| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/6/2009 11:41:39 AM | One year my entire family decided we wanted all Mexican food for Christmas, instead of whatever our usual was. Now, I didn't generally have family over for Christmas, because I hardly ever celebrated it. While I was married and after my children started marrying, but for about 15-17 years in between I did not celebrate Christmas. One year when my children and I were driving to New Mexico for the
Christmas Season (we loved the luminarios and food!) we were talking about how we never spent holiday time with my sisters or brother and decided to turn north and surprise them. We stopped on the way and bought lots of fruits, sweets and goodies, with baskets, cellophane and ribbons to make a nice gift baskets for the adults, special stockings with the same for the kids and for the 2 littlest, a couple of toys.
We put all of this together while taking turns driving. We had left Houston on I10, gotten past San Antonio when we decided to turn around and head for Missouri where my sisters and brother had all migrated to. They sure were surprised to see us and it was a really nice and wonderful holiday. They wanted to know where we were all going to meet the next year, just assuming I was going to do it. I was thinking no way I miss our trips, but instead made a statement that I didn't think would happen. I said, I will cook all Mexican food if you actually show up at my house. I knew they wouldn't.
Well, by Thanksgiving the following year I was getting calls all day everyday for a couple of weeks from even the rarely talked to family members telling me they would be there. All saying how they couldn't wait to have a Christmas with all Mexican Food. All had visited me at some point in our lives in some place all over the nation where I had lived and had eaten Mexican food at my house. It was what our family always wanted when we got together, so it was what I generally cooked when family came a calling. In fact, I ended up with people from both sides of my family, mother and father. I had a total of 57 for dinner, for 3 days, and 26 of them stayed at my house! Eight lived an hour away so drove back and forth daily. The others took about 6 rooms at the local Hampton Inn, about 1 mile away. This is not at all unusual in my family. When I was a kid and we all went to my grandmothers for holidays, there were always this many all the way up to 150. We found a way and always had the best fun! Every local home was crammed with people. Luckily I was able to get folding chairs and tables from my synagogue and my dinning room (converted den) was 23 X 29, so we fit snuggly.
I know my family, and I knew I had to stay to the basics and make what they craved, even though not one mentioned a single dish. So, I kept is simple and stuck to primarily enchiladas, rellenos and tamales. For me and those who really liked vegetables I made some of those and for a filler and just whenever I also made the soup, which older people really loved for breakfast LOL. Of course, I had to make salsas, and I actually went to the farmers market and bought 2 cases of very large Hass avocados, 20# of onions, the veggies and chiles I needed and premade masa dough. I also got fresh pineapples, spices and pecans there. Our Mexican Farmers Market in Houston was so cheap that I actually fed all of those people for less than my usual Christmas dinner for only 18. About a dozen of them came early and between them, my children and my mom, everyone came in and out of the kitchen to help chop, roll, stuff and so on, so it was really FUN!
I guess it was the best Christmas we ever had together and I think I would like to do it again. As long as I was in charge and told them exactly what to do, it went smoothly. If I said, you know, make it your way, oh no, they didn't like that. They said it was my kitchen, so I had to tell them what to do. I guess that is true because I never cooked in their kitchens either. I made enough of the following to last the whole 2.5 days and the afternoon of the 3rd day we all went out to eat seafood at a Mexican Yucatan Seafood Restaurant in Houston called Pico's. Ohhhhhhhhh, that was good! I had crispy fried softshell crab with crispy fried garlic!
