My husband and I spent this past Fourth of July weekend in Chicago celebrating our 6 year anniversary. Last year I gave birth to my second son so we were unable to do anything special for ourselves. So this year my husband swept me away and took me to Chicago especially to dine at La Frontera Grill. On our last trip to Chi-Town, we were unable to get in and my heart was honestly broken. I've been a Rick Bayless fan for about 4 years now, ever since I caught him on his PBS series, Mexico One ... continue reading...
Spanish Flan with Strawberry Anise Caramel
Flan, the dessert of Spain. Actually, flan can be traced back to the Roman Empire when chickens first became domesticated and kept for laying eggs. With the large amounts of eggs, Romans turned to the Greeks who helped them develop flan. It wasn't until the fall of the Roman empire that the Spaniards and Moors adapted it into a sweet caramel custard. Once Columbus traveled the seas, flan was introduced to Central and South America and we are now enjoying it throughout the world. That is one ... continue reading...
Strawberry Apple Puffed Sensation – Monday’s with Mami
With so many freshly picked strawberries from turtle farm, I did the best I could to eat them fresh and use them up in homemade recipes before freezing what was left. I decided to make a sweet jelly filled topping for puff pastry – a light and flaky sweet sensation! ... continue reading...
Homemade Puff Pastry Dough
Puff pastry is extremely popular in Spanish cooking. It's used for desserts and with meat or fish fillings for main courses or tapas. The recipe below is from one of my Spanish cookbooks by Penelope Casas, The Foods and Wines of Spain. It's an easy and foolproof method adapted by the one and only Julia Child. This is a recipe that can be made and stored in your freezer. Puff Pastry, Hojaldre Makes 2 3/4 pounds Ingredients 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup cake flour ... continue reading...
6 Years and Counting
Gabe and Diana June 28, 2003 Our traditional Mexican posed picture for my Tia Esther and Tia Helen :) I really cannot believe we've been married 6 years and together for 10. Marriage bliss? Heck No! Joy in my marriage? Definitely! It's been a long 6 years. Years of self evaluation and change. We are definitely not who we used to be 10 years ago. Skateboarding punks who thrived on the social scene and late night skate seshes. 10 years, 2 kids, 2 dogs and 7 chickens later, I still couldn't ... continue reading...
