[1] These fish tacos are made with halibut, but you can substitute your fish of choice. The recipe is below (photo © California Wine Institute).

[2] You can layer on flavor with fruits from avocado and grapefruit to mango and pineapple (photo of ahi tuna tacos © Vital Choice).

[3] You can dice the avocado or serve it in slices (photo © Avocados From Mexico).

[4] Feeling flush? Add some shrimp tacos to the menu (photo © Rio Luna).

[5] Crumbled cotija cheese and other toppings (photo © Cacique Foods | Facebook).

[6] Grapefruit segments are a delicious complement to fish tacos. Here’s how to segment a grapefruit (photo © Vegelicacy).

It’s taco time! January 25th is National Fish Taco Day. It’s a new holiday, created by Rubio’s Coastal Grill in 2018. January 25th marks the day that Rubio’s founder Ralph Rubio introduced the fish taco at his restaurant, founded in 1983 in San Diego—essentially introducing fish tacos to Southern California and creating a craze.

He discovered fish tacos on a college trip to Baja, Mexico in 1973. Fish tacos had been around for…as long as tacos had been made there. But they weren’t known north of the border.

Rubio found makeshift stands everywhere were selling fish tacos. After a few years of enjoying them on his vacations, Ralph thought that maybe someday, he could make fish tacos in the U.S.

He asked the cook at his favorite stand for the batter recipe: flour, mustard, garlic, oregano, pepper, water.

Finally, in 1983, Rubio was able to open his restaurant in San Diego, setting off a demand for fish tacos that’s still going strong.

> October 4th is National Taco Day.

> March 21st is National Crunchy Taco Day.

March 31st is Día del Taco in Mexico.

> The history of tacos.
 
 
IT’S EASY TO CREATE A DIY FISH TACO BAR

How about inviting friends for a fish DIY taco bar. Line up all the condiments and let guests build their ideal fish tacos.

This recipe, from Discover California Wines, suggests halibut, but tuna, flounder, cod, or shrimp are also delicious. There are also less expensive fillets—ask your fishmonger for recommendations.

You can use any kind of fish for these tacos, or shrimp if you prefer. Pacific halibut is lean, with thick flakes, and easy to grill.

Ideally, choose a fish that’s sustainably fished or farmed. Seafood Watch, a project of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, can steer you to the best choices in your area.

For a wine pairing with fish tacos: California Sauvignon Blanc or California rosé.

And Margaritas, of course!
 
 
RECIPE: DIY TACO BAR

For 4 Tacos

 
Taco Toppings For The Toppings Bar

Set out as many of these as you like (some duplicate those in the recipe).

 
Preparation

1. TOAST the cumin. If using whole cumin seed, toast it in a small dry skillet over medium heat until it darkens and becomes fragrant. Let cool, then pound fine in a mortar or grind in a spice grinder.

2. COMBINE the cumin, salt, and paprika in a small bowl. Brush the fish all over with olive oil, then season with the spice mix. Refrigerate on a plate for 30 minutes.

3. PREPARE a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to high.

4. CUT the romaine in half lengthwise, then slice thinly crosswise. Set aside. Put the crema in a small bowl. Whisk in enough cold water to make it thin enough to drizzle. If desired, whisk in finely minced chipotle chile or hot sauce to taste.

5. WRAP the corn tortillas in aluminum foil or a clean kitchen towel. Bring an inch of water to a boil over high heat in the bottom of a steamer. Put the tortilla package in the steamer basket, cover, and steam for 1 minute. Then turn off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

6. TOSS the cherry tomatoes in a small bowl, with enough olive oil to coat them lightly. Season with salt. Put them on a small heatproof stainless grill tray or other heatproof baking dish and set them on the grill directly over the flame. Cook until the tomatoes are sizzling and lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

7. PLACE the halibut on the grill rack and grill without turning until the flesh just flakes, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer to a platter and divide the fish into 8 pieces of roughly equal size.

