Tostada Shells, refried beans and dressed salad

Crispy Fried Tortillas (Tostadas)

• 8-10 corn tortillas

• vegetable oil

1. Take a skillet, over medium-medium high heat and add vegetable oil. Make sure you cover your skillet with about 1 inch amout of oil.

2. Make sure you set up layers of paper towels next to your stove. Also, I find that tongs are easier to flip over your tortillas. Wait for your oil to come up to temperature. I’d say about 350 degrees. Place a corn tortilla into your hot oil. Keep an eye on this and occasionally flip your tortilla. You will start to see that your tortilla will get color around the edges. You’re looking for a nice amber color. Once you achieve this color on both sides of your tortilla, take it out with your tongs and place on top your layers of paper towel to drain. Continue to fry the rest of your corn tortillas until you are finished frying them all.

Refried Beans-

• A pot of about 3 cups of cooked pinto beans

• about 2 inch piece of beef or pork Mexican chorizo sausage

1. Start frying your chorizo sausage in a pan. What will happen with the chorizo while it fries, is that it will start to break down. This is normal. Mexican chorizo does not stay solid. Make sure your heat is at a medium heat.

2. Working in thirds, add a third of beans. I’d say the amount is equal to a ladle full.

3. With this ladle full of beans in your pan with the chorizo… you will take your bean masher and apply pressure and mash your beans into your chorizo. Do this until most of the liquid is absorbed into the beans. Now add the next third of your brothy beans. Mash these. If you see that the beans have gotten considerably dry, add more liquid from your bean pot. Then add your final third of beans and mash them too. Y se acabo! You’re done!

Dressed Salad

• 2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

• 6 tablespoons oil (vegetable, olive or I used Avocado)

• about 2 1/2- 3 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

1. In a medium sized bowl add the apple cider vinegar, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pinch of black pepper. Whisk these ingredients until well emulsified.

2. Add your chopped romaine.

3. You add this small salad atop your various tostadas.

4. Y se acabo! You’re done!

This series was so much fun to make! The end product was awesome. The set table with all of what I made: the mexican crema, guacamole, refried beans…. tostadas etc… Just filled my table and looked soo beautiful and colorful. Guys, this series was a labor of love. But I am so thrilled with how it turned out. Buen Provecho!

Salsas y Guacamole Recipes

Salsa Mexicana Recipe-

• 1 large, ripe tomato

• 3 serrano peppers or 2 jalapeno peoppers

• 1 small onion

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• 8 to 10 sprigs, fresh cilantro

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lime juice

1. Take your tomato and slice down the middle and then core out the seeds and watery bits. All that should be left is the tomato flesh. Now finely chop the tomato, onion and peppers. You want these to be very small, small enough to fit on a tortilla chip, about 1/8 of an inch. No need to measure, use your better judgement.

2. Stir in the salt, vinegar (or lime juice). Then let this salsa rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.

Salsa Verde-

• 5 or 6 medium fresh tomatillos

• 2 serrano peppers or 1 jalapeno, stemmed

• 5 or 6 sprigs of cilantro, roughly chopped

• 1/2 small onion, chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Husk, wash and boil tomatillos in salted water. Boil these until they change color. They will go from a bright green color to a yellow green color. Drain these and place into a blender or food processor, along with the onion, peppers, cilantro and salt. Taste to see if it needs more salt.

Chunky Guacamole

• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 serrano peppers or 1 jalapeno pepper

• 1 ripe tomato

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

• 10 sprigs, fresh cilantro

• 3 ripe, medium avocados

• about 1/2 teaspoon of salt

• 1/2 lime squeezed

1. Firstly guys, you will need to finely chop your tomato, peppers, garlic and cilantro.

2. When you’re ready for the avocados. Slice your avocados down the middle with a good, sturdu knife. Do this to all of your avocados. Then with your knife, you’re going to do one swift chopping motion to the pit, and then twist the pit out. Do this so all of your avocados. Now, use a spoon and scoop out all of the avocado flesh into a container. I found that a tall deli container makes it easier to smash them.

3. Use your bean masher and mash all of your avocados. Once your avocados are mashed to your preference.

4. Then add your chopped tomato, onion, pepper and cilantro. Stir this until thoroughly combined. After combined, add in your lime juice and salt. Taste your guacamole and see if it needs more salt or lime juice.

