Going Home/ De Regreso A Casa

September 7, 2026
Culture/Cultura
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My Dearest Mario,

I’m at the airport in Morelia, Michoacan waiting for my connector flight home. Every time I say home, I want to start crying. I’m not sure why. It’s the feeling of going home to an unfamiliar feeling… facing the fact that you won’t be there when I get home. I know I’ll have to settle into this new life even if I don’t want to. Thank you for this amazing trip you planned out for us. We have had an amazing time seeing new things, and familiar things that brought you to our mind.

Today we have spent the whole day traveling. And although I was really scared to turn in the rental car. Idk why we always got scammed at foreign car rental places. I told you, you should have let me do the talking! It would have gone much smoother all those times. LOL. But I appreciate you not letting me worry about those things. I have to say, everything went smooth. This has literally been the smoothest trip we have ever had. No real stress… wait… there was an incident… I thought I wasn’t going home. My ticket back, wasn’t showing up. I almost panicked. But after we ate and sat down to look things over, we found it. Jewel called the airline and Josiah got on the computer. Somehow, our tickets were connected. We all remained calm and handled it. We ended up staying at the swimming pool and having dinner at the hotel. Boarding now. I guess in a few hours, I’ll have to just see how it goes. I’ll face tomorrow, tomorrow.

Jesus, help me tonight.

I love you and miss you so much babe.

-Sil🤍

PS.

Forgot to tell you that our airport meal was a cup of Maruchan. I know you would not have been happy about that. We had to do what we had to do. LOL. You would have sat us down to have a full on meal. Also, Jezreel has been carrying the panda you left on the bed all through the trip. She has slept with it every day since you have been gone. Wish you were here. 

Mi queridísimo Mario:

Estoy en el aeropuerto de Morelia< Michoacan esperando mi vuelo de conexión a casa. Cada vez que digo «casa», me dan ganas de llorar. No sé bien por qué. Es la sensación de volver a un hogar que se siente extraño... de afrontar el hecho de que no estarás allí cuando llegue. Sé que tendré que adaptarme a esta nueva vida, aunque no quiera. Gracias por este viaje increíble que organizaste para nosotros. Lo hemos pasado de maravilla viendo cosas nuevas y otras familiares que nos hicieron recordarte.

Hoy nos hemos pasado el día entero viajando. Y, aunque me daba mucho miedo devolver el coche. No sé por qué siempre nos estafaban en las agencias de alquiler de coches en el extranjero. ¡Te lo dije, deberías haberme dejado hablar a mí! Todo habría salido mucho mejor en aquellas ocasiones. Jajaja. Pero te agradezco que no me dejaras preocuparme por esas cosas. Tengo que decir que todo salió bien de alquiler, todo salió sobre ruedas. 

Ha sido, literalmente, el viaje más tranquilo que hemos hecho nunca. Sin estrés real... bueno, espera... hubo un incidente... pensé que no podría volver a casa. No aparecía mi billete de regreso. Casi entro en pánico. Pero, después de comer y sentarnos a revisar todo con calma, lo encontramos. Jewel llamó a la aerolínea y Josias miró en el ordenador. De alguna manera, nuestros billetes estaban vinculados. Mantuvimos la calma y lo solucionamos. Al final, nos quedamos en la piscina y cenamos en el hotel. Ya están llamando para embarcar. Supongo que, dentro de unas horas, tendré que ver cómo se desarrollan las cosas. Ya afrontaré el mañana cuando llegue.

Jesús, ayúdame esta noche.

Te quiero y te extraño muchísimo, amor.

-Sil🤍.. 

PD  Se me olvidó decirte que nuestra comida en el aeropuerto fue un vaso de Maruchan. Sé que eso no te habría hecho ninguna gracia. Pero tuvimos que hacer lo que hubo que hacer, jaja. Tú nos habrías sentado a comer algo en condiciones. Por cierto, Jezreel ha llevado consigo durante todo el viaje el panda que dejaste en la cama; ha dormido con él todos los días desde que te fuiste. Ojalá estuvieras aquí.

Swim, Eat and Be/Nada, come y Sé.

