Welcome to September, National Potato Month and Latino Heritage Month.  I am a proud Latina who loves to eat papas and found this to be the perfect time to have my celebratory hat on for this Picadillo recipe.  It is a dish my family has cherished for years and now I am proudly sharing it with you. Watch the video for a quick how to, and if you like what you see….. subscribe to my You Tube channel by clicking here.

Ingredients for Picadillo:

3 – anaheim chiles

2 – huerito chiles

3 – Idaho Potatoes

2 – medium sized tomatoes

1 – yellow onion

2 – pounds ground beef (70/30)

1 – teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1/2 – teaspoon ground cumin

1 – teaspoon black pepper

a pinch of oregano

4 – garlic cloves

1 – cup beef broth

Char chiles on a comal (grill) until skin is completely burned. Then place in a ziplock bag to soften in their own moisture for about 30 minutes. Remove from bag and peel charred skin completely off. Then slice and chop chile. Set to the side

Peel, chop into big cubes, and boil Idaho Potatoes for 10 minutes. Drain and set to the side.

In a large frying pan over a medium high flame add 2 tablespoons of oil and allow to get hot for about 3 minutes. Then add in boiled potatoes and fry until crisp and golden brown for about 10 minutes. Once your potatoes are nice and crisp add in your chopped chiles, chopped tomato and onion. Let all the veggies get to know each other by cooking them for about 5 to 7 minutes. Set to the side.

In a different large frying pan over a medium high flame cook ground beef. Make sure to break up the beef into small pieces…. then add in the spice with Lawry, cumin, black pepper, oregano, and garlic. Cook until all ground beef is brown. If there is an excess of oil in the pan, now would be the time to drain most of it. Then add in potato mixture and beef broth. Cover pan with lid and lower flame to a simmer. Let picadillo simmer for 20 minutes. Serve hot with a corn or flour tortilla and let your meat and potato dreams come true.

Thank you with my entire heart and gratitude to my amazing crew! I Love you guys.

Directors:  Mando Lopez and James Ford

Director of Photography:  Tony Molina

Producer:  Lacey Reilly

 Editor:  James Ford

Set Design:  Mando Lopez

Still photos and camera assistant :  Max Azpiazu

On-set morale booster: Kristen Warren

Sound:  Evan Kendra

Equipment: Paul Hopkins

Opening Music: Anger Bros

Musicians: Andrea Bulletti and Mando Lopez

Vocals: Nicole Presley

Music Engineer: Manny Nieto

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Idaho Potato Commission. The recipe and opinions are my own. 

I’m officially in the “smaller servings” phase of my life.  Even though I’ve thrown in the towel on fitting into a bikini this summer, the holidays are right around the corner, and I still want to fit into my pants with a little wiggle room.  All along I refuse to give up cake, can’t do it, won’t happen…. here’s my solution….Mini Bundt Banana Almond Poppy Seed Cakes…. smaller but loaded with so much flavor. These little cakes are the best alternative to satisfying my sweet cravings , and being able to keep my girlish figure. 🙂

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for Mini Bundt Almond Poppy Seed Cakes:

3 – cups ultragrain flour

2 – cups powdered sugar

3/4 – cup almond meal (ground almonds)

2 – teaspoons of baking powder

1/3 – cup poppy seeds

2 1/2 – Dole Ripe bananas (smashed)

1 – cup vegetable oil

3 – eggs

1/2 – cup buttermilk

1 – teaspoon almond extract

Ingredients for glaze:

3/4  – cup powered sugar (sifted)

2 – tablespoons of coconut milk

garnish with chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

In a large bowl add flour, powdered sugar, almond meal, baking powder, and poppy seeds.

In a small bowl add bananas (smashed), vegetable oil, eggs, buttermilk and almond extract. Mix well.

Then add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until well combined.

Spray a mini bundt pan with a non-stick baking spray. Then pour a heaping 1/3 cup of batter into each 2 1/2 -inch bundt mold. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes in pan then invert onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.

