Mexican Family Recipes

Tacos de Papa

2012-01-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-2 lbs of Russet potatoes, cut into 1-2 inch chunks

-2-3 small cloves of garlic, chopped or minced

-Fresh cilantro

-2 green onions (as topping)

-3 tablespoons of olive oil for coating potatoes

-1/4* cups of olive oil for frying

(*depending on size of pan-I used a small one)

-Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oven at 400 degrees. Cut potatoes and toss in a bowl with olive oil, garlic,

salt, pepper, and fresh cilantro. Make sure the potatoes are generously coated.

Place in a baking pan and heat for about 30-35 minutes, or until the potatoes are

soft to a fork's touch.

Once the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, place in a bowl and mash 'em up!
(I chose to add a small amount of shredded cheese here.)
Meanwhile, heat up some olive oil over medium/high heat. I chose a small deep pan since
I'm only cooking for one tonight-by choice. ;)
Anyways, taste the mixture to see if it needs more salt, it probably will.

To prevent tortilla breakage, heat tortillas slightly in a microwave before
you spoon some of the potato mixture onto them.
Use a piece of tortilla to test
if the oil is ready for frying...

Fold the tortilla in half and fry on each side for about 20 seconds.
Notice that I prepared a drying area with paper towels.
Please be careful not to place the paper towels too close to the open flame!
Just sayin'...

Serve immediately with toppings of your choice.

There are so many choices of toppings to dress up these tacos.

I dressed mine up with some avocado salsa and a side of avocado slices.

I've seen them topped with chopped tomatoes and lettuce.

My mom tops these with the same sauce used on the tostadas from a previous post:

http://mexicanfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/08/tostadasjust-like-moms.html

I have so many ideas to improve this recipe! Feel free to share your variations

We would LOVE to hear from you!

Easy and Delicious Holiday Buñuelos

2011-12-21T14:34:00.000-08:00

Buñuelos are tortilla-like fritters covered in cinnamon and sugar. These delicious treats are always a hit so make a BUNCH!! The following steps make approximately 2 dozen (I should have made more for the cookie party I went to; I didn't even have any leftovers to bring home...no bueno!). Anyways, read on and pay attention to my "secret" ingredient... ;)

I bought this white flour tortilla mix at a local Mexican market grocery store. To make 2 dozen you mix 4 cups of the mix with 1 cup of WARM water (I ended up adding about 1/4 cup of water extra...you want to the dough soft enough to knead.)

Knead the dough for 5 minutes then cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough into separate balls. If you were making tortillas, you would make a ball for each tortilla in the size of your choice.

In this case, I used LARGE holiday themed cookie cutters on the rolled out dough.

I used gingerbread man and Christmas tree shapes. The gingerbread men came out looking kinda funny. But it's always fun to bite their heads off. :D

This is what they look like before they get fried!

I heated up some vegetable oil over medium-high heat. I used enough oil so that each buñuelo would be submerged just barely (so the amount depends on the size pot you use). I tested the oil's heat by dipping the end of a buñuelo.

Poor gingerbread man! I fried for about 10 seconds on each side sometimes using the spatula to flatten them out. This gingerbread man was looking pregnant at one point. Oh, and cover a plate with some paper towels to set the freshly fried fritters on.

Make sure you have a container ready with a white sugar and cinnamon mix. After the buñuelos are done frying they get tossed in this sweet concoction. Now....here's my secret ingredient: honey. I LIGHTLY DRIZZLE some honey on the buñuelos (I do one side only) before I coat them in the sugar and cinnamon mix.

Your done! Now make sure you try one before you serve them.

Perfect with a hot cup of coffee.....drool....

Holy Mole!!

2011-02-22T23:51:00.000-08:00

Finding a mole recipe we felt capable to try was not an easy task. The Tonaya recipe book we had used before did not have a mole recipe. Mom admitted she hasn't cooked traditional mole in a long time. We decided to look online. Yeah, I know. SO many recipes to choose from! Yikes! Some recipes more traditional-meaning more complex and labor intensive-than others. It was hard to choose. We finally made a decision so we could get started. We opted for one of the simpler versions.

SO....you know how on our blog headline, you are asked to join us and to learn from our delicious mistakes as we embark on the journey to learn a traditional family recipe every month? Well, we thank you for taking this ride with us.

Now, buckle up.

The ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 (3lb) chicken, cut into pieces

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I recommend a little less so it doesn't overpower)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5) can dived tomatoes

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 semisweet chocolate chip

1/4 cup raisins (we omitted this ingredient)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds (to garnish)

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken pieces in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides-about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and stir in the bay leaf, black pepper cayenne pepper, paprika, cloves, and cinnamon until fragrant-about 30 seconds. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent- about 5 minutes.

