This week for our The Culture of Food  Weekly Round-up we searched the blogosphere for delicious meals that cover breakfast, lunch, a snack, dinner and even a simple dessert! Some of these dishes consist of a little twist on traditional recipes. Check them out below to find out what they are. 

Easy Egg Muffin {healthy to-go breakfast}

Mari of Inspired by Family Mag shared this very smart way to feed a family on the go. Instead of bitting into a typical muffin when running out the door, how about getting some protein and veggies in with these egg muffins! Check out the simple recipe here.

Marinated Mushroom and Jack Quesadilla

Who doesn’t love a good quesadilla? They’re so easy to make and tasty! This recipe for a marinated mushroom quesadilla was shared by Carla of Simply Food Love. It’s a simple way to give a traditional quesadilla a little twist.

Apricot Walnut Energy Bars

If you need a little extra something between lunch and dinner check out Fabiola’s recipe for an apricot walnut energy bar. These energy bars are easy to make and very nutritious. Fabiola blogs at Not Just Baked.

Pollo Guisado – Puerto Rican Braised Stewed Chicken

If you’re in the mood to change up your chicken recipe try Elena’s Puerto Rican pollo guisado. Elena shared this recipe on her blog The Posh Latin Cook.

Tejas de Chocolate

Time for dessert! Bocadillo Suculento shared this super easy recipe for a chocolate bar that includes berries and nuts. Check out the recipe here.

This week’s culture of food features three simple recipes and a free e-book! Valentine’s day is just around the corner so we looked for simple recipes for busy families on the go. Two of the recipes we chose feature creative ways eat veggies, the third is a rarely heard of way to prepare chuletas, and finally we are featuring a free e-book that’s perfect for chocolate lovers and was created by three of our amigas!

Rollos de Acelgas y Mozzarella

Cristina of Una Colombiana en California shared this recipe for rollos de acelgas y mozzarella or chard rolls with mozzarella. Head over to her blog and check out a few fun facts about this vegetable and the recipe for these simple and nutritious chard rolls.

Calabacitas a la Mexicana con Elote

This yummy side dish recipe of zucchini, corn, tomatoes and a few other ingredients was shared by Karen of Mi Cocina Rápida. You’ll be surprised at how quickly it can be made! And with only a few veggies you have a rich side dish to share with your family or friends. Check out the recipe here.

Salvadoran Chuletas

Tracy of Latinaish shared this recipe for Salvadoran Chuletas with her readers and answers what you all might be wondering when you look at the picture above? What is that?  Head on over to Latinaish and read all about this dish and how to make it. Check out the recipe here.

Chocolate Obsessed E-Book !!!

For dessert we found a few sweet treats to celebrate the upcoming Dia del Amor y la Amistad,  the Chocolate Obsessed E- book ! This e-book is a free compilation of dessert recipes by three ladies you’re already familiar with here at SpanglishBaby: Nicole Presley, Vianney Rodriguez and Ericka Sanchez !

Nicole blogs at Presley’s Pantry, Vianney at Sweet Life Bake, and Ericka at Nibbles & Feasts. They decided to combine their baking powers and create an e-book featuring their most choco-licious recipes to share with their readers. And did we mentin it’s FREE ?! Just head over to their blogs and you will find a link to download there.

Utilísima is receiving 2013 with a very delicious special, Chocolate Month! Chocolate month started on January 5th and is continuing every Saturday for the month of January. So, every Saturday at 4PM ET / 1PM PT this month you can enjoy programming on Utilísima that invites you to enjoy yummy desserts and cakes prepared with chocolate. You can watch four consecutive episodes of  “La Pastelería”, “El Toque de Aquiles”, “Puro Chef”and “Sabores de Familia”, which will each share their best recipes with this ingredient. 

And of course, we want to share a recipe with you right here! Below you can find a recipe by Rafael Calderón, from the Puro Chef show, for the Spicy Chocolate pictured above.

Ingredients:

• 300 g chocolate
• Half gallon milk
• 1 hot pepper
• Vanilla extract – amount necessary
• 1 cinnamon stick

Procedure:

1. Melt chocolate and store separately.

2. Boil milk with a hot pepper.

3. Pour the milk over the melted chocolate and mix slowly.

4. Add vanilla extract and cinnamon stick. Serve in cups.

It was one of those days…. I was missing my Tio who passed away 3 years ago.  With Dia de Muertos / Day of the Dead (Nov.2nd) around the corner, I decided to start building an alter in his name.  I put on his favorite song “Miss You” by the Rolling Stones and played it loud on repeat.  Choked up with tears stuck in my throat, I tried my best to belt it out and get to the rest of the song without a complete break down.  The title “Miss you” seemed perfectly appropriate.  My Tio loved Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, he use to eat them all the time.  He also loved his caramel, so why not combine the two to make the perfect treat.  My family has always observed Dia de Los Muertos but it takes on a completely different meaning when you are honoring a close family member dearly missed.  I dedicate this recipe to him and hope that where ever he is now, he’s eating his favorite foods with his friends having the best time.

Ingredients for Chocolate Caramel Almond Dia de Muertos Rice Krispies Treat:

Non-Stick cooking spray

1 – stick butter (melted)

6 – cups mini marshmallows

2 – tablespoons milk

50 – caramel candies (plastic wrapper off)

1 – box of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal (12 oz.)

1 1/4 – cups whole almonds

2 – cups milk chocolate chips (melted)

I decorated my calavera with the following items:

Royal icing

sugar cookies

smarties

mini marshmallows

raspberry gummies

Kellogg’s Fruit Loops

edible metallic decorative balls

colored sprinkles

pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Spray a 9×13 pyrex glass baking dish, one pot, a big mixing bowl, and mixing utensil with non-stick cooking spray.  Set to the side.

1. In the sprayed pot over a medium flame add butter and marshmallows.  Mix until marshmallows are completely melted and smooth.
2. In another pot add milk and caramel over a low flame and mix until melted and smooth.
3. Then take both mixtures and pour into the big sprayed mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
4. Next pour Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and almonds into the marshmallow caramel mixture.

1. Mix until completely combined.  Then pour mixture into 9×13 sprayed pyrex dish and press to make mixture even. Allow to cool completely in baking dish.
2. Once cool, flip over onto a cutting board.
3. I drew a big calavera (skeleton head) on a piece of wax paper, then cut it out and used it as my stencil.  Place stencil on top of rice krispie slab and cut around it.
4. Remove excess pieces and either eat or use later for decoration.  That’s up to you.
5. Once you have cut the calavera, leave the wax paper on it and flip it onto a different cutting board with the wax paper facing the cutting board.
6. Then take the melted chocolate and brush the entire calavera with the chocolate and along the sides as well.  Allow the chocolate to harden for at least 4 hours.

Decorate!

Once the chocolate is completely dried, take a small knife and run it along the edges to detach it from the cutting board.  Then flip it over and remove the wax paper.  Chocolate surface down, exposed Rice Krispies on top.  Then decorate as you wish.  Pull inspiration from my photo or anything else that makes you happy. To you and your loved ones departed or living this Dia de Muertos.

Disclosure: We are one of the Kellogg’s Champions of Great Starts bloggers and proud to have Kellogg’s as a SpanglishBaby sponsor.