Something to note in this recipe is that we use sour cream made in Mexico such as the popular

Popular brand of Mexican sour cream

brand. The sour cream in Mexico is not as sour as the sour cream in the States, probably even sweeter.  It’s very similar to the consistency of creme fraiche.  It’s really quite delicious on almost every type of taco we’ve had, and there are so many different types. Tacos to Mexicans are like Sushi to the Japanese; anything can be put in it.

1 package hot dogs (about 10)
1/2 white onion
12 oz sour cream (preferably Mexican or creme fraiche)
red adobo chilis in a can with adobo salsa
1/2 cube tomato (or chicken) sazonado (otherwise known as boullion) – sub 1 tsp powder if necessary, just adds more flavor!

Warm up the HotDogs

Saute onions until carmelized in cooking oil.  Add hotdogs until warm and then stir in sour cream, boullion and 2-3 adobo chilis. Remove chilis if you don’t like spicy food.  Serve with warm corn tortillas as tacos and Provecho!!

3 apples (whichever you prefer)

1 tablespoon sugar

ground cinnamon to taste

Core and peel apple, cut into large chunks and throw into a saucepan with water.  Use a medium size saucepan and fill 3/4 full of water and then add the sugar and apples.  Let apples cook until nice and soft when you test with a fork, usually not more than 10 minutes.  Add the apples to a blender and use about 1 1/2 cups of the hot water (you can add more or less water depending on how thick you like your sauce).  Blend well and serve still warm….aaah some good tummy lovin.

I’m not sure the correct way to make an Omelette as my husband is the pro.  My eggs always stick to the pan and I never have the patience to wait for the proper Omelette.  All I do is scramble the ingredients and fold in the Monterrey Jack cheese.  Once melted, I add the bacon and avocado as toppings and enjoy!  Another variation we use is with cooked spinach and Monterrey Jack cheese.  Of course, I could probably start an entire blog on different Omelette varieties, as it’s much like pizza or sushi.  You can really put anything on top or wrapped up, it’s all a matter of your personal taste.

Variations include:  Pepino (Cucumber) or even a bag of flour Chicharrones, Doritos, popcorn or peanuts.  Of course, you have to like soggy food but some are into that kind of thing…and I admit to devouring a bag to myself on occasion.

One time, while visiting the zocalo in Cuernavaca, Mexico we paid for a flat Chicharrones, almost like an 8×10 piece of paper made of deep fried flour with other unknown ingredients.  We asked them for the recipe, thinking it must be pretty simple and they refused to sell for less than $500.  I guess it’s a family secret–a good family secret, indeed.   A little Valentina, some drops of lime and off we go!

Blend watermelon, sugar, lime and ginger until smooth. You can also use watermelon with seeds and allow the seeds to sink to the bottom of the glass.  Serve cold.

Mamas Tortilla Soup

This soup is one of the easiest since I use a slow-cooker and I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand.  The hardest part is trying not to cry while cutting the onions; the bread in the mouth trick seems to work sometimes.  My favorite part of the soup is the fresh avocados and sour cream; without them, what’s the point?

1 chopped onion
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped or 1 can diced green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
16  oz can stewed tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 can tomato soup
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
salt and pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire
8 Chicken breast fillets (or dark meat if you prefer)

Combine all ingredients above into a crock-pot.  Let cook approximately 4-6 hours on low.  Put the following on the table for guests to add to soup:

Tortilla chips or Tostadas
Diced avocados
Grated Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream

Stir it up and devour!

Roll
1 – package flour 10” tortillas
1 – bunches spinach, stems removed and chopped
1 – 4 oz package cream cheese, softened
2 – small tomatoes
1/2 – onion
Cooked Rice

Adobo Sauce
1 – C sour cream
2 – adobo chilis with adobo sauce
1 – tsp garlic salt

Mix sour cream with 2 adobo chilis, 1 tsp garlic salt and a splash of milk.  We found that U.S. brands of sour cream are much thicker than the Mexico counterparts.  It’s best if the sauce is not so thick so we added milk for a better consistency.  Keep chilled.

