I adore Italian food.  It is one of my favorite things to eat.  I dream of pasta and a gorgeous sauce smothered in cheese all the time but for some reason can never get my hands around a decent bowl or plate of pasta.  I think of the simple ways I’ve enjoyed Italian sauce in the past with just garlic a little basil and Hunt’s tomato sauce….  I fantasized about eating lasagna then realize I will have to make it myself if I want it done as it is in my dreams.  Then my good friend Average Betty released her video of a crock pot lasagna. I thought “That’s it? I’ll make my version and let the Crock pot do all the work.”  I’ll take my stress level down a notch and enjoy lovely lasagna and life will be happy!  Next thing I know my Momma comes along and says she wants some lasagna as well.  Great!  Just so you know my Momma is a vegetarian, so I start building a meatless sauce in my head.  Nothing too fussy or complicated, just simple and delicious.  Plus I want my son to have a serving and he’s only 3 so I’m trying to be  mindful of his young palate.  I’ll definitely need Hunt’s chopped tomatoes, a few veggies, and a variety of yummy cheeses.  That was the hardest part about this recipe, making the sauce, the rest is a walk in the park.  I used raw noodles as I always do when making lasagna even in the oven, grated some cheese, assembled, put the lid on the crock pot, and set the timer to 2 1/2 hours on high.  Walked away a carefree Momma, knowing dinner was taking care of it’s self tonight.  My family was thrilled, and I will be using this method for lasagna making from here on out.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Lasagna:

• 1 – tablespoon olive oil
• 1 – whole onion (chopped into small cubes)
• 1 – whole yellow bell pepper (chopped into small cubes)
• 1 – tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 – teaspoon dried basil
• 1 – pinch dried oregano
• 2 – cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 – can (14.5 – ounce) Hunt’s diced tomatoes
• 1 – can (29 – ounce) Hunt’s tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• a box of lasagna noodles ( I use Barilla)
• 1 1/4 – cups grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/4 – cups grated cheddar cheese
• 2 1/2 – cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 15 – ounces ricotta cheese

Directions: 

1. In a pot over a medium flame add in olive oil and allow to get hot. Then add in onion and yellow bell pepper. Saute for 5 till 10 minutes.
2. Add in garlic, basil, oregano, and mushrooms. Mix well and continue to saute for another 5 to 10 minutes. 
3. Add in diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove sauce from flame and set to the side. 
4. Pour a cup and half of sauce on the bottom of the Crock Pot.
5. Then break the lasagna noodles to fit the crock pot. Place them in snuggly. 
6. Then add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 5 tablespoons ricotta cheese to the top of the lasagna noodles. 
7. Add another layer of lasagna noodles (this time going in the opposite direction). 
8.  Then add a cup and a half sauce, then the cheese (same measurements as before), then lasagna noodles and so forth until you end with the cheese layer on top. Place lid on top of Crock pot and cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. 
9. Enjoy! Your lasagna will be deep dish and delicious.

This post is part of a campaign sponsored by ConAgra Foods, I received compensation for my participation. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

Merry Christmas Everyone!  We decided to put this webisode together to help anyone out who is anxious to start making tamales this holiday season or just wondered how it’s done.  Without further ado…. Here’s our Christmas Special (Everyone loves a Christmas Special, right!?)

Tamale Tips:

Buy your masa prepared from your local Mexican/Latin Market or use Maseca Masa for Tamale flour.  For those of you that live in Los Angeles, I buy my masa at a place called “La Favorita,” and have been buying from them for YEARS!  They are located at 600 N. Brannick Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90063.  The best in Los Angeles. 🙂

I wrap my tamales in corn husks but take it a step further and wrap them additionally in a grease resistant 12 x 12 sandwich wrap paper.

A friend asked where do you pour the water when you are steaming your tamales and want to replenish the water?  You pour it right on the side of the tamale pot.  The tamales are covered in corn husks on top and damp towels.  The water is NOT going to disturb them at all.

If you are looking to be less stressed right before the holidays, make your tamales in advanced and freeze them in a ziplock raw (make sure to mark them so you know which side is the opening). Then the day you are ready to enjoy them, take them directly from the freezer and straight into the steamer and steam them for 5 1/2 to 6 hours.

If you are unable to find a tamale steamer pot, you can always make your own.  Use a smaller pot with a vegetable steamer basket placed at the bottom or flipped upside down.  Place enough water and a penny at the bottom of the pot, when you hear the penny bouncing that means the water level is low and time to replenish.  Make note, the water level will go low.  Also, you don’t want the water level to ever surpass the vegetable steamer.  Then follow the directions in the video. Make sure to cover in corn husks on top and a damp towel.

Place the Idaho potato in the tamale raw, it will cook as the tamale steams.  The potato is the perfect addition to a meat tamale or a vegetarian one.

In the vegetarian tamales on the video, I used green anaheim chile strips, but I personally use jalapenos in place of the green chile strips for more heat. Feel free to swap them out if you love the heat or don’t at all.

I usually season my masa with green chile for the vegetarian tamales and for my green chile pork tamales.  For my red chile beef tamales (which were not featured in this video) I season the masa with the red chile.  I also use the red chile inside the vegetarian tamales.  I am adding the recipes for both chiles below.