September 3, 2026
Culture/Cultura
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My dearest Mario,

We have been on the island of Holbox for the past 3 days basking in the sun and just wading in its beautiful crystal clear water. You had been talking about this place for months and how much you wanted to just relax and enjoy some time off from work and all those things that bound you to routine. The sunsets in Holbox were what really caught your attention. But I must tell you that we really tried to catch a sunset and it just didn’t happen for us. The first sunset on the island we were on the ferry. Josiah and I couldn’t help but to just think about you. It was a very painful moment to realize you didn’t make it to this day. We were just crying holding each other when a crashing wave slapped us in the face and woke us from our pain. Was it you telling us to knock it off and enjoy our beautiful sunset on the water? The second night, we didn’t time it right. I mean, can you blame us? We were on ”Mexican Island time”, worst than just being on “Mexican Time.” Last night we made it a point to dress up, head to the malecón to sit and just watch the sunset for you. Guess what? IT WAS OVERCAST!!! You would have been so mad that you would have already been planing to come back next year! We talked about that and considering it for ourselves. We want to come back with my brother and the family. We think Eloise would love it out here.

We got to see the Bioluminescence in the first night. We thought, Mario would not want us just relaxing.😂. So we took our suitcase to our room, changed and took off. It was so mesmerizing! So many stars too! We even saw the milky way. !!!!! The kids jumped in the water IN THE DARK!! I loved seeing them in awe and just experiencing life! I think they jumped in with no hesitation because they were thinking, “Dad would not hesitate to experience something so rare!”

It is so hot and humid but we have been in the water all day long so the only time we feel it is when we are not in the water. We have stayed hydrated with coconut water and Electolit. This last stretch we have been taking it easy, swimming, eating and just being. We are definitely coming back a bit crispy. 🫣

I think you would have been proud of how we have navigated around Quintana Roo traveling from one end to another on our own getting from destination to destination. All the trips we took the kids on, has really paid off for a time like this. Josiah made a whole spread sheet of things we needed to do and expenses, which were not much since you had already paid and reserved everything. And Jez made an itinerary of destinations, weather, roads, hotels, phone numbers… and tons of other things we have yet to need.😂. These guys crack me up. All I’ve had to do is make the big decisions and move us along through the trip. And drive of course. I haven’t been really good at taking pictures on this trip. There have been many “Ghost Cat” moments. (You know what I mean .)

There is something I haven’t told you.

We did find someone to be our 4th traveler. Idk why we decided to take anyone to be honest. We were a bit hesitant given the circumstance. Did we want to be alone? Did we need someone with us. We just prayed and allowed God to move. You are gonna trip at who we brought…. Ready?

We brought Jewel😂!!

I must say, she has been a great addition to our travel. We thought she might not make it through this Yucatán heat, but she had been such a trouper. She is a bit accident prone, but she has done exceptionally well. We are glad she joined us. She has kept us going, allowed us to cry, mourn and laugh. She has listened and just been an ear to listen. You are probably tripping out. But I think she also needed this healing time.

Well, start moving to our next stop. It’s almost time to go home. Home… makes me cry thinking about it. But we all must face reality.

Love you and miss you more than my heart can bear.

-Sil🤍

Mi queridísimo Mario
Hemos pasado los últimos tres días en la isla de Holbox, disfrutando del sol y caminando por sus hermosas aguas cristalinas. Llevabas meses hablando de este lugar y de cuánto querías simplemente relajarte y Disfruta de un tiempo libre del trabajo y de todas esas cosas que te ataban a la rutina. Los atardeceres en Holbox eran lo que realmente te llamaba la atención. Pero debo decirte que realmente intentamos ver un atardecer y simplemente no lo logramos. disfrutar de un tiempo de descanso. Lo que más te llamaba la atención eran los atardeceres. Pero debo decirte que, aunque realmente intentamos ver uno, simplemente no lo logramos. El primer atardecer en la isla nos pilló en el ferry. Josias y yo no podíamos dejar de pensar en ti; fue un momento muy doloroso darnos cuenta de que no habías llegado a vivir este día. Estábamos llorando abrazados cuando una ola rompió con fuerza, nos salpicó en la cara y nos hizo reaccionar del dolor que sufriamos. ¿Eras tú diciéndonos que dejáramos de llorar y disfrutáramos del hermoso atardecer sobre el agua? La segunda noche no calculamos bien el tiempo. Bueno, ¿quién podría culparnos? Estábamos bajo el ritmo de la "hora isleña mexicana", que es aún más relajado que la ya famosa "hora mexicana". Anoche nos propusimos arreglarnos e ir al malecón para sentarnos y contemplar el atardecer en tu honor. ¿Y adivina qué? ¡¡¡Estaba nublado!!! ¡Te habrías enfadado tanto que ya estarías planeando volver el año que viene! Hablamos de eso y estamos considerando hacerlo nosotros también. Queremos volver con mi hermano y el resto de la familia. Creemos que a Eloise le encantaría este lugar.
La primera noche pudimos ver la bioluminiscencia. Pensamos que a Mario no le gustaría que nos quedáramos simplemente descansando 😂.... así que llevamos las maletas a la habitación, nos cambiamos y salimos. ¡Fue algo fascinante! ¡Y había muchísimas estrellas! Incluso vimos la Vía Láctea. ¡¡¡¡¡ Los niños se metieron al agua ¡¡EN PLENA OSCURIDAD!! Me encantó verlos maravillados y simplemente disfrutando de la vida.Creo que se lanzaron sin dudarlo porque estaban pensando, «¡Papá no dudaría ni un instante en vivir una experiencia tan única!».

