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- Available on Amazon.com and other book sellers. If purchased from their Enchilada site, a portion of the sale goes to Lighthouse for the Blind in San Antonio, Texas.
- Check out the Enchiladas
- Special book offer on their website only: all the books are signed by both authors. Buy 3 get one free.
- 3 cups (390 grams) poached skinless, boneless chicken, shredded into bite sized pieces (use your favorite method of preparation, moisten with broth, cover, and refrigerate until needed).
- 4 guajillo chiles (approximately 35 grams), destemmed, deveined, and deseeded
- 10 ancho chiles (approximately 150 grams), destemmed, deveined, and deseeded
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons (18 grams) kosher salt
- 1 cup (237 ml) olive oil
- 8 ounces (227 grams) chorizo
- 1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled, medium dice, and simmered until barely
- tender, 5–7 minutes
- 1 large carrot, peeled, medium dice, and simmered until barely tender, 5–7 minutes
- 1⁄2 cup (65 grams) frozen green peas, defrosted
- 12 corn tortillas, preferably a day old
- Crema Mexicana
- Queso fresco
- Avocado slices
- Jalapeño en escabeche (pickled jalapeños)
- Place the prepared chiles a few pieces at a time on a comal (or iron griddle or skillet) over medium heat and dry roast until fragrant, about 30 seconds per side.
- (See How to Prepare Dried Chiles for detailed instructions).
- Place chiles, onion, garlic, salt, and 4 cups (1 liter) hot water in a blender.
- Let sit for 5 minutes to soften the chiles.
- With the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow steady stream and process
- until emulsified.
- Strain the sauce into a wide sauté pan over medium heat.
- Warm through, taste, and adjust seasoning. Cover and set aside (It does not need to be kept warm).
- Remove the casings and crumble the chorizo into a large sauté pan over
- medium-high heat.
- Cook, stirring frequently to break up the chorizo, until it begins to brown,
- about 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and carrots and gently stir to combine. Cook, gently stirring
- occasionally, until the edges of the potatoes barely begin to brown.
- Remove from heat, stir in the peas, cover, and keep warm.
- Gently warm the shredded chicken. Have the topping and garnishes ready
- and at hand.
- Warm 4 individual serving plates.
- Heat a 9-inch (23 cm) nonstick sauté pan over high heat. (The pan with
- sauce should be nearby.)
- Dip a tortilla in the sauce, making sure it’s well coated, place in the hot sauté pan, and quickly sear for about 3 seconds per side—just long enough for the sauce to begin to caramelize.
- Place 2 tablespoons shredded chicken on the tortilla, fold in half, and place on an
- individual serving plate.
- Wipe the sauté pan with a paper towel moistened with a little vegetable oil and reheat.
- Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas, slightly overlapping the
- enchiladas on serving plates, 3 per serving.
- When the enchiladas are plated, top with a drizzle of crema Mexicana
- followed by a generous scoop of the chorizo/vegetable mixture and a sprinkle
- of queso fresco.
- Place the avocado slices and jalapeños en escabeche to the side of the enchiladas.
- The sauce recipe yields more sauce than is needed for this recipe. The remaining sauce may be refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to a month.
- 4 cups whole milk (for non-dairy, use coconut milk)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 5 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
- 1 teaspoon good Madagascar vanilla extract, or ¼ vanilla bean, scrapped
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 star anise
- 2 Tablespoons orange rind
- 2 Tablespoons lemon rind
- 1/2 cup espresso
- 1 cup Chilean pisco, white rum, brandy or vodka
- Combine the milk, water, sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick, vanilla, and nutmeg in medium saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Boil for 20 minutes.
- Add espresso and stir to dissolve.
- Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Strain the coffee milk mixture through sieve to remove spices.
- •Add Pisco. We were able to find this in our liquor store so try to stay traditional by using traditional spirit. If you cannot find it then a brandy, rum or vodka works.
- Chill for at least four hours, or ideally overnight. Pour into a glass pitcher and serve with Chilean fruitcake - pan de pascua. Drink lasts for 2-3 weeks.
- Makes 6-8 portions.
- Note: I made this for a party by using a gallon of milk. I then quadrupled the recipe.
- Once the coffee is brewed in the carafe, you have to drink the 4 cups pretty quickly to enjoy it hot. I drink about 2 and by the time I get to the other 2, the coffee is cold. I mean, I am able to drink it iced but if it is brewed hot, I would like it hot.
- The water tank is large and holds 90 ounces, but it seems like we are filling it ALL the time and with every cup we brew. The minimum amount of water is really a larger amount than expected but really its more of a nuisance than an issue. The issue I see is the water tank itself. The brewer has to be against the wall for it not to tip and spill everywhere. It is not very secure.
