Living in Hawaii presents a dilemma when it comes to obtaining items for Mexican food...my favorite. Bread/tortillas are very stale by the time they get to the island, since they have been on a boat for who knows how long. So, I decided I would make my own. Intimidated the first time? Yes. But, after trying this recipe out, it was so stinkin easy, I probably would be making my own even if I still lived in California. I used my pancake griddle to cook these and turned the temperature up to 400 degrees. It workedbeautifully. You are not looking for these to get crisp, you will be able to tell when they are done. They will bubble up on each side. You can divide the dough up into 8 portions for bigger burritos (or cafe rio salad bottom), or make 10-12 smaller ones for soft tacos.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
3 c flour 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 3/4 c shortening 3/4 c very hot water
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add hot water, and mix until dough form a ball. Knead dough until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Place in a bowl and let rest for 1 hour. (The dough will not rise). Divide dough into 8 equal portions, and roll out very thin. Cook on a hot pan or griddle on each side, until bubbly. (Note: my tortillas were very rustic and were not perfect circles, so don't stress)
Oh my! I made these for New Years Eve this year, and my husband could not get over how good they were. We have a passion fruit tree in our front yard (yes, we live somewhere tropical...Hawaii), and my husband Jared is in heaven! He loves to make juice from them. I'm not really into eating them since they are really sour. However, they have a distinct taste of the tropics, and I thought it would be wonderful to use the juice/pulp of our fresh passion fruits. The result was beautiful! If you don't know, here is what the inside of a passion fruit looks like:
It can either have a yellow skin or purple skin, they taste about the same.
Pretty weird looking, but the juice made a wonderful, tropical buttercream. The vanilla cake was a perfect platform for the frosting, as it was the star of the show. Sometimes scratch cakes are overrated, so I used a box cake mix. If you make sure you don't over cook the cupcakes, you will have the most moist cake. I usually turn the heat down 25 degrees and bake a little longer, that way there is even cooking and the cake does not get brown. If you can't find passion fruit in your grocery store, I have read on some blogs that you can get it in paste form? Anyways, this was fun to make and tasted heavenly!
Vanilla Cupcakes with Passion Fruit Buttercream
1 box vanilla cake mix, prepared using cupcakes 4 tbs softened butter 2 passion fruits, pulp removed and pushed through a mesh strainer (about 4 tbsp juice) 3-4 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla 2-3 tbs milk 1/4 tsp salt ( more or less according to your palate)
Bake cupcakes as directed on the box, let cool completely. To make frosting, remove pulp from passion fruits and push through a mesh strainer to get all the juice out of the pulp, making sure no seeds are in the juice. Combine softened butter, tsp vanilla, passion fruit juice and about 3 cups of powdered sugar. Mix well, and if you need to add milk to thin out the frosting, add a little bit at a time. Add more powdered sugar or milk to get to the right consistency. Spread frosting on cupcakes.
I don't know about you, but salads are only good when the dressing is good. For Christmas Eve I made the Cafe Rio Salad re-creation, and it was awesome to have Mexican food in Hawaii. Hawaii does not have a good variety of Mexican products in the grocery store, and so I find that I don't have Mexican food as much. This is a bummer because it is my favorite food. I really love this dressing to pieces, and for those of you that don't know about Cafe Rio, it is a Baja Mexican inspired restaurant in the western part of the United States. It started out in Utah, and now they have them in selected western states. This dressing is soooooo incredibly good, and I LOVE that when I make it, I have a whole container of it, instead of the little cup they give you at the restaurant. I serve this dressing with any of the following: meat, salad (of course), rice, beans, picodegallo, or any other add in you like on your salad.
Creamy Tomatillo Ranch
1 packet Ranch dressing mix (not BUTTERMILK) 1 c. mayonnaise 1 c. buttermilk 2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro 1 clove garlic juice of 1 lime 1 jalapeno, seeded and veins removed 1 tsp salt
Mix all ingredients together in the blender. Store in a container, in the fridge.
This is one of my favorite recipes. I don't know why I only make it during the holidays, it really can be enjoyed year around. I have tasted many versions of fruit dips at baby showers, and other parties but I like this recipe because it is simple, and perfect just the way it is. My favorite combination is dipping oranges into the dip, it tastes like a Creamsicle. The dip can be made in advance, and tastes better after it sits in the fridge for a couple of hours. I use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese, just so I feel better about eating it, and the flavor is still the same. Also, don't be afraid to whip this dip really well when combining it, so that the marshmallow creme and cream cheese become a cohesive, luscious, condiment. YUM, YUM, YUM!
Family Favorite Fruit Dip
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, room temperature 1 jar marshmallow creme 1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
In a medium bowl whip with beaters or kitchenaid the room temperature cream cheese, until completely smooth. Add marshmallow creme and lemon juice, and whip very well to combine until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Serve with cut up apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, and melons.
This was the dip my mother would make for any occasions where she needed to bring something like an appetizer. I have always loved the taste of this dip, rich, tangy, and addictive! With New Years Eve coming up, I thought it would be an appropriate recipe to post. There are only 2 ingredients, and random as they might be (I posted pics so you know what to look for at the grocery store, click on picture for larger view.), they are so incredibly good together. The cheddar cheese spread can probably be found by Velveeta cheese in the grocery store. You can buy any brand of chili con carne with no beans, they will work the same. Sometimes you can't find no salt tortilla chips, so I have just gotten some regular tortilla chips. I sometimes double the batch, and put it into my small crock pot on low to keep it warm. So if you want an easy appetizer, that everyone will love, this is the one for you!
Hot Chili Cheese Dip
1 can chili con carne with no beans 1 jar Old English Cheddar Cheese Spread 1 bag tortilla chips (no salt)
Heat together cheese spread and chili con carne together in a medium sized bowl in the microwave or in a medium pot on the stove until smooth and hot. Serve with tortilla chips.
