Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

Larry and I love seafood of all kinds, but as with anything there are some types of fish we like more than others. Salmon is not one our favorite types of fish, though we do like it and we do eat it, just not as frequently as we enjoy other kinds of fish. That being said, I had some salmon in the freezer that we took down and put into our weekly rotation. Salmon is a cold water fish that is found all throughout the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. They are two totally different species of salmon, each with their own unique and specific qualities and tastes. I had a big piece of salmon that I cooked whole in a simple citrus rub/sauce.

Salmon is great grilled, pan seared, air fried or baked in some olive oil and seasoned with just salt and pepper.  I had some citrus seasoning that I generously sprinkled on top, with some fresh ground black pepper and some cara cara orange olive oil. That was it. Simple and easy-peasy.

I let it set for about 1-2 hours before roasting it in the oven at 425*F or 219*C for about 15 minutes.

While the salmon was cooking, I made a spinach, shallot, garlic and tomato topping for it.

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic, Shallots and Tomatoes

2-3 cup fresh baby spinach, stems removed

1 shallot, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1/2 cup tiny drop tomatoes, or chopped tomatoes

olive oil and/or cara cara orange olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

feta cheese, optional

Saute the spinach, garlic and shallots in the oil, in a very hot skillet for about 2-3 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent and the spinach is wilted.

When the salmon and spinach are cooked, slice the salmon into serving portions, and top with the spinach topping. Toss a few of the tiny drop tomatoes on top and then if you like, add a little feta cheese on top as well. I served it over wild rice with some warmed ciabatta and a cool, crisp white wine on the side. Delicious!

As I have said many times, and in the words of the late great Chef Anthony Bourdain, “Good food is very often, even most often, simple food. … Just make sure they’re good ingredients, fresh ingredients, and then garnish them. How hard is that?” (p. 83). Kitchen Confidential

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Janet and Bob and I are divided by a big open space area. We live on the Westminster side, and just a mile or so down the road, they live on the Broomfield side, but it is all the same open space area. We enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful day together, and walked “on their side” of the open space. We were looking for the Blue Herons, as we had been told there were some already around. At first we didn’t see any, since it is still pretty early in the season for them. But lo and behold, we did see a couple at the end of our walk.

These pictures were taken from quite a distance, at least 50-100 yards from where we were, but they still came out OK. I love my zoom. 🙂

This is a tribute to the beautiful Blue Herons on the bridge, crossing over.

This is the Broomfield side. Just over the trees and across the field it is Westminster; two big Denver suburbs, divided by one giant open space or park area.

Every day is a gift. You never know what you will unwrap for the day. Enjoy all the day’s blessings, today, tomorrow and everyday.

Tomatoes are a staple in our house. We eat a lot of tomatoes, all the time. And I love all kinds. I always have a bunch of different kinds on hand, and I use them for just about everything. Currently, this is what I have in stock, ready to use and enjoy.

I have some tiny drop tomatoes that are about the size of a pea. These are super sweet and you can eat them by the handfuls. Taken by ship to North America and Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, this tiny fruit gave rise to all the many tomato varieties we enjoy today. The plant is the wild ancestor of all the tomatoes we eat today, and still grows wild in northern Peru and southern Ecuador. If it wasn’t for the genes of these wild species, you wouldn’t be able to grow tomatoes in a lot of areas,” according to Roger Chetelat, a renowned tomato expert at the University of California, Davis.

I have Campari tomatoes. Campari tomatoes are hybrid tomatoes noted for their juiciness, high sugar level, low acidity, and lack of mealiness. Camparis are deep red and larger than a pear or cherry tomato, but smaller and rounder than common plum tomatoes. These are known as the “happiness tomatoes”.

I have a variety of small tomatoes, in different colors and sizes. This bunch has some cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, komata or black cherry tomatoes, tear drop tomatoes and orange and yellow sunburst tomatoes. All have their own distinct flavor characteristics and differences. And all are very good too. Again, you can just pop these in your mouth by the handful.

And I have some of my favorites, heirloom tomatoes. An heirloom tomato (also called heritage tomato in the UK) is an open-pollinated, non-hybrid heirloom cultivar of tomato. They are classified as family heirlooms, commercial heirlooms, mystery heirlooms, or created heirlooms. They usually have a shorter shelf life and are less disease resistant than hybrids. They are grown for various reasons: for food, historical interest, access to wider varieties, and by people who wish to save seeds from year to year, as well as for their taste. They come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. These varieties are living history. The hand that created a variety stretches right through the centuries to deliver that tomato to our own gardens today.

