Tastes Like Home

I don't remember my Grandma baking very much when we were kids. She was an excellent cook and made the best pot of beans, skillet fried chicken and potato salad, just to name a few. I always loved her potato salad just after she made it when the potatoes were still warm and soft. She always saved a bowl for me to enjoy at room temperature while the rest of it went into the refrigerator. In July, we took a road trip and visited my cousin for his 1st birthday and stayed at my grandparents house. On our last night there we had a cookout and I was able to enjoy her potato salad again. It's little things like that that take me back to my childhood. My mom still makes potato salad, and while it's similar (and delicious), it's not my grandma's. 

This little guy had a field day playing with the ice cream maker. When he thought I wasn't looking, he'd stick his fingers in the top and sneak a few licks of gelato. At one point he even climbed up onto the island and tried to put his face into the machine. You could say he's a fan of this rice gelato, just like his momma. 

When my grandma did make "dessert" it was often a bowl of atole de arroz, which is kind of like rice pudding but not as rich or creamy. It's more of a rice porridge, made with white rice, sugar, water, milk and cinnamon sticks. During the summer months, a man would walk all over town pushing a cart of Mexican popsicles, called paletas. We called him "The Paleta Man" :-). And just like the ice cream truck, we'd hear him ringing his bell, run outside and flag him down as he approached our house. We would make our requests and he'd reach into his mint green chilled chest and pull out colorful treats on sticks. I liked the fresh strawberry and the rice paleta the best. The rice paleta was milky, creamy, lightly sweetened and had a dusting of cinnamon on it. What made it different from the rest was that it had nibbly bits of rice in it. I loved that. 

When I came across this recipe for Rice Gelato from The Perfect Scoop, I knew it would be making an appearance in my future. The original recipe called for adding strips of orange zest to the rice mixture, but cinnamon sticks seemed more up my alley. It's what reminds me of home, so that's what I used. I also added a bit of ground cinnamon to the mixture after the rice was cooked. The smell of the sweet rice cooking filled the house like perfume. This gelato is much creamier and richer than anything my grandma ever made, but this is gelato after all, and it should be creamy. The rice softens and plumps up during the cooking process- half of it is blended really finely and the other half stays whole for optimal texture.While this dessert is frozen and is great on an end of summer day, there's something about it that comforts and soothes the soul. And that to me, is the best of both worlds. 

Rice Pudding Gelato 

adapted from The Perfect Scoop

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• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 3 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 large egg yolks 
• 1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a 2 quart baking dish, mix together the rice, milk 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt. Add the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and cover the dish with aluminum foil. 

Bake for 1 hour. Remove the rice from the oven and remove the foil. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then continue to bake the rice, uncovered for an additional 30 minutes.

Remove the rice from the oven a second time, remove the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and briskly whisk in the egg yolks at once. Then whisk in the half and half or cream, round cinnamon and nutmeg.

Puree half of the rice mixture in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Then stir it back into the cooked rice.

Place the rice mixture in the fridge until completely chilled. Then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

NOTE: This gelato freezes really hard. Let it sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving, if necessary. 

Pie Or Cake?

I've been on a pie kick lately and I'm not sure why. Maybe because they're so versatile and can be sweet or savory, and can be served at any meal. Or maybe it's because they can be the meal and the dessert? I'm not sure, but I've been going through my cookbooks and bookmarking pies left and right. I hope you don't get tired of them because it seems that 2012 is the year of the pie. Move over layer cake! Did I just say that?

This month The Cake Slice Bakers chose to make Boston Cream Pie. I realize it's not actually a pie, but a cake, but who cares when you have vanilla cake sandwiched with thick pastry cream and topped with velvety chocolate ganache? I almost made this for my Pie Party, but I ran out of time so I made it for our Super Bowl get together. Classy right? Picture it- Spicy Buffalo Wings, Chips and Queso, Baked Corndogs, Veggies with Dip, Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Puffs and Boston Cream Pie on a Pedestal. haha! It's a little contradictory but it's never a bad time to eat cake. Or pie. Which is it?

