Presley's Pantry

I have a friend named Mely Martinez. I met her on Instagram @MexicoInMyKitchen a few years ago and we started following each other. What I noticed right away about Mely from watching her stories is that she is the queen of practicality and knows everything about freezing food and making a delicious meal out of a few key ingredients. She’s also a serious badass in the kitchen and knows the history of Mexican food like the back of her hand (she was born and raised in Tampico, Mexico). I love watching her prepare her breakfast meals and wish I could be invited one day to take a seat at her kitchen table, but she lives in Texas and I live in Los Angeles… so WAH!

I got my craft kit for LA Soundscapes Craft Workshop ‘Draw Your Feelings.’ Some of you may not know what I’m talking about. The Ford in conjunction with LA Soundscapes has these cool family friendly workshops that are free to anyone (children and adults) interested in participating. I just signed up for the Draw Your Feelings workshop taught by artist, writer, and performer Nasimeh B E and inspired by BLUE13 – The Bollywood Beats Dance Company! Here’s the really cool part, the first 50 people to sign up will receive the necessary supplies for the workshop from The Ford at no cost to you. Deadline to sign up for the free supplies is November 6th (in order to mail it out on time).

Sopa Azteca De Tortilla brings back so many wonderful memories for me. My beloved grandfather used to make this delicious Tortilla Aztec Soup anytime there was an abundance of potatoes in the house. I used to look forward to the gooey cheese, savory chile broth, and crisp tortilla strips. In remembrance of my beautiful grandpa for Dia De Los Muertos, I’ve partnered with Ole Mexican Foods to share his infamous Sopa Azteca De Tortilla! Just like my grandpa used to… I used La Banderita Flour Tortillas to fry up perfectly crisp tortilla strips.

When I was a little girl I used to walk down the street to a teeny tiny small candy factory (the size of a walk in closet) that sat at the end of my block. For some reason the woman who worked there by herself took to me and my hundreds of questions. I was that kid, I’d knock on the door and ask if I could come in and watch. As time passed the woman looked forward to my visits and we became friends. She schooled me on the world of Mexican candy making. In the midst of making batches of cocadas, and cajeta… she would also make candied fruit. On the days when I was lucky she would have left over pumpkin and make calabaza en tacha and send me home with a batch for my family. My grandfather used to get so excited when I would arrive home with it. I ate mine plain and he would pour a little milk over his. Those were some of the most impressionable moments of my young childhood that will stick with me forever.

Halloween is upon us like the murky fog in a haunted graveyard. It is time to get creepy crawly and invite our favorite vampires out do the Monster Mash. If you plan on having a small group of goons (your family) over for All Hallow’s Eve make this Count Cheesy-La Monsterpiece to hold court center table! Beware he may release his batty appetizers into your mouth. Follow the instructions below on how to make your very own Count Cheesy-La Monsterpiece. #Home4Halloween

These Calavera Conchas came to me in a dream. I was setting up my alter for Dia De Los Muertos and kept saying I wanted something that would pop. A voice with no face suggested conchas. I’m not sure if it was a subconscious element that suggested conchas since that is what my Grandfather used to eat with his coffee or if it was my grandfather paying me a visit in dream form. I woke up and knew I had to bring them to life. I hope you will make them and let them pop on your alter…. not to mention they are absolutely delicious!

Halloween is clawing it’s way closer, and the horrific truth is… it’s not safe with a deadly pandemic looming to celebrate the way we’ve been able to in the past. Wouldn’t it be absolutely FANTASTIC FRIGHTNENING if we could all come up with ideas of how to celebrate #Home4Halloween with #SafeScares for our favorite gruesome goblins. Let’s flood the IG feed with great ideas so no one feels like they are missing out. The point is we can still celebrate at home with our families, since group festivities are not recommended for Halloween 2020.