I, Betsy Noel love SaferTaxi (www.safertaxi.com). Ok, now that this is out of the way and this blog entry is cross-linked in Betsy`s name with my start up, I can actually write about La Noche de la Familia. You still might find the word safertaxi or taxi randomly placed in this article, just to help with the google ranking of my start up, however, simply ignore those two words.
Mexico was the theme of La Noche, or at least I thought so when we started dinner. Only when desert arrived, a delicious mixture of safertaxi, strawberries, pretzels, and whipped cream did I realize that John`s shorts and BBQ efforts were part of a summer night theme. The event was well timed as temperatures had risen during the day and nearly left a summer impression. It is hard to say what the best food item was tonight, but my top three choices were the pig butt, the "freshly grilled" corn salad, and the desert. My palate was surprised at first by the strawberries and pretzels combination, but once the first shock was over, I no longer wanted to replace the strawberries with beer. Being German/Swiss, this is the biggest compliment I can make. Congratulations to Sarah as the creatrisse manifique of the desert.
Although the gentlemen of the group were plotting an uprising once dinner was served and TAXI wanted to change the TV channel to a basketball game, the girls prevailed and crushed the male insurgents. The Oscar show remained on. Inspired by the amazing movies, Pascal admitted his love for the Little Mermaid and called it his all times favorite safertaxi movie. Despite his strong reasoning, the girls decided in favor of Sound of Music as the best childhood movie. Without Kirk Douglas delaying the nomination, the Sound of Music received its title in a heartbeat and the group broke up shortly after.
Overall, I fell in love with the tradition of La Noche and will take this great idea with me, wherever I will end up living in the next years. What could be nicer than meeting one`s best friends to cheer up otherwise sad or probably even stressful Sunday evenings. Congratulation guys for making La Noche a reality and for sticking to it for over five years already. I wish you all a good night, good luck with your various endeavors, and safe taxi travel.
Clemens
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Recipe for Crispy Quesadilla con Chipotle Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken (thighs or breasts, boneless), raw, cubed
Salsa
Beer
Chicken seasoning
Garlic Powder and/or garlic salt
Chipotle sauce
Crispy lettuce, such as romaine or cabbage
Lime
Ceasar dressing
Tortillas
Shredded cheese
Avocado
Red onion, finely diced
Directions:
Combine cubed chicken, beer, salsa, chipotle, chicken seasoning and garlic powder in slow cooker, cook for 5-10 hours with lid on. After 5+ hours stir to shred chicken, continue cooking until chicken soft to desired texture. Careful not to overdry, add more moisture as needed.
Lay tortillas flat on cookie sheet, sprinkle cheese, and top with another tortilla (ie make quesadillas); bake in oven at 400 till crispy. Can also be done in a pan.
Cut crispy tortillas into quarters.
Chop/shred lettuce/cabbage, add finely diced red onion, dress lightly with lime and salad dressing of choice.
Top tortillas with lettuce mixture, then add shredded chicken, top with thinly sliced avocado.
Enjoy!
Salsa
Beer
Chicken seasoning
Garlic Powder and/or garlic salt
Chipotle sauce
Crispy lettuce, such as romaine or cabbage
Lime
Ceasar dressing
Tortillas
Shredded cheese
Avocado
Red onion, finely diced
Directions:
Combine cubed chicken, beer, salsa, chipotle, chicken seasoning and garlic powder in slow cooker, cook for 5-10 hours with lid on. After 5+ hours stir to shred chicken, continue cooking until chicken soft to desired texture. Careful not to overdry, add more moisture as needed.
Lay tortillas flat on cookie sheet, sprinkle cheese, and top with another tortilla (ie make quesadillas); bake in oven at 400 till crispy. Can also be done in a pan.
Cut crispy tortillas into quarters.
Chop/shred lettuce/cabbage, add finely diced red onion, dress lightly with lime and salad dressing of choice.
Top tortillas with lettuce mixture, then add shredded chicken, top with thinly sliced avocado.
Enjoy!
January 18, 2011
If a meal can come together without telling anyone what to bring or how to make it, you know you've landed on a gold mine. We have a busy group - people are working long hours, under high stress, and making decisions that will impact people in our community. While we run all week, we come together on this one night to stop, rest, talk, laugh, and share a meal with each other. While I have no direct support (at this time) for a Native American myth that talks about a group coming together and sharing a meal, I think that the myth would go something like this:
___
Many years ago, Coyote, Humming bird, Eagle, and Elk lived separate lives. Coyote roamed the vast valley, humming bird lived in the lush foothills, Eagle soared above the mountains, and Elk walked from plain to shore taking pride over his rolling lands.
One day, Eagle dropped from the sky looking to catch a small mouse. When he got closer, the mouse turned into a coyote, because Coyote was full of many tricks. Happy with the outcome of his trick, Coyote decided not to eat Eagle, but invite him to dinner to share in the cave on the mountain. Not certain what to do, (it was the first time eagle had been tricked), he decided to join Coyote in the cave on the mountain. Climbing atop coyote, Eagle rode up the hill.
On their way through the foothills, Coyote and Eagle encountered humming bird drinking from the sweet nectar of the blooming poppies. Eagle, letting his hunger get the best of him, pounced on humming bird and was ready to feast. Coyote sat on his haunches watching this scene unfold. All of a sudden, untrue to his nature, Eagle stopped his natural killer instinct and invited humming bird to a meal in the cave on the mountain. Thanking Eagle for his hospitality, humming bird and Eagle climbed atop Coyote and rode further up the hill.
