[Recipe] Smokey, Spicy and Sweet: Chipotle Vinaigrette

Taco Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette

Last night, we had tacos. Usually, when I make tacos, there are  plenty of leftovers. And true to form, there were! As I packed up the leftovers last night, I began to consider how to use the leftover ingredients. I could make taco soup, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas.  But I kept coming back to a Taco Salad.

My kids let me sleep late this morning, which was so very nice. So, I didn’t get going until after 9AM. Even still, I had that salad on my mind. A banana and coffee supplied nourishment for breakfast. But by 11AM, I was ready for lunch. So, I whipped up a dressing for the salad. But not just any dressing, a Chipotle Vinaigrette that combined smokey, spicy and sweet flavors! So delicious!

This dressing is delicious on salads, but is equally tasty used as a marinade for chicken, beef, or fish. Combine it with Greek yogurt or mayonaise to top fish tacos or as a creamy cole slaw dressing. For a lighter taste, toss the vinaigrette into cole slaw. This would be great addition on top of a BBQ sandwich! Stir it into mayonaise to create a chipotle mayo, and use as a condiment for all sorts of sandwiches. Oh, man, I can just taste it slathered onto a crusty roll that is topped with thinly sliced steak, arugula, red onion and Pepper Jack cheese. Yum! There are so many uses and variations! Try it! You’ll love it!

Chipotle Vinaigrette

• 2 T chipotle sauce, more to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 
• 2 T  honey
• 1 T Dijon mustard or other spicy mustard
• 2 T lime juice (or lemon juice)
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar. Place on lid and secure. Then, shake vigorously, until combined.

A Letter to My Husband

Today, I am excited to be contributing to the “Equally Yoked” series over at Jenny Rae Armstrong’s blog. 

 

To my husband, my love, my partner and friend,

In just a few days, we will be celebrating 14 years of marriage, partnership, and teamwork. Where have the years gone? Sometimes, it feels as if we’ve been together all of our lives and at other times, merely a few days.

We took to heart the advice we were given on our wedding day: LAUGH. Laugh a lot.

And we have laughed…A LOT!  

We’ve laughed at ourselves, and we’ve laughed at each other. When things were funny and when things were not funny at all. Finding the comic relief of the situation seemed to help. And after all these years, it just takes one look —you know THAT look— and we start laughing all over again.

But we’ve cried, too. 

To read more, CLICK HERE to head over to jennyraearmstrong.com

Mother’s Day: Words from My Heart

I completely understand the feeling of dread walking into church on that day. The day I wished I could have pulled the covers up over my head, but didn’t. Or rather couldn’t. As a member of the church staff, it was a workday, so I had to show up. Smile on. Ready to go. Even if my heart was breaking inside.

Many of you know the day of which I speak. When the youngest mom, the oldest mom, the mom with the most kids, the mom with the youngest child, and even, the one with the most kids with her at church were honored. All of them. And then, there was the rest of us. We weren’t meant to be excluded or made to feel less than. Yet, we were and we did.

Hospitality: Size Doesn’t Matter

“It was not perfect, and it was not fancy, but it was my own very first house, and then our first house together. I wanted so badly to fill it with laughter and memories and celebration that I willed myself to overlook what it lacked, and threw open the door at every opportunity.” — from “Bread & Wine” by Shauna Neiquist

400 square feet. That was it. Mine and Jon’s first home, one unit of a four-plex apartment building in Ruston, LA. In that tiny space, we hosted a Cajun dinner for 30+ out-of-town guests a couple of days before our wedding. And after a long work week, which included graduate school for me, we’d trade off with several other couples hosting Friday Night Supper Club. Here, we’d try new recipes, play board games and cards, and stay up talking until the wee hours of the morning. We were thankful that Saturday was not a workday, so we could sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast with copious amounts of coffee, which was shipped to us by his mom from Seattle because Starbucks wasn’t sold in our stores.

During the week,  piano and voice students  tromped up the stairs and trickled into our tiny front living space for their weekly lessons. And although it wasn’t much larger than a sardine can, we also hosted out-of-town guests, who slept on the sofa bed. We inherited it after a friend purchased a new one. Before that we didn’t have a couch, so we were happy to be the third family to show it some love. In fact, we didn’t  have a dining room table either. That is until our landlord, a gentleman from our church, asked if we’d like to have an extra one that he had found in storage. When Jon brought it home, I was thrilled!  Finally, a place to sit and eat dinner!

To some, our first home wasn’t ideal. It would have never been photographed for  House Beautiful. In fact, it was so small, you had to sit sideways on the commode in order to close the bathroom door. (Lemme tell ya, that was fun! NOT!) Still, we invited people over because we wanted to connect, to share, and to show hospitality.

Size didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now.

May: Meals for a Month

Meatless Meals:
Pizza (make your own), Veggie Tray and Dip
Chickpea Curry with Rice and Spinach Salad
Mujadarra and Carrot Salad
Sloppy (Lentils) Joe’s, Sweet Potato Fries and Kale Salad

Poultry:
Slow Cooker: Chicken and Cauliflower Tikka Masala
Chicken Enchiladas, , Mexican Chopped Salad and Rice
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken,  Naan, Green Beans
Chicken ‘n Dumplings

Meals For a Month: April

1. Carnitas Tacos with toppings, Spanish Rice and Black Beans
2. Leftovers
3. Jambalaya
4. Pastor’s-Spouse Retreat
5. Pastor’s-Spouse Retreat
6. Soup and Salad Dinner: Tomato Soup and Cheesy Bread
7. Breakfast for Dinner: Oatmeal and Fruit
8. White Beans and Pasta with Kale
9. Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Roasted Brussel Sprouts
10. Leftovers 

March: Celebrate Good Times & Meals for a Month

The month of March is full of celebrations: family birthdays and Easter. Since my husband is a pastor, this is an extremely busy time for him (extra rehearsals, meetings and services). As such, our holiday celebrations don’t really look like they did when we were growing up. Rarely do we spend holidays with our family; our parents live out-of-town. Instead, we’ve had to think outside-of-the-box, change our expectations, and develop nuclear family traditions.