Ranch Christmas is not like other Christmases. We don’t have pine trees. We don’t wear fur trimmed hats. The country road to the ranch next door is too dang long to go a’caroling. Forget all that snow culture...like snowball battles, making snowmen, snow angels, or snowflakes in your eyelashes…we don’t have any of that poetic snow-related jazz. We never have sleigh rides with jinglebells, but I can say we are familiar with the aroma of sitting upwind from a horse’s behind. Key Lime Icebox ...
On one of my visits to the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley Humanitarian Respite Center, I took a huge pan of arroz con pollo (chicken with rice) to the volunteers, as well as a pot of beans. At that moment, the Humanitarian Respite Center was at its old location, a small former evangelical church in a strip mall on the west side of downtown. The kitchen was cramped and crazy, and people were running in and out of the kitchen with Styrofoam bowls of soup for the migrants. I knew ...
Sitting on the couch doing nothing is my Sunday ritual. After church, after cooking lunch and after the dishes, I turn three circles around the velvet cushions of my sofa and curl up for some dream time. I don’t necessarily nap, but I put my mind in a snoozy mode, to think, to imagine and to follow rabbit trails of new ideas. Sundays are sacred like that. One of my standard Sunday meditations is how to improve myself as a food writer, and what it means to be at the top of one’s game ...
Making the dough for the crust... When the weather turns cool, pumpkin empanadas are a tradition around these parts. I love pumpkin flavor, and dulce de leche, so I thought I would put them together for a sweet holiday treat. Roasted Apple and Pumpkin Empanadas are great for Fall What I changed was taking out the sugar from the empanada, which actually allowed the delicate pumpkin flavor to shine through in this recipe. So, if you are cutting back the sugar this holiday, you might want ...
Isn't it funny how we eat bananas every day, we see them everywhere in the convenience stores and coffee shops, but we really can't grow them here in the United States? Just like coffee or tea, bananas are something that we can't live without. Banana Walnut Tea Cake is Better than Banana Bread But at the intersection of "Eating what I Love" and my chronic "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Syndrome," I am always attracted to those little bananas that no one seems to buy at the super market. ...
Pan de Campo (Country or camp bread) is one of my most requested recipes, so finally, here it is! We make it all the time here at the ranch, and even though it seems like just another biscuit, it is a tricky bread to make! Pan de Campo is a Ranch Tradition The way that you choose to bake it will change your experience entirely. Some people simply want to make pan de campo in their home oven, which is fine. The convenience of turning an oven on and off should never be forgotten by modern ...
Lemon Tres Leches Cake is an update of an old classic. No one can ever get enough of this delicious dessert, but finding the right recipe can be a challenge. Look no further, this is it. The Best Recipes on the Planet I can't say that I developed this recipe on my own. My stand-by reference for all recipes is the Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks. This was inspired by the 1968 edition of this annual publication. These recipes were tested over and over again by professional chefs, usually ...
Let's face it: Everyone eats too many potatoes. I do. You probably do. But life is short, eat potatoes...Enjoy them with butter, cream and cheese. If you somehow feel anxious about the amount of potatoes you eat, then simply eat some more. Make Hatch Chile Potatoes with Pepper Jack. You will soon forget your troubles. Hatch Chiles add Loads of Flavor One of the twists that I recommend for Hatch Chiles with Scalloped Potatoes with Pepper Jack is to vary the size of potatoes that you use in ...
Sitting on the couch doing nothing is my Sunday ritual. After church, after cooking lunch and after the dishes, I turn three circles around the velvet cushions of my sofa and curl up for some dream time. I don’t necessarily nap, but I put my mind in a snoozy mode, to think, to imagine and…
When the weather turns cool, pumpkin empanadas are a tradition around these parts. I love pumpkin flavor, and dulce de leche, so I thought I would put them together for a sweet holiday treat. Roasted Apple and Pumpkin Empanadas are great for Fall What I changed was taking out the sugar from the empanada, which…
Isn’t it funny how we eat bananas every day, we see them everywhere in the convenience stores and coffee shops, but we really can’t grow them here in the United States? Just like coffee or tea, bananas are something that we can’t live without. Banana Walnut Tea Cake is Better than Banana Bread But at…
Melissa Guerra is an 8th generation Texan, born and raised on a working cattle ranch in South Texas. She is a self taught culinary expert and food historian, specializing in the food ways of the American continent, especially Texas regional, Mexican, and Latin American cuisine. Read More…