Mexican Chritmas Menu
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Caldo de Res
Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas
Mexican Cheese Enchiladas
Chicken Mole Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas
Vegetable Enchiladas
New Mexican Green Chile Enchiladas
Beef and Cheese Chile Relleno
Chiles en Nogada
Texican Stuffed Jalapenos
Chicken & Veggie Fluffy Tamales
Beef Green Chile Spicy Tamales
Pork Red Chile Hot Tamales
Cranberry Tapenade
Sweet Potato Chips
Guacamole
Crispy Tortilla Chips
Salsa Verde
Salsa Rojo
Pico de Gallo
Tomato Salsa
Cilantro, Onion Mix
Diced Serrano Chiles
Refried Beans
Cilantro Rice
Calabasita ala Parilla
Caramel Flan
Tres Leches
Pumpkin Empanadas
Pineapple Empanadas
Cinnamon Pecan Sweet Tamales
Jamaica Flower Punch
(I put the recipe in the Jamaican thread under Sorrel Punch)
Mango, Lime, Strawberry, Blue Orange, and Prickly Pear Margaritas
Horchata (Rice Milk)
Pineapple Lime Coconut Water
15 Flavors of Atole
Abuella Hot Chocolate
Lengua - I made this up to be used for breakfast tacos
Browned Potatoes with green onions and Chorizo - also made ahead for breakfast use
I even had those 1 1/2 gallon glass barrel jars that I had most of the drinks in on a counter. They just had to get a glass of crushed ice, or a mug to heat in the microwave.
I had found some large decorative pans on clearance at a restaurant supply that I could cook and serve in and then got some of that plastic board that is exactly like corrugated box, cut it a little bigger than the pan and was able to stack the pans on top of each other in the fridge, labled and no need for lids or covers that way. I made sure nothing else was in that fridge, except what we needed for that holiday.
I had the salsas in plastic pitchers with spout lids so the amount needed could be poured out into a bowl.
Everything worked out so perfectly. So if anyone is considering such a meal for a big holiday, I can certainly recommend it for ease and convenience, not to mention happiness of guests, not only in great food, but the ability to feel at home and able to do for themselves without help. We all ate dinner together for the 3 days, but breakfast was when we each got up, from 5am to noon and anything else was just a snack waiting for the BIG Dinner, and no one minded making their own guacamole. Because I got things so cheaply I wouldn't let anyone pitch in money, so they helped me the best way I could have ever gotten...they cleaned everything all the time. I never had to touch anything to clean it as long as they were there and it always looked nice. I even missed the sea of pretty paper on Christmas morning, which disappointed me. I wished they hadn't been so thorough! LOL The women in my family LOVE to clean.
~Chicken Tortilla Soup~
~Caldo de Res~
Recipes for these are in my Soup and Salad thread
~Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas~ Yellow Corn tortillas not maizeca (very important), rolled up with sharp cheddar cheese and lots of chopped onion, covered with dark, rich, thick beef chili and gravy (If you were going to use canned, it has to be Wolf Brand only or it isn't TexMex), a little more cheese and chopped onion on top, bake.
~Mexican Cheese Enchiladas~ Maizeca tortillas softened in oil and red chili powder, filled with Chihuahua cheese and onion, rolled and covered with an ancho chili gravy, a little more cheese and onion.
~Chicken Mole Enchiladas~ yellow corn tortillas rolled up with chicken that has simmered in a dark (slightly sweet) chocolate mole sauce, topped with mole and then sour cream. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM
~Beef Enchiladas~ beef (shredded or ground, we like ground best) cooked with cumin, garlic, oregano, ancho, chimayo, onion and allspice, rolled in a maizaica tortilla, topped with a tomato sauce with oregano, cumin, ancho, garlic, then shredded mix of colby/lonhorn cheese and Chihuahua cheese.
~Vegetable Enchiladas~ a yellow corn tortilla, softened in oil and ancho chili powder rolled up with black beans, corn, sweet potato, caramelized onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, jalapeno, colored peppers, spinach, nopales, zucchini, pumpkin, just a little salsa verde and a little Chihuahua cheese on top, then minced cilantro and caramelized onion after heating in oven.
~New Mexican Green Chile Enchiladas~ I took a stack of yellow corn tortillas and cut them square (you can fry the strips for tortilla soup or for migas). I fried them until they were a little crisp but not like a chip crisp, then put a layer of them into a baking pan. I had roasted jalapenos and anaheim peppers until totally black, then peeled them, and diced them and mixed with onions, garlic, and cilantro, added a touch of cinnamon and grated roasted corn. Put all of these together in a pot with sa little chicken/turkey broth, and cooked down a bit to a chunky sauce and thickened with a roux. Then I small chunks of smoked pheasant and added to the sauce so it was about 60% sauce and 40% pheasant. I spooned this over almost crisp tortilla squares, then a little Cojita Tajo cheese, then another tortilla square, green chile/pheasant filling, a little cheese and so on to make 5 layers. The top layer only had cheese. Bake until tortillas are getting more crispy on bottom, top and edges. Serve one 5 layer stack per person with a dollop of Mexican Crema, or Creme Fraiche.
