Welcome to my NE Ohio urban grotto! Take a good look too, because I’m actually in the process of moving from here soon. Regardless of where I hang my erotic hat though, the doors will always be open; letting the outside in and the inside out.
Be sure to give a big warm shout out to both Donna George Storey and to Marina St. Clare for coming up and spearheading this wonderful spicy, blog tour idea! Clap, clap, clap, clap. Thank you for letting me participate.
Oh, and one more thing, before I forget, I’d like for each of you take a packet of cilantro 
seeds with you before you leave today, so you can continue to enjoy the aromatic flavor of cilantro in your own little corner of the world at a later date.
I’ve set up a big, movie screen out here on my secluded patio, where by the way, clothes are always optional. I selected the clip from the film below, before the lovely, Gina Marie mentioned it last week on the equally lovely, Erobintica’s spice tour blog stop. It’s one of my all time favorite books that was made into a film: Like Water For Chocolate. This film celebrates the mystical connection found between love/lust and food.
Yes, say it with me everyone, “Oooooh, la, la!”
I love everything about cilantro. I love the smell, the flavor, and the tickling softness of its leaves when I bury the tip of my nose into a vibrant green bunch. I love how the name ci-lan-tro easily rolls off my tongue, like the call from of a seductive siren; luring men and women into kitchens everywhere for a sexy cooking lesson. Dishes created with the tangy, parsley-like leaves are always spicy and sexy.
So, where did the Spanish influenced sexy spice, cilantro come from?
It turns out cilantro is from the genetic tree of coriander. Cumin, anise, fennel, dill, carrots and celery are cilantro’s kissing cousins too.
I was first introduced to cilantro’s sexiness in a past life, when I lived in Spain. I’m not kidding. I just I know I must have lived there before. Does anyone else feel that way about a place, or maybe a person? Is there a spice that conjures up a sexy place or a sexy person from the past for you? Please feel free to discuss, because guess what? That’s our discussion topic for today.
Okay, okay, okay, I can almost see the blank looking faces out there after I said, past life, so I’ll start over. I was first introduced to cilantro when I lived in San Diego, the place that I grew up. I spent a lot of time getting in and out of trouble at the neighboring country of Mexico. Because of my past life, my taste buds grew painfully bored of my mother’s Irish and bland cooking, so naturally, I sought out a spicier cocina. I found dishes like fish 
tacos, wrapped in warm corn tortillas, with snappy, cole slaw, mixed with cilantro, fresh, racy salsa and thin slices of lime on the side. Or lobsters grilled to succulent perfection, with a side dish of rice, infused with cilantro and lime.
These delectable Spanish dishes were usually served with cold cans of Tecate beer, 
which is considered the poor man’s Mexican beer. It’s also what I’m serving today. Don’t forget to grab a lime; I sliced up quite a few for today. For those who prefer wine, I do have Cava chilling on ice. I like to sip on tequila, so please, Neve’s casa is tequila friendly and I do like to share.
I find that I use cilantro all year round, but in the summer, when the days are long, and hot, and I’m wearing little to nothing at all, I love running my fingers up and down the healthy stalks and gently pulling on the delicate flowery tips; letting the spicy goodness ignite my senses.
In celebration of my past life regression, I’m serving delicious fish tacos that I mentioned and have pictured above. I’m quite sure I first savored these when I lived another life in Spain - and then again in this life when spending time in Mexico. I also love a big, luscious, green salad to go along with the tacos too. Mmmm, I think I’ll toss it with my homemade cilantro dressing.
Who’s hungry? I’m going to go get started preparing our food, but please I’ve made some chips, salsa and guacamole for you to nibble on while I’m gone. Between chopping and slicing in my cocina, I’ll be sneaking back in to learn more about everyone’s first sexy spice memories. And perhaps after a few beers, cava and tequila, you’ll tell us about your past life regression experiences also.
