It’s the
final count down!! Dela dah, dela dah dah (Trying to recreate the famous song...you
could listen to it here instead).
Hello loyal blog
loving friends, so this is it, the final bite of my Delicious Dozen Challenge,
where did 2014 disappear to huh?? This past year has been action packed for me
between learning to cook one bite at a time, working with the most amazing
people on the best ever Commonwealth Games, starting my training to become a
massage therapist, setting up Auburn Cakes and getting a new job it’s been
non-stop. It has been hectic but wonderful all at the same time.
When I
started the Delicious Dozen challenge in January I knew I wanted to learn to
cook authentic Mexican food because it is hands down my favourite cuisine EVER!
However, I made the very foolish mistake of saving the best till last, stupidly
forgetting that eating in December is like no other time of year... it’s
Christmas so all the rules of cooking (and quite frankly sanity) go out of the
window! I honestly think it is justifiable to eat every two hours in December.
There is always a cheeky mince pie, slice of Yule log or Cadbury’s rose with
your name on it and every actual meal involves vast quantities of roasted
things... turkey, ham, veggies, potatoes... which you of course over indulge in
first time round and then again when you squash it all together with some
cranberry sauce and a couple of sprouts into the ultimate leftover sandwich. Was
it just me or did anyone else not have time to feel hungry during the whole of
December??
This gluttony combined with Auburn Cakes' busiest month to date (I
made my usual weekly delivery of cakes for Caffe La Ronda throughout the
festive season, but I also made a birthday cake for my lovely new colleague Wendy as well as being commissioned to cater a toddlers' Christmas party)
means I have been flat out and generally bloated.
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| Baked goodies for the little ones Christmas Party. Thank you for the business Lorna! |
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| Happy Birthday Wendy x |
So, now you
see my problem blog reading buddies, there was hardly any time to whip up Mexican
delights. With my lack of time I thought I would just focus on my ultimate
Mexican dish, fajitas. I love love love fajitas, they are delicious and fun
because you get to play with your food at the table, how much fun is that?!
For
years I, like I suspect millions of others have been trusting my Mexican dishes
to the good people from Old El Paso. I think their packs of seasoning and
various Mexican meal kits are great so I thought I would do a taste test to see
if it is worth investing the time in making it all from scratch.
Old El Paso Fajitas
As expected
these were great, super tasty, messy to eat and reliably filling.
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| Not the most glamorous photo but they tasted sooooo goooood! |
Real Fajitas
Amazing!!
This recipe really was excellent, the flavour was smoky, the peppers crunchy
and the chicken was tender. It smelled just like when you get fajitas in a
restaurant on one of those amazing smoking, spitting, skillet things. I would
say it wasn’t super spicy, just flavoursome which suited me just fine but for
those of you who like things to be hot hot hot then add those optional chilli
flakes and maybe up the seasoning in general. One thing I had to leave out were
the green onions, I have no idea what they are, maybe one of my American
friends can help explain seeing as this recipe is on a US website?
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| Lovely spread! |
Real Guacamole
Fresh, zesty
and seriously moreish. This really was sooo much better than shop bought
guacamole which I think tastes a bit artificial even when it’s meant to be
fresh, it looks a bit too green! I think shop bought is also a bit over
processed, it’s too smooth, I quite like a few chunks of avocado in my
guacamole.
We initially
tried the guacamole as directed by the recipe but then I added two secret
ingredients which transformed it from being great to being outstanding! We had
some of our close friends visiting for New Year and for blog research purposes
(of course) we ate at a new Mexican restaurant in Edinburgh. The owners also
run the well known and highly rated Bon Vivant restaurants and have recently
taken over TexMex on Thistle Street and turned it into El Cartel. They have a
tiny menu focusing on authentic homecooked Mexican food and it is delicious.
They served their guacamole with crumbled feta cheese and pomegranate seeds
sprinkled on top. I’m not sure if I believe they are super authentic additions
(sounds a bit more middle class, Edinburgh/ Waitrose-esque to me) but I am glad
they did because I copied their idea and it was brilliant. I will not be buying
guacamole readymade ever again. If you try this recipe please also try it with
the two extra special additions, you won’t be disappointed.