How to Throw an Easy New Year’s Eve Party {Giveaway}
December 28th, 2015Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with GIANT Food Stores. All opinions are my own as our my photos. Giveaway has been provided by the sponsor.
Christmas is over. Is anyone else sad it is over? Well, the season is not but sometimes after getting everything together and ready, the day comes and goes and it is all done. We had a lovely and quiet time. I say quiet even though having three little ones is never a guarantee it is a quiet time. The girls luckily slept in and I had already prepared a delicious brunch consisting of sour cream coffee cake, fruit salad, eggs, and sausage. It was delicious and definitely a great way to celebrate with our family.
Every year we try to keep up with traditions and incorporate a little of my husband’s traditions as well as some traditions I practiced in my home. I have to say that I feel like we have established a few this year that I can see us enjoying year after year. We did in fact bake cookies and we then packaged them up and gave to friends and neighbors. It was the first time in several years being able to do it since I have had litle ones at home and little time to bake. It was a lot of work but it was therapeutic and fun to do.
My husband decided to smoke a brisket for the first time this year. My mother usually made a brisket every year but what I did not realize is that it was overcooked every year. I never really learn how to cook meat so I was happy to pass on the task to my husband who did a most excellent job! I ordered a first cut brisket from Giant Food Stores and it was ready for pick up 2 days before Christmas. My husband did his research and smoked the meat in a gas grill using a smoker box. It was fab.
Another thing we try to do every year is to have a New Year’s get together with friends. Some years it has been successful and other years it has been non-exisent. I personally would love to go to a dance and ring in the new year at a party, but it is not possible right now. I thought about having some young families come over before the night time arrived to ring it earlier but I am not sure we would have anyone attend. While the notion of just ringing in the new year with just our family sounds nice, I like sharing it with other people.
Last year we had a couple of friends over and everyone brought appetizers around 9pm and we sat around and chatted and played a few games. This is probably the easiest and best way to have a party without any stress. What I found is that I make 1-2 appetizers and have other bring their own, but I am definitely going to use some shortcuts this year.
Giant Food Stores has an amazing variety of appetizer choices and they have definitely made my party prep much easier. While I have only a few choices pictured above, there are so many more in-store ranging from savory to sweet.
Here are a couple of my go-to appetizers I make every year for my new year’s party. Enter my giveaway below for a chance to shop for your ingredients at Giant Food Stores. Good Luck!
Baked Chipotle Cheese Olive Bites
Sharp Cheddar Cheese Ball and Veggie Tray
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Enchiladas Galore: Mexican Comfort Food for All {Book Review + Giveaway}
December 23rd, 2015
Christmas time always has different memories for me. Some years we would spend them at home with extended family. Other years we were estranged from extended family members so it would be a quieter year. Other years we would go to Mexico. The last time I remember spending Christmas was before high school and I still have fond memories. One of the things I learned growing up is that there are special dishes prepared during the holidays. I always wondered why and then I quickly found out when I got older. It is because it take such a LONG time to prepare dishes like tamales.
Some other dishes I remember my grandmother making were enchiladas. I quickly learned to love enchiladas with mole’ sauce and enchiladas suizas, which are made with green salsa with melted cheese over the top. So good. When I had one baby at home I would make them a lot more often, but now with three kids under the age of 4, making these delicious comfort foods is a challenge.
Many of you might not remember but even though I am half Mexican, half Chilean, I did grow up all of my life in Houston, Texas. We traveled to Austin, San Antonio, and many other cities within a few hours when we were kids. Many times we would stay the night in San Antonio and sight see and eat at delicious Tex-Mex or authentic restaurants. One of the restaurants we visited at one point was La Fonda on Main. Yummy enchiladas and food were consumed on those trips.
Well fast forward to now and I have the privilege of reviewing a cookbook authored by the owners of La Fonda on Main and other fabulous restaurants in San Antonio. How cool is that? How many times have you finished eating a meal at a restaurant and wished you had the recipe to make at home? I certainly have and I have now.
Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex is by Cappy Lawton and Chris Waters Dunn who own and operate 3 restaurants in San Antonio. While the title suggests having only enchilada recipes, it boasts more than that. It has fabulous recipes for homemade sauces, tortillas, side dishes and more. The photos are gorgeous and mouth-watering. Many recipes that I grew up eating but have no recipes for are available for me to use and test in my own kitchen. I am so excited to have this book to own because when my husband asks me to make something he wants I can turn to this book.
I am going to tantalize you with a recipe I chose from the book. While I will not be able to share that recipe I used, I will be able to share another enchilada recipe to make over the holidays. I made the Enchiladas Espinacas (Spinach) with Poblano Cream Sauce because I have never made a poblano cream sauce. The process was super easy but it still required steps to make it, like roasting the poblanos for the sauce and the assembly, but it was still pretty easy in my opinion and the recipe was easy to follow. The sauce definitely had a bite but it was so flavorful and the filling was made with mushrooms, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes, a filling that was different from ones I have made in the past.
