Black Bean & Corn Salad

This delectable dish may be eaten with a spoon or "salsa" style with tortilla chips. Either way, it is sure to delight your taste buds! I make black bean & corn salad quite often in the Summer months because of the availability of fresh produce. I usually serve it alongside grilled BBQ chicken and another side; either garlic mashed potatoes or fresh fruit. If you are feeling especially adventurous, you can grill the corn over an open flame and cut directly off the cob.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans (14.5 ounces)
1 can yellow corn or freshly grilled corn, cut from cob (14.5 ounces)
12-15 cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (or leave seeds if you like mucho heat!)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, cut in small squares
2 tblsp. olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, diced (optional)
salt & pepper

Directions:
Drain and rinse beans with cold water. Drain corn and add to beans. Add tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, basil, lime juice, avocado, olive oil and red onion, if desired. Mix gently with large spoon. Salt & pepper to taste.
(Sometimes, I add more lime juice because my husband really likes the citrus flavor in this dish.)
Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Zebra & Turquoise Birthday Cake

I love to be in the kitchen, but I must be honest; fondant cakes are not my forte. It takes me a tremendous amount of patience and strength to complete such a cooking project. I love the way these cakes look once completed, but I don't love the process that leads up to it. I made my first fondant cake about a year ago for my daughter's 11th birthday party. Well, of course she expected another fondant cake for her 12th. So, I let her choose the design and theme. It didn't take her long to exclaim she wanted a zebra cake with the color turquoise. Oh boy, here we go... Makenzie's 12th birthday cake was an 8" round and a 12" round. Both cakes were strawberry flavored and iced with buttercream icing. The bottom layer was covered in white marshmallow fondant, and the black zebra designs & decorative balls were also marshmallow fondant. The top layer was covered in turquoise marshmallow fondant. The flowers on top were not edible (I will eventually teach myself how to make gumpaste flowers). The fondant and buttercream icing were both homemade, and I made the fondant the night before. Total time in the kitchen for this project was around 5 hours. Makenzie loved her cake and it made quite an impression on her friends at the party. The time and effort put into the cake was most definitely worthwhile because it put a lasting smile on my child's face!

Burrito-licious

Have you ever had one of those "Homewreckers" from Moe's Southwest Grill? Well, this is my version and boy is it just as delicious (or more)! Since I already had chopped jalapenos and cilantro on hand from earlier today, I decided nothing must go to waste.


These burritos are super easy to make....and they went along nicely with the homemade salsa.

Ingredients:
1 package 8" flour tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
4 jalapenos, diced
small onion, diced
lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, chopped
small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 C white rice
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
cheese, shredded (monterrey jack is fabulous)
avocado, sliced

Spices:
cumin
anaheim chili powder
garlic salt
pepper

Directions: Put rice in small pot along with 1.5 cups of water. Bring to boiling point. Immediately reduce heat and cover. In a sautee pan, brown ground beef. Add onions and 1/2 of chopped jalapenos midway through cooking and sautee with meat. Season to taste with cumin, chili powder, garlic salt and pepper. Drain grease and set aside. Once rice is tender (after 20 minutes or so), spoon into clean sautee pan over medium heat. Add just enough tomato sauce to color the rice (maybe half the can) and sautee for a minute or two. Mix constantly so rice doesn't burn and stick to pan. Season to taste with chili powder and cumin. Remove from heat and spoon into bowl. Place tortillas on a microwave safe plate. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and heat 30 seconds. Take one tortilla and layer ingredients in this order: beef, rice, cheese, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, avocado, cilantro. (If you pile too much onto the tortilla, you will have trouble folding it. A little goes a long way, believe me.) Next, fold in sides of tortilla. While still pinching sides of tortilla, fold one side over filling and press/stuff tightly. Continue rolling until completely wrapped. Cut in half and serve with salsa and sour cream.

Salsa - the chip dip, not the dance :)

I can tell you there is nothing quite like being able to make your own salsa. For years, I have been buying the processed salsa in a jar. I know I've tried every brand that exists looking for that perfect blend, but somehow I'm always left disappointed. Dining at Mexican restaurants has always been greatly welcomed as I couldn't wait to devour the authentic salsa. To be honest, I'm not sure why I did not start making my own salsa a long, long time ago. In any event, I no longer have to trek any farther than my own kitchen. Thanks to a few pointers from my Mexican mother-in-law, I have finally attained that salsa perfection I have always desired.

Note: I have never worked with exact measurements for this recipe....each time varies a bit in texture and thickness, but it is nonetheless always DELICIOUS!



Ingredients:
8 Roma tomatoes (don't substitute)
2-3 jalapeno peppers, stems removed (depending on how much heat you want)
small bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cumin (or add more if you really like this flavor)

Directions: Place tomatoes and jalapenos in pot of water. Bring to a rapid boil. You need to let the veggies cook just until the tomato skin starts to wrinkle and peel off a little. Remove from heat. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes and jalapenos into blender. Add cilantro, onion, garlic salt & cumin. Press "chop" and allow ingredients to blend thoroughly. This should only take 10-15 seconds. Pour into large bowl - it will be steaming! (Chill in refrigerator or eat it steaming hot!) Season to taste with more salt if desired. Serve with chips.

Mexican Breakfast Casserole

I was inspired to make this dish today when my husband asked me to prepare something "tasty" for breakfast. After gathering several ingredients - eggs, fresh cilantro, jalapenos, hot sausage, cheese and tortillas - it really got my creative juices flowing. I knew I wanted to make a casserole; given the ingredients on hand, a Mexican casserole seemed perfect! Total prep time was around 20 minutes and actual cooking time was 30 minutes. As my husband was eating, he began to reflect on our honeymoon and the awesome brunch we shared at the Plantation Golf Course in Maui. If I can evoke memories like that through my cooking, I'll be in the kitchen for a long time to come. I would say today's casserole was definitely a success!

Ingredients:
four 8" flour tortillas
1.5 lbs hot sausage
1 small onion, diced
1/2 C cilantro, chopped
2 jalapenos, diced
8 eggs
1/2 C sour cream
2 C shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8x12 casserole dish with butter or cooking spray. Cut tortillas in strips and line dish with one layer of tortilla strips. Line with another layer of tortilla strips in a criss-cross fashion. Brown sausage in pan over medium-high heat until brown. Drain grease and set aside. In a separate pan, add olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add onion, jalapenos and cumin. Sautee until onions are slightly golden brown and jalapenos are tender. Add cilantro. Cook for another minute or two, just until cilantro is fragrant. Add vegetable mixture to sausage and mix well. In a blender, add eggs, sour cream, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Evenly spread sausage mixture on top of tortilla strips. Then slowly pour egg mixture, making sure to move around and cover entire area. Finally, sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve with salsa and sliced jalapenos (and maybe a Mimosa)!! For my authentic salsa recipe, click here.

Pura Vida

Welcome to my cooking blog! When I moved to San Diego in 2005, I had no idea what was in store for my little country self. There were so many new restaurants at my disposal it made my head spin. When my husband and I first began dating, he completely wooed me. Either by seaside or candlelight, we must have ordered from every menu containing some dish I could not pronounce. Most weekends consisted of an ethnic dinner followed by an hour or two of exhilarating salsa dancing. Needless to say, my exposure to such exquisite dining and international music spawned a passion for bringing those fancy plates to life in my own kitchen (and it sure didn't hurt that my boyfriend was Hispanic)! Now that we are happily married, my interest in international dining has evolved into a great love for cooking international cuisine and serving it to my family. For the time being, I've retired my salsa heels for an apron, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Que sabroso!