CNF-Scarecrow Tostada Food Review

I remember the first time I tried a scarecrow tostada. It was Halloween 2010. I thought it was going to taste like an average tostada. Turns out, I was very wrong.
The scarecrow tostada tasted amazing, juicy clices of tomato were created into a scarecrow nose, a "scarecrow hat", which was really a tortilla chip, crunchy, balanced the flavor of the tomato. The ground beef "face" was flavored with spices. The lettuce "hair" was crispy and fresh. Shiny black olives posed as eyes. Red bell peppers were delicately placed as a mouth. Holding the face together was a crunchy tostada shell. Each ingredient complemented each other perfectly. In a world filled with basic, boring dinners, the scarecrow tostadas had style.
The spirit of Halloween was ringing through the Freire household. My mom, always willing to try something new, was in love with the idea of everyday recipes resembling Halloween objects.  As I walked into the kitchen, I felt like I was stepping into an alternative world, a world that was all Halloween. Halloween music, containing witch cackles and coyote calls, was blaring from the nearby stereo. The wonderful aroma of dinner punctuated the air. The lights were dimmed, in an attempt to create a "scary" Halloween ambiance. My mom was creating the scarecrows with a grand smile stretching across her face.
"How do they look?" my mom asked me, hesitation creeping into her voice.
"They look cute!" I reassure her.
"I hope so...I am determined to make them look as best as possible," she replies, her confidence coming back in every word she spoke.
My family and I sit down at the too crowded dinner table; our chairs are saviors to our tired bodies. My mom serves us our scarecrow tostadas.
Excited smile plastered on her face, she says, "Enjoy your spooky dinner!"
I study my dinner, my plate consists of a scarecrow tostada and a side of Spanish rice, which my mom named "witch throw up". Doesn't that sound delicious? I dive into my dinner, each flavor satisfying my taste buds. Tomato, lettuce, olives, ground beef, tortilla chip, and tostada shell tasted just as good as the first time I tired it. But, I noticed something was different. There was something that was added to these tostadas that wasn't in the original tostadas. Cheese. I asked my mom why she added cheese to these tostadas.
"I wanted to make these different than the first ones we ate. Just to shake things up!" she replied.
The cheese was named "hair highlights". I quickly decided that these scarecrow tostadas were more amazing than the tostadas I tried last year. Scarecrow tostadas became a family favorite. I will be excited to eat them again next Halloween season.

CNF-Scarecrow Tostada Food Review

I remember the first time I tried a scarecrow tostada. It was Halloween 2010. I thought it was going to taste like an average tostada. Turns out, I was very wrong.
The scarecrow tostada tasted amazing, juicy clices of tomato were created into a scarecrow nose, a "scarecrow hat", which was really a tortilla chip, crunchy, balanced the flavor of the tomato. The ground beef "face" was flavored with spices. The lettuce "hair" was crispy and fresh. Shiny black olives posed as eyes. Red bell peppers were delicately placed as a mouth. Holding the face together was a crunchy tostada shell. Each ingredient complemented each other perfectly. In a world filled with basic, boring dinners, the scarecrow tostadas had style.
The spirit of Halloween was ringing through the Freire household. My mom, always willing to try something new, was in love with the idea of everyday recipes resembling Halloween objects.  As I walked into the kitchen, I felt like I was stepping into an alternative world, a world that was all Halloween. Halloween music, containing witch cackles and coyote calls, was blaring from the nearby stereo. The wonderful aroma of dinner punctuated the air. The lights were dimmed, in an attempt to create a "scary" Halloween ambiance. My mom was creating the scarecrows with a grand smile stretching across her face.
"How do they look?" my mom asked me, hesitation creeping into her voice.
"They look cute!" I reassure her.
"I hope so...I am determined to make them look as best as possible," she replies, her confidence coming back in every word she spoke.
My family and I sit down at the too crowded dinner table; our chairs are saviors to our tired bodies. My mom serves us our scarecrow tostadas.
Excited smile plastered on her face, she says, "Enjoy your spooky dinner!"
I study my dinner, my plate consists of a scarecrow tostada and a side of Spanish rice, which my mom named "witch throw up". Doesn't that sound delicious? I dive into my dinner, each flavor satisfying my taste buds. Tomato, lettuce, olives, ground beef, tortilla chip, and tostada shell tasted just as good as the first time I tired it. But, I noticed something was different. There was something that was added to these tostadas that wasn't in the original tostadas. Cheese. I asked my mom why she added cheese to these tostadas.
"I wanted to make these different than the first ones we ate. Just to shake things up!" she replied.
The cheese was named "hair highlights". I quickly decided that these scarecrow tostadas were more amazing than the tostadas I tried last year. Scarecrow tostadas became a family favorite. I will be excited to eat them again next Halloween season.

CNF-Adam

Adam; curious, playful, smart, cute, my four - year old brother. I look at him in this photograph. He’s squatting, his eyes are meticulously studying a miniscule ladybug. The look on his face is a mixture of wonder and amazement. He is one with the world, no worries, no sadness, nothing bothering him, just him and the ladybug. While I look at this picture, I start to think about the day he was born. Clouds filled the February night sky, the rain pounded the pavement. Adam was swaddled in a hospital-issued blanket, his head shielded by the matching beanie. I remember holding him for the first time, his gentle body protected by my arms. He looked up at me with innocent eyes, our eyes making an everlasting connection. He had the same curious expression as the one in the ladybug picture. I remember the first time he said my name, his beautiful voice filling my ears with joy.

            Would Adam understand that he didn’t get to see me everyday? Would he understand that I would be shared between my two separate families? Would he get confused when I said mom, and I wasn’t talking about his mom? Would he understand the concept of divorce, considering that he wasn’t a divorce victim? I remember feeling envious of him. Why did he have the perfect parents that actually stayed together? Why did I have to have the divorced parents? Would Adam understand that I’m only his half sister? Would I have the courage to tell him this?

             I remember Adam’s first birthday. I remember thinking I cant believe he’s already one. He already achieved so much in his first year.  I remember his first smile, toothless, and from ear to ear. His first laugh sounded like the twinkling of bells. His first wobbly steps on Christmas morning. Then Adam turned two, he was so interested in Cars, that we threw him a cars birthday party. I remember the excitement that spread across his face every time he opened a present. By his third year, he was still fascinated with cars. But, his interests were still growing. By his fourth birthday, Adam became intrigued with fireman. He called himself a fireman. I remember the first time he said fireman, it came out as “Wee-oo fire man.”

 I remember the tears that streamed down my face on his first day of preschool. I couldn’t believe he was already starting school. The time seemed to fly by.  I remember watching The Lion King with Adam. He was snuggled up to me. I was happy to share this movie from my childhood with him. I look at this picture and a wave of pride washes over me. Adam’s not a little boy anymore. He’s growing up everyday. He’s always going to be curious and want to learn new things. I will always be there for him. When life gets tough, he knows that I will comfort him. To me, he will always be that curious little boy. I love you Adam.