"Cinco de Mayo"

Hola mi gente,
So here we go again…..”Cinco De Mayo” is upon us….Arriba Arriba Arriba!  The truth of the matter is that “Cinco de Mayo” is not a celebrated holiday much less a celebrated tradition in Mexico.  “Cinco de Mayo” is for nosotros in the U.S. to observe Mexican heritage and pride or so we are taught in school.  More so this day is for us Gringos to enjoy our Margaritas, Tequila and Mezcal as thoughts of big sombreros and dancing start popping around in our heads.

The facts are that “Cinco de Mayo” is really the defeat of the French at the “Batalla de Puebla” on May 5, 1862.  Even though this battle was of importance to Mexicanos, the actual day of Independence is el “16 de Septiembre”.  Mexico gained it’s independence years before “Cinco de Mayo”

Mexican Independence marks the day in 1810 when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called for the people of Mexico to rise up against Spanish rule, which led to a 10-year war to break with the monarchy.  La tradicion in Mexico is marked “Hidalgo-style” with the ringing of church bells and “el grito,” or the “cry of independence”, in town squares across the country.  Celebrations are kicked off by the Mexican President shouting “Viva Mexico” around midnight at the Zócalo in Mexico City, one of the largest public plazas in the world.  A day of parades and public celebrations follow.

Now that we have had our history lesson, go out and enjoy un tequilita or two, or tres tomorrow...

To help get you started on the right path, here is a recipe for un “Perrito Salado” que esta bien rico.

1 serving
1 lime, quartered
Kosher salt or margarita salt
1 ½ ounces of Patron Tequila
1 cup of grapefruit juice

Directions:
1. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a tall glass, then dip rim in saucer of salt.
2. Fill glass 1/3 full with ice, add tequila and a squeeze of lime juice, then fill with grapefruit juice. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Signing off Latina Diva 1,

Hasta la proxima mi gente y que “Viva Mexico”!

Celebracion

Hola mi gente,


How excited are you all about this coming weekend?  I know we are.  This weekend will be all about celebracion.  Viva Mexico, its Cinco the Mayo!!!!

Family gatherings, comida mexicana, drinking beerritas and eating margarita cupcakes.  Jajajaja!!   DELICIOUS oh yes and I almost forgot, who will you guys be rooting for Cotto or Mayweather?  Don't forget about the undercard fight Canelo vs. Sugar Shane.  Canelito is from Guadalajara folks we have to root for the Mexicano.   Como dije this is going to be an exciting weekend.

Later on this week we will be posting delicious "Cinco de Mayo" recipes so stay tuned.

Hasta la proxima mi gente!!!

"Happy Feet" Birthday Party

Earlier this year my nephew turned 2 yrs. old. His birthday party theme was “Happy Feet”.  Since he was born in January it was perfect.  The decorations included snowflakes and white poms poms hanging from the carport.  The invitations helped set the tone of the party with the “Happy Feet” theme. Thanks to Luz Designs and Photography, the invitations came out awesome.  The main attraction was the desert table.  A winter wonderland delight consisting of homemade cookies, cupcakes, and cakeballs filled the table.  The cake balls were penguins. Let me tell you para que furera la primera ves they came out pretty good.  My sister and I had lots of fun.  Thanks to Bakerella for the inspiracion.

Signing off Latina Diva 2,

Hasta la proxima mi gente!

 

Chilaquiles y Refried Beans with Queso Fresco

Hola mi gente. It's been a week since we posted something, but esta semana pasada was crazy. The weekend was too short, I wish it was longer. On Sunday for breakfast my husband cooked and let me tell you it was delicioso. He cooked chilaquiles with refried beans y queso fresco. Y eso que no me gusta el huevo.

He started off by taking a stack of tortillas and cutting them up in small pieces that look like squares. He poured oil in a pan and let it heat up. He then toasted the tortillas. In a different pan he cooked bacon, once the bacon was fully cooked he then crumbled it and mixed it in with the tortillas. After he mixed the tortillas and bacon, we opened up a can of Rotel salsa and mixed it in.  He let it cook for 5 minutes more. He then cracked four eggs over the chilaquiles and mixed everything together.

