On Friday I mentioned that I was smoking 28 pounds of bacon, 17 pounds of cheese and 17 pounds of salmon. That’s a lot of smoking and since it was also Cinco de Mayo weekend, that meant indulging in a lot of Tex-Mex food. While I cooked some basic breakfasts, I mostly smelled of hickory smoke the entire weekend. That is until Sunday. Sunday I made fish tacos in a style I learned was popular in San Diego – deep fried. I wanted a light crust rather than a batter crust so I employed the ever-popular flour coating, egg wash dip and panko breadcrumbs for crunch. I also grilled pork chops that I marinated overnight in achiote sauce, Tapatío hot sauce, lime juice, oregano, and adobo seasoning. Gay, my wife, made a roasted tomatillo salsa. The meal was accompanied by corn tortillas, tomato and onion salsa, Colby cheese, sour cream and slices of avocado. I think we did a good job celebrating the turning point in the war between France and Mexico. However, last week I had two recipes I wanted to share but I had time for only one. I wanted to update the traditional steakhouse wedge salad without losing why it remains very popular. I added Worcestershire sauce to the blue cheese dressing to brighten it up and diced avocado over the wedge for a creamy bite. This southwestern addition was delicious. So, the recipe of the week is Wedge Salad with Avocado.

IP Communications is at the heart of this debate and protecting our access and usage to this technology is paramount. While the ACLU and other noted groups are fighting to modify or stop the FBI, NSA and DEA from gaining the types of requested access, it is just as important for Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and other to offer a full throated resistance. There needs to be some form of access but it must not hinder innovation or normal business and civilian communications, and it must contain effective safeguards.

David Byrd is vice president of marketing and sales for Broadvox , and is responsible for marketing and channel sales programs to SMBs, enterprises and carriers as well as defining the product offering. Prior to joining Broadvox, David was the vice president of Channels and Alliances for Eftia and Telcordia. As director of eBusiness Development with i2 Technologies, he developed major partnerships with many of the leaders in Internet eCommerce and supply chain management. As CEO of Planet Hollywood Online he was a pioneer in using early Internet technologies to build a branded entertainment and eCommerce website company partnered with Planet Hollywood. Having over 20 years of telecom sales and marketing experience, he has held executive positions with Hewlett-Packard, Sprint and Ericsson.