Mexican Flag Salad

Here's my entry for the May 1st Joust.

Mexican Flag Salad

2 heads of broccoli
1 large head of cauliflower
2 packages (12 ounces each) of cherry tomatoes
Pimentos
Jalapeño slivers
1 end-slice of bread

On a rectangle-shaped serving platter, arrange broccoli, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes in equal portions starting on the left side of platter with the broccoli and ending on the right side with cherry tomatoes.

With a shape knife, cut the end-slice of bread into an eagle shape (or whatever shape you desire) and toast it in the toaster (or in the oven if you think the bread slice might break coming out of the toaster).

In the center portion, the one covered with the cauliflower, position the toasted, eagle-shaped end-slice of bread in the center. Beneath the eagle, form a ½ circle with jalapeño slivers. Decorate with pimento pieces. Position 1 jalapeño sliver by the eagle's beak to represent the snake. Chill in refrigerator till serving time.

Dip:
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise

Mix these two ingredients and chill in fridge to allow flavors to mellow, 30 minutes. Add minced onion (or onion powder), chopped cilantro, chile powder, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar, all ingredients to taste. Be conservative with the amounts. You can always add more, but you can't take them out!

Fajitas - Texas Style

Day 4 of Foods and Flavors of San Antonio.



Two of the best Tex-Mex recipes can be found in Gloria Chadwick's new cookbook, "Foods and Flavors of San Antonio". I'm talking about FAJITAS of course. If you haven't tried these delicious bits of savory, sizzling meat you're mising out my friends.

Whenever out-of-town friends and family come to visit, one of their first requests is to either go to a restaurant and order this delicious dish or Bob and I end up making them for a special dinner for them.

Fajitas are a Texas creation. There is a fellow foodie, Sonny Falcon, who is credited with having concocted this wonderful BBQ dish. He is better known as the Fajita King of Texas.

"Sonny Falcon is believed to have operated the first commercial fajita taco stand at a weeklong outdoor event in Kyle, Texas in 1969. He also went to rodeos, fairs, and outdoor festivals selling his fajita taco. An Austin reporter christened him "The Fajita King" and Falcon was able to trademark the name". To read more about the fajita king, click here.

You can't go wrong with Texas-style fajitas. While some "purists" still insist that true fajitas are made only with "skirt-steak", wonderful recipes have evolved using other cuts of beef such as flank and, of course, chicken. Here is Gloria's recipe for beef skirt fajitas. DELICIOUS. I also made some chicken fajitas which is why it's in the picture. But if you want that recipe, either buy the book or leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing for Gloria's cookbook this Saturday.

Beef Fajitas
6 servings

4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablepsoons olive oil
2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed and cut into large pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 large red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Garlic butter, optional
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
guacamole
salsa

In a large bowl, whisk together garlic paste, salt, lime juice, cumin and olive oil.

Add the steak to the marinade, turning to coat it. Cover the bowl and let the steak marinade in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

When ready to cook, grill or broil the steak to desired doneness. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.

While the meat is resting, heat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the peppers, onion and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the peppers are softened.

Slice the steak thinly across the grain on the diagonal. Arrange steak slices on a platter with the peppers and onion. Drizzle steak juices over steak.

Fill warmed tortillas with steak, peppers, onions, guacamole and salsa.

Other links to some really interesting information on the history of fajitas:
Fajita History
Cookery Online

Strawberries from Poteet (San Antonio)

Welcome to day 3 of Gloria Chadwick's Foods and Flavors of San Antonio. You still have 3 days to enter the drawing to win a copy of Gloria's newest cookbook. Remember that the winner will also receive a copy of my ecookbook, Mi Chita's Mexican Chocolate Recipes. AND there will be two winners announced on Saturday. For each comment you leave here or post about in your blog you will have your name dropped into the hat. Just let me know that you've posted and I'll make sure your chances of winning increase.

So now to the food. I wanted to make one of the chocolate recipes I told you about on my chocolate blog from the great new cookbook I got. So I searched through both Gloria's book and the CHOCOLAT book and decided I would concentrate on strawberries (and chocolate of course).



Poteet, Texas lies right outside of San Antonio and is considered part of the metropolitan area of San Antonio. The town is called the Strawberry Capital of Texas because of it's delicious strawberry crops.





Looking through Foods and Flavors of San Antonio, I saw a delicious yet simple recipe for strawberries that was in turn going to compliment the recipe I wanted to do for the chocolate blog.

Aren't these beautiful? I topped them with some mint I've been growing so the arrangement looked so fresh. And the taste? MOUTHWATERING. I bought these strawberries because I planted my strawberry plants a little too late this spring. But once they bear fruit, I will make this recipe again...and again...and again. They are delicious.

