It's so quiet here right now. It will all change in a minute. Felix will throw off the covers and yell, "Mooooommmmyyy!" and Desmond will run down the hall on elephant feet. There will be groggy demands for breakfast and snuggles and stories on the couch. So I'm trying to write fast. And drink coffee.
We went to CicLAvia on Sunday. You? Two days later, the boys are still sleeping it off. It was so, so, so fun. Desmond, fresh from ditching his training wheels, rode his bike 18 1/2 miles.
From our house, we rode to the Gold Line stop where we got off at Union Station and joyously pedalled down the middle of city streets and turned left at McCarthur Park and then leisurely followed Venice Boulevard all the way past the 405 and on to the ocean, where I imagined we would all collapse in the sand for an hour before grabbing our bus home.
But, of course, the dudes ran around, scampered over rocks, built sandcastles, and hopped waves, totally unfazed by the five hour bike ride. I watched from my collapsed position in the sand. Felix finally complained that his legs were too tired and needed to be carried back to his sweet seat on the front of Paul's bike.
Then we waited for a bus that never came, finally set off to pedal home, made it half-way back to Culver City as the sun was getting low and I'm remembering how quickly it turns cold on this side of the 405, and that my kids should be in bed and we're still 3 trains and 4 miles of biking from home, and Desmond takes a huge click-clacking nail in his tire, and instead of even attempting a repair, we call a taxi, we call off a taxi, and Paul books it home and gets the car.
The dudes and I head to the taco shop on the corner with twenty dollars and Michael Chabon's Awesome Man
And there were wonderfully stretchy flour tortillas that extol the power of gluten and have me thinking about the purpose of white flour two days later. I've mapped a route to a tortilleria on Cypress in Glassell Park. I'm not sure if they use lard. I intend to scout it out. I can't stop thinking about this sauce and that tortilla, and something simple between them - probably some sauteed mushrooms and red onions and chard.
I've been making a batch of this sauce every week or two to dollop on all sorts of Mexican food. It's just the thing to add a little spicy richness to a simple bowl of pinto beans. Of course, it's also perfect for dipping your taquitos. And I thin it a little to drizzle on tacos. It's wonderful in vegetable fajitas. It's creamy and a little spicy and smoky and rich. It's often just what dinner needs.
Chipotle Cashew Cream
makes: about 1 1/4 cups
takes: less than 5 minutes
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
Blend until silky smooth.