This cake is not hard to make, but you have to plan ahead when making it. It's a little laborious and time consuming, but it's rather simple as long as you read and follow the directions. Just be sure to make the custard ahead of time and have it well chilled so when you're ready to assemble this cake you're not having to wait on the filling. Now I'd love to say that this cake was a dream come true but to be honest I thought the actually sponge cake was a little dry. The filling and the topping were great though and I'd make those components again but I'd try a different recipe for the cake. I thought it dried out because I made it the night before but some of the other Cake Slice Bakers had the same issue. Keep that in mind if you give this recipe a try. If nothing else you'll end up with a very pretty dessert. And who doesn't love pretty?

Boston Cream Pie adapted from The Cake Book

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• 1 recipe Vanilla Custard Filling (make and chill prior to baking the cake)
• 1 recipe Hot Milk Sponge Cake
• 1 recipe Chocolate Glaze

For The Vanilla Custard Filling:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and the cornstarch, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk about 1/3 cup of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter until melted.

Immediately strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap, and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for two hours, or until well chilled.

Just before assembling the cake, transfer the custard filling to the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture at high speed until it is light and forms soft peaks, about 1 minute.

For The Hot Milk Sponge Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Position a rack in the center on the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan. Dust pan with flour.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt two times. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter and heat over medium heat just until the butter is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at high speed until blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat until pale and tripled in volume, about 6 minutes.

Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture in two more additions.

Reheat the milk mixture to just under a boil. Add it all at once to the egg mixture and gently fold it in. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes, until it springs back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Run a paring knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto the wire rack. Reinvert the cake, so that it is right side up.

For The Chocolate Glaze:

• 3 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the pan. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the glaze is smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the glaze to a small bowl. Cover the surface of the glaze with a piece of plastic wrap and let cool for about 10 minutes before using.

Assemble The Cake: Using a long serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally in half to make 2 layers.

Save the smooth bottom layer for the top of the cake, and place the remaining cake layer cut side up on a serving plate. Scrape the filling onto the layer and, using a small offset metal spatula, spread it into an even layer. Top with the other cake layer, cut side down.

Glaze The Cake: Pour the warm glaze over the top of the cake, allowing some of it to drizzle down the sides. Serve the cake immediately, or refrigerate.

Store in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to a day. Bring to room temperature before serving.

I've been getting emails and comments asking where Hayden is. You guys are funny! Here he is with his daddy looking at himself in the mirror. He looks at himself, smirks at the good looking boy staring back at him then starts giggling. When he's feeling grumpy, this cheers him up everytime. Maybe he's laughing at his momma, because I like to sing to Michael Jackson's "Man In The Mirror" to him when he does this, except I sing "I'm looking at the boy in the mirror". :-) I wish you all could just hear his laugh. It's the best sound in the world.

Summer On A Stick

Hello again! Did you guys miss me? I missed you! You'd think that being on bedrest would give me lots of free time to blog but I've been watching lots of TV and playing games on my iPhone and a friends' borrowed iPad instead. I'm addicted to Words with Friends, Hanging With Friends and a new game I discovered called BubbleXplode. CAN'T. STOP. PLAYING. I even got my MIL hooked on the bubble game ;-) I've read a few blogs in the past week, I just haven't commented much lately. You guys have been making some yummy things!

Just before I was placed on bedrest, I made these delicious pops. It's so stinkin' hot here--about 106 degrees F every single day! I just couldn't make myself turn the oven on, so I whipped up these bad boys. This pregnancy, I've craved key lime pie like nobody's business. Surprisingly, I haven't made one in awhile, but I want it often and never tire of it. It's just so refreshing and bright and so were these popsicles. More recently, I made coconut lime cookies and liked them so much that I knew these would be a hit. Just like the cookies, the coconut adds texture, while the lime is the star.

I really liked these coconut lime popsicles. The hubby, not so much. He took one bite, made faces because he thought they were too tart and tried to give his pop back to me. I ate mine in about 2 minutes flat, then finished off his. Yes, siree! I was expecting more of a coconut flavor, but was pleasantly surprised that they tasted like frozen key lime pie on a stick. Even the texture was the same- not icy, but creamy and dense. Delicious. I've got a couple left to last me the rest of the week and I'm glad that I don't have to share them.

