Fideo

This soup is a must for every family! It is the soup my Nana gave to us as little kids.  It was mostly given to us when we did not feel well but also made when we just didn't have a lot of money for meat.  I remember growing up thinking, how in the world my Nana made the noodles to have two different colors?  Well now I know she browned the fideo just like she did the rice.  To this day I love this soup.  It is easy, fast and super yummy! I hope you feed it to your little ones and your family as a dinner time favorite!

This is the Fideo pasta. 

In a little bit of cooking oil you are going to brown your Fiedo just like we did with our rice.

What you will need:

I used half a bag of Fiedo
2 TBS cooking oil
¼ medium white onion
1/4 - 1/2 cup tomato sauce
 boiling water
4 tsp chicken bullion (note instead of using bullion you can use Swanson chicken broth)

• The ratio is 1 to 4 or so.
• Chicken Bullion advise...use the Knorr brand.
• To spice this up you can add a little diced up yellow chile.
• This can be a side dish or a main dish.

1. In small pot sauté Fiedo with 2 TBS oil and diced onion.
2. Cook until lightly brown (brown Fiedo on high, watching it carefully).
3. While you are browning boil water.
4. Once your Fiedo is browned add tomato sauce and stir until it is well blended with the Fiedo.
5. Add water and chicken bullion.
6. Stir while it comes to a full boil. Once boiling cover and bring heat to medium
7. Let cook for 15 minutes.
8. Top with Cilantro and serve. 

Here's to some good food!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

I know it has been a while since I have posted some good food here.  I apologize!  I am not sure how this wonderful drink has not made it to the blog yet. This is by far my favorite drink ever! I can remember drinking this hot chocolate as a kid.  My mom mostly made it and it was wonderful.  I am hoping my own kids grow to love it as much as I do!  

What you will need:

• 3 cups 2% Milk (best use will not come out the same if you use 1% or non-fat milk) 
• 1 Circle of Ibarra Chocolate
• 1 Can Carnation Evaporate Milk  (again use the regular milk)

The trick to this drink is to let it come to a full boil twice AFTER the chocolate has dissolved.   Do not walk away from the stove when making this it can easily burn and/or over flow.

 Make sure you shake the evaporated milk well and then add to your regular milk

 

 Let it come to a full boil like this twice.

Here's to some good food!

Look who is cooking with us

Finally my mom makes tortillas.  I have never known my mom to make a single tortilla in MY life.  Great job Rosie we are so proud of you and I think Nana would be laughing right along side you!!!
Nana's Tortilla's

Spicy Roasted Salsa

My mom makes this salsa the best.  I have to give it to her, I learned to make this salsa from watching her.  My husband loves spicy salsa and so this was the perfect mix.  I started making this salsa because of my mom and it just grew on me.  I also got a few of my friends hooked on it and would make it for them and surprise them on Sunday morning with a huge jar for them.  So over the last year I have been giving it way.  If you like like spicy salsa you will love this one!

 What you will need:

• 5 large tomatoes
• 4 Anaheim Chile
• 8 Serrano Chile
• 4 Yellow Chile
• 6-8 Jalapenos
• Salt to taste
• Blender

 From left to right: Serrano Chile, Anaheim Chile, Tomato, Yellow Chile, Jalapeno Chile

(we used all of these)

 Roasted Yellow Chile and Anaheim chile.

You can roast them in the broiler until they look like this, about 15 minutes or so.

 Remove pit on tomato, cut off the tops of all the chiles

Put tomato, serranos and Jalapenos to boil for about 30 minutes.

 Peel and dice roasted Yellow Chile and Roasted Anaheim Chile

In a blender (chop cycle) blend tomato, jalapeno and Serrano chilies together. 

After blended pour into a mixing bowl and add diced chilies.  

Add salt to taste.

Here's to some good food!