I’m turning the volume up on a few of my very eclectic assortment of Spanish influenced favorites for your auditory pleasure. It’s great having you all here. Thank you for coming. 
Vaya con paz
Neve Black
p.s. If anyone is interested in the fish taco and or cilantro salad dressing recipes’, please let me know. I’ll be happy to send you a copy.
This post sure made me hungry! I love cilantro too, and I’m with you on even liking the word itself.
Hmmm, early sexy spice recollections…um, none is coming to mind at the moment, but I can offer you a perhaps somewhat amusing story that highlights some major culinary ignorance on my part. (Heh…so much so that I’m not even going to tell you how recently it took place. ;)) So one time a good friend and I went to a Cuban restaurant, where she ordered some fabulous mango salsa (which I imagine was full of cilantro!). I found it delicious and not too spicy, so I was eating quite a bit of it. She also ordered an appetizer of ceviche (also likely full of cilantro!).
Okay, so I am forced to admit at this point in the story that I simply had no idea what ceviche was (I grew up in Iowa, where such things did not seem very common in my experience). I love seafood, though, so I was happily munching away at this ceviche, alternating with the salsa and eventually noticing that my mouth felt like it was turning itself inside out. I said to myself, “Jeez, I must not have noticed how spicy that salsa is; I’d better take a break from it,” and thus focused not only on eating the ceviche exclusively but also thought I would eat an extra amount of it since it was cool (temperature-wise), and I thought it would help cool my mouth off.
HELLO. When I eventually voiced out loud the experience I was having, my friend explained to me that one of the main ingredients in ceviche was habenero chillies. Right. Lesson learned.
So, that was not particularly sexy, lol, and it also makes me look like a bit of an idiot, but hey we’re all friends here right? Hahaha. Lovely post, Neve, and I’m off to bed now but will be back later for more fish tacos and to see others’ likely sexier stories of spices!
My first exposure to cilantro (in it’s raw form, that is) was in San Diego too. I grew up eating Mexican food, so I had it as an element within dishes at a younger age, but the first time I truly tasted raw cilantro, I wasn’t sure if I liked it.
It was in a small Mexican family operated restaurant on “F” street a few blocks east of the Gaslamp district, and it was in a bowl of soup. Big chunks of green leafs floated atop the soup. The flavor was so distinct, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But I was there with a Mexican friend and didn’t want to look like a tourist so I screwed on a smile and sucked down every last drop. By the time I finished, I’d made up my mind. I loved the stuff. To this day I don’t remember what kind of soup I was eating, just the taste of that herb.
I gave up the fact that I was a tourist (in the culinary sense, I did live in El Cajon at the time) and asked him what the green leafs were. My friend had lived in the states for a number of years, and did not bear even a the slightest hint of Spanish accent when he spoke English, but he said cilantro with his native accent: see-LAHN-trro (with a slight trill on the r.) A word as beautiful as the flavor.
To this day, I often say the word just the way he did, and I adore the flavor. Give me a nice fresh bunch and I’m bound to pluck a few sprigs and just suck on them.
[...] in Uncategorized tagged Spicy Summer Sundays Blog Tour at 6:50 am by Lady Stone Over at Neve Black’s! So hurry over! She’s showcasing cilantro with movies to watch and clothing [...]
Hi Em.
I loved your story. Hey, we’ve all been virgins to foods at some point in our lives..unless of course we shared the experience in a previous life, right? I can actually see you there now; mouth on fire; taking another bite of the ceviche and wondering WTF is going on here?
p.s. Emerald, I have a feeling you’re incredibly sexy at whatever you do…:-) Sweet dreams. Talk to you later.
Good Morning, Craig!
I had a feeling cee-lahn-tro would conjure up your previous SD experience. I know exactly where F Street is in SD. Oh, and this is totally unrelated to today’s post, but do you remember the F Street Bookstores? Your comment about F Street made me think of it now. Funny.