These are just the tomato varieties I currently have in stock, but there are so many more varieties available too. Tomato seeds were brought from Mexico to Spain by the early explorers. From there the plant spread to Italy by the mid-1500s where it began to be incorporated into regional cuisine. Our word “tomato” is but a slight modification of tomati, the word used by the Indians of Mexico, who have grown the plant for food since prehistoric times. Other names reported by early European explorers were tomatl, tumatle, and tomatas, probably variants of Indian words.

5 fun facts about tomatoes

• Tomatoes originated in South America. Researchers have recently discovered a tomato plant that originated 80,000 years ago. …
• Tomatoes are technically a fruit. …
• There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes. …
• Tomatoes aren’t always red. …
• Tomatoes have been to space.

So if you love tomatoes like I do, be adventurous. There are so many tomatoes and too little time. But, try as many different varieties as you can and enjoy them all. Each one is a gift with its own truly unique personality and flavor characteristics. Plus they are very versatile and plentiful, and very healthy too.

Add some tomatoes to your day. Make it colorful and fruitful. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

When we think of bread pudding, we tend to think of a sweet dessert topped with an even sweeter sauce, at least in the United States. Believe me, that is a very good thought too, and very tasty. In the United States, most people are only familiar with the sweet versions of bread pudding. But that is NOT the only kind of bread pudding out there. In other parts of the world, savory bread puddings are for more popular. Savory bread pudding is a close cousin to stuffing or dressing, depending on where you live in the States. In fact, bread pudding originated as a savory dish made with meats or seafood and vegetables. It was a main meal for the poor, and a side dish for the more affluent.

Bread puddings have been around since the 11th century, and were very popular all throughout Europe. They became very popular when people were trying to find ways of extending the life of their leftover stale bread. It became known as “poor man’s pudding” because of the scarcity of food at the time, with the pudding being made only with boiling water, sugar, and spices. It became a popular dish because people could not afford to throw anything away and food had to be kept and used for as long as possible.

I like to cook a savory version of bread pudding with spinach and artichoke hearts. I never thought of adding seafood before, until I was thumbing through recipes trying to find some inspiration for dinner and came across an idea for a seafood stuffing or seafood bread pudding. That was it! The light bulb went off and I was going to make it. As with anything, there are many different styles and recipes, but I just used one that is tried and true for me, and added some krab (krab is “fake” crab, usually made with pollack fish).

Savory Seafood Bread Pudding

This delicious dish can be eaten on its own or served along side your favorite entree. You can add shrimp and/or scallops too if you like, or keep it simple, and just use crab, or krab. You can also add your favorite kind of cheese too.

Preheat the oven to 375-400* F or 191-204*C.

Spray a deep baking dish with cooking spray

1 loaf day-old or stale bread of any kind, cut into cubes

2 cans chicken broth

1 package krab, cubed

salt & pepper to taste

1 can artichoke quarters, drained and rinsed

1 TBSP garlic

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

3 cups spinach, stemmed and chopped

1/2 onion, diced

4-5 eggs, beaten

olive oil

Saute the spinach, bell pepper and garlic in a very hot skillet with olive oil and/or butter for about 2-3 minutes, or until the onions become translucent and the spinach begins to wilt.

Combine everything together with the bread cubes and mix together thoroughly.

Add the chicken broth and eggs, and cheese if using, and firmly press everything down, making sure the bread soaks up the liquid. Add to the prepared baking dish, and press firmly into the dish.

Cover in foil and bake for about 30-40 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue to bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the top begins to crust over and is lightly golden. Serve with whatever you like and enjoy.

I served mine along side some turkey breast cooked in a light tomato vinaigrette and roasted carrots, with a dry white wine on the side. It was a perfect combination. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

When I first started my blog, almost 6 years ago now, originally I was considering to make it all about re-using leftovers. But I quickly reconsidered this notion, because I actually had to make the “firstovers” before I could make the leftovers. Larry has given me an idea to ponder on regarding this, but I will save this for another time. Right now, I have another recipe transformation for you. The last of the transformations from my Old World/New World Fiesta. Old World/New World Fiesta

We had a lot of the chicken mole verde left from our fiesta. Chicken Mole Verde We already enjoyed it as chicken mole verde once again after the party, but I added more chicken to it, and instead of decreasing the amount I had left, it seems like I actually had more. It’s a gift; the gift that just keeps on giving too. So rather than eating the same yet again, I transformed it into something else. One day (or two) it was chicken mole verde. The next day it became chicken tortilla stew.

This was an easy transformation to make. It was just the addition of a few extra ingredients, and voila, it became something new. My new additions were:

6 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups rice

1 1/2 cups corn

1 bell pepper, diced – any color

1 onion, diced

1 cup baby tiny drop tomatoes

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1-2 cups cooked chicken, diced

olive oil for cooking

In a large, very hot soup pot, I sauteed the corn, pepper and onion in olive oil for about 3 minutes.

I added the rice and continued cooking for about another minute or so before adding the rest of my ingredients.

Then I mixed in the remainder of my original chicken mole verde and the chicken broth and additional chicken. I brought it all to a boil, then covered it and reduced the heat to a simmer and continued to cook it for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the soup was cooking, I cut up a few corn tortillas into thin strips, then pan fried them to make them crispy. This only takes a few seconds.

After the soup was done, I threw in the tiny drop tomatoes right before serving. These are tiny, little delicate tomatoes, so no cooking necessary or they will disintegrate.

When I served it up, I topped it with some grated cheddar cheese for the boys, the fried tortilla strips, and some avocado slices. !Esta mui delicioso!

This dish was mui excellente both ways. With grocery prices always increasing these days, we all need to figure out ways to make our dishes last as long as we can. Yes, you can enjoy them the same way all the time, but to me, that gets very boring very quickly. So, I reinvent them all the time. It is a fun and creative way to save $$$ in the kitchen and I get to use up all my leftovers. It’s a win/win for everyone. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

You all know my passion for recreating from leftovers, and how I have a “friend” who helps with these creations, whom I lovingly call The Queen of Leftovers. The Queen is really just an extension of my creative mind; my imaginary muse, if you will. I call upon this muse when I am creatively thinking of ways to re-use my leftovers. Well, the Queen paid me yet another visit the other day. This time, we cooked up some pork chops with a creamy sauce made from my chorizo and fig sauce. Chorizo With Sweet & Sour Figs

I just hate throwing away food. I will always try my best to re-use and repurpose food as much as I can. I also like to reinvent things, because, well in all honestly, I get bored eating the same things again and again.

For this dish, I marinated the pork in some of the leftover sauce from my chorizo and figs for about 1-2 hours before cooking it. The pork came out very tender and full of flavor, as you would expect. I could have easily left it just like this, but it would have been to similar to the original dish. Now I couldn’t have that, could I? Where would the fun in that be? 🙂

Once I was ready to cook the pork, I seared it in a very hot skillet with a combination of both olive oil and butter for about 2 minutes per side, until it had a nice little crust all around. These were very small pork chops. I only had a few and I had to extend them, so I purposely cut them smaller. Besides, we can all stand to ease up a bit on our portions.

Once the crust was all around the chops, I removed them and kept them warm, then doctored up the sauce a bit. All I did really was add some heavy whipping cream and then reduced it for a bit, and finished it with butter. But it was different enough to be considered a new meal, and a recreation from the
firstover” dish, though just as good, if not even better.

Once the sauce was made, I re-added the porkchops and continued to cook everything for an additional 10-15 minutes, at a low heat until the pork was completely cooked, making sure to stir it every so often. When everything was ready, I served it with some asparagus topped with tomatoes and mushrooms and wild rice and some warmed ciabatta on the side. My tomato-mushroom topping used up the rest of my heirloom tomato salad too. Heirloom Tomato Salad. See EVERYTHING gets re-used and repurposed if I can. Nothing ever goes to waste (my waist yes though) in my kitchen if I can help it. 🙂

Not only do we like to eat our newly created leftovers all the time, but I also like to share them all with you, for inspiration and new ideas that you can use too. Recreating is helpful in many ways, especially in these tough economic times when just going to the grocery store requires us to take out a small loan from the bank each time.