8. ASSEMBLE the tacos. Put 2 hot tortillas on each of 4 plates. Top each tortilla with some of the shredded romaine, then with a piece of fish. Divide the tomatoes and avocado slices among the tacos. Drizzle the crema over the fish, top with cilantro, and put a lime wedge on each plate. Serve immediately, passing the salsa verde separately.

OR…for a DIY Taco Bar, just hand the fish in tortillas without any toppings, and let people garnish their own.

For National Peanut Butter Day (January 24th), we baked a peanut butter cheesecake. We’d always relied on this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Philadelphia Cream Cheese, but today’s cheesecake took a different route.

 
See below for more peanut butter holidays. You can bake both cheesecakes and decide which you prefer.

> The history of peanut butter.

> The history of cheesecake.
 
 
RECIPE: PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL CORN CHEESECAKE

The recipe was created for Frigo Cheese by Emily Ellyn, Retro Rad Chef.

We are not typically keen on frozen whipped topping, but for peanut butter cheesecake, we’ll make an exception.

Ingredients For The Crust

[1] Whether this recipe or any other cheesecake recipe, you can generate excitement with garnishes from caramel corn to peanut butter cups (photos #1 and #2 © Frigo Cheese).

[2] Today’s recipe is half cream cheese, half whole milk ricotta cheese.

[3] This chocolate peanut butter cheesecake is all cream cheese. Here’s the recipe (photo © Philadelphia Cream Cheese).

[4] There are three peanut butter puff breakfast cereals that you can use for the crust. First up: Cap’n Crunch (photo © Quaker Oats | Pepsico).

[5] The big brand name in peanut butter cereal: Reese’s (photo © General Mills).

[1] Homemade peanut butter is an elevated taste experience. It will last for several weeks in the fridge (photos © #1, #2 and #3 © Hello Fresh).

[2] You can make your favorite flavored peanut butters easily. Here, it’s honey.

[3] Some people want to spread it on bread; others enjoy it on a spoon, straight from the jar.

[4] You can also make almond butter, cashew butter or other favorite (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

Have you made peanut butter at home? Have you seen it being made fresh at health food stores? Well today, National Peanut Butter Day, is an occasion to get out the food processor and process whole, shelled peanuts into delicious peanut butter. It really does taste better than the jarred varieties.

The only challenge is that after you’ve first made it, some of the oil will separate out to the top. No biggie: Just stir it back in.

Or, try this technique we’ve read about:

Store the jar upside down, then shake for 20 seconds before opening it. This enables the oil to rise back up through the peanut butter and essentially mix itself.

This recipe is shared with us by Hello Fresh, which comments, “We’re just here spoon-feeding ourselves homemade peanut butter, wondering why it took us THIS long to make it from scratch.”

Almonds, cashews, or pistachios will work equally well in this recipe.

> The history of peanut butter.

> Check out the full list of peanut butter holidays below.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER

It couldn’t be easier to make your own peanut butter. In fact, it may be a fun task for a kid old enough to use a food processor (or one who’s ready to learn how).

This is a sugar-free recipe, but you can add a sweetener of choice.

See the notes below.
 
Ingredients For 1-1/2 Cups PB

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the peanuts in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until just-chopped. Scrape the sides, then run the food processor or blender continuously for one minute.

2. SCRAPE the sides again, and process for another minute. Keep repeating until the mix becomes soft, creamy, and spreadable.

3. ADD the salt, oil, and optional sweeteners and/or spices, pulse a few more times, and transfer to a storage container. Store for several weeks in the fridge.
 
Notes

 
 
MORE PEANUT & PEANUT BUTTER HOLIDAYS

There are plenty of reasons to cry, but chopping onions shouldn’t be one of them, says Sunions. Sunions, America’s first tearless and sweet onions, are back in season with a fresh crop now available on grocers’ shelves. They’re available nationwide through March, while supplies last.