I can’t imagine what type of soup that was that you were tasting that day, but it sounds traditionally classic in nature: sprigs of cilantro, rather than chopped up. Yum.
Every year to celebrate my past life and my love of Spanish culture, I have a Spanish fiesta. I make all lots of tapas, sauces and dips and I use bunches and bunches of cilantro. My finger tips smell like onions, garlic, lime and cilantro for days afterward. I love it!
Thank you for sharing. It’s good to hear from you. How are you?
Lady Stone,
Thank you for the shout out!
Oh, Neve, this is fabulous! Thank you so much for putting on this beautiful fiesta and seducing us with luscious music and prose and stories of culinary adventure. I must, must, must have this cee-lahn-trro dressing recipe, perfect for summer salads. And thank you for the seeds as well–do I see a cilantro vibrator hiding underneath perchance ;-)?
I think I’m going to try cilantro stalks the next time I make my Bengali soup.
I truly believe food is a portal to other times and places and while the practical Capricorn in me might call it mere imagination, there is another part of me that feels otherwise. I remember sitting in Christiana Campbell’s Tavern in Williamsburg one summer night when I was about fourteen, eating a nutmeg apple tart and gazing at the reflections of the other diners in the thick, uneven window. The flickering candle light, the strange, strong taste of the spice (as I mentioned before, my mother used salt, pepper and cinnamon in our house), the weird distortion of the glass, it all made me feel as if I’d gone back in time to the eighteenth century.
I wasn’t much older when I got hold of a Time-Life “Cooking of Japan” cookbook and just devoured every page. I was determined to make a Japanese meal for my family, but was stymied at every step. Our house was just too crowded with furniture and stuff to even find a serene empty corner. And the ingredients were all so strange, not available at my Maryland grocery store. So I settled on making my parents eat sweet-and-sour chicken with rice which we ate sitting on pillows at the coffee table. Thoroughly unsatisfied, a few months later, for my birthday I asked to be taken to D.C.’s best Japanese restaurant. There I tasted wasabi for the first time along with raw fish. Again, the utterly foreign tastes and textures threw me off balance at first, but I felt so bold eating it, I knew I’d be back for more. I also associate that night with my first heady hit of sexual power…but I’m rambling on. Best to get another beer and have some more of this lovely salad. Be back soon to hear more past life stories!
I’m doing well, Neve. Very busy lately, but that’s a good thing for me. And yes, I do remember F Street Books!
And I suppose my little story about cilantro didn’t really qualify as past life, just “in my past.”
One of the reasons I wanted to go into the Army was to go to Germany. Now, there was every chance I wouldn’t end up there, but I believed I would. As a matter of fact, I was certain I would. My first duty station was in Augsburg, Germany. A very old Roman outpost with a rich medieval history. I was in heaven there. Not only was I in Germany, but I was in a place with a history!
There was something indefinable that made me feel very at home there. At a Gasthaus near the trains station I once had a cold meat dish that was in a sort of savory gelatin; I don’t remember the dish, but I remember the flavors, both odd and familiar. It was one of the first meals I had “out on the economy” as we used to say. Whether it was the roasted chickens that were served at fests, wienerschnitzel, saurbraten or of course the heavenly wursts, the food was always comforting and familiar.
I’ve often, in my travels, felt the sensation of being in a place before. Sometimes, I’ll try cooking a new dish and find I have a natural affinity; an understanding of the ideas behind the cooking. One cuisine that I have a strong affinity for is Chinese, though I grew up a meat and potatoes Idaho existence. Some music resonates the first time I heard it. Sometimes you meet someone and just connect, though you’ve never really met them (in this life.) Just looking in their eyes, there is a comfort and a familiarity.
So I do understand what you are talking about. At the least, we can glimpse across planes of life on a deeper level, or perhaps we have walked across planes of time, but there is something more to us that just this one life we live.
Hi Donna!
Welcome! I’ll probably post the cilantro dressing recipe here today, because it’s really quite tasty.
