My lame attempt to “tell a story” through a food photo. Before leaving for Brazil, his home country, my friend lent me this collection of works from Mark Twain. I cannot wait to read it!
I rarely eat bacon, but I had some in the refrigerator that needed to be used up. Also, I never buy store-bought flour tortillas since homemade ones are so much better, but my mom was too impatient to wait for me to make some for her, so she bought some instead. Therefore, I took advantage of her impatience and frustration with my laziness by making these quesadillas with her tortillas.
While they tasted amazing. I was just missing one thing – salsa. There weren’t anymore tomatoes in the house, and I didn’t feel like going anywhere, so I had to eat them as is. If you decide to make these yummy, simple quesadillas, please make sure you have some homemade or store-bought salsa on hand. I’m sure that cold, red, flavorful concoction would amp these quesadillas up a few notches.
Versatile Blogger Award:
I was so blessed to be awarded by Lynne of Cook and Be Merry a few days ago, and I feel so honored to be awarded by such a talented blogger and food photographer. Her photos are so bright and clear; the presentation is lovely as well. I can only wish that I could photograph as well and consistently good as she does. One day I’ll get there, though. Anyway, thank you so much for the award, Lynne!!
The guidelines for accepting this award are:
Thank the person who gave it to you.
Tell 7 things about yourself.
Pass the award on to 15 bloggers whom you have recently discovered and think are fantastic.
So, here are seven facts about me:
1. On my mother’s side of the family, I am an only child and was raised as such since my dad wasn’t around.
2a. I changed my last name to my mother’s last name so that she could get all the credit for how awesome I was to become! 
2b. I am humble. LOL
3. Despite what I wrote in #2, I have very low self-esteem.
4. When people write or say “anyway” with an “s” at the end, my mother and I cringe.
5. I have been in a tumultuous, yet amorous relationship with a woman for more than 10 years off and on.
6. Even though I don’t write well, I love to talk about grammar more than any other topic, including cooking and baking.
7. I detest watermelon and very rarely eat fried chicken despite the racial stereotype 
.
I am passing along this award to the following 15 bloggers I have recently discovered. However, I won’t be hurt if you were chosen yet don’t feel like participating. I know how it is.
- Hilah Cooking – I love her personality on the videos and the fact that we live in the same city.
- Namely Marly – The lady obsessed with names (including mine!) and vegan cooking. She is so lovely!
- Asopaipas – He comments on each and every post I create, and I adore him for that, the fact that his native language is Spanish, and that he shares great, simple dishes. ¡Este premio es especialmente para ti, José Manuel! Gracias por ser un lector tan fiel.
- Like Mother Like Daughters – One of the daughters of this blog was a student of mine! I adore her and the fact that this blog is written by her, her sister, and her mother.
- Jessiker Bakes – This woman loves sweets even more than I do! I love to see what she makes.
- Scrambledhenfruit – I discovered her lovely blog because of the paella pan giveaway, and she actually won!
- Baked Bree – I’ve been going to Bree’s lovely blog for a little while now. I love how bright and clear her process photos are. I’m constantly envious of how much light she gets in her kitchen.
- Frieda Loves Bread – She makes bread as much I wish I could make bread. Seriously.
- Ambrosia e Nettare - Check out the lemon cheesecake on this blog! Complimenti, Lucia!
- Cake on the Brain – The name of the blog itself tells you why I included this one on the list. YUM!
- Jolts & Jollies – Another fellow Daring Cook! I love her process photos.
- One Cake Two Cake – The blog title lured me in. Then the photos of yummy desserts kept me there.
- TheArdentEpicure – Run, not walk to this website, and check out the enchiladas. Goodness!
- Baking Powders – I love the title and the blog. Fantastic large photos and delectable treats. YUM!
- i am mommy – I’m sure just about everyone knows about this blog. Her treats are so AMAZING!
And there you have it! Remember, this is a list of recently-discovered blogs, so there are a LOAD of amazing blogs I’ve known about for a long time that I didn’t include here. Have a great week, everyone!
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Quesadillas
Yield: 2-3 quesadillas
3 – 4 strips of bacon
1 1/2 – 2 Tbsps unsalted butter, separated
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste (don’t use too much salt because of the bacon and cheese)
1/2 – 3/4 cups of monterey jack or cheddar cheese
4-6 taco-sized flour tortillas (homemade or storebought)
Prepare the bacon on a clean skillet. At the same time, prepare the eggs in another skillet after melting the half a Tbsp of butter. Lightly season the eggs with salt and pepper. Set the bacon and eggs aside.
Wipe the skillet that had the bacon in it clean with a paper towel, and place half of a Tbsp of butter in there. After the butter has melted, place one tortilla in the skillet; add some of the eggs and bacon. Add half (or a third if making 3 quesadillas) of the cheese on top of the bacon and eggs. Place a second tortilla on top of the mixture. Grill the tortilla for about 2-4 minutes per side until both sides have browned and the insides are melted. Repeat the process with the other tortillas. Serve with fresh salsa. YUM!
14/07/2010 | Categorias: bacon, breakfast, cheese, Mexican, pork | 23 Comentários »
¡Hola! from the land of Daring Cooks. Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce, was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.
Yes, I’m a Daring Cook. Yes, I’m late. Yes, I’ve been a Daring Cook for a long time without posting anything. Shame on me. I saw this dish, though and knew I had to make it. It didn’t come out as pretty as I’d like, but the enchilada sauce was amazing. Click here for more!
I first made everything with a juicy cut of beef, and it was amazing. However, the sun had gone down by the time I was done setting up everything, so I just made some soft tacos with the meat.
I also made frijoles refritos (refried beans) and arroz mexicano (Mexican rice).
For the challenge, I stuck with all the basic and made the stacked enchiladas with chicken. I used chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for added flavor but later found that I would have preferred the breast for this particular dish b/c the thigh’s flavor took over the dish. It was still good, but the beef tacos with the same enchiladas sauce were a million times better.
I know I don’t shred my chicken up very finely. I don’t have time or patience for such shenanigans haha.
As I stated already, I really liked the recipe for the enchilada sauce. I will be making it over and over again. It was surprisingly mild but still very good. Next time I will add a couple of jalapeños along with the Anaheim peppers and tomatillos instead of hot sauce.
I altered the instructions for the sauce a bit by following what I’ve seen my (Mexican) ex-girlfriend’s mother did when she prepared salsa verde (pronounced sort of like “BEHR-day”).
I first grilled and scorched the Anaheim peppers and
tomatillos.
Then, I placed the hot peppers in a bag and peeled the skin off. These photos look gross!!
Then, I used the blender for all the for scorched peppers and tomatillos along with garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, and lime juice.
After blending everything I poured the contents in the saucepan and followed the instructions for Daring Cooks from there.
Here is the Mexican Oregano I used in the sauce.
Of course, I made my own flour tortillas. Barbara, the co-host of this challenge was kind enough to link back to my site for the tortillas, and I used that very same recipe. I already blogged about how to make these tortillas ahead of time, so if you missed that post, you can go here.
Stacking the enchiladas was easy. (The sun had really gone down by now.)
It was nice to use homemade tortillas, sauce, and fresh monterey jack cheese…
…and fresh cilantro.
This was a fantastic challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven’t participated in the past challenge b/c it is more expensive to cook than bake. Also, I’m a picky eater, so many of the past dishes consisted of foods that I would not want to or could not eat. So I have to pick and choose my challenges. I wish I had the money to participate in all the challenges, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Nevertheless, I enjoy looking at what others have done and see their interpretations on the dishes. I hope to be more active in the Daring Cooks and Bakers Groups this summer.
WINNER OF GUITTARD GIVEAWAY!
