Tacos- If You Don't Mind Pretension or Provocations

I chose to review Tacos: Recipes and Provocations by Alex Stupak because my husband and I love tacos and he is always impressed by food that seems a little more authentic. When I looked at the cover, the word "provocations" made me pause- it sounds pretentious and I wasn't quite sure how it fit with tacos.  The good: the recipes and photos are interesting enough without being too difficult for the most part. The bad: the book is pretentious.

Tortillas: If you are interested in making your own tacos from absolute scratch (including grinding your own masa), this is the book for you. Although he scorns flour tortillas as an "American" distortion of Mexican food, he also has a recipe for them. 
Salsa: There is a salsa for every occasion in this book, including tomato based and salsa verde. 
Tacos: Chicken Tacos with Kale and Salsa Verde sounds delicious. Chicken Tacos with Chilmole sounds interesting. Pineapple Tacos with a thin slice of lardo (where would you find that?) and Beer-Braised Tongue Tacos are not ones I would even be interested in trying. 

I had never heard of Alex Stupak prior to this book, but within a couple of paragraphs, I could tell that he had spent some time with notable chefs. His tone is a bit arrogant and he is (what I would consider) a food snob. He wasted no space referencing his time as a notable pastry chef at Alinea or wd-50. This all wouldn't be so hard to read without that word: "provocations." I believe he used the word to describe" food for thought", but for me the word was described as in the dictionary "action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately" for this is how I felt when I was reading it. Throughout the book Stupak continued to tell readers how Americans view Mexican culture and Mexican food.

p. 14 "Our proximity to Mexico means that, over time, its cuisine has become familiar; we've taken a kind of ownership of it." 
p. 15 "... about the way we value- or undervalue- ethnic cuisines." 
p. 88 "When you get into the more involved preparations here, you really start to see how Americans are still limited in the way we understand and characterize certain Mexican foods." 
p. 112 "Of the holy trinity of American proteins- beef, chicken and pork- beef is the least consumed in Mexico. And yet here in the United States, our revisionist version of that country's cuisine casts it in a starring role." 

At this point I was sick of hearing how "Americans" think. Stereotyping Americans is the same as stereotyping Mexican food. Stupak's arrogance really turned me off from this book. Also, Mexicans are Americans too. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books, but obviously the opinions are my own. 

Menu Planning and Flexibliity

I don't know about you, but I begin the week with the best intentions, but so many things can sideline the best of intentions. This week I caught a bug which kept me on the couch relaxing as best as I could with two young children. Not an easy task! This is a real-life comparison between planning and what actually happened. 

Meal Plan for October 4-10

• Sunday- No plan as usual (help!) but Kevin made Grilled Cheese sandwiches and Tomato Soup
• Monday- Stuffed Shells
• Tuesday- Fish Tacos
• Wednesday- Dinner at my Mom and Dad's
• Thursday- Salmon Caesar Salad
• Friday- Barefoot Contessa White Pizza
• Saturday- No plan yet ;)

The actual meals for October 4-10

• Sunday- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
• Monday- Fish Tacos (Kevin made these when he got home from work because I decided I would make my own sauce for the stuffed shells and was way too tired to take this on.)
• Tuesday- Blueberry Muffins and Scrambled Eggs (Kevin in the kitchen again!)
• Wednesday- Stuffed Shells
• Thursday- Planning to go to my parents' for dinner
• Friday- Planning on pizza...

It is so easy for the "plan" to become derailed, but a plan is better than not. I try to keep staples in the house so we can still eat something that we like and a bit healthy so we aren't always tempted to order pizza!

My Approach To Meal Planning

Nothing makes me feel more prepared for the week than planning my meals in advance. I love looking at my calendar and seeing a week's worth of meals, writing a thorough grocery list, and (hopefully) shopping once a week. I also love pouring through my favorite magazines (Everyday Food, Cooking Light, Food Network), cookbooks (Barefoot Contessa, Giada DeLaurentiis and so many more) and, of course, Pinterest to find recipes that inspire me to cook. 

However, with two young kids, I often found myself discouraged by making dinner too late, choosing a difficult preparation, or having to hold my one-year-old while trying to chop, stir, and read a recipe. After one disastrous week where I had to tell my husband at least two times that I didn't have a "real" dinner that night, I had a breakthrough. I needed a list that I could refer to while meal planning. It needed to be flexible, include meals that my kids would eat, and take no more than 45 minutes to make. 

Compiling the list was easy. I assigned each day a different category:

• Monday- Italian
• Tuesday- Mexican
• Wednesday- Dinner at my parents'
• Thursday- Breakfast
• Friday- Pizza

and began writing. I easily filled up two months worth of meals with no repeats, except for pizza. My strategy for the weekend is a bit more complicated- we often have plans or errands that keep us out of the house on Saturdays, or make have friends over for dinner. Sundays are now filled with football and whoever we invite over to watch the Seahawks win. Unfortunately I often still have to go to the grocery store on the weekends and often spend more money than I think I will. Maybe one day I will be frustrated enough to create a plan for the weekend too!

Meal Plan for September 27-October 3

• Sunday- Dinner at Kevin's mom's house
• Monday- Pesto Pasta with Goat Cheese and Chicken (Ethan loves this so much that he talks about it in his sleep. I usually get my pesto out of the antipasto bar at Central Market and a rotisserie chicken. I added spinach and goat cheese as well and pine nuts if we have them)
• Tuesday- Easy Weeknight Chicken Tacos
• Wednesday- Dinner at my parents' house
• Thursday- Chicken with Mushroom Soup (Sear chicken tenderloins in a oven-safe skillet or cast iron pan. Take the chicken out and add diced onion and mushrooms. When both are soft- 6 min- pour one can of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup into the pan and whisk to combine. Bake in a 350 oven for 10-15 min until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is bubbling.) We served this with Baked Parmesan Zucchini (similar)
  
• Friday-Cast Iron Skillet Brussels Sprouts Bacon Pizza (I love to use this dough recipe Perfect Pizza Dough and either freeze one half of the dough or make the Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks)
• Saturday- Ideas needed ;)