“…A food portal to other places….” I really love that. It’s so true too. I know the thought of living another life might be a difficult for some to believe in, and I’m wondering if those that have traveled to other lands will understand that deja vu flavor/feeling more so than people that have not. I also know I’m somewhat of a wingnut too; with my planetary predictions and now past life regressions, and maybe what we’re feeling is where our ancestors walked, or ate a similiar apple and nutmeg tart. Like Craig mentioned how at home he felt when he lived in Germany. There’s an inherent connection I feel when I travel to Europe. I just feel that connection very strongly in Spain.
I’m not sure if anyone knows this, but there are trading paths that are marked from Italy all the way to Greece. Those paths are probably 1,000 years old. I remember walking a short distance when I was in Spain and thinking, “Which of my ancestors walked this very same path as I’m walking now…” It gives me goose pimples just thinking about it now.
I’m sure for every erotic writer out there, there’s some sexual scandal that’s hidden somewhere in the blood line; maybe that began centuries ago. In my family, I don’t have to go back centuries. I had a Great Aunt (my grandmother’s sister) that lived in New York City; she had many, many lovers and never married. I always thought her life was so exiciting, but our family tried to hush her lifestyle; that wasn’t the proper Catholic way to live, you know. Her spirit lives on inside of me.
Please stay for as long as you’d like. It’s great having you here.
Hi again Craig,
I actually enjoyed your past cilantro experience: homemade authentic Mexican soup with lots of fresh cilantro? Delicious!
“…we can glimpse across planes of life on a deeper level, or perhaps we havewalked across planes of time, but there is something more to us than just this one life we live….”
How gorgeously stated, Craig. I can’t agree more too.
I think the key is to keep an open mind to the posssibility that there’s more to life than what we see or what we think we know. To me it’s similiar to art. For example, you may not like a piece of music, a style of writing, or someone’s framed masterpiece, but just tell your mind to shut the hell up and simply appreciate it for what it is. We don’t always to believe this or that, we can just be.
Thank you for coming today. It’s wonderful having you all here. It’s gorgeous day too. It’s almost like being in Spain.
[Lured here by the whisper of ci-lan-tro on the summer breeze ...]
Hola!
Since we’re reminiscing … “Spanish Flea” by Herb (as in Alpert, not as in herbs & spices) was a favorite of mine when I was around six years old! My mom had collected a few HA&TTB LPs, and at a certain point I started spinning them on my own initiative, with that track the #1 hit in my head. Later on, I forgot about Herb for a while, but in adult life I came back to him and explored the vintage catalog more thoroughly.
Also in adult life [segue alert], I became cilantro-aware. Though I’d always liked Mexican food, I wasn’t exposed to a lot of the more authentic and varied forms of it until the ’90s, for whatever reasons (partially because of living in the northeastern U.S.). I found I really dug the sharp/fresh twinkle that cilantro added to salsas, etc.
What a super-duper summery fiesta, Neve! Thanks for letting us bring our outsides in and our insides out!
[Eats, like, a pint of guacamole in thirty seconds flat.]
Hey Jeremy!
Thank you for sharing your auditory memory of HA&TTB. Both my parents were big fans, so I grew up listening to the vinyl too. Remember the LP with the woman covered in whipping creme? I thought that was so scandalous, and looking back now, it’s quite amazing we had that album in our house. It must have snuck pass my mom’s no-sex radar. haha.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the guacamole too. Today, the food and beverages never run out.
Thank you for stopping by Jeremy. I keep saying this, but it’s great having you here.
Ew, I just realized the “insides out” in proximity to eating a lot of food quickly might have sounded like I was alluding to, um, nausea. I promise that’s not what I meant! Sorry ’bout that. Just a poorly thought-through transition on my part from sexual innuendo to guacamole lust. : )
LOL, Jeremy!
You’re so cute. I didn’t think of your comment in that way at all.
