Atole

Atole is a traditional Mexican drink enjoyed during the winter months (mostly December).  It's comparable to hot chocolate, but it's not.  The base is actually made from corn meal, sugar, and cinnamon.  And if you add chocolate to it, it's call champurrado.  Now before you decide that a drink made from corn sounds like the weirdest thing you've ever heard of, consider horchata.  Horchata is another Mexican drink made from rice water and cinnamon.  When I tell people what horchata is made of, they make the "that sounds disgusting" face.  But then they try it and realize how amazing it is.  Atole is like that.

Capirotada

This traditional Mexican bread pudding is one of my favorites. I've even taken it to a Christmas party because it's so delicious. But it's meant for Easter time. And it's sooooooo good!

This recipe comes from my mother's family, which comes from the southwest.

Sopes

In the words of my boyfriend: "why does fried corn taste so good?!" Sopes are no exception. They're a little more complicated to make but much more fun.

Picadillo

A little known Mexican dish that is oh so yummy. This is the recipe my paternal grandma taught me. I've found other versions in cookbooks but they have way more ingredients that don't make sense to me (Cooking sherry? Really?). But this is so simple and delicious you don't need any of that mumbo jumbo.

Enchiladas

A friend at work says that Mexican food is a rip-off... it's the same 5 ingredients rearranged on a plate.  While there are a few staples, it's all so different.  And of that multitude of arrangements, enchiladas are probably the easiest to make.  This is how my mom taught me.  This one you MUST read the whole recipe first.  Being a recipe passed down over the generations, there's no such thing as measurements.  And it can get pretty messy so wear something you're okay with getting dirty.

TJ Style Hot Dogs

I love being Mexican. And I love Mexican street food. Pretty much anything made on a cart outside a soccer stadium or on a street corner is delicious. And probably pretty cheap. But my boyfriend, being a San Diego native, is far more familiar with Tijuana street foods and made these delicious hot dogs after a morning of tough yardwork.

Chocolate Mole

Mole.  Not the animal, the sauce.  From the Nahuatl word molli meaning "sauce."  You know, like guacamole.  The Nahuatl word for avocado is āhuacatl, which became aguacate in Spanish.  So ahuacamolli becomes guacamole, or quite literally, avocado sauce.  But back to mole.

My "Mexican Salad"

Typically I avoid anything that involves Mexican food staples tossed in a heap or layered and then "Mexican" added to the beginning of the name.  Things like "mexican salad" or "mexican pizza." But I was pretty impressed with myself with this one.

Fresh Guacamole!

As a kid is "hated!" avocados and guacamole. It wasn't until I was in college that I dared to try it. Now I know why my mom always said I was crazy...