My day starts at the crack of dawn these days, it seems my heart has it’s own race going on and it is pumping full of energy the second I open my eyes.  I’m ready to go with a million things passing through my mind of what needs to get done. I’m not sure if it is the adjustment of my son going to school, or if I have decided to really make the most of my time. I think it may be a little of both. With that said I am going to make the slow cooker my new friend and have it do most of the work for me so I could get other stuff done. Take something as easy as a pot roast and think of all the possibilities that can come from a pot roast turned to shredded beef. First and foremost I think of a shredded beef torta with a little au jus from the meat soaked into a fresh bolillo…. oh yeah…. I’ll let my mind ponder that for a while. Then I could turn that pot into a plate of machaca for breakfast, or a quick plate of soft tacos for lunch. I’ll have something on hand to feed my son when he comes home from school. I’m telling you my mind is everywhere these days, but the one thing I don’t have to think about is where I’m going to be able to get all of these ingredients for this recipe, because I already know the answer…. Walmart.

Ingredients for shredded beef tortas:

• 4 to 5 – garlic cloves
• 1 – onion (sliced)
• 3 to 5 – pounds chuck pot roast
• a pinch of oregano
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• a pinch of chile flakes
• 3 – cups beef broth
• bolillo

For directions watch the video posted above. 

Ever fall hopelessly head over heels in love with flan?  The type of love where you have tunnel vision, and all your surroundings just fade to black because all you could think about is your flan?  I had it bad, I was MAD…. as in madly smitten with the sweet and salty cajeta drenched chocolate flan that I had to do something grandiose as a gesture of my amor.  I made this video so lovers around the world could unite and  find themselves in the arms of a delicious flan!  HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Ingredients for Salted Cajeta Chocolate Flan:

• Non- stick baking spray
• 1/2 – cup cajeta
• 1 – 7.6 ounce Nestle’s Media Crema
• 12 – ounce semisweet chocolate chips
• 5 – large eggs
• 4 – ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 – 14 ounce can of  Nestle’s La Lechera Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 – 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
• 1 – tablespoon vanilla
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Spray a 12 cup budnt pan with non stick spray.
2. Pour cajeta evenly into bundt pan. Set to the side.
3. In a medium sauce pan over a medium flame add Media Crema and chocolate chips and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Add eggs, cream cheese, La Lechera, evaporated milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend till smooth.  Then add in the chocolate mixture and blend till combined.
5.  Pour flan mixture over the cajeta filled bundt pan.
6. Cover the bundt pan with a piece of aluminum foil and place inside a large pyrex baking dish.  Pour hot water into the pyrex baking dish to fill up half way.
7. Then place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 1 hour.
8. Once out of the oven, remove from water bath and uncover to allow cooling.  Run a small knife around the edge to ensure it from sticking.
9. Let the flan rest for two hours then flip it over onto a plate.  Slowly lift pan up away from plate.
10. Place in the fridge for 5 hours or overnight.
11. Sprinkle top with sea salt right before serving.
12. ENJOY!

Thank you with my entire heart and gratitude to my most awesome crew! I sincerely love you guys big.

Directors:  Mando Lopez and James Ford

Director of Photography:  Tony Molina

Producer:  Lacey Reilly

 Editor:  James Ford

Set Design:  Mando Lopez

On-set morale booster: Kristen Warren

Sound:  Adriana Sanchez

Equipment: Paul Hopkins

Opening Music: Anger Bros

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Nestle, the recipe and opinions are completely my own. 

It’s finally here! Sara O’Donnell of Average Betty and I made a video celebrating 3 ways to make Mashed Potatoes. We had a Mashed Potato Party and invite you to come on over and celebrate with us! Make our Mashed Potatoes for your Holiday table this year!

For the recipes click here.

Many thank you’s to our beloved Idaho Potato Commission for making this video possible!

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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!

Thank you Sprint and Latina Bloggers Connect for sending me to Blogalicous and for the AWESOME phone!

Halloween holds such joyous memories for me.  I equate October with creativity, imagination, family closeness, traditional sweet confections, and the kick off to the official holiday season. However you decide to mask your face, as a ghost, mummy, witch, sexy nurse or last years vampire…. make sure you leave enough room to stuff your face with my Halloween Caramel Apples.  Why? Because they are FREAK-ing delicious and simple to make!

Ingredients for Halloween Caramel Apples:

7 – Melissa’s Produce Granny Smith Apples or Pears

7 – popsicle sticks

2 – tablespoons milk

1 – package of caramels (about 50 unwrapped pieces)

melted chocolate of your choice

royal icing or frosting

 Directions:

1. Wash and dry apples and/or pears

2. Insert stick into apple or pear

3. Over a medium low flame in a sauce pan add milk and caramels. Stir until completely melted.

4. Line a platter or cookie sheet with a piece of buttered wax paper.

5. Dip apples into caramel until completely covered, and place on lined platter.

6. Place apples/pears in refrigerator for 1 hour to set.

7. Melt chocolate of your choice, White works well for decorating purposes.

8. Dip caramel apples/pears into chocolate and place back into the fridge for an additional 45 minutes.

9. Once the apples/pears are set remove from fridge and decorate with royal icing or frosting to make a spook-tacular frightfully delicious apple!

10. Enjoy and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I would like to thank Melissa’s Produce for suppling me with all the apples and pears.

Video and photos by: Mando Lopez

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.