Mexican Christmas Traditions

Cheater's alfajores

8 · Aug 1, 2011 · 11 Comments

Alfajores are basically code for delicious cookie sandwich with dulce de leche in the middle. They're a popular confection in Spain and parts of Latin America. They're delicate cookies made with corn starch that give a buttery, satin texture with the perfect amount of crumble. I love alfajores (and usually try to pick up a box of the fancy, individually-wrapped kind from Palacio de Hierro while in Mexico) but sometimes I just need a quick fix without the hassle of making cookies from scratch when I can't buy the fancy kind.

On the Kenmore Genius Blog, I confessed my dirty little secret on how to make alfajores with all of the flavor and hardly any of the work. If you're a disaster in the kitchen, are pressed for time with a busy schedule or just having a lazy moment, this recipe is for you! It's so easy, you'll wonder why you never thought of it yourself....

Chile chicken tacos in the slow-cooker

15 · Jul 30, 2011 · 2 Comments

I've been working late into the evening recently so I decided to break out my slow cooker and put it to work for me! On top of the late nights, the brutal heat wave we've been having over the last few weeks has made me less than happy about spending time in the kitchen after a long day, especially if it involves heating up the oven or even the stove top for more than a few minutes because I don't want to be any hotter.

This recipe for chicken tacos is great for a few reasons: it's super easy to make, it takes very little effort to prepare and it can be used as a filling for three different dishes so if you make a little extra you can turn it into more than one meal.

It can be used just as a regular old taco filling, rolled and fried in a tortilla to make taquitos or even rolled and bathed in salsa and topped with cheese as enchiladas. The biggest bonus of all: It won't heat up the kitchen....

Wordless Wednesday: Salsa taquera

4 · Jul 27, 2011 · 15 Comments

I've always been fascinated by the different salsas served alongside my meal at any taquería. I ate all three of these (rojo con chile de árbol; verde con chile serrano y aguacate; cebolla roja con habanero) at my favorite taquería in Chicago, La Lagartija, this past weekend. They were just too pretty to not take a picture! One of the things I love about eating at taquerías is that each one has different salsas, and often the salsas are just as important as what goes in the taco.

What's your favorite kind of salsa?

#MexMonday: What I'm reading

1 · Jul 25, 2011 · 22 Comments

I've been quiet lately because I've been busy in the test kitchen, out tasting new dishes and talking with chefs at local Mexican restaurants, and reading up on Mexico in the news. You can expect some new recipes here soon, but until then, here's a small roundup of the best things I've read in the last week:

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Wordless Wednesday: El plátano macho

3 · Jul 13, 2011 · 5 Comments

I love plantains, known as plátano macho in Spanish. They look a lot like big fat bananas, but they aren't quite the same and the peel is much thicker than on a regular banana. You can buy them green or yellow with black spots like the ones pictured above depending on what you're using them for. My two favorite ways to eat them are plain and fried with a little crema Mexicana or as empanadas rellenos de frijol, which is a recipe that comes from Veracruz (and is a family favorite) that I'll have to share with you soon.

What's your favorite way to eat plantains?