Hace mucho calor y hay mucha humedad, pero como hemos pasado todo el día en el agua, solo sentimos el clima cuando estamos fuera de ella. Nos hemos mantenido hidratados con agua de coco y Electrolit. En esta última etapa nos lo hemos tomado con calma: nadando, comiendo y simplemente disfrutando del momento. Sin duda, vamos a regresar un poco tostados por el sol. 🫣

Creo que te habrías sentido orgulloso de cómo nos hemos movido por Quintana Roo, viajando de un extremo a otro por nuestra cuenta y yendo de un destino a otro. Todos los viajes que hicimos con los niños realmente dieron sus frutos en una ocasión como esta. Josias preparó una hoja de cálculo completa con las cosas pendientes y los gastos —que no fueron muchos, ya que tú ya habías pagado y reservado todo—. Y Jez elaboró ​​un itinerario con destinos, información sobre el clima, carreteras, hoteles, números de teléfono... y un montón de cosas más que ni siquiera hemos llegado a necesitar.😂. Me hacen mucha gracia. Lo único que he tenido que hacer yo es tomar las decisiones importantes y organizar el avance del viaje. Y conducir, por supuesto. No he sacado muchas fotos en este viaje; ha habido muchos momentos de «Gato Fantasma». (Ya sabes a qué me refiero).

Hay algo que no te he contado.

Encontramos a alguien para que fuera nuestro cuarto compañero de viaje. Sinceramente, no sé por qué decidimos llevar a alguien. Dudábamos un poco dadas las circunstancias. ¿Queríamos estar solos? ¿Necesitábamos a alguien con nosotros? Simplemente oramos y dejamos que Dios obrara. No te vas a creer a quién llevamos... ¿Listo?

¡¡Llevamos a Jewel!!😂

Debo decir que ha sido una incorporación maravillosa a nuestro viaje. Pensamos que tal vez no aguantaría el calor de Yucatán, pero ha demostrado una gran fortaleza. Es un poco propensa a los accidentes, pero se ha portado de maravilla. Nos alegra que se haya unido a nosotros. Nos ha dado ánimos y nos ha permitido llorar, hacer el duelo y reír. Ha sabido escuchar y simplemente estar ahí para oírnos. Quizás te parezca una locura, pero creo que ella también necesitaba este tiempo de sanación.

Bueno,  ponerme en marcha hacia nuestra próxima parada. Ya casi es hora de volver a casa. Casa... pensar en ello me hace llorar. Pero todos debemos afrontar la realidad.

Te quiero y te extraño más de lo que mi corazón puede soportar.

-Sil🤍

Remembering You/Recordandote

September 2, 2026
Culture/Cultura
4 Comments

(En español, abajo.)

My dearest Mario,

I drove from Bacalar to Chichen-itzá for a total of 4 hours. It was so hot I had to buy a coconut and chug it. I think I almost gave up my spirit.😅. But after that I was running circles around the kids. We were reminiscing of the time we came with my brother. They noticed how much it has changed since the last time they were here.

After that we headed out to Tulum and got caught in torrential rain so we pulled into the restaurant you and I stopped at in Valladolid. To be able to see you in all these places shows how much we have done in our life time. We never wanted to wait till retirement age to live “Retired”, so we lived life with intensity, wanting to experience life to the fullest. And we did. Even then, we still had so many things we wanted to do. Those things, I will forever think about… the unfinished business . Maybe some day, I’ll complete that those things in your honor.

Once the rain was lite, we headed to Tulum for another 3 hours on the road. You know how much I hated us driving at night in Mexico… But guess what? I DROVE THROUGH THE SMALL STREETS IN THE JUNGLE!!!!! AT NIGHT!!! I CAN’T believe I did that. I NEVER let you do that. Not gonna lie. It was a bit scary. But never showed any signs of it. We made it to Tulum around 8:30 pm. We could not find the hotel you booked. You always pick the most hidden places. But once we got to our hotel in Tulum, we broke down thinking about how you always wanted only the best for us. This hotel had your name all over it. Bougie as can be. You would have loved it and waited for our reaction just so you could nod your head up and down with a huge smile signaling that “YOU THE MAN”. Como te gustaba rubbing in your ability to “wow” us and then hearing, “Thank you.”! We spent all night swimming, chatting and enjoying it all. We wanted to stay longer but you jam packed our schedule.

The next morning, we left to Tulum ruins, which was not in your plans. But I’m glad we went. We were able to remember and see the place we took a family picture when the kids were so small. A picture you loved so much. We couldn’t help but to shed tears and just remember our times together. We are missing you so much on this trip, wishing you could have been here. 

I let Coco drive us to our next destination. He drives like a grandma. And even then, he can’t see the speed bumps. I think we left part of the muffler in the jungle. I think I’ll drive the next time. Jez makes us read all the information plaques at the ruins. Sometimes we just leave her because we are all burning up. 

We arrived at our next destination safely. I’ll tell you all about it after we leave here. You would have been in awe. 

Miss you and love you so much,

-Sil🤍


Mi Queridísimo Mario:

Conduje desde Bacalar hasta Chichén Itzá; el trayecto duró cuatro horas en total. Hacía tanto calor que tuve que comprar un coco y bebérmelo de un trago. Creo que casi entrego el alma. 😅 Pero, después de eso, me sentía llena de energía y corría de un lado a otro con los chicos. Recordábamos aquella vez que vinimos con mi hermano; ellos notaron cuánto ha cambiado el lugar desde la última vez que estuvieron aquí.

Luego nos dirigimos a Tulum, pero nos sorprendió una lluvia torrencial, así que nos detuvimos en el restaurante donde tú y yo habíamos parado en Valladolid. Poder verte en todos estos lugares demuestra cuánto hemos vivido a lo largo de nuestra vida. Nunca quisimos esperar a la edad de jubilación para vivir como jubilados; vivimos con intensidad, deseando experimentar la vida al máximo. Y lo hicimos. Y Aun así, nos quedaron muchas cosas pendientes por hacer. Esas cosas... siempre estarán en mi mente: los asuntos inconclusos. Quizás algún día las lleve a cabo en tu honor.
Cuando la lluvia amainó, pusimos rumbo a Tulum; nos esperaban otras tres horas de carretera. Ya sabes cuánto odiaba que condujéramos de noche por México... Pero ¿adivina qué? ¡¡¡¡¡Conduje yo por los caminos estrechos de la selva!!!!! ¡¡¡De noche!!! No puedo creer que lo hiciera. Nunca te dejaba hacerlo a ti. No voy a mentir: daba un poco de miedo. Pero no dejé que se notara. Llegamos a Tulum alrededor de las 8:30 p. m. No encontrábamos el hotel que habías reservado. Siempre eliges los sitios más escondidos. Pero, al llegar a nuestro hotel en Tulum, nos emocionamos al pensar en cómo siempre querías lo mejor para nosotros. Ese hotel tenía tu sello personal por todas partes: era de lo más sofisticado. Te habría encantado; habrías esperado nuestra reacción solo para asentir con una sonrisa enorme, dándote aires de triunfo. ¡Cómo te gustaba presumir de tu habilidad para dejarnos boquiabiertos y luego escuchar un "gracias"! Pasamos la noche nadando, charlando y disfrutando de todo. Queríamos quedarnos más tiempo, pero habías organizado una agenda apretadísima.