Strawberry Blossoms

1 - 16 ounce container large strawberries
1 - 3 ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon sour cream
Fresh mint leaves

Remove the stems from the strawberries. Cut the tops to form a flat base. Place berries pointed side up on a plate. With a sharp knife cut through the berries in thirds making sure not to cut hrough the base. Slightly open each berry forming the petals.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and sour cream until light and fluffy. Fill each strawberry with the mixture. If it helps, use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip to do this.
Top with fresh mint leaves.

Be sure and check out my chocolate blog to see the first recipe prepared from "CHOCOLAT".
*****************************
Always Remember This:
You don't stop laughing because you grow old,
You grow old because you stop laughing!!!

Day 2 of Foods and Flavors of San Antonio

Today's featured recipe from Gloria Chadwick's new cookbook, "Foods and Flavors of San Antonio", is enchiladas. This recipe is easy to prepare and quite versatile when it comes to deciding what type of filling you would like to use.

The typical enchilada dishes offered in various restaurants around the Southwest, especially in San Antonio, are filled with either beef or chicken. Some new " Nuevo Latino Cuisine" food establishments have been known to offer this traditional dish with a filling of lobster or crabmeat. They are quite tasty too.

For a sauce, you can use red chile or green chile. However you choose to prepare your enchiladas I'm sure they will be enjoyed by all. Complete the meal with a side dish of Mexican Rice and maybe some refried beans and a simple salad and you will have yourself a memorable meal.

Remember that we will be adding names to the "hat" for a drawing on Saturday for two of Gloria's cookbooks. The winners will also receive a copy of my ecookbook Mi Chita's Mexican Chocolate Recipes. So get yourself to the kitchen and enjoy making this wonderful dish of enchiladas.

Beef Enchiladas

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 (10 ounce) cans red enchilada sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Ligtly spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, brown ground beef with the onion over medium-high heat. Season with cumin and chili powder while meat is still cooking. Place 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Add oil to a 12 inch skillet and heat for 2 minutes over medium heat. Using tongs, fry each tortilla (one at a time) for 3 seconds per side.Drain on paper towels and set on a paper plate.

Dip each tortilla in the sauce and set on a separate plate. Once done, fill each tortilla with the beef mixture and cheese and roll tightly. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the cheese.

"Foods and Flavors of San Antonio"

This week is all about Gloria Chadwick's newest cookbook, Foods and Flavors of San Antonio. By now, most of you have seen the promotions on this excellent cookbook from other food bloggers: Reeni from Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice, Megan from Megan's Munchies, and of course the wonderful and illustrous Tiersa ( I call her Cheffy) from Chef Bliss.

We all believe that Gloria's cookbook is a wonderful representation of the array of Tex-Mex food indicative of the mouth-watering cuisine available in San Antonio. The recipes are simple and easy to prepare, leaving any foodie enthusiast without a reason not to indulge in a cultural delight that is and has been sweeping the nation with the ever increasing numbers of the Mexican-American population.

Gloria is not new to the publishing world. She has published a multitude of books ranging from cooking, to writing, to the metaphysical. She's an outsanding researcher, writer and humorist. Owning one of her books will list you in an elite group of people that recognize the benefits of sharing in her knowedge.

Here's where I come in. I have two Foods and Flavors of San Antonio books to give away. I don't do Twitter and my Facebook page is mostly for family - sometimes it's the only way to keep in touch with hard to reach brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.



Each day this week I will post in reference to Gloria's cookbook. All you have to do is leave a comment and your name will be dropped in the "hat". Write a post about Gloria's book in your own blog and or put up a picture of the book with a link to her blog and you will get an added opportunity to win a copy of her cookbook. Just drop me a note telling me what you've done.



Tell you what. Since Gloria and I share a love of both chocolate and coffee (oh yeah, and Kahlua) I'll go a step further. The winner of each copy of Foods and Flavors of San Antonio will also receive a copy of my ebook, Mexican Chocolate Recipes. Can't beat that. Two for the price of one. I'm not trying to self-promote here, I just would like to encourage you to experience the joy of cooking Mexican. Gloria's cookbook will help you do that.

The two recipes I have made from Gloria's book are Kahlua Cookies and Kahlua Coffee.
Kahlua Coffee

2 cups hot, strong coffee
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup Kahlua
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream

Brew the coffee in a coffee maker.
Add the tequila, Kahlua and vanilla to the coffee in the carafe. Stir well to mix.
Add the sugr and stir until it is completely dissolved. Pour into cups and drizzle in the cream. Serve hot.
Variations: To make Cool Kahlua Coffee, place the prepared coffee in te refrigerator for 20 minutes, then pour into cups and drizzle the cream. Serves 4.