I used the Random Generator to pick out the winner of the “Bittersweet” giveaway, and the number was #7, which is WIZZY THE STICK of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Punch and One Thousand Faces (both BEAUTIFUL blogs) who stated:
What would I make? You mean what wouldn’t I make with these chocolates! I would love to try the two cocoa powders most of all. Goodness there is ice-cream, mousse, truffles, brownies, ohhhhhhh molten cakes. Listen I don’t live in any of the above countries but I do have a US address that I use for my Internet shopping can I participate in this giveaway?
Wow! Congratulations!! I’m really glad you won, chica! Send me an e-mail with your address information!
19/05/2010 | Categorias: beans, beef, chicken, chiles, daring kitchen, Mexican, spices | 11 Comentários »
From the fridge to the skillet to the calentador de tortillas hecho en México
(tortilla warmer made in Mexico)!
I make these flour tortillas quite often enough that I have the recipe memorized, and I know just how the masa or dough should feel. It should be very warm from the hot water, moist but not too wet that it leaves remnants of dough on your hands, and it should not feel dry anywhere on the dough. If it is, keep fiddling with the dough ball until it is all moist. Click here for more…
When I add too much water to the dough, which can happen due to weather changes, I usually have to add a bit more flour to get it to the right consistency. If I add too much flour, however, I have to adjust the rest of the ingredients as well. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often, and when it does, it isn’t a big deal since there are only 4-5 ingredients.
The only part of making tortillas that causes me to want to buy them instead is the time it takes to flatten out the balls of dough and cook them. I usually set up my rolling pin, Silpat mat, and mixer bowl of masa in front of the television or laptop and get them ready for the skillet. Doing it this way as opposed to standing up for a long time next to the hot stove, has made the process a bit more desirable but increases the time to make them since I have more distractions.
I love the process of weighing out (35-40 grams each) and rolling out the masa
into balls!However, I have found a way to make the tortilla-making process a bit less daunting. Instead of rolling the tortillas out for the skillet on the same day, I now prep them out for the next day (or you could do it a few hours before you need them!). That way, on the next day, I usually forget about all the work I did the day before and just plop the uncooked, moist tortillas on the hot skillet or comal for a few minutes. They still come out just as perfectly as when you cook the tortilla right after you roll out the dough ball.
I’ve only done this process twice (including for this post), so this is all an experiment in progress. I know that you can store raw, rolled-out tortillas for one day, and I will find out if they are still good after a 2-day rest. I will update this post with that information later.
*UPDATE AS PROMISED*
I took the rest of the tortillas out today, and they looked a bit different than the previous day but I forged on. Fortunately, they yielded delicious tortillas, but the texture was slightly different (a bit more grainy?) than the very first (I made some on the day I made these but didn’t post photos of them) and next day (the ones posted) tortillas. Here are the photos of the 2-day tortillas. I would not recommend going beyond 2 days to cook your tortillas.
Lastly, two commenters asked me about using a tortilla press or tortilladora to facilitate the process. I have a tortilladora, but based on my experience, I am unable to get a thin, flour tortilla when using one. Tortilladoras are good for flattening out and shaping corn tortillas and to make gorditas (fatter flour tortillas), but not for thin, flour tortillas. Also, even when I use the tortilladora for my corn tortillas, it can at times be a bit daunting as well, so the press is not a huge time-saver; however, it does shape the tortillas much better.
PROCESS:
So, the next time you want to make homemade tortillas, weigh them, roll them, and shape them the day before. Use wax paper (or something more economically-friendly) to keep the tortillas separate. I accidentally found out that you can stack two tortillas on top of each other, and they will not stick together, but I wouldn’t put too many of them like that.
I aimed for separating each tortilla with a sheet of wax paper. I made the wax paper sections bigger than I would have liked for the purposes of this blog, but after taking photos of the first few, I made the papers much smaller (closer to the size of the tortilla). REUSE these wax papers; it will be fine. Just let them sit out to dry, and use them again for the next time. Store the covered, raw tortillas in a clear, Ziploc bag, and leave them in the refrigerator for the next day.
Process of stacking the uncooked tortillas. The last two photos show them fresh out of the refrigerator. The tortillas are a bit moist but come out just fine in the skillet.On the day you cook the tortillas, you do not need to let them warm to room temperature. Just take the cold tortillas out, remove the wax paper as you go, and place them on a pre-heated comal or skillet. As soon as you see a few bubbles, turn them over with your hand if you dare (the way many Mexican households and I do it.) or with a spatula (I recommend the latter if you’re new at this). Then once the other side bubbles up (the bubbles will be bigger), turn it over one more time for a few seconds, and then place the cooked tortilla in a covered container.
I bought this calentador de tortillas
for fewer than 5 dollars (and the $1 pasta plate for the carbonara) at Fiesta Mart, a store that caters to Latin-American foods and products, but you can buy one online here.Many use paper towels in addition to the container, but I’m trying to lower my use of paper products (hence the reason I reuse the wax paper).
For the recipe for my go-to flour tortillas, go here. I hope you find this post helpful!
Dear Mom,
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!! I thank you for being the best role model a daughter could have. I love you so much. You’re my best friend and my best mom. I hope you enjoy the 60-minute massage and the rest of your gifts hehe!
-Love your FAVORITE and ONLY child
Dear Mothers,
Happy Mother’s Day to all the female, parental-figured readers out there! Have a fantastic day; you deserve it!
09/05/2010 | Categorias: breads, Mexican, vegetarian | 24 Comentários »
I cannot believe I forgot to blog about this dish! Remember when I made the adobo sauce many moons ago?! Well, there was a purpose for that sauce, and I was supposed to share with you all this dish I’m posting today.
What a bad food blogger I am!! I must have been distracted by something sweet or something because this dish was fantastic. Along with this flavorful beef, I made arroz mexicano (yes, I used the same recipe. I guess I used more red tomatoes the first time and tomatillos/regular tomatoes this time. I don’t remember.) and tortillas de harina or flour tortillas.
The good thing about the beef is that you make it in the crockpot. You could also make the tortillas the day before by rolling them out, placing the uncooked, flattened discs of dough between wax paper, place them all in a freezer bag, and keep them in the refrigerator (or freezer for a longer amount of storage). The next day, you take them out and cook them on a comal, cast-iron skillet, or some very hot oven-top surface.
The arroz can be made ahead of time, too, but it tastes better when it is first made. I grated monterey jack and lots of cheddar cheese. I also used a bunch of jalapeños. These jalapeños weren’t very spicy, so I could handle a bunch of them for added flavor and zing.
I apologize for holding out on this amazing dish. It was truly perfect. I wish I could make some more right now, but I haven’t been in the kitchen much these days. I think I’ve lost my mojo for now. I hope to get back in the kitchen very soon.
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (homemade version here!)
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Flour tortillas, homemade or store-bought
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.
Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side. Do NOT MOVE the meat while it cooks for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Remove the beef from the skillet, and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle or adobo sauce, and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Remove the beef from the slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.
Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings, such as fresh salsa like pico de gallo, frijoles refritos, arroz mexicano, etc.
14/04/2010 | Categorias: beef, cheese, chiles, Mexican, rice, sauce, slow cooker, spices | 21 Comentários »
Let me first tell you that I hesitated on making these churros because of the source of the recipe. My photos cannot even come close to her photos. I don’t aspire to get to her level, but the caliber of her photos makes my photos look more like they did when I first started blogging LOL! But you know, I had to get over the intimidation and just make these. In fact, I thought about making these churros for so long that I’d memorized the recipe!
When doing research on different churro recipes, I found many variations. Some did not call for eggs while others did. Also, some Spanish churros do not have a cinnamon/sugar topping because of its dependence on the thick, hot chocolate drink that serves as a sugary accompaniment. Although these doughnut-like pastries originated in Spain, one can find many churros and variations (e.g., filled with dulce de leche) in México, Argentina, Perú, and other places as well. The recipe for the churros is very easy and is like making a pâte à choux.