A la mañana siguiente fuimos a las ruinas de Tulum, algo que no estaba en tus planes. Pero me alegro de haber ido. Pudimos recordar y ver el lugar donde nos tomamos una foto familiar cuando los niños eran muy pequeños; una foto que te encantaba. No pudimos evitar derramar algunas lágrimas y recordar los momentos que vivimos juntos.  Te extrañamos muchísimo en este viaje; ojalá hubieras podido estar aquí.

Dejé que Josias condujera hasta nuestro siguiente destino. Conduce como una abuelita y, aun así, no ve los reductores de velocidad. Creo que dejamos parte del silenciador en la selva. Creo que la próxima vez conduciré yo. Jez nos obliga a leer todas las placas informativas en las ruinas; a veces simplemente la dejamos atrás porque nos estamos asando de calor.

Llegamos bien a nuestro siguiente destino. Te contaré todo al respecto cuando nos vayamos de aquí. Te habrías quedado maravillado.

Te extraño y te quiero muchísimo,

-Sil
Vendors
Check out the sign. Watch our for Jaguars!!!!

Vacation To Heal

September 1, 2026
Culture/Cultura
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My dearest Mario,

We went on the trip you meticulously planned for us. It was a trip you and I took by ourselves 3 or 4 years ago. We sat on the chairs outside of our room overlooking the lagoon in Bacalar, Mexico where we talked about life the future and bringing back our kids to show them the beauty of this land. We said we would sit in these same chairs to watch them enjoy this majestic body of water.

I can’t say it’s been an easy trip. Every moment-every adventure has your name all over it. We are even in the same room you and I stayed in. I think you had something to do with that. I can’t help but to think how much you were looking forward to this time with the kids and how much you should be here. My heart hurts and aches for your presence. I know you wouldn’t want anything else but for us to continue to live— to explore— to enjoy what life has to offer. To live out the motto that has now become some of our friend’s thoughts, “Experience over things”. So I pushed myself to go—for the kids, for you… and maybe for me too.

We had 3 beautiful days here in Bacalar. We are packing and headed to our next stop. You didn’t want to go there but you added it to the itinerary because the kids wanted to see it. I can’t believe I’m driving in Mexico. I think you might have been proud. Thank you for this trip.

I love you,

SIl🤍

Mi Queridísimo Mario:

Hicimos el viaje que planeaste meticulosamente para nosotros. Fue un viaje que tú y yo realizamos hace 3 o cuatro años atras. Nos sentamos en las sillas frente a nuestra habitación, con vistas a la laguna de Bacalar, México; allí hablamos de la vida, del futuro y de traer a nuestros hijos para mostrarles la belleza de esta tierra. Dijimos que nos sentaríamos en esas mismas sillas para verlos disfrutar de esta majestuosa masa de agua.

No puedo decir que haya sido un viaje fácil. Cada momento, cada aventura, lleva tu huella. Incluso estamos en la misma habitación donde nos alojamos tú y yo; creo que tuviste algo que ver con eso. No puedo evitar pensar en cuánta ilusión te hacía este tiempo con los niños y cuánto deberías estar aquí. Siento un profundo dolor y anhelo por tu presencia. Sé que no querrías otra cosa más que siguiéramos viviendo, explorando y disfrutando de lo que la vida nos ofrece. Que viviéramos según ese lema que ahora comparten algunos de nuestros amigos: “Experiencias sobre cosas materiales”. Así que me animé a venir: por los niños, por ti… y tal vez por mí también.

Pasamos tres días maravillosos aquí en Bacalar. Ya estamos haciendo las maletas para dirigirnos a nuestra siguiente parada. Tú no querías ir allí, pero lo incluiste en el itinerario porque los niños querían conocer el lugar. No puedo creer que esté conduciendo por México; creo que te sentirías orgulloso. Gracias por este viaje.

Te quiero y extraño mas que nada,

Sil

(Lost my husband suddenly last month. Just writing my thoughts to him in hopes to heal my heart.)

We took your pic with us.

