traditional mexican cooking, one recipe at a time. served with a pizca of culture and travel.

Wordless Wednesday: Cielito Querido Café in Mexico City

Last week while we were visiting Mexico City, we checked out a new coffee shop we hadn’t seen before called Cielito Querido Café. Not only is the coffee some of the best we’ve tasted in Mexico (even their café de olla passed my test), but I also loved their cute, cheeky to-go cups that poke fun at Starbucks. Like Starbucks, they have the normal assortment of coffees, espresso and frappes, but they have a host of other offerings on the menu that are muy Mexicano, such as chamoyadas (in no less than four flavors), additions to your café con leche that include cajeta and rompope, chocolate caliente con chile and a house-made horchata. The snack offerings didn’t disappoint either, with selections such as muéganos, palanqueta, molletes, panqué, pasteles and galletas.

I was surprised to learn that the quickly-growing Mexican chain has more than 30 locations in Mexico City as of July 2013 and that I hadn’t stumbled upon one before. I went looking for some more information after a friend on Instagram mentioned that the company is looking to expand to the U.S. (and possibly to Los Angeles) and and found this story on NBC Latino with a great slideshow so you can get a feel for the ambience of Cielito Querido Café. We’ll definitely be back again the next time we visit.

• Have you been to Cielito Querido Café? What did you order? If you haven’t been, do you think you’ll try it out next time you’re in Mexico City? 

Fruity guacamole with pineapple and pomegranate

This fruity guacamole recipe that includes pineapple and pomegranate seeds for a little touch of sweetness, and red onion and garlic for a little touch of savory, has quickly become a favorite among our family in Los Angeles. I recently made several versions of guacamole for a family game night gathering, and this one was the quickest to disappear. If you’d rather not mix sweet and savory, you can leave out the jalapeño and garlic if you prefer. But after trying this recipe, nobody was eating the classic guacamole recipe I brought! I love to buy a whole bag full of avocados and make several different versions of guacamole for parties because it’s so easy to do. Just keep the base the same with avocado, garlic, lime juice and salt, split up the base between several bowls, and add other ingredients as you like. It looks fancy but takes very little time to do.

This nontraditional recipe is perfect for any party or get-together with family or friends, especially if they’ve never had anything but classic guacamole before. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does! Read more »

Wordless Wednesday: A new book for my collection

Each time I visit Mexico City, I end up going home with my suitcase full of books that aren’t available in the U.S. Lately, my bookshelves are looking rather full (despite thinning my library when we moved) so I’ve been a bit choosier about which books I take home since I’m running out of places to put them. I always browse the cookbook and culinary history sections for books that are new since my last visit. Yesterday, I made a stop at the bookstore nearby José’s parents’ house. This book caught my eye because there are tons of books in Spanish about Mexican cuisine and using traditional ingredients, but not as many that highlight healthy recipes. It’s the latest acquisition for my extensive collection of books about Mexican cuisine. I can’t wait to cook my way through it!

If you want to try your luck looking for it, the book is called “México Sano” and is written by Pía Quintana Beristain.

• Do you like to buy books in Mexico? What kind of books do you look for that you can’t get in the U.S.?

Tortilla Finds: Avocado salt and pepper shakers from Pier1

I was looking for some new napkins and placemats last week at Pier1 Imports and stumbled upon this adorable salt and pepper shaker set that looks like an avocado! We’re hosting a party soon and I couldn’t pass up on such a cute accessory that I’m sure will be adored by all my guests.

Get the set from Pier1 Imports for $10.95.

• Have you seen a cute Mexican kitchen accessory? Tell me about it! Tweet me a link @MauraHernandez or leave a comment below so I can check it out.

Announcing El Mercadito

Since we launched The Other Side of The Tortilla in 2009, we’ve often been asked for recommendations of authentic Mexican products that we like and where to buy them. We recognize that in some areas of the United States, it can be quite difficult to find a local source for these ingredients. We’re excited to share with you that we’ve created a collection of some of these products all in one place as an Amazon aStore and incorporated it as a tab on The Other Side of The Tortilla for you to be able to shop from our favorite and recommended products and have it shipped to you, wherever you may live.

We’ve carefully curated a selection of foods, kitchen tools, appliances, gadgets, cookware, bakeware and more to help you bring the Mexican experience to your kitchen and home. You can shop the store by either clicking on the El Mercadito tab above on the menu bar, or by clicking here to go to El Mercadito, The Other Side of The Tortilla’s Amazon aStore.

As you know, we sometimes use affiliate links in our posts to items that are sold on Amazon. This means that we earn a few cents on the dollar if our readers purchase items linked from our posts. You do not pay any more that what you would pay if you were buying the same product without clicking our affiliate link. By shopping in El Mercadito and purchasing any item through Amazon during your visit, we earn a small portion of sales, and you’re helping maintain and grow The Other Side of The Tortilla so that we can continue to bring you recipes, information on Mexican culture and travel stories from our time spent exploring Mexico.

Thank you for constantly asking questions and providing feedback to help us improve your experience as a part of our comunidad! We’ll continually update the store to bring you the best selection of our favorite products. We hope you enjoy the store!

• If you’re looking for a product that you don’t see or need a recommendation, don’t hesitate to leave a comment here, on Facebook or tweet your request to @MauraHernandez and I’ll do my best to make a recommendation or find what you’re looking for and add it to the store if it’s available.

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