Art and I absolutely love the tropical, sweet tartness of passion fruit. We found this recipe in the new cookbook “50 Best Plants on the Planet,” by Chef Cathy Thomas and Melissa’s Produce. The dressing has chipotle chile in it. Chipotle chiles are ripe jalapeños that have been dried and smoked. The spicy kick from […]
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While all my friends were scarfing chicken wings and carne asada nachos watching the NFL championship games on Sunday, I was being schooled by some top celebrity chefs. Greek-American culinary star Michael Psilakis showed us how to make a gyro spice of cumin, coriander, yellow mustard seed, cloves, black cardamom, fennel and cinnamon. America’s premier wine and spirits […]
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Believe it or not, sometimes Art and I don’t agree on the food we like. He doesn’t care for meatloaf. He feels it’s boring, plus he has an aversion to ketchup. He remembers his mom making it once or twice and each time it was dry (sorry mama Rodriguez, his words not mine). Personally, I […]
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We all know what we’re supposed to do to stay healthy. Eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise on a regular basis. It’s common sense, right? Sometimes I’ll go into my fridge with the intention to make smart food choices, but the flour tortillas and butter look up at me and say, “Warm me up and smother […]
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Mexican hot chocolate or Champurrado? Believe it or not, growing up that was a major decision for me. I preferred Mexican hot chocolate as I was always leery from the thickness of Champurrado. Oh, how times have changed. And, on holidays like Diá de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) celebrated on January 6, Champurrado is […]
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During the holidays we make a lot of pinto beans for our tamale dinners. I always freeze the left-overs for future use like when I am looking for appetizers to serve our New Year’s Eve guests. The fried platano cups have the flavor, weight and heartiness of a fried potato skin. You can find these, […]
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Making buñuelos during the holidays warms up the kitchen and home perfectly. What I like about the soft doughy pillows is how they fluff up when you fry them. Don’t worry about the shape. It is not worth fretting about, believe me. At first I tried to make them perfectly round, but quickly gave up. There are bigger […]
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These dense, moist treats are irresistible. Wrapped in a pretty box, they make a great gift, too. We recently served these at a holiday party and people gobbled them up. Like the headline reads, don’t skimp on the booze. You want these little balls to be potent. Chocolate Walnut Rum Balls Makes about 40 Ingredients […]
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Sometimes the simplest things bring me joy in the kitchen. One of them for sure is my personal recipe box. Memories of good times or loved ones come to mind as I go through 3×5” cards. Each card is adorned with handwritten notes of family treasured recipes or ones I had cut and pasted from some […]
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Calabaza en Tacha or candied pumpkin is a popular dessert during the holidays for many Latino families. The sweet aroma from the pumpkin, brown sugar and cinnamon while baking in the oven permeates the entire home of its goodness. It’s a great way to use up the pumpkin you had from Halloween and enjoy the […]
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