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February 2023: Tacos Are For Lovers & Pals

This year, in honor of our favorite love filled holiday, we celebrated Feb. 14th with a Mexican inspired feast! Gathering inspiration from many sources, we combined traditional family specialties, a tried and true recipe from William Sonoma, AND a custom cocktail by our favorite in-house cocktail connoisseur! Gather your partners, pals, and pets and join us while we celebrate love!

Shrimp Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw, Mango Salsa, and Guacamole‍

‍Leila & Andy’s Corn Tortillas

1 1/2 cups masa harina

2 tbs flax seed oil (or any neutral flavored oil)

About 1 cup water (more, as needed)

1/4 tsp salt

Tortilla Press Zip Lock Plastic Bag, cut along the sides

Cast Iron Skillet

‍

Instructions:

1. Combine masa harina and salt in a large bowl.
2. Stir in oil.
3. Slowly pour in water while mixing with your hand or wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a ball
4. Divide dough into 12-16 pieces (depending on your desired amount of tortillas), lightly flour, and roll until each piece forms a ball.
5. Place one side of your plastic bag inside tortilla press, add dough ball, and cover with other side of the plastic bag. Close tortilla press, flattening the dough ball. (If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can roll them out with your hands to a diameter of 4-6 inches.)
6. Preheat skillet on medium heat and cook tortillas 1 or 2 at a time, until brown spots appear on the bottom (about one minute). Flip and cook each side for an additional 30 seconds.
7. Wrap the cooked tortillas in a towel to keep them warm; serve immediately or cool and store tightly wrapped in the fridge for a few days.
8. Yields 12-16 tortillas

‍Williams Sonoma Spicy Shrimp & Red Cabbage Slaw

‍‍Shrimp:

2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled & devained

3 tbs canola oil (we used safflower oil)

1 tbs plus

2 tsp chili powder

1 tbs plus 1 tsp cumin

3 garlic gloves minced

1 bay leaf, torn in half

Red Cabbage Slaw:

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tbs Canola oil (we used olive oil)

2 tsp sugar

3 cups shredded purple cabbage

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, stir chili powder, cumin, garlic, bay leaf, and oil.
2. Add shrimp and stir to coat. Cover and refridgerate for an hour.
3. In a large bowl, stir together vinegar, oil, and sugar until sugar dissolves.
4. Add cabbage and cilantro and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Remove shrimp from refridgerator and discard bay leaf.
6. Heat your pot or grill pan on high heat and add oil or cooking spray. Cook shrimp until opaque.

Mango Salsa

2 ripe mangos

1 small red onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1/2 lime, juiced

salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut mangos into 1/2 inch chunks.
2. Add diced onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice.
3. Stir together.
4. Add salt to taste.

Valeria’s Oaxacan Guacamole

2 avocados

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1 small green pepper, or jalapeno if you like it spicy!

1 small white onion, chopped

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 lime, juiced (more to taste)

Molcajete or large mortor & pestle

Instructions:

1. Add onion, pepper, and lime juice to molcajete.
2. Use pestle to crush ingredients to release juices.
3. Add avocado and cilantro and continue to crush and combine with pestle.
4. Stir in tomatoes.
5. Add salt, pepper, and lime to taste.

‍The Beekeeper’s Ration

‍Jeff, our very own cocktail connoisseur, treated us to this special cocktail, concocted especially for our Valentine’s feast. A twist on a traditional margarita, this original drink swaps Triple Sec and simple syrup for Benedictine and Orange Curacao. Mezcal adds a note of smokiness, while a rim of chili, citrus, and salt creates a well balanced and refreshing experience.

‍Cocktail:‍

1 1/4 oz Mezcal

3/4 oz Benedictine

3/4 oz Orange Curacao

3/4 oz lime juice, strained

1/4 oz water

Ice

Rim:

Zest of one orange

Zest of one lime

1/4 tsp Cobanero Chili

1/4 tsp Aleppo Chili1/8 tsp Aji Amarillo Chili

2 1/2 tsp salt

Note: If you cannot access these specific chilis, you can swap out for other chili powders for a variety of different flavors!

Instructions

1. Place your coupe glass in the freezer to chill.
2. Combine zest, and chili powders, and salt in a small bowl or plate. Break up clumps. Should be dry to the touch. If wet, add small amounts of salt until dry. Set aside.
3. Remove glass from freezer and use a small lime wedge to wet the rim of the glass.
4. At a 45 degree angle, tilt the rim of the glass into the plate of salt, and rotate glass until the entire rim is coated with the salt mixture.
5. Add all cocktail ingredients to shaker. Add Ice and shake vigorously.
6. Double strain into coupe and enjoy!

‍Setting the Table

‍Nothing sets the mood quite like a well constructed tablescape! In honor of our colorful fiesta, we chose two of our newest monochrome products: the Loon Striped Table Runner and the Loon Speckle napkins. These pieces add movement and interest, without clashing with the colorful dishes on the table. Building around these patterns, we selected 2 different colored placemats to offest the variety of patterns and textures on the table, and add an element of fun and festivity. Modern, elevated, and fun, our final tablescape was the perfect backdrop for a home cooked meal with friends.