~Beef and Cheese Chile Relleno~ Poblano chiles, cut a T on the concave side, remove seeds carefully, stuff with spiced ground or shredded beef and Monterrey Jack Cheese, coat with flour, then dip in egg white that have been beaten to medium peaks, then had beaten egg yolks folded in, fry. Cover in either a Ranchera sauce or a cheese sauce. I made a sauce of pork broth, chopped tomatoes, caramelized onion, garlic, chopped roasted green chiles, cumin. Can sprinkle with a littel Monterrey Jack or Cojita cheese.
~Chiles en Nogada~ Poblano chiles with T cut and seeds removed, stuffed with a mix of ground or diced lamb, goat or beef or a mix of all (I use diced lamb), onions, garlic, red or golden raisins, black pepper and candied citron or lime. Stuff peppers, then lay them in baking dish and broil, as they get brown, turn them to cook evenly, do not blacken. After evenly browned, cover with a cream sauce made from toasted walnuts and sour cream (or creme fraiche or Mexican Crema). Pour over, letting mix with pan juices, cover the pan and bake (turn off broiler) until everything is hot and done. Serve sprinkled with minced cilantro or mint, onion and pomegranate seeds or the same raisins as inside, but mince them.
~Texican Stuffed Jalapenos~ Get large jalepenos, cut in half just to the stem end, but not through it. Remove seeds. Stuff with mixture of Chihuahua cheese, sharp cheddar, shrimp, crab, oysters, crisp bacon, green onion chopped and chorizo. Make sure filling is only in the hollow and no more. Close jalapeno up and push a toothpic though near the bottom at an angle, then dip in the same egg mix as for Chile Rellenos, except put 2 tbls flour in the mix when the yolks go in, for every 2 eggs used. Fold together well and dip jalapenos in flour, then in egg mix and fry until golden. Serve immediately with salsas. Leftovers are fine, but best fresh made. Must heat leftovers in oven, not microwave. Best if on brown paper or parchment.
~Chicken & Veggie Fluffy Tamales~ I do not use premade masa dough for this, I make my own with corn flour, lard, ancho powder, a little cumin powder, garlic powder, salt, baking powder and chicken broth. In the filling I have shredded chicken cooked in an ancho sauce, diced carrots, onion, zucchini and corn. The masa on these comes out like a fluffy cornbread, moist but not wet like traditional tamale masa. I steam them in chicken broth.
~Beef Green Chile Spicy Tamales~ These have a traditional wet masa, but I make a thin layer, not thick. The beef is spicy with serannos, jalapenos and poblano, garlic, cumin, corriander and onion. I cook them in a puree of chiles and beef broth.
~Pork Red Chile Hot Tamales~ these are very spicy and have traditional wet tamale masa, again, in a thin layer, with plenty of meat filling. I really prefer the head of a hog for this, but will make it with the shoulder meat too. Lots and lots of spices in this, cinnamon, allspice, hot red chiles, chimayo, chipotle in adobo, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano. I cook these in a blended red chile sauce & pork broth.
~Calabasita ala Parilla~ I grill halves or quarters of zucchini, Gold Nugget Squash, pumpkin, and any patty pan, starburst, white or yellow squash I can find that time of year. I put salt, pepper, steak seasoning and a little drizzle of butter on them.
~Tres Leches~ One of my families to die for favorites. 3 Milks Cake, heavy cream, evaporated and condensed. I always have to make extra milk mix because we like the cake swimming in it. I top it with whipped cream and a cherry on each piece. I make a bit of a dry cake so it can handle soaking up lots! of milk.
~Pumpkin Empanadas~ I mix pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spices and honey or maple syrup (the filling is not meant to be very sweet, only slightly) and a little butter and put it on 1/3 of the pastry, then I mix some Queso Fresco with honey and candied lemon and put next to the pumpkin and then sprinkle with a mix of toasted pecans pieces and crushed piloncillo. Fold over pastry and bake.