Now for the glaze…. whisk powered sugar and coconut milk together until creamy smooth. Drizzle over top of cakes then garnish with chopped almonds.

ENJOY!

Spicy is one of the preferred flavors in my library of taste, I reach for it and crave it more often than not. This is not a trait I was born with, but a preference I developed. Spice comes to me in an assortment of ways, and pickling happens to be a tradition both sides of my family have enjoyed for years. My Great Grandma Presley use to make her own pickles, and my Grandfather Sandoval always ate a pickled guero chile with his sandwich. My pickling recipe is a mish mash of many flavors pulled from my upbringing and travels rolled into one.  I used onions and veggies for this pickling and added a Red Savina Habanero Pepper from Melissa’s Produce to bring on the heat. Now my sandwiches, and veggie burgers…. will be complete.

Ingredients for Spicy Pickled Onions and Veggies:

1 – Red Savina Habanero Pepper (even a half of one will bring heat)

2 – cloves of garlic (smashed)

3 – 1 inch cubes of watermelon

2 – radish (sliced)

1 – carrot (sliced)

1 – red onion (sliced)

1/2 – teaspoon coriander seeds

1/4 – teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 – teaspoon oregano

1/4 – teaspoon black pepper

1/2 – teaspoon salt

1 – 8.5 oz bottle of Red Wine Vinegar

a large jar.

See video for instruction.

Store in fridge for 2 days minimum before eating.

Video shot with my iPhone by: Mando Lopez

I was one of the lucky few that was able to preview portions of the new Disney movie “Wreck-It Ralph.”  I came away feeling thrilled by the magic of the studio and completely inspired by the picture.  I wrote my preview of the film and made a Sugar Rush (which is one of the video games in the movie) inspired cake…. you can find my recap over at SpanglishBaby by clicking here.  Check it out.

I went to The Taste last year.  An event put on by The Los Angeles Times, and it proved to be one of the best culinary experiences of the year.  I had the opportunity to taste a little bit of Los Angeles’ best cuisine spread out over 3 days.  Click here for the recap of my time last year.  This year will be no different.  The finest of the finest restaurants will be invited to showcase some good eats, there will be cooking demo’s with some of our favorite chefs (Nancy Silverton, Ricardo Zarate, Kris Yenbamroong, and Ludovic “Ludo” Lefebvre), and a steady flow of spirits, beers, and wines.  The 2012 version of The Taste is going to take place all in one location…. Paramount Studios.  Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of Labor Day weekend will belong to Los Angeles and The Taste.  I wait for this year’s event with great anticipation and my elastic stretch pants ready to expand.  If you don’t have tickets yet….. Click here to buy your tickets now.

A pic of me last year about to chomp on a slice of gorgeous bread topped with burrata, grilled grapes, olive oil, salt and a little basil leaf.  I about fainted from the happiness this dish brought me, but decided it would suit me to stay alert so I could continue savoring the deliciousness of The Taste.

For more information about The Taste click here.

See you all there.

Those gorgeous New Mexico Hatch Chiles are once again in season from NOW to mid September.  My friends over at Melissa’s Produce sent me a bunch of hot and mild chiles to roast and use for savory spicy dishes. I couldn’t be satisfied with hatch chiles as a seasonal treat so I decided to preserve them for an all year round indulgence. Check out my cool video below to see how.

Drool worthy Hatch Chile Corn Bread Strata….. Click here.

Want to learn to roast Hatch chiles… Click over to Shockingly Delicious.

Photo and video shot with my iPhone taken by: Mando Lopez

My little boy started a new school this week and I have been packing these AppleCake sandwiches in his lunch as a sweet snack…. something healthy, easy and fun for him to eat during his day away from home!  I only shared my Mott’s AppleCake recipe on Spanglish Baby…. you’ll have to click here to read the recipe.  Make sure to pack your kid an AppleCake Sandwich, or heck, you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy these delights!