The Hunger Struck - Confessions of a Food Fanatic.

Well finally here it is. I know, I made you wait for it. I can be mean like that sometimes. But it’s worth it right? Now all you have to do is get through this string of short sentences and you can have it. It’s really that easy. Well maybe not quite that easy, but seriously if you have an oven and 4 hours to spare you can easily pull this off. That’s the great thing about braising, aside from the addition of some flavors the oven does all the work for you and the best part is you get the credit.

Seriously though, I heard the words “best tacos I’ve ever had” escape my mothers lips when she tasted these. Granted we’re Canadian – not exactly known for our Mexican cuisine - but the woman has traveled all over Mexico and on top of that shes a great cook. So I would say that these come as close to perfection as any small Canadian home cook can get.

Want to challenge me Canadian home cooks? I’m totally up for that.

This is the second celery root slaw recipe I’ve written about. I guess it goes without saying that I’m quite fond of this root. While I’ve made it as I would any other slaw – a side to a summer BBQ type meal or just by itself -  these days I have an obsession with celery root slaw paired with tacos.

From fish to pork tacos there’s something about celery root that  is a refreshing change from your everyday cabbage slaw. Now don’t all you slaw lovers get your knives in a bunch over that last statement. I have nothing against cabbage based saws, in fact on the contrary I love them. I also think the pairing of cabbage and tacos is a great one, it is a classic after all but lets keep an open mind shall we?

I have to say I feel a bit silly posting such a basic recipe for salsa. But its a good one and one that I make often. Salsa is just so simple to make, and for me the fresh taste of tomatoes and cilantro are what make a great salsa stand apart from the rest.

Sure I’ve enjoyed my fair share of store bought salsa. My hubby prefers it to the home made variety so I actually eat it quite often. Recently though, due to an over abundance of fresh tomatoes supplied by my mother-in-law, I’ve found myself whipping up a quick batch for one quite often. Of course these impromptu salsas are at the mercy of whats available in my refrigerator on that particular day and are often quite simply tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and some variety of spice.

This recipe however is what I make when I’ve actually planned to make salsa, generally for a special occasion or when I have dinner guests. It’s still simple but with the addition of fresh jalapenos, shallots, and a few other things it is absolutely delicious. Make sure to use the best tomatoes you can find!

Have you ever loved a condiment so much that you centered an entire meal around it? I do this quite often. Last week I was thinking about what I could make for mothers day and feeling inspired by all the food bloggers out there writing about their Cinqo De Mayo inspired meals, I thought I would make a Mexican inspired mothers day dinner centered around my favorite pineapple salsa recipe.

Cinqo De Mayo is not a big deal here in Vancouver and from what I’ve heard it isn’t really in Mexico either. I seem to remember people in my neighborhood celebrating in San Francisco though when I still lived there, so from what I’ve concluded this seems to be an American celebration. Honestly, I’ll use any excuse to have a Mexican themed dinner party!

Especially if I can work pork into the menu.

Oooh the pork!  Let’s just say it may have been the best slow cooked pork shoulder I’ve ever tasted. But you’ll have to come back for that recipe, cruel I know. I’ll keep this post short and sweet and will be posting the rest of our mothers day/ Cinqo De Mayo feast over the next week so make sure you cooooooome back.

It is officially feeling like fall in Vancouver and I’m wondering how it’s possible that the summer flew by so quickly. It’s the end of September, how is that possible? Is this what happens after you turn 30? If it is, I don’t think I’m comfortable with it.

It really seems like just yesterday when I was laying on top of my bed, limbs spread out as far as possible from one another, with a sunburn so bad that you could get third degree burns from just touching my skin. I’m pretty sure I shaved a good 5 years off my life with that one yet I keep telling myself that the tan I had in weeks that followed was worth the price. It really was spectacular. Not to mention that it lasted for at least a month! I don’t tan very easily thanks to my extremely fair skin and usually apply the highest amount of SPF I can find, so a tan is a rare thing…. which is what I used to also say about burns. Ha!