If you’re planning to make this just for yourself and/or one other person, please half this recipe. I had so much dough leftover that I ended up throwing it all away because I am not crazy about a lot of fried foods (except for French Fries!! hehe). However, you could use the rest for éclairs or gourgères, which I forgot to do!
For the chocolate caliente, I had to look for a recipe from another source because I didn’t want to make a bisque or an egg custard. I wanted my hot chocolate to be similar to the hot drink found in Spain that normally accompanies and coats the churros. Sadly, my chocolate didn’t get as thick as the drinks in Spain, but it was thick enough to coat my churros fairly well. Next time, I will use either another recipe or add more cornstarch. Nevertheless, this drink was so rich and delicious. I absolutely loved it. I’m glad I have another cup’s worth left. I think I’ll end this post and drink it right now.
125 ml (1/2 cup) water
125 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
110 grams (about 1 stick) of butter
1 Tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
150 grams (about 1 cup + 2 Tbsp) AP flour
3 large eggs, room temperature
canola oil, for frying
cinnamon and sugar, for coating
Instructions:
Pour water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan, and heat just up to boiling point. Turn off heat, and immediately add all of the flour (español: en un golpe). Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it becomes a moist ball of dough (It will smell sort of like buttery, mashed potatoes YUM!).
Pour the oil in a cast-iron skillet or a deep fryer, and heat it up on medium heat until it reaches 365 degrees Farenheit.
Meanwile, transfer this flour/butter mixture to a stand mixer (or mix by hand), and mix the dough for a few minutes to cool it down.
Add the eggs one at a time. Once the dough is uniform, turn off the mixer, and transfer some of the dough to a pastry bag with a #5 tip (I used #21 b/c I didn’t have the other tip) or churrera.
Once the oil is hot, squeeze portions of the dough into the hot oil, and use a knife, scissors, or your finger to break off the pieces. Fry for about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place churros on a paper towel. Add cinnamon or sugar to the hot churros, if using.
Chocolate caliente al estilo español
16 oz (2 cups) whole milk
1/2 tsp cornstarch (I suggest adding more)
pinch of salt
4 oz milk chocolate (I used Callebaut)
Pour in the milk and cornstarch into a small or medium saucepan, and stir well with a whisk. Turn on the heat and heat just to boiling point. Once the milk boils, take it off of the heat, and add the chocolate. Stir well with a whisk or wooden spoon. Once the chocolate has melted, return the mixture to low heat until it thickens. If it doesn’t thicken, add more cornstarch to a small amount of cold milk. Stir the cornstarch mixture well and then add it to the chocolate mixture. Continue to heat on low heat until it thickens more.
Enjoy!
10/03/2010 | Categorias: breakfast, chocolate, dessert, drinks, fried, Mexican, Spanish | 34 Comentários »
A few weeks ago, I made shredded beef tacos that called for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I didn’t have a can of that sauce on hand, but I had two or three bags of guajillo, ancho, and pasilla peppers leftover from a mole sauce I made a long time ago.
As I always do when I don’t have a store-bought version of something, I started searching for recipes for the real thing to see if I could make it at home. I decided to use a recipe from Emeril Lagasse (did you know that he has a cooking blog?), and it worked out perfectly. I didn’t taste it b/c of all the chiles, but the smell and look of the sauce looked perfect.
I re-used this sauce in the tamal/tamale pie I made the other day. Since my good friend requested that I post the recipe, I figured I would do it ASAP. (Love you, TSB!!) This sauce doesn’t take long to make, and I’m sure it tastes better than the store-bought variety. Enjoy!
4 dried ancho chiles
6 dried guajillo chiles
2 Tbsp minced onion, divided
3/4 tsp minced garlic, divided
1 1/2 tsp salt (I used Kosher)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (I used Mexican oregano)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toast the chiles, turning frequently, until very pliable and soft; do not allow to char. Remove from the skillet, and transfer to a plate. Remove the stems and seeds and place in a saucepan.
Add enough hot water to just cover, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and allow chiles to soak until very soft and plumped for about 20 minutes. Strain in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, and reserve soaking liquid separately.
In a blender, combine the chiles, onion, garlic, salt, teaspoon sugar, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, and vinegar and puree until smooth, adding a little of the chile soaking liquid (only as much as is needed) to enable the mixture to blend. The consistency should be thick but smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
04/03/2010 | Categorias: chiles, Mexican, sauce, vegetarian | 19 Comentários »
I was struggling with the proper way to name this dish since “tamale” isn’t a word in Spanish. However, this dish is nothing like tamales, so I guess “tamale” is appropriate since both are are not authentically Mexican 
. Anyway, when I told my Mexican girlfriend that I was making this dish, she went crazy because it is nothing like a tamal. I’ve made tamales, and I’ve helped my girlfriend’s mother make tamales as well. So, I’m aware of how much work, time, and ingredients are involved in making the real thing.
LOOK! As a reward to myself for completing my paper, I bought my first Le Creuset item at an outlet mall! It is a 3 1/2 quart casserole pot. I love it!
Nevertheless, I was curious about the combination of cornbread, cheese, and seasoned meat all in one dish and wanted to try out this dish. No matter how this dish should be called, I must say it is beyond tasty. I loved it so much that I immediately spooned out seconds after eating the portion you see on the plate below.
Look at that crust!
I compared a few recipes online, but I preferred the one I used because of the layer of corn and the mix-in of cheese in the cornbread batter. The “originator” of this recipe used Jiffy cornbread mix, but I used my favorite cornbread recipe instead. Even though I’m a southerner, I prefer a little sugar in my cornbread, but feel free to reduce or eliminate the sugar. It was easy to put together the cornbread batter, so I really don’t think you need go out and buy a pre-made box of cornmeal, flour, and baking soda. That is really all it is, you know haha.
I know I almost always tell you all to try out whatever meal or dish I post, but this is really good. You can make it with ground turkey or a load of beans if you don’t eat beef. Make sure you season the meat/bean section well. I added the other filling options in the recipe below. Enjoy!
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp veg oil
1/2 medium onion 1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 lb ground beef, turkey, or canned beans (I actually used grass-fed beef for the first time)
1 cup diced peppers of your choice (optional; I didn’t use)
1 16-oz jar salsa (I used Pomì chopped tomatoes)
1 tsp salt (I used Lawry’s Seasoning Salt)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chipotle pepper (I used 3 Tbsp homemade adobe chile sauce; recipe here)
1-2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano (I used 1-2 tsp Mexican Oregano)
4 oz cheddar cheese, divided (I used sharp)
4 oz monterey jack cheese, divided
2 cups frozen or fresh corn
In a skillet, melt butter and oil. Add onions and garlic, and cook until translucent. Add the beef, turkey, or beans and green peppers, and cook until brown (for beans, just move on to the next step).
Add salsa or chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, chipotle pepper/adobe sauce, cumin, and oregano. Once the mixture is seasoned well, allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, p
reheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare the cornbread batter.
Buttermilk aka Dixie Cornbread
1 3/4 cups enriched white cornmeal
(I used yellow)3 Tbsp AP flour
1 tsp salt
(I used kosher)1 tsp baking soda
1-3 Tbsp sugar
(depends on how sweet you like your cornbread)1 1/2 cups buttermilk (You could use milk + lemon juice, too)
1 egg
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
Stir together dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, egg, and add melted butter. Mix the ingredients until they are moistened; do not over-stir. Mix 3/4ths of the cheese to the cornbread batter.
Pour 1/4 of the mixture into the casserole pan.
Add 1/2-1 cup of the frozen or fresh corn on top of the batter.
