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Happy Easter to All!

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easter eggs cascarones easter

Make your Easter celebration one that your guests won’t  forget!  Here you’ll find a fiesta pineapple punch, Mexican confetti-filled eggs, spicy ethnic-inspired deviled eggs and Hoppin’ Jalapeño Carrot Cake–things they won’t find at other gatherings.

Welcome to this glorious season of new beginnings!  Lush greenery and colorful flowers highlight my little purple house, offering perfect hide-aways for Easter eggs beneath their verdant foliage.  My garden  springs forth in all its splendor with a plethora of fragrant herbs and cheerful flowers to flavor and garnish celebratory spring dishes.

 

Festive Punch  Delights Guests at Easter Brunch:

I love to greet Easter guests with my  Herb Garden Fiesta Punch,  found in my first book, The Herb Garden Cookbook.  It’s flavored with fragrant lemon balm and mint and chunks of fresh pineapple and  garnished gaily with purple pansies. This  refreshing cooler sure gives a Mimosa some competition when it’s topped with Italian Prosecco or Spanish Cava!

party punch, lemon herbs, purple pansies, mimosa, tequila punch

photo by Cooke Photographics from The Herb Garden Cookbook

 

Before the Easter egg hunt, serve Herb Garden Fiesta Punch  along with an assortment of  pan dulce (sweet  yeast bread) purchased at your favorite local Mexican bakery (or serve your choice of other pastries.)  Adorn the tray with fresh flowers and/or cascarones.

 

pan dulce easter eggs cascarones brunch

 

Cascarones Are A Mexican Easter Tradition:

Cascarones (“egg shells“) are colorfully-dyed Easter eggs filled with confetti, popular throughout Mexico.  Revelers sneak up on unsuspecting guests, cracking  cascarones over their heads, and showering them with confetti… and some say, good luck! (Cascarones are also popular at New Year’s and at weddings.)  Many Mexican markets and grocery stores sell cartons of cascarones during this time of year.

 

cascarones confetti eggs easter

Buy ’em or dye ’em then hide ’em ….and have fun cracking  them over the heads of those not expecting the surprise of this Mexican tradition!

 

cascarones egg carton easter confetti

 

 

Not your every day deviled eggs:

What’s Easter without  deviled eggs?   My recipes for deviled eggs are quite lively and filled with unexpected surprises that showcase ethnic cuisines, ingredients, and  culinary traditions.  Pretty plates for serving deviled eggs are all the rage today, but I like to serve them from my grandmother’s purple majolica egg dish.

deviled eggs easter pansies egg plate

 

Hoppin’ Jalapeño Carrot Cake for your favorite bunny:

A favorite recipe from  my book ¡VIVA TEQUILA! Cocktails, Cooking, and Other Agave Adventures  will surely get your fiesta hoppin’!  My spicy Hoppin’ Jalapeño Carrot Cake has a margarita-inspired frosting flavored with tequila, Cointreau and lime zest.  But guess what gives this cake its unique flavor?  Freshly chopped jalapeños!   Serve as a whole cake or as cupcakes, festively garnished with whole red and green jalapeños.

 

spicy carrot cake jalapeno tequila frosting easter

 

Dress Up Store-bought Items for more appeal:

Life is sometimes just too busy for cooking.  Use sprigs of fragrant herbs and flowers to garnish plates and give a personal touch to store-bought foods.  Don’t forget to garnish cocktails and cold drinks  too.

 

lemon tart garnished with edible flowers

 

pastries on platter with flowers mexican pan dulce

 

gin and tonic spring cocktail salad burnet limes

 

My spring garden is as colorful as an Easter basket:

cottage garden purple house spring flowers

And has many secret places to hide cascarones and other Easter surprises!

cascarones hidden eggs confetti eggs

 

cascarones easter broken easter eggs confetti eggs

 marshmallow chickens Easter children

 

May you rejoice in the Easter garden and its promise of renewal and hope!

girl in garden flower bed smelling flowers

 Easter Blessings to All!