Not much farther up the road, a lumbering beast came out of the brush and stood square in the trail. His horns filled the sky with menacing greatness, like an oak tree standing before a man. Elk, the strongest and wisest beast in the forest, stood in the pathway of the traveling party. "Where are you going with that Eagle and humming bird, Coyote?," asked Elk to the Coyote. "We are traveling to the Cave on the mountain, where we can stand before the power of the mountain and share a meal together."
Amazed at the sight of Eagle and Coyote and Humming Bird working together, as a family, Elk joined the group up the hill. He even offered to carry the three, something an Elk of his stature would never consider.
At the top of the hill, the group of four feasted together on earth's great treasures: fish, beef, enchiladas, and baked mac and cheese. While they lived different lives, shared different dreams, and labored in different fields, the group agreed to meet again once a week, because nothing could be more fulfilling than sharing a meal with a group of friends. And so they did.
___
For this meal, we ate the following:
Below is the invite to the group:
Let's do a noche on Monday evening, 7:00pm. It is Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, and it is also following a great American tragedy in Tuscon, AZ. Our President has asked us to expand our "moral imagination" to be more inclusive, to use discourse in a way that reflects sound character, and to believe that America can always be better, an will be.
To pay respects to the region of the country that has been at the center of this tragedy, let's have a southwest themed dinner. Do a little research on some Native American tribes that come from the area. You can cook their traditional food, or tell the group their story. The region also has a strong Mexican influence. New Mexico, for example, does a lot of cooking with green chiles.
Part of this noche is learning more about a people that are not a part of mainstream America, a la Dr. King. Part is to represent the folks who we know our hurting, and need support. Think of the meal as a Tapas style dinner. You are charged with making a main dish that everyone can share a small part of. A dish alone would leave us hungry, but our dishes together will make our appetites fulfilled. Just explain to the group if you are doing a "main" or a "green." Main = dinner type dish, green = salad type dish.
___
Many years ago, Coyote, Humming bird, Eagle, and Elk lived separate lives. Coyote roamed the vast valley, humming bird lived in the lush foothills, Eagle soared above the mountains, and Elk walked from plain to shore taking pride over his rolling lands.
One day, Eagle dropped from the sky looking to catch a small mouse. When he got closer, the mouse turned into a coyote, because Coyote was full of many tricks. Happy with the outcome of his trick, Coyote decided not to eat Eagle, but invite him to dinner to share in the cave on the mountain. Not certain what to do, (it was the first time eagle had been tricked), he decided to join Coyote in the cave on the mountain. Climbing atop coyote, Eagle rode up the hill.
On their way through the foothills, Coyote and Eagle encountered humming bird drinking from the sweet nectar of the blooming poppies. Eagle, letting his hunger get the best of him, pounced on humming bird and was ready to feast. Coyote sat on his haunches watching this scene unfold. All of a sudden, untrue to his nature, Eagle stopped his natural killer instinct and invited humming bird to a meal in the cave on the mountain. Thanking Eagle for his hospitality, humming bird and Eagle climbed atop Coyote and rode further up the hill.
Not much farther up the road, a lumbering beast came out of the brush and stood square in the trail. His horns filled the sky with menacing greatness, like an oak tree standing before a man. Elk, the strongest and wisest beast in the forest, stood in the pathway of the traveling party. "Where are you going with that Eagle and humming bird, Coyote?," asked Elk to the Coyote. "We are traveling to the Cave on the mountain, where we can stand before the power of the mountain and share a meal together."
Amazed at the sight of Eagle and Coyote and Humming Bird working together, as a family, Elk joined the group up the hill. He even offered to carry the three, something an Elk of his stature would never consider.
At the top of the hill, the group of four feasted together on earth's great treasures: fish, beef, enchiladas, and baked mac and cheese. While they lived different lives, shared different dreams, and labored in different fields, the group agreed to meet again once a week, because nothing could be more fulfilling than sharing a meal with a group of friends. And so they did.
___
For this meal, we ate the following:
- Chipotle Lime Shrimp (Petersen)
- Cheese and Chile Corn Bread (Dyett)
- Fried Corn and Bacon (Crowley)
- Molasses Bread (Crowley)
- Enchiladas (homemade sauce) (Team Kansas: Anna, Jennie, and Stacie)
- Chile Relleno (Bartik)
- Tortas with stewed chicken with Avocado (Betsy)
- Ice Cream - Butter Pecan - "Because Pecans are from the South" (Daniel)
Below is the invite to the group:
Let's do a noche on Monday evening, 7:00pm. It is Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, and it is also following a great American tragedy in Tuscon, AZ. Our President has asked us to expand our "moral imagination" to be more inclusive, to use discourse in a way that reflects sound character, and to believe that America can always be better, an will be.
To pay respects to the region of the country that has been at the center of this tragedy, let's have a southwest themed dinner. Do a little research on some Native American tribes that come from the area. You can cook their traditional food, or tell the group their story. The region also has a strong Mexican influence. New Mexico, for example, does a lot of cooking with green chiles.
Part of this noche is learning more about a people that are not a part of mainstream America, a la Dr. King. Part is to represent the folks who we know our hurting, and need support. Think of the meal as a Tapas style dinner. You are charged with making a main dish that everyone can share a small part of. A dish alone would leave us hungry, but our dishes together will make our appetites fulfilled. Just explain to the group if you are doing a "main" or a "green." Main = dinner type dish, green = salad type dish.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Anna's Strawberry Salad
Ingredients
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Strawberry-Salad-I/Detail.aspx
- 1/2 cup fat-free creamy salad dressing (ie: Fat Free Miracle Whip TM)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/8 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
Directions
- In a small bowl, mix together salad dressing, milk, sugar, vinegar, and poppy seeds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Combine lettuce, onion, strawberries, pecans, and red bell pepper in a salad bowl. Toss with dressing.
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