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Holidays

Tercer año

0 · Aug 9, 2011 · 13 Comments

On this day three years ago, we took our wedding vows in front of family and friends. First, in a small Catholic church ceremony with our parents and witnesses at the historic Misión de San José del Cabo, and then a beach Mass* with all our family and friends. This is one of my favorite photos from our wedding day, sharing a private moment steps from the deep blue rolling waves in a small cove between two rock crops.

You can read more about our wedding, including details on the church, more photos, the reception… and of course, the menu, in last year’s anniversary post. Lately I’ve been thinking about recreating recipes from our wedding menu, so hopefully I can get in the test kitchen soon.

If I got the chance to do it all over again, I’d do just about everything the same, but in slow motion so it wouldn’t go by as fast! Lucky for me, I have a wedding video to remember every moment by. We’ll be watching it and toasting with champagne over the weekend.

I’ll have to dig out some more photos to share here soon. Many friends reminded us today of their memories from our wedding extravaganza week and it made me want to go searching for photos from different parts of the day and the reception to take it all in and have each and every moment rush back into my memory.

Thanks for reading The Other Side of The Tortilla and following along on our journey. Please join us in toasting to many more years of wedded bliss!

José: te quiero con todo mi corazón. Siempre. —Maura

*Catholic Mass is not typically celebrated outside of the church; we brought our own family priest who agreed to perform a second ceremony on the beach after we had a ceremony in the church. Most beach weddings in Mexico are symbolic or civil ceremonies.

Baja California Sur, Holidays, Religion boda, Los Cabos, San José del Cabo, wedding

¡Hoy es el cumpleaños de Frida Kahlo!

1 · Jul 6, 2011 · 2 Comments

Today marks the 104th anniversary of the birthday of my favorite Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo!

If you’re not familiar with Frida’s life, work, or the famous Casa Azul, you can read more about them on the Museo Frida Kahlo website (in English). And if you’re ever visiting Mexico City, Casa Azul is one of the places you absolutely must visit.

It’s a magical place where you can feel her presence in just about every room and in the garden as well.

At the time I last visited Casa Azul, a stunning and thought-provoking private collection of photographs of Frida, Diego and their family and friends, entitled “Frida Kahlo: Sus Fotos,” was on display and many of the photographs were taken by Frida herself. It was an incredibly interesting glimpse into her life and how things looked from her point of view. You can read more about the photo exhibition, which ran through December 2010, on the museum’s website (in Spanish).…

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Cultura/Culture, Historia/History, Holidays, Mexico City, Mexico Today, Sponsored books, Casa Azul, Ciudad de México, Diego Rivera, Dolores Olmedo, Frida Kahlo, Mexico City, Mexico Today, Museo Dolores Olmedo

Semana Santa en Acapulco

0 · Apr 18, 2011 · 1 Comment

OK, so we’re not spending our Semana Santa in Acapulco–though I wish we were! I could certainly use a trip to the beach after the brutal winter we’ve had this year. Instead, José is in Mexico City for the week visiting his parents and I’m still at home in Chicago. But when I came across this gem a few weeks ago, I knew I wanted to share it at the beginning of Semana Santa.

There’s a movie from the early 1980s called “Semana Santa en Acapulco” (also sometimes known as Viacrucis Nacional) starring Lucha Villa, David Reynoso, Luis Manuel Pelayo and Tere Velázquez. It’s about a Chilango family that heads to Acapulco for a Holy Week vacation that turns out to be more than they bargained for. It’s a rude, crude comedy, but I’m sure it will have you muriendo de risa. I just recently saw it for the first time a few months ago thanks to one of the cine Mexicano cable channels we get at home. DVD copies of the film are not very easy to come by, but if you have the patience to watch it on a small screen, I came across the entire film uploaded on YouTube!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS9LgUDr92s[/youtube]

  • Have you ever seen this movie? What’s your favorite part?

Cultura/Culture, Guerrero, Holidays, MexMonday Acapulco, cine Mexicano, Cuaresma, Easter, Holy Week, Lent, Mexican films, Pascua, Semana Santa

Cuaresma means Lent

9 · Mar 21, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I’ve been meaning to write here since Ash Wednesday, which begins the Catholic season of Cuaresma, or Lent. For the non-Catholics visiting who need a primer, Lent lasts for 40 days beginning Ash Wednesday and ending Easter Sunday. And if you’re doing a little math in your head right now and have figured out that there are actually 46 days, here’s why we say Lent is only 40 days: Sundays don’t count according to the church’s calendar.

In Mexico, as well as in many other countries, it’s common for Catholics to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays throughout Lent, though some observe meatless Fridays year-round. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also supposed to be fasting days, during which Catholic adults eat only one full meal. Though, depending on who you ask, you might find some who fast on all Fridays during Lent. You may also be familiar with the practice of Catholics giving things up for Lent – and perhaps you’ve wondered what that’s all about. Fasting and giving up vices during Lent are a way for Catholics to connect to Jesus, making a sacrifice that is supposed to help us understand his suffering. Ideally, we aren’t just giving up sin during Lent, but abstaining from sin after Lent as well. For example, giving up your favorite dulces (a particularly popular item for children to give up) but then going back to eating them after Lent is over is not really how it’s supposed to work….

