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I have been craving Mexican food for a little while. This long weekend gave me some time to be able to stay home, cook, bake and photograph my food. How happy this woman is!!!
Mexican is screaming "Taco" !!!! Yeah I am going to make a Tacos' night. I have pork tenderloin in my fridge so let's make it ...... How am I going to cook it ? Well, let's go back to last month. When I wrote about chocolate, I mentioned something about cocoa-spice rub. The depth of flavor comes from chocolate, Anho, Chi-pole and corainder. All kinds of flavors make this a home run Seared Pork tenderloin with Mexican cocoa-Chile spice rub. Including if you have Cabernet or Shiraz at home, both would pair well with this " Roasted Mexican Pork tenderloin with cocoa spice rub".
Sweet and tangy go together well. " Mango Salsa" , sweetness makes this taco more balanced.
Menu plan:
What we simply call the home run taco: depth of flavor, tangy and creamy slaw, sweet from the mango and spicy from the cocoa rub.
It is Spring .... Fresh Vegetable are here.
No Jar for Salsa. It is easy and simple to make- only 6 ingredients.
Menu plan:
- Salsa with tortilla chips recipe - Seared Pork tenderloin with Mexican cocoa-Chile spice rub recipe - Orange pound cake recipe - Spring Fresh fruit salad recipe - Homemade Ginger Ale recipe
Taco component:
- Mango Salsa - Cabbage slaw - Guacamole - Pickled jalapeno - Queso Fresco - Cilantro - Lime wedge - Corn tortillas 
Creamy and tangy with fresh cilantro!!!!!! Greek yogurt keeps this light and healthy.
Not too much cream because I need some room for creaminess from the guacamole.
Last but not least "Homemade ginger Ale"
This infused ginger syrup makes a great home run ginger Ale and cocktail. The outcome is a touch of spiciness from ginger with great warmth after the taste.
Orange & lemon juice in the cake make this citrus yogurt pound cake more balanced. The orange juice glaze gives sweetness to the cake. I also added fresh fruit salad compote along with Pound cake. Sweet, tangy and fresh mint mixed it all well with "Orange pound cake". It feels like Spring in my mouth.
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Afterwards, we went to State and Lake for brunch . This place is a great spot for brunch. If you are in Chicago visiting, I suggest you should try out their menu. The place is very welcoming with great service from the server. I had Egg white Omelet- a great combination of mushroom pesto and goat cheese. And yet the star is going to be tavern potato, potato cooked perfectly and outside it is a little crunchy which I like very much. Bread pudding " French Toast " is amazing- soft and creamy inside with a little crunchy outside with meyer lemon mascarpone on the bottom. Mannnn , I can have this French Toast every single morning !!!
What a fun weekend!!! Nice weather with 75 degrees in Chicago this Spring. A lot of things going on around this busy city. Parties , Event , wine tasting, concerts, beer brewing and all kinds of fun activities. One of the most popular Marathons: The Michelob ULTRA Chicago Spring 13.1 miles on Sunday 17th May, 2015. I was not in this Race..... I don't have any shame to say :) ... Even though I love to go to the gym and eat healthy. I was in a few races last year but not as much as 13.1 miles. I decided to show up at the race to cheer my friends instead.
Two of my friends were in the race yesterday; Misa Duroskova and Leeann Nel. I am so proud of them both !! Thumbs up for both of them. The race by itself is tough enough,but more than that is the training process. They were training for 7 weeks, woke up at 5 am then ran in the cold weather in Chicago. It was not fun at all.... And they did it , week by week , mile by mile ... and then yesterday they finished it beautifully. So that is why I was there to support them because we are friends and they worked so hard. I am also proud because I know the story behind it and I also love the energy and spirit from so many people in the race. Full of spirit !!!
This brings me back when I baked this yummy and colorful cupcake last St.Patrick's day , " Red Velvet cupcake " ; this recipe is from Magnolia. ( More from Magnolia: Recipes from the world-Famous Bakery and Magnolia's Home Kitchen). With the St.Patrick's day decoration.
The famous one from Magnolia shop is going to be Red velvet cupcake.The richness of cocoa plus the smooth cream cheese frosting on top. So gooodd !
