Spicy cayenne pepper in the cream cheese layer of these brownies provides a fiery contrast to the sweetness throughout. When I first created this recipe four years ago, it was during the Blogging From A to Z blogfest for which I created a recipe for every letter of the alphabet. To fill the slot for […]
Grilled Corn & Jalapeño Queso Dip
Grilling your summer corn is a really good idea. Know why? Because when it’s hot and muggy outside any excuse to not boil water and to leave the stove turned off is a good thing. And also because grilled corn tastes so good! The smoky flavor and rugged char marks on the kernels make grilled […]
Chopped Taco Salad with Peppers, Beef & Sweet Corn
The salad is a hearty blend of fresh peppers, tomatoes, and corn plus seasoned ground beef and shredded cheese. Catalina dressing may sound like an unlikely sauce for this salad, but trust me – it is so delicious in combination with the taco-spiced meat and the crisp veggies. This dish has been a favorite of […]
Savory Shredded Pork & Cornbread Pie
A few years back I took on a month-long challenge of making a pie for every letter from A to Z – which means I was basically making an entire pie every day of the week for that whole month. Almost all of these pies were sweet, and as I prepared to put together yet […]
Spicy Beef & Chorizo Empanadas
Hand pies, pasties, turnovers. Hot Pockets! Little hand-held meat pies have many names but they are all so delicious. (Except the Hot Pockets.) A circle of pastry holds cooked meats plus if desired potatoes, vegetables, and seasonings. Once baked or fried up they are a perfectly portable meal. Plus, there is always something special about […]
2nd Annual Taco & Margarita Cook-Off
This post may contain affiliate links. Over the summer we hosted our second annual Taco & Margarita Cook-Off. Last summer’s Taco & Margarita Cook-Off was a huge hit, and one that everyone was eager to see change from a one-and-done theme to an annual celebration. We easily had twice as many people at this cook off […]
Easy Taco Dip
This Easy Taco Dip was shared with me by my daughter Haley, and it was shared with her by her roommate Sarah! Haley says they make it quite often in their dorm at college. She and Sarah must be on to something, because this Taco Dip netted Haley the win for the Best Hot Dip […]
Taco Bean Dip
This recipe was the Dip Cook-Off entry from the Osman family, Audrey, Dan and Emma! This bean dip is layered full of flavor, including the surprising ingredient: peach salsa! It gives a sweetness to the savory taco ingredients. I confess to eating all of the leftovers of this dip myself in the days following our […]
Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake with Caramel Sauce
My favorite Mexican dessert flavors inspired this cake. Cinnamon which I most recently had in Mexican fried ice cream and in churros. Chocolate and chile: any time my mom sees a chocolate bar with chili peppers she grabs one for me. It’s so satisfying to sink into the deep chocolate and then feel the hit […]
¡Delicioso Cinco de Mayo Party Food Recipes!
It’s almost May 5th! Cinco de Mayo! I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel like this celebration always sneaks up on me – often on the morning of the cinco de mayo. Sometimes there is a scramble to put together a plan for going out to a bar or local Mexican restaurant. Or […]
Haley’s Garlic & Lime Guacamole
As the recipe name tells you, this is my daughter Haley’s recipe for a superb guacamole. She throws this dip together pretty quickly for a snack with plenty of tortilla chips. All I have to do is leave some avocados and limes on the kitchen table… she cannot resist the lure of the lovely green. […]
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Cups
Last summer I found some clever taco serving dishes, with ridges to make the taco shells stand up. Quite convenient for filled tacos which otherwise are left to flop over on your plate, spilling their contents or to live in your hand until you eat the whole thing. I came up with this recipe to […]