Add all of the meat mixture. Then, add the rest of the corn (1/2-1 cup) (optional;
I forgot to do this, so I had only one layer of corn, and it tasted more than fine.)
Add the rest of the cornbread batter.
Add additional cheese on top.
Bake uncovered in a preheated hot oven for 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
03/03/2010 | Categorias: beans, beef, breads, cheese, Mexican, pie, tamales, vegetables, vegetarian | 19 Comentários »
I have a paper due on the 10th of February, and it is an important paper that will determine if I will be a PhD candidate or not. Therefore, I will not be as active on the blog for a few weeks, but I will still post regularly. I will just be a bit more terse. (PLEASE PRAY FOR ME, OR SEND GOOD KARMA MY WAY!)
Nevertheless, I’m glad I have been taking advantage of the winter break by making a lot of dishes that I had always wanted to make like tamales, a rosca de reyes, and bagels. I now want to make churros, pretzels, and perfect my puff pastry-making skills. I will worry about all of that later, though.
Anyway, I made this chili macaroni yesterday, and it is beyond delicious. That little puny bowl of macaroni you see just teased and prodded my tastebuds haha.
I’ve been trying to use my cookbook more lately, so I got this recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook. The feminist in me doesn’t like the title of the cookbook, but it does have a lot of good recipes and tips in it. Below the recipe, I have also included a Southwestern variation of this dish. I also added some optional additions in italics that were not mentioned in the cookbook. You can make this a vegetarian meal easily by adding more beans or tofu. Enjoy!
Want some?
Chili Macaroni1 cup (3.5 oz) uncooked elbow macaroni (I would add 1/2 – 1 cup if you like a more even ratio of pasta)
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey, ground chicken, tofu, or nothing at all)
1 med onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15-16 ounces) kidney beans, drained (use another can if not using meat)
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained (or whole tomatoes, cut up)
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional; my addition)
2 slices of Velveeta (optional; my addition)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese (I shredded it myself from block cheese. YUM!)
Cook macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, cook beef, onion, and garlic in 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown. Drain (I didn’t).
Drain macaroni, and add it to the meat. Add in the remaining ingredients with the exception of the cheese (I actually added two slices of Velveeta to the sauce itself). heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Then, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with cheese, or add cheese to individual bowls.
Southwestern Chili Macaroni: Use black beans instead of kidney beans, rinsed and drained. Add shredded Monterey Jack cheese instead of cheddar. Add 1 can of chopped green chiles. You could also add cilantro on top of individual servings.
13/01/2010 | Categorias: beans, beef, cheese, Mexican, pasta, soup, vegetables | 14 Comentários »
¡FELIZ DÍA DE LOS REYES!In Mexico, many other Central and Southern American countries, and some parts of the U.S., they celebrate el Día de los Reyes on the 6th of January, which is TODAY! Traditionally, on the 5th of January, children leave their shoes out by a miniature nativity scene so that the three kings can place gifts in them. They also leave food, hay, and water for the kings and camels to express their gratitude for gifts. Later, everyone celebrates this day of epifanía or Epiphany by sitting around an oval-shaped, chewy, lightly sweetened Rosca de Reyes and Mexican hot chocolate or atole.
The rosca is shaped this way to symbolize the crown of Jesus; the candied fruits represent the jewels on the crown. Traditionally, the rosca is filled with baby Jesus figurines. The people who get the slices of rosca with the baby Jesus figurines in them will have to make and serve tamales (or whatever else you want to serve) on the 2nd of February (I still owe a party or two…oops!)!
Aren’t they cute?!! I bought these from a grocery store that specializes in Latin-American food for 50 cents each.
After doing a bit of research on rosca recipes, I realized that there are many disparate versions out there depending on which region you follow. So, based on the knowledge I acquired, I created a “new” version. My goal with this version was to recreate the rosca I remembered eating while living in East L.A. There was no edible filling like raisins or cajeta, so I didn’t include that, but I did post it in the recipe below as an option add-in, along with directions on how to add it, for anyone who would like to include it.
I made a lot of mistakes on this rosca, so bear with me through this post. I’m glad that it looks pretty well, though. I’ll do better next year!
I made the bread a bit sweeter by adding sugar to the baño (literally means “bath”, but is the glaze, in this case) that goes on top of the bread. The pasta (sugar/flour paste) browned a lot because I didn’t realize that I was supposed to put it on until after it was done baking! DOH!
Also, I candied the pineapples myself from a fresh pineapple. I also candied the cherries. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t find fresh papaya, so I bought the candied papaya. The candied papaya was dry and kept poking and popping out of my rosca. The fruits I candied, however, looked shiny and beautiful and were sticky enough that I didn’t have to worry about them popping up.
Candying sugar is a lot easier than I thought it would be. If you ever make this rosca, I highly suggest you candy your own fruit instead of buying it. If you can’t find fresh papaya (I couldn’t around this time of year), try dipping the store-bought kind in the leftover sugar syrup from the other fruits so that they adhere to the rosca. I followed this recipe to candy the fruits.
I am submitting this bread to yeastspotting!!
Rosca de Reyes
adapted from various sources
Dough:
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/4 c warm water (105-110°F)
1/4 c warm milk (can put both milk and water in one measuring cup and microwave mixture for 30-45 seconds. Check the temperature!)
1 Tbsp sugar
4 – 4 1/2 c AP flour (I needed 4 1/4 cups. You could also use half wheat and half white flour. Be prepared to make adjustments with the liquid, though!)
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c milk (I used whole)
2 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
Zest of one orange (optional)
Zest of one lemon (optional) (I used orange zest only)
1/4 c leche condensada
1 tsp vanilla extract (I forgot to add this!!)
Baño:
1 egg whites (use the white from the pasta below)
2 Tbsp powdered sugar (I accidentally used granulated sugar. Don’t make my mistake.)
After baking, add the pasta:
Pasta (I halved this part of the recipe from What’s Cooking and still had more left):
1/2 c sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 c flour
1/3 c butter, softened
Add-ins:
3-5 Baby Jesus figurines (I used 4)
Raisins
Cajeta or dulce de leche
Melted chocolate
Proof yeast in 1/4 cup of water and milk (105-110°F) and 1 Tbsp of sugar. While yeast mixture is proofing, mix the flour and cinnamon together in a large bowl or on a table, and form a well (alternatively, you can use a stand mixer). In the middle of the well, put in the yeast mixture, butter, egg yolks, whole eggs, condensed milk, and vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients together and then gradually blend in the flour until you form a ball. Knead the dough or use a stand mixer for about 8-10 minutes. Cover the dough with a clean towel, and allow the dough to sit in a warm place in a greased bowl for one hour or until its doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled, take out the dough and knead the dough for a few seconds to remove the air out of them. Roll the dough back into a ball, place a dough scraper or knife in the middle of the ball to create the rosca, which should be oval-shaped with a large hole in the center. Make sure the hole is larger than you would think it should be since the hole will close up after the second rising. Allow the shaped dough to rise for about 45 minutes.
If adding cajeta, dulce de leche, or melted chocolate: Once the dough has doubled, take out the dough and knead the dough for a few seconds to remove the air out of them. Roll the dough back into a ball, and then roll out the dough to form a long rectangle. With the long part of the rolled-out dough in front of you, pipe or spread the filling on one side of dough. Add raisins on top, if desired. Brush egg wash on the side facing you. Fold the opposite side of the dough on top of the egg-washed side. Then, roll the dough into a thick, snake-like shape, pinching the ends together really well so that they don’t come apart (the dough should now look like in the photo above).
Mix the baño mixture with beaters or in a mixer, and brush it on top of the shaped, risen dough. This mixture will also help the dried fruit adhere to the rosca (it didn’t help at all for me).
