Caray, Caray!

Is that jello salad pie?

I still miss the kitchen of La Bonita in CME. And I would LOVE to have a CME cookbook should Televisa (hopefully they read this) puts one out.

Kelly
 

I like to cook, but don't have as much time to do it any more. When I do, it's usually only for me. Most of the things that I like to cook are things that most of my friends and relatives don't want.

I made pozole once, though, and some of the relatives liked it. When I make lasagna, I bring some for my grandmother, who loves it. And there are a couple of family recipes I do for Thanksgiving or Christmas, including pork dressing. I also like to make cranberry sauce, but more than half of the relatives prefer the homogenous can-shaped blob of jel instead.

Yes, autumn. Time to fire up the oven once again. Stews. Soups. Baked beans. More beans. Shepherd's pie. Pastitsio, if I get around to it. If my relatives don't want it, that just means more for me, baby!

As for the PEAM finale - usually for these things I get some tequila or a fancy ice cream and call it good. If this were a really great TN where I was sad that it was ending, I might do something a little more special. But for PEAM, maybe just a Dove Bar.
 

My daughter and I taught ourselves to make pork tamales with red sauce, with the help of a cookbook and the Internet (all from scratch).
We've done two batches so far and they turned out pretty well. Her Mexican boyfriend, his brother, and uncle liked them. We may do more for Thanksgiving.
 

Kelly, that is Broken Window Glass Cake. I made it with sugar-free Jello and sugar-free Cool Whip. It can also be done with Jello Shot recipes! I simplified the recipe to eliminate the pineapple juice and it works beautifully.

I would also love someday to do the Rainbow Cake again now that I know how long is necessary to whip the stuff.
 

Honestly, Urban, your talent amazes me. Those food pictures are beautiful (and are making me hugely hungry)!!!

Kelly, I was thinking of the CME kitchen right before I started to read the comments. Wasn't it beautiful? I bailed on LQNPA really quickly, but was there long enough to see the kitchen. I would take that one, too.

I do enjoy cooking and love to listen/see the really good cooks on TV and hear them on the radio (NPR). I love "Splendid Table", but found one of her cookbooks (Lynn Rosetto Casper, sp?) to be a bit time consuming for me. Chef Rick Bayless is my "go to" man for all things Mexican, but I am always on the look out for other good Mexican/Spanish/Latin chefs.

I make a really good pesto with my home grown basil and also do a really good chicken noodle soup from scratch. I get many requests for these from friends. My time constraints are such that I can't spend the time doing the things I love the most like breads and soups.

I have learned so much from the Julia Child/Jacques Pepin series. They do so many simple things even in the midst of some of their more complicated dishes that I have used for some every day types of dishes. My friends think I'm some super cook, but I just try to learn from these experts and keep it simple until I think I can move on up a notch to the more difficult recipe.

I am dying to do a Jacques Pepin recipe for French Onion soup and hope I can get to it soon.

Urban, I am SO hungry now for cake!!

Fatima
 

I didn't take those photos; those are from the cookbooks. I have those vintage Jello cookbooks that you could get back in the day for 4 fruit illustrations and 25 cents.

For Thanksgiving I might also try to make Tomato in Aspic as well as the sugar-free cranberry sauces.
 

No matter on those photos! You've got me so hungry for cake, that I am going to the local fancy cupcake place and going to buy a Lemon with Lemon Butter cream frosting.

I always make my cranberry sauce with whole berries and throw in some orange rind for added flavor.

Tomato in aspic sounds good!

Fatima
 

I put orange or pineapple marmalade in my cranberry sauce. It firms up the texture a little. I also add some cloves.
 

I'm not normally a big fan of jello, but that cake looked good and would be great with jello shots! I was just at the mexican market near my place and they have sherry jello. Perfect! Especially since it's still in the 70's and I'm not ready for fall cooking. Maybe next month.

The best thing about LQNPA was the kitchen. Similar style to the CME one with it being so open; no closed upper cabinets to close in the room. It's my dream kitchen, assuming there is a pantry nearby to hide the less attractive plastic containers.

It would be the perfect place to practice making stuffed nopales (sliced open, stuffed with cheese, breaded and sauted in oil, salsa dumped on top). And I sometimes use a molcajete for making guacamole just because I have one and can pretend I'm at La Bonita.

Kelly
 

Kelly, I have a molcajete, too! I love using it. I am always collecting photos for my dream kitchen and the one in LQNPA is one of my faves. To me, the kitchen is the soul of the home. Happiness reigns (except when I have to clean up the mess!)