Herb Garden Fiesta Punch

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party punch, lemon herbs, purple pansies, mimosa, tequila punch

Everyone loves this refreshing fiesta punch and party pleaser! It’s versatile and easy to make and lends  itself to many presentations.  Serve from a glass pitcher or punch bowl with sprigs of fresh mint and lemon-scented herbs and purple pansies or other edible flowers.  Spike it with tequila, rum or vodka, if you wish.  For a fabulous brunch drink for garden parties, showers, or weddings, serve this pretty punch in champagne flutes spritzed with Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava, or champagne and garnish with a fresh  sprig  of mint or lemon balm and a purple pansy.  Move over Mimosas!

 

INGREDIENTS:

2  large bunches lemon balm and lemon verbena (add lots of sprigs of crushed lemon thyme, lemon basil, or lemon grass, too)

2  large bunches spearmint or a combination of mild flavored mints

2 large cans (46 ounces each) unsweetened pineapple juice

Juice of 3 lemons

Juice of 3 limes

3 cups fresh pineapple, bite-sized chunks  (optional)

3 lemons, cut into round slices

2–3 limes, cut into round slices

Your favorite bubbly ( spicy ginger brew like Maine Root or Reed’s Extra Ginger Brew),  Squirt (or your favorite grapefruit soda),  or other  artisan sodas or Prosecco or Cava)

Additional sprigs lemon balm and/or mint

Purple pansies or johnny-jump-ups

 

DIRECTIONS:

Tie up herb bouquets with kitchen twine. Gently bruise the fragrant herbs to release their flavor.  Place them in a large jar, and cover with the pineapple chunks and juice, citrus juices and lemon slices.  Chill overnight, stirring occasionally and pressing down on herbs with back of a wooden spoon.  Prior to serving, remove the herbs (they will have discolored) and replace with fresh herb sprigs.  Add lime slices and a generous splash of your favorite bubbly to the punch, and some pretty purple pansies or johnny-jump-ups (violas).  Pour into glasses and garnish with sprigs of fresh lemon balm or mint.

 

VARIATIONS:

Add lemon grass, fresh pineapple chunks, and spicy Jamaican ginger brew (from specialty grocery stores) to the original recipe.  Discard the tough outer leaves from 4 stalks of lemon grass and bruise the stalks with the back of a knife. Cut stalks into 2-inch segments and add them to the punch the day before serving. Long lemon grass stalks also make good “stirrers” for the punch.

Use limeade, lemonade, apple juice, or exotic tropical fruit juice (or any combination of juices) in place of the pineapple juice.  Add fresh lime juice to enhance flavors.

 

 

Day of the Dead: Altars, Feasts and a Celebration of Life!

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November 1st commemorates a beloved holiday in much of Mexico– Día de Los Muertos—Day of the Dead.  Not macabre or morbid, in truth, Day of the Dead is a fiesta…a celebration of life!  In Mexico, primarily in regions densely populated with indigenous populations like Oaxaca and Michoacán, families hold  all-night vigils and feasts  in graveyards paying homage to their deceased loved ones.  Earlier in the day, they clean the graves, and lavishly adorn them  like altars with bouquets of marigolds,  wreaths of flowers,  candles, photographs of their dearly departed  and a few of their favorite things–a deck of cards, a shot of tequila, a child’s toy.

I first traveled to Pátzcuaro, Michoacán  to partake in this celebration over  25 years ago.   Here is a photo I took of an old woman at her husband’s grave.  The next year I returned to give her the photo; instead, I  found her family holding vigil for her!

day of the dead dia de los muertos graveside altars

Mexican woman holding vigil at graveside for Día de los Muertos in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

 

As darkness descends, families gather at the graves.  Smoky bonfires and  beeswax candles illuminate the night . They graciously shared food  brought picnic-style and we passed around a bottle of mezcal.   Throughout the graveyard, roving troupes of mariachis sang favorite songs of the deceased, children gaily laughed and played, and families reminisced about their loved  ones.

Of utmost importance is food…the feast of life…from which comes most beloved memories! 