5. Set aside or place into the fridge until you are ready to eat it.

6. Y se acabo! You’re all done!

I’m very proud of these videos guys. I’m proud of my editor, Angel Leah, for doing such an amazing job editing these videos for you all to enjoy.

What happens when life happens? - Not food related, but life related and how to deal

I’m going to be completely candid with you. In the beginning of June I lost my lovely Tia. She was a bright light in a dark tunnel. So, in my family and talking about who my Tia was in my family. She’s the sister of my grandma Julia. My grandma passed ten years before my Tia. My Tia’s presence and her love, support and guidance was a most welcomed feeling. My support system are my family and friends. The most valuable people in my life were my elders. Who have mostly all left this world already. My grandmothers- maternal and paternal, my Tias- my mother’s sisters, my grandmother’s sister and other family. So what happens when they’re taken away? Our mental health is tested. I took a month or two to cope with my grief. I think we all need to just rest and recuperate. Recharge our souls and wellbeing. The thing that helps me is knowing that they are still around. They’re checking in our lives. That gives me hope until I meet them again later down the road. The dedication of this site and also my YouTube is to the elderly women in my life that have officially influenced, supported and loved me throughout my life. To my Tia Luz, to my grandmother's Julia y Luísa and my extra set of grandparents- Grandma y Grandpa as they’re simply referred to. When family reads this, they’ll know exactly who I’m talking about.

Mexican Crema Recipe

Mexican Crema

Makes about a cup of Cream.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons buttermilk

In a small saucepot set at about medium to medium low heat, add your cup of heavy cream and the two teaspoons of buttermilk. We just want to take the cool off of these ingredients. Once you think you’re at that point (I used my clean finger and touched it) take this off the heat and pour into a jar. Top it with a lid, but don’t tighten the jar. What the buttermilk is going to do is add good bacteria to the heavy cream. It will give it a little tang. Set this jar in a warm place (between 70-75 degrees) for 12-24 hours. I do the full 24 hours. Then examine the cream. When you stir it, it will have thickened. You can now tighten the jar and set it in the fridge for about 4 hours before you can use it. Use the cream as a dip, or top it on your tacos, soups, caldillos, chilaquiles or Tostadas!! Which is how it will be used for me. This Crema is part of a two part series. I’m calling it: Tostadas y salsas.

2 part series! Tostadas y las Salsas

I know what I’m calling the series! Tostadas y las Salsas. I have already filmed most of the salsas that I will be using for our tostadas. I have to ripen my avocados also, so that I can make some yummy guacamole. Should I use my molcajete to make the guacamole? I think I might use my molcajete later on in the cookbook. I don’t think most people have a molcajete or mortar and pestle handy…

Funny story, I tried to log in to my Squarespace account to type this blog out and I forgot my login credentials. Ha!

We are back to the 90 temperatures this week and I am so grateful. I’m learning more and more about technology and video settings and about lighting. I also bought myself a mic. It helps to cut out background noise. Its so powerful that you can hear me dig into my measuring unit drawer. I have a separate drawer that I use for my endless collection of measuring cups and spoons, I also have candy and meat thermometers in there. So, when I was getting my space set up, I hit record while I was looking for my teaspoon… I watched the video back, and I said, “Oh wow! “

I made the video for the Mexican Crema, Salsa Mexicana and Salsa Verde. As always, the recipe will be posted here, right after the video is posted to YouTube.

If you are a subscriber of Rick Bayless on YouTube, you will see that he still posts recipes. There’s a recipe for a Spring Herb Margarita that I’d like to try. He also posts about the different ingredients he uses in his recipes… For example: He was talking about the different dried chile peppers at the mercado and talked about what you can make with them, and how they are all so unique of the flavors. I love how in depth he gets in his videos and his shows. I can’t wait to make pitchers of Jamaica, Horchata. y agua de tamarindo. The Agua Frescas chapter looks so amazing! I’m really excited about the future of this blog and my YouTube channel.

