When I am stumped on what to prepare for dinner, picadillo is an easy option. And why gorditas when you can just warm up some tortillas? Besides the fact that they are delicious, I want to continue practicing the traditional dishes that I grew up enjoying. Why it’s a good idea to always have a few jars of homemade salsa in your refrigerator! I prepare salsa often! It’s a good idea to have it ready made for enjoying as a snack, but most importantly for quick recipes. This salsa recipe is just one of the many variations that you can prepare. Pick your favorite chile peppers, mix tomato with toma ..read more

Tacos dorados! Taquitos! Crunchy tacos! After several trips to L.A. over the past year, I was finally able to make some time to go check out a popular seafood restaurant in the Los Angeles area. Here is the hard part! How do I decide what to order when I know I will be full with two tacos? Lol! I was obsessed with these tacos dorados filled with potato and shrimp that I had seen on a taco crawl in L.A. Wait! What about the salsa recipe? You can find that right here on the blog! Literally the first thing I prepared when I arrived home from my trip to Los Angeles was the fresh salsa inspired by ..read more

While in Los Angeles recently, I was lucky enough to finally enjoy some tacos dorados from Cuatro Vientos Mariscos restaurant. I knew as soon as I arrived back home that I wanted to attempt to recreate my version of the salsa and delicious tacos dorados! Today, just the salsa recipe. Next week I will load the taco dorado recipe to share with you all. Salsa Today! Tacos Tomorrow! I often share with my follower’s salsa recipes on my social media platforms. On any given day, you will find at least three varieties of homemade salsa in my refrigerator. Tacos happen easily once the salsa is previous ..read more

Lentils! Lentejas! As a kid, I associated eating lentils with days of Lent. Mom would prepare them simply with carrots and potatoes and they were delicious. The day it dawned on me that I could just use lentils as I would beans, I wanted to experiment with various dishes. This dish is inspired by Carne guisada con papas. Obviously, there is no meat, but it would be delicious with the lentils and potatoes! Basics! Basics! Basics! If you are like me, you don’t enjoy running out to the market every time you are missing an ingredient. I remember a neighbor of mine knocking on my door quite often ..read more

Verdolagas, purslane! Not only is it delicious for a variety of dishes, it is shown to contain five times higher omega 3- fatty acids than spinach! Who knew? They can be eaten fresh or cooked and will add a tart and light salt note. Toss some in with your favorite greens in your next fresh salad. One of the many popular combinations is verdolagas(purslane) with pork in salsa verde. Head to the farmers market this summer! The tear drop shaped leaves are attached to a thick stem. Think of it as you would any green leafy vegetable. Verdolagas, when added to soups, will thicken the soup slightly ..read more

Chileatole is a dish that dates back to Prehispanic times. It is said to have originated in Puebla, but is popular in Oaxaca, Veracruz, Morelos and Tlaxcala. The dish is a thick type of soup thickened with corn masa or corn kernels. Commonly prepared with green chiles, herbs like epazote and corn chunks. I took inspiration from that delicious soup base and prepared a red version with chicken and corn masa dumplings(chochoyotes). You really have to enjoy the flavor of corn masa to enjoy this dish! I do! Once you learn the basics, a whole new world opens up to you! As a home cook, I am always e ..read more

Chocolate conchas! I am at it again! Lat year about this time I attempted to bake my dark chocolate concha recipe and failed miserably! In my defense, I had just purchased a new stove and was not aware that there was a problem with the thermostat. It hurt to have to throw all those deflated dense conchas away, lol! Since that time, a new thermostat was installed and so far, so good. Do you remember the first time you saw those colorful conchas at la panaderia(the bakery)? I honestly don’t remember how old I was, maybe 5 or 6 years old. Pink conchas are to blame for my love of the color pink f ..read more

Chocolate raspberry tres leches cake! Say that again! Chocolate raspberry tres leches cake! Oh my! This cake will definitely make you feel like you are in some fancy restaurant. It’s that tasty! I have had this cake in mind for quite some time now! I do love a simple chocolate cake! Yes I do! It is one of the few times I will indulge in a small slice of cake. It has to be homemade. Makes it all that much more special. In order to get this recipe to you in a timely matter, I am just going right to the point! Videos! Tres leches comes to life, step by step in three separate videos. I decided t ..read more

Spinach tamal? Then add jalapeño and cheese? I’m in! And here I thought I was all done with preparing tamales for a minute. The thing is I love preparing tamales and do find myself preparing them several time a year. Another more traditional combination is swiss chard(aceglas) and cheese tamal. Lucky for me, I had a huge container of baby spinach in my refrigerator and plenty of cheese. I am all for using what’s available and making it work. Several days ahead I start planning in my head when it comes to preparing tamales! I promise, I am not a freak, lol! You could probably walk into my pant ..read more

Caldo ranchero literally translates to ranch style soup. The title alone, should let you know that all of the ingredients are very simple and basic. Nothing fancy, but in the end, I would choose this caldo ranchero over any fancy restaurant soup! I promised my followers I would share eight new soup and or stew recipes and I am hustling! Lol! This is number 4 in the series of 8. I am having a blast coming up with some different combinations or recipes I have tried in the past. Of course that all have my own twist. I cannot take credit for this caldo inspiration! For many years now, I have been ..read more