Barbacoa

Oh Barbacoa it has been a long time since we have had you!!! My Tia Irene and my Mom made this awesome dish for me for my birthday, per my request because no one has made it since my Nana passed away.  This dish brings a huge smile to my face because I can remember my Nana making it with my Tia Elsa for big family parties.   She made it for the day after my wedding.  I remember coming back to the house and having a plate with my husband and all our family.  It is a traditional dish that can be used in so many way!  As a left over it is great to make tacos out of, sopes, or have for breakfast with an over easy egg. Nana I love you for making this wonderful dish and hoping you all find the joy in making it as well.

Meat

10 pounds of meat

• Pesquezo
• Chamorro (Shank)
• Costilla (short rib)
• Carne de Res para desebrar - Beef Lifter Meat 

Cut meat into chunks – season meat with Chicken bullion (knorr suiza) Oregano, salt, pepper (to taste) and 1 whole bay leaf.

Salsa:

2-3 Chile Pasilla

1-2 Chile Guajillo (HOT)

2-3 Chile Ancho

Boil the chilies without seeds.  Once chilies are boiled blend with the following:

1 Tablespoon Oregano

2 – 3Bay Leaves

1 teaspoom Mejorana  or mix spices (see photo below)

3-4 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup of white vinegar

½ of a large white onion

Bake at 350 degrees for ~2.5 hours, covered

 Service with your favorite side dishes and bread or corn tortillas!

Here's to some good food! 

Helpful Hints:

 

Tortillas

Oh how this post is emotional for me! This is the one thing I did most with my Nana. I can remember her making these almost every day. Yes every single day. It was what she did in the morning or in the afternoon. Usually in the summer she would make them in the morning as our biggest meal would be at noon time. I never actually made the dough but watched her do it and yet in watching her do it I never actually learned how to make them. I remember her leaning against the sink and just throwing things into the mixing bowl as she talked. I remember her complaining that our counter tops where make of title and so we had to use a cutting board to roll the tortillas our. I was the roller! The one who rolled the dough out. I was constantly mocked for never being able to make a round tortilla and I can proudly say I still can't. BUT I did finally figure out how to make the tortillas.

It took me and my son three attempts today to actually make the dough with the right consistency. I put my hands in the dough and it felt just like when my Nana would make them. I knew it was right. The only I would do is maybe add a little more salt. My Nana's tortillas where always thin and and hot. You really can not eat them the next day. It has been so long since anyone in our family has made homemade tortillas. I can hear my Nana saying how lazy we all are for never making them. Well here they are! I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!!!

What you will need:

1. 2 cups flour
2. 1/8 tsp baking powder (or less this is what makes the tortillas firm up)
3. ½-1 tsp salt (depending on your taste)
4. 1/3 cup of canola oil
5. 1/4 cup warm water (and a dash if needed) Just enough to make the dough consistent.

Start with the 2 cups of flour

add the baking powder and salt to flour and mix

SLOWLY add the oil, you must mix while pour the oil slowly into the bowl.

It should look like this. Be careful NOT to over mix and do not use a mixer, use a fork or your hands.

After adding the oil slowly add the warm/hot water (the hotter you can handle it the better)

Be careful not to over mix this step as it will make the dough too hard.

Your dough should look like this and

then it is ready to pull apart.

Roll dough into little 1 inch - 2 inch balls

You will then with your hands, flatten and stretch out to about 2 inch circle.

With rolling pin roll out the rest to the thickness you like. My Nana woudl make them super thin.

As you take them to the skillet to cook them toss them and stretch them out a little.

Here are the tortillas getting ready to be cooked.

CMR is actually touching the skillet

(I would not recomend this...I had it turned down low for him so he would not get burned!)

Make sure your skillet is hot and each tortilla should only take a few seconds to cook,

pressing down on the air bubbles as you go!

Here's to some good food!

Look who is cooking with us!

I love when you cook off the blog and make some of our favorite foods.  Here are some great friends of ours cooking their favorite rolled tacos and guacamole!  Great job guys!

Here's to some great food!