Cook rice – preferably sticky rice so that it doesn’t fall out of the roll as you are eating.

Mix chopped onion and tomatoes together with a dash of salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Start an assembly line and spread cream cheese over 1 half of each tortilla.  If the cheese is not softened enough it will tear up the tortillas.  Using your fingers works great once you get the hang of it.  Add a large spoon of rice to the same half, a small handful of spinach and the tomatoes/onion mixture.  Roll the second half over the mixture, roll tight and tuck the ends. Heat up a flat sauté pan or comal and once heated, lightly brown each roll on 2-3 sides.

Flat pan or Comal

Serve either whole or cut up into bite size portions and offer Adobo sauce.  You can also serve these as appetizers, cut up into 1″ sections.

Roasted Poblano Strips, ready for saute

One of my favorite meals is roasted Poblano peppers (Rajas) sauteed with carmelized onions and sour cream.  This is a recipe that my mother in law perfected and is traditionally made in Puebla, Mexico.  Sometimes the peppers are spicy and sometimes they are not at all, so be precautious if you can’t handle spicy foods.  If I allowed myself to spend more money I wine, I would probably drink a heavy red wine, maybe a red zinfandel with this dish.  Donald Bond gives a great review of the Joel Gott Red Zinfandel and it would go great with this spicy dish.  One of my guilty pleasures is the jug wine sold in Mexico called Padre Kino.  I’m not supposed to admit this is my favorite since it sells for $3.00 a bottle, but it has a nice flavor and goes down smooth every time.  In Italy it sells for $14.00 a bottle, so I’m hoping that justifies my lack of taste.  Either way, it’s not the vinager-in-a-box wine in the U.S. and better than some $15.00 bottle Merlots I’ve gotten in the past.  To each his own!

Roasted Poblano Rajas Peppers

10 Poblano Peppers
1 medium size Onion
2 gloves garli
1 Tablespoon Oil
2 Chicken or tomato bouillon cube
1 Cup sour crea
1/2 Cup milk
Salt to taste

Use a flat pan or roasting pit, if you are so lucky, to roast the peppers.  I buy the peppers as flat as possible so they can char evenly on all sides when I’m using a flat pan.   Your goal is to burn all the sides to black so that you can peel off the skin.  The parts that don’t blacken won’t peel and taste slightly different.  Once the peppers are burned, place them in a plastic bag to sweat for 10-20 minutes and then using a little water, try peeling all of the skin off.  Once the skin and seeds are washed away, set aside the pulp to slice up for the saute pan.

In a hot saute pan, add the oil, garlic and onion.  Cook onion until it becomes soft and translucent and then add bouillon cubes and let them dissolve.  Add sliced peppers, sour cream and milk until combined and heated through.   Add salt to taste and serve with rice.

Variations:  Add frozen or canned corn when you add the peppers for a little change

2 Cup White Rice

4 Cups Chicken Broth

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 Tablespoon Parsley

1 Tablespoon Butter

Melt butter and saute rice in butter until coated.  Add broth, garlic salt and parsley.  Cook and serve warm.

• 2 Cup milk
• 2 Can Chicken Broth (~ 14 oz)
• 4 Tablespoons  Flour
• 2 cans (~15 0z) Pinto Beans (or favorite)
• 2 cans (~4 oz) chopped Mild Green Chiles
• 4 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and Cheddar
• 2 Tablespoons Lowry Taco seasoning or similar
• 4 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• Tortilla or corn chips (optional)
  

  Flavorful Bean Soup

In a large saucepan, combine broth, milk and flour and blend well.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.

Stir in beans, chiles, cheese and cilantro.  Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted, stirring constantly.  To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls; sprinkle with tortilla chips.