Coconut Lime Popsicles adapted from Tish Boyle

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• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup cream of coconut
• 1/2 cup milk (whole or lowfat)
• grated zest of one lime
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. (I cooled mine in a bowl set in a water bath to speed up the process. The simple syrup (sugar and water) can be made ahead of time, though.)

Combine the remaining ingredients with the simple syrup in a blender and process until well blended and smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4-6 hours, or until firm.

Makes 3 cups of liquid or 8-10 pops

In pregnancy related news, I went to the doctor today for another check up. My blood pressure was good, but I still had protein in my urine. My condition still hasn't gotten any worse, so that's a good thing. I'm going to the doctor twice a week and the Mister and I are being monitored very closely. I'll find out next Tuesday just how big he's gotten. 2 weeks ago he was 4 pounds 1 ounce. Anyone want to take a wild guess at what his weight will be next week? Who ever guesses it correctly will get a little prize from me!

Our Bunny and A Cake

It's Cake Slice Time! And the cake chosen for this month was Tres Leches Cake from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott. If you've never had one, a tres leches cake is generally a white sponge cake soaked in a sweetened three milk mixture and topped with whipped cream. I had every intention in making the recipe as the recipe author intended but I have a chocolate loving husband and he turned his nose up to the milky vanilla version. He requested I make a chocolate version and so I did. I made minor changes to the recipe, like substituting cocoa in place of some flour and adding vanilla to the batter instead of lime zest in the milk sauce, but it added a big punch of flavor and changed the cake completely. My husband loved it!

Before I tell you more about this cake, I wanted to thank you all for your kind words regarding the loss of our sweet fuzzy bunny, August. We don't know the cause of his death, all we know is that is happened quickly. All his life he's had respiratory issues but the doctors were always perplexed by him. He'd express mucus from his nose and he'd gasp for air but as soon as he cleared it, he was fine. It happened periodically for really no reason at all and we'd help him along by suctioning and wiping. We changed his diet, we gave him different meds and we eliminated things one by one in his cage thinking it was environmental. This became a part of his life but he wasn't suffering or in pain- it was just an annoyance, kind of like allergies. We tried all kind of things to make his life better and made many midnight trips to the emergency vet and no one ever knew how to "fix" him.

On Wednesday morning he was having another episode. I held him and stroked his fur. He seemed fine then all of a sudden he began to thrash his legs and tried to escape from my grip. We tried to calm him down so he wouldn't hurt himself, but something was wrong. He kicked off of me and fell. I picked him up and noticed he was no longer struggling but he was still breathing. Moments later as Mr. H was holding him, he passed away and it just seemed to happen so fast. We think his passing was a result of being over stressed- they can can work them selves up and give themselves heart attacks along with the fall, though it was a very short one. He was more than a rabbit- he was a member of our family. We got him after the boys died and he's been a joy in our lives when we were at such a low point. His life, as I see it, was cut short, but while he was a part of our family he was very well taken care of and loved wholeheartedly. We miss him so much.

Now it's hard to jump from talking about the passing of our bunny to talking about a cake, so I will just wrap it up by saying that this cake was rich, creamy, delicious and wasn't too sweet. I added chocolate to the milk mixture, but leaving it plain or adding vanilla or almond extract would be great too. The recipe didn't yield enough milk mixture in my opinion so I've increased that amount in the recipe below. I topped my cake with sweetened cocoa cream and served it with berries. The recipe below reflects my changes- I cut the recipe in half and added chocolate, but if you're interested in the larger (9x13) vanilla version, click here.

Chocolate Tres Leches Cake adapted from Southern Cakes

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Adapted from this Original Recipe

Cake:

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cups (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk

Three Milks:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 oz. melted chocolate or chocolate syrup (optional)

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 8x8-inch pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder and stir with a fork to mix.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer at high speed to mix well.

Adds the eggs one at a time, beating well each time and stopping to scrape down the bowl now and then until the mixture is light, fluffy and smooth. Add the vanilla.

