A Southwestern Breakfast

How about some Jalapeño Pancakes to either start or end your day? This recipe is great for a Texas style brunch or a late night dinner. Nothing fancy, just different. After all that candy and dessert you and I had for Halloween, maybe we should go savory for a change. Since Bob needs to lay off the meats for a while, I just prepared him an extra helping of pancakes with a big pot of Mexican Mocha Coffee. He didn't miss the bacon.
Here's another breakfast I prepared for him some time ago. This one is sweet, just the way I like it. It's Amaretto French Toast. Served with a side of luscious strawberries and orange slices, you'll be smiling all day long.

Don't forget the coffee. This one is a little different from regular Mexican Coffee because I added some, you guessed it, CHOCOLATE. I really like it, I hope you do too. Have a great start to the Fall season. I know everyone is going to be a little nuts getting ready for Thanksgiving Day. But that's OK. It's exciting. Be sure and involve your children and family in the planning. It takes the pressure off of you and makes them feel pretty special.



Corn Jalapeño Pancakes
14 to 16 mini cakes

2 cups "complete" pancake mix
1 (8 3/4 ounce) can sweet corn kernels
1/4 cup minced green onion
1/4 cup minced jalapeño, fresh or cooked, your choice
sour cream, optional
salsa, optional

Heat non-stick griddle over medium high heat. In large mixing bowl, combine first four ingredients and let rest while griddle heats. Cook pancakes on griddle using a quarter cup measure of batter for each mini-cake. As you remove pancakes from griddle, place them on an oven-proof plate to keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest of batter.Serve with sour cream and salsa if you like. This dish not only makes a great "El Paso-type" breakfast, but also a fantastic addition to a brunch buffet.

Amaretto French Toast
serves 4

4 (1 inch) slices of egg bread, brioche or Hallah
2 cups half and half
4 eggs
1/4 cup Amaretto (or, 1 teaspoon pure almond flavoring)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup crushed shortbread cookies (about 6 cookies)
1/2 cup crushed almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.In a large mixing bowl, combine the half and half, eggs, Amaretto, and allspice. Whisk until fully combined. Place your bread slices in the Amaretto mixture. Turn slices over and leave for 5 minutes so that the bread can absorb the egg mixture.In a separate, wide, open plate mix the cookie crumbs and crushed almonds. Heat buttered skillet on medium. Coat each bread slice with the cookie mix and cook in skillet for 2 minutes per side. Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes to ensure that all the egg mixture is cooked thoroughly.Serve immediately with warmed maple syrup.

Mex-Mocha Coffee
makes 8 cups

4 heaping tablespoons dark roasted coffee
8 cups water
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped Mexican chocolate, like Ibarra or Abuelita
1 cup half and half (or milk if you prefer)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the coffee grounds before brewing. Add water to your coffee maker and brew coffee. Meanwhile, over low heat in a saucepan, combine half and half, brown sugar, and the chocolate. Stir constantly to melt chocolate and prevent it from burning. Stir in brewed coffee and add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Serve while still hot.
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MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: GARDEN
I wanted to sneak my ruka out for some party, pero, her popi was GARDEN the front porch.