How is this for the perfect summer party dessert?  Take advantage of the peak of strawberry season and serve this classic at your next birthday party, baby shower or family barbecue.  The preparation is so simple — it can be turned into a cooking activity among your guests and have them assemble their own.

“Breakfast party,” you say?  Replace the angel food cake loaf with homemade mini-pancakes and serve with maple syrup!

These charming shortcake sticks are popular with the kids and are great conversation starters. A beautiful and distinctive way to serve dessert and sweeten up your summer with just a few ingredients.

Ingredients

1 angel food cake loaf, sliced into 1” cubes (use a serrated knife for easy cutting)

3 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and cut in halves.

Cool Whip Whipped Topping

8-10 wooden skewers, with pointy sides cut off

To assemble skewers:

Alternate shortcake cubes and strawberry halves by piercing on each skewer.

To serve:

Place assembled skewers on a platter and let guests dollop the whipped topping over skewers.  Whipped topping can also be served on the side for dipping.

Serves 8-10

Green chilaquiles always remind me of my pebbled street walks on the car-less streets of Oaxaca.  Passing church after beautiful church and determined to spend my morning meal at one my favorite restaurants, Las Quince Letras.  Surrounded by cobalt blue and marigold walls with fuchsia bougainvillia tree accents, the restaurant’s fresh morning patio was serenaded by songbirds and a trickling pitter-patter of a corroded fountain.

Chilaquiles are the quintessential any-time-of-day meal in Mexico.  For breakfast, add scrambled eggs.  For lunch, add shredded chicken.  Vegetarian? Enjoy this tangy green chilaquiles dish as is or add roasted mushrooms.  I like to top mine with salty, crumbled cotija cheese and cream (mild crema Mexicana or sour crema Salvadoreña, your choice).

Important note:  If tortillas are fresh, spread them out over a flat surface about 30 minutes before frying.

Ingredients:

6 – 6” corn tortillas cut into eighths

Canola oil or vegetable oil for frying

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 lb. green tomatillos, husked

2 cups chicken broth

½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 serrano chili, with seeds, chopped

1 poblano chili, roasted, peeled and seeded

½ tsp dried Mexican oregano, crumbled

salt to taste

¼ tsp sugar

¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese

1/3 cup Mexican or Salvadorian cream

Directions:

In a medium skillet, heat  about a ½ inch depth of oil until hot. Fry tortilla pieces until golden.   Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In the same skillet, remove all oil but 2 tablespoons.  Cook chopped onion for about 4 minutes.  Set aside.

In a deep pot with water, cook tomatillos until tender, 5-6 minutes.  Drain and place in blender.  Add ½ cup of chicken broth, onion, both chilies, cilantro, oregano, salt and sugar.  Blend until nearly smooth.

In a large saucepan, place the green sauce, add remaining chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 6 minutes.  Add salt if necessary.

Preheat oven to 325 degree.

Arrange fried tortilla pieces on an 8-inch square baking dish, then carefully  and evenly pour sauce over them.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cook for 12-15 minutes until heated through.  Serve hot and top with Mexican or Salvadorian cream.

Serves: 4

Traditional pastel de tres leches, or three milks cake calls for condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk. In many Latin American countries, this cake is a must at weddings and quinceañeras and paired with seasonal fruit and nuts.  It’s dense, moist, fluffy and sweet; a perfect combination to showcase at celebrations and family gatherings.   Many bakers add rum, cognac or rompope to the milk mixture to balance out the sugar.  I went a step further and drizzled it with dulce de leche (cajeta or caramel ice cream topping).

Ingredients

• Cooking spray (or butter for greasing)
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1 – 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 – 12oz can evaporated milk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp dark rum or Rompope (optional)
• 1/3 cup dulce de leche (or caramel ice cream topping)
• 1/3 cup almonds, chopped
• 10-12 strawberries sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray or butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Separately beat eggs and ¾ cup of sugar until thick.  Add vanilla and flour mixture and mix on low speed until well combined, fold in melted butter.

Pour batter on baking dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden.  Test by inserting a toothpick in center and toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven.

In a medium bowl, combine milks and whisk until well combined.

Place cake on a deep serving tray and gently poke holes with wooden skewer or fork.  Pour milk mixture evenly, making sure liquid makes its way into the holes.  Continue to let cake cool.

