What We Ate: a seasonal reminder of dinner at our house.

We eat a lot of tacos. A lot. But really, what's not to love. They can be customized to each individual's peculiar tastes and they make great left overs. We have several regular 'go to' taco recipes but I thought I'd try a new one . This one was attractive because of the "throw it all in the slow cooker and let it cook for five hours" nature of the directions. I followed the directions- mostly- but used chicken breast instead of thighs because that's what I had in the freezer. And I left the black beans on the side. Served with all the sides: cilantro, avocado, sour cream, salsa verde, chopped purple cabbage and pickled red onion. The general consensus was they were good but not awesome and at least 2/3 of the rest of the family thought they were too sweet. Our regular tacos have no sweet, only spice and, apparently, we've grown rather fond of them.

of the homemade variety. We love Chipotle (and I know, lots of people hate it) but for quick-could-be-healthy fast food option, it really is great. A few years ago I decided that on the nights when we didn't need quick, I could probably do a reasonably good version of burrito bowls for a fraction of the price. And let me tell you, I am killing it! These pictures are awful because I didn't even bother with the fancy lights but the bowls were fan. tas. tic. I started by making black beans in the instant pot. I came late to the instant pot cult but I am a full fledged member now and I can convert you too. Here's how I cook beans. Throw some beans in the pot. Enough to generously cover the bottom. Cover with water. Add a teaspoon of salt (you know you're not measuring that), a couple of small bay leaves, some chopped yellow onion (1/4 cup-ish). Set on high pressure (normal) for 20 minutes. Let release naturally for 10 minutes. (Store extra in a mason jar with th...

It's still January. It's cold but the light is coming back and spring WILL come again even though it's hard to imagine right now. Thankfully, will still have remnants of summer in the freezer and on the canning shelves. If you don't have cooked chicken in the fridge, pop a frozen breast in the instant pot for 25 minutes with a half a cup of water. Make sure to salt and pepper liberally. Open a two cans of navy beans (or pull some cooked beans from the fringe - instant pot recipe guidance here ) Find a half pint of salsa verde (on the canning shelf or from the store). Open a box/jar/can of chicken stock. Mix it all together in a pan and let it simmer for 10 minutes or an hour. Serve with avocado, cilantro, tomato, and/or sour cream. Add rice, tortilla chips, biscuits or corn bread on the side for more heft.