~Pineapple Empanadas~ Make a sweet thickened pineapple filling, I like it with cardamom, allspice and nutmeg. Fill pastry, fold and bake. I brush all of the sweet empanada pastries with a mix of egg yolk and white sugar.
~Cinnamon Pecan Sweet Tamales~ I also make this masa, with corn flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and sweet potato or pumpkin with pineapple juice or apple cider. Fill with basically a pecan pie filling, but tons more pecans and a lot of cinnamon, then cook it until it starts to thicken enough to hold together. I steam them in pineapple juice and apple cider. I have also added apple to the filling before. This way is not exactly traditional, but several of my friends said every family is different. Can I have your recipe? LOL so I don't worry so much about tradition on some things. The masa on these is also the wet type.
I am pretty much sold on doing this again, but it would be a scaled down version. I don't think we have near as many that would get together now, for sure and I don't know if I have that kind if energy anymore.
Happy Holidays!!!
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/6/2009 8:47:31 PM | Okay, I guess I left out the question.
Do you ever, rarely, or ever break with tradition and make a totally ethnic meal for a holiday, especially Thanksgiving or Christmas?
If so, what do you make? Which ethnic food could make your family want to switch a holiday meal tradition some years?
If you always cook an ethnic meal, because it is your norm (I guess it wouldn't be ethnic to you LOL), then what is it you cook? What are your traditional dishes?
I think every family gets tired of the same thing 20, 40, 50, 60 years in and on some years may say, "Let;s do something different this years." I know I have heard of a loit of families that do that. Please be sure to list a couple of recipes.
Thanks 
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/7/2009 5:37:38 AM | | Tradition seems to be what's in our house. Even when I'm alone on Thanksgiving, which is every year, I make myself a small traditionally Thanksgiving meal with turkey and all the fix'ins. There has been a few times when I ended up in a Chinese restaurant on the holidays but other than that it's been turkey. | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/7/2009 9:31:03 AM | Good god woman.. I'm coming south!! I am coming south!!!!!
sheesh do I have to marry a mexican to get that kind of food in my area? ... can't even find a market that has most of the ingredients *cries*
what you described is my dream of my golden years.. my boys all grown, married with kids of their own and grandkids all in my home eating a festive meal prepared by MOI
I already cook like a grandma *giggles*
I also tend to mix things up during holidays..
last xmas, I served seafood
a big pile of crab legs and HUGE tiger prawns with gorgeous crystal bowls of seasoned garlic butter for dipping....organic salad, fresh fruits, steamed veggies and the staple stuffing and cranberry sauce
one year, I added japanese to the traditional xmas fare serving sushi, yakisoba, beef teriyaki and tempura
nothing wrong with mixing things up | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/7/2009 10:25:18 AM | | my family usually does a traditional thanksgiving and christmas get together.. with the typical holiday food... but my sis that usually does christmas broke with tradition last year and we had a "Cajun Christmas" and OMG was it great! This year she is planning an all Irish meal.... I think I will suggest a mexican one for next year... sounds wonderful! | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/7/2009 3:47:10 PM | Tex Mex Holidays
Our turkey was traditional but Grandma's / Moms cornbread dressing with Tex Mex spices was/is the star of Thanksgiving...Mom made the dressing like if she were making a corn bread, but she added celery, onion, bell pepper, Raisins, Pecans, crushed tomato and cumin, sugar, pork fat and turkey gibblet broth.
mashed potatos
green beans and new potatos
corn
brocoli cassarole
sweet yams
and potato rolls
Christmas was loose, Dad made his Ham wirh brown sugar, pineapple, and raisins
Mom made german Potato salad
she made pork and beef tamales
meat tamales with raisins
I have a sister that doesnt eat meat, so mom made pinto bean and cheese tamales
she made meatless tamales with just black olive and mushroom...based on our favorite pizza...They were the kids favorite.
if you toasted the tamale on a gridel the corn masa tastes like fritos... to grill a couple of tamales on a comal with a cup of coffee early christmas morning is a nice tradition. | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/7/2009 4:41:20 PM | Mesa, i don't mess much with Thanksgiving, but Christmas I will play around with.