(Meanwhile we are also cooking white rice with a little bit of butter and a bay leaf in a Pampered Chef Rice Cooker...hey, it works.)

Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar, and chicken broth, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, stir in the chocolate chips until melted, then return the chicken pieces to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender and no longer pink at the bone-about 15 to 20 minutes.

The recipe then asks to stir in the raisins and cook an additional 3 minutes.

But we skipped the raisins, feeling the sauce was already sweet enough.

Finally, you sprinkle sesame seeds to serve with white rice and warm corn tortillas.

Provecho!

By the way, we got the recipe here:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Mole-2/Detail.aspx

Reflection Notes:

What key ingredient seems to be missing from the recipe above? Chiles, of course! It seems we should have looked for a mole recipe that included chiles. The sauce could definitely be spicier and would simply benefit from the flavor of chiles. I also mentioned that the sauce turned out a tad too sweet. Perhaps we will use less chocolate, or less brown sugar.

The good news is that mom finally found a mole recipe among her many handwritten recipe notebooks. You know, I still have recollections of my mom sitting at the table or kitchen counter copying recipes from notes and the recipes of others. With a pen, on notebooks with lined paper. Wow, handwriting... remember that? I joke. :)

Perhaps we should scan her recipes to preserve them. I can see those notebook pages turning yellow...

...but I digress.

In conclusion, Sonia and Sandy shall try mole again!! We feel this recipe deserved another try! There is a plethora of mole recipes out there!! In fact, we are curious if you have a mole recipe you would like to share. If so, please include it in the comment box below; we would love to see your yummy versions of mole!

Nos vemos!

Nearing 300 Facebook friends. Who knew?

2011-02-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

Hi there friends. Been a while since we've blogged a recipe. But the day is coming up quick. Planning on making something delicioso this weekend. Maybe mole? That should be interesting.

On another note, I just checked our Facebook page and was quite surprised to see we're nearing 300 Facebook friends. Wow! Who knew? All because two sisters want to learn to cook like mom.

We began this journey about a year ago and I have to say, its' been a quite rewarding journey for me. I can now cook frijoles refritos (refried beans), carne con chile (beef in chile sauce), chiles rellenos (stuffed chiles), arroz (spanish rice), tostadas de lomo (pork loin tostadas), camarones a la diabla (spicy shrimp), micheladas (a yummy beer and Clamato concoction), pan de muerto (day of the day bread)...just to name a few.

For those who follow our blog and all our dear Facebook friends, thank you for accompanying us in this journey of food love. Here's to another year of good food, good company and good times.

~Sonia

PS: sign up to follow our blog directly from this site ;)

Dia de la Candelaria (Candlemas)

2011-02-02T22:08:00.000-08:00

Today is another feast day. Whomever got the Baby Jesus figurine in the Rosca de Reyes on January 6th, traditionally hosts a party today with tamales and champurrado. Sandy got the figurine, but since it's a "school day" and we all have commitments, our Candlemas celebration will be this Friday at her place.

Check out fellow Latina blogger's Muy Bueno Cookbook blog for a more descript article on Candlemas and a slew of yummy recipes!

Did you get the Baby Jesus figurine in the Rosca de Reyes? Are you celebrating Candlemas?

Rosca de Reyes (King's Bread)

2011-01-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

Dia de Los Reyes Magos!!

That's the holiday we looked forward to as children when we lived in Mexico City. To wake up on January 6th to find what gifts the Three Wise Men brought us...our version of Santa Claus on Christmas Day! Oh, how I remember those days fondly. I'll never forget my favorite gift...a three story Barbie house. And I remember my brother received a remote control racetrack that year.

The epiphany, January 6th, marks the end of the Christmas Season for catholics (12 Days of Christmas). In Mexico, this day is celebrated as the day the Three Wise Men on this day. Traditionally, Rosca de Reyes (King's Bread) is eaten with hot chocolate after opening the presents. It is baked with a porcelain or plastic baby Jesus inside. Whoever gets the Baby Jesus in their serving, throws a party with tamales and champurrado on February 2nd. Hey, any opportunity for celebrating with friends and more food!

(The Baby Jesus. If you get this, you're feeding us tamales and champurrado on Feb. 2nd)

This year I'm not up to baking a Rosca de Reyes. However, I will be enjoying one I will pick up at my local Mexican bakery. If you're up for it, here's a recipe I found online. Let me know if you try it.

Buen Provecho!!

http://http//whatscookingmexico.com/2009/01/07/rosca-de-reyes/

TAMALES, savory pork, rajas con queso and dulces!

2010-12-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

Wow! Well, this was no easy feat. There was so much going on in the kitchen.

I arrived at mom's and she had already started everything. In fact, she was already assemling the tamales. This is definitely time consuming, but if you prep ahead of time, it doesn't have to be.

I'll start with the delicious pork filling first.

PORK FILLING:

Ingredients:

3 lbs. pork riblets, with or without bone

2 garlic cloves

8-10 dry chile guajillos, like the ones in the picture above. Soaked in warm water for 1 to 2 hours tomato

a handful of fresh oregano

salt

Place pork in a pan, and fill the pan 1/2 way up with water. Cook in the water, add salt and garlic. Simmer until pork is cooked through.

Blend the soaked chiles, fresh oregano, garlic cloves with some of the juice from the chiles, and tomato.

Once the pork is cooked, drain some of the juices out, and add the salsa (drained). Simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Salt to taste.

Cooked pork.

TAMALE MASA:

Ingredients:

(Makes about 6 dozen tamales)

10 lbs. of masa (you get this at a mexican food shop)

1 cup white rice

6 dozen corn husks, soak in very hot water for 1 hour prior to assembling tamales (you get this at mexican food shop). Refer to picture above.

Tortilla maker, it'll make things easier :)

Tamale masa

Soaking corn husks

Cook the white rice with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 20 minutes, until water is evaporated. Mix the rice in with the prepared tamale masa in a deep bowl.

Assemble tamales:

Place a corn husk on the tortilla maker. Place a ball of masa in the center of the corn husk. Squeeze the tortilla maker down gently, ever so slightly. You may have to place a piece of plastic on the top portion of the tortilla maker so the masa doens't stick to it. Keep the plastic just a little moist with water.

Take the corn husk off the tortilla maker and onto a flat surface. Put the filling on it.

Then fold the right side toward the center and lay the masa over the filling. Open the leaf back toward the right. Fold the left side over toward the center, and leave it there. Fold the bottom portion of the corn husk toward the top. Then fold the right side over the left side, snugly.

Folding the bottom of husk toward the top

Folding snugly

Place the tamales in a steamer, standing. Fill the steamer with tamales. Make sure the bottom portion of the steamer has plenty of water.

Place a towl over the tamales and tuck into the sides of the steamer. Put the lid on the steamer and cook over medium heat for about 1 hour, or until masa is completely cooked.

BUEN PROVECHO!!!

We also made tamales de rajas con chile (chile and cheese tamales) and tamales de dulce (sweet tamales)

Tamales de Rajas con Chile filling:

Monterrey Jack cheese cut into sticks

Chile pasilla, roasted and cut into strips

To roast the chile place it right ove the stove fire and leave until every surface turns black. Once done place the chile in a plastic bag so it sweats and the peel comes off easily. After about 10 minutes, remove the chile from the bag and peel all the black off by sliding it off with your fingers. Then cut into strips, and remove seeds and stem. Cut enough strips to use one for each tamale.

Assemble the same as the pork tamales, but instead of adding pork filling to the corn husk, add a strip of cheese and a strip of chile. Fold the corn husk closed in the same manner and cooke for an hour, or until masa is completely cooked.

And now for the sweet tamales!!

Sweet tamale filling:

2 lbs. of prepared tamale masa

1/3 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of chopped fresh pineapple, or out of a can ;)

1/4 cup of raisins

Mix all of the above ingredients together.

To assemble the tamales, place a large dollop of sweet masa in the center of a corn husk. Then fold the right side to the center, followed by the left side of the husk toward the center, covering the masa. Then, take the bottom edge of the husk and fold up in half toward the top edge. Tie together with a strip of corn husk to keep it from opening. Place all tamales in a steamer and cook for an hour.

These are so delicious, I couldn't stop eating them today! Can't wait to make them again for Christmas!!

BUEN PROVECHO...enjoy. Let me know if you're brave enough to try them and how it all turns out.

Albondigas

2010-11-17T20:04:00.001-08:00

Making mom's albondigas recipe couldn't have come on a better day. I woke up with a bit of a sore throat. The warmth of the ablondiga soup felt so good to my throat, it relaxed me and put me to sleep early. I love to make a large pot of albondigas so there's enough for the next day. My son Aidan loved it so much, he couldn't wait to have it for dinner the next day.

INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs. ground turkey
1 egg
1 tomato
1 onion
1/2 cup rice
3 potatoes cut into cubes
6 carrots in 1/2" slices
salt
chopped mint (hierbabuena) or oregano

Blend tomato and onion. Add 1/2 the sauce to a bowl with ground turkey, raw egg, rice, salt and hierbabuena. Mix well and form into balls.

In the meantime, have water boiling with some salt and the other 1/2 of the tomato and onion sauce. Once the water is boiling, add meatballs to it along with carrots and potatoes. Just place them right above the water, they will sink to the bottom. It may even seem like they may just fall apart. But don't worry, I think the same thing everytime I make them and they always come out perfectly round and delicious. Lower the flame until the meat and vegetables cook.

Serve with a splash of lemon juice and warm tortillas. DE-LI-CIO-SO!!!!

This picture shows the albondigas rising to the surface...see, they didn't fall apart!

This recipe is super simple, and super delicious and comforting. Sometimes I double up the recipe just to have enough for days. So comforting on cold, rainy days.

BUEN PROVECHO!!!

Pumpkin Empanadas...they're ready!

2010-11-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

The minute I saw the beautiful, bright picture of the pumpkin wtih the empanadas next to it, I knew this was a recipe I had to try at home. A fellow blogger from Muy Bueno Cookbook posted it, it's a recipe she grew up making with her grandmother. So as soon as I had a chance over the weekend I got started.

I owe it to you go let you know, I was not impressed with the final product. Instead of using canned pumpkin, I used a real pumpkin. Roasted the flesh and then mashed it. The filling was yummy. What I did not like was the dough itself....I just don't think it has any flavor. I call it "wasted calories"...when I eat something that wasn't worth the amount of running it's going to take to burn those calories...*sigh*... Sandy tasted them and thought they were pretty good. But, she did see my point regarding the taste of the dough itself.

I'm posting the recipe exactly as I found it on my fellow Latina's blog. Let me know if you have any suggestions on how to make that empanada dough tastier. I have some ideas, but your input will be invaluable.

Makes 24-30 empanadas

Pumpkin Filling

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed firmly

1 cup organic pumpkin, NOT pie filling

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves with the butter.

Stir in the pumpkin and the spices. Continue to stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure the filling is not too watery; otherwise, let it cook for a couple more minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool down. After it's cooled off for about 15 minutes, put the filling in the refrigerator to help it set for 30 minutes or overnight.

You can make the Empanada Dough while the filling is cooling off.

Empanada Dough

Ingredients

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

Mix the first 3 dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with the dry ingredients. Works better if you use your hands. Add the eggs, milk and sugar. Continue to work in with your hands.

Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes. Take out one half of the dough and split it into 12-18 balls of dough. Depending on how small you want your empanadas.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You can fill your empanadas with any preserves made ahead of time.

Roll out the dough into small round circles. Add a small dollop of filling on one half of the rolled out dough.

Wet the botton edge of the dough with water to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough to seal. Seal off the edges with a fork by pressing down along the two edges. This also makes for a pretty pattern when baked.

Brush each empanada with egg whites, sprinkle with sugar and puncture each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray **I (Sonia) used a stoneware tray = no need for spraying**, place the empanadas on the cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes on medium rack in the oven. If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes.

That's it. Let them cool and enjoy! The are the perfect size.

If you try them, please give me feedback. Specially if you know how I might make the empanada dough tastier.

BUEN PROVECHO!!

Pumpkin Empanadas anyone??? Sneak peak...

2010-11-13T15:36:00.000-08:00

I found this pumpkin empanada recipe that just sounds absolutely delicious. I've made the pumpkin filling today. Will let it sit overnight in the fridge and make the empanadas tomorrow. Here's a sneak peak of pumpkin filling. If it's a success, I'll post the recipe.

Made my own pumpkin puree from scratch!!

And here is the pumpkin filling...tastes delicious so far.

I'll kee you posted.

PAN DE MUERTO

2010-10-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

In Mexico we celebrate November 2nd, Dia de Los Muertos (day of the dead) with Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead). The custom is for people to setup altars to honor their loved ones. In these altars they make offerings including their favorite foods. One of these offerings is usually Pan de Muerto.

Although we had Pan de Muerto when we lived in Mexico City, it wasn't our family's tradition to setup altars or even bake it. We've decided to make it our family tradition to bake it.

I found an excellent recipe online at http://www.allrecipes.com/ that was posted by Lola. Thank you Lola! Your recipe is simple, easy to follow and delicious.

So after driving around Sandy's neighborhood thanks to a faulty GPS (grrrr....) I finally arrived at my destination. I started the dough at home since it needs to sit and rise for a while. And being that I'm more into cooking than photography, I naturally forgot to take photos of the initial steps. But trust me, it's easy! Here we go...

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons white sugar

Heat the milk and the butter in a medium saucepan, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the warm water. The mixture should be around 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).

In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1 to 2 hours.

* This is when I hit the road from my place to Sandy's with "THE dough * Thanks to the GPS, I drove around in circles around her house for waaaay to long.

And that's where the next step came in handy :) ...

Punch the dough down...careful not to miss the dough...you don't want to hit the counter instead...trust me...ouch!

Shape the dough into a large round loaf with a round knob on top, for a traditional look. Or, shape into the desired shape of your choice like skulls...get creative!

Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool slightly then brush with glaze.

To make glaze:

In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes.

Brush glaze over top of bread while still warm.

Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar.

LISTO... BUEN PROVECHO!!!

The result was way better than I expected. We all enjoyed even, even mom and dad were raving. I hope you enjoy it as much. Hasta pronto.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

2010-10-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Caldo de Pollo

Hey ya'll, it's me, Sandy. Are you ready for some healthy, wholesome goodness? (Say yes). Sweet, then let me share this nostalgic Mexican chicken soup with you all. I remember eating this soup since I was a little girl-back when I didn't even like squash! Mom brought some of this to my house in August when I got sick and I suspect it has healing powers.
Anyways, this would have been a perfect dish during those few days when we had rain recently. But we are providing you with this delicious and healthy recipe now-on this hot Inland Empire day- as preparation for the cold (or at least chilly) days ahead. The recipe is very simple....we got it right the first time without any boo-boo's (besides cutting up too many veggies)!

Here are the ingredients:

-3.5 lbs of chicken (with skin)

-2 tomatoes

-3 potatoes

-2 onions

-3 Mexican squash

-3 to 4 carrots

-3 tablespoons of oil

-oregano, just a pinch or two

-salt to taste

Cook the chicken in a big pot with enough water to cover it. Use medium high heat.

Chop the onions and the tomatoes, then set aside.
Add a few chunks of the onion to the cooking chicken at this time.

Chop up the potatoes, carrots, and squash.

Chop! Chop! Chop! Good job, Sonia... looking good! ;)

When the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the pot of water and remove the skin. It should pretty much slide off. Sonia used a knife and fork to do this so she didn't even get her hands dirty, she's a pro.

Place the chicken back in the pot along with the potatoes, carrots, and squash. Cook at medium heat. Add a pinch or two of oregano and salt.

After letting the denser veggies cook for about 5 minutes, grill the onions and tomatoes with a bit of oil over medium heat. As soon as they cook and smell yummy, add them to the pot.

Cook until the potatoes and carrots and just tender. Make sure you taste it and salt to your liking.

Serve hot with corn tortillas and sliced avocado. Que rrrrrrico!

Please leave comments and questions. We love the feedback! Let us know how your caldo de pollo turned out and let us know how much you loved it! Until next time....

SALUD!

Sandy y Sonia

Chilaquiles for Breakfast

2010-09-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

CHILAQUILES FOR BREAKFAST!!

September was absolutely busy with dad's big birthday bash, family camping trip and campout with the scouts. Needless to say, Sandy and I did not get a chance to join forces and prep our next meal.

One very hungry morning, however, I decided to tackle chilaquiles for breakfast. These are the soft ones, not the crunchy ones. So here you go.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
10 corn tortillas (I figured 2 tortillas per person, plus a little extra)
oil for frying (vegetable or corn)
1 guajillo chile
1 onion, chopped
cotija cheese, grated
refried beans (refer to January 2010 post for recipe)

Place the chile in about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 5 minutes. Cut the stem off the top of the chile and discard. Place the chile in the blender and blend until smooth. Add a cup of the boiled water at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

Set aside.

Cut the tortillas into small squares. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add tortillas and fry until they start getting crispy, stirring around as necessary, then turn the heat off. You don't want them start getting hard...we're making soft chilaquiles for this one.

Add the salsa and stir until well mixed in. You can then pour cheese over the chilaquiles and stick the pan in the oven until the cheese melts...but I chose not to do that this particular morning.

Serve the chilaquiles on a plate, sprinkle with onion and cheese (if you didn't melt cheese over it already), some tapatio, and serve up with a generous serving of refried beans. Listo!!! A comer! So easy and quick. Perfect for those lazy, hungry, Sunday mornings.

BUEN PROVECHO!!!

TOSTADAS...JUST LIKE MOM'S!!

2010-08-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

The heat is still soaring in Southern California, so we decided to make a heat-friendly meal. These easy and tasty tostadas are an easy fix, and you can make extra for lunch or dinner the next day. I'm all about saving myself a few steps.

Sandy joined me at my place, where my kids happily awaited to see their favorite auntie. Also joining us today, mom and dad.

As you pour yourself a glass of wine, as we did, take a look at this recipe's ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
salt
pepper
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 onion sliced, in lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 iceberg lettuce head, shredded
1/2 lb. cotija cheese, grated
refried beans (refer to January 2010 recipe)
12 tostada shells (like Guerrero or Mission)

To cook meat:

Boil about 4 quarts of water in a pot with 1 garlic clove, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and add pork tenderloin. Cover. Cook for about an hour, or until meat is tender. Take meat out of the water and place aside to cool.
Keep the broth!!!

Once the meat has cooled, cut the meat and shred it apart. If you would like to cut it into slices instead, put it in the fridge so it firms up, and then slice.

You can use chicken or beef in place of pork if you would like.

To make the sauce:

Put tomato sauce in a pot with 3 cups of saved broth. Add 1 garlic clove, 1 bay leaf and salt. Bring to a light boil, then simmer for 3 minutes.

To assemble:

Get a tostada shell, smear beans, top with meat, cheese, tomato, onion and lettuce. Then pour some sauce over the entire tostada. Presto!

That's it!! Your're done preparing your meal. Now it's time to enjoy!!! We were told ours tasted just like mom's.

BUEN PROVECHO!!

Make sure to let us know if you try this recipe and how it all turned out.

CAMARONES A LA DIABLA: FINGER-LICKIN' GOODNESS!

2010-07-28T01:07:00.000-07:00

On this hot July, we have decided to crank up the heat EVEN MORE with some Camarones a la Diabla! To help cool you down, we will also show you how to make one variety of a MICHELADA, a spicy beer drink.

This time, Sonia and I met at our parents' house. This means, of course, that mom had to get her hands in the mix. It is impossible for her to sit back and watch our mistakes!

Meanwhile, Sonia's boys are in the backyard having fun in the pool...

We will begin our delicious journey with the camarones. Here are the ingredients we used to make almost 7 servings (might as well make a big batch and invite some people over!):

-12 chiles huajillo (dried)

-5 chiles de arbol (dried)

-4 lbs. of uncooked shrimp

-2 oranges

-bottle of ketchup (aka salsa catsup)

-1 stick of butter

-1 or 2 garlic cloves, according to your liking

-salt

-teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (aka salsa inglesa)

Step 1: Heat up enough water to soak all the chiles in. Let the chiles sit in the heated water for about 2 hours. The chiles can be soaked a night ahead of time. The point is to get the chiles soft and the water red.

Step 2: When the chiles are soft, you should begin washing/rinsing the shrimp. Leave the shells in tact! We'll explain why in the last step. After washing the shrimp, let them sit in fresh water while you move onto the next few steps...

Step 3: We now open up the chiles and remove the seeds inside. My mom showed us how to do this part. She basically used her nails to open them up and then removed the seeds using the pot of water to help wash them off.
We added the chiles, along with about 2 cups of the water in the chile pot, and squeezed orange juice from 2 oranges into a blender. The pics show a close up of the huajillo chiles (the bigger ones) and the chile de arbol (the smaller, skinny ones).

Step 4: Now that the sauce is blended, you will heat up a deep pan over medium heat. Strain the sauce as you pour it in. While stirring the sauce, add a teaspoon or so of salt, a teaspoon of the Worcestershire sauce, and the bottle's worth of ketchup. Yes the whole bottle. This, along with the orange, will add an element of sweetness. My mom actually likes to skip the ketchup and orange and just adds more chile sauce because she likes to make them HOT. So, be aware that you can easily tailor this recipe.

Step 5:

Heat up a separate pan over medium heat and melt the stick of butter.
Remove the shrimp from the bowl of water and add them to the heated, buttery pan.

We used a garlic press to add some crushed garlic.

Stir the shrimp around as they cook.

We suggest you don't overcook the shrimp because they will taste dry.

When the shrimp is ready, pour them into the warm chile sauce.

The Camarones a la Diabla are now done! Now, for the MICHELADAS!

MICHELADA INGREDIENTS:

-ice

-limes

-tomato clam juice (Clamato or generic)

-Maggi Seasoning

-Tapatio

-Worcestershire sauce

-beer (I suggest Dos Equis or Modelo)

-salt

I took pre-frozen mugs, added some ice and a squeezed lime to each.

Then I added a bit of the tomato clam juice...about a shot glass or two worth's.

Next I added a few drops of Maggi seasoning and Worcestershire sauce, and a teaspoon of Tapatio.

Pour in the cold cerveza (beer, duh) and a dash of salt. Mix and drink up! :)

Here are some pics of us enjoying the messy goodness. I absolutely love this dish. You may serve it with Mexican rice and refried beans. We just kept it simple. Camrones y cerveza. Oh, so the reason we leave the shells on...we like to suck the sauce off the shells before we peel them off. Makes the process extra messy so grab some napkins or paper towels. Heck, grab some bibs.

Sorry, no fancy plates.

I hope you enjoy the recipe. Please leave some comments. Share your results or varieties. And let us know if you have questions! Thank you for visiting!

Sonia, mom, and Sandy

Mom's Enchiladas de Dulce

2010-06-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

On a Monday evening after work, we decided to finally tackle this dish. We were both under the impression that it was a challenging dish to make. We were surprised at how simple and economical it was to complete. We were not as surprised at how freakin' delicious they were! These enchiladas are so rich and satisfying, there is no need for a side dish.

Before we start, here are the ingredients:

1lb. of chicken
Corn tortillas
Olive oil

For the Sauce:

-5 Chiles Pasillas (secos/dry)
-2 cloves
-1 cinnamon stick
-1 piece of Abuelita Chocolate (not the whole rounded piece, crush or melt before blending)
-4-5 pieces of piloncillo (if you don't know what that is, google it.)
-3-4 saltine crackers
-1 teaspoon of sugar (or however much to taste, remember the piloncillo is a sweetener too)
-Olive oil (to fry the sauce)
-White onion (just a couple of chunks to fry with the sauce)

For the topping:

Grated cotija cheese
Chopped white onions

It begins with the chicken... which we boiled in water until thoroughly cooked. This will take long enough so you can make the sauce meanwhile...
...oh, you should also have cotija cheese grated and a white onion chopped so your toppings are ready to go later.

The sauce begins with the chiles, which we boiled with water (enough water to cover the chiles). We boiled them for about 20-30 minutes. The water should turn dark red.

The chiles AND water will be blended with the following ingredients: chocolate, crackers, cinnamon stick (in pieces), and a clove.

Now that the ingredients are blended, you can asses if you need to thicken it up by adding more crackers. Our sauce actually came out too thick because we didn't add all the red chile water. Lesson learned! It should be a bit more liquified than melted chocolate! **Before the next step, you must strain the sauce using a handheld, wire strainer to remove the chile residue.**

Heat up some oil in a pan over low heat (we used a pot, but when I do this again I will use a deep pan instead). Add the strained sauce to the heated oil along with a couple of chunks of white onion and a clove. Add several crushed pieces of piloncillo (add as much as your sweet tooth desires). Mix and bring sauce to a boil. Remove the onion chunks.

It is time to check on the chicken. We removed the chicken from the boiling pot. As we started to shred the chicken, we discovered it needed more time...so we decided to cook it some more in a pan, which I thought gave the chicken a nice taste anyway. You may season chicken with salt and pepper if you like.

Now you just need to arrange an assembly line. Here is the process:

Fry tortillas in oil (just a little oil, if drenched they will rip)

Dip tortilla in sauce

Fill tortilla with chicken (you may add some chopped onion and cotija cheese inside too)

Roll up tortilla and place on a plate (or baking pan if serving later)

Top enchilada with chopped white onion and cotija cheese

You may drizzle some more chile sauce over your enchiladas if you like (I know I like!).

Ahora, es tiempo para comer! Provecho! MMMMM...

Please comment below. Let us know if you have any questions, or if you know of or discover delicious variations to this dish! Perhaps you have an idea for a side dish to go with this? Please share, we would love to hear from you!

Chiles Rellenos and Spanish Rice

2010-03-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello there!

What a beautiful spring-like day it was to have our March Mexican Family Recipe Day! We made it a Sunday brunch...perfect day for mimosas! And yes we know, mimosas are not mexican, but they hit the spot just right. Cheers!

This month we had a guest join us...our prima Iliana. We had a very nice time chatting...but let's get to the recipe.

I made the chiles rellenos while Sandy made the Spanish rice. Let's get started with the Spanish rice first. I would suggest if you're cooking alone, make the Spanish rice first, then the chiles rellenos. The chiles rellenos require more attention, it won't be easy trying to cook them simultaneously.

Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

1 tomato
2 tbsp. of oil
1 onion
1 c. of white rice
1 garlic clove

2 c. water
salt to taste
1 cube chicken broth buillon

Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil (we used canola oil) in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add 1 cup of white rice and 1/4 of a small onion, and sautee until light brown. Mix it around in the skillet or it will burn.

Blend tomatoes with the remainder of the onion and 1 garlic clove. Place the skillet over medium heat and pour the blend into the rice. Pour 2 cups of water into the skillet. Add salt and 1 cube of broth buillon. Mix it around and wait for the water to boil .

For the broth buillon, Sandy used Sazon Goya. However, I usually use Knorr Suiza, which I find easier to find at any local grocery store.

It's starting to smell good!!! Once the rice mix is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has been evaporated. Listo!!!

Next...the Chiles Rellenos....and a refill of mimosas.

Ingredients:

6 chiles poblanos or chiles pasilla
2 lb. mozarella cheese
3 eggs separated
1 c. all purpose flour
4 tbsp. oil
2 tomatoes
1 onion
1 garlic clove
a few springs of cilantro
1/2 c. of water

First, wash and roast 6 "chile poblanos" over the open fire on the stove. You can find "chile poblanos" as chiles pasillas. Turn them over until the entire chile is black and blistery. FYI...ashes may start to fly around a bit over the stove area. I love this smell!!!

Once the chiles are roasted, place them in a plastic bag so they sweat and it's easy to remove the skin. In the meantime, cut up mozarella into sticks, a little shorter than the chile itself so they fit inside. I used 3 sticks per chile.

Take the roasted chiles out of the bag and wash them under running cold water. You will be able to just slip the blackened skins off the chiles. Cut a slit down the side of each chile and deseed them. Put 3 mozarella sticks in each chile, and close the slit with a toothpick.

Now let's make the sauce. Boil 2 tomatoes. Once boiled, blend them with a small onion, a bit of cilantro, 1 garlic clove and about 1/2 cup of water together. Drain with a collander. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Meantime, whip 3 egg whites in a bowl until they're frothy, then add the yolks to the whites and whip until they're mixed. We had Iliana whip the eggs for us, and she did a superb job. Place flour on a plate or bowl. Once the oil is hot you can start your chile relleno production line. Woo hoo...here you go...!

Roll each chile in the flour, then dunk it in the egg mixture and pull it out quickly. Let it drip the excess off a bit, and place in the hot oil in the skillet. Do the same with each chile. Let the chile fry for about 2 minutes on each side and flip so the other side fries for 2 minutes. Add the sauce and let it heat for a few minutes until the sauce is heated through.

Remove skillet from the heat. Now, we missed the part where you add he sauce to the skillet...but that's exactly why we've embarked in this blogging adventure :)

Serve the chiles on a plate with a side of Spanish rice. You can pour extra sauce from the skillet over the chiles. Serve with sour cream and some hot salsa if you would like. Garnish with a few cilangro sprigs for a beautiful presentation...although we purposely missed this step cause we couldn't wait to start eating. Listo!!

Yes, this was DELICIOSO!! I hope you find it enjoyable as well.

All right. You've got about a month to try it. Let us know how it turned it and your experience. Would love to hear form you.

BUEN PROVECHO!!

March Family Recipe and Guest Appearance

2010-03-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

Saludos!

Our March Mexican Family Recipe day is coming up this Sunday, March 14th. We will be meeting at my place again at 10am for a brunch. We are having our first guest appearance. Guess who?? Come back and find out!!

March recipe is Chiles Rellenos con Arroz. I'll be waiting with mimosas!

Hasta pronto!!

Carne con Chile Rojo y Frijoles Refritos

2010-01-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

Post and photography by: Sandy Flores Winston

It was a cold and rainy Sunday evening in January.

When I got to Sonia's place, she had already pre-washed the pinto beans and they were boiling in a big pot of water. The beans take about 1-2 hrs to cook.

We'll come back to the beans later.

Within minutes of my arrival, Sonia served me a glass of wine (what a good sis!) and we were ready to get started with the main dish!

Ingredients for main dish include:

3 guajillo chiles

2 tomatoes

1 garlic clove

1/4 onion

2lbs. of beef flat meat (like the kind used for carne asada but without seasoning)

Mazola oil

First, we let the chiles marinate in water until the water turned red (20 minutes or so). Sonia used a ziplock bag of water and placed the chiles inside.

We cooked the tomatoes in a pot of water.

Meanwhile, Sonia chopped the meat into strips.

We added little bit of water to a pan and cooked the meat through before we added about 2 tablespoons of Mazola oil.

I blended the chiles, tomatoes, garlic, and added some black pepper.

Drain the meat before you add the sauce!!! (The exclamation points indicate that we forgot this step...oops!)

Continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened, while adding salt to taste.

We tasted the meat at all stages. We were worried that it was too bland at first. But after simmering longer, we realized the taste of the chile sauce gets stronger as it thickens. So be patient...

Don't forget to refill your glass of wine (or other libation of choice) while you wait! :)

Now, back to the beans....

Once the beans were soft (cooked), we poured them into a pan with a large spoon. Make sure you get some of that juice in there too. Bring to a boil before adding about 3/4 cups of Mazola oil (you can add more or less).

Note: Traditionally, refried beans are made with lard. We opted for the "healthier" version.

Now mash the beans!! Add salt to taste.

Your complete meal is now ready to serve!!

Warm up some tortillas. We had some hand-made flour tortillas from Trader Joe's that were delicious!

We also added cotjia cheese to the beans. Yum!

Our guinea pigs approved!

Every morsel was devoured. Que rico!