My husband liked them a lot and while I prepared the meal he kept telling me how the house smelled so good. That is always the key. When preparing Mexican or Tex-Mex, it always smells so yummy. If I have tantalized you enough with my pictures consider purchasing the book. It is a great book to master your inner chef. I might just go through cooking the whole book this year!
Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Enter below for an awesome foodie bundle that also includes the Enchilada Cookbook. Open to US readers.
Source: Victor Maldonado/La Fonda on Main
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Callejeras are street style enchiladas, often made and sold on the streets in many parts of Mexico. The chicken, chorizo, vegetables, and cheese make these a complete—and substantial—meal.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a percentage if you make a purchase using this link. I also received a copy of the cookbook to review.
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Celebrate as Chileans do with Cola de Mono and Pan de Pascua
December 21st, 2015
When December arrived I was very sure I would not be ready for Christmas but now that it is almost here, I am so excited. Part of that excitement and anticipation for the holidays has come from really dwelling on the real meaning and reason for Christmas. Establishing new traditions and teaching our children what the real meaning of Christmas has been really important for us as a family. The last thing I want for our little girls to know is that it is all about gift giving and them receiving gifts. Materialism is not the reason for Christmas but it is Christ being born in a manger, who would later grow up and die on the cross for our sins.
It has been exciting to read the Gospel story as a family and have our girls hear the sequence of events. I finally was able to use our Advent calendar and talk about each day as Christmas approaches. The good thing about consistency and doing something daily is knowing that your children will remember and remind you to do it. It is never too late to start traditions and reading about baby Jesus.
Another part of our tradition is one I really can’t forget. Even though I do not have my family from Chile any where around me, I still want to continue on the traditions I grew up with as a child. After having a conversation with my grandfather, who lives in Chile, I was very nostalgic and happy that I was keeping up with certain traditions. I have not seen my grandfather in 15 or more years but I shared with him that I had made certain recipes that my grandmother would make during the season. He was real happy.
What made me happier was having my husband request one of the recipes for a party! Chileans have a spiked coffee cocktail called Cola de Mono, or Monkey’s Tail. The base for the cocktail is milk and the mixings consist of spices, coffee, citrus, and pisco. Even though I have made this almost every year, I have only made it with pisco, which is a colorless brandy produced in Peru and Chile. My husband was able to purchase a bottle this year to make the cocktail. It is the most simple recipe and quite tasty! We took it to our party and a lot of people raved about it. It is served cold and usually with a Chilean fruitcake called pan de pascua.
I have only made pan de pascua once and I was okay with it, so I decided to look up several recipes and compare. I remember my grandmother making it but then if I remember well, I was disappointed to know she had short cuts for her recipe which included cake mix. I do remember the recipe tasting good but now as a grown up, I have all the desire to make a true recipe for Chilean fruitcake.
If you are looking for a MOIST fruitcake, the RECIPE I used is the one to try. It is so delicious and amazing. It is even better several days after when it is sliced, stored in the fridge and then warmed up with a little butter. Oh yes. SO good and paired nicely with Cola de Mono. If you can muster going to the grocery store, try making both these recipes. I have already been asked for the cocktail recipe. I do have a vegan version on the site that I will be making for myself since I cannot do dairy.
Pan de Pascua Recipe
Original recipe comes from http://eatwineblog.com/2011/12/23/cola-de-mono-chile%E2%80%99s-version-of-eggnog/
I added a few modifications. Use coconut Milk for non-dairy options.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Quick and Hot Coffee with the Touch Brewer {Review+ Giveaway}
December 14th, 2015
Every time I say I am going to lay off of coffee it is short-lived. I enjoy coffee in so many ways that my husband cannot probably keep track. Some days I like drip coffee while other days I want an iced coffee. Sometimes I like to pour espresso over my ice cream or even add some coconut whipped topping in a HOT cup of coffee for dessert. You get me? I like coffee not only for its amazing caffeinated personality, but because it tastes SO GOOD!
One of the things that my husband and I cannot really come to terms is enjoying a pot of flavored or coffee blends like a Christmas blend or hazelnut coffee. He is a purist for sure but like I said, I like my coffee so many ways that I tend to not drink the flavored ones until I am out on my own. A pot of hot coffee is usually our standard in the mornings with either local dark roast or a fair-trade coffee we have enjoyed for years.