It’s okay to blame anything and everything on guacamole.
We didn’t have Whipped Cream and Other Delights when I was a kid (we had only three of the eight or so albums then available) … but evidently everyone else in America did, because I noticed in the ’80s that this LP was at EVERY yard sale. : )
And as you may know, the album cover has been repeatedly parodied.
Blame it on the guaca nova?
No, no, no…yard sales? I think a piece of my heart just broke. Don’t you miss the vinyl days? Am I so dating myself here?
I’m wondering if the album cover was a Saturday Night Live skit at one point? haha.
Haha! That’s good, Jeremy!!
Oh, I love cilantro. I have some in my front garden. I’ll put a picture up. I have actually had cilantro interventions by the man. “Three times the recommended amount is not just a ‘pinch’ more”. Damn!
I adore Tecate and I think the first time I became aware of cilantro and Tecate and putting lime in beer was the year I lived in CA. We went to this tex-mex place that put fresh chips on the table and salsa so fresh and spicy and perfect you fell in love.
Speaking of love (and spice) love Lyle!
Thank’s Neve! I’ll pop back in later, but for now I am chauffeur for graduating fifth grade class of no name grade school Maryland. Yesterday I hosted party, today I am transport to another. Saying ‘transport’ makes me think of Transporter 3 that i just watched night before last. Which makes me think of nearly nekkid Jason Stantham. Which brings me right back to spicy again! Caliente!
xoxo
sommer
We had Whipped Cream, of course being the bland predictable American family we were, and I’m sure the cover photo was responsible for the success of the album. I can only imagine how many sexual fantasies that ignited–licking off the whipped cream, hosing off the whipped cream, rolling around in the whipped cream…
Neve, your great-aunt’s life sounds like a novel waiting to be written! And I would love to read it :-).
I totally agree that a writer especially benefits from “keeping an open mind to the possibility that there’s more to life than what we see or what we think we know.” There is magic in life and that’s what makes magic in writing, too.
Like Craig, I’ve also felt many instances of deja-vu, both culinary and otherwise, in Europe especially (but also in Japan, the smell of miso soup drifting on the evening breeze, the taste of mom). There is certainly a German connection, but that even makes rational sense, since I come from German stock. I’m also oddly drawn to Russian cooking. Not sure why. But maybe that’s another one of those magical connections?
Hey Sommer–I’m on graduation duty this weekend, too, entertaining visiting family, etc. But I did convince everyone to have tacos at our favorite taqueria today. Lots of cilantro in the salsa. Where/when did you live in CA?
Hi Neve! Oh, how wonderful. Cilantro is such a juicy, sexy herb. The flavor is bold and bright, like you!!!
I moved from Oregon to Phoenix all on my lonesome right after high school. I got a job as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant and learned real quick all about LIFE and SPICE after growing up on tuna casserole, jello salad and pot pies. My Mom has since expanded her culinary repertoire but back then it was the standard white bread stuff. We never had cilantro on our hotdogs or mac n’ cheese. In the Southwest, however, food and cooking and even food preparation, seems to have a life of its own. I have only fallen deeper in love with Cilantro and spices in general over time, as I continue to explore and experiment and play with my food!
Thanks so much Neve, what a party! And I love your delicous movie clips!
–Gina
Movie and music clips, that is! Cha-cha-cha!
Hi Sommer!
Oooh, how cool that you have your own fresh cilantro growing in your yard. It smells so good.
I think California must be the gateway to cilantro lovers here today. It’s the Mexican food connection. You can put a Tecate beer into this handy-dandy cooler and take a couple to go. :-0
I know you’re having a busy graduation weekend at your house. Thanks for stopping and sharing your memories.
I love Lyle too. He’s as homely as a hedge-fence, but damn there’s something smooth and sexy about him. Love his lyrics. Love his really, big….band too.
Thanks again for stopping. Great having you here.
Hi Donna!