I actually allowed the rosca to rise with the decorations on them. Don’t make my mistake. The dried candy from the store kept lifting up after baking.
Bake the rosca for 25-30 minutes in a 350°F oven. Next, spread the pasta in 6-8 sections on top of the rosca, leaving enough space in between them for the fruits. Cut the fruits and place them on the rosca to the left and right of the pasta.
Allow rosca to cool for 5-10 mins, and add in the figurines, if using, underneath the rosca by punching a hole at the bottom with the figurine itself. Tuck the figurines in the rosca well so that they don’t fall out.
Reclining on top of the rosca; awww, can you see his little feet poking out?
Eat the rosca with your family and friends.
06/01/2010 | Categorias: breads, dessert, fruits, holidays, Mexican, wheat, yeast | 16 Comentários »
Finally! We have reached the last step – assembly. Now, that the filling, corn husks, and masa are ready, we just need to put everything together and steam the tamales.
Here’s how I did it: Open the corn husk with the smooth side facing up,
Smooth side on top, and rough side on the bottom.and place the masa on the bottom 2/3rds of it with the back of a spoon, leaving a 2-inch space to the left of the husk. Try not to add too much masa (I added a bit too much in the photo below, and this masa ended up looking different because I had added more masa harina to it).
Spread the masa over the husk (don’t forget to leave space to the left of the husk, so it should be off-center) and then add the filling. You’ll only need 1-2 Tbsp of filling for a large husk and 1/2-1 Tbsp for a smaller one. Make sure you center the filling in the middle of the MASA filling, NOT the center of the corn husk.
Fold or roll the husk around the filling starting from the right side or the side with the filling. Ensuring that the flap of the husk is facing up, fold the skinny tip of the husk over the base of the tamal.
Tie the tip to the base with a slivered section of a random husk (I picked out the small, torn husks out of the big batch and reserved them for this purpose). Tying the tamales is not mandatory, but it helps keep everything together while they sit in the steamer, and they look prettier, too.
Place the tamal in the steamer pot, and continue making the other tamales.
To add the rajas y queso filling, just do the same thing:
Once all the tamales are in the steamer, fill the bottom of the pot with about 2-4 cups of water. Place a few pennies at the bottom of the pot so that you know there is enough water down there (I found out that my pot makes its own noises when the water level is low; it was scary!). Once the water starts boiling, place the steamer pot in the main pot.
Cover the tamales with additional corn husks (this is when I use the husks that didn’t fully hydrate during the soak) or aluminum foil, and cover. Steam the tamales on medium heat for 1-2 hours (it took 2 hours for me).
The filling should be pretty firm and dry, but not too dry. Also, when you unroll the tamal, most of the filling should no longer stick to the husk when fully unrolled.
Add leftover salsa verde to the undressed tamal…
…and enjoy!! YUM! ¡Buen provecho!
ALL GONE! Oh, there are more in the freezer!
05/01/2010 | Categorias: cheese, chicken, Christmas, Mexican, tamales, vegetables | 13 Comentários »
Okay, let’s move on to part 2 of the series. Yesterday, I posted about the filling I used: salsa verde con pollo. Today, I will share with you all how I soaked the corn husks and made the masa.
Corn Husks: (printable version)
You can buy these husks at most stores, especially around the holidays. I’ve seen them at Wal-mart and at some regular grocery stores. They come in a large bag. Here is a photo of them fresh out of the bag. Aren’t they photogenic?
Place the husks in a large pot of boiling water. They will not all fit without a bit of coaxing. So, try to submerge all of them in the water.
While they’re soaking, work on the masa:
Masa for tamales REVISED!!:
2 cups of masa harina (Maseca is a popular brand and is the one I used)
1 tsp salt (I used kosher)
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups of reserved chicken broth (remember that broth from yesterday?)
2/3 cups of manteca or lard (you can render your own or get freshly-rendered lard from a grocery specializing in Latin-American products. They have less fat than butter.)
Place and mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl or mixer.
Pour in the broth until the mixture starts to look clumpy…like pie dough with too much water, or like the photo below. The mixture should not be watery at this point!
With another mixer or by hand, beat the lard (or manteca) until it reaches a lighter consistency. This step is optional, but I tried it out to see what would happen.
Pour the manteca (that word sounds better in Spanish, doesn’t it?) into the masa mixture until the it looks like thick cake batter.
I had to later adjust the below mixture by adding more masa harina (I started with 2 1/2 cups of masa instead of what I posted above), so the batter or masa should look a bit thicker than this.
Now you’re done with the masa!
Back to the corn husks:
After 1 to 2 hours, take the husks out with tongs. Then, place them in a large open container for easy assembly. If some of them are not completely soaked (i.e., there are dry spots), use those later for when you steam the tamales). (Can you tell I live in graduate-student housing? )
Now that the filling, masa, and corn husks are ready, we can move on to the assembly process….tomorrow. Then, we can eat them gleefully!
04/01/2010 | Categorias: chicken, Christmas, Mexican, New Years, tamales | 4 Comentários »
Whew! I returned home a week ago only to find out that my internet connection is not working again. So, I was unable to update and wish you all a Happy New Year. I also haven’t been able to post the chocolate peanut butter tart I made, and I want to show you all the kitchen-related loot I got for Xmas thanks to my generous, loving mom.
However, since the year has already started and this will be my first post of the year, I wanted to start it off with these tamales I made because they were a major (yet delightful) project for me. I had never made tamales by myself before. The first and only time I made them, I assisted my ex-girlfriend’s mother, and all I really did was help her fill the corn husks. I remember putting too much masa in them (what a great help I was! haha).
Three days ago I made tamales for the second time, and I made them all by myself with the assistance of various recipes, blogs, and Youtube videos. Since the making of tamales is a tedious, yet doable project, I have decided to break up the process into three parts:
1) the filling,
2) the masa and corn husks,
3) and the assembly of tamales.
So, today I will be posting about one of the fillings I made – salsa verde with shredded chicken. I also made a filling of cheese and jalapeños, but I will talk about that later.
Before we start, just a little factoid: The singular form of “tamales” is “tamal” without the lone “e” hanging on at the end.
Let’s move on to what I did for these yummy tamales…
First, I placed the chicken breasts (you could also use whole chicken cut up into pieces) in a big pot, along with chopped carrots, onions, black peppercorns, and 2 cloves of garlic. I then covered the chicken with water and boiled it for about 50 minutes. (The photos for the raw chicken just looked too gross to post, so you’ll just have to picture it in your minds.) Instead, you can look at the pot I bought in Mexico a long time ago. I love it, especially when I make “trying-to-be-as-authentic-as-possible”, Mexican dishes.
After it was done, I reserved the resulting broth by pouring it through a strainer into a 1 liter measuring cup. Big mistake! I forgot that I had added more than 4 cups of liquid to the chicken, so some of the broth overflowed to the floor. I then transferred everything quickly to a big bowl.
While the chicken was boiling, I worked on the salsa verde:
Whenever I made a traditional, Mexican dish, I go to a popular, Latin American grocery store in the South, called “Fiesta”. Well, almost everyone there must have had the same plans as I because all the good, pretty tomatillos (green tomatoes) were gone. So, these weren’t the best looking tomatillos, but they resulted in some delicious salsa verde. That’s all that matters in my opinion.
Anyway, I peeled the cáscara (papery skin) off of the tomatillos by starting from the back. (I love this photo for some reason…)
Then I placed the peeled tomatillos in the bowl. See the dirt? Make sure you wash them after you’ve peeled them.
Ahhh! Bathed and ready to be boiled!
Next, boil the tomatillos, 2-3 jalapeños, 1-2 cloves of garlic (not pictured), and 1/2 of an onion (not pictured) for about 10 minutes.