What cooking these recipes means to me

Personally, this blog and the cookbook is really special to me. Being a hispanic woman, and having grown up in a family where cooking, the kitchen or the dining room was where most of family conversations and togetherness happened. Growing up at my grandmother’s house was an amazing time. I explain most of this in the About Me page, but let me tell you more about my time and experience. My grandmother’s house was a place where we all grew up, my siblings and I. I’m the youngest of 4. My eldest sibling would be my brother, Felix, then my sister, Melissa, my brother, Bobby and then last but certainly not least, me, Olivia. I was born in 1983 in this city of El Paso, TX. I have lived here my whole life. Between living at my grandmother’s house and my house with my parents, I experienced family time and the preparation and eating mainly happened in the kitchen. Depending on how big your kitchen was, whether a small table with only 2 or 3 chairs fit, or if you had a dining table with 6 or more chairs, you would probably eat your meals there. My grandmother’s kitchen had a small table that fit about 2 chairs in it. She also had a dining room but that was mainly meant for special occasions or if more family were set to eat there. Usually breakfast was made up of avena (oatmeal), and toast. Or huevos con weenie. That was probably my most favorite breakfast that she would make. For lunch, my grandma’s favorite thing to make was Sopa de fideo, Vermicelli pasta made in a rich tomatoey chicken broth soup. She mainly referred to it as Sopita. As years had passed, I’d live at my parent’s house and attend elementary, middle and high school. When I was about 12 or 13 I tried making brownies and scrambled eggs on my own. Lets just say, I’ve improved cooking so much since then! haha. I might share with you how my eggs and brownies turned out, but not today!

This cookbook was published in 1987. I was only about 4 years old. I chose Rick Bayless, because I feel like he’s one of the purest of souls of chefs. He was on Iron Chef America and lost to Bobby Flay, but given the “magic” of tv, I believe it was rigged the whole time. Rick and his wife have been to Mexico and the many regions that he talks about in his book. He’s been to the mercados (mexican markets), he’s no stranger to the techniques of tortilla making, or real mole made from raisins, almonds and spices. I believe I will learn so much from his teachings and possibly learn more about myself and my family through the food I cook from his recipes.

Upcoming videos and experiences

Scanning through the cookbook, I think I know whats upcoming. I had planned on making chiles… Salsas. The chapter is called Salsas y Encurtidos/Sauces and condiments. The one I’m most excited for is the chile verde… The one that used tomatillos. Theres a salsa or chile that I recently found via fast food chain, Taco Bell. Taco Bell calls it their Avocado Salsa, I think. And I recently bought the equivalent at Walmart. It’s from the Herdez brand. Avocado Salsa. It is delicious with anything! I had leftover Taco Bell packets and I was eating Sardines packed in water.. If you haven’t tried Sardines packed in water, please do! The sardines have many health benefits including Omegas that are great for heart health. So, back to my experience… I bisect the sardines and take out the spines, I don’t like to eat the spines. I feed them to my cat or to my dogs. Then I squirted the avocado salsa into the sardine can, and ate the sardines. Oh my goodness!! This was delicious. The avocado salsa has a nice tang from the tomatillos and the savoriness from the avocadoes. This is something that my dad and family have always raved about. This fascination of taking any delicious salsa and putting it with anything you’re eating. Turkey and stuffing? Salsa! Huevos estrellados (scrambled eggs) Salsa! Even sandwiches, stews, soups! Anything edible, add salsa to it! I had never really felt the same about any salsas I had made or bought. One of my other favorite brands of salsa? Mateo’s brand red salsa. They have different levels of heat and are color coded. Red is hot, yellow is medium and the yellow green color is mild. I often buy the red, and if the red isn’t available, I settle for the yellow. And I just learned they have an orange colored jar that’s extra spicy from habaneros. I will have to be brave and try that one some time. Whats your favorite type of salsa? Whats your go-to brand or favorite family recipe? Something I look forward to doing is once I’m finished making recipes from the cookbook, I will have to try my own versions of the recipe. And I’m really looking forward to sharing a few recipes of my own salsas. I love using poblanos, bell peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes, and even serrano peppers. This is definitely a long blog entry, but if you take anything from it, just know that the future of my blog and youtube looks great and I can’t wait to get back into the kitchen and share these amazing recipes with you..