Whip cream and ¼ cup sugar (and dark rum, optional) until peaks form.  Frost cake with whipped cream, top with almonds, drizzled dulce de leche (or caramel ice cream topping) and sliced strawberries.

I absolutely love cooking for my son.  Although, he’s only three years old, he knows his mom is happy when he “hmmms!” and “ohh ricos!” my food.  This week, he’ll be starting preschool and I want his first day to be a memorable one.  For his first official school lunch, I will be packing some Chilean empanadas we learned how to make from one of his favorite shows on PBS KIDS GO!, Postcards from Buster!

Not only did we learn how to make these kid-friendly empanadas inspired by Buster’s trip to Chile, but we also learned about life in this magnificent country.  In Buster’s excursion, he visited beautiful “cascadas”, searched for fossils in the Andes Mountains and learned about odes as he visited our favorite poet’s home, Pablo Neruda.

Perfect for cooking with children, these empanadas are very fun to make because their little hands can mold and fold the ready-made dough.  Fill them with savory ingredients or their favorite marmalade for a warm and sweet dessert.

Chilean Chicken Empanadas Recipe

Recipe from Postcards from Buster

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked and chopped chicken breast
1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack (or cheddar) cheese
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons salsa
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 ready-made pie crust, top and bottom
A little flour (so the crust doesn’t stick)
Small cup or bowl, half full of water
*1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

To make the empanada filling, mix all ingredients (except pie crust, egg, flour, and water) in a large bowl. Set aside.

On a floured surface, extend pie crust and divide in quarters.  Roll each quarter into a ball and extend with rolling pin.  Repeat with each quarter.

Place 2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle of a crust circle. Then wet your fingers with the water and moisten the entire edge of the crust. Bring one side of the crust up and over the filling until it reaches the other edge of the crust, making a half-moon shape with the filling inside.

Repeat until all circles are filled.

Place them in a lightly greased baking sheet and brush with egg wash.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and let them cool completely.  Serve and enjoy!

You can find this recipe, plus activity sheets and lesson plans, Buster´s blog, videos of past Postcards from Buster shows and more at: pbs.org/parents/buster/.

Living in a border town like El Paso, Texas, it was not unusual to cross the border down to Mexico on a weekly basis. Mexico was ten minutes away and Sunday morning mass, breakfast and maybe even a haircut were our Ciudad Juarez family day trips. This was a custom for many families living in a border town. As we headed back to the U.S. the wait at the crossing bridge seemed an eternity as kids. We napped, read the latest issue of a Periquita comic or we enjoyed what the bridge vendors had to offer: Mexican candy.

Cocadas always stood out to me due to their bright pink color. I really wanted to recreate them exactly as I remembered. This February, we are steering away from the Valentine chocolate cliché and playing with coconut instead. This dessert is pretty simple and made in less than an hour. You little ones will enjoy stirring the coconut mixture and cutting out cocada shapes with plastic cookie cutters once the dessert has cooled. Enjoy and happy Valentine’s Day!

Cocadas for your Valentine

2-14 oz. cans sweetened, condensed milk
1-14 oz. bag of sweetened, flaked coconut
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
optional: red or neon pink food coloring

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line an 11” x 17” baking sheet with parchment paper and set lined pan aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add sweetened, condensed milk, honey and vanilla mix with a strong (preferably wooden) spoon.   Stir until all ingredients have been completely mixed.

Add a few drops of food coloring and mix well until desired shade of pink or red has been reached.

Spread the coconut and milk mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Using a flat wooden spoon, push the mixture evenly on pan, including corners. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top begins to lightly brown.

Cool for at least an hour.  Cut into squares or use a lightly oiled circle shape cookie cutter.  Enjoy or store in a tightly sealed container.

Makes approximately 20 pieces.

1. shredded coconut

2. add condensed milk, honey and vanilla

3. stir and mix well

4. add food coloring (optional)

5. stir until colored evenly

6. pour in baking dish and bake until golden

7. remove from oven, let cool completely and enjoy!

This salad is a celebration of winter.  Every year, I wait anxiously for persimmons and pomegranates to be in season to enjoy this tangy, crunchy and peppery salad. The pomegranate kernels, Nakano Natural Rice Vinegar and Holland House Red Wine Vinegar compliment the sweetness of the persimmons and woody hazelnut flavor.   This salad has been known to convert non-salad believers into salad enthusiasts.

