This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and the California Milk Advisory Board.   All opinions are my own. 

Are you ready to rev up that Bar-B-Q pit and shish kabob for grilling? It’s officially grilling season with Memorial Day around the corner and Father’s day a stones throw away. It’s time to start planning your menus and gathering people around the pit. What do you typically like to grill? My family grills carne asada and anaheim chiles stuffed with queso quesadilla. We love to grill veggies and green onions, if my uncle is around he always wants his share of jalapenos thrown a top the fire-y hot grate. I like to make packets of aluminum foil and fill them with chopped zucchini a little bit of olive oil and cotija cheese…… I call them Bar-B-Q calabasitas. Here’s the serious truth, we can’t have an outdoor cooking session without making Grilled Corn And Queso Fresco Salad. I usually prep the corn in the house then throw it on the barbie, while the maize is grilling I chop up the other ingredients and make a dressing of crema, lime juice, and a little cotija cheese. OMG…. My mouth just watered recounting the details of this recipe back to you. Every time I make the salad (which is when we have a Bar-B-Q) my fiance tells me I need to be making this salad at least once a week. My Mom loves it cuz it’s vegetarian, and I heart it because it’s down right GOOD! I usually make it as a side dish but it could be enjoyed as a meal all on it’s own. Don’t get me wrong, it does taste lickable paired with a slice of chicken or sizzling piece of carne asada as well. But what really makes this salad pop is the queso fresco teamed up with the sweet corn and the tangy crema lime cojita cheese dressing. Delish! Make it for your next Bar-B-Q! Plus it’s so easy to get all the hispanic dairy needed for this recipe. With California being the leading producer of hispanic dairy products all you have to do is look for the Real CA Milk / cheese seals on the labels of your hispanic dairy. These cheeses will give your next meal the authentic touch of latin cuisine and make it taste better then you could have imagined. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Grilled Corn and Queso Fresco Salad:

• 1 – tablespoon of butter (room temperature)
• 4 – corn on the cob
• 5 or 6 – stalks of green onion
• 1 – tablespoon of olive oil
• salt to taste
• 2 – ripe avocados (sliced and cubed)
• 1 – cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 – cup sliced red onion
• 1/2 – cup cilantro leaves
• 5 – radishes (thinly sliced)
• 1 – package queso fresco Ranchero (crumbled in large pieces)
• (optional) 2 – grilled green chiles- diced (serrano, or jalapeno, or anaheim)

Ingredients for Crema Lime Cotija Cheese dressing:

• 3 – tablespoons crema
• 1 1/2 – large limes (juiced, about 4 tablespoons)
• 1 – tablespoon cotija cheese

1. Heat up the bar-b-q or grill.
2. Smear butter on the corn on the cob. Set to the side.
3. Trim edges of green onions off and smear with olive oil. Set to the side.
4. Sprinkle both corn and green onions with salt to your liking.
5. Place both corn and green onion on bar-b-q and grill for green onion for about 6 minutes. 
6. Grill the corn for 15 to 20 minutes or until kernels are slightly charred. 
7. Remove from grill and shave the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. 
8. Add shaved corn to a bowl along with avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro, radishes, queso fresco, (optional) green chiles, and grilled onion to serve on the side. (pictured above)
9. Give the ingredients a good mix, and set to the side.
10. In a small bowl mix ingredients for dressing with a whisk, then pour over salad and give a final mix.
11. Serve with grilled green onion on the side.
12. Enjoy!

Sunday morning breakfast is what comes to mind when the word “Chilaquiles” passes my lips.  It is the breakfast that I have been enjoying since I could identify a date and time.  The old traditional Mexican dish has made me and my family come back time and time again and beg for more.  This simple dish is super easy to make and is not only enjoyed in the morning but really could be eaten at any time of the day…and it is!  What I love most about Chilaquiles is I usually have all the ingredients on hand and can whip them up whenever I get a hankering for the comfortable dish that tastes like enchiladas.  Some people make them with red chile, and some people prepare them with green chile, and if you serve both types on a plate side by side they are called “Chilaquiles Divorciados.”  I’ve had them smoothered in mole too. Wowsa…. my mouth just watered.  All sauces are a great compliment to the fried corn tortilla triangles that are pleading to be topped with cheese.  I tend to use a variety of cheeses on mine, but traditionally Queso fresco holds court on this recipe.

Not only is February the month for sweet amor,  it’s Potato Lovers Month too.  In addition to the many potato dishes that we all know and love (e.g. baked potatoes, hash browns or mashed), let’s celebrate other courses made with delicious Idaho Potatoes too.  Let’s not forget Beef and Potato Tacos, Potato and Chorizo Enchiladas, Chile Verde with Potatoes and all the wonderful caldos (soups) made with spuds.

As you may know I like to jump outside of the box or as I say “scribble beyond the lines”, so here is a recipe called Casuelitas.  It’s a very unique recipe made of masa and left-over mashed potatoes.  For those of you who have never had the enjoyment of sinking your teeth into one…. it taste like a cross between a gordita and a potato croquette…. seriously UNFORGETTABLE.  Ever since The Idaho Potato Commission introduced these lovely delights into my life,  I’ve been craving them non- stop.  This is my homage to Casuelitas …. take a look.

Ingredients for Casuelitas:

• 2 – cups masa flour for tamales
• 2 – teaspoons table salt
• 1 – teaspoon baking soda
• 4 – tablespoons lard
• 1 – cup hot water
• 2 – cups queso quesadilla  cheese grated
• 2 – cups mashed Idaho Potatoes
• 1 – teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 – teaspoon chipotle powder
• 3/4 – teaspoon lime salt

Garnish:

• Carnitas (recipe below)
• grated cotija cheese
• salsa
• cilantro
• avocado
• crema

Ingredients for Carnitas:

 Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission. All opinions are my own.