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Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Mexico City, MexMonday, Religion capirotada, Catholic, Catholicism, catolicismo, católico, empanadas, iPhone photography

Feliz Día del Amor y la Amistad

1 · Feb 14, 2011 · 6 Comments

Today in some parts of the world, it’s Valentine’s Day. But in Mexico, it’s called Día del Amor y la Amistad. While Valentine’s Day is mostly a celebration of romantic love, Día del Amor y la Amistad encompasses love and friendship.

We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day in our house, and in fact, this past weekend we sort of forgot about the fact that all the restaurants were going to be full of people celebrating Valentine’s Day when we called to see if we could get last-minute reservations at one of our favorite places. Of course, we couldn’t get a table, so instead we cooked dinner together at home. If you ask me, as much as I love eating at restaurants, there’s something special about cooking together that makes a meal truly enjoyable.

And as any of my friends and family will tell you: a home-cooked meal is how I show my love best. Whether it’s rajas con crema for José, salsa de tres chiles (video recipe coming soon!) for my mom or Crock-Pot cochinita pibil for my best girlfriends, I love cooking for the special people in my life.

Take a few minutes today to remind your friends and family how much you love them. Whether it’s a hug in person, a phone call, an email or a big ol’ batch of Mexican comfort food like papas gratinadas to go with dinner, there’s no better feeling than to know how much others care about you, so don’t forget to spread the love as liberally as you’d add queso to those papas!

If you’ve got escuincles, check out these adorable print-and-color valentine cards from our friends at Spanglish Baby and Viva Greetings.

And head over to our Facebook fan page if you have a chance – today we’ll be talking about the foods we love – including non-Mexican foods, just for one day – including linky love to recipes from some of our favorite food blogs.

From our home to yours, ¡Feliz Día del Amor y la Amistad a todos! We’ll be celebrating by reminiscing about our recent trip to the beach in Oaxaca (pictured above) over a home-cooked meal.

  • I’d love if you’d leave a comment below to let me know which recipe from The Other Side of The Tortilla you’ve served to your family to show them how much you love them or what your favorite recipe is that you’ve seen here and why.

Cultura/Culture, Holidays, MexMonday Día del Amor y la Amistad, Huatulco, iPhone photography, Las Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca, Valentine's Day

Feliz Día de la Candelaria

2 · Feb 2, 2011 · 8 Comments

Today marks the Catholic holiday of Día de la Candelaria, known as Candlemas in English.

In Mexico, whoever cuts the Rosca de Reyes on Día de Los Reyes and ends up with the baby Jesus figurine is responsible for bringing tamales for everyone on February 2. Several times I’ve gotten the figurine while celebrating Día de Los Reyes with our family in Mexico and always get teased that I’ll have to come back for a visit soon (with tamales in tow).

Today, we’re eating tamales de pollo con mole verde at our house to celebrate. I admit: I bought mine this year from my favorite tamalería, the Tamalli Space Charros. They’ve got a tamal truck and when they stopped near my house the other day, I just couldn’t resist and bought a few for the holiday.

It’s also common in Mexico to enjoy your tamales on Día de la Candelaria with an atole. You can check out my recipe for champurrado for a delicious chocolate atole.

We’re working on a great recipe for tamales in the test kitchen based on a recipe given to us by a friend who grew up along the Texas-Mexico border. Her mother owns a well-known restaurant and one of the cooks there was generous enough to share their recipe with us. We can’t wait to pass it on to you soon!

  • How does your family celebrate Día de la Candelaria? What are your favorite kind of tamales?

Cultura/Culture, Historia/History, Holidays atole, atole de chocolate, atole de fresa, atole de vainilla, Candlemas, champurrado, Día de la Candelaria, Día de Los Reyes, mole, Rosca de Reyes, tamales

Feliz Día de Los Reyes

8 · Jan 6, 2011 · 9 Comments

Feliz Día de Los Reyes and Happy Three Kings Day; today is the holiday known as Epiphany, 12 days after Christmas and the day that the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus.

In Mexico, one of the most common ways to celebrate this holiday is with a rosca de reyes, a sweet yeast-bread adorned with dried or candied fruits that have been soaked in rum or brandy and topped with a buttery and sugary paste akin to the topping on a concha roll.

Baked inside the cake is a tiny baby Jesus figurine, and whoever cuts the piece of cake with the baby Jesus inside is responsible for bringing tamales to the family’s Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas) celebration on February 2. The figurine symbolizes the hiding of the baby Jesus from King Herod’s men. Traditionally, the whole family gathers around the table to cut the cake while sipping on chocolate caliente, each person taking their turn until everyone gets a piece and until the baby Jesus figurine is found.

My favorite Rosca de Reyes (pictured here) comes from a bakery chain called El Globo, which I first got to know in Mexico City. Their traditional rosca is also made in an individual size and this year on my last day in Mexico, my suegra bought me one, wrapped it up and stuck it in my carry-on bag so I’d have a rosca to cut on Día de Los Reyes….