(I boiled mine a little too long…) Then drain them… You can reserve the liquid for the blender, if the salsa is too thick. I didn’t need it, though.
Place the boiled mixture in a blender, and add a few sprigs of cilantro and salt (Look! My first bokeh…of an olive oil bottle!).
Blend the mixture for a few seconds, and now you have salsa verde! Make sure you taste the salsa to make sure you’ve added enough salt. I always forget to do that.
Back to the chicken:
Once the chicken is ready, shred it, and then pour in one capsful of vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the chicken and cook the chicken for about 2 minutes. Then add most of the salsa verde, reserving the rest for the tamales once they’re done. If you forget and use up all the salsa, then you’ll have to make more later. Cook the salsa and shredded chicken mixture for about 2-3 minutes, then add about 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken broth. Just don’t make it too “liquidy”. Then, you’re done! NOTE: Reserve the rest of the chicken broth for the masa. You will need about 2-3 cups of it.
Now, you can just refrigerate this mixture and make the rest of the tamales the next day, or you can keep chugging along the same day. I’m going to assume you want to take a break at this point. So, I’ll be back tomorrow with the rest…
P.S. Here is the rajas y queso (jalapeños and cheese) filling cut and ready to be placed in the tamales! I used Monterey Jack.
01/01/2010 | Categorias: chicken, Mexican, tamales, vegetables | 3 Comentários »
Look at that cheese…One of my colleagues decided to throw a party in the form of an International Buffet, since we all work and study in the Spanish and Portuguese department and thus come from various countries. We all made dishes that come from our place of origin. Since I was born in the United States, specifically Texas, I decided to make Tex-Mex Enchiladas. I have made these enchiladas MANY times; they are outrageously good. To make them even more over the top for the buffet, I made the enchiladas with homemade, FLOUR tortillas instead of corn. They taste fantastic either way.
Look at that gravy…
The chili gravy is so unbelievably good that not even the greatest amount of accolades could give it justice. Now, a warning, if you are into authentic Mexican food, you may get angry or bothered about this dish. As a Spanish-speaking, xenophile, new foodie born in Texas and raised on Tex-Mex (whew, say that five times fast!), I go through my moments of being ashamed of liking the processed, yellow cheese (i.e., Velveeta), carne molida (ground beef), and brown gravy. However, I get over it once I take one bite of this stuff.
This photo comes from another occasion when I made this. These have corn tortillas, beef, and LOADS of Velveeta and sharp cheddar.
You will have to break out the Velveeta for this dish or you could use medium or sharp cheddar for a less Tex-Mex taste. I obtained this invaluable recipe from Homesick Texan who got it from Robb Walsh’s Tex-Mex cookbook. I have made them with chicken and with ground beef (my fav). You could also make these with cheese and lots of veggies.
Homemade flour tortillas fresh off of the cast-iron skillet (I need to get a comal).Everyone who tried the enchiladas raved about them. In fact, one person, whom I didn’t know very well, ran up to me and requested the recipe and then reminded me to give it to her as I was leaving.
Pleeeeeease make this dish; you won’t regret it.
(If adding meat, start preparing it before or while making the chili gravy.)
Chili Gravy (Yields 2 cups):
1/4 cup lard (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred if it’s available)
2 T chile powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt’s or Whole Foods)
2 cups chicken broth (or water)
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.
Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.
Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens.
Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness.
Beef and Cheese Enchiladas
Yields 8 enchiladas (I get more than that every time I make this dish)
1 lb of ground beef (any variety) or 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8 corn (or flour) tortillas
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (can make it with Velveeta for Tex-Mex authenticity)
One medium onion, diced
2 cups chili gravy
Preheat the oven to 450.
[If using corn tortillas, pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat the corn tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth until all 8 are heated. If they are homemade and still hot, you'll still need to fry them a bit to make them pliable.
If using flour tortillas, simply microwave them for about 30 seconds. If they are homemade, fresh off of the comal or skillet, just start filling them.]
Pour 1/2 cup of chili gravy in a baking pan.
Take a tortilla, put 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 tablespoon of onion in the center and roll it (I just cook the beef with the onion (and garlic) and then spoon the filling in the tortillas).
Place rolled tortilla in baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining tortillas.
Take remaining chili gravy, and pour it over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese and onions on top.
Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
20/12/2009 | Categorias: beef, breads, cheese, chicken, Christmas, Mexican | 8 Comentários »
This post is long overdue. I made this bread for my “stepdaughters” for El Día de los Muertos around the beginning of November. I got the recipe from What’s Cooking, which is full of authentic Mexican recipes and excellent photography.
This bread took a while to make because I was working on another culinary project concomitantly. The day I was finishing up on the preparation for this bread, I had to hurry with the photos because I needed to mail it off before the post office closed.
The huesos (“bones”) or lágrimas (“tears”), which are the rolled ridges on top of the bread, lifted up while baking, and the balls on top of the bread shifted greatly on some of them. Nevertheless, they looked satisfactory.
They didn’t look as perfect as Ben’s from What’s Cooking, but they were pretty good for my first (rushed) attempt.
Since I didn’t get to eat the bread (I just ate a little abandoned ball), they told me that the bread tasted very good. I’m glad it didn’t go bad during the days it spent in the box en route to California.
One of the ingredients in this bread is orange blossom water, which I had never heard of. It has a strange smell, and it supposedly tastes like licorice.
My first, published, night-time shot in my DIY lightbox. What do you think?Ben says that a substitute for this water is anise seeds, which I also didn’t have. So, I bought the orange blossom water at Whole Foods for around $3.50 (not a bad price for that expensive store).
GREAT NEWS!!!
I was one of three winners of a red Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer on Pioneer Woman!!! I feel sort of bad, though, since I already have a stand mixer. I originally entered the contest to win her cookbook, but I’m very happy I have won a stand mixer. What should I do with this new stand mixer? Should I keep it or give it away to a relative? My mom wants it, but she doesn’t like to cook and is in inept in the kitchen. I secretly want to keep it, though, but that sounds greedy to me. I guess I’ll keep it for awhile and then give it away to someone deserving hehe.
Wow. First, I mustered up the courage to talk to a potential dissertation committee member. Next, I won a blogger award. Then, I won a stand mixer, and then my youngest “stepdaughter” told me that she won a best reader award! It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a great week. Thank you, Lord. Have a great weekend, everyone!
19/11/2009 | Categorias: breads, Mexican, yeast | 19 Comentários »
Fajitas de pollo. YUM! I honestly thought the steak fajitas were going to be better than these, but I was proven wrong. Usually, no matter how much I season chicken, I still think beef tastes better. This time, however, the chicken was perfect, and I used less seasoning than I did with the steak fajitas. Furthermore, I did not marinate the chicken as I did with the steak.
I had to make another batch of flour tortillas for this dish. However, I still had leftovers of arroz mexicano, frijoles refritos, grated cheese, and pico de gallo.
Again, I don’t have a recipe for this chicken. I just cut up the chicken, seasoned it with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, cumin, homemade taco seasoning, and freshly-ground peppercorn. I then put olive oil in the cast-iron pan, threw in some onions and garlic. After allowing it to cook for awhile, I added in the seasoned chicken and cooked it until it looked ready. Then, I added in some chopped cilantro.
This dish was beyond delicious. I cannot wait to make it again. It’s so simple and quick to make; I don’t know why I’ve never made it before.
Maybe next time I can take some photos of them that are not overexposed hehe. Interestingly, it has been overcast and/or rainy ever since that day.