That damn sexy whipped creme album sure got around the fine USofA, didn’t it? haha.
I never thought about writing a story about my Great Aunt, but she was somewhat a firecracker in our family and for that generation too.
It’s wonderful to ponder all the possibilities of life; past, present and future. I know each one of us as writers share the ability to keep an open mind to what’s unclear about life. Let’s face it, it keeps things exciting!
Donna, more cava, or are you having tequila, mis amiga?
Hi Gina Marie!
Life and spice as a waitress in a Mexican restaurant. Boy, little chica, I’ll say!
Yeah, keep an open mind and you just never know what kind of new spice you’ll stumble upon, eh?
Thanks for stopping. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for being here.
Cha-cha-cha-cha!
Switching drinks makes for a bad hangover, doesn’t it? But I’m a sucker for tequila with worms in it, lol. I’m off for a bit to have some grilled soft tacos with that lovely cilantro salsa, but I’ll check back soon!
Hi Donna,
I gotcha! Tequila with the worm? Hay carumba!
Oh, I wish I could kick back with you all and have some Tecate—I love it, too!
Now, to go watch all the videos!
XXX,
Alison
Fish tacos….yum. Moe’s Southwest Grill near my work used to have fish tacos, but they discountined them about year ago. And I’ve been dying for some ever since. So, yes, the recipe, if you please, ma’am!
(every time I ordered them, all my punk-ass co-workers always expected me to make some lewd immature comment about fish tacos. But y’all know I’m waaaay above that, right? Right?)
Great post! Thanks, Neve!
-Haven
Neve,
I have all sorts of herbs in my garden. I must confess (seems I am always confessing these days!) I don’t use any of them for cooking. I really should! For now, they make my yard smell lovely.
I’ve had many moments of deja vu. I even had a past life regression once. Very interesting stuff! I do believe that we have lived many lives and have a soul group that is in each life playing different roles in some cases.
Now pass the tequila please.
xo
gigi
All this talk about Herb Albert reminds me of my father’s collection. He had a lot of “south of the border” style jazz music, such as Herb Albert. One of my faves back then (that I would also spin on my own) was Sergio Mendez and Brasil ‘66. Though I was a youngster then, there was something magic in that music that made me feel a bit older; a bit wiser than I was. It just seemed so sexy and smooth, unlike the awkward youngster I was.
I’m like you, Donna, can’t switch drinks without paying the price, but damn that tequila looks good, and gotta wash it down with a Tacate!
Neve, we’re having gorgeous weather in my neck of the woods too. Mid ’70’s, dry air (like what we know out west.)
Perfect day.
Perfect host.
Ah, a cold beer and fish tacos and chips and salsa & guac! Just the thing after a busy weekend. I grew up in San Jose, Ca. and fresh salsa always had a bit of cilantro in it - in fact, fresh salsa without cilantro just doesn’t taste right to me -it tastes too much like the kind in jars. I’ve grown cilantro too, though not lately - I’ve had trouble getting it started - I wonder if the deer like it too!
My brain is somewhat fried, so I can’t think of any past spice things - but I know they’re there. I will pop back when I think of something.
Thanks Neve for having us over - moving or not! Now I think I’ll listen to some music while I munch.
Oh Neve, this is wonderful! I love cilantro but here in Italy they don’t know it by that name, is that the mexican word for coriander I wonder. Here it’s coriander leaf and I have some in the garden and make as many excuses as I can to use it. It goes very well with a citrus (lemon) ginger sauce for baked fish as well. Yum. I so miss Mexican food and Asian food which you just don’t fine near here, so I have to make it myself every so often.
Music is wonderful too, love Herb Alpert and Lyle is one of my all time favs, mostly his large band jazz fusion period. Barcelona is a lovely place and doesn’t even wake up before 11 PM, right?!
In another life I must have lived in Italy because I am so at home here I feel like it’s always been home.
