All posts filed under: Latin Flair

Mom’s Meat & Potatoes

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My mom made this quite often as I was growing up. It’s an economical way to provide a delicious main dish. We’d usually have spanish rice on the side and pinto beans too or maybe a simple salad made of thin cut iceberg lettuce seasoned with salt and pepper and tossed with a bit of mayonnaise. I am blessed to have many warm and fuzzy memories of my youth that center around a happy Momma, a warm kitchen and delicious food Today I love this stuff in a burrito, oh yum! Mom’s Meat and Potatoes would also make a perfect taco filling Precook 3 washed potatoes in the microwave (I usually set the timer to just under the number of potatoes for baked potatoes so for 3 potatoes I set my timer for 2 baked potatoes) after they cool peel and chop them Sauté 1/4 cup chopped onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes Add in 1 pound ground round or ground turkey, cook the meat until just about done. By …

Mexican Posole w/Pork

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3 – 31/2 pounds pork butt, marbled with fat, chopped into small cubes 3 tablespoons cooking oil 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp salt 2 tsp crushed oregano 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp garlic powder 3 bay leaves 10 cups beef broth 1 can (28oz) enchilada sauce, Las Palmas 1 1/2 cans (28oz) red chile sauce, Las Palmas 2 tablespoons chile powder 1 large can white hominy 2 cups hominy liquid

Green Chile Chicken Posole for the Win!

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A soup made of green chile, broth, hominy, chicken and some delish mexican spices. I finally tried my hand at this soup. I’m glad I did, it came out very tasty! I hope you’ll give my version a try. I grew up enjoying the red chile posole my mother made, hers was so good. Over the years I’d heard of others eating the green chile version and I actually tried it myself once long ago, but found it to be a bit bland. After researching recipes on the web I came came up with this delicious version, enjoy! Onions translucent, salt added, garlic in and the chicken. All ingredients added now, bring to a boil, cover and simmer. After 30 minutes add in the can of chopped green chiles. Meanwhile, gather and chop your condiments and remember to always keep your condiment game strong! These tasty ingredients help take the posole to an over the top yummy status. Here’s my husband starting to top his bowl of goodness. I like adding extra spice to mine, …

Oh My Mollete

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I recently got together with my maternal Aunt, we swapped family history and recipe stories. She shared how her grandkids love a good Mollette. Naturally I had to ask, “what the heck is a mollette?.” This hungry girl had to know, ASAP. Here’s a link from Savuer, their take on the coveted Mollete https://pin.it/i4p74bqqob3pha First off, here are some tips… Split your bread, bolillos (found in Mexican bakeries and some grocery store bakery sections) or bun of choice, toast the halves and butter them (after hollowing them out a bit) for added decadence. Use beans as the base layer. Cooked meat can be added as well. You could also add cooked scrambled eggs or seasoned cooked ground round or ground turkey, leftover taco meat or cooked shredded chicken, etc… Garnish with your favorite things/whatever you have on hand. Thee Molleta is your oyster at this point! This morning for my garnishes I used a green salsa I made previously. I used some chopped onions I had in the fridge, a bit of chopped cilantro, a …

Guisado a La Oma

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This is a dish my mom made quite often. It’s a meat and potato stew with green beans. I’ve spent years trying to get this recipe just so. I do believe I finally have. It’s so perfect on a cool evening. Ingredients… 1 pound ground turkey 1/2 a medium white onion, chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tsp salt divided 1/4 tsp pepper divided 1 large clove garlic, minced 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 6 cups beef broth 1/4 tsp oregano Pinch of comino (ground cumin) 4 potatoes, peeled and diced 1 can green beans, drained Process… Cook the ground turkey, season with 1/2 the salt salt and 1/2 the pepper, drain any fat, set aside In a stock pot heat oil to medium high Add in the onion, cook until translucent Add in the rest of the salt and pepper Add in the garlic, cook an additional 2/3 minutes, stirring often as to not burn the garlic Add in the chopped tomatoes cook another 5 minutes or so Next, add in the beef broth Add …

Dutch Oven Carnitas

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Morsels of delicious, somewhat crispy, pork going on here… These are so yummy and easy to make. I used country style pork ribs (very little bone), about 3/4 pounds. Layer ingredients Bake Finished product, well almost Pan fry or toss to crisp up a bit. I used very little oil, just some olive oil cooking spray in this non-stick pan. Finished goodness. Carnitas, Ingredients… 3/4 pounds country style pork ribs 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp dried oregano Pinch of comino (cumin) 2 garlic cloves, peeled, whole Juice of 1 orange plus peel One onion cut in half 1/8 tsp Pepper Process… Preheat oven to 300 Rub the inside of the pot with olive oil Layer the ribs then all other ingredients Cover the pot Bake at 300 for 2 hours Remove the pork from the pot reserving the liquid, liquid will form during the cooking process due to the fat in the ribs Break the pork ribs into bit size pieces using a fork and knife Heat a non stick pan to high Spray the …