I have heard of people going to Chinese Restaurants on holidays, but never actually knew anyone who did. Interesting thought. I bet it is kind of fun to be ne of the only ones in there and them catering to you.
Tigress, I live in Michigan now, way north! LOL
Believe me, I would have to have GOOD and SURE help of maybe 6 die hard people to tackle that meal anymore. That is a lot of work.
I have also done the seafood meal at Christmas, but I always have sushi, sashimi and shrimp and oyster****ail on New Years Eve with champagne or prosecco, so I do not go there at Christmas.
If you want that big fun time with your children and grandchildren, you will probably have it. It is my dream too, but ever since my children left home, we have not had one single time together yet and it has been 10 years.
Beachglass, Cajun Christmas, Irish Christmas, all sounds wonderful!!! You wil love doing a Mexican Christmas too. Sounds like a lot of fun.
SA, so nice to see you and I am so glad you posted. I knew your family did a real fusion of Tex-Mex so I wanted to see what it was. Sounds like your holidays were more Tex-German influenced than anything else, but in your area that makes a lot of sense. MMM have to try the grill toasting and see if it tastes like fritos LOL. Nice to see your threads in here again.
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 4:43:59 AM | Sam,
On re-warming tamales on the comal...
put the flame very low, keep the tamale in the husk, and flip once you hear the crackling sounds. about 10-15 min on either side.
try eating at diffrent stages...re warmed but still soft..., left a little longer and they start to firm up, then the toasted stage... | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 8:23:59 AM | Tigress, I live in Michigan now, way north! LOL
.....you're still south of the border from me
It is my dream too, but ever since my children left home, we have not had one single time together yet and it has been 10 years
^^
My parents are deceased and I'm an only child so since its just me and my two boys therefore I make a point to create elaborate meals during holidays and sometimes.. any ol' day...
because there is something so beautifully unifying .. bonding ... about sitting at the table with family eating a meal that was slaved over a hot stove for hours with love by the mama that is so endearing 
darn rights those boys are going to continue to sit at the table well into their old ages if i can still slave over a hot stove 
as for the mexican ingredients... it's so scarce to find good quality up here, I've yet to taste a GOOD corn (yellow) tortillas like the ones I had living in Chicago. Used to make delicious breakfast burritos with them which had sausage, scrambled eggs, sharp chedder and homemade salsa.
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 10:12:43 AM | Lol,, that's what we had for breakfast this morning at my house.
Once my job took me to live in a place where there were no good tortilla to be found. So, my Mom sent me a box full, about once a month, as long as I lived there. Now, I live in Texas where good tortillas are easy to find.
I grew up in New Mexico and miss the Mexican food, especially at holidays. Tamales and other good things were right there, along side the turkey and stuffing. I can't imagine New Year's Day, without a big pot of menudo. I still make it, altho it's not authentic,, my friends used to tease me about making "white girl" menudo. I guess it's closer to posole..
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 10:22:39 AM | | Im about to go get some carnitas...my molino is doing something I dont see everywhere, the are frying small loop links of kielbasa sausage...so along with the tripas, carnitas, chicharones...I have the added temptation of fried sausage... | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 10:39:56 AM | SA, who is Sam??? LOL I am definitely going to try the heated to toasted thing with a tamale, as soon as I make some LOL I really do want to do that this winter. I have been craving them for a while and cannot even find a decent one at any of the local Mexican restaurants. I always want to ask...WHICH Mexico are you people from??? This stuff is not Mexican food, yet everyone in these places is Mexican. I don't get it. Maybe they are trying too hard to make it Michiganized.
MMMM MMMMM that is a good breakfast girls!!
Tigress, I cannot get a yellow corn tortilla here to save my life. I have even looked in Detroit. They may be there and I just wasn't in the right place, but maizeca is all I can find. It will do, but yellow corn has become an inner obsession. Do you know we do not even get yellow corn tortilla chips here??? If it isn't white, it isn't on the shelf. Is this a national trend????? God help me if it is.