Thanks for taking us on such a scent-uous tour of cilantro!
I’ll just sit in the corner and drink beer on an empty stomach, soon to be filled with salsa, chips and everything else.
:: Standing with Jeremy at the guacamole looking like they are having a contest to see who can eat more faster ::
Jeez, I feel like I lost track of all the things to which I wanted to respond in this plethora of fabulousness! Such a beautiful party, Neve. Thanks again!
Sommer, I so cook like that too — “three times the recommended amount.” Lol! I generally ignore the requested amount if it’s something I like.
Donna, I loved your “rambling on” (as usual), and doesn’t it seem so interesting that you were drawn to Japanese food at such an early age before you probably ever imagined that Japan would feel so significant to you?
An interesting observation, Neve, about whether such inklings of connections beyond our usual mind patterns seem to come out more in far away lands. I have not traveled overseas much at all (historic fear of flying over the ocean), but there are places I feel drawn to that I would like to go. It’s funny, I was just talking to “Rick” about this a few days ago — we were talking about where we would each like to visit in Europe, and eventually I said, “You know, I have these ideas about where I would like to go, but it occurs to me that really, I have no idea how I would actually feel affected by any of these places. Historically it has been the energy of a place to which I have felt I responded — so I might think I don’t have a particular interest in going to a certain place but upon being there may find myself captivated by its energy, and vice versa.” The inexplicable energy of a place has historically been one of the most prominent things for me in whether I have enjoyed being there or felt like I wanted to go back. This applies not only to things like states or countries but down to things like restaurants, parks, even rooms, etc. It seems a little hard to explain.
But anyway, back to the far away lands topic, there are places I do feel drawn to go to and would like to sometime. Even being at the World Showcase at EPCOT held a certain exotic appeal that seemed to remind me of this!
Hi Alison!
Thanks for stopping. Wish you could kick back and drink Tecate? Pulls up chair and insists that you stay.
Hey there Haven!
Yes, I’m sure you’re above the sexual reference to fish tacos. Yeah, right!
Discontinued the fish tacos at Moe’s? What the hell? That’s outrageous! Was there a protest?
I will indeed post a recicpe for you.
Gigi,
You have been confessing a lot there, girl. What’s going on? Is erotic blog land some type of catharsis for you? Maybe?
Wow! You’ve had a past live regression? Holy crap! You’ll have to send me an e-mail, or if you feel comfortable, sharing that with us. I want to hear about that.
Here’s the tequila. Need a lime?
Hey again Craig,
I’ll have to consult with some of my jazz musicians about Sergio Mendez. I have a friend that plays lot of Spanish jazz, and I’m sure she’ll get me dialed into this cat.
Oh, what the hell, you only live once (in this life) have some tequila and beer…better yet, has anyone tasted the cava? It’s fabulous!
Robin!
Hey girl. I think I knew that you spent time in NoCal. I bet the deer are getting high off the cilantro.
No worries on not remembering past spice memories. Have some tequila, that’ll solves everything.
Thanks for stopping and commenting and sharing.
Isabel!
Yes, coriander and cilantro are essentially derived from the same family. I wonder if southern Italy uses more cilantro than where you are, Isabel?
Ask me anything about Barcelona and I know it. I loveeeee Barcelona. It’s such a fantastic place. It was magical for me. And yes, they don’t usually wake up until after 11ish and there’s no sleeping until sometime after 5:00 a.m.
That’s cool that you feel right at home where you’re at. I think I could probably have my arm twisted and live in Lucca, which is pretty darn close to you. That was a great walled city.
Thank you for stopping. It’s great to hear thoughts from Italy.
EllaRegina!
“Nobody puts baby in the corner.” You knew that was coming, right? haha!
Welcome and please have as much beer as you’d like. I’m working on those tacos, chica.