Favorite foods of the deceased are  displayed  on altars in the graveyards in hopes of  “enticing  them back” for one night:  abuela’s favorite hot Mexican chocolate, Tíos  piquant mole enchiladas, Mamás favorite creamy goat’s milk cajeta candies or Amelia’s beloved orange Fanta.  Strongly scented foods like rich and  pungent mole or the scent of homemade tamales as they steam  beckon home the hungry souls.

 

Day of the dead Dia de los Muertos candle marigolds

Photo of deceased with her favorite orange Fanta soda, marigolds and candle.

 

On my own home altar, I commemorated my beloved father with some of  his favorite things….

 

day of the Dead altar favorite things

My father loved to fish and hoped to catch a mermaid, so I surrounded him with his favorite things on my home altar.

 

Day of the dead altar favorite foods

Flan for my father–his favorite dessert!

 

Serving Pan de Muertos is a revered  tradition for Day of the Dead.  This  slightly sweet yeasty bread comes in shapes of  crossbones, calaveras (skulls), or a body ready for the casket!  It tastes especially  delicious when dunked  into mugs of Mexican cinnamon-scented hot chocolate, or Champurrado, a thickened corn gruel flavored with chocolate and spices (also see Champurrado to Die for to read my article about Day of the Dead!)  You’ll find Pan de Muertos and Mexican chocolate at Mexican bakeries and Latino markets at this time throughout out the U.S. too.

The holy communion of breaking bread with the dead is a way to immortalize them forever!

 

Day of the Dead bread Pan de Muetos

Day of the Dead Bread (Pan de Muertos) shaped like a skull (calavera).

 

Day of the Dead Bread Pan de Muertos

Pan de Muertos (Day of the Dead Bread) shaped like a body ready for the coffin!

 

I often add  contemporary  flair to my Day of the Dead fiestas!

 

party punch tequila punch festive fall punch

Festive tequila punch for Day of the Dead Fiesta.

 

tequila punch day of the dead

Mulled spice apple punch laced with tequila or mezcal for Los Muertos!

 

Day of the Dead cookies marigold petals

Serve these cinnamon-laced cornmeal cookies with marigold petals for Day of the Dead along with steaming mugs of Champurrado or Mexican hot chocolate.

 

cheese ball tequila marigolds

Cheese ball formed in the shape of a cross with marigolds

 

Altars, known as ofrendas, are also created during this time of the year in homes in Mexico as well as in graveyards, laden with  items to entice the deceased back home to partake of the pleasures of life once again.  How do the muertos find their way back home?  Bouquets of zempazuchitl (golden marigolds) attract the dead with their pungent aroma and brilliant color.  Along with candles and copal incense, they lead the way back home.  Colorful tissue-paper banners known as papel picado  intricately cut with skeletons and skulls stretch across doorways.  Whimsical  paper-mache and shiny tin cadavers with articulated limbs, and decorations with motifs of the dead are found everywhere.

 

Day of the Dead altar Dia de lost Muertos altar

A marigold petal cross leads to my outdoor Día de los Muertos altar adorned with papel picado banners and laden with sugar skulls and Pan de Muertos bread.

 

Sugar skulls gaily painted with colorful frosting line shelves for sale along with sugar sculpture vignettes that portray miniature skeletons in their daily tasks–a dentist pulling teeth, a secretary typing, or a woman stirring the pot. Pull a string on a matchbox sized coffin, and a corpse will pop up!

 

calavera sugar skulls

Gaily painted sugar skulls and calavera skeleton cookies for a Day of the Dead fiesta

 

San Antonio artist Yolanda Luna explained  the true symbolism and holiness of an altar. “It dates back to when Aztecs were buried with their favorite possessions so that they would have food and personal belongings,” she said.  “After death, people journey on a long road to heaven and need nurturance on their voyage.”  Traditionalists also leave on the altar items important for the deceased for their return to heaven after their Day of the Dead pilgrimage:  a comb, salt, water, and root veggies.

 

Day of the Dead altar Dia de Los Muertos altar

Peanuts, yams, and bananas provide sustenance for the deceased on their journey.