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Algo dulce, Cultura/Culture, Desserts, Historia/History, Holidays, Postres Candlemas, Día de la Candelaria, Día de Los Reyes, El Globo, Epiphany, Kings cake, Los Reyes Magos, Rosca de Reyes, Three Kings Day

Nacimientos: The tradition of the nativity scene

7 · Jan 2, 2011 · 2 Comments

La Navidad has come and gone but Día de Los Reyes is only a few days away and I realized that we’ve never talked about nacimientos, or nativity scenes, here before! And every nativity scene has Los Reyes Magos, the three kings who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus on the Epiphany, 12 days after Christmas.

Displaying a nativity scene at home is a storied tradition in Mexico, but nacimientos actually originated in Italy, thanks to Saint Francis of Assisi.

Here are two nacimientos belonging to our family. The figurines on the left are made from hojas de maiz, or corn husks, and belong to my suegra; the one on the right is made of wood with clay figurines and belongs to our Tía Leda.

…

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Cultura/Culture, Eventos/Events, Historia/History, Holidays Café magazine, Chicago, Día de Los Reyes, Epiphany, Field Museum, iPhone photography, La Navidad, Los Reyes Magos, nacimiento, nativity scene, The Three Kings, Tía Leda

¡Feliz Navidad!

0 · Dec 25, 2010 · 6 Comments

Sending you warm wishes for a Feliz Navidad

from Las Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca, México

As my regalito to you, I bring you the sounds of the ocean …

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TRv4Psl04o[/youtube]…

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Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Oaxaca, Travel, Video arból de navidad, Camino Real Zaashila, Christmas, Christmas tree, Huatulco, iPhone photography, La Navidad, la playa, Las Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca, piñata, the beach

Wordless Wednesday: Ingredients for La Navidad

0 · Dec 22, 2010 · 1 Comment

I went to the supermercado with my suegra a few days ago and saw these three things next to each other in the produce section. Nothing says La Navidad like guayabas, tejocotes and caña in a little ponche navideño, ¿Verdad? And it’s perfect to keep you warm at any posada.

  • What do you see in the grocery store that makes your mouth water at Christmastime?

Cultura/Culture, drinks, Holidays, Travel, Wordless Wednesday caña, Christmas, guava, guayaba, iPhone photography, La Navidad, ponche Navideño, posada Navideña, posadas, sugar cane, tejocotes

How to Celebrate Las Posadas Navideñas

36 · Dec 17, 2010 · 10 Comments

Las posadas navideñas are the nine days of annual Christmas celebrations that culminate with a big celebration on Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve, in Mexico.

The nine days symbolize each of the months that Mary was pregnant, and that’s also why Christmas Eve is more celebrated in Mexico than Christmas Day like in many other countries.

Posadas often include traditional foods and drinks, especially things like tamales and ponche navideño. There are many different ways to make ponche, and each family does something different. Another holiday favorite of mine is rompope, an eggnog-like drink that comes from the famous nuns of Puebla, located about two hours outside of Mexico City.

From hosting las posadas to putting out nativity scenes, and making preparations for Noche Buena and La Navidad, here are some of the ways families in Mexico celebrate the holidays.

Food and drink for celebrating Las Posadas

There are lots of typical dishes and drinks served during the holiday season in Mexico. From ponche navideño and rompope to champurrado and chocolate caliente, there’s a warm drink to make everyone’s belly happy. Tamales, pozole, ensalada de Noche Buena, turkey, bacalao, buñuelos, cookies, and more make the holidays the best time to become acquainted with the rich traditions of Christmastime in Mexico.

Ponche navideño

Mexican Christmas punch, called ponche navideño, is a stewed, warm drink that is served during las posadas, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and even through Día de Los Reyes Magos.

Mexican ponche navideño, Mexican Christmas punch with oranges, sugar cane, guavas, tejocotes and cinnamon

Every family makes their ponche a little differently. Some are made with jamaica (hibiscus flowers) or tamarindo.

Rompope: Mexican eggnog

Rompope (pronounced “roam-poh-pay”) is a Mexican version of eggnog made with milk, Mexican cinnamon, Mexican vanilla, egg yolks, sugar, aguardiente (cane sugar liquor) and sometimes nutmeg.

Rompope, also known as Mexican eggnog, served with holiday treats next to poinsettia flowers

Meaning of the piñata

The piñata is also a staple of posadas, and everyone from the youngest to the oldest gets a turn to try to break it. Piñatas are traditionally shaped like a star with seven cones, and the cones represent the seven deadly sins.

Piñatas are an important part of any posada. Find this and more about Christmas in Mexico at theothersideofthetortilla.com.

The custom of being blindfolded while hitting the piñata is supposed to symbolize one’s faith, and the stick used to hit the piñata is supposed to symbolize virtue. And traditionally, the piñata is made of an olla de barro, a clay pot, covered in paper maché and decorated with colorful tissue paper and streamers.

A piñata is used to celebrate Las Posadas in Mexico. Visit theothersideofthetortilla.com for more information on how to celebrate this holiday.

Many people still fill their piñata with fruit such as tejocotes, oranges, and guavas, or cane sugar sticks and nuts but it is also common to fill it with candies such as tamarindo or even modern candies like one of my favorites, a strawberry jelly and marshmallow candy bar covered in chocolate called Bubu Lubu.