Be fearless and be creative. You just might be surprised at what you can do. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

This post is going to be a little different. I just finished my series on my Old World/New World Fiesta menu, Old World/New World Fiesta and I thought I would take a mini break from my cooking and recipes. As many of you might know, I also have a background in writing. My BA is in English Literature, and I love to write. I have written quite a few pieces for various newspapers and magazines, I have a background in the Public Relations realm, and am also a published poet. So every now and then, I like to show off my literary skills as well as my culinary skills and do something a little different. Today, I am giving you a short “book report” on the book Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain.

I admit, I did not know much about Anthony Bourdain’s early years, but I always liked him in his later years, especially as a Celebrity Chef. I liked his candor and fearlessness. But after reading his book, I was enlightened to his early years and his wild days. He was WILD indeed, and so were his kitchens.

A lot of what Anthony Bourdain says is true when it comes to “the culinary underbelly” as he calls it, but there are a lot of greatly exaggerated shenanigans as well, as least from my own personal experiences in the culinary world. The culinary world is most definitely made up of misfits that don’t really fit well into the rest of society. We all live by our own rules, and we are all part pirate and scoundrel, mixed with innovator and artist, though we provide a necessary skill that feeds millions of people around the world everyday. These skills we have grant us a leeway to the rest of the world and it’s norms. I agree wholeheartedly though, about food always being an adventure, and that “food, it appear[s], could be important. It could be an event. It ha[s] secrets”. (p. 13) I also agree with him when he says, “cooking is a craft, … and good cooks are craftsmen, not artists”. (p. 62) However, I disagree with Bourdain’s assessment that all kitchens are lawless and run on pure chaos. Maybe in his time, but certainly NOT most of the kitchens I have ever worked in.

Most of the kitchens I have ever worked in run a tight ship, with the Chef (Executive Chef) as the captain. We follow his or her orders and say “yes chef”, no questions asked. If we can survive the “underbelly”, and by luck and skill, fortitude, tenacity and persistence, maybe, just maybe, one day we will be the captain at the helm of our own kitchen. But again, I do love a good rebel, and Anthony Bourdain was one of the best rebels the culinary world ever had. I myself am most definitely a rebel. Always have been and always will be, but certainly NOT to his level. No, no, no. By his standards, I am a mere amateur. I am a lot more disciplined; in some ways, than he ever was. We professional misfits can only be tamed so much. There are limitations. Rebellion is in our blood, after all. Most of us, if we are good anyway, don’t really know how to act outside of our own kitchens, with “normal” people. 🙂 Though this has improved and gotten better over the years. We old chefs can learn new tricks too.

In order to be a good chef, or even a good cook, you need to acquire some good survival skills in the kitchen. Good knife skills are a must. There are a lot of people who tell you that you have to have a goody bag filled with all kinds of fun toys in order to be successful, but in truth, you just need a couple of good knives and the skills that go with those knives. Most of us have two favorite knives that are indispensable to us; a good chef’s knife that fits our hand like a glove and a good pairing knife. There are a few other things that will help out as well, but if you know what you are doing, you can easily get by with just these two knives. “Nothing will set you apart from the herd quicker than the ability to handle a chef’s knife properly”. (p.77).

Another key to success in the professional kitchen is to NEVER skimp on quality or freshness of the food. NEVER!!! This is forbidden and will never be forgiven. If you violate this simple truth, you will never be respected in the culinary world again. And things don’t have to be fancy in order to be considered good. Far too many chefs these days seem to have forgotten this general rule. As I have said many times, keep it simple, stupid, or follow the K.I.S.S. rule. “Good food is very often, even most often, simple food. … Just make sure they’re good ingredients, fresh ingredients, and then garnish them. How hard is that?” (p. 83)

Bourdain also describes what it takes for a restaurant to make it too, NOT just the chef or the kitchen staff. The restaurant industry is a TOUGH industry. It is most definitely NOT for everyone, and don’t even think about it if you are sensitive or easily offended. It’s hard enough as it is, but you’ll never survive if you are not thoroughly toughened, both inside and out. Working in the professional culinary world is likened to being in the military, and rightly so. “The chances of ever seeing a return on your investment are about one in five”, if you’re lucky. (p.84) The restaurant business is very demanding, and there is no room for anyone who is not dedicated and committed, and more than a bit crazy, and even then, it’s still a crap shoot. Anyone venturing into the restaurant business needs to be prepared to be “working 17 hour days, with total involvement in every aspect of a complicated, cruel, and fickle trade”. (p. 88). You will give up your personal life, and nights, weekends and holidays all belong to the kitchen.