I make my chiles the day before I’m going to make my tamales.  I also chop everything I’ll need and cook my meat in the crock pot. For the pork, I use the pork shoulder.

Feel free to leave me any questions and I will follow up with you right away.  This is a very traditional recipe but also a very ambitious one….. but heck, give it a whirl.  This is such a fun recipe to attempt.

Here is my green chile recipe:

• 9 – tomatillos
• 6 – guero chiles (yellow chiles)
• 8 – serrano chiles
• 7 – jalapeno chiles
• 5 – garlic cloves (browned/fried)
• 3 – cups of water (from water chiles boiled in)
• 1 – teaspoon of vinegar
• 2 – teaspoons chicken bouillon (I use Knorr)
• 1 – teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 – teaspoon black pepper

Fill two pots halfway with water and place over a medium high flame.  Bring water to a boil.  Then put tomatillos in one pot and in the other put all chiles.  Boil tomatillos for 15 minutes, you will know they are ready when they go from light green to a greenish yellow color.  Remove from flame and set to the side.

Boil chiles for 30 minutes or until soft and a bit limp.  While chiles are boiling place garlic cloves in a frying pan with a little oil and fry till browned.  Set to the side.  Once chiles are boiled remove from flame but DO NOT discard water… you will need it to blend chile.

You will have to work in batches.  In a blender add chiles (discard stem), browned garlic cloves, water from the pot the chiles boiled in, vinegar, chicken bouillon, oregano, black pepper and tomatillos.  Blend until smooth about 1 minute.  Pour into a bowl.  Set to the side.

Here is my red chile recipe:

• 1 – large onion peeled
• 5 – garlic cloves peeled
• 3 – ounces new mexico dried chile (I use Don Enrique)
• 3 – ounces california dried chile (I use Don Enrique)
• 1 – large dried pasilla chile (I use Don Enrique)
• 3 – tablespoons salt
• 7 – cups water

In a big pot add water, 2 tablespoons of salt, all chiles, onion, and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil.  Boil for 30 minutes. Water will turn dark brown.

Remove chiles and garlic cloves from water.  Discard onion.  Do not discard water, you will be using it in the next step.  Remove stems from chiles, then add to a blender along with 1 cup of water from the pot, garlic cloves, and a tablespoon of salt.  Blend for 2 minutes.

Once blended get a big bowl and add 1/2 cup of water from pot into the bowl, then take the blended chile and put through a strainer. It will be thick.  Add a little bit of water from pot to chile strainer and scrape with a spoon.  Use up to 1 3/4 cups of water for the entire process. It’s time consuming but your red chile will be clean and super tasty.  Set to the side.

A hundred hugs to my crew for all the hard work we put in together!  A special thank you to the Idaho Potato Commission for believing in us! Thank you to the Zardeneta Family for being the best! xoxoxox! Love you guys and Merry Christmas!

I started making this simple salsa many moons ago, as a fast tasty sauce for my tacos. Just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes and you have the ultimate salsa. I love the simplicity of the chile de arbol and tomato combination that this salsita brings to my burritos, eggs, steak, or popcorn…. It makes any meal perfectly spiced. Click here to watch a quick how to make this yummers salsa video.

Ingredients for Chile de Arbol Salsa:

• 4 – cups of water
• 1 – tablespoon salt
• 3 – tomatoes
• 16 – chiles de arbol (stems removed)
• 5 – garlic cloves
• a pinch of oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a pot over a medium high flame add water and salt and bring to a boil.
2. Once water is boiling add tomatoes and chile de arbol, and boil for 30 minutes.
3. Remove pot from flame and add tomatoes and chile de arbol to a blender. Use one cup of water that you boiled the chiles in and add to the blender as well.
4. Add garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to blender, and blend on high till smooth.
5. Pour into a bowl and enjoy on tacos or anything that tickles your fancy.

Are you lucky enough to have had a Mexican Corn on the Cob? This addicting treat is a favorite in my house. We make it often or buy it from the street vendor who frequents my neighborhood everyday. Next time you are craving a spicy cheesy treat, give Mexican Corn on the cob a try, it’s the caramel apple of corns.

To watch my video on how to prepare this delicious kernel treat, click here.

Ingredients for Mexican Corn on the Cob:

• 1 – cooked corn on the cob (grilled, boiled or steamed)
• The juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 – tablespoon butter
• 1 – tablespoon mayo
• 1 – tablespoon cotija cheese crumbled
• cayenne pepper to your liking

Directions:

1. Squeeze lime juice onto hot cooked corn on the cob.
2.  Spread butter on corn.
3. Slather it in Mayo.
4. Sprinkle the cotija cheese on top.
5. Last spice with cayenne pepper.

My Grandpa always made calabacitas. They were probably my first introduction into the vegetable world. This is exciting news for me to share…. I just posted my calabacitas recipe on Babble’s The Family Kitchen. I am proud to announce I am their new food contributor and the first Latina they have ever hired in the kitchen! 🙂 Jump over to the Babble site for my recipe. 