Things have changed and there are no differences because on certain days we can have our own choices. Since Thanksgiving, we have been enjoying a Touch T526B brewer that brews individual coffee or even a 26-ounce carafe for the coffee lover staying at home. While we are all too familiar with the Keurig, my husband keeps that at the office for his enjoyment so we have solely been a espresso-brewing or drip coffee brewing home for some time.
It was nice to have a brewer that has a lot of options for us to make. The Touch brewer makes 8 cup sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 oz. and 26-ounces in a carafe. We all know it is easy to have different size coffee cups at home or the travel mug holds more than the 8-ounce portion. We definitely loved the different portions available and how hot the coffee brews in each cup. I especially loved the carafe.
The brewer comes with the supercharger (the red insert in the brewer) to brew a bigger and stronger cup of coffee. It packs up to 18g of coffee compared to regular 12g K-Cup® portion packs but it also fits generic K-cups the Touch brewers own Touch XBold Cup™ and XLarge Cup. Even though I did not receive those cups, they do boast a much bolder cup of coffee than regular K-cups. It packs up to 15 grams of coffee as opposed to 12 grams in the typical K-cup.
I am not going to tell my husband but this is MY brewer. Yes, I am laughing over here because I now get to brew what I want even when he is at home. I was able to buy some generic hazelnut coffee cups from Wegmans and have brewed them in the Touch brewer with no issues. Ten-ounces later, I was a happy mother.
We also had a chance to sample LA Coffee Cups that came in three different strengths. They ranged from 3.0 to 7.0 in coffee boldness and while the 3.0 should have been a lighter roast it was still a bold flavor so imagine 7.o being a darker roast but very bold and strong in flavor. My husband and I enjoyed each cup.
My other favorite accessory is the Refill Jumbo Cup. The red supercharger that holds the K-cups in place is removed and in its place goes the Refill Jumbo cup. I can fill any ground coffee into this cup and it brews 40 grams of my favorite coffee-making 30-ounces or 4 cups of coffee. Not only that but it brews in 3 minutes as well!
While I have listed my pros with this brewer there are a few small cons:
Besides those things, we really like the brewer and we will continue trying out various cups and drinks for our every day pleasure.
Have someone you know would like this? Do you have a family member addicted to coffee? This is the brewer for them! Enter below for a chance to win the same brewer for yourself or a family member.
Disclosure: I received a brewer to review and one to give away to a reader. All opinions are my own. Brewer will be mailed by company at the end of the giveaway.
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A Season of Giving #GiveHeifer #LBCGives
December 8th, 2015Christmas time is such an important time of year because there are so many messages coming across to all people. As a mother of three, I am really trying to teach my girls about the basics of giving to others. While I think it is important to give throughout the year, Christmas tends to be the month to give special gifts. As I get older, I grow less interested in needing or wanting more things. I thank God for his provisions and in that I try to teach my girls that we have enough. In a time where entitlement is growing stronger and stronger, teaching my girls the opposite will be a challenge.
Every year I learn a little more about the needs of others in our community and around the world. Growing up my grandmother would read about missionaries around the world serving. She would send funds through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. It is amazing what impacts us the most when it is impressed and taught at a young age. The same I want to share with my children so they will not grow up to be thinking of only themselves.
This year I learned about Heifer International through Latina Bloggers Connect, where their mission is to help communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth. Heifer International empowers families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity by helping communities and delivering sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty.
It all starts with the gift of a sheep or a goat or a flock of geese. The animals that are gifted provide communities with food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market. When many families gain a new sustainable income brings new opportunities for building schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses. I know there are many of you that like supporting small businesses so what a great way to support small businesses that are actually trying to make sustainable income for families with very little.
Passing on the Gift is Heifer International’s core model which means families share the training they receive, and pass on the first female offspring of their livestock to another family. This extends the impact of the original gift, allowing a once impoverished family to become donors and full participants in improving their communities. The goal of every Heifer project is to help families achieve self-reliance. We do this by providing them the tools they need to sustain themselves, and it’s thanks to the generosity of donors like you.
I received a beautiful scarf hand-crafted by a women’s group living near Cusco,Peru where they used traditional Peruvian patterns. In this way, Heifer strives to preserve the heritage and history of rural farmers while also providing resources and training to help improve their own lives.
I also received a second one to Pass of the Gift, an extra scarf to give to someone. I love the concept and I wonder how much my life would be different if I was in these people’s situations. In a sense we are left with a legacy to create more for ourselves, but through God’s strength and wisdom left by our parents. I am thankful for that and pray that as you read this you may be blessed to help others in some way whether it is through Heifer International or through some other outlet.
Check out Heifer International’s Holiday Catalog for ideas to give to others this season or even throughout your year.
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. We learned what Heifer International is all about and simply wanted to share it with you. We received scarves in order to share the gift with others to share how others can do the same.
