after a much needed weekend with some of my favorite ladies, i'm spending this week settling into my thirties.

and a major part of my new routine is cooking dinner for my husband. wtf? serious adulting going on over here.

when living with my girlfriends and even with my parents, i was always striving for light meals. lean proteins, whole grains and salads as a meal were common. 

but wes is a growing boy. not really.he eats whatever he wants and stays consistent or gets skinnier?! 

so while he is managing the restaurant late night and i'm working from home I try to whip up some meatier meals.

his go to request is bolognese, but i've quickly grown tired of the classic version so I decided to spice it up. literally. using chorizo in addition to beef adds great heat and zest. subbing prosciutto for the classic bacon or pancetta helps reduce the grease factor.

beef + chorizo bolognese
serves: 8
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1.5 hours

1.5 lb ground beef. 8oz chorizo sausage. 2oz prosciutto. 4 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 onion, diced. 3 carrots, diced. 2 stalks celery, diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1c white wine. .25c tomato paste. 1lb vine tomatoes, diced. 2tbs fresh basil, finely chopped. 1tbs fresh oregano, finely chopped. c2c whole milk. 1tbs salt. .5tbs fresh ground black pepper. 2lbs of your favorite pasta cooked to instructions. fresh basil & grated parmesan for serving.

special note: in cooking, unlike baking it is important to season each ingredient as it is added in as opposed to adding it all in at the end. every time you add an ingredient into the pot, season it with a few pinches of salt and about half as much pepper. this way your food will be FLAVORFUL instead of SALTY. 

in a large pot, heat half the olive oil over medium heat and add in the onions, carrots and celery. cook until the the onions are softened and translucent. about 5 to 8 minutes.

add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. about 1 minute. 

push your sauteed veggies to the side of the pot, add the remaining oil and add your ground beef, chorizo and prosciutto to the pan. season the beef well with salt and pepper. let all the proteins cook with out moving for 4 to 5 minutes so it gets a nice brown. 

break up the chorizo and beef with your spoon and stir to combine all the meat and veggies. 

when most of your meat is browned, pour in the white wine. allow the alcohol to burn off and the liquid to reduce till it is almost gone. about 2 to 4 minutes.

add in the tomato paste and stir till everything is lightly coated. 

pour in the tomatoes and herbs and stir well to combine. let the tomatoes cook till they start to break down. about 5 to 10 minutes. 

stir in the milk and bring the pot to a simmer. when bolognese is simmering, reduce the heat so that it gently simmers and cover. stir occasionally while the sauce simmers for 20 to 30 minutes until thick and saucy. 

serve over you favorite pasta and top with fresh cheese, basil and pepper.

xoxo
a

beef + chorizo bolognese
serves: 8
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1.5 hours

1.5 lb ground beef. 8oz chorizo sausage. 2oz prosciutto. 4 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 onion, diced. 3 carrots, diced. 2 stalks celery, diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1c white wine. .25c tomato paste. 1lb vine tomatoes, diced. 2tbs fresh basil, finely chopped. 1tbs fresh oregano, finely chopped. c2c whole milk. 1tbs salt. .5tbs fresh ground black pepper. 2lbs of your favorite pasta cooked to instructions. fresh basil & grated parmesan for serving.
special note: in cooking, unlike baking it is important to season each ingredient as it is added in as opposed to adding it all in at the end. every time you add an ingredient into the pot, season it with a few pinches of salt and about half as much pepper. this way your food will be FLAVORFUL instead of SALTY.
in a large pot, heat half the olive oil over medium heat and add in the onions, carrots and celery. cook until the the onions are softened and translucent. about 5 to 8 minutes.
add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. about 1 minute.
push your sauteed veggies to the side of the pot, add the remaining oil and add your ground beef, chorizo and prosciutto to the pan. season the beef well with salt and pepper. let all the proteins cook with out moving for 4 to 5 minutes so it gets a nice brown.
break up the chorizo and beef with your spoon and stir to combine all the meat and veggies.
when most of your meat is browned, pour in the white wine. allow the alcohol to burn off and the liquid to reduce till it is almost gone. about 2 to 4 minutes.
add in the tomato paste and stir till everything is lightly coated.
pour in the tomatoes and herbs and stir well to combine. let the tomatoes cook till they start to break down. about 5 to 10 minutes.
stir in the milk and bring the pot to a simmer. when bolognese is simmering, reduce the heat so that it gently simmers and cover. stir occasionally while the sauce simmers for 20 to 30 minutes until thick and saucy.
serve over you favorite pasta and top with fresh cheese, basil and pepper.