For the refried beans we opened a can of Bush refried beans and let me tell you they were as good as the home made frijolitos. In a separate pan we chopped onion and sauteed it. Once the onion was sauteed we mixed the beans and added a little bit of Knor Suiza and garlic powder. To top it off then we shredded some queso freco(La Vaquita) and we garnished the beans with the queso on top.

The Chilaquiles tasted amazing.

Hasta manana mi gente.

Latina Diva 2.

Viernes Santo

       
Viernes Santo is the main celebration of Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Easter, por supuesto, is the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Claro, it all gets started with Lent 40 dias before.  As Christians we believe that during this time to commemorate our faith we must repent for our sins with such things as fastening and haciendo penitencia.  Now that we have the religious references out of the way on to the part that as ninas we looked forward to the most….the Comida.    


This day to us means comida rica y mucha comida by the way and time with the familia. Remember folks during Cuaresma we give up carne roja on Fridays so we have to make up for it with all these other platos deliciosos.  Our fondest memories are going to Mexico for Easter and on Viernes Santo nuestra Abuelita would be in the kitchen cooking nopales en salsa, tortas de atun, papas en chile rojo, pescado empanizado, tortas de papa, arroz, orejones, lentejas the list goes on and on.  Man, la boca se nos hace agua just typing it. Memories of our Buelita cooking her butt off keep strolling through our minds.  Of course she would have help from our mom and tias, but she would be the one running the kitchen like the head chef that she was. Barking out orders “hazlo haci y ponle mas de esto”, we can still hear her now jajaja.  She wouldn’t let us taste anything until everything was done. The only people that would taste the food would be the cooks, dichosas ellas.  It smelled so good, you could smell the food all the way to the street.



And that was just the main course portion of it.  For dessert she would make capirotada,and arroz con leche.  Capirotada is like bread pudding, and arroz con leche is like rice pudding but “Mexican” style.  By the time the comida was done all of us would sit together and ya’ll know familias Mexicanas are not small, and we would all eat the amazing food.  We would laugh and enjoy the feast.  Even though our Buelita ya no esta con nostros la tradición vive with our tias in Mexico, our tia in California, my mom and it will be passed down to us as well. Yes Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior but it’s also the memories, the great food, the time with familia, the tradicion of growing up Catholic and Mexicanas.


So enjoy your Viernes Santo and Happy Easter.  We are off to eat some comida de cuaresma. 

Signing off Latina Divas 1 y 2

Hasta la proxima mi gente.
                                                 

Nopales en salsa, tortas de atun, papas en chile rojo, pescado empanizado, tortas de papa, arroz, orejones, lentejas.

Capirotada

                                                                                                       

The Purple Dinosaur "Barney"

Recently I created some center pieces, the theme of the party was Barney. I know, know, BARNEY, .....right? Who even still watches that show? Well I was surprised when my client said her niece was a big fan. Well a few days went by and I could not get inspired. "Ay Dios Mio" and I was only so limited on the images I could use.

After a week of brainstorming I found a way to create these arreglos. They weren't as hard as I thought they would be. My client was very satisfied with the finished product. She sent me pictures of the centerpieces. The arreglos were a big hit at the party. I will close this off with a song we all know, so please sing along with me, "I love you , you love me, we're a happy family".

Signing off Latina Diva 2,
Hasta la promixa mi gente.

Barney Centerpieces 

Our Roots

Nuesta madre is from a place called "Rancho la Tapona", it’s a rural town deep in Mexico. We have only been there a few times in our life.  Nuestro padre is from Brownsville, TX.  They both met in Houston and have been married for over 36 years.  We have one brother who we adore.  Growing up as second generation Mexican-Americans has made us well rounded, since we have been influenced by both our cultures.  Having the good fortune of knowing such rich cultures has given us our strong Latina identities and has empowered us to grow as individuals.  We are both married and have wonderful families of our own.

Thanks for joining us in all our aventuras and as we say in Spanish "Hasta la proxima mi gente!"