But then I took them for a real treat " CUPCAKE " . So we went to Magnolia for a great cupcake.
I walked in, and all of a sudden I knew I should order Red Velvet. I have always loved Red Velvet cupcake from them. This cupcake reminds me of the Red Velvet cupcakes I made on St. Patrick's Day. 
Ingredients
Steps Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. Bake for 20 minutes ( cup cake ) , or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack. When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake with Creamy Vanilla Frosting.
Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, Vitamin C and rich in calcium. Kale sulforaphane; however, steaming or stir-frying does not decrease sulforaphane as much as boiling.
The various types of kale also maintain a lot of crunchy texture and nutty flavor , which makes them excellent for stir-fry. 
Ingredients
Servings 2 For Kale 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil 1 lbs. kale , chopped into bite-size ( about 10 cups) Pinch of salt For Pork 1 Lbs. thin slice pork tenderloin 2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tsp. fresh minced galic 1 tsp. Paprika powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon sesame oil 3 tablespoon chicken stock or water 1 tsp. sesame seeds, plus ½ tsp. for seasoning Pinch of salt and pepper Step In a medium bowl add soy sauce, Paprika powder, brown sugar, sesame oil and pepper. Let it marinade at least 20 mins. In a medium skillet over medium heat with oil, add salt and garlic. Stirring, over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add kale and raise the heat to medium high. Stirring together, in about 2 minutes. Put it in the bowl on the side. Use the same medium skillet over medium heat with oil, add garlic. stirring in about 30 seconds. Or until garlic turning a little brown. Add marinade pork in to the skillet, keep stirring and repeat in about 4 minutes. Add chicken stock or water, let it simmer in about 3 minuites. Add sesame seeds. Stirring together. Pour on top of stir-fried kale. Serve with rice or serve over rice. You can also use Jasmine rice , Korean rice or White – brown rice for healthy selection.
One more day for Mothers Day which means we better have a pretty cards, Flowers, art projects or menu ideas for MOM. In Thailand, we celebrate Mothers Day on August12 in every year. And I count both days ( 2nd Sunday of May and August12 ) for my favorite day of the year. My mom loves to hear me say thank you for twice a year not :) . We better to say thanks or thinking about them in everyday. There are a lot of ideas to show them an application. Here's the inspiration to thanks ; 1. Menu ideas - BB (Brussels sprout & Bacon ) Frittata : Easy and yummy Breakfast serve with salad or toasted! whatever you would prefer. - Cheddar cheese and scallion scones : can be light Breakfast or put in the basket with the flowers. - Thai Green Curry : this is one of my mom favorite :) 2. Gift Ideas 
Small and bright color for MOM. My mom loves to collect small plates collection.
photo from Surlatable http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-1876721/Garden+Floral+Plate 
The ocean blue erring from Kate Spade New York
Photo from Nordstrom http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/kate-spade-new-york-small-square-stud-earrings/4072838?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=Ocean+Blue&resultback=0 
This is my favorite to give to everyone especially for Mothers Day Photo from : Lily of the Valley https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=444335959069123& 
For Mom who love to bake, also good for decoration ! Photo by Create&Barrel http://www.crateandbarrel.com/white-marble-rolling-pin-with-stand/s141348
3. Art Project Ideas 
Fun Art Project : Made of Egg Cartons Photo by Pinterest 
Tell MOM "LOVE" photo by Pinterest |
AuthorHi, I am Natty! And Thank you for stopping by!! I am a foodie girl who has a passion for cooking, exercise and photography. There are so many favorite recipes from my family and friends I have tried throughout my journey that balances out and makes a healthy meal. I would like to take you on a journey to a different pantry around the world to share my favorite stories and recipes. My hope is that they inspire and benefit you. "You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering, that's the sad truth. Maybe they'll break your heart, maybe you'll break their heart and never be able to look at yourself in the same way. Those are the risks. That's the burden.Like wings, they have weight, we feel that weight on our backs, but they are a burden that lifts us. Burdens which allow us" Bones  Don't wait for the perfect moment,take the moment and make it perfect. - Zoey Sayward- Archives
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