 

For decades,  I have hosted Day of the Dead fiestas at my home, inviting friends to join me in making  an altar to commemorate our deceased loved ones.  They bring photos and remembrances,  food and candles, marigolds and mezcal.  Just as Day of the Dead historically melded pre-Hispanic and European traditions, assimilating  Aztec’s beliefs with the Catholic All Soul’s and All Saint’s Day celebrated at this same time of year,  it has crossed the border to embrace both Anglo and Latinos as a way of honoring  their  deceased and welcoming them into the living’s hearts once again.

 

Day of the Dead altar

An outdoor Day of the Dead altar (ofrenda)  in my backyard.

 

 

Day of the Dead altar Dia de los muertos altar

Candle light and smoke set the mood for this Day of the Dead altar in my backyard. Photo by John Pozdro.

 

day of the dead altar dia de los muertos altar

A commemoration for our beloved deceased. Photo by John Pozdro

 

Day of the dead altar dia de los muertos altar

A moment of silence to remember our beloved deceased. Photo by John Pozdro

 

Learn more  about Mexico’s beloved  Day of the Dead celebration in this article I wrote for Edible Austin.  You’ll find   hints and recipes for creating  a fiesta and  commemorative altar in your own home.

My altars are often celebrated  in magazines, newspapers and on television shows like Home & Garden Television’s ” Home Strange Home ” or  Central Texas Gardener on PBS.  My home is filled with my collections of  Day of the Dead decorations and folk art brought back from my many sojourns to Mexico. With the popularity of Día de los Muertos in the U.S., you’ll find  Latino markets, import stores, and online sources filled with memorabilia for this holiday.

However, your altar need not be Mexican in theme.  Simply set aside a small table in your home and adorn it with a photo of your beloved, some of their  favorite things and foods, a small bouquet….and light a candle in their name…..

 

Day of the dead candlesdia de los muertos

Light a candle for your beloved deceased!

 

¡Feliz Día de los Muertos!
 With blessings to you and those you love!

 

¡Viva Tequila! Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, or Extra-Añejo?

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blanco reposado añejo tequila

Blanco, Reposado, Añejo or Extra-Añejo? Choose one! Photo Robert Denton.

 

Tequila,  Mexico’s beloved  national spirit, is made from the magical maguey plant, a large Agave with formidable pencas (spiked leaves) that often takes nearly 12 years to grow before harvesting!   Jimadores (agave harvesters) then whack off the pencas to reveal a piña, a large (usually more than 100 pounds) starchy core  that resembles a huge  pineapple.  Piñas  must then be cooked  in large ovens, transforming their  inherent starch into the fermentable sugars needed for distillation.

You’ll read all about this process,  find festive recipes for cocktails and food, and share my  decades of adventures traveling through Mexico’s agave country in my book, ¡VIVA TEQUILA! 

Tequila is a most versatile spirit! You’ll find it comes in four unique styles,  Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, and Extra Añejo, each with its distinct  profile, perfect for sipping and savoring neat or mixing in cocktails.  I am not mentioning the fifth style,  Joven Abocado, best know as “gold” tequila, as this is generally a “Mixto”, or one made with 49% added sugars (such as cane, piloncillo  brown cone sugar, or glucose) and NOT  one made of 100% agave .  You’ll know if a tequila is made with only  juices from the blue agave, as the label of the bottle will state 100%  de Agave or  100% Puro de Agave.   100% Agave  is the only tequila I recommend!

 

agave tequila glass

Blanco tequila in a hand-painted agave glass. Photo John Pozdro.

BLANCO

I must say, I love a good Blanco tequila, the pure fresh-from-the-still tequila from which the other styles derive.  A fine Blanco will retain the  discernible sweetness of the roasted blue agave, with  vibrant, peppery, herbaceous, and  citrus tones.   If  the original Blanco is not good, how can other  styles made by a distillery be good?  Blanco tequila is sometimes called Silver or White tequila because of its pristine clarity, and is not influenced by oak or aging.  It’s  generally bottled upon distillation, though sometimes  stored  in stainless tanks for a month. Those who like white spirits may prefer Blanco tequila.  I find it much more flavorful than vodka, as enticingly aromatic as gin, and not as sweet as rum.