Well, this marks the last dish of my Mexican Feast series; I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
21/09/2009 | Categorias: cheese, chicken, Mexican, rice | 4 Comentários »
Umm, steak fajitas. As I said before, the steak was good, but the warm tortillas were definitely the star of the show. I used a marinade that came from two different websites. It mainly consisted of cilantro, lime juice, salt, chili powder, and other ingredients. It was still lacking in flavor for my taste. I’m not going to bother posting the recipe for the steak since it didn’t taste all that great, but I’ve included the link to one of the marinade varieties I used below. Following tradition, I used skirt steak and then grilled the steak on a cast-iron skillet for about 5 minutes per side. I prefer almost well-done to burnt meat, so I wasn’t happy to see the red inside. However, I’ve noticed that most foodies like their steak that way. Next time I will add more seasoning to my marinade and while it’s in the skillet. I will also cook the meat for 6 to 7 minutes.
When you have to depend on the side ingredients for a good fajita (or would you technically just call this a steak taco since I don’t like red or green peppers?), then something is wrong.
The chicken fajitas I made a few days later were a whole ‘nother story. I will talk about those next. YUM!
One of the marinades I used for the fajitas de bistec (recipe in Spanish).
18/09/2009 | Categorias: beef, Mexican | 3 Comentários »
I bet you didn’t know that “Pico de gallo” literally translates as “beak of a rooster”! Okay, maybe a few of you did know. No matter how strange the name may seem, pico de gallo is yummy and refreshing. I can’t believe I forgot to mention that it was included in my Mexican Feast! It’s very easy to make, and there are many recipes out there for this stuff.
A basic, traditional pico de gallo just involves cutting up roma tomatoes, green onions (or regular onions for the non-traditional version; I used the latter because I was out of the green stuff), serrano (or jalapeño) peppers, and lime juice.
I made a very small version for this feast, so I only needed one serrano, one lime, and two roma tomatoes. I had some onions already cut up in the refrigerator, so I just grabbed a small handful. Many people take the seeds out of their tomatoes before placing them into the salsa, but I really don’t care if they’re there or not. Make this stuff with fresh ingredients; it’s the only way.
18/09/2009 | Categorias: healthy, Mexican, vegetables | Deixar um comentário »
The day I took this picture, it was a rainy, dreary day. So, I tried taking more photos of the rice the next day, but it was almost just as dreary as the previous day. Oh well, the rice still tasted really good.
I’ve made this recipe three times now. It is my go-to recipe for Arroz Mexicano. It is so easy to make that I didn’t need to look at the recipe the second time I made it.
You will need a blender and a saucepan to make this dish. However, if you don’t have the former, it is still doable with a can of crushed tomatoes, which is how I made it this time around. If you want to see better, brighter pictures of this yummy dish, make sure you click on the link to the source of the recipe. (Note: I think the site is down temporarily. Check back later.)
Arroz Mexicano/Mexican Riceadapted from What’s Cooking(can be doubled easily)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup of white or brown rice
2-3 roma tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onions
1-2 cloves of garlic
salt to taste (start out with 1 tsp)
small handful of cilantro
1-2 cups of chicken broth
Pour about 2-3 Tbsp of oil in a saucepan. When hot, place the rice in the saucepan and allow it to brown. While the rice is cooking, blend the tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, and cilantro in a blender for a few seconds. Once blended, pour in the chicken broth until you reach 2 cups. Then blend the mixture again.
Once blended, pour the tomato mixture in the saucepan over the rice and stir. Cover the rice mixture and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Sprinkle some more chopped cilantro on top (optional). Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!
17/09/2009 | Categorias: Mexican, rice | Deixar um comentário »
The other day, I introduced the first part of my Mexican Feast, which were cheesy frijoles refritos or refried beans. In that post, I promised to present these flour tortillas next.
Ummmmm, flour tortillas. I wish I could make another batch of these babies. They are so good. In fact, they were the star of the entire Mexican Feast (even more so than the steak and the chicken!). They were soft and flavorful. They even tasted just as good the next day after spending the night in the refrigerator. They were so good that I would sneak out a tortilla, put butter on it, roll it up like the ones pictured, and gobble it up. So freaking good!
Whenever I make Mexican dishes, I take advantage of my multilingual abilities by looking at recetas (recipes) from Mexico. I have made flour tortillas before, but they weren’t nearly as good as these were. I don’t know why these tasted so much better since the ingredients were basically the same. The procedure was slightly different, though.
I didn’t find this recipe on a blog or a cookbook; I found it on YouTube! The recipe is written in Spanish, so I translated it below for the non-Spanish speakers out there. You’re welcome.
With this recipe, you don’t have to cut in the lard or shortening. Also, you don’t need to use much flour to roll out the masa (dough). Using a Silpat makes the process even easier. Enjoy!
Tortillas de harina/Flour TortillasTranslated recipe from Blanca Díaz
(I highly suggest you watch the detailed video of her making the tortillas.)
*UPDATE* I’ve been making these tortillas quite often now, and sometimes they come out perfectly, and sometimes they came out just okay. Here are some tips, if you’re planning on making these:
The tortillas should be soft and bubbly. I think the key to a good tortilla is to mix/stir the dry ingredients (even though she stated not to do so), and break in the shortening. Next start the mixer and then add the hot water as it mixes. The dough should be wet but not too wet (I usually use all of the water in the recipe). Don’t forget to let the dough sit for 30 minutes before rolling the dough. You should be able to roll it in a ball easily. I also add an extra 1/2 tsp of baking powder to ensure rise. Also, don’t let it heat up too long the first time you put it on the comal or skillet. The first exposure to heat is the most important part, I think. Flip it over as soon as you see a few bubbles.
Make ahead: Roll out all the dough balls and place between wax paper. Then place the wax papered tortillas in a freezer bag for later use. When ready to make them, just take them out and heat them on the comal or skillet. *UPDATE OVER!* Go HERE for make-ahead photos and more information!
3 ½ cups of AP flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
100 gr (7/8 cups or a little less than 1 cup) of lard or shortening, cut into small pieces (I didn’t cut it into pieces, and it was fine)
¾ to 1 cup of very hot water (almost boiling)
1. Place the flour in a bowl.
2. Add the salt, baking powder, and fat without stirring.
3. Little by little, pour the very hot water over the ingredients and mix them with your hands (or dough attachment in your stand mixer), measuring the quantity of water until you reach the desired texture. It should be moist and soft, but not sticky.
4. Knead/Mix the dough for approximately 5 minutes, and form a ball.
5. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel, and allow it to rest inside of the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Form small balls weighing approximately 40 grams each (if you don’t have a scale, the balls should be more or less the size of a ping-pong or golf ball). Cover the little balls again with the towel as you roll each one out.
7. Place one of the balls on top of a clean surface, and press down on it lightly with your fingers.
8. Roll out the little ball until you form an oval. Lift up the oval and turn it to the right 45 degrees, and roll it out again. Turn it 45 degrees again to the right until you creat a circle of the desired size.
9. Place the tortilla on a hot comal, griddle pan, or cast-iron skillet until it forms small bubbles on the uncooked side of the tortilla. Turn over the tortilla, and wait until it inflates a bit. Turn it again and with a spatula, press on it until the air inside goes out and stops inflating (I didn’t do this last part because it stops puffing up once you remove it from the heat).
10. Store the tortillas in tortilla holder, covered container, or wrapped in a towel. You could also keep it warm in a low-temperature oven. These tortillas can be reheated the next day; store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yields 18-20 tortillas; this recipe can be halved easily.
15/09/2009 | Categorias: breads, Mexican | 9 Comentários »
I decided to make a full, savory, “authentic”, Mexican meal this weekend. So, for a few days, and depending on how well the photos come out, I will try to post everything I made. To start off, I made Steak fajitas, Mexican rice, flour tortillas, and refried beans. Surprisingly, I didn’t make dessert. I guess I could do that later. I did make lemon/lime curd with cream cheese (will blog about this much later), but I didn’t make it for the purposes of this feast. Anyway, everything came out almost perfectly. With the exception of the steak, I had made all of these items before. I did try a new recipe for the flour tortillas, and it will now forever be my go-to recipe. I will blog about them next.
