Don't mess with Texas.

When Sara visited last week, she didn't just bring enormous zucchini. She also brought me a huge stash of Texas goodies from her recent trip to Austin. What a swell, swell girl!

This afternoon, I was standing in the kitchen and thought, "I want cornbread. I NEED cornbread!" I remembered my Texas-style mix in the cupboard and was immediately SO happy.

I got these guys in the oven and conferenced with Brad about dinner options. We decided on shrimp tacos and I headed to the store.

A brief note on shrimp: Previously, the only non-Thailand/Vietnam shrimp options were in-shell shrimps, and they weren't deveined. I did that once and vowed NEVER AGAIN. Within the past few months, they've started deveining the shrimp at the store - YEAH! So I've been able to buy exclusively US-caught shrimp. Today I got tricked - only half of the shrimp were deveined (and I bought a lot, a whole pound). I don't know that there are many things grosser than pooper scoopering shrimp. Ok, that's enough. I can't even think about it anymore. * shudder * My point was... If you're going to say you've deveined shrimp - DO IT!

Back home, I decided I would open up the strawberry jalapeno jam from Sara, too. Sounded like the perfect spread to slather on my cornbread.

We've had shrimp or fish tacos quite often this year, so a pretty typical meal here for us - lime-marinated shrimp, lettuce (or cabbage, usually cabbage - today we just had lettuce), avocado, crumbly Mexican cheese, tomatoes, today I had some leftover green onions, and I also whipped up another small batch of the sour cream + lime + water sauce from Friday's taco pizza. I also buy these really yummy green chilli corn tortillas. Definitely one of our favorites. (And still delicious, once I recovered from the pooper scoopering)

Accoutrements. 

Beautiful taco.

As for that strawberry jalapeno jam....

I am officially obsessed. I haven't stopped thinking about having another muffin with jam since I finished the first one (hours ago). I'm pretty sure I will have one as soon as I finish writing... I also did a quick search for homemade jalapeno jam, for when I finish this one off. It is the perfect mix of spicy and sweet, and it makes your lips tingle a little. Texas, you know what you're doing!