Fatima
 

Forgot to add that I DID go to get my fancy cupcake after seeing Urban's photos. They didn't have the Lemon Creme today, but I had a Kandy Korn cupcake (bits in the from scratch cake and in the buttercreme frosting). Yikes. It was sugar overload. I don't see how anyone could eat more than one. Thankfully, it was not one of those gigantic ones. I had to drink several glasses of water afterwards, but it was fun.

Fatima
 

After cooking meals for my family for years,I really do not do much cooking anymore. Hub and I eat simple foods , and he makes more of our dinners than I do now. I have a few dishes that I take to potlucks and family dinners...chocolate eclair cake, corn pudding,pork chop potluck, and Hawaiian jello salad. My daughter always makes Thanksgiving dinner.
 

I always love to see the beautiful kitchens and the food that is served from them in the telenovelas
They all seem to have everything that one could desire that is, except an automatic dishwasher. I have yet to see one of those even in the multimillion dollar mansions
that many of the novelas are filmed in. I have never been able to understand this.
As for winter food---my favorite is
a very hot and spicy bowl of red. That's chili and beans. Most gringo's eat their chili with crackers, I prefer mine the Mexican way with corn tortillas, nothing else. I mean, no appetizers, salads, nothing. Chili is king and is too good to share with other foods. There are chili books and dozens of recipes online.
I often make my own but if I buy it out, Chili John's is a very good place.
the gringo
 

I guess if I had one wish wrt cooking is that I had a prep person just like all the famous chefs. I clean up person would be ideal, too. :)))
 

gringo, now that you mention it, I don't remember seeing dishwashers other than the human kind! :)

I'll have to check out my DVD of CME to see if I can spot one.

Fatima
 

Today I was talking with Jennie Pierott about cactus (Nopalitos y Tunas) and prickly pears. She, as a cancer survivor is trying to eat healthy and ordered some cactus juice. A friend of hers have cactus with fruit and they took me to see them because they wanted to know if they were edible or not.

Cactus, I told them, are wonderful. Versatile and healthy.

You can eat them raw, boil them in water, fry them and even grill them. Prickly pears are sweet and delicious. Next time we see each other we will go to the store so she can buy cactus already peeled, so she can start sooking them. Besides her NOpalina juice, it doesn't hurt to eat the real thing in its many variations...

ITA with Fátima, the kitchen is the heart of the home.
 

Pablo, I've never had the pleasure of eating nopalitos. Do you have any special recipes you'd like to share? I've enjoyed your mini-discussion on cactus!

How does one remove the spines from the prickly pears?

I'm pretty sure Chef Bayless has done a program on the nopalitos. You've got me intrigued now, so I will search and see if I can find it.

Fatima
 

Fatima- very carefully. Ha. Ideally you buy them from a Mexican who does this for you, but the ones I get from the market are trimmed but not enough. I slice around the edge taking off some of the spikes and giving you a non-spikey edge to hold on to. Then just trim them one spike at a time as shallowly as you can while still taking it all off. I've never had them raw, since even the salads have been cooked and then cooled. Supposedly a copper coin in the water cuts down on the slime (like okra) but it didn't really work for me. Maybe Pablo knows? Usually I just rinse them well after cooking. Or you get them in a jar and save all that trouble, even though the Marias would probably never use jarred nopales with their Tostitos.
:)

Kelly
 

Kelly, thank you! Those spines look like they could do some damage!! So, you use them mostly for salads? May I ask what else you add to the salad and what do you use for dressing? How do you store them and for how long can they be stored?

I know, so many questions! Thanks so much Kelly and Pablo. :))

Fatima
 

I am sure you can find a lot of info on YTube and/or the internet, but this is my personal experience.

With the prickly pears is a lot easier because you can hold it carefully from the spots that don't have fuzzy stuff and cut a little from the top and a little from the bottom. Then make a cut only on the skin from top to bottom and pop the meat out. Cold are delicious and you can find, whites, red and purple ones. They all have slightly different taste.

Fo the cactus. You can also hold it with tongs until you have peeled enough to hold it with your bare hands. Then you can:

RAW:
Depending on the size, put half or a whole piece with 1 part natural pineapple juice and 1 part orange juice. This is delicious because you won't even notice the cactus is in there.

Chopped really fine you can also add it to the pico de gallo (tomato, onion and pepper sauce). I tried this but didn't like it much.

BOILED:
It will always be slightly slimy (slime is the fiber, in its liquid state), but after rinsing it you can use it mostly with everything.

FRIED:
Chopped real fine it can be fried with a little butter (or a mix of butter and oil) and then cooked with tomato salsa, with eggs and chorizo, etc.

GRILLED:
Is how I like it best because ti dries up (toasts) a little bit and the slimy sensation disappears.
I rub the whole piece with olive oil and then add salt, pepper. Then I make four or five cuts along the lenght and put it on the grill. Once toasted I put half of it in a corn tortilla (now you can also find corn/nopal tortillas), add beans, cheese, or juárever I have in hand and voilá!

In any way you prefer them, nopalitos are good, you just need to find the right recipe for you.
 

Pablo, in cooking, it is the personal experiences of other cooks that matter so much more to me, so I so VERY much appreciate the time you took to write these cooking ideas down! I am going to try it raw with the juices you mention below.

Thank you, Pablo!

Fatima (with an accent over the first "a", but I can never figure out how to put it there!)
 

Thanks!

So far, the only TN where I have seen people prepare nopales is VIVIR A DESTIEMPO. They were transfering them from a place to another, but at least they showed them.

Re the accent, I made my keyboard ''bilingual'', going to Control panel. Now I have a little button on the task bar to turn it on or off at wish.
 

Ah...I will check out my control panel, Pablo. I can't even figure out how to write something in bold face type or italics on this blog, but maybe I can figure out my Control panel! :))

Fatima
 

Gringo..I make a pretty good chili! but I do not like spicy foods , so I use the mild chili seasoning. I do not eat red meat , so I use ground turkey. Hub does not like chili , so I make a big batch in the winter and freeze it in small portions for me. Nothing better than a warm bowl of chili on a cold winter day.
 

Thanks for bringing up the subject, UA. One of the things I watch most closely for is the food often featured in the TNs. During STuD mealtime was my favorite time although I don't really remember any of the food served nor do I think any of the dinners were actually completed.

gringo, chili? Now there's something we have in common. I love me some chili. Have you ever had the opportunity to try Wolf Brand Chili? It's a canned chili made here in Texas and is really quite good (excellent for Frito pie), though I prefer homemade or cafe made chili. I especially enjoy it for breakfast over loosely scrambled eggs and topped with chopped onion and grated cheese. Corn tortillas? Of course, though flour tortillas go well with this as well. I first tried it that way when I was a student at Baylor University in Waco. I would get it at Ed's Truck Stop. When the Lovely Linda makes chili here at home she generally uses Wick Fowler's 2 Alarm Chili Mix tweaking it with a few extra ingredients. Though here in Texas it's almost considered blasphemous to add beans to chili, I prefer my chili with some beans in it. She often adds a can of Ranch Style Beans which I think enhances the overall dish.

Carlos
 

Susanlynn, turkey chili? Really? Por favor.

Carlos
 

I think I forgot to say that the mix of cactus with pineapple and orange juice is made in a blender.

I am from México, so chili was something new for me. I only use it for the hot dogs, buy the Wolf brand with no beans and turkey meat in it.

I add another pound of ground turkey, which I brown before adding the can of chili, and then all over the weiner on the hot dog bread.

I once made chili from scratch becaue I didn't have cans and had practically everything to make it and I remember this was not so red, or didn't have so much reddish juice (the one that stains the plastic recipients).

I like chili and I am glad I know now there are another ways to use it besides on Hot Dogs. Thanks!
 

Since we're sharing ideas about food I thought I'd share a recipe for one of my very favorite things. It is a variation on the Mexican shrimp or seafood cocktail that I think has been taken to perfection with this recipe. It is served as an appetizer in Rockfish Restaurants. They used to make a big deal of preparing it tableside, but these days it comes from the kitchen and one must even request the addition of the Tequila (which I think is a key and essential ingredient). It is not really an authentic Mexican dish, but I guarantee that if you try it once, you will be compelled to make it again and again. The only effort involved is chopping a few vegetables and peeling a few shrimp. Believe me, it is worth the effort:

Rockfish Mexican Shrimp Martini

Carlos
 

Pablo, thank you for the clarification on the orange/pineapple juice for the cactus. I was thinking it was a marinade, but actually, it is a drink, yes?

Carlos, a good friend of mine from Austin has sent me some of that Wolf chili you mention. I eat it as you do, minus the eggs, tho' and I love it!. Have to also add that I will often make a homemade chili with ground turkey (easier on the stomach). I rarely use beans and often make the chili New Mexican style with cubed beef (lean) and fresh green chili. If the local specialty market has some of those wonderful chilies from Hatch, NM, I use those.

Sometimes, the market will be roasting those chilies from Hatch right in front of the store. OH MY GOSH! I'm salivating even before I get out of the car!!!

Fatima
 

Carlos...Hey...my chili is pretty tasty. I created it myself. I used to use hamburger before I stopped eating red meat a couple years ago. I use lots of sautéed onions, red beans, tomato sauce, mild chili seasoning , ground turkey ,and a can of corn. I sometimes like it over rice with some grated cheese on top.
 

Susanlynn, I was kidding (well, sorta), actually it sounds delicious. One of my patients is extremely proud (and rightly so... I've tasted it) of his turkey chili.

Years and years ago I found a recipe in Esquire Magazine called Gordo's Mad Dog Chili, which called for little bits of bacon. It became a hit and my neighbors (from Canada) asked the Lovely Linda to make some for their house guests (a couple also from Canada) who were immersing themselves in the Texas experience during their visit. The husband innocently inquired about the little fatty bits in the chili and I (now I'm not proud of this... and alcohol may have been involved) replied that it was armadillo. He nodded but seemed to really enjoy the meal. When I was helping to clear the table there were tiny little bits of bacon on his plate which he had carefully extracted from his chili.

Carlos
 

Carlos....Yikes....you are a scamp! my friend. However, bacon makes anything better. I can't say the same about armadillo. My dad used to make bacon and peanut butter sandwiches on toast, and my aunt liked bacon and avocado sandwiches on toast. ...now, I 'm getting hungry. Hey...how about the bacon bits in a Cobb salad.......yummo.
 

Susanlynn, the last few years we've made chili similar to yours. I use ground turkey, red beans, black beans, white beans and corn, along with some diced tomatoes and plenty of chopped onions. We also add a little chopped kale and call it confetti chili. We season it up and serve it over rice or broken tortilla chips. I like a little cheese or sour cream on top.

Carlos, a big laugh at your armadillo chili story. We don't use a recipe for our chili, so we never make it exactly the same way from batch to batch.

We like to make a big pot and freeze some individual portions.
 

La Paloma.... yes, it forgot that I also use diced tomatoes in my chili. The sour cream and tortilla chip toppings sound delicious. I will have to try that. Kale is very good for you, so the addition of kale is a very good idea. I don't use a recipe either. I just combine everything and let it simmer as long as possible. Taking a container of chili out of the freezer and heating it up on a cold winter day is very satisfying. ..real comfort food. Hub does not like the beans, so I usually am eating my chili alone.
 

Urban:

Thanks so much for this delicious topic. I love to cook and I am always on the lookout for new things to make.

As far as kitchens go, I really loved the kitchen in LQPNA, but as far as food in TNs I liked the food in Amores Verdaderos, Que Bonita Amor, PEAM, and LQPNA. I loved the way they showed how the food was made and the way they displayed it.

I really like prickly pears. I had them in Italy when I was stationed there. I used gloves, you know the Playtex ones, to get the spines off. The first time I ever took the spines off, I didn't and got those spines in my fingers. Ouch! I learned the hard way. Those prickly pears are really a sweet treat. I cooked them and used them as topping for ice cream and put some in a custard tart. Delicious! The flesh was dark purple.

I too like chili. I lived in San Antonio when I was little and my Mom had gotten a recipe from a neighbor lady. It was always the best chili. She cooked it and stored it in glass jars in the fridge for three days before serving it. It aged the chili and the spice was wonderful! I still do it today. It always tastes better the longer you age it, than served the same day.

I usually make things homemade. I try to stay away from the processed foods. It may take longer, but it tastes so much better : )
 

Mmmm, delicious food. This is making me hungry. PEAM is always showing us delicious-looking food. Querida Enemiga inspired me to try making chiles en nogada. It was really good. I'm sure it's even better if it's made by a good experienced cook!

I probably shouldn't admit that I watch Hart of Dixie (I can't even claim it's educational, like learning Spanish from telenovelas), but that show has the best kitchen ogling. Lavon's kitchen is big and beautiful and everything is perfectly displayed and there are always fabulous-looking pastries and bowls of fruit and jars of spices and legumes and something tantalizing being cooked.

My favorite chili is the kind my mom makes. I'm not sure exactly what's in it; definitely tomatoes and onions and beans and lots of spices. We always ate it with cheese melted on top and scooped it up with tortilla chips.
 

Leuke tekst hier! Ik ben op zoek naar een aanrechtblad van keramiek, graniet of composiet en vroeg me af of jullie betere prijzen weten te vinden online dan http://natuursteen-werkblad.be/keukentablet/. Ik ga namelijk een nieuw aanrechtblad kopen

 

Onze informatie video’s geven u uitleg over onder andere de verschillende soorten natuurstenen alsmede handige tips zoals het opmeten van uw werkblad en vele andere wetenswaardigheden. Heeft u vragen? Deze horen wij uiteraard graag! Via ons contactformulier kunt u uw vraag stellen, wij zullen dezelfde dag antwoord geven op uw vraag. Wij hebben natuurlijk ook experts die u graag telefonisch te woord staan.
Read More:-http://natuursteen-werkblad.be/