Sunions are a product of more than three decades of farming, research, and development to create a no-tears onion*. Sunions are not genetically modified (non-GMO), but have been developed through all-natural cross-breeding technique.

The brand promises that each onion is certified both tearless and sweet before shipping to retailers.

Any cook who has sliced into an acrid onion can appreciate a tearless one. When regular onions are cut, they release volatile compounds responsible for making your eyes tear up.

Over time, breeders have been able to identify volatile onions using gas chromatography. They naturally isolate and breed only the onions that would cause fewer (or no) tears when cut.

Sunions are the invention of Rick Watson, a plant breeder working for the chemical company BASF. He began working on the innovation in the late 1980s.

BASF supplies the seeds for the onion. They are sold to growers who then produce the onions and sell them to retailers.

But growing these onions requires special attention and an investment of time. Only top-level growers can purchase the seeds [source].

The onions were first grown in the U.S. Nevada, Utah, and Washington proved to have the perfect soil and environment (terroir†). The result: sweet, delicious, tearless.
 
 
SUNIONS ARE RIGOROUSLY TESTED

Sunions are unique in that their rigorous testing process ensures a consistent flavor unlike anything else on the market. They actually grow sweeter the longer they’re stored, whereas other onions grow hotter and more pungent.

Storage decreases the volatile compounds to create a tearless, sweet and mild onion.

With Sunions, the onions go straight into storage after harvesting.

While in storage, the onions are ​then triple-tested​ ​for​ ​peak​ ​flavor​ ​and maximum​ ​tearlessness.​ Sunions must pass three separate tests for flavor, crunch, and tearlessness, to determine their ship date.

Then, they’re off to a retailer near you: Aldi, Food Lion, H-E-B, Meijer, Publix, Sam’s Club, Sprouts, and Whole Foods, among others.

For more information and a complete list of where to buy, here’s a store locator.

Get yours before they’re gone for the season!

Head to IHeartSunions.com.

 
 
OUR TOP 3 USES FOR RAW ONIONS

We cherish sweet onions for the way they increase our raw onion enjoyment on:

 
What are your favorite ways to use raw onions?
 
 
THE HISTORY OF ONIONS

________________

*The intense flavor and acrid odor of onions are caused by substances called thiosulfinates, which are created when enzymes called alliinases, contained in the onion’s cells, interact with proteins that are also present in the onion. These reactions take place only when the onion’s cells are ruptured by slicing. The result: the strong-smelling enzymes are released to offend your eyes and with most people, your nose.

†Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is a French agricultural term referring to the unique set of environmental factors in a specific habitat that affects a crop’s qualities. These include climate, elevation, proximity to a body of water, slant of the land, soil type, and amount of sun. These environmental characteristics give the wines produced from these grapes a unique character.

[1] Sunions, tearless and sweet onions (photos #1 and #2 © I Heart Sunions.

[2] Slice and chop as many onions as you like with zero eye irritation.

[3] Red onions are popular because of their color, but are often bitingly acrid. Head for the Sunions instead (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[4] Use diced Sunions to garmish almost anything. Here’s a tutorial on how to dice onions (photo © Healthy Seasonal Recipes).

Brew a cup of Cupid’s Cup (photo © Adagio Teas).

“How do we love tea? Let us count the ways,” says Adagio Teas about its Cupid’s Cup herbal tea blend. Cupid’s Cup combines hibiscus, strawberry, and vanilla flavors to brew a cup that’s tangy, sweet, and creamy.

Is it a love potion? There are no guarantees, but it is a caffeine-free tea that’s delicious hot or iced.

And, it’s a zero-calorie Valentine’s Day gift.

A pouch of loose tea is free with purchases of $49+ and is $15 on its own. Mark your calendars: This offer begins February 2nd and ends February 14th while supplies last.

Also check out Adagio’s pink and red teaware for your valentine, plus two additional valentine teas.

For more about Cupid’s Cup, head to Adagio.com.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA