By Crystal Hohenthaner
Journal staff

My pastor will be having all the single young adults from our church over to his house next Friday and I offered to help with the food — and now I need the help of all of you creative foodies out there.

We have decided to have tacos for the main dish, which should be easy and we will be able to have some people bring a little something without actually cooking. You know, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce, tortillas and so on.

At first I thought this was a brilliant idea (because it was my idea), but now I find myself hard-pressed to think of any good sides. My mom has offered to whip up a batch of fiesta rice salad for the event — which will be great — but I can’t really think of any other mexican food that you wouldn’t just put on the tacos.

I’m thinking of things like guacamole and queso dip, but what else can we serve with the tacos? Oh, and I’m thinking we might want a good dessert to go along with it all too.

Help me people, I’ve got nothing.

By Tanya Manus

Looking for a good recipe? Put down your cookbook and give YouTube a try.
In my last blog entry, I included a link to a YouTube cook who prepared rhubarb crumble. Finding that video peaked my curiousity. I started hunting for other cooking videos on YouTube and was entertained for hours.
I was surprised by the number, and variety, of home cooks who want to be the next Food Network star. Instead, they have settled for sharing their favorite recipes and cooking tips on YouTube.
There are serious cooks who really want to share their prized recipes - chicken fajitas seem to be a favorite with YouTube users. See a video where the camera zooms in, blurrily, on each secret spice. Watch a young guy carefully and precisely telling you just the right way to slice the veggies. See chicken or beef being chopped and stirred in a pan until it’s just right.
Not a fajita fan? Keep watching. A series of downhome, lighthearted Trailer Park Cooking videos take you into the kitchen of Jolene, who cooks up Baked Donut Pudding, Chocolate Beet Brownies and other artery-clogging stuff.
And in a video that was just too weird to finish, called Pretty Intense Cooking Lesson, a girl in a red silk robe and sunglasses holding an apple and a cleaver was getting ready to do … something. I didn’t stick around to find out what.
Several videos give Web site addresses where you can buy spice blends, trinkets or find printouts of the recipes. I followed one link from a lady who calls herself Auntie Nora. Her Web site is wellwhatnow.com, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that her recipes are quick and proportioned to only make enough for one or two people. This is great news for those of us who are single and get tired of eating the same casserole eight times in a row!
She, like so many on YouTube, has a recipe for Chicken Fajitas. Watch her make it, then try this at home.
Go to http://youtube.com/watch?v=GXHXT8sBsCI

5-Minute Cooking with Auntie Nora: Chicken Fajitas
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 small onion
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. butter
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
2 drops of hot sauce
2 tortillas
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sprinkle of parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded chihuahua cheese (optional)
1 slice provolone cheese (optional)

In a small nonstick pan, heat to high heat and pour in olive oil and butter.  Once heated, add chicken slices.  Cook for 2 minutes, then add in onions, seasonings, soy sauce, lemon juice and hot sauce.  Serve in tortillas with sour cream and cheese.
Enjoy!

So, several fast food chains have recently started selling breakfast in the area. All I can think is that some super-secret information has been leaked from McDonalds about how profitable their breakfast endeavors have been.

Just a few short years ago Hardees expanded it’s breakfast menu. Since then Arby’s has joined in. And recently Taco Johns has joined the breakfast action.

That’s right. You can now get tacos for breakfast.

Well, they aren’t really tacos, they’re burrito thingies. Personally I don’t do spicy food for breakfast. My German heritage and my Irish stomach can’t handle it. But this morning I did go to Taco John’s for breakfast because I had an insane craving for Potato Ole’s.

Now I didn’t have much hope that they would have the lovely golden bits of potato goodness available before 10 a.m. – I mean, McDonald’s doesn’t serve French fries in the morning – but I was pleasantly surprised! I got my Ole’s and started the day off with a kick. Well, as much of a kick as my South Dakotan digestive system would allow.

I don’t think I’ll do that very often, but it’s great to know that the option is there. How about all of you? What do like to eat for breakfast? Does anyone out there gett a craving for fast food items in the a.m. – or is it just me?