Add one third of the flour mixture and then half the milk, beating at low speed each time just until the flour or milk disappears into the batter. Add another third of the flour and the remaining milk, then the remaining flour in the same way.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes (mine took 40 mins), until the cake is golden brown, springs back when touched lightly in the center and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

While the cake bakes, make the milk sauce. You want the cake to still be warm when you add the milk mixture.

Milk Sauce: Combine the milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and the semisweet chocolate or chocolate syrup (if using) in a medium saucepan. Heat gently over medium heat, stirring often until the mixture forms a smooth, steaming hot sauce. Do not let it come to a boil.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before using.

To Finish: Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Poke holes with a toothpick all over the cake.

Slowly pour the warm milk sauce over the warm cake, in stages stopping to let the cake absorb the sauce before adding more. You may not need it all but you can add more later if you need it.

Let the cake stand at room temperature for one hour before covering and refrigerating. (I let it chill overnight, but a few hours is plenty). Top with cocoa whipped cream (recipe below) and serve it straight from the pan.

Cocoa Whipped Cream from Monica H

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

In a medium bowl, combine heavy cream, sugar and cocoa powder. Mix at medium speed til creamy and fluffy, but don't overbeat or you'll be left with a curdled mess.

Top the cooled tres leches cake with the sweetened cocoa cream. Serve with fruit if desired.

I was going to link this post to The Cake Slice Bakers blog so you could go check out their cakes, but for some unknown reason that blog isn't up and running at the moment. When that issue gets resolved, I'll link it up. Until then, I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Where Do I Begin?

Oh my goodness. I don't even know where to begin with this pie. It was amazing! Let's see, first it's made with a vanilla wafer crust. Don't buy the premade crust for this, it's so easy to make your own and it's better and fresher. Then it's layered with bananas, homemade vanilla pudding and more vanilla wafers. The original recipe called for a meringue topping, but I opted for whipped cream!

I made this for my father-in-laws 69th birthday a couple weeks ago. We took a day trip to a small town here in Texas and ate at a kitschy cafe supposedly known for their pies. We had lunch then ordered their pie sampler complete with 4 slices of pie and 4 scoops of ice cream. As the waiter brought it out, we started singing and the whole restaurant joined in. It was completely gluttonous but the birthday boy was surprised and happy so that's all that matters.

Look at all those luscious layers!

I was afraid that my father-in-law would be "pied out" and that my little ol' homemade banana pudding pie wouldn't live up to the famous restaurants pie but it did and he wasn't! And I have to say it was much better and way cheaper than their pies. It's really hard to compare though because they didn't have any cream pies on their menu and all their pies were made with traditional pie crust. This one was creamy and dreamy, sweet but not too sweet. The crust still had great texture and the bananas stayed firm, while the wafers in the center softened. All the ingredients just complimented eachother perfectly.

This really was an excellent pie and I will definitely make this pie again. My grandpa is a banana pudding lover and I know he'd love this version too! The recipe may seem long but I broke it down in steps so it would be easier to follow. Please read the notes and the recipe before heading to the kitchen to make this. The original recipe I have was in Southern Living Best Ever Cake & Pies Magazine and it's different than the one online and it's confusing so I've done my best to make it easier for you so you'll make this pie. Like for this weekend, maybe or an upcoming birthday?

Banana Pudding Pie
adapted from Southern Living

• Vanilla Wafer Crust (recipe below)
• Vanilla Pudding (recipe below)
• Whipped Cream (recipe below)
• 3-4 medium bananas, cut into slices
• 20 vanilla wafers plus more for decoration (see note)

Vanilla Wafer Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups (about 30) crushed vanilla wafers
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Vanilla Pudding:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

