simple suppers: tacos

i’ll be the first to admit i get into dinner ruts. i’ll become completely uninspired and reach for the same 2-3 meals on repeat, and while there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that, all i really need to break out of it is a picture.

an image of something quick and easy i’ve made before, that just isn’t on my radar at the moment. that essentially sums up my love of pinterest - i need that small kick to remind myself of what else i can be reaching for.

in this case - tacos. they’re one of those rut-on-repeat meals yet all I need to elevate them is a touch of pre-planning. homemade cilantro lime rice, a swap of carnitas or flank steak (or even grilled chicken) instead of ground beef, and if we’re feeling fancy, a bottle of mandarin jarritos.

i’ve shared this before, since it’s my go-to on cinco de mayo, but we stopped at el molino central in sonoma county once after a hike in sugarloaf state park and grabbed two mandarin flavored jarritos to go with our lunch. it was one of those meals that was so memorable because a) we were post-hike starving. and b) it was genuinely amazing food. the combination of being so hungry, the food being so delicious, and being in such a beautiful setting on vacation, has led us to the conclusion that mexican meals are best when paired with that soda.

so all we need to incorporate some of that best-ever-vacation life into our everyday are a few simple swaps. and special soda.

roasted corn

as a lackluster salad eater, i’m of the opinion that oven-roasted veggies are a best kept secret to getting in some fibrous servings without a struggle. seriously, if you roast anything long enough it caramelizes and gives you an almost french-fry esque bite. i also think this is exactly the kind of thing more people would prepare and eat with greater frequency if they knew how easy it was. in this case, the roasted ears of corn are a yummy, easy, and filling addition to a summer meal - you don’t even have to worry about overcrowding your pan since we place the ears right on the oven racks.

prior to this little discovery i usually hesitated to purchase corn in the summer unless i specifically knew we would be headed to a bbq. my parents always prepared corn on the grill, so that was the association i always had with it. turns out roasting is almost better - you need no special equipment (other than your oven) and roasting brings out this lovely flavor in the corn. serve with butter, salt and pepper - it’s so deliciously classic.

| ingredients |

fresh corn
butter
salt + pepper

| method |

preheat oven to 350 degrees. remove the outermost layer of the husk (leave the rest of the husk on) and trim the silk of your cobs. place them directly on the oven rack and roast for 30 minutes, until the husk has browned and corn is fragrant - a kernel or few may be lightly toasted. once done the husk should be easy to peel from the corn.

serve immediately with butter, salt and pepper. that’s [literally] it.