The refried beans are so good. I usually put Monterey Jack on the beans to make them more authentic, but the little I had left was starting to mold. By the time I had scraped all the white film off of the cheese, there was nothing but a nob of cheese left. So, instead, I put some grated Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend on top. I also added cumin in the beans to give off that more authentic flavor and smell.
I have made these beans three or four times now. The first three times were for my girlfriend who was born in Mexico City. She loved this dish, so I knew it was a keeper from then on.
I hope you make this dish soon. There is no need to soak the beans. If you don’t have a pressure cooker (like me), you just boil the beans for 2.5 hours, and then transfer them to the grilled, translucent onions. It is really easy to make. Also, don’t be afraid of the lard. It has less transfat than butter, so it really isn’t as bad as some people think it is. I’m sure we’ve eaten a lot worse in restaurants since we don’t know what is going on in some of those kitchens. If you’re still hesitant to try lard, which makes the dish more authentic, there are other options mentioned in the recipe.
- 2 1/2 cups of dry pinto beans (about 1 lb or 450gm)
- 3 quarts of water
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
- 2 Tbsp pork lard, bacon fat, or olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- Salt to taste
- Cumin to taste (I put in about 1 tsp to a HALVED recipe)
- Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (optional)
- Rinse the beans in water and remove any small stones, pieces of dirt, or bad beans.
- Cook the beans in water.
- Pressure Cooker method Put beans into a 4 quart pressure cooker with a 15 lb weight. Fill up the pressure cooker with water, up to the line that indicates the capacity for the pot. Cook for 30-35 minutes – until the beans are soft and the skins are barely breaking open.
- Regular method Put beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of water – about 3 quarts for 2 1/2 cups of dry beans. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2 1/2 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on the batch of beans you have. The beans are done when they are soft and the skin is just beginning to break open.
- Strain the beans from the cooking water.
- Add the onions and lard/fat/oil to a wide, sturdy (not with a flimsy stick-free lining) frying pan on medium high heat.
- Cook onions until translucent.
- Add the strained beans and about a 1/4 cup of water to the pan (I use the bean water by straining the beans and allowing its juice to pour into a liquid measuring cup).
- Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until they are a rough purée. Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out.
- Add salt and cumin to taste.
- Add a few slices of Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, or some (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese if you want.
- When beans are heated through (and optional cheese melted) the beans are ready to serve.
12/09/2009 | Categorias: beans, cheese, Mexican | 4 Comentários »
O-M-G! This ice cream is so good. In fact, I think it is currently my favorite ice cream flavor. No. I’m sure it’s my favorite. I was craving ice cream and was deciding between vanilla or chocolate ice cream. I then went to my “Ice Cream Recipes” bookmark on my computer and saw “Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream” from Simply Recipes.
Fortunately, I had some Ibarra chocolate leftover from a big batch of Mole I’d made for my girlfriend when she came over to visit.
This recipe calls for 6 egg yolks, so I will have to eat this yummy stuff sparingly. I didn’t have anymore heavy cream, so I used half-n-half instead. It still came out very creamy and perfect. I don’t think I’ll ever use heavy cream in my ice cream recipes again since it’s slightly lower in fat and still yields great results.
If you don’t have Ibarra or any other type of Mexican chocolate, you can substitute Mexican or regular cinnamon with your favorite chocolate. I couldn’t taste the cayenne or the instant coffee, but I’m sure it added to the intensity of the flavor. Please try out this great recipe very soon.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used half-n-half)
- another 1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used half-n-half)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 disk and 2 triangles of Ibarra (or 4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- (2 teaspoons cinnamon (ONLY if NOT using Ibarra))
- Pinch salt
- Pinch cayenne
- Pinch espresso powder or instant coffee (I used the latter)
- 6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp brandy (I did not use this, and the ice cream remained “scoopable”)
Heat one cup of cream in a small saucepan (1 qt). Whisk in cocoa powder. Bring to a simmer. Whisk until cocoa powder is well incorporated. Remove pot from heat. Stir in chocolate until completely incorporate.
Put mixture into a metal bowl and add the remaining cup of cream. Set that bowl over a larger bowl half-filled with ice water to help cool it down. Place a mesh sieve over the bowl with the chocolate mixture.
Put one cup of milk, the sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, espresso powder (or instant coffee) into a saucepan and heat until steamy (not boiling), stirring to incorporate the spices and dissolve the sugar. Place egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly pour the heated milk and mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the heated milk, but not cooked by it. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the milk egg mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your burner is.
As soon as the mixture coats the spoon, remove it from the heat and immediately pour it over the mesh sieve into the bowl of the chocolate cream mixture. Stir into the cream mixture.
Add a teaspoon of vanilla. Let the mixture cool a bit in the ice bath and then chill in the refrigerator until completely chilled, a couple hours or overnight. (Right before churning, add 2 Tbsp of brandy to the mix. This is an optional step, but it will help keep the ice cream from getting too icy if it is stored beyond a day.)
Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Store ice cream in an airtight container in your freezer for several hours before eating. The ice cream will be quite soft coming out of the ice cream maker, but will continue harden in your freezer. If you store it for more than a day, you may need to let it sit for a few minutes to soften before attempting to scoop it.
Makes 1 quart.
07/09/2009 | Categorias: chocolate, dessert, ice cream, Mexican | 6 Comentários »
Ya que mañana es el cinco de mayo y enseño español, decidí hacer pan dulce en la forma de conchitas para mis estudiantes (¡y trufas de chocolate!). Seguí una receta buenísima de Toxo Bread. Ella no solamente dio la receta sino también incluyó fotos muy buenas y detalladas de todo el proceso.
Confesión: Nunca me ha gustado el pan dulce mucho, aún con café (lo cual ya no tomo). Me gustó mucho el pan dulce que hice pero prefiero las cosas dulces que son más…dulces jaja…como galletas con chispas de chocolate o pastel de chocolate con mucho glaseado UMMM.
No obstante estas conchitas son mejores que las que he probado en las panaderías. Las de las panaderías suelen ser secas y/o migajosas. Éstas tienen una textura perfecta. Si a ustedes les gusta el pan dulce, ¡les recomiendo que hagan este pan dulce inmediatamente!
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Since tomorrow is the 5th of May (cinco de mayo), and I teach Spanish, I decided to make pan dulce (sweet bread) in the form of conchitas (little shells) for my students (and chocolate truffles!). I followed a great recipe I found on Toxo Bread. She not only provided the recipe but also included very good and detailed photos of the entire process.
Confession: I have never liked pan dulce very much, even with coffee (which I dont drink anymore). I really liked the pan dulce I made, but I prefer sweets that are more…sweet haha…like chocolate chip cookies or chocolate cake with a lot of icing UMM.
Nevertheless, these conchitas are better than the ones I have had in the bakeries. The ones in the bakeries tend to be dry and/or crumbly. These, however, have a perfect texture. If you like pan dulce, I recomend you make these immediately!
05/05/2009 | Categorias: breads, chocolate, dessert, Mexican, yeast | 7 Comentários »
Stir together dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, egg, and add melted butter. Mix the ingredients until they are moistened; do not over-stir. Mix 3/4ths of the cheese to the cornbread batter.
Pour 1/4 of the mixture into the casserole pan.
Add 1/2-1 cup of the frozen or fresh corn on top of the batter.
Add all of the meat mixture. Then, add the rest of the corn (1/2-1 cup) (optional; I forgot to do this, so I had only one layer of corn, and it tasted more than fine.)
Add the rest of the cornbread batter.
Add additional cheese on top.
Bake uncovered in a preheated hot oven for 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