Piñatas are an important part of any posada. Find this and more about Christmas in Mexico at theothersideofthetortilla.com.

Song for hitting the piñata

Below are the lyrics to the piñata song, “Dale, dale dale” which is sung during each person’s turn to hit the piñata.

Dale, dale, dale , no pierdas el tino
porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino.
Ya le diste una, ya le diste dos, ya le diste tres, ¡y tu tiempo se acabo!

A piñata is used to celebrate Las Posadas in Mexico. Visit theothersideofthetortilla.com for more information on how to celebrate this holiday.

Song for Las Posadas

The “peregrinos” sing verse A and the “innkeepers” sing verse B.

Celebrating las posadas navideñas in Mexico: Traditional song lyrics for posadas. Find this and more about Christmas in Mexico at theothersideofthetortilla.com.

Canción para pedir posada

1a. En el nombre del cielo os pido posada, pues no puede andar mi esposa amada.
1b. Aqui no es mesón, sigan adelante. Yo no debo abrir, no sea algún tunante.

1a. No seas inhumano, tennos caridad, que el Dios de los cielos te lo premiará.
1b. Ya se pueden ir y no molestar, porque si me enfado os voy a apalear.

2a. Venimos rendidos desde Nazarét, yo soy carpintero de nombre José.
2b. No me importa el nombre, déjenme dormir, pues que yo les digo que no hemos de abrir.

2a. Posada te pido, amado casero, por sólo una noche la Reina del Cielo.
2b. Pues si es una reina quien lo solicita, ¿Cómo es que de noche anda tan solita?

3a. Mi esposa es María, es Reina del Cielo y madre va a ser del Divino Verbo.
3b. ¿Eres tú José? ¿Tú esposa es María? Entren, peregrinos, no los conocía.

3a. Dios pague, señores, nuestra caridad, y que os colme el cielo de felicidad.
3b. ¡Dichosa la casa la casa que alberga este día a la Virgen pura! ¡La hermosa María!

Then the peregrinos enter and the tune changes while all sing.

Entren, Santos Peregrinos, reciban este rincón, que aunque es pobre la morada, os la doy de corazón.

Cantemos con alegría, alegría, todos al considerar
Que Jesús, José y María, y María, nos vinieron hoy a honerar.

Nacimientos and decorations

It is very common to see nacimientos, or nativity scenes, displayed as decorations in homes, businesses, stores and outdoors in Mexico. There are all types of materials they can be made from, such as corn husks, wood, or even aluminum.

Mexican nativity scenes

My mother-in-law has a beautiful nacimiento made of corn husks that she displays every year at Christmastime.

Mexican nativity scene made of corn husks

This one below was an outdoor nativity scene at a Mexican resort we spent the holidays visiting.

Mexican nativity scene outdoors

Christmas, Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Mexico City Canción para pedir posada, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Dale dale dale, La Navidad, Noche Buena, Nochebuena, pidiendo posada, piñata, ponche Navideño, posada Navideña, posadas, rompope, tamales, tejocotes

¡Hoy es mi cumpleaños!

0 · Dec 9, 2010 · 4 Comments

One of my favorite things about my birthday is being sung Las Mañanitas, the Mexican birthday song.

Last night at midnight, my suegros and my cuñada called to sing it to me, and this morning I woke up to messages on Twitter and Facebook with video links or lyrics to Las Mañanitas and birthday wishes galore. Thanks to all who made my day so special!

Last year I was lucky enough to spend my birthday in Mexico so I was serenaded in person at midnight and received flowers. This is one of my absolute favorite traditions in Mexican culture and I can’t wait to someday sing it to my own children. A friend on Twitter was telling me that her best birthday memories are of her mamá singing Las Mañanitas to her. Every year, my mom calls me at exactly the time of day that I was born so many Decembers ago to sing to me and wish me a happy birthday. Now, my suegros call me every year and sing me Las Mañanitas, and I must admit it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside and I love it. José’s birthday is next month, so on his birthday I will sing it to him, too.

If you’ve never heard the song before, here’s your chance. My favorite version is by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, as you can hear below, but I’m happy with any version sung to me on my birthday!

…

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Cultura/Culture, Holidays birthday, cumpleaños, Las Mañanitas, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Pedro Infante

Wordless Wednesday: Nochebuenas

0 · Dec 1, 2010 · 4 Comments

This past weekend I saw the first Nochebuenas of the holiday season! Did you know that Poinsettia flowers originally came from Mexico? Just a few hours outside of Mexico City, the first poinsettias were discovered in the valleys of Taxco and Cuernavaca but it wasn’t until after the Spanish conquest that they were incorporated as a symbol of the Christmas season thanks to the Franciscan priests. The flower was popularized in the United States after it was brought here by Joel Poinsett, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico after the country won its independence from Spain.

  • Does your family use Nochebuenas to decorate during the holidays?
The photo in this post was taken with my iPhone 3Gs using the Polarize app by Christopher Comair.