Flavor Profiles:

Agave fruitiness intact

Bright, crisp, mineral

Peppery, sometimes fiery

Citrus and zest

Herbaceous–mint and anise

Dry, medium finish

Drink suggestions:

Sip neat or accompanied with Sangrita, tequila’s quintessential chaser

Requisite for classic margaritas

Refreshing spritzers

Tropical  fruit or citrus punches and  drinks

Ice cold from the freezer on a hot summer’s night!

tequila shot glasses reposado

Shots of tequila Reposado with a Mexican charro. Photo John Pozdro.

 

REPOSADO

This is the most popular tequila imbibed in Mexico, with a harmonious balance  of the natural essence of agave and the subtle influence of oak. The “repose” of Blanco in oak (a minimum of 2 months to 1 year  in roble or encino oak) mellows its youthful and feisty character, adding hints of wood and spice and giving Reposado a color that varies from pale straw to amber.  I love to simply sip a fine Reposado!

Flavor profiles:

Hint of oak with discernible sweetness of roasted agave

Earthy

Caramel

Cinnamon and spice

Medium finish

Drink suggestions:

Sip neat or accompanied with Sangrita, tequila’s quintessential chaser

Margaritas

Refreshing spritzers
Orchard fruit  punches and drinks
anejo tequila shot glass snifter

Tequila Añejo in a Mexican snifter. Photo John Pozdro.

 

AÑEJO

A fine  Añejo is a harmonious marriage of oak and agave.  Nuances from barrel aging–depth of aroma, discernible soft tannin, and vanilla tones– mingle deliciously in a fine Añejo.   This style of tequila is aged  for at least 1 year but fewer than 3 years in government sealed oak barrels with a maximum capacity of 600-liters.  Such aging gives a rich amber to  dark mahogany  color, though some of my favorite Añejos are not over-oaked  and have a lighter color. Brown spirits lovers rejoice!  Añejos can rival cognac, single malt, bourbon and whiskey.

I sip it only  from a snifter, though others enjoy to mix it in classic cocktails like a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, or as a floater for a top-shelf margarita. The newest trend is to filter Añejos back to clarity.  I am confused as to why  one would take away the color and character of aging that has taken years to accomplish.  This would make the tequila better suited for mixability, but I adhere to drinking Añejo from a snifter!

Flavor profiles:

Oak-driven tannins

Roasted agave and dried fruit

Vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, cocoa

Baking spices, buttery

Full-bodied, round, luxurious

Long finish

Drink Suggestions:

Snifter!

Classic cocktails

Coffee drinks

 

Extra-Añejo Tequila

Extra-Añejo for the rich and famous! Photo Robert Denton.

 

EXTRA-AÑEJO

This  newest category of  tequila produces character, color,  and complexity found in other Añejos and fine world spirits.   It must be aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels of maximum 600-liter capacity, producing tequila with very dark amber and mahogany hues.  Added flavor comes from using barrels that once housed  whiskey, cognac,  sherry, scotch or fine wine.   Price reflects  this lengthy aging and such Extra-Añejos often fetch prices of $300-$1000 a bottle!

Flavor profiles:

Characteristics similar to other Añejos

Very oak-driven

Agave not as apparent

Toasty, buttery

Dark leather, wood, earth, tobacco

Velvety long finish

Drink suggestions:

Snifter only, ¡por favor!

Note:  In the production of tequila, flavorings and colorings are permissible as well as the addition of distilled  water to bring tequilas to commerical proof.

 

So you see, you’ll find a style of tequila to fit any taste or any mood– from sipping neat to a refreshing spritzer, party punch, margarita or snifter.

Now tell me…which style of tequila is your favorite?

 

Dinero, tequila y amor,
¡No hay otra cosa mejor!

 

Money, tequila, and the one you adore
Who could ask for anything more?

Welcome to My New Website!

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Queridos amigos!