You also need to be a good leader when you become the chef, or el heffe. Your staff becomes your family, and you will definitely see your staff way more than you will see your actual family. Your staff will look up to you and depend upon you, for just about everything. You are their leader, and you must be fearless. They will sense it if you’re not, and everything will go downhill from there if they sense any hint of fear. You have to wear many hats all in one, all the time, and you as “the leader, [have to be] a combination of good guy/bad guy, as the job requires”. Genteel sensibilities are unwelcome. Lead, follow or get out of the way”. (pp. 90 & 94)

Anthony Bourdain, God rest his soul, had his many flaws, but he also has many insights that are so true to everyone who has ever been called into the professional culinary world. We are a breed unto ourselves, and NO ONE who has never been called to this dark world, will ever truly understand the nature of the beast. We are artists, we are rebels, we are visionaries, we are pirates all wrapped up in one. We follow our own rules. We are all a lot of things. But all that really matters to a good chef is “in the end, maybe it is all about the food” after all. (p. 266)

I enjoyed this insight into Anthony Bourdain’s world. I found most of what he had to say true, though there was a lot that I have never seen or experienced. But he does speak to all of us who have ever dared to call ourselves CHEF. His take on the culinary world is universal and speaks to us all, no matter where or what we cook in this world.

Sadly, Anthony Bourdain fell to his demons, and hanged himself with the belt of his bathrobe in France, in 2018. He will always be remembered in the culinary world, as one of the great ones. No matter where you are, make it delicious and make it good.

It’s been said many times that life is short, so eat dessert first, though this time, I saved it for last. I won’t say I saved the best for last, because my whole menu was pretty fabulous, even if I do say so myself, however, I will say I saved the sweetest for last. 🙂

I had three completely different desserts on the menu for my Old World/New World fiesta. Old World/New World Fiesta First, I had some chocolate dipped strawberries. No, I did not make those, but bought them instead. How could I resist? They were buy one get 1/2 off the other, and who doesn’t love big beautiful chocolate dipped strawberries, right?!

I also had some churros with chocolate sauce, which is a very Spanish dessert, especially in Madrid. Again, I purchased the mini churros, then made a chocolate ganache to dip them in. I liked my version much better than what we had in Madrid though. In Madrid, the sauce was way too thin, and it was more like dipping the churros in hot chocolate. I made my sauce a lot thicker and the chocolate was able to stick to the churros, and you could really enjoy the flavors of both. During the 16th century, famed Spanish explorers brought Churros to every port of the new world. They quickly became local favorites and this may be why many countries claim Churros as their own. When Hernando Cortez returned to Spain with the secret of Aztec chocolate, the custom of chocolate con churros began. The main difference between Mexican and Spanish churros is cinnamon. In Spain, churros are only coated in sugar and served with a chocolate dipping sauce. In Mexico, churros are coated in a sugar and cinnamon mixture and can be eaten alone or with dipping sauces like chocolate or caramel.

My third and final dessert for my fiesta was some traditional flan or Spanish custard.

Flan has been around since the Ancient Roman times, though it has had quite a few transformations since its early days. The Romans were the first known civilization to domesticate chickens for farming purposes. With an abundance of eggs at their disposal, they began creating dishes that featured the edible egg as its main ingredient. Hence the birth of flan. The word flan is the French equivalent of the Latin word fladon, which comes from the Old High German word “flado,” meaning “flat cake.” Flan was once a savory dish, usually made from fish or meat. The Spanish were the first people to make flan into a dessert and to top it with a caramel sauce, giving us the version of flan we know and love today. Flan, or creme caramel, or custard, is known to everyone around the world, and goes by many different names. Flan is very popular in all of Spain and the Latino world.

Flan is usually prepared in smaller, individual dishes, but because I was making mine for a few people, I decided to make it in a 9×13 baking dish instead. The flavor and consistency were still the same, and that it is really all the matters. It was very tasty, with a “burnt” caramel sauce, and was light and creamy; exactly how it was supposed to be too. As with anything, there are many different versions and you can top flan with anything you like, such as fruit, chocolate or whipped cream, or anything else that tickles your fancy. You can add a little coffee flavor, or chocolate flavor, or you can add some fruit puree too it. My favorite way to enjoy flan is just the plain, original way, with the caramel sauce, and maybe a little whipped cream on top.

Spanish Flan

This delicious dessert only requires a few basic, simple ingredients. It is all in the techniques of how it is made that make the difference between a good flan and a great flan. I doubled my recipe, but I will give you the actual recipe, to make in smaller individual servings, if you like, though you can still present it however you choose to. Some people like to bake it in a cake pan, or like I did, a 9×13 baking dish.

4 cups milk

1 TBSP vanilla

6 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup sugar for the caramel topping

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180*C.

Make the caramel sauce by simply melting the sugar in a saucepan and letting it turn into a deep caramel color. Don’t stir, just move the pan to evenly coat the bottom of the pan with the melting sugar. Once the sugar starts to caramelize, it can easily burn very quickly if you are not careful. Once the sauce is made, spray your baking dishes with cooking spray and add it to the bottom of your ramekins or pan, and spread evenly around the bottom.

Place the baking dishes in a bain marie, or a water bath, with boiling water, to ensure the eggs don’t scramble or cook to fast. The key to a good flan is to have it be very smooth and creamy all throughout.

Put the milk in a saucepan and heat to just below the boiling point.

Whisk the eggs, then add the sugar, milk and vanilla, and whisk everything together. Carefully pour the mixture into the baking dishes.

Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. You want this to be very silky. Once the flan is cooled, chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

To serve, take a butter knife and gently cut around the edges. If using individual ramekins, top the ramekin with a plate and carefully flip over. The custard will come out and the caramel sauce will be on top. If you are making it either a cake pan, or a 9×13 baking pan like I did, cut the flan into individual serving portions and serve with a spatula. The caramel may be on the bottom, but the flavors will still be the same. Either way, I promise this beloved dessert will melt in your mouth and you will be very happy and content indeed. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Frijoles charros or cowboy beans originated in the Northern part of Mexico by the cowboys there, who were known as charros or vaqueros. The charros’ diet consisted of mostly meats, predominantly pork, and beans or frijoles, and more specifically pulses or pinto beans. As with any good recipe, there is never just one way to make it. There are as many different variations as there are cowboys.

Beans have been a part of the Mexican diet for at least 7000 years. The beans made their way up through Peru and have been a dietary staple ever since. Unlike refried beans, which are smashed during the cooking process, charro beans are left whole, swimming in their broth. Charro beans are similar to another Mexican recipe, borracho beans, or pinto beans cooked in beer. Charro beans are whole pinto beans cooked with spices, some type of meat, usually pork or bacon, and jalapeño peppers. Refried beans are just cooked pinto beans mashed with a type of fat (usually lard or shortening) until smooth and creamy, I actually much prefer my beans whole rather than smashed and refried, plus they are usually healthier, with less calories.

One of the many dishes I made for my Old World/New World fiesta Old World/New World Fiesta was a rendition of frijoles charros, though mine had beer in them too, so they were really frijoles charros borracho, or drunken beans.

Frijoles Charros

Like with so many complex dishes, these beans only get better with a couple of days under their belt. They are certainly good when you first make them, but all the flavors blend together with a couple of days rest, and they get even better.

2 large cans of pinto beans

1 cup beer

2-3 jalapenos, chopped fine and seeded

2 tomatoes, diced

1-2 tsp cinnamon

1 onion, chopped

1 TBSP garlic

3-4 TBSP dark brown sugar

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil for cooking

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Get a large pan or pot very hot, then add the oil, garlic, onions and jalapenos. Saute for about 3-5 minutes. You can add bacon and/or bacon fat as well, and I normally would have too, but I didn’t have any bacon down from the freezer at the time, so I decided against it. This worked to my advantage too, because I had some guests who were vegetarians and/or could not have pork. So I made sure I had something for everyone. it was just luck, but it turned out to be fortuitous.

Add the rest of the ingredients and combine thoroughly.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 or so minutes, or until about 1/2 of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.

These frijoles were a huge hit and received rave reviews. They were a bit spicy and a little sweet at the same time. They were a perfect accompaniment to the rest of the meal as well.

When cooking Mexican foods, rice and beans are very frequently served together, with most meals, especially if you are cooking Northern Mexican dishes. Most of the California style Mexican food hails from the Northern regions of either Sonora or Sinaloa. This is the delicious Mexican food I grew up with.

Que tengas un gran dia y que cada dia sea grandioso o have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.