’s sent or given me that hasn’t been a great one. So, when a recipe from my mom popped up in my inbox the other day, and then she confirmed that it was indeed good, I knew it was going on our menu this week.

Puerto Vallarta-style shrimp burgers with avocado aioli

From MSNBC/Today

Chef Marcela Valladolid

Yield: 6 servings; prep time: 20 minutes; cook time: 6 to 8 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the shrimp burgers:

For the avocado aioli:

DIRECTIONS

To make the shrimp burgers:
Divide the shrimp in half. Coarsely chop one half and set aside. Put remaining half in a food processor and grind to a coarse puree. Add egg, cilantro and garlic to processor. Process until smooth. Sprinkle mixture with breadcrumbs and process again. Transfer contents of food processor to a large bowl. Add coarsely chopped shrimp, poblano chile and onion. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well. Chill for 15 minutes. Form patties or “burgers” and set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet. When very hot, fry the shrimp burgers until golden, about 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Drain on paper towels.
To make the avocado aioli:
Scoop the avocado pulp into the bowl of a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic cloves, serrano chile, cilantro, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Check and adjust seasoning.
To assemble:
Serve shrimp burgers on buns, topped with a dollop of avocado aioli, sliced tomato and lettuce.

Circle the calendar, folks… I followed a recipe to the letter! Now, my suggestions: Cut the garlic in the aoli down to about half a clove. There’s a serious burn there with the garlic and serrano chile! If you don’t have a poblano handy, just use a drained small can of roasted green chiles. I only got 5 burgers out of the recipe, but I think my “rough estimate” of half a 2-lb bag of frozen shrimp was a bit under. I’d also increase the cilantro (if you like it) in the burgers as well. The oil content seems a bit high, but just know, of the 3 Tbsp. oil I used, about 2 Tbsp. were left in the pan. Just make sure to cook them at high enough heat.

Now, you know me fairly well, or at least, you know my cooking style fairly well. You know that the bread up there wasn’t just any old bread… I made it! It was another episode of “knowing basic bread ingredients” and then “throwing them into a bowl until they resemble dough”. These were light, fluffy, doughy, and slightly sweet. I can’t wait to make a turkey sandwich on one!

Speedy “Ciabatta” Rolls

Ingredients

* 2 tsp. dry active yeast

* 2 cups plus 1 cup warm water

* 3 cups (plus more, if needed)

* 1.5 Tbsp. sugar

* 2 tsp. salt

* 1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl

Directions

Add 1 c. warm water to a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to proof about 10 minutes. Then, add sugar, salt, olive oil, and slowly mix in the bread flour until the dough comes together. Add some of the water, then more flour until the dough is very soft but not too sticky. Allow to rise about an hour, then punch down, divide into 8 equal sections, and form into round buns. Pre-heat the oven to 425* while the buns rise another half hour. Then, place a pie plate of water in the bottom of the oven, and put the pan of buns in the oven with the water and bake 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the water pan (CAREFULLY!) and bake another 15-20 minutes until the crust is browned.

I have a busy few days of cupcake baking coming up, so I need to get my rest! I’m enjoying my time off this week though, that’s for sure!

¡Feliz cinco de mayo!

How many of you know the story behind the celebration that is cinco de mayo? I see a few hands raised out there, but contrary to popular belief, it is NOT Mexican Independence Day! That’s September 16. Cinco de mayo commemorates the win of a small army in the town of Puebla during the Mexican war for independence against the French in the 1860s. It’s not a huge celebration in Mexican communities in the United States, but rather a day that’s an excuse to celebrate. It’s also not a large celebration anywhere but in the town of Puebla in Mexico!

There you have it. Your Spanish culture lesson for the day. And now for a bit of grammar: you may notice that I only capitalized the “F” in my greeting above rather than writing it Feliz Cinco de Mayo as we would in English. This is because in Spanish, only the first letters of holidays are capitalized, and days and months are never capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

Ok, ok, I’ll take my Spanish teacher “hat” off now.