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| Thank you El Cartel |
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| My version...not bad huh! |
*Sadly I have
just read on Facebook that El Cartel had a fire at the restaurant on the 5th
of January so will be closed for a while. When they re-open you must promise me
to get down there sharpish, it is well worth it.*
Real Salsa
Again I was
pleasantly surprised by how good this tasted. With my mild palette I was cautious
on the amount of chilli I put in but you can vary that according to your own
tastes. I just chucked all of this in my little food processor and it turned
out just right, a bit chunky but still smooth enough to spread inside our the
fajita wraps.
Real tortilla chips
This is
something I saw on Pinterest and thought would be a fun, easy addition to the
table and basically just another vehicle for eating as much guacamole and salsa
as possible. I did have a tiny little fire in the kitchen while making these (I
put the tray of chips on the hob while it was left on...ooops...I shouldn’t have
made so many jokes about fire blankets in my last post) but don’t let that put
you off, I know none of you are that stupid! Anyway they were a yummy extra and
looked quite impressive despite being super easy.
So how does
real Mexican food compare to Old El Paso... real Mexican wins hands down. I
know, it’s annoying isn’t it, you wanted me to say the packet was better so you
could stick to what you know but you should seriously try these recipes. You
know me, I don’t do anything complicated so it won’t take you much longer than
sprinkling the packet mix.
Well, that’s
it folks! The Delicious Dozen challenge is complete. It’s sometimes been a
struggle (cooking is so much harder than baking!), I’ve had a couple of truly
spectacular disasters, a small fire and my cupboards are now full of a vast
array of herbs, spices and random ingredients which I may never use again but I
can now proudly say that I can cook (and not just bake)!! We are saved... we do
not need to live on cake for the rest of our lives!!
Now I know
you are all on the edge of your seats wondering what cooking/baking wonders 2015
will bring.......well you (hopefully) be pleased to hear that I am setting yet
another challenge for myself....round of applause for the 30 with 30 Challenge.
Yes folks, I
am turning 30 in a few months!!!!! Arrrrggghhhh how did I get that old?!?!
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| How can I be turning 30!!?? Hand me the wrinkle cream immediately! |
In
order to embrace my entrance into a new decade my challenge this year is to
have thirty new eating experiences, (whether that be making a new dish at home,
taking a cooking class, eating at a different restaurant or just tasting
something exotic for the first time) with thirty different people. I have loved
my cooking and baking challenges over the past two years but I have always had
more fun when I have been sharing my tasty treats with friends, family and
sometimes complete strangers.
So this coming year is all about you guys, it's
sharing my love of cakes, curries and culinary adventures with friends old and
new, near and far. I will of course keep you all updated by sharing my recipe
tips, restaurant reviews and anecdotes about those lovely people I am sharing meals
with. I’m hoping this year of turning the big 3 0 will be give me the chance to
spend time with people I don’t see very often and maybe make some new friends
and food loves along the way. So if you would like to help me embrace my
thirties get in touch. You may have to help me apply my anti-wrinkle cream, and teach me how to wear lipstick (real, gown up ladies wear lipstick right?) in
between our eating adventures but hopefully that won’t put you off!!
Thank you for
reading friends.
Happy 2015 y’all,
wishing you health and happiness and delicious eating for the year ahead!
X Linds x
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| Happy New Year from Dave (my editor and better half) and me xx |
P.S My
beautiful, talented friend Lydia, AKA blogger extraordinaire is also doing a 30
related challenge, her NYC 30 before 30. If you do one new thing this year is should be
to read her blog, it is AMAZEBALLS xx Love you Lyds xx
Thanks Linds! Cannot WAIT to read all yours... and to do a 30 With 30 challenge with you :)
ReplyDeleteLydia Cake xoxox
P.s. I love the sound of feta and pomegranate on top of guac! I will be stealing.