Kahlua Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cups cocoa
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup Kahlua
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs
Confectioners' Sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, brown sugar and cocoa.
In a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, Kahlua, vanilla and eggs.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well. Chill the dough 12 hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a cookie sheet of lay a sheet of parchment paper on the cookie sheet to prevent sticking. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar on a plate.
Using a melon baller or a small cookie scooper, make 1 cookie at a time rolling it in the powdered sugar before placing it on the prepared cookie sheet.
Place cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until the cookie is set and the centers are not liquid. Do not overbake. When the cookies are cooled, they will puff and crack. Cool 5 minutes on a cooling rack then remove cookies and place on a plate. Do not stack cookies for at least 1 hour.

Yields 3 dozen.

You can enter as many times as you wish, the more the merrier. The winners will be announced on Saturday, May 2nd. Good Luck!

Back to Normal

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter. Lot's of cooking, lot's of family and lot's of love.

The last three weeks of my being out of the foodie blogosphere have kept me pretty busy...and tired I might add. With the arrival of our newest addition to the Cordero family, Frida Isabella, the Cordero family gathered together to celebrate.

Being a "Twilight" fan, I've announced to the family that I will be calling her Bella. She's such a precious little thing.

We went though a lot of cooking, and yes, drinking, though I kept my consumption in moderation I'm happy to add. But when you have only half of the Cordero clan and they equal about 30 people, it adds up to alot of work. I'm no spring chicken anymore!!

I was overjoyed to have my nephew Joel (from Ohio) and his 4 year old son Chase stay with us. They were a joy and a tremendous help in everything from cooking to cleanup.

Here's Chase helping decorate our "Baby - Easter" cupcakes. This is Chase's first visit to El Paso and he tells me he wants to come back. He was an excellent help and tells me wants to be a cupcake baker when he grows up. Must be in the genes.

Here are Chase and Lily passing out Easter eggs on Sunday. Brian and Lily had made all those confetti eggs (cascarones) the week before and added a bunch of candy-filled plastic eggs to the basket. The kids loved it. So did the grown ups.

The last of the family left on Thursday, April 16th and early on Friday, the 17th, Lily had her surgery. It was a long day, a long day indeed.

A week went by and we returned to the doctor (yesterday) for her post-op appointment. He assures us that he has removed all abnormal cells and that she is healing quite well. Must have been that homemade chicken soup I posted about. Or was it the waffles? Or the meatloaf? Maybe it was the smoothies?

Speaking of my last post - the one about the chicken soup - I called my daughter the joy of my life; my son Mikey the light of my life; Bob the love of my life. Oops...I left out Jennifer, my wonderful daughter-in-law.

She called and asked,"What am I?" I must admit that I hadn't really quite thought of how I actually felt other than I love her just as much as my kids. I realized that she's become quite an inspiration to me. Jenn is smart (quite intelligent), creative (an avid knitter and cake decorator), a business woman, an excellent wife, daughter, sister, friend and cook. And more than anything, she knows how to be frugal. This particular attribute came in handy when she and Mikey first got married and they hadn't quite graduated from UTEP. Now, they both have their degrees and are doing very well in their chosen professions (which of course is in the computer sciences field). I'm very proud of my son and daughter. But I am also very proud of my daughter-in-law and Lily's better half Brian too. You can talk all you want about how "bad" the younger generation is, but in my experience, all they need is love, understanding, direction, support and knowing that you will always be there for them. Two out of the four have their degrees. Lily and Brian should have theirs within the next two years.

So Jenn, when you wonder where you fit in to my little pyramid of love within the family, please know that you have been an inspiration to me. You've always made yourself available when I need to rant or bounce an idea off of someone. You've always been there. THANK YOU. I love you too. (Thanks for picking out all of my B-day, Mother's Day and Christmas presents too!)

So folks, I hope I've brought you up to speed with everything that's gone on the last few weeks.

Next week will be devoted to Gloria Chadwick, an excellent author, foodie, and friend. I have a couple of her cookbooks, Foods and Flavors of San Antonio, that I will be giving away. So be sure and check back on Monday as I come up with an activity you all can participate in to earn a chance at acquiring a copy of this great cookbook.

Till next time, big hugs to all.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This week, I thought I'd concentrate on comfort foods. The first one that came to mind was homemade chicken noodle soup. Not only was this perfect for me but also for my daughter - Lily. Some of you may know that she just had surgery last Friday, and this is Monday, and she's still trying to recover from the whole experience.

