A little bit of This and a little bit of That....

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Today I feel like I should post something holiday appropriate but I didn't really plan that well. Back in February I posted a great recipe for Pulled Chicken Tacos that will be delightful today though not entirely Mexican. We have also enjoyed great tamales from Heirloom LA along with "homemade" sides that you might find to be a wonderful addition to today's menus.

Not sure if this is the "this" or the "that" but I came across a few sites this week that I found extremely interesting.

Social Security Administration Baby Names Site

This site lists the top baby names for the past year and also includes a full database of names with search functionality. I am obsessed with names (babies not so much) so this is one of those pages I could play with for hours. What did I learn about my own name? The year I was born was the second most popular year for the name Gretchen with a rank of 198. That must be why it seems the highest percentage of my fellow Gretchens seem to be my age. In fact, there were two Gretchens in my kindergarten class. Another fun site for names that includes meanings, drawbacks (formally listed as "teasing nicknames"), etc. is BabyNamer.

American English Dialects

When you order a sweet carbonated beverage do you order a pop, soda or a Coke? Okay, maybe this site doesn't break it down into regional vocabulary but it does discuss dialects throughout our country. It's a little difficult to maneuver but still interesting. I was a little disappointed to see that the "Cleveland" accent has yet to make the page but hopefully one of you will straighten that out.

Have a great day, drink lots of tequila, and tell me all of your crazy stories and or share your recipes for whatever delicious Mexican food you whip up today!

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 3

So this week we didn't go all out with the cooking. Amie brought over some delicious tamales and sides from Heirloom LA and we just added to that already delightful feast. The item of choice was Trader Joe's Latin Style Black Bean Soup. While it is already pretty flavorful, we turned it up a notch with Tapatio spiked non-fat Greek style yogurt and chives.

Speaking of non-fat Greek style yogurt, this is a staple I highly recommend keeping in your refrigerator. Besides eating it as is (boring), you can do so many things with it and keep your calories low. Examples:

Sauces/Spreads

Besides the Tapatio version above, I've also done the following:

• Garlic & Red Wine Vinegar to make a healthy aioli spread
• Olive Tapenade to try to mimic the delicious fry dipping sauce from Nordstrom Cafe at Westfield Topanga. (Still needs work but was pretty good.)

Desserts

Frozen yogurt popsicles - yogurt, berries (I used frozen berries that had been thawed.) and a little sweetener (I use artificial sweetener.) in the blender. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze!

I plan to keep experimenting but would love to hear if you have created a great substitution or recipe with this style of yogurt.

While I'd love you all to be registered users and followers of my blog, I have changed the settings so you can comment even if you choose not to register. I'd love to hear your feedback on this and any other topics!