Chipotle Honey Chicken Tinga

May 1, 2026
Culture/Cultura
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I must admit that the first time I tried Tinga de pollo, I was immediately turned off by all the onion that is used in this dish. Not because I don’t like cooking with onion, but because it felt that it was more onion than chicken. It wasn’t until years later that my abuela wanted to make tinga for a video that I tried this dish again. I Hesitantly agreed and was sweetly surprised that I ended up loving tinga. She didn’t use as much onion as the one I had previously tried. I don’t know if it’s the smokiness of the chipotle or the combination of the onion with the chipotle that makes me dream about eating tinga often.

You can find the original recipe here:

But this particular recipe has a little sweet twist. We added honey to the tinga sauce and a delicious strawberry pico de gallo. Hope you enjoy.

Chipotle Honey Chicken Tinga

  • 2 Cups shredded Chicken
  • 3 roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Salt to taste

Avocado Crema

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste.

Strawberry Pico De Gallo

  • 1 cup diced strawberries
  • 1/4 cup red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp honey
  • salt to taste
  1. Make the Tinga
    • Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle, and honey.
    • Saute the sauce in a pan until it deepens in color, then add shredded chicken.
    • Simmer until thick and glossy.
  2. Fresa Pico De Gallo
    • Toss strawberries, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, honey, and salt.
    • Let it sit 15-20 minutes.
  3. Crema De Aguacate
    • Bles avocado, sour cream, lime, and salt until smooth.
  4. Assemble
    • Spread avocado crema on tostada.
    • Add a later of warm chicken tinga.
    • Top with strawberry pico de gallo.
    • Optional: crumbled queso fresco, and cilantro.

Provecho,

Silvia

Mulitas Al Pastor

August 18, 2025
Culture/Cultura
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These mulitas are sure to hit every taste bud with a burst of flavor! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients for al pastor sauce:

6 toasted guajillo chiles

2 toasted ancho chiles

3.5 oz achiote paste

2 garlic cloves

4 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

1 c of orange juice

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Enough water to cover all the ingredients

Blend all of the above ingredients and set aside.

Cut 3 pounds of pork into small cubes. Brown pork in 1 tbsp of lard with 2-3 bay leaves and salt to taste. After it has browned a little, add 1/2 c of water. Cover mixing every so often for about 30 minutes. Once the meat has a nice crust, add chile sauce and 1/2 c of water. Mix and let simmer for about 1/2 hour.

Once the pork is done you can assemble your mulitas.

Coat tortillas de harina from El Comal with a little bit of oil so the tortillas crisps a bit. Place on a comal on medium low heat. Add cheese, pork and a 2nd tortilla. Flip once the bottom torilla hardens a bit. It’s done once the cheese has melted. Serve and add topping.

Toppings:

Grilled pineapple chunks

Cilantro

Raddish

Salsa

Abuela’s Tamales De Res

December 4, 2024
Culture/Cultura
1 Comment

Head on over to @northgatemarket for all you Tamalada needs!

They have all the authentic ingredients you need for your tamales, already made tamales and even tamal making/cooking classes!

Below you will find my Abuela’s recipe for Tamales De Res!

Enjoy.

Tamales De Res

Makes for about 50-55 tamales

9 lbs of masa for tamales

1 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of baking soda

1 large package of corn husk

7 lbs of beef shoulder blade , Espaldilla

4 garlic cloves

1 large onion

2 bay leaves

4 tomates

5 Guajillo Chiles

5 California Chiles

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

¼ tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

1 large can of Jalapenos

*Soak the corn husks in warm water before starting.

Beef Preparation

  1. Cut the beef into small pieces
  2. In a large pot add 10 c of water, beef, ½ an onion, 3 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and salt.
  3. Remove and deseed the chiles.
  4. In another large pot add water, tomatoes and chiles.  Cook until soft.
  5. Once the tomatoes and chiles are soft, blend them with 1 garlic clove, vinegar, oregano and salt.
  6. Set aside 1 cup of the chile mix.
  7. Once the beef is soft and tender, add 1 tbsp of lard or cooking oil to a large pan.  Once the lard is hot, add the beef and give it a little fry.
  8. Once the beef has browned a little, add chiles sauce, ½ cumin,½ c of beef broth.  Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.  Check for salt.

Masa preparation

(You can mix all the ingredients the old fashion way or use a mixer.)