You all knew that the foodie Spanish teacher blogger would make Mexican food for dinner tonight. You could’ve seen it a mile away, right? Well, you’re right! I had a few things brewing in my head over the last few days, and they came together tonight in a lovely harmony.

First, I made some homemade salsa verde (or green salsa, for you gringos out there).

Roast at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes:

* 2 large poblano peppers, whole

* 2 jalapeño peppers whole with stems removed

* 1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed

* 2 cloves garlic

Then process in a food processor or blender with:

* 1 onion

* 1 clove garlic

* 1/4 c. cilantro

* juice of 2 limes

* salt

Chill and enjoy!

What did I enjoy with my salsa verde? I roasted a lovely pork tenderloin in a chili-lime marinade (I would’ve preferred to grill, but our gas grill is acting funny and won’t go above 350 degrees!) and also made a friend’s recipe for Mexican rice. I’ll post that recipe as soon as I get her clearance to…and if I don’t get permission, sorry! It’s her family recipe! I made myself a platter that I’m sure I’ll be dreaming about in days to come.

Chile-lime pork tenderloin

salsa verde

avocado

sour cream (fat free of course)

limes

Mexican rice

Tortillas on the side

I think I need a miniature ice cream, or perhaps a cake in a bowl… Cake in a bowl makes me miss Ericka, which makes me miss Portland, which makes me think of Andrea and Mama Pea… oh word association…when I go there, it’s definitely time for rest.

¡Que tengan una noche buena, y una mañana fantástica! (I hope you have a great evening, and a fantastic tomorrow!) It just sounds better in Spanish, doesn’t it?

Happy Thursday! Did you all get your taxes done and mailed? Adam and I got ours done (and spent the refund) almost two months ago! I love getting my taxes done early to avoid the rush and panic… and get the refund sooner!

I had a mean Mexican food craving today at work when a coworker had something that smelled cilantro-y, and immediately, my baked tofu and broccoli plan went out the window. I had to have tacos!

I hit the grocery store after work and picked up a few essentials, and set out to make the most delicious tacos I’d ever made. I know, a lofty goal, but when I want something, I want it GOOD. There’s no settling for Taco Bell when I want Frontera.

The lovely people at Marx Foods sent me all those chiles to try not too long ago, and I finally got up the nerve to try them tonight. I’m really glad I did, as the chiles added an amazing flavor I wouldn’t have been able to get another way. I found fresh white corn tortillas, and lean steak already cut up into bite sized pieces…it’s like the stars aligned for me to made tacos!

Smoky Spicy Steak Tacos

Marinade ingredients

* 4 small smoked serrano chiles

* juice of 4 limes

* 2 Tbsp. olive oil

* 1 c. hot water

* 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

* 1/2 tsp. onion powder

* 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

* 1/2 small onion, cut into chunks

Directions

Heat a frying pan over high heat, and add the chile peppers just until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Remove the peppers, cut off the stem and remove the seeds. Cut them into small pieces. Soak the chiles in the hot water for about 10 minutes until softened, then drain. Mix all the other ingredients into the chiles and puree with an immersion blender. Pour over meat, stir well, and allow to marinate from 30 minutes to two hours. Broil or pan-cook the meat, and serve.

Best tacos I’ve ever made? Abso-freaking-lutely! The marinade had a lovely smoky spiciness, and the acid in the lime juice combined with the vinegar helped tenderize the steak. And besides, what isn’t great with cheese, sour cream, and avocado on it?

Dessert was a bit odd… well, not odd, just not my typical dessert. When I was at the grocery store, I saw something… huge.

The two “little” ones are normal sized sweet potatoes. The top one could’ve eaten the other two. Instead, I ate IT! I made more low & slow sweet potato chunks and enjoyed them with a little cinnamon… so good!

I might still want some chocolate later, but that’s ok… It’ll be an early night for me anyway, I haven’t been sleeping too well, and bed sounds super lovely. Have a great Friday!