I always make sure I have the ingredients on hand to make a quick dessert for the holidays. The last thing I want to wrestle with is some intricate recipe for something that follows the main event. By the time dessert is passed around, people’s eyes are glazed over and the sweet course isn’t barely appreciated….
ethnic
Coquito: Puerto Rican Coconut-Cinnamon Rum Cocktail
Before we go any further with this Coquito post, I want to remind you that I’m a married woman. I’m won’t tolerate any disrespect to the Soldier. So, that means no marriage proposals, no sending flowers (especially orchids or lilies), and no diamond rings in size seven. I won’t stand for it. You may let me know…
Butternut Squash, Sausage, Kale, and Farro Stew
I’m the type of friend who you have to send frequent reminders to if you want me to do something. Like a “staple it to my head” type of reminder. It’s not that I don’t care- I just have severe short-term memory issues. So it is that this Butternut Squash, Sausage, Kale and Farro Stew…
Cajeta (Goat’s Milk Caramel Sauce)
This, my friend, is what we in the business call a “money shot”. If you have a Mexican friend in your life, and they haven’t introduced you to Cajeta, you need to have a hard talk with them. Anyone who would keep this secret from those they love is suspect. I’m just saying. As you can…
Caipirinha Cocktail (Sugarcane-Cachaça Libation)
I enjoyed my first caipirinha at a cutesy little Bohemian bar. Bossa Bistro was a Brazilian-themed spot in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. They had a Samba band playing, and the was cachaça flowing. I drank too many caipirinhas and ended up samba-ing my behind right to the throne of shame. But, me and the Soldier enjoyed that date…
Guarapo: Sugarcane Refresher with Lime
You need an update on the weather here, don’t you? It’s still hot as hell. Nothing follows. Well, that’s not true; this Guarapo (gwa-RAH-poh) recipe follows. This sugarcane “juice” is what a lot of my, and the Soldier’s, ancestors sipped on to endure those sweltering days back in Puerto Rico. Guarapo is still enjoyed by…
Pan Sobao: Soft, Chewy Puerto Rican Bread
Never have I had so hard a time naming a recipe as I had with this one. Pan Sobao has no English translation that makes sense. For starters, sobao is good Puerto Rican Spanish for sobar (or knead). So, directly translated, it means “Kneaded Bread”. Obviously I’m not going to name it “Kneaded Bread” because that’s an alliteration. Nearly all breads…
Larb Moo: Laotian Sour Minced Pork Salad
I’m writing this post from the waiting room of a hospital’s surgery ward. The Soldier is beginning the process of repairing more than twenty-five years of beating up his body. I’m a pessimist by nature. Writing helps me keep my mind off of the variables associated with surgery of any kind. This Larb Moo is also helping me…
Peruvian-Style Coleslaw: South American Salad
My husband says things like, “You know what I’d like to have for dinner?” and I say, “What’s that?” and he says, “That Peruvian coleslaw that you make…with fish tacos.” And that’s when I have to remind him that we are still in Central Texas where there is no mahi-mahi or (for that matter) any other…
Paloma a Fuego (Spicy Grapefruit and Tequila Cocktail)
Paloma a Fuego literally translates to “Dove Afire”. Now, before you go calling PETA, no doves were harmed in the making of this libation. No doves even came close to this drink. I’m afraid of doves, actually. Paloma cocktails are a gift from our Mexican friends and are perfect for the hot weather ahead. Unless…