  1. Mix the masa, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 c of the chile sauce, and 1 c of beef broth.

Assembling tamales

  1. Spread about 2 tbsp of masa to the soft side of the corn husk leaving the half of the husk without masa.
  2. Add about 1 tbsp of beef to the middle of the masa spread.
  3. Add 1 slice of jalapenos chile.
  4. Fold one side of the husk over the other.  Then fold the section without the masa towards the center.  
  5. Repeat until ingredients are done.
  6. Fill a steamer pot with enough water to the designated area.
  7. Heat the water to a soft boil.
  8. Add the tamales one by one with the opening facing up.
  9. Add corn husks over the tamales and cover well with the lid.
  10. Cook for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Video

Strawberry Muffins

July 31, 2024
Culture/Cultura
1 Comment

My sister in law took a road trip up the coast and made a quick stop in San Luis Obispo, CA. She saw some strawberry items and I came to her mind ( I’m on everyone’s mind. LOL J/K). She bought me a strawberry themed spatula, a butter/jam spead and some strawberry spread that looked super delicious. As soon as I saw it I knew I needed to make some strawberry muffins. Find the recipe to this deliciously -moist muffins.

Ingredients:

1/2 c melted butter

3/4 c granulated sugar

2 eggs (room temp)

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1/3 c sour cream

1/3 c milk

2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 c chopped up strawberries

Strawberry Jam

Topping

3 tbsp melted butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

sprinkle some walnuts for crunch factor

Birria De Res

May 24, 2023
Culture/Cultura
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INGREDIENTS

6-8 lbs of Beef Boneless Clod Roast or Chuck Roast

5 chiles Anchos

6 chiles California

2 onions

6 chiles Guajillos

1/4 c of apple cider vinegar

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

12 black peppers whole

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp thyme

3/4 tsp ground ginger

5 allspice

2-3 garlic cloves

5 bay leaves

3 beef bouillons

cilantro

salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cut large pieces of beef roast into smaller sizes to cut down cooking time.
  • Remove seeds and veins from the chiles. Add the chiles to a medium pot with water and heat until soft.
  • Blend chiles with 1 onion, garlic, sesame seeds, black peppers, oregano, cumin, thyme, ground ginger, salt and all spice with enough water to cover all the ingredients.
  • Place beef roast in a sow cooker or instant pot with 1 cup of water.
  • Add chile sauce over the beed (strain if desired).
  • Cook on medium heat for 6 hours in a slower cooker or 1 hour in an instant pot on high pressure.
  • Once the birria is done, you can remove the fat if you like.
  • Serve in tacos or a small bowl.
  • Top with cilantor, onion and dash of lime.
  • Recipe great for quesabirrias.

Abuela’s Enchiladas Michoacanas

May 15, 2023
Culture/Cultura
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Prep Time:  1 hour

Cooking Time:  30 Minutes

Yields: 5-7 Servings

INGREDIENTS

3 potatoes

1 cup cotija cheese

8 california chiles

1 ½ tomatoes

1-2 tablespoons oregano

3 teaspoons vinegar

1 garlic clove

salt

water

lettuce

lard or cooking oil

corn tortillas

Potato Mix:

In a small sauce pan, place the potatoes and boil until soft.  Once potatoes have cooled down, peel and place in a large bowl.  Add cotija cheese, salt to taste and mash.

Enchilada Sauce:

Devain and deseed the chiles and place them in a small sauce pan with enough water to cover the chiles.  Bring to a boil and set aside until cooled.  Once the chiles have cooled, place in blender along with oregano, vinegar, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt and enough water to cover the chiles.  Blend and strain over a medium size bowl.  

Dressing sauce:  

Cut up the tomatoes and place in a blender with oregano, 1 teaspoon of salt and water to cover half of your tomatoes.  Blend and pour into a salsa bowl.

Heat a large pan.  Once pan is hot, add lard or cooking oil.  Dip a single tortilla in your enchilada sauce making sure it is completely covered.  Place in your pan and fry for 30 seconds and flip. Fry tortilla for another 30 seconds.  Add 2 tablespoons of potato mix to the middle of your tortilla.  Quickly flip in both sides of your tortilla to close.  Flip your enchilada until desired crisp.  

Repeat until done.

Serve enchiladas and top with lettuce, cotija cheese, sour cream (optional) and dressing sauce.