Cultura/Culture, Historia/History, Holidays, Mexico City, Wordless Wednesday Christmas, Cuernavaca, flores, flowers, Guerrero, iPhone photography, La Navidad, Morelos, Nochebuena, Taxco

SALSA DE ARÁNDANOS

5 · Nov 25, 2010 · 2 Comments

As a little girl, I never liked whole cranberries and on Thanksgiving I always preferred the canned jellied cranberry sauce over the fresh cranberries my mom or my aunt made. Now that I’m a bit older and my palate is a little more refined, I prefer to make fresh cranberry sauce for my Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, it’s probably my favorite part! I’ve been known to make tortas de pavo topped with arándanos the whole week after Thanksgiving just to have an excuse to keep eating them.

This recipe has been passed on through two generations in my family, and now I’d like to share it with you. If you’ve ever been afraid that making cranberry sauce from scratch would be too difficult, you’re in good company. This recipe, though, is so easy that you won’t believe you didn’t try making your own with fresh, whole cranberries sooner. From start to finish, it takes about 15 minutes and it’s a perfect balance of spicy and sweet. These are great for Thanksgiving or La Navidad, too….

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Algo dulce, Cultura/Culture, Holiday dish, Holidays, Recipe arándanos, canela, Christmas, cinnamon sticks, cranberries, iPhone photography, La Navidad, naranjas, oranges, Thanksgiving, Tía Annette

Wordless Wednesday: Calacas

0 · Nov 24, 2010 · 2 Comments

My dear friend Amy who lives in New York, and who I’ve known por toda mi vida, was sweet enough to send me a photo of her with her boyfriend dressed up as calacas for Halloween/Día de Los Muertos to share with Tortilla readers after I gushed over how fantastic they looked. ¡Gracias, Amy!

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I’m thankful for all my wonderful family, friends and fans who support The Other Side of The Tortilla!

  • Don’t they look great?

Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Wordless Wednesday calacas, Day of the Dead, Día de Los Muertos, mail bag

Warm Winter Margaritas

72 · Nov 24, 2010 · 6 Comments

If you’ve never had a warm winter margarita, you’ve been missing out. It’s basically a tequila hot toddy!

Warm margaritas are boozy and comforting, and an easy-to-make drink that’ll be sure to please your guests all winter long.

RELATED RECIPE: Ponche de tamarindo

I attended a Ladies’ Night In party in Chicago with Chef Marcela Valladolid, cookbook author and host of the Food Network’s “Mexican Made Easy.” We sipped and sampled numerous Sauza Tequila drinks and had a fantastic time tasting dishes from Marcela’s cookbook, Fresh Mexico.

One of the drinks Marcela showed us how to make was this warm winter margarita. It was an instant hit with the crowd and the perfect way to end the evening.

It was so much fun to hang out with her for an intimate evening of cooking tips and getting to taste some of her recipes!

RELATED RECIPE: Grapefruit margaritas

Here’s my photo album from the party:

Thanks so much to Sauza and Chef Marcela for a fabulous Ladies’ Night In. And thank you to the hostesses, Stacey Roney and Beth Rosen for inviting me! I had a great time. Each party attendee received a little tequila to practice making their own drinks as well as a copy of Chef Marcela’s book, which I really like and would recommend as a gift for yourself or the Mexican foodie in your life. I’ve already made this recipe a few times and several other recipes from her book and I’m definitely impressed. They taste very similar to the Mexican food I make in my own kitchen.

Click on the English or Spanish-language image of the book below to purchase that version.

Print
Warm Winter Margarita

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ cups (28 ounces) apple juice or cider
  • 1-2 sticks of Mexican cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons granulated cane sugar (optional)
  • 1 cup dried fruit of your choice (I like apricots, apples, cranberries, tart cherries, and golden raisins)
  • ¾ of a cup (6 ounces) tequila blanco or reposado (whichever you prefer)

Instructions

  1. Combine apple juice or cider and cinnamon sticks in a deep pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks.
  2. Add sugar and tequila and stir to incorporate.
  3. Pour into cups and add dried fruit to each cup just before serving so they don’t rehydrate too quickly.

Notes

For added fun, you can sugar the rim of the glass if you like. Just gently wet the rim of the glass and dip it in a small dish of fine granulated cane sugar before pouring the margarita into the glass.

3.1

https://theothersideofthetortilla.com/2010/11/warm-winter-margarita/

©2009-2015 theothersideofthetortilla.com

If you’re looking for other hot drink recipes to make your holidays a little more Mexican, check out Abuelita Elda’s ponche Navideño, a staple during our family’s holiday celebrations.

RELATED RECIPE: Cinnamon and chile-spiced hot apple cider cocktail

Books, Cocktails, Holidays, Recipe apple cider, canela, cinnamon, dried fruit, fruta deshidratada, granulated cane sugar, jugo de manzana, tequila, tequila hot toddy

Celebrate Mexico Every Day

0 · Nov 19, 2010 · 8 Comments

September 16th, Mexican Independence Day, has come and gone, but the celebration of Mexico isn’t really over just yet.

Tomorrow, November 20th, Mexico will celebrate the centennial of its Revolution. This year has been filled with special events all over the world honoring these two important anniversaries in Mexican history.

But there are many everyday reasons to celebrate Mexico, too: the diverse flora and fauna; beautiful ecosystems spanning every kind of terrain from jungles and deserts; the incredible food with worldly influences ranging from pre-Hispanic cultures to European, Asian and beyond; the kind and generous people; the abundance of historical and World Heritage sites… I could probably go on listing the things I love about Mexico for days. I can’t wait to one day have children to teach them all the things we love so much about the country where their papá was born and raised.

In the news in the U.S., Mexico is often painted as a violent, turbulent place and seldom are the positive things about the country and the culture shared in the mainstream media. But to me, Mexico is so much more than what they show on the news. Here on The Other Side of The Tortilla, I choose to focus on the positive aspects of Mexico and Mexican culture because it is what I feel in my heart. It is a mission here to both connect Mexicans at home and abroad to their culture via stories about family and food – two of the most important aspects of the culture – as well as educate those who are not Mexican about traveling the country, absorbing the rich culture and experiencing the incomparable cuisine.

This week, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) awarded Mexican cuisine the status as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity at a ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya. This is big news in Tortillalandia and you can definitely expect to read more about it here soon. In the meantime, check out the Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana to learn more about the organization that submitted the proposal that was approved by UNESCO. I’m excited to see that the world is finally acknowledging the importance of Mexican cuisine and it’s even more special that the status is being awarded during the bicentennial year.

From November 29-December 10, Mexico will also be hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (also know as COP16/CMP6) in Cancun. I was delighted to hear that the conference will be planting around 10,000 trees and bushes in Cancun as part of their way of giving back to the city for hosting. I’m very excited to see all the sustainability efforts being implemented during the conference, as environmental sustainability and caring for the natural resources of the area are very important to the local habitat. The Riviera Maya has much to offer in terms of natural beauty, historic landmarks and world-class culture and food. In fact, the ruins at Tulum are one of my favorite gems in that area because they incorporate both the lush vegetation and the incredible building skills of a civilization that is not physically present, but still lives on in the heart of Mexican history.

I encourage you to follow along with the conference and check out the resources on their website as Mexico steps into the limelight to become part of the solution, bridging the gap between the developed and developing worlds and educating others on how to preserve our beautiful natural spaces and reduce our carbon footprints for generations to come.

I plan to continue celebrating the magic of the Bicentenario through the rest of 2010 and well into the future. I’ll be visiting Mexico for most of the month of December and into early January so you can count on a daily serving of whatever I’m up to, all laid out here in stories, photos and video every day while I’m there. Ven conmigo and subscribe via email or RSS so you don’t miss out on the fun!

Without Mexico, my life would be a lot less picante, verdad? And to me, life without a little spice is boring so I’m proud to say that Mexico is my home away from home.

If you missed the espectáculo, check out this video below for a glimpse of how the bicentenario was celebrated in Mexico City’s zócalo. To learn more about Mexico’s rich history and the events still to come in 2010, check out the Bicentennial websites in Spanish and English.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjXXM_SvyIc[/youtube]

200 AÑOS DE SER ORGULLOSAMENTE MEXICANOS

  • HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE MEXICO EVERY DAY?
The photos in this post were provided by the government of Mexico through Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.
Ogilvy is working with the government of Mexico as a communications partner to help promote Mexico worldwide as a global business partner and unrivaled tourist destination. To accomplish this, they are working with writers like me to provide interesting information, additional facts, economic information, and new perspectives about the country to a range of interested audiences. The words and opinions here are my own.

Cultura/Culture, Historia/History, Holidays, Mexico City, Video bicentenario, bicentennial, Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana, COP16, El Grito, revolucion, revolution, UNESCO, Visit México

Wordless Wednesday: Putting away the decorations

0 · Nov 10, 2010 · 4 Comments

Time to put away my calaveritas until next year! If you want to get a head start for Día de Los Muertos in 2011, check out this great post from SA Cultura on offerings to remember to put on your altar as well as a recipe for sugar skulls that look a lot like mine. Bookmark it for next year so you don’t forget!

This photo was taken with my iPhone 3Gs using the ShakeItPhoto app by Banana Camera Co.

Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Wordless Wednesday calaveras, Day of the Dead, Día de Los Muertos, iPhone photography

¡Feliz Día de los Muertos!

32 · Nov 2, 2010 · 12 Comments

la ofrenda

Today is Día de los Muertos, a day to celebrate the lives of our deceased loved ones. It is believed that on this day, the souls of the dead can travel back to earth to be with us. Leaving an altar with an offering for the souls ensures that they will find their way home.

I thought I’d share with you the altar that we made in honor of our family members who have passed away.

The altar includes flowers, religious candles, fruit, tequila, lime and salt, obleas con cajeta, water, dulce de guayaba cristalizada, a miniature tortilla press and molcajete, dolls my Dad brought me from a trip to Mexico when I was a little girl, pan de muerto, a pillow, colorful striped fabric, papel picado brought all the way from Mexico City and a handmade carpeta de encaje (ornamental lace). Confession: I ate the pepitorias that I made for the altar last night before I got the chance to photograph it, I just couldn’t resist.

I was interested in how others around the world constructed their altars and what they looked like so I curated a project you’ll see below. I asked friends, family and strangers on Facebook and Twitter to submit photos of their altars to share here on The Tortilla. I’ll continue to add items to the curated project over the next few days as I continue to receive more photos.

Here are a few more details from our altar in honor of José’s grandparents, my grandparents, and other family members who have passed away, including my uncle who was killed in an accident earlier this year. May their souls rest in peace.

tequila, limón y sal

pan de muerto

View the entire album of our altar by clicking on the thumbnails:

Thank you to everyone who allowed me to share their photos for this curated project. I spent the last few days searching and collecting items posted on Twitter that contributed to it. I hope you enjoy looking at all the photos as much as I did.

Last but not least, muchas felicidades to Marcela from Culture Mami, who won our apron giveaway from last week! I look forward to seeing photos of you wearing your calavera-print apron made by Lisa Renata. 🙂

  • How are you celebrating Día de los Muertos? Who are you honoring with your ofrenda?

Cultura/Culture, Holidays "altar de muertos", "curated.by", "pan de muerto", altar, Day of the Dead, Día de Los Muertos, ofrenda

How to make pepitorias

7 · Oct 30, 2010 · 5 Comments

pepitorias

In the days of the Aztecs, Día de Los Muertos was a festival celebrated the entire ninth month of the Aztec calendar, but when the Spaniards arrived in the New World and attempted to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism, the holiday was moved to a single day to coincide with the Catholic All Souls’ Day on November 2.

The Spaniards disliked the indigenous traditions and may have labeled them as barbaric and pagan, but Día de Los Muertos is not as scary – or sad ­– of a holiday as some think. This holiday actually has very sentimental roots. It’s all about celebrating life and honoring the dead.

In some places in Mexico there are parades, people decorate the gravesites of their deceased loved ones and construct altars in their homes with offerings, called ofrendas, for the souls of the dearly departed. Altars often include items like photographs of the deceased, items they may have owned, foods and beverages they may have liked, flowers and even sometimes a pillow and blankets for the souls to rest after their long journey.

Día de Los Muertos is one of the most beautiful and unique holidays in Mexican culture because everyone, young and old, shows their love and respect for the family members and friends that have passed away over the years. Celebrating their lives is also a reminder to the living to cherish their time on earth.

One of my favorite things to do in Mexico City is go to the tianguis, or open-air market. Part of the reason I love them so much is because they’re a vibrant reminder of what it means to truly be alive. I love everything about it: the arts and crafts for sale; the tinkling strains of melodies being played by street musicians; the food stalls with everything from jamoncillo (milk fudge) and dulce de calabaza cristalizada (dried candied pumpkin) to tacos de canasta (tacos in a basket).

pepitorias

On my first visit to the Bazar Sábado in Mexico City’s San Angel neighborhood several years ago I was delighted by all the makeshift stalls selling artisan crafts and every kind of sugary homemade treat I could imagine. Many of the stall owners off the Plaza Jacinto were offering generous samples to entice potential customers to buy a medio-kilo of this or a medio-kilo of that. One of the things that caught my eye at several of the stalls, though, was a hanging treat bag with brightly colored half-moon wafers that had pepitas sticking out of them and some kind of sticky miel holding them together. I was entranced.

“They’re pepitorias,” my suegra told me. She handed the stall owner a few coins with a smile and gently pulled a bag down from the clip from which it was hanging. As I took my first bite, it was both sweet and salty and I was definitely in love. Suddenly, I noticed the vibrant-colored obleas everywhere I went and I seem to have developed an internal radar for finding them ever since.

Earlier this year, I discovered one of my favorite Mexican grocers began carrying obleas in three different sizes and all the colors of the rainbow so of course I bought a package of each size. As candies and other treats are often given as ofrendas for Día de Los Muertos, I’ll be including pepitorias on my altar this year.

obleas

RECETA

PEPITORIAS

  • 1 package of Obleas de harina de trigo (colored wheat wafers)
  • Pepitas or pumpkin seeds
  • Melaza (unsulfured molasses)

METHOD

pepitas y semillas de calabaza

Fold the wafer in half so that you have two half moons. They may crack completely and that’s just fine. It’s okay if they don’t crack evenly or if you have a few jagged edges.

Using your finger, the back of a very small spoon or a miniature pastry brush, dip your chosen tool into the molasses and lightly spread along the inner edge of one side of the wafer. I prefer to use my finger to feel the molasses and avoid using too much. If you use too much, your pepitorias will be drippy with molasses and will bleed through the wafer, making them very sticky. The key is to use just enough molasses so the seeds will stick but not so much that the seeds are able to shift easily. Once you’ve finished, place the pepitas or pumpkin seeds onto the molasses so they are stuck to the wafer and protruding halfway out.

Gently spread molasses on the inner edge of the other half of the wafer as well as a little in the center so the two pieces of wafer will stick together. Align the wafers so the molasses strip on the second half of the wafer fits snugly against the seeds and press gently in the middle to make sure the wafers are stuck together.

Day of The Dead, Desserts, Holidays, Mexico City, Recipe Day of the Dead, Día de Los Muertos, melaza, molasses, obleas, pepitas, pumpkin seeds, wafers

Sorteo Tuesday – Día de Los Muertos {GIVEAWAY}

0 · Oct 26, 2010 ·

día de los muertos apron

Happy Sorteo Tuesday! Why is it happy? Because sorteo means giveaway en Español!