For the crust:
In a medium bowl, stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter until blended. Firmly press on bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool 30 minutes or until completely cool.
For the pudding: Whisk together sugar, flour, eggs, yolks and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 10-12 minutes or until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted. It must be thick and slightly bubbly to set up properly!) Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure to press the plastic directly on top of the custard so it doesn't get a "skin" on it. Refrigerate til completely cool. (Can be made up to a day in advance.)
Whipped Cream: In a medium bowl, whip cream on medium high speed til soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat til thick and stiff. Don't overbeat or you'll have butter!
Assembly: Arrange half of the banana slices evenly over bottom of cooled crust. Spread 1/3 of cooled pudding over bananas, then layer with 20 vanilla wafers. Spread 1/3 more pudding over vanilla wafers, then add the remainder of the banana slices and cover them with the last of the pudding. Spread the whipped cream over the entire pie and decorate with more vanilla wafers if desired.
The layers from the bottom up should be: vanilla wafer crust, bananas, pudding, vanilla wafers, pudding, bananas, pudding, whipped cream
Refrigerate at least for 4 hours. Overnight is best. Consume within 2 days.
NOTE: It's best to prepare the pudding in advance to allow it to chill properly. If you prefer this pie be topped with a meringue then there's no need to refrigerate the filling. See the original recipe here.
Also I used an entire box of vanilla wafers for the pie. If you want to decorate with additional wafers then get a second box to be on the safe side.

Make me. Eat me. Be happy.

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Oh and look at the newest addition to my cake stand collection. I have an obsession but I love them and I use them all. Well, except for one but I will eventually :-) I picked this one up at an antique market after we ate lunch for my FIL's birthday. It's so pretty and I'll be using it this weekend on my Easter buffet! It's the Harp design by Jeanette Glass in Ice Blue. ::sigh::

Bread n' Butter

This is my recipe submission for Rach's Monthly Baking Challenge. This month's theme was horses. Horses? huh? That's what I said. But it makes sense because Rachel is from Kentucky and earlier this month was the Kentucky Derby!

I tried to get original with this one, but I wasn't totally excited about any of my ideas and I didn't want to carve out a horse cake--not my idea of fun. So I thought about it....what do horses eat- hay? apples? I didn't like where I was going with that thought so I went back to the Derby idea. I immediately thought of Derby Pie, but I made that last year.

So I started to think about hats. Then my mind wandered toward the Red Hat ladies. They have a cookbook you know. No, not hats. How about bourbon!?! Duh. Then I started thinking of bread pudding with a bourbon sauce. But I don't really like bread pudding, though it seemed to be the only solid idea I had. My hubby likes bread pudding, so I stuck with it.

It was simple, came together quickly, was lightly sweetened, moist and addictive. Rather than serving this with a bourbon sauce, the caramel is cooked, the bourbon is added and it's all mixed in with the custard. This recipe says it serves "2 greedy people" but we got 3 servings out of it. Except we ate all 3 servings in one night. LOL.

I topped mine with a few mini chocolate chips while it was still warm.

Caramel Croissant Pudding from Nigella Lawson

serves 2-3

• 2 stale croissants
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (see note)
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Tear the croissants into pieces and put in a small gratin dish; I use a cast iron oval with a capacity of about 500ml/ 2 cups for this.

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan, and swirl around to help dissolve the sugar before putting the saucepan on the hob over medium to high heat. Caramelize the sugar and water mixture by letting it bubble away until it all turns a deep amber colour; this will take 3 to 5 minutes. Keep looking but don't be too timid.

Take the pan off the heat and add the cream - ignoring all spluttering - followed by the bourbon and milk. Whisk to mix, then still whisking add the beaten eggs. Pour this quickly over the croissants and leave to steep for 10 minutes.

Place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes and prepare to swoon.

NOTE: I baked my puddings in 3 individual ramekins, rather than one larger pan. They baked for 16 minutes and were perfect.

Also, make sure your cream is room temp before adding it to the caramel. This will keep your caramel from seizing up as much. You can do this by microwaving it for a few seconds.

Click here to see Nigella make her own croissant pudding!

Click here to see what Rachel made for this month's challenge!

Cinco de Mayo Two-fer: A Fiesta!

Living in Texas means we celebrate Cinco de Mayo- Spanish for the 5th of May. It is not a nationally recognized holiday in the US or in Mexico, but it should be. Cinco de Mayo is not the recognition of Mexican Independence (like most think), which is September 16th, but the commemoration of the Mexican army's defeat from the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Because Texas is adjacent to Mexico, there is a lot of Mexican influence here. That also means we have access to a lot of good food, appropriately called Tex-Mex cooking. Think tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales, tostadas, rice, beans, homemade fresh salsas, pico de gallo, guacamole, homemade flour and corn tortillas, flan and lots of margaritas! (Oh, I'm getting hungry!) I grew up eating this great food, so it's nothing new to me. I was raised by my grandma and she made 3 square meals a day for her family. This kind of food is my comfort and I hope you make it yours.