tomorrow is the big day. i'm giving my twenties a big fat french kiss goodbye. 

twenties, you were epic. we laughed. we cried. we learned. there were ups and downs. in relationships and in weight. 

my twenties brought me the two great loves of my life. wesley and food. 

but i'm looking over that ledge at my thirties and for the first time in my life i truly feel like the best is yet to come. 

ok. before i start sobbing at the keyboard about how beautiful life is, let's get to the point. 

i had to learn very early in my adult life that my birthday was not really a special day. 

the second i reached drinking age my friends were no longer concerned with what was happening for my birthday but where we were going to celebrate cinco de mayo. 

now, i'm not looking for anything sympathy. i share my special hours with one of the FUN holidays where everyone wants to party. how can i complain? 

so i've learned to truly embrace this boozy celebration as if it were just for me. 

this year i'm celebrating with these delicious and LIGHT tacos. 

bikini season IS coming...

citrus + tequila grilled shrimp tacos
serves: 2
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 25 minutes

1.5 lbs shrimp. 1.5 c olive oil. 1 c tequila. .5 c orange juice. 1 jalapeño, diced. 2 tbs orange zest. 3 garlic cloves, smashed and rough chopped. 4 of your favorite flour tortillas. 1 lime. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper. cilantro, diced tomatoes, arugula, sharp white cheddar or any of your other favorite taco toppers. 

in a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, tequila, juice, jalapeño, garlic, zest, salt and pepper. 

whisk the mixture until well combined. 

remove the tails of the shrimp by pinching them at their base where they meat the flesh of the shrimp. 

add the shrimp to the marinade and stir well till all the shrimp are coated.

marinate the shrimp in the fridge for thirty minutes to over night. 

soak some wooden skewers for thirty minutes or use metal skewers. 

turn your grill on to a medium high heat. while the grill is heating, skewer your shrimp. dip the flesh side of each lime into the marinade and discard the marinade. 

grill the shrimp until just pink. about 3 to4 minutes a side. flipping once. when you add the shrimp to the grill, place the lime on the grill flesh side down. grill as long as the shrimp are on. 

while the shrimp is grilling. add your tortillas to a cooler part of the grill. grill the tortillas about 30 seconds a side just till warmed. 

when shrimp is pink and cooked through, remove from the grill and serve tacos hot with eaters choice of fixins. 

xoxo
a

citrus + tequila grilled shrimp tacos
serves: 2
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 25 minutes

1.5 lbs shrimp. 1.5 c olive oil. 1 c tequila. .5 c orange juice. 1 jalapeño, diced. 2 tbs orange zest. 3 garlic cloves, smashed and rough chopped. 4 of your favorite flour tortillas. 1 lime. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper. cilantro, diced tomatoes, arugula, sharp white cheddar or any of your other favorite taco toppers. 
in a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, tequila, juice, jalapeño, garlic, zest, salt and pepper. whisk the mixture until well combined. 
remove the tails of the shrimp by pinching them at their base where they meat the flesh of the shrimp. 
add the shrimp to the marinade and stir well till all the shrimp are coated. 
marinate the shrimp in the fridge for thirty minutes to over night. 
soak some wooden skewers for thirty minutes or use metal skewers. 
turn your grill on to a medium high heat. while the grill is heating, skewer your shrimp. dip the flesh side of each lime into the marinade and discard the marinade. 
grill the shrimp until just pink. about 3 to4 minutes a side. flipping once. when you add the shrimp to the grill, place the lime on the grill flesh side down. grill as long as the shrimp are on. 
while the shrimp is grilling. add your tortillas to a cooler part of the grill. grill the tortillas about 30 seconds a side just till warmed. 
when shrimp is pink and cooked through, remove from the grill and serve tacos hot with eaters choice of fixins.