pear french toast, quesadillas, tacos and chimichangas

we really don't go out to eat often but i have a friend that works at a restaurant in boulder that i haven't seen in forever, like since we worked as waitresses together at a different restaurant.  so i made it a girls only morning and took tesla with me.  it is only open for breakfast and lunch but it was packed.  what i like is that their menu is small, simple, unique and different.  i seriously hate when a menu has pages of items because i won't read it.  if they are a twist on ordinary items then i say showcase it.  that is what tangerine is like.  here is their website: tangerine.  tesla was spoiled with lots of chocolate chip and mixed berry pancakes and i ordered french toast brioche that was covered in pear sauce and cinnamon butter and i was sooooo good!  price are good and it is family friendly.  definitely a place to visit :).

pears and cinnamon? yes, please!

i got this recipe idea from a friends Facebook page.  the only thing i took from it was the cocoa rub: cocoa.  i didn't use a roast but a thin sliced round tip.  i doubled the recipe for the rub and then squeezed lime juice on top and let it sit.  now i only did the cocoa rub because i had cocoa powder that i use for other baking.  so use whatever you have and whatever you like.  i know, i was told that my street tacos are not real street tacos but i have found sooooo many street taco recipes and not really sure what makes a "real" street taco when it comes to ingredients but we just used a few things that i knew the family would eat.  some diced tomatoes and some shredded cheese seemed to please everyone.  plus we used flour tortillas which i was informed was a big no no for good mexican food but while josh and i like them the kids will only eat flour ones.  plus, they were super cheap.  we also made some mexican corn and i was absolutely delicious.  here is that recipe: corn.  i changed out the chili powder for paprika to make it less spicy, and i used sour cream rather than yogurt because that is what i needed.  total cost: tortillas-$1, beef-$5, cheese-$2, tomatoes-$1, corn-$1, sour cream-$1 and the other ingredients i already had one hand = $11

so simple

i made chimichangas last night and totally forgot to take a picture but man were they good.  here is the recipe:  chimichangas.  changes i made were that i doubled the cream cheese and chicken to make them heartier.  i used muenster because it was on sale and i LOVE muenster.  and i used canned chicken because it was easier to use with my poor broken hand.  cooking chicken from scratch would have cost a couple bucks more but i just can't shredded it by hand right now.  also i buttered the pan and brush melted butter on top because cooking spray is really not that good for you.  i topped mine with spicy cherry peppers and served everyone some sliced watermelon.  another simple dinner on the cheap.  total cost:  tortillas-$1, cream cheese-$2, canned chicken-$5, muenster-$3, butter-$1, peppers- i already had on hand, watermelon-$2=$14 (plus mr. nerdy had extra for lunch today and watermelon leftover for dinner tonight).

lastly is a meal that i enjoyed but the rest wanted it plain.  peach quesadillas!  here is the recipe: quesadilla.  i like things a bit different when i cook, just ask any of my old coworkers, and not a standard dish all the time.  i love love love peaches.  but like cherries, i only by them when they are on sale.  i try to shop for fruit that is in season so it is a bit fresher.  anyway, the changes i made were this:  i used muenster in place of jack and queso fresca because muenster was on sale, i used peaches instead of nectarines just because, i grilled the peaches a bit on a cast iron pan, i left out the cilantro because no one here eats it and i used spicy cherry peppers from a jar because they were on sale and the jar of jalapeños was not.  muenster is a good choice because it melt ridiculously well.  but use whatever is on sale or cheap.  grilling the peaches soften them a bit and release some of the juices. i use cast iron because that is what i married into.  i just put a pat of butter on it and let the peaches go.  you can definitely do fresh jalapenos but i like pickled peppers (ew, now that will be stuck in my head) becausei used them in other things and they don't go bad i an week.  i removed the peaches and assembled my quesadilla and threw it back on the cast iron and squirted lime juice into the quesadilla as it melted and cooked.  that was it.  very good and light enough for a summer dish!  total cost:  tortillas-$1,  peaches-$2, peppers-$3,  lime juice-$1 = $7 (and this is for a full family serving but they all chickened out of trying something new and opt for just cheese on their quesadillas.  they're nuts :)!).

shopping trip tip:  if you have access to sprouts that isn't out of the way and can be combined with other shopping if necessary you should try to buy produce from there when it's on sale.  this week i was able to go to sprouts and my regular grocers and bought all my produce for about a dollar less per item then at my regular grocers this week.  don't do this if you have to go out of your way to purchase cheaper items because you will spend more in gas. 

disclaimer: sprouts isn't giving me anything to mention their name. just passing along deal ideas.  and tangerine isn't giving me anything to mention their name.  just mentioning some awesome food!