Día de Los Muertos is coming up next week and I’ve been cooking up a storm to get ready! You can expect to see a recipe posted later this week to help you prepare for the holiday.

If you’re not familiar with Día de Los Muertos, check out SpanglishBaby each day this week for new and interesting posts – they’ve got a whole category on the subject to educate yourself along with fun ideas on how to celebrate with your escuincles (a funny slang term for ‘kids’ that José’s abuelita Ana likes to use). You can read more about the holiday here on Friday alongside a special recipe post, so don’t forget to come back or subscribe via email to get recipes and stories delivered directly to your inbox so you don’t miss it!

I’m a big fan of all things Día de Los Muertos and when I found this fabric with miniature sugar skulls on it, I knew I had to have it. At the cooking demo I did in Miami making albóndigas, I wore a special apron made of this very fabric that my friend Lisa made for me for an extra serving of buena suerte. She was kind enough to ship the apron to me at the hotel I was staying at so that I’d receive it in time to wear for my demo, and it was a huge hit with the audience – in fact, the apron got almost as many compliments as the albóndigas!

AND I’VE GOT ANOTHER APRON JUST LIKE MINE TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY TORTILLA READER!

los detalles: the ruffled trim and the pleated pocket

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Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Sorteo/Giveaway Day of the Dead, Día de Los Muertos

Happy National Taco Day!

1 · Oct 4, 2010 · 2 Comments

Happy National Taco Day!

I didn’t even know this holiday existed in the United States until today when I was doing my daily morning food reading, but I’m glad I came across it because who doesn’t need another excuse to talk about tacos? Although practically every day is taco day in my house and we don’t need a holiday just to eat them, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share some history about one of Mexico’s most common culinary delights.

My good friend Claudia, who is from Puebla, Mexico, and is also a linguist, shared with me a little lesson about the origin of the word “taco.”

There are various accepted origins; literally, it means a plug for an empty gap. Which makes a lot of sense when you look at it from the perspective of food – you eat a taco to fill the emptiness in your belly that is hunger.

A gringa from El Fogoncito in Mexico City

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Cultura/Culture, Historia/History, Holidays, Mexico City Aztecs, gringa, Náhuatl, taco, tacos al pastor

Classic guacamole recipe

6 · Sep 16, 2010 · 5 Comments

mi papel picado bicentenario

¡Feliz Día de la Independencia, México!

Did you watch the Grito last night?

In my house, we hung papel picado and waved our Mexican flag as we watched the celebration starting in Mexico City’s zócalo. My heart was filled with emotion seeing the zócalo, where I have stood in awe many times, brimming with people from all corners of Mexico to celebrate the bicentennial of Independence from Spain and 100 years since the Revolution.

If you missed the Grito, the shout of independence honoring Mexico’s national heroes, you can watch it here:

If you want to watch last year’s Grito and attempt a very traditional Independence Day recipe, you can check out the chiles en nogada I made and posted last year here on The Other Side of The Tortilla….

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Cultura/Culture, Historia/History, Holiday dish, Holidays, Mexico City, Recipe, side dishes, Staple Recipes aguacate, ajo, avocado, bicentenario, bicentennial, chile serrano, chiles en nogada, cilantro, Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana, día de la independencia, El Grito, garlic, guacamole, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia y Historia, lime, limón, Mercado Coyoacán, Mexican Independence Day, molcajete, papel picado, tejolote, UNESCO

Regalos de boda y aniversarios

0 · Aug 9, 2010 · 27 Comments

receiving the lazo from our padrinos

Two years ago today, José and I were married in Los Cabos, Mexico, in front of nearly 100 family members and friends. I can still remember most of the day very clearly, though it went by very fast. Sometimes, it seems like it was just yesterday.

misión de san josé, parroquia de san josé del cabo, diocesis de la paz, baja california sur

We were first married in a small Catholic ceremony in a beautiful historic church in San José del Cabo with just our parents and witnesses, and then later in the evening we had a full Catholic mass on the beach with all our guests at the Westin Los Cabos.

The church where we were married, Misión de San José del Cabo Anuití, was a mission originally built by a Jesuit priest, Father Nicolás Tamaral, in 1730. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, and the current twin-tower structure was last restored in 1932 after it was damaged by a hurricane. The church satisfied my love for history, architecture and art, all in one.

The whole day was completely perfect from beginning to end. Okay, it wasn’t completely perfect (it was blazing hot even after the sun set), but it was damn near perfect. If I could do it all over again, the only thing I’d do differently is savor each moment individually, like in slow motion. I’d hug each person a little tighter, and add a few more family members who couldn’t be there with us. Unfortunately, I can’t do it all over again. But I’m okay with that because I know that our wedding day was just about as perfect as they come.

…

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Baja California Sur, Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Travel aniversario, anniversary, boda, Los Cabos, San José del Cabo, wedding

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Hi, I'm Maura Hernández. Welcome to my kitchen! I'm an award-winning food and travel blogger, recipe developer, and former journalist sharing my passion for all things Mexico. Married to a Chilango, I've traveled Mexico extensively over the last 15 years. Here, you'll find a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cooking, along with my advice on where to eat, stay and play on your visit to Mexico! READ MORE

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