TB, I keep trying to get people to mail me care packages, but they never seem to remember to get the stuff at the store. I even sent a couple of them money! LOL I finally said at their birthday or something, go get yourself a present with it! LOL I want several things I can't get here...YELLOW corn tortillas, Woodys Cookin Sauce, and Grub Rub. I so miss those things, plus liver, brains, turkey tails, etc... I can only get duck and tongue for 2 months out of the year. Even a decent turkey. I can only find all white meat ones here, not regular ones with dark meat. Is anyone else having this problem?? This place is mind numbing in it's limitations. Can you believe you cannot buy liver here???? Of any kind?? Except on rare occasion beef liver, deep frozen in slices. Hmmm I have never heard of a place that doesn't even sell chicken livers before coming here. Something is terribly wrong up here. Meat in general is off the charts expensive and every store gets it prepackaged from some warehouse. They do not have meat cutters in stores and you cannot order anything.
I have one guy that gets grass fed organic stuff, but boy does he CHARGE for it. Even the butchers, who really only do game, charge an arm and a leg for all of the game they get in. I order many things online, but the shipping is what really burns me.
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 11:55:55 AM | Sam...im using your nom de plume, email me for some of the stuff your looking for. I send care packages to my uncle in Denmark...
I have aunt and cousins in the Homer MI area? they seem to get what the need there? are you far from Homer/Litchfield?
I know there is a place called The Texas Tamale Warehouse that is starting to deliver...check out on line. | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 3:11:14 PM | OOOOOOO Sam, I LOVE it!! I have always thought Sam was such a cool name for a girl or a guy.
Man I had to look Homer up. I kept moving the view of the map out further and further and further, then I finally saw where it is. I have always heard there was a Mexican community in the southern part of Michigan, is that it? I live about 3 hours NW of there. No one ever seems to know where it is to tell me. The Mexican workers in restaurants up here all work for this company that recruits them from border states and gets them citizenship. They move them every 6 months to a different city in a different state until they are fully acclamated and ready to be fully functioning citizens with full citizenship. They rent houses for them where 4 or 5 stay. I met one of the company owners. He is a Hispanic man that truly wants to help his people. He welcomes them to stay with his restaurants and become managers, but most do not. I know many of the workers told me that the food is a little different in each state they have been in, so I am assuming he is changing it to meet the local taste. When someone does stay and become manager, they usually get married immediately and raise a family in the restaurant. I so enjoy going to visit the people, a lot more than the food.
There is one restaurant owned by just a single family in the town I used to live in that has some pretty good food, but it is still nowhere near the authentic stuff I got in Texas. I was told they have been here for several generations, though. They would special make anything I asked for, which was sooooooooo wonderful for me, so generally, other than my staple rellenos, I would order grilled steak fajitas with crispy American bacon, chorizo, poblanos instead of bell peppers, grilled jumbo shrimp, caramelized tomato and onion, garlic, jalapenos with big sides of pico de gallo and guacamole with both corn and flour tortillas. They said I was the only person they ever saw eat fajitas without rice, beans, lettuce, cheese and sour cream in the tortilla, except their old aunt and uncle. I said, "Not for me, thank you." I never saw anyone do that until Taco Bell came up with it. To me that just isn't good eats, but I realize that is just me. A lot of people like that combo. I am not much into the fluff.
If you are serious, I will send you money and a list for December. That would be the best Christmas present I have had in YEARS. I should just suck up the heat and move back to Texas and talk you into opening a restaurant with me, where we do an internet business. I would really enjoy that. Thank You SA 
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 4:16:02 PM | That prompts another question...
Which state in Mexico do you want cuisine from???
If you want true mexican food that most people think of as authentivc, then a REAL border town in Texas is about the only place you can cross the border that easily.