Green Leafy Salad with Persimmons and Pomegranates 

2/3 cup shelled hazelnuts

1 ½ tablespoons + 1 teaspoon hazelnut oil

1 tablespoons finely diced pearl onion

2 small shallots, thinly sliced

Juice from 2 pomegranates*

½ cup pomegranate seeds

1 tablespoons Holland House Red Wine Vinegar

2 teaspoons Nakano Natural Rice Vinegar

1 tablespoon Pomegranate Vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 Fuyu persimmons, sliced in matchsticks

½ lemon for juicing

1 lb. arugula

Sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast hazelnuts on baking sheet for 10 minutes shaking the baking sheet a few times until lightly browned all over and fragrant. Chop roughly and toss them with 1 teaspoon hazelnut oil and pinch of sea salt.

In a small glass bowl, place diced onion, pomegranate juice, vinegars and pinch of salt.  Whisk in oils.

In a large salad bowl, toss arugula, persimmons, shallots, pomegranate seeds and lemon juice. Add vinaigrette, toss and sprinkle with the remaining chopped hazelnuts.

Serves 6-8

*Cooks note:

Juicing pomegranates can be extremely messy.  To minimize mess, squeeze pomegranate with your hands and pressing with your fingers until skin feels soft.  Make a 1” slit and hold over a container (slit face-down).  Juices will flow out.

{All photos courtesy of Ericka Sánchez}

Ericka Sánchez–Proudly born in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico, Ericka arrived in the United States in 1982 to El Paso, Texas. Her love of food began in her mom’s kitchen but flourished in a food photography studio where she assisted in food styling/design and photo shoots.

Now a wife and a mom to a 2-year old toddler, Ericka launched her bilingual blog Nibbles & Feasts in 2010 as a guide to satiating food cravings through recipes and to share her restaurant recommendations and food events in Los Angeles. You can read all of Ericka´s recipes here.

Editor’s note: They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this holiday season we asked all of our regular contributors – we’re up to nine! – to just send us a photo that expresses what the holidays mean to them for this collection of Bicultural Christmas Photos. What kind of photo would you have sent in?

“We love to visit and admire various famous Christmas trees around town. One we never miss is our favorite, the Christmas tree on Main Street, Disneyland.”

We love incorporating candy canes in every Christmas project we can.  We tie them on our wreaths and garlands. We use them as walking sticks to adorn our fancy ginger bread men.  We use them as hot chocolate stirrers or bribe our three-year-old son with them to clean up his toys.

My favorite by far, is making these cookies to enjoy Christmas morning.

With a cup of coffee at hand, pajamas on and a big smile on our faces these cookies have become a holiday tradition in our home when unwrapping gifts. Happy holidays! ¡Felices fiestas!

Choco-Mint Christmas Cookies

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup white and peppermint chocolate chunks (if not available, use plain white chocolate )

3 large candy canes, crushed

-In a bain-marie (water bath), combine butter and unsweetened chocolate. Stir until all chocolate chunks and butter have melted.  Remove from heat and transfer chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl.  Add sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until blended.

-In a separate medium bowl, add cocoa, baking powder, flour and salt and whisk until well combined.  Add chocolate mixture and white chocolate and stir until well combined and takes on a fudge consistency.

-Refrigerate mixture at least 2 hours to set.

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking tray with parchment paper or cooking spray.  Roll 1-inch “fudge” balls and place them 2 -3 inches apart.  Bake for 8 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle candy cane bits.   Return to oven for 2 more minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen

{All photos courtesy of Ericka Sánchez}

Have the niños take part in your family’s Thanksgiving dinner preparation this year.   Pumpkin pie pops are a great spin-off of the traditional pumpkin pie dessert we all love to indulge in after the big dinner.

Not only are they fun and easy for little hands to assemble, but require very few ingredients to create.  Because everything is ten times more fun on a stick, think of  this autumn treat as circular empanaditas on a stick.

Arrange them in a pretty flower vase to decorate the kid’s table as a fun centerpiece.

Pumpkin Pie Pops

You will need:

• 2  -  9” unbaked pie dough