A few years ago I managed a bridal boutique (before you all swoon and say "oooh, how fun!" know it was hell!) and I had a bride who was getting married on Cinco de Mayo, which I believe was a weekday. She got married on 5-05-05 and celebrated with a party of close friends and family, eating great casual food and drinking great Mexican beer--with lime of course. I think that's a great idea, though you don't have to get married to enjoy what the Mexicans have to offer.

These recipes are very simple, I hope you'll make one of them soon- like tomorrow!

Tostadas

• corn tortillas
• vegetable oil for frying
• seasoned ground beef
• refried beans, canned or homemade
• grated Cheddar cheese
• lettuce
• tomato
• sour cream or guacamole

Preheat oven to 350 F. Set a cookie sheet next to your stove to collect hot tortillas.

In a small frying pan, pour enough veg/canola oil to cover the bottom. Heat oil to med-high heat. Carefully slide tortilla into hot oil with tongs. When tortilla puffs up and turns golden, flip it. They don't take long. Place on cookie sheet and transfer to oven to keep warm while you're preparing the rest of your ingredients.

Take tostada shells from oven. Be careful, they're HOT! Apply a thin layer of refried beans to each tortilla, then top with seasoned ground beef. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven til cheese is melted.

Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, more cheese and maybe even a dollop of sour cream or homemade guacamole.

NOTE: You can buy tostada shells in your grocery store next to the taco shells. I seasoned my ground beef with diced onion, minced garlic, cumin, paprika, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. You can use a packet of seasoning if you wish. I also used canned refried beans.

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My Mom's Tres Leches Cake

• 1 box white cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 1 cup milk
• sweetened whipped cream
• strawberries for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, eggs, water, oil and vanilla until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove cake from oven and let cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and regular milk til well blended. Poke cake all over with a skewer and pour milk mixture all over cake, pressing lightly to make sure milk is completely absorbed. It may seem really full, but it will all get absorbed.

(My mom concentrating and my crazy(!) teenage brother whipping the cream. It's a family effort.)

Refrigerate cake 1-2 hours til cool to the touch and the cake has absorbed all the milks. Top with sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

NOTE: My mom usually doubles this recipe and bakes it in a huge Pyrex. It's also really good with pineapple and chocolate cake mixes.

Don't forget the pinata! Ole'

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Milk Punch is something we make every year for the holidays, usually around Christmas and New Years. Sometimes we even have it with formal brunches- Easter, Mothers Day etc. There is a restaurant in town that has this every Sunday on their elaborate brunch menu. It is so good. We used to go, just to have the milk punch- seems crazy, I know. But it's that good. Then one year, they printed the recipe in the Wednesday food section of the newspaper. My MIL clipped it and has been making it ever since. But then she gave my husband the recipe and now he makes it.

My husband made this a few days ago for Christmas Eve and between 6 adults and an hour, this boozy punch was completely consumed. It has easily become my mother's favorite drink, and hopefully yours too. Cheers and Happy New Year!

Milk Punch from Green Pastures Restaurant

• 1/2 Gallon Quality Vanilla Ice Cream*
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Bourbon
• 1/4 cup White Rum
• 1 Jigger (1.5 oz.) Brandy
• Nutmeg for garnish, optional

Allow ice cream to soften (mostly melted, but not all the way) in carton, then pour into a 2 quart pitcher. Pour milk, bourbon, rum and brandy over melted ice cream and stir.

Serve in your favorite cocktail glass and sprinkle with ground nutmeg for garnish.

**Makes 2 Quarts/ Half Gallon**

NOTE: The pitcher may seem really full because you're adding half a gallon of ice cream to a half gallon (2 quart) pitcher, but it will melt down. Once you add the liquid, it will make 2 quarts, exactly. Can be made ahead of time, but it will taste stronger the longer it ferments. If you don't like it too strong, add a bit more milk.

*We prefer using Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla or Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream