Sopes

It’s Friday and we began the weekend! Which also calls for amazing food, doesn’t it? Well today I will teach you guys how to make sopes. When making sopes there is many alternatives as what you want to fill them with, for example: papas con chorizo (chorizo with fries), Chicharron, smashed beans, etc. The ingredients for this recipe are easy to obtain and so are the steps, so let’s get started. To make the sopes you will need corn flour (the most known brand is called Maseca), water, baking powder, lettuce, your choice of filling, queso fresco, sour cream and some type of spicy sauce; remember that all of this is of your choice. To begin, in a bowl add your corn flour, and baking powder, after that start kneading the dough and add the water little by little until you see that the dry ingredients are well incorporated. We call this masa, once you see that the masa has a good consistency stop. Now all you have to do is get a medium portion of dough and make it into a little ball. Once you have this, with your fingers make like an opening in the middle of the ball. The opening is where your filling will go when the sope has been fried. Repeat the same process until all your masa is done. In a sauce pan all enough oil to fry your sopes, the more oil you have in the pan the less oil the sopes will observe. Once all your sopes have been fried add you filling, lettuce, queso fresco, sour cream and any other thing that you decide to add. Now you have some wonderful and delicious sopes that you can cook anytime. Enjoy

Atole de Guayaba

Winter is right around the corner and with that it comes all types of warm beverages. In my family we love making alotes or any type of tea that will keep up warm. Remember that it doesn’t necessarily have to be winder in order to make the alote, you can make this type of drink any time of the year. Let’s get started. For this drink or as we know it, atole, you will need very few ingredients and these are ingredients that you will most likely already have at home. You will need: milk, guava, maizena or corn starch, water, cinnamon (the stick one not the powder one) and last but not least sugar or any type of sweetener that will provide this atole with sweet flavor. The first thing you have to do is get a sauce. Once you have the sauce pan you will need to add the water with the cinnamon sticks and the guavas (for this you will need approximately two to three guavas and two cups or three of water.) While you have the guavas in the sauce pan, you will need a little bit of water in a cup and then dissolve the maizena in the water. By now the guavas should be done, get them out of the pot and put them in the blender with a little bit of water but without the cinnamon, blend the guavas until you get a pudding consistency. After that put the milk in a pause pan, add the guava pudding, the sugar and steer until you get the consistency that you desire. After all of this is done you have you atole de guayaba ready. Enjoy.

Morelia Michoacan

Mexico has different places to visit and a lot of tourism. There are many places to visit and for the most part they have a historical background but there are others that don’t. The place that I will talking about today is called Morelia, which is the capital of Michoacán. Morelia is a place of extraordinary tourism for many reasons. One of those reasons is the cathedral, such a beautiful place full of peace and art. Many tourist travel there to see the cathedral in Morelia. Another reason tourist travel to Morelia is to see the house (now museum) where one of our most known historic figures, Jose Maria Morelos Y Pavon used to live. This house still remains the same as he left it with all of his belonging remaining there. When you go here, there is a guy who is dressed up as Jose Maria Morelos Y Pavon, who narrates his life and who he was. In Morelia there is also a fountain that has a very unique statue, there are three woman topless, on their knees holding a big antique basket that is fill of groceries but mainly avocado. The avocado is very meaningful in this basket because it represents what that city and the ones around it produces the most; many tourist go there to appreciate the artistic form of this fountain. Of course we could not forget the wonderful food that Morelia has to offer. The main reason why tourist enjoy visiting Morelia is because of their variety of food as well as the wonderful place to visit there. If you ever get a chance, visit Morelia, El Alma de Mexico (The Soul of Mexico).

Church reappeared in Chiapas

A few days ago, I shared a story and some facts of a church that got covered in rocks due to a volcano Paritutin, erupting. Today I will talk to you guys about a church but a different church. In mostly every town in Mexico, there is a catholic church. This church is located in Quechula Chiapa Mexico. Quechula Chiapas was a really small town, this town was formed by several houses which were located next to a lake, which back then was only firm land. In this firm lad the church was constructed. Since in Mexico it tends to rain constantly and very hard; the land in which this church was contrasted started getting weaker and weaker and somehow this land turned into a lake. Due to the storms in Chiapas, as time went on the Quechula church was completely covered in water due to the rain. In this church Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, one of Mexico’s heroes of the Mexican War of Independence, gave his first mass there that is why this church is very much appreciated throughout the years. Many people still remember how the church used to be when it wasn’t covered in water. Not that long ago, due to drought in Mexico the water went down and the people from that town were witnesses of the repatriation of the church. Even though the church didn’t look like it used to, it remains its form. The native people from there were very shocked to see the church again since it has been under water for a while now. The citizens decided to have mass in the church were they used to go.

Homemade quesadillas

Let me teach you guys today how to make handmade quesadillas.  For this recipe you will need ingredients that can be found in Mexican markets.) You will need: a tortilla press (This can be found in a Mexican market and we know it as a “tortilladora”.), baking powder, water, flower, oil, a pan, mozzarella cheese (or whatever cheese you usually make your quesadillas with) and a bowl. First put some flower on you bowl, add a teaspoon or so of baking power (you don’t want to add too much) and start adding your water little by little, once you add your water start kneading the dough (if you see your dough dry just keep adding water little by little until the consistency of the dough it’s not soggy not too tough.) Once your dough it’s done you make a little ball and once you have you little ball of dough you put it in between the tortilla press (the tortilla press should have some type cover so we the dough won’t stick to the tortilla press directly.) By this time you should have your pan with oil at low medium heat. Once you have your tortilla done put your cheese in it and fold the tortilla like making a regular quesadilla. After you have your tortilla done put it in the oil and let it cook, you will know it’s cooked when the quesadilla it’s golden brown. After this process is done repeat the same process for all the quesadillas that you’re making. After you’re done with your quesadillas you can eat them like the Mexicans do, add lettuce, tomamto, sour cream, and homemade sauce. Once you’re done with this, you have a plate of quesadillas. Enjoy J

Today I will be teaching you guys how to make something that I love eating, especially during the cold weather and that is arroz con leche. Arroz con leche is a dessert that is very easy to make and can be eaten at any time, even for breakfast. Here are the ingredients you’ll need are: white rice, milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, water (for every cup of rice you need three cups of water), cinnamon (the stick one), granulated cinnamon and vanilla extract if you would like (this adds a good flavor to it’s not necessary). The first thing you have to do is get a deep enough pan set it at medium heat, add your water, the cinnamon (the stick one), and rice when you add these ingredient lower your heat to low. Now let the rice cook until is well done, but be careful don’t let it burn. You will know your rice is done when there is no more water and there are little wholes in in the rice. After your rice is cooked now it’s time to add the milk, the condensed milk and the evaporated milk. At this step you have to be very careful, you con not leave the rice without steering because it will stick to the pan and burn. Steer the rice until you get the consistency that you like, also don’t forget that if you want vanilla extract you have to add it at these step and if you don’t then skip the step. Once you get the consistency that you desire, your rice is ready. All you have to do now it’s serve it and add the granulated cinnamon on top. EnjoyJ

Dia de los Muertos

            Today is officially el Dia de los Muertos, celebrating our loved ones who will come back to make a special visit to us. Today, a lot of people go to the cemeteries to decorate the tombstones of their loved ones who have passed away and are in a better place right now. They decorate their tombstone with cempasuchil flowers, bread and the food they loved eating while they were alive. Of course we couldn’t forget the candles that light up everything. The candles for us represent the light that the souls of our loved ones will follow in order to cross and be at peace. The candles also represent the light that the souls will follow to guide them to our homes because we just want our loved ones to come in our homes and feel welcomed while they are visiting us one more time. Today is the day the families gather together to eat the typical Mexican dishes they preparer to celebrate el Dia de Muertos and so that the souls who come back from the death enjoy them as well. On this day the families also gather together to make prayers for all the lives that are gone but that will forever be remembered. Today some people also go out to see the altars that are created around the city or community they live in. They go to appreciate the artistic ways of making them and to see the variety of altars that are made. Feliz Dia de los Muertos!