chicken tacos with pineapple slaw & mango salsa

Today it was 85 degrees. What?! It is full on Sprummer here in California. So it is time for a yummy, light recipe that matches the sunny vibe.

Chicken tacos with pineapple slaw and mango salsa

 These tacos were so yummy and definitely hit the spot on a hot day. They taste very fresh and light, but are also packed full so we really didn't have any room for sides.

Make coleslaw in advance, even right when you wake up in the morning, it is always best to let it marinate, it really gets better throughout the day the longer it all mingles in the fridge

 Pineapple Coleslaw

1. Bag of cabbage mix
2. 1 C mayonnaise
3. 1/4 C apple cider vinegar
4. 1 tsp Celery seed
5. 2 Tbsp sugar
6. 1/2 inch chunks pineapple cut from fresh pineapple or from a can (drained and rinsed)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Celery seed is key and it makes coleslaw have that unique "coleslaw" taste haha so don't skip it!! It would also be good to cut back a little of the sugar and add in pineapple juice for a fuller pineapple taste. Cover and put in fridge until dinnertime. Let mingle for AT LEAST 1 hour to get the best taste out of your slaw!

 Mango Salsa

1. Jar of your favorite salsa
2. roughly chopped chunks of mango.

I kid. Kind of...haha thats exactly what I did, and you should do it too because it's way easy. I suggest getting a saucier salsa rather than a pico de gallo because it will be just a tad sweeter to go with the mango. There are tons of great mango salsa recipes online so make it from scratch if you are feeling ambitious! ; )

Other ingredients & Extras

1. Small taco sized tortillas (wheat or corn)
2. Mexican blend cheese
3. Grilled, sliced chicken made and seasoned to your liking 
4. Fresh Avocado 

The evolution of a taco.

1. Melt cheese on to tortilla 2. Add heaping serving of mango salsa 3. Add grilled, sliced chicken

4. Pile on pineapple slaw 5. Top with fresh avocado 6. Skewer that bad boy to keep it closed!

It was so, so yummy and super filling! 

gather. week 5.

I am so behind! Our lovely friends came over like 2 weeks ago!

We had a blast hosting dinner  as always. 

It was the first time inviting over brand new friends and it was so much fun! I feel like I actually got to know so much about them and we were able to relax and talk and share a meal! We also bonded over our mutual love of boston terrier dogs...I am trying my hardest to convince them that they NEED one!

Because it was new friends I decided to do a make your own pizza bar. That way I could get a feel for what our new friend's likes & dislikes were without having to stress about if I made the "right thing" or not!! It was a lot of fun and we all ended up having different combinations of toppings!

 {The dough ended up looking a little ahem...rustic}

While our pizzas baked we had a little charcuterie and before dinner drinks. I know what you are thinking...it looks like a lot of meat, cheese, and bread was consumed this night. Well you are right. And it was delish. 

I blogged about these drinks earlier but for the girlies I made Peach Gin Fizz  & for the gents I made Rosemary Vodka Martinis which we also featured at Greg's 28th birthday party bash back in August.

We finished the night off with our usual coffee & dessert. Our gracious guest brought these delicious chewy cookies from Whole Foods and a vanilla bean ice cream. Hello!

Gather: community dinner #3

 I completely forgot to post this last week, so now I am a week behind with community dinners! 

Whoops! So there might be two posts this week!

We had one of my BFFs over & her boyfriend. I know what you are thinking...we aren't branching out much yet with these dinners! Haha it's true...so far we have had very good friends over each time and not a lot of new friends. Please know that these dinners with good friends are SO overdue!
So new friends being added to the docket soon...but for now oldies but goodies! : )

I roasted a chicken, which is one of my favorite things to do when we have guests.
I just rub the top with salt, pepper, fresh garlic and olive oil and then cut up potatoes, onions and carrots and bake it all at 350 for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours until it is done all the way through and the potatoes and carrots are soft.

We had coffee and cookies after dinner and played Monopoly Deal...which turned out to be super fun...who knew?!

I don't think I will ever get tired of having people in my home! It is a challenge to think up recipes and a pain to wash so many dishes (truth!) but it is so worth it for catching up, discussing deep things, laughing at silly things, and just living life together!

family dinner week 2

Like I said - I am loving this weekly dinner thing. It is so.much.fun.

This week we had our good friends Jake & Kailey over. We know them from church originally and they are one of the neatest couples we know! Love them!

 I thought long and hard about this menu when our CSA box arrived and inside were the most delicious looking figs & peaches. (Among other yummy things!!) I knew the flavor combo would be a winner but as I was doing my morning blog reading I came across the words {grilled peach and fig sliders} on James from Bleubird Blog's instagram post about the Kinfolk gathering dinner she attended. 

Ummm...yummm!

How could I not? I decided to pair it with spicy sweet potato fries and the broccoli was an afterthought, but I do love broccoli, especially oven roasted with parmesan! 

You will be surprised how many sweet potato fries one sweet potato yields. I used 2 for 4 people!

I paired the spicy sweet potato fries with a simple garlic lemon aioli
3/4 C mayo, 2 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice, 3 garlic cloves minced, salt & pepper to taste.

Everything turned out so yummy and it was such a fun night!

I may have made another Pazooki. Maybe.

Sasquatch just love having company! Haha

week 1 - family dinners.

I decided that now that I have more time I want to have friends/family over for dinner once a week. Old friends, new friends, our families, you name it! I also love trying new recipes on my friends, so its a perfect combo. : )

Well this last week we started out with some of our best, dearest, and long time friends and their sweet firecracker of a daughter! I was able to use the homemade cheese & ricotta that I posted last week for a fab pizza party.

I kind of love when the dough looks a little wonky makes it feel more homemade and rustic! 

We made a combo pizza with the ricotta, pepperoni, organic sausage, tomato, & bell pepper. 

and one caprese or margarita pizza...basil was added later.

We ended the night with a giant pazookie that we all shared straight out of the pan with spoons.

I love our friends. I love sharing dinner with them, they are such a blessing in our lives!!