Picadillo
Picadillo usually (recipes vary widely) consists of meat with pimentos, olives, and raisins, served over rice. The Spanish recipe has found its way from Cuba and Mexico to the Southwestern U.S.…
Archive for 12/2006
Pinto Bean
The pinto bean (usually from New Mexico) is included in many Tex-Mex recipes. I found the first citation now used in the Oxford English Dictionary. About.com: Southern U.S. CuisineTexas-Style…
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is an expression that was popularized by American businessman Bert Lance (1931-2013) in December 1976, referring to the machine of the federal…
Ensalada de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Salad)
Ensalada de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Salad) is a Mexican fruit salad that has spread north of the border. It now often includes pomegranate dressing. Who Cooked That Up?Christmas Eve Salad or…
Salsa Picante (Picante Sauce)
Salsa Picante (or Picante Sauce, or simply "hot sauce") was popularlized just after World War II, when David Pace introduced his Picante Sauce in 1947. Mexicans had been making "hot…
Beer Can Chicken
Can Texas take credit for the invention of "Beer Can Chicken"? And, if Texas could take credit, why would it? Who could possibly think of cooking a chicken with a can of beer up its butt?…
Ristra
Chile ristras (strings of chile pepper pods) are a familiar sight in New Mexico and perhaps parts of West Texas. The original purpose was to group the pods together for later consumption, but the…
Molcajete
Molcajete (pronounced mole-cah-HAY-tay) is a three-legged mortar that's traditionally used in Mexican cooking. (Oxford English Dictionary)molcajete, n.[< Mexican Spanish molcajete (1827)…