Sometimes you just need comfort. I found joy and comfort in Idaho. I had never been and went with the Idaho Potato Commission on a breathtaking trip to the carbs capital for a 75th anniversary celebration. I made fantastic new friends while discovering the world of potato farming. We met the growers and the humble people that supply us with mountains of potatoes. I witnessed first hand all the work that goes into bringing spuds to our table.  I will forever remember these lovely people and wonder from this point forward if my potatoes came from one of the farms I visited. I made this lovely recipe with Idaho potatoes as an ode to my incredible trip. I couldn’t resist showing you a few pics from the trip and a short sneak peek video of our spuds from ground to the factory. I left there loving Idaho with hopes of returning one day.

Ingredients for potato green chile cheese casserole:

4 – cups corn flakes

1 – stick butter (melted)

1 – can 14 0z whole anaheim green chiles (only use (8)drained, patted dry)

12 – oz pepper jack cheese

6 – green onions (sliced thin)

1/3 – cup chopped onion

15 to 20 – Melissa’s Produce Dutch Yellow Idaho Potatoes

1 –  Russet Idaho Potato

1/2 – cup sour cream

12 – oz cheddar cheese (grated)

1/2 – cup 1/2 & 1/2

Preheat oven to 350 fahrenheit

Crush cornflakes in a bag then add to a bowl with melted butter. Mix well to combine.  Place half of the cornflake mixture into a 8×5 baking dish. Press down on cornflake mixture to line bottom half of baking dish.

Take chiles and stuff with big pieces of pepper jack cheese. Place stuffed chiles on top of corn flakes. Then sprinkle with green onions and onion. Shred remaining pepper jack cheese and set to the side.

Peel all potatoes and cut into 2 inch pieces. Then in a pot bring water to a boil and boil potatoes for 2o minutes. Remove from flame and drain. Then pour potatoes over chiles and onion.

In a pot add sour cream, remaining pepper jack and cheddar cheese, and 1/2 & 1/2 and mix over a low flame until sauce is smooth and cheese is melted. Then pour over potatoes.

Then with the other half of cornflake mixture add to the top of the casserole.

Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until top is golden crisp brown. Enjoy with a leafy green salad for the perfect meal.

Here are some photos from my trip.

Eleven bloggers in Idaho- L to R: Marla Meridith, Julie Deily, Dorothy Reinhold, Patti Londre, Meagan Micozzi, Rachael Hutchings, Me, Greg Henry, Sara O’Donnell, Jessica Reddick, and Jessica Segarra.

A BIG BIG FUZZY WARM THANK YOU TO THE IDAHO POTATO COMMISSION FOR THIS WONDERFUL TRIP!

Do you ever wake up inspired?  Just itching to expand?  Wanting to get yourself in the kitchen, experiment and get dirty?  I was having one of those days.  It usually comes when I want something sweet.  The air was perfect, the sun was shining through the window, I was playing my favorite music, completely focused on the tart at hand with good vibes all around me.  I had all the ingredients in the house for a fig tart and I was making it happen.  I could hear my phone making a faint sound from the other room, and something told me to check it.  I wiped my hands down and scrolled through my phone.  It was an email from Latina Bloggers Connect sending me the AWESOME news that Sprint had chosen me as one of the ambassadors for a sponsorship to Blogalicious in VEGAS!  Jumping up and down, excited and acting like a clown,  I ran back to the kitchen popped my pistachio cream fig tart in the oven and waited for it to be ready.  I hit the jackpot twice, not only was I going to Blogalicious, I was going to have my fig tart to celebrate too.  (In Oprah voice) Thank You Sprint!

Ingredients for Pistachio Cream Fig Tart:

1 – 17.3 ounce package of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (2 sheets)

3/4 – cup salted pistachios

1 – cup powdered sugar

1 – teaspoon almond extract

1 – 8 oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)

6 – tablespoons of fig jam

20 – black mission figs (sliced in half)

1 – egg

1 – tablespoon of water

This recipe makes 2 tarts

Bring puff pastry to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

In a food processors combine pistachios and powdered sugar.  Pulse until the pistachios are a fine crumb.  Then add in almond extract and cream cheese.  Pulse until all is evenly combined. Remove from food processor and set in a bowl to the side.

Lay one puff pastry sheet on a lined cookie sheet, and spread with 3 tablespoons of fig jam. Make sure to leave a 1 inch frame all along the edges.

Then take a teaspoon of the pistachio cream and drop it in a dollop then take another until you have 10 dollops in a row.  Top each with a half of fig.

In a little bowl make an egg wash by mixing egg and water together.  Then brush edges of pastry with the egg wash.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

While your first tart is baking, prepare the next one with the rest of the ingredients.  Or you could cut the other sheet in half and make two small ones.  I ended up doing this for a total of 3 tarts. One large one and two small ones.  🙂 Same baking time.

Here’s a picture of a small one before it went in the oven, and instead of dollops of cream, I spread it even.

Disclosure: Thank you Sprint and Latina Bloggers Connect …. Blogalicious was a grand time and I am grateful for the sponsorship. Recipe and opinions are my own.