To Pineapple or Not to Pineapple?

So Mario and I and some of his roommates had a few tacos for dinner and after we were all cleaned up, I went ahead and trashed the kitchen again with a few new recipes of my own creation.

First up, I made some roasted corn salsa with fresh peppers, cilantro, lime juice and tequila. I attacked the boys for gratuitous feedback to ensure maximum awesomeness before I decide to include it in a potential cookbook. The overwhelming conclusion was that it had great heat and the perfect consistency but would be just right with the addition of a tropical fruit, pineapple in particular. Mario, who does not appreciate any sweet or fruity salsas vehemently denies this. After a long discussion about the flavors, we arrived at a decision: I am redoing and canning for his mom and her friend, Amy. I am going do everything pretty much the same except for a few ingredients that seemed to get lost in the mix: I am going to double the roasted corn, add a lot more salt, some more cilantro, and CAREFULLY more tequila. Then I am going to separate and add the pineapple to half. Then we will do the whole sterilized mason jar + hot liquids trick, and take them to the other side of the state for more opinions from serious foodies. Depending on their feedback, I will either add and subtract til its just right, or "Sweet Corn and Cuervo Salsa" with be a ready recipe for the still nameless cookbook project.

Rice and Beans with Chorizo and Creamy Cheese Sauce. Rice and beans, pretty standard as far as Mexican food goes, I think. But I also added chopped chorizo, which I was thoroughly excited to use for the first time. Basic cheese sauce with a touch of sour cream to top it off. End result, too much beans, not enough rice. The boys ended up eating it with tortilla chips like it was bean dip. It also had a really chili-ish flavor to it, which I suppose was good but nothing outside the box, and I definitely did not get any chorizo impressions from it at all so I absolutely need double or even triple the amount. I felt like the cheese sauce was good but didn't really stand out much from the rice and beans. It was delicious and super rich on its own, but it was meant to be a cool contrast to the spiciness. Maybe more sour cream next time. Who knows?

Anyway, heading to Spice Traders tomorrow, always a delight! Whole vanilla beans imported from Madgascar, how can that not be exciting?!? Hopefully I don't spend too much. Also hoping to head back to World Market soon, that place is great too. Also, Whole Foods was recommended to me today. Temptation, thy name is unique and foodie-coveted goodness.