Flour Tortillas! How to

Ingredients-

1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

2 1/2 tablespoons of crisco

2 1/2 tablespoons of snow cap lard

3/4 teaspoons of salt

1 cup of warm water

Instructions-

Measure out 1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour, place in a medium sized bowl. Along with 2 1/2 tablespoons each of snow cap lard and crisco. Add the salt. Stir together. Rub the fat into the flour. You don’t want any big chunks of fat. It should resemble wet sand when you’re finished. Add a cup of warm water. Mix the water into your flour with a spatula at first, then use your hands to mix and knead the dough. Once it is ready, roll balls of dough about golf ball size. Cover the dough balls with a clean kitchen towel. Let rest for 30 minutes. After rested, take a ball, roll out thinly and place on a medium hot comal, pan or griddle. Cook on both sides for about 30 seconds to one minute. Do this for the rest of your tortillas until you are finished. Y se acabo! You’re done! Enjoy your tortillas in a burrito, as a soft taco or lap up sauce or protein with a piece of it.

The most classic of basics! The flour tortilla

When I was about eight or nine years old, I’d be in the kitchen while my grandma Julia, would make from scratch, tortillas de harina. I was always one of the first ones to get the first tortilla off the comal. Smothered in a tab of butter. Getting my mouth burnt was worth it. Buttery, softness that you can only get from tortillas made from scratch. It was almost like a symphony when she would cook. When she’d roll out the dough balls, I’d hear the string section. Or when she would start rolling out the tortillas, I’d hear a trombone. Definitely music to my ears.

New Video! Blue Corn Tortilla Recipe

Hello everyone! Happy Thursday!

Here’s the written recipe for Blue Corn Tortillas.

Corn Tortillas/tortillas de maiz

Yield: 15 tortillas

Things you will need:

Tortilla press, flip spatula, parchment paper or plastic wrap

Ingredients-

1 3/4 cups masa harina mixed with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot tap water

1. Measure out 1 3/4 cup masa harina mix (maseca) into a bowl. Measure 1 cup and 1 tablespoon hot tap water. Mix with your hands until the masa doesn’t stick to your hands. Then cover with plastic or a clean kitchen towel. Let rest for 30 minutes.

2. After 30 minutes is up, roll your dough into 12-15 golf sized balls.

3. Take [2} 4 x 4 inch pieces of parchment and place one piece on top of your tortilla press, along with one ball of dough. Then top that dough ball with the other piece of parchment. Press your tortilla ball. Do this for the rest of your tortilla dough. Once they are all pressed, take a pan, griddle or comal and place it on the stove at a medium to medium-high heat. Then cook your tortillas 30 seconds to one minute per side. Flip and toast the other side. When you’re done cooking tortillas, place them into a clean kitchen towel. Y se acabo! You’re done!

   Enjoy your tortillas as a taco with a protein, vegetable, or cheese. Or tear into fourths and use them to scoop up anything you’re eating. I like to eat them with eggs. Huevos con chorizo is my favorite meal to eat with tortillas.

   This recipe was fun and easy. 

   My Experience-

   This was a learning experience as I’ve only ever used to make flour tortillas. We use tortillas mainly as a vessel. We use tortillas as a taco, to encapsulate our food in a soft, corny shell. I like to tear into fourths and shovel yummy sauces or even egg. I want to make my own fresh masa later on. I heard its a rigorous event. You have to grind the corn on a stone pad called a metate. Think about it as a flat molcajete. And the pin you use to grind the corn, is long and heavy. I look forward to making the fresh masa towards the end of the cookbook.

   To everyone new! Welcome!

New month, new things to discover.

The fourth of July came and went. Can I just take a moment to say how thankful I am to our editor of the website and YouTube videos? We have someone new who is currently helping me edit the website and who is the woman behind the ‘magic’. I filmed my first video on July 3rd. It will hopefully be out soon. I’m very excited for it. And I just want to thank everyone for being so patient. This process is a learning experience, and I’m all here for it. It will definitely be a positive way to preoccupy my time. The website is coming along. I have left a Contact Me section on the bottom of the About Me page. If you would like to ask a question or would like to give some advice, please leave me a message.

Social Media

I will be adding my social media links soon. YouTube will be my main channel. Please be patient with me. Still trying to figure things out.

Blog Test #1- 6/29/25

I’m attempting to familiarize myself with the squarespace iOS app and learning how to edit and add content. I feel like my laptop would probably be the better place to write and edit my content. Seeing as how I titled this Blog test 1, it shouldn’t matter too much.