Mexican Christmas Traditions

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Benito Juárez!

1 · Mar 21, 2011 · 3 Comments

Feliz cumpleaños to one of Mexico's most famous presidents, Benito Juárez, who was born on this day in 1806. This monument pictured above, gifted to the city of Chicago in 1977 by Mexican president José López Portillo, stands along Michigan Avenue in the Plaza of the Americas next door to the Wrigley Building and across the street from the Chicago Tribune.

Often regarded as Mexico's greatest and most-loved leader, Juárez died of a heart attack in 1872. If you need to brush up on your Mexican history, read about Benito Juárez and what he did for the Mexican people both before and during his presidency. You might also be surprised to know that he spent a short time living in New Orleans from 1853-1854. Juárez came from a Zapotec family in Oaxaca and served in a variety of political positions during his career. Today, there are numerous monuments and locations dedicated or named in his honor. In Mexico City, the international airport is just one of many, many locations named after Juárez.

Check out some additional photos and details about the Chicago monument on the Public Art in Chicago blog.

Do you know of a monument or location dedicated to Benito Juárez? Leave a comment with where it's located!

Cuaresma means Lent

30 · 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....

Wordless Wednesday: Garabatos

3 · Mar 2, 2011 · 6 Comments

We've been talking a lot about guilty pleasures since last week and there have been many great answers about your favorite Mexican guilty pleasures in the comments, on our Facebook fan page and sent to me on Twitter.

But one that nobody has mentioned and I feel is extremely worthy of the title is a little cookie called the garabato. So please forgive me, but we're about to get a little wordy this Wordless Wednesday because these galletas are worth knowing more about!

They're made with two shortbread cookies, a smooth dark chocolate fudge center and drizzled with dark chocolate. Paired with a café con leche, it's like pure cookie bliss. And they come in two sizes, mini and regular. Or, as I like to say: naughty and extra naughty. Why? Because I'm certain these cookies are loaded with butter and sugar, which is why they are such a delicious temptation to begin with. I may actually attempt making them in the Tortilla Test Kitchen later this year – there's only so long I can go with a craving before I must satisfy it, even if it means experimenting in the kitchen!

The establishment that sells these amazing little treats is, appropriately, called Garabatos, and besides having an array of artisan pastries (I'm also a big fan of the dedo de novia, a tube-shaped sort of baklava) they also have a cafe menu with typical botanas, sandwiches, salads and the like.

On our last trip to Mexico, José was craving garabatos before he even arrived. Since I got there a few days in advance, I picked up a small box with a dozen mini garabatos just for him. I'm not going to incriminate myself here and tell you how many trips we made to Garabatos over the few weeks we were visiting, but let's just say we had our fair share. On the day we headed back home to Chicago, I found a Garabatos in the airport and I had to have one last fix. As you can see from the photo, I couldn't even wait to photograph my treat before taking the first (er, and second) bite.

Have you had garabatos?

Wordless Wednesday: Guilty pleasures

0 · Feb 23, 2011 · 13 Comments

I saw Mundet manzana verde in the grocery store last week in glass bottles and though I tried to resist because I'm trying to quit drinking sugary sodas and juices, I just couldn't help myself.

This bright green and slightly tart apple-flavored refresco is a serious guilty pleasure for me. It's a bit different than the regular Sidral Mundet apple-flavored soda that has more of a light caramel color and a mellow taste.

What are some Mexican guilty pleasures that you like to indulge in?

MILANESAS

19 · Feb 21, 2011 · 4 Comments

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3MpWGncssw[/youtube]

Milanesas are a favorite in our house in part because they're so easy to make. They're great with beef, pork or chicken cutlets and the rest of the recipe never changes! Whenever I'm in a rut and not sure what to make for dinner and am short on time, this is usually my go-to recipe. The best part is that you can prepare the meat and dredge it the day before and just refrigerate overnight so all you have to do is cook them. Just be sure to separate each cutlet so they don't get stuck together and store in an airtight container.

Served with lime wedges and a little salsa to garnish, our favorite way to eat milanesas is of course, as a taco. José also likes milanesas de puerco served with papas fritas. I like milanesas de pollo with rajas de chile poblano y cebolla. Really, there are lots of ways you can serve them, so be creative.

I typically use a little oil as possible – not in an attempt to be healthier because fried foods just aren't healthy – but to keep the breaded cutlets as light as possible. If you use too much oil, it's possible for them to get heavy and greasy. With less oil they stay lighter and, dare I say, a little less unhealthy because they're not soaked in grease....