The surgery went well - the doctor assured us that all abnormal pre-cancerous cells had been removed. I thank God and all who had her in their prayers and good thoughts. I think the hard part was trying to come out of the anesthisia afterwards. She opened her eyes and had a panic attack. The doctors checked her vitals immediately because she kept saying something was wrong with her chest and she started hyper-ventilating. All of her vitals were fine. She just panicked. We've spent the last few days trying to keep her calm and help get stronger as her body eliminates the last of the anesthesia. My baby girl is a tiny little thing. She's 5 foot one inch and weighs 92 pounds. Oh, she can eat like a horse, but her body chemistry burns it all off. She's a type A personality.



So, it's comfort food this week. Nothing fancy - nothing difficult. Just tasty, delicious, filling and nourishing.

All good and natural ingredients. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you wonderful and loving foodie friends in the blogosphere that extended good wishes to my daughter. She's the joy of my life, just as her brother, my darling Mikey is the light of my life. No, I'm not leaving my honey Bob out of the picture. Bob is the love of my life. You guys, my best friends in the foodie world are my family. I love you all and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2 large chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
4 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 small onion, sliced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 cup stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers
1 cup wide egg noodles

Drizzle olive oil and season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove and allow to cool.

In a large soup pot, heat tablespoons olive oil and saute onions, carrots and celery for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken soup stock and enough water to fill pot 2/3 full. Add tomatoes. Season with cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer while the chicken roasts in the oven.

Cut cooled chicken into semi-large bite size pieces and add to soup. Add noodles and simmer for 15 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Easter Feast

Hello everyone. I know I've been gone for a while and I will probably be gone again for the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of family coming into town to celebrate the arrival of our latest addition to the Cordero Family - Frida Isabella Caldera-Cordero, born April 2nd, 6 pounds and a few ounces. Congratulations to my nephew Robbie and his lady Lydia. Job well done. She's gorgeous. After the family leaves, my daughter Lily will be having surgery on the 17th. So life is hectic right now. But as I wait for Bob to come back from running some errands before we take off to do the shopping for our family get together, I thought I'd share "last" year's Easter feast with you.

May you all have a lovely Easter Day with your family and friends. A wonderful time of hope and renewal. My love to all of you.

Strawberry - Lemonade Cooler

1 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade
6 cups ice
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups fruit juice (like white grape)

Blend lemonade, ice, strawberries, and sugar until smooth. Chill. Add juice to mixture right before serving. Serve drink over ice.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin

3 tablespoons jalapeno pepper jelly
2 tablespoons tequila
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 (1 pound each) pork tenderloins
3 medium firm peaches, sliced in halve, pits removed
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a small bowl, combine jalapeno jelly, tequila, juice and zest. Mix until well combined. Season tenderloin with salt and pepper. Coat pork with olive oil.Cook over hot coals until grill marks develop on all sides.Move pork to cooler side of grill. Coat pork with glaze and cover grill. Turn meat every 5 to 6 minutes and re-glaze. Cook until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Brush glaze on cut peaches and grill cut side down. Grill about 5 minutes.

Sweet Potato Soufflé

1 (29 ounce) can cut sweet potatoes in light syrup
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Heat sweet potatoes over medium heat. Drain. In mixing bowl, whisk sweet potatoes, pineapple, egg, butter, vanilla, milk, nutmeg and salt.Divide mixture into 4 custard cups that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.Place cups on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.Sprinkle miniature marshmallows over each cup and return to oven. Continue baking for 10 more minutes until lightly browned.

Individual Layered Salad with Green Chile Ranch Dressing

Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomato

peeled and diced cucumbers
croutons
Sliced olives
Sliced sweet onion
diced avocado
Shredded Asadero cheese

Set out all cut vegetables and allow everyone at the table to create their own layered salad.Prepare dressing two hours before serving and allow to chill in refrigerator.

Green Chile Ranch Dressing

1 cup buttermilk ranch dressing
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1/4 cup milk
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Chill until time to serve.


Lemon Mousse Easter Cupcakes

1 box deluxe lemon flavored cake mix
1 (12 ounce) tub prepared whipped topping
1 (21 ounce) can lemon cream pie filling
1 tablespoon lemon zest
jelly beans, green edible cake glitter, or green tinted shredded coconut

Prepare cake mix for cupcakes as per package instructions. Cool completely.Combine whipped topping, lemon pie filling, and lemon zest by gently folding together until well combined. Using a large star tipped pastry bag, fill with prepared whipped topping.Frost the tops of cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired.


Come to my chocolate blog to find out how to make "CASCARONES". These are confetti filled eggs everyone enjoys here in the southwest.