I can’t believe after six months (and lots of tequila!) we’ve  launched my new website. I offer my heartfelt gracias to Megan Clark, who gloriously captured the spirit of my lifestyle in this colorful and festive site! Thank you to Lindsay Starr, for creating graphics that bring the website to life (she also designed my most recent book, (¡Viva Tequila!). Thanks to John Pozdro for creating my previous site, and for helping so much with the evolution of the new site…and to Renee Mims for her  creative ideas and assistance.

I invite y’all to pour yourself a shot of tequila…or a refreshing glass of sangría …and peruse my website.

Here’s a quick navigational tour:

¿QUÉ PASA?

In this blog, you’ll find out “What’s Happening?”... upcoming events, food and cocktail recipes, garden tours,  agave adventures and tequila talk…to inspire your own  fiestas!  In archives on the left of the page, you will also find categories for previous blogs:  Cocktails, Food, News,  Gardening, and Other.

Please subscribe on my ¿Qué Pasa? page, if you’d like to be notified of future blog posts!

ABOUT ME

Find out all about me (well, almost all!)

MY BOOKS

See my books, with quick links to order them.

SPEAKING

Need a speaker for your next event? Here’s where  you’ll find my speaking topics and a way to contact me for more detailed information.

LIMELIGHT

Sip a shot of tequila while you watch  videos, interviews, or  tours through  my garden…or  read about why I’m  in the limelight.

RECIPES

If you want a recipe for Lively Cocktails or Festive Foods for your next fiesta, find it here!

MY GARDENS

Remember that glass of sangría you’ve poured?   Sip it and take a virtual slide show tour of my gardens!

CONTACT ME

For more information.

 

¡Salud!
Enjoy!

and Fiesta Always!

 

Tequila Cough Medicine

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Painted_Mug

Here’s my recipe to cure a cough, found in the final chapter
” TEQUILA FOR WHATEVER AILS YOU! ” of my book ¡VIVA TEQUILA! A shot a day keeps the doctor away!

This tasty té de limón helped me feel better (or not feel the pain), soothed my cough, and put me to sleep. This recipe is for two servings: one for the patient, one for the nurse.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups water
1 3-inch piece of cinnamon
2 fresh citrus leaves, optional
Peel of 1⁄2 lime, cut into thick strips
4 teaspoons honey (or less agave syrup)
1 juicy lime, cut in half
4 ounces tequila reposado
Ground cayenne to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Bring water to boil in a small saucepan, along with the cinnamon, citrus leaves, and lime peel; reduce heat. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes until it turns a rich golden color. Meanwhile, place in each mug 2 teaspoons of honey, juice of half a lime, 2 ounces tequila, and cayenne to taste. Pour in enough of the cinnamon/citrus tea to fill each mug, stirring well to dissolve the honey. ¡Salud! To your health! Makes 2 servings.

Note: When fresh citrus leaves are not available, use more lime peel and add more fresh lime juice to the mug.

Para un catarro, un jarro, y si no se te quita, la botellita.
For a cough, a cup. The whole bottle, if that’s not enough.

Hangover Helpers

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tequila-4In Mexico, salt, lime, and plenty of chiles (or another shot of tequila) seem to be the ubiquitous prescription for the ill effects of a hangover, which Mexicans call by the picturesque names la cruda (raw) or sancochado (half-baked). When I once asked an elderly Mexican man what to do to relieve a hangover, he chuckled, “Si trais una cruda, ponte otra borrachera.” (If you have a hangover, get drunk again.)

Some recommend a cup of hot tea, especially yerbanís (Mexican mint marigold), estafiate (artemisia), or hierba buena (mint). Others suggest freshly squeezed orange juice spiced with chiles, or a tall glass of sparkling mineral water sprinkled liberally with salt and lots of fresh lime juice. Fresh papaya, doused with lime juice and dusted with salt and chile powder, is another purported cure, especially for easing gastric distress.

Two of the most traditional hangover remedies are Menudo, a spicy tripe and chile soup, and Vuelve a la Vida, the name for a picante seafood cocktail guaranteed to bring you back to life.

You’ll find all these Hangover Helpers and more in my book !VIVA TEQUILA!