Tapas de Platos Especiales de los Estados Unidos (Tapas of American Classics)

Cooking dinner for my family has been, for the past two years, quite an adventure. But lately I've found it tough to keep things interesting while keeping things fulfilling, nutritionally diverse, and high in lean protein.

Last week I found not only my solution, but I stumbled across my new culinary inspiration: American Classics in the form of tapas. I freaking love it!

As a student at San Francisco State University majoring in Spanish, tapas have been an area of recent exposure to me and already are my new favorite thing.

Here a few photos my first go-round within this concept. (Don't judge all the similarities--I stumbled across this idea mid-stride while cooking this evening.)

1. Meatballs: Classic American meatloaf, Meatball with Cola glaze, Meatball with Spicy Ketchup.
2. Stuffed Baby Bell Pepper with Cola Glaze.
3. Stuffed Baby Bell Pepper with Parmesan Crust
*Next time serve this one with Italian gravy

Also, I think the beef skewers with chimichurri that I made recently would be a perfect tapa as is (chunks of meat and onion) or served as a traditional shwarma,: I would cut the the pieces of beef and onion more thinly for the skewer, and after grilling I would slice them parallel to the skewer, serving the pieces with a piece of warm pita bread. Then I would mix a couple tablespoons of that delicious chimichurri into some Greek yogurt to make a gyro-type tapa. Ooooooh I'm getting excited about this.

Sirloin and Walla Walla Onion Skewer with Chimichurri

Other ideas for tapas: Later I will classify them into short, medium,and long preparation time

My first attempt at both Peking-style chicken and
rustic Mandarin biscuits, served with plum
sauce and julienned carrots and cucumber.

• Stuffed baby bell peppers with parmesan crust and Italian gravy
• Beef and onion skewers with chimichurri
• Beef skewers with chimichurri-tzatziki and pita bread
• Steamed mussels (traditional french) plated with with fried clams in the center and raw oysters on the half shell plated around the outside
• Peking-style chicken with rustic Chinese biscuits, carrot and cucumber garnish with plum sauce 

• Cucumber sandwiches (My fav!)
• Calamari with puttanesca or Italian gravy
• J&J's cucumber salad 

J&J's Cucumber salad, on the right

• Asian Cucumber Salad
• Crab cakes with Texas Rose Petal sauce
• Grilled, marinated asparagus (or other veg)
• Fried pork chops with mashed potatoes, applesauce or apple slaw
• Stack of biscuit, (hash brown,) fried egg, topped with sausage gravy
• Fried chicken on biscuit slider
• Chicken-fried steak on biscuit slider
• ***Trio of sliders: chicken-fried steak, fried chicken, and fried pork chop***
• Other trio: Lobster roll slider, crab cake slider, shrimp slider of some sort?
• Stack of cracker, baked brie with caramelized onion, (candied) walnut, and arugula (tempura fried?
• Chicken lettuce wraps
• Trio of biscuit with honey, cornmeal muffin with honey, and potato roll with jam
• Holiday Sliders: turkey sandwich with cranberry, stuffing, etc.; prime rib slider with horseradish and roasted root vegetables somehow incorporated on a Yorkshire pudding-inspired roll/bun; Easter Ham slider with potato salad somehow incorporated on a sweet Hawaii bread. 
• Empanada trio: ground meat, shredded meat, vegetable
• Fried chicken trio: coconut chicken, deep-fried southern chicken, large fried chicken wing x 3
• Chicken marsala
• Calzone, pasty, calzone-shaped chicken pot pie
• Trio of roasted root veg
• Neopolitana flat bread with color scheme of Italian flag (this could be done simply with arrangement of ingredients relative to the top of the flat bread.
• Baby back ribs: dry rub (no sauce when cooking), dry rub and tomato-based sauce, dry rub with mustard sauce
• Dessert tapas:
• Fruit/jam/compote turnover
• Trio of pudding: Creme de pot, pudding pie, chocolate martini-inspired shooter
• Funnel cakes: Cinnamon sugar, chocolate drizzle, fruit compote
• Salads:
• Spring greens with champagne vinaigrette, candied walnuts, and golden raisins (or dried cranberries).
• Port-and-honey poached pears stuffed with Stilton and dried cranberries served over arugula and a vinaigrette of the poaching liquid, olive oil, and lemon juice.
• Northern California Italian salad with Da's dressing