[I love Lyle too. He’s as homely as a hedge-fence, but damn there’s something smooth and sexy about him. Love his lyrics. Love his really, big….band too. ]
I don’t care whatcha look like if you’re a poet. I consider good lyrics poetry. Which is why I am a rabid, maniacal Counting Crows fan!
DGS, I lived in CA a thousand and one years ago when I was 18. For one year. People went to the beach on Christmas day. I sat inside and cried. I moved home to MD and the four seasons including snow on Xmas that year. But I miss that salsa and I miss popping to the beach. I lived right near the Spruce Goose and the Queen Mary in an unnamed town that I still fondly remember.
Neve, when the wind blows out front it either smells fresh and green like cilantro or like pickles! It depends. I put a photo up on my blog to pimp your day.
xoxo
sommer who is going out now to grab the *other* child…sigh…
Hi again Emerald,
Me thinks you can’t go wrong traveling anywhere. Pick a place and go. Don’t let the fear of flying stop you. It’s so wonderful to experience another culture. I think I’ve learned to become more tolerable of people and to better appreciate what I have since I started traveling. To feel, see, smell, taste and learn how someone else lives has made me look deeper inside, which essentially has widened my perspective. I hope I’m kinder and more forgiving because of that. Hey, it’s a work in progress though.
Thank you so much for stopping back and pondering these thoughts with all of us.
I could live off of guacamole. Srsly. I’m sooo hungry after reading this! Oh! My first run-in with cilatro was during a stay in New Orleans. Good times…
Hey Sommer,
It’s funny how the really good things about someone make you see past their flaws. Yes, Lyle is one damn good poet. I have a friend whose really physically beautiful, but she’s so damned selfish that I find her behavior and her looks stomach turning at times. I can only take her in small doses, because when it’s always about me, me, me, me, me, I tend to get bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. :-0
Yes, I was one of those that not only went to the beach on Christmas Day, but if the waves were kicking, I’d be surfing too.
I know you’re having a busy weekend, so thank you again for stopping back and commenting. It’s great!
Pickles? Are you by a pickle factory?
Hey Cora!
Welcome. One of the great things about blog touring is the food never runs out. Please take an extra 10 helping of guac. It’s good for you, you know?
And you come back here with that…”my first run-in with cilantro was during my stay in New Orleans” comment. Please share. I have a feeling there’s s delicious story there.
Neve Black’s Fish Tacos:I would recommend an ocean fish that’s mild in flavor, and that’s also meatier, like shark, or swordfish.
You can prepare the fish on the grill, which is really nice in the summertime. I marinate my fish in lime, fresh chopped cilantro, salt, pepper, and if you like it hot, add the hot spice.
You can either chop your own red and white cabbage, or buy it pre-chopped in the bag. Add one bunch of chopped cilantro, a little milk and mayonaise to the mixture, to soften the cabbage. I’ve also added cumin, all-spice and finely chopped hot peppers into this mix. You can create your own cole slaw variations as your family and friend’s tast buds dictate. I’ve seen this made with clementine slices too. There’s no wrong way to make the slaw mixture.
Take two small, corn tortillas and grill them until they’re slightly brown. Put one inside the other.
Put a few pieces of cooked fish into the tortilla; squeeze a little lime and then add the slaw. You can add fresh avocado, or guac, and salsa. Serve with limes on the side.
These are delicious crowd pleasers. Be sure to make plenty, because guest might turn their noses up to the idea of “fish tacos”, but after they get a taste, you’ll be grilling fish unitl the cows come home.
Neve’s Cilantro Dressing:
All these items listed below go into a food processor, or food chopper:
Take one full bunch of fresh cilantro, wash thoroughly and cut most of the stalks off. Discard stalks, or use for another recipe.
One capful of lime juice, or a squeeze from a fresh lime.
One clove of garlic.
4 parts Olive Oil to other ingredients.
Smidgen of marmalade.
salt
pepper
Mix together and pour directly over your salad. It’s a wonderful, fresh and lively dressing.
Enjoy!