Enchiritos For The Win

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Who remembers these? The famous Enchirito, a Taco Bell thing, no longer on the menu. Unless… you ask?! Yup, at least in my neck of the woods they definitely are a possible indulgence at Taco Bell or as shown here, at home. I found this simple recipe on Pinterest. I opted for the easiest version, I seasoned the meat with taco seasoning and I used canned refried beans. https://pin.it/iv547fsse4hmea Throw them together in a jiffy, bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 and walla, you have one (or two) tasty treat/s! Oh so good! Top as you see fit 😉 with chopped green onion and sliced olives, or fresh chopped white onion, cilantro, sour cream or just extra sauce. * I baked this batch with slice olives on, after baking I topped the enchiritos with chopped green onion. Also, for the filling I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. Here’s the story on this delectable treat… … http://hackthemenu.com/taco-bell/secret-menu/enchirito/ Happy day, g.

Tamales 101

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Well it’s that time of year, I woke up early this morning to get my batch of goodness done. Tamales at Christmastime are a tradition in my family. I can remember my paternal grandmother making them with my mom every Christmas season when I was just a girl. My mom continued the tradition… now all 7 of my siblings try to carry on this holiday family tradition. In years past I’ve turned my tamales making into an event of sorts, inviting my daughters, cousins and grandkids to join the fun. I planned Christmas crafts for the littles and breakfast time treats for all. I would certainly recommend doing this if you have the time. It makes for great family time. Today I have been lucky enough to have my mother in law’s influence in the tamale-making department and that’s a very good thing! I believe hers are thee best. Her masa (the outer shell of the tamale) is always spot on. The thickness of her finished tamales is always just right too. This year I …

Chilaquiles with Eggs Over Easy 💃🏻

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I grew up on this stuff, it was a once a week staple as I remember. I  always looked forward to it. It took me years to perfect my own recipe. I like the final dish to be a bit crunchy therefore the timing is crucial in my book. Some aren’t so picky with the crunch level of their chilaquiles for me it makes all the difference. This makes for a great dinner, in fact that’s the way I remember my mom serving it, it also makes a great breakfast or brunch entree too.  I hope you’ll give my recipe a whirl. I take a big short cut here by using store bought tortilla chips. I say, why the heck not… they are  perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection.  Gather your ingredients and chop the onion. All shown here except for the cilantro, which is certainly optional.  Cook the onion until translucent and soft. Add in the 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce. I used medium (heat level) today, use what you prefer.  I’m loosely 😉 …

Crockpot Verdi Chicken

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Oh this makes for a so delish burrito or taco filling! You must give it a whirl.  It is really easy and quick to come together… turn on the crockpot and go about your day.  At the end of 6 hours you’ll have a most delish chicken filling. If your doing low carb, this would surely be good on it’s on, sans tortilla.  Ingredients 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/2 a medium size white onion, sliced  1/2 cup crushed tomatoes  2 cups salsa verdi (green salsa, I used Herdez, mild)  1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp crushed oregano  1/4 tsp salt  Dash of pepper  Process Layer the bottom of your crockpot with the onion slices, next add in the chicken and all other ingredients.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours Once done, shred the chicken with a fork, mix the chicken and salsa well.  Make your salsa verdi burritos or tacos  Enjoy!  I made burritos this time, I added shredded cheese, hot sauce and a bit of sour cream. The chicken turns out …

Spanish Brown Rice w/Vegi’s 

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I picked this up at my local Walmart, it’s a great texture brown rice. Benefits of brown rice http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128#healthbenefits I followed my method for regular Spanish rice except for a few things, more liquid and a longer cooking time. I like to brown the tomato sauce as well. Bring the mix to a boil Cover and simmer on low for 1 hour. Serves approximately 6 Ingredients 1 tsp cooking oil (I use olive oil) 1 cup brown rice 1/ 3 cup tomato sauce 2 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup water 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (or a frozen peas and carrot mix works well here too) Process In a medium saucepan heat the oil to medium high Begin to brown the rice, mixing often. You’ll have to watch over the pot of rice closely here as not to burn it. Mixing it quite often is your best here When the rice is somewhat browned add in the tomato sauce, continue browning with …

Meet Ground Turkey Chipotle Albondiga (meatball) Soup, otherwise known as… Albondiga Soup! Ole’ 💃🏻

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I’ve grown to prefer ground turkey over ground round in many of my cooking escapades. The flavor is more sudtle and less meaty, I like that, especially in this soup.  Here are some of the ingredients I used… A while back I happened upon these fire-roasted diced tomatoes. I really like the flavor, they do taste roasted and that can add a great flavor layer to any recipe.  Here’s the finished soup. This soup takes some effort as the meatballs need a whole start of their own, but the effort is well worth the delicious finished bowl.  I had my dad here visiting with us for a few days recently, how lucky am I?! I love cooking for him, he is always so very appreciative.  Enjoying meals together, well,  it’s a bit like going back in time with him in a most heartwarming way, as my mother prepared many of the dishes I make for him now. It’s all love in my book.  Recipe coming soon.     g.  Happy weekend all! xxoo