Crossing over to Baja from California you will get real Mexican Baja food, but since it has had Chinese and sweet influences for hundreds of years, most people never think it is authentic, even though it is very purely authentic. See my explanation in this thread, msg 24
http://forums.plentyoffish.com/datingPosts7385324.aspx
Then you have the Yucatan (Campeche and Quintana Roo) seafood style of cooking Holy Mother that is awesome. There is Tampico style
Tlaxcala
Guadalajara
Acapulco
Oaxaca
Jalisco (most related to TexMex)
Chihuahua (often what I think of as good casa authentico)
Tabasco
Vera Cruz
Zacatecas (really different and interesting mountain food)
Michoacan (a lot of Italian influence but also good authentico in what I am used to)
Sonoran (which I think had the most influence over New Mexican food)
Mexico City has authentic Mexican food that has been influenced from every nation in the world, especially German, Arabic, Turkish, Chinese and Italian
Each area, and I didn't name every state or every style, has a different type of food. You may have to be more specific as to what you want or want to experience. How fun is that??!!! 
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 4:29:43 PM | Oh, I meant to post this to TB....
White Girl Menudo????? 
What is White Girl Menudo??? This I have to hear LOLOL
I have to say, there is only one pork dish ONE that makes me drool and crave pork and that is Pozole`. I love that stuff or any chopped down version, for instance I make a chopped down version without the hominy and a little thickened that I pour over a refried bean burrito with sharp cheddar and onions in it, then put a thick stripe of sour cream down the center of that burrito and eat with some chips for the extra sauce. OMG that is GOOD! How can you not swoon with the flavors of Pozole and refried beans???
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 5:08:01 PM | I am sorry, I guess I should really call that Pork Green Chile Stew, because pozole` would indicate the hominy.... I love the hominy, but it is the rest of the dish that makes me swoon LOL
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 5:56:07 PM | SS,
In my part of Alexandria every grocery store has Mexican food sections, some quite extensive, and there are many small stores specializing in Mexican, Central and South American food. Let me know what you're looking for and I'll see if I can find it.
Except for the year I made raspberry liqueuer and hazelnut glazed chicken breasts instead of turkey, I've never really played much with my family's holiday food traditions. But depending on what house I ended up at there was always something different, something in addition to the usual turkey, ham, stuffing, etc. At my Dad's there would be corn pudding, ribs and/or chittlins (although almost no one but him would touch those). My brother-in-law is French and does most of their cooking, so there might be a couple of things from his childhood, like lamb, on the table. My aunt could come up with almost anything from almost any part of the world, just because she likes to try new things and a holiday crowd is a captive audience. Best holiday surprise so far...crab cakes! | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 6:04:35 PM | White Tigress, looks like you might have some places there in BC...
Dona Cata mexican food in Vancouver and Poncho's
Both have some dishes that look good. Dona Cata looks more home style, the rice and beans looked good, kinda pricy but Im spoiled. The Taquitos of pork and chicken looked good, and the have goat barbacoa.
They say Poncho's has been around for 20 years and the locals love it...some of the stuff looked over the top, but the enchilads and taquitos/fluatas look Cal-Mex good.
I would try either one, I would ask for a plate of rice and beans a la carte, if that tastes good, then the rest should...both places had good looking beans and rice.
Look at their web sites... | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/8/2009 7:02:45 PM | *looks into Poncho's*
Gasp!! $9.50 for coffee?!... ahhh, it comes with a show
seems like basic fare that I could make at home .. kinda like an upscaled taco bell lol
perhaps Sam can move up here and open a restaurant?? 
OH LA LA!! Dona Cata!!!
you are an angel SAguy... next time I get a breakaway with gfs.. I'm heading there!
Ever in Van guys (sam and SA)... you know where I'm taking you  | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/9/2009 12:41:33 AM | Okay, get ready for a real laugh, because here is a doosey.
I am writing this at 3:21am Sunday night/Monday morning. At 11pm on Friday night I rubbed a good combination of spices and a touch of sugar into a couple of packages of beef plate ribs. I knew I only had about 30 minutes to mess with them on Satuday,, which they were due for a honey tangerine ginger garlic hot chile 5 spice glaze and a pop in a 500 degree oven to crisp and sweeten. They are supposed to be braised in Asian spices, beer and tangering juice for a half a day first. I decided I would just put them in the slow coocker with all of that and then take them out the next day, glaze and cook the last step.
Well, I was apparently tired and distracted because I stuck them in the slow cooker with the spice rub, turned it to the lowest setting and never came back to put in the beer and tangerine juice. In fact, I never came back to them at all.
A few minutes ago I walked into my kitchem, planning to make some tea to curb the stomach growling after looking at a HOST of flickr pictures from a 5 loaves website where the Dona Cata and about 20 other Asian, Indian, Greek and Mexican food restaurant pictures of the dishes these two guys ordered around Vancouver. My mind was drooling out my ears.
I did a double take at my slow cooker when I turned on the light, then remembered the ribs. I work a lot on the weekend and rarely ever go in my kitchen those days. I looked at them and checked the temperature, then tasted. What had happened was I have created the perfect BEEF carnitas LOL. I have never had a BEEF carnita, but here they are. The meat is like silk on the inside and very crispy in the outside. They have been cooking in their own fat for 2 days with lots of spices. I couldn't help myself. I wanted to grab a corn tortilla, onions, cilantro and avocado fast! I even have tomatillos for making a proper salsa tomorrow. Alas, all I have are sweet onions and my cilantro only had a tiny bit left that was good, so I grabbed some tiny chow fun (rice noodles) made with a little beef broth, added some of the meat and the bit of cilantro I had, then put in a spoonful of hot red chile sauce.
Tomorrow, the Asian ribs are no more, but the BEEF carnitas will reign supreme! I will be armed with hot onions and fresh cilantro, even more avocados, just in case. I cannot wait!
I sure hope I can sleep. Never look at food blogs when you are hungry and it is late. I can easily go to bed a little hungry when it is this late, but walking into such a sublime surprise, no way. I melted. Oh, I better be sure I have limes!
SS | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/9/2009 8:25:25 PM | OMG, all of my pushing, pushing, pushing of my local grocery store managers has paid off to some extent! I went shopping this evening for the items i need for my wonderful carnitas, which I am about to consume I even bought a Modelo Negro to go with it  I am gonna be a happy person!  without the cigar. LOL
Oh, back to my store trip... I got 3 kinds of dried chiles and 4 kinds of fresh. I got corn husks for tamales. I got gorgeous fruit!! Pineapples HUGE for $2, all kinds of citrus, some of which I am going to preserve, fresh heavy coconuts that have been scored, pork for pozole` for $1 per #, habaneros, perfect sized pie pumpkins 2 for $3 (I got 4) which I am filling with custard and baking for Thanksgiving, white raspberries still waiting for the orange ones and black ones, 6 large Hass avocados for $4, piloncillo! and so much more, but now Mexican oregano. This is an epoch in my town. Never has any of this been so abundant, available or so cheap. I got a car full ond still have 50% of my food budget left for the month. And much of it was organic!! LOLOL I feel as though I have greatly impacted my community in a positive way.
Now I have to go make my carnitas tacos! LOL I will see if I have any working batteries to take a pic and post it.
SS | |
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| Mexican Christmas or even Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/9/2009 10:50:37 PM | Well ladies and gentlemen, I just wish you all could have dinner with me, it was really good.
I forgot to say at the store I also got fresh tamarind!! I am in shock! Also, Meyer lemons, clementines and celeriac which they have never had in this town before! I got the pics with the tamarind, a corona I found!, one of the pie pumpkins and the smallest pineapple in the pic as well, but I don't have a browse button on my pic page to upload anything. Hope it is working soon. Dang.
Here is my recipe for...
Salsa Verde
6-8 tomatillos, cut in quarters and put in blender
4-8 jalapenos or serranos, depending on heat, deseed or not, your choice, remove stems, cut in quarters and put in blender
1 bunch cilantro, washed, dried, large or any woody stems removed, rough chop and add to blender
6 large sprigs of fresh oregano removed from stem, add to blender
1 tsp salt
apple cider or a wine vinegar
Puree everything, using only enough vinegar to make a puree, no more.
1 large white hot onion, mince and put in large heavy skillet with a few drops of oil, turn to low
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed and added to skillet, cover and let these sweat.
Once onions are translucent, add tomatillo/chile puree and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove and use right away, or put in sterilized jar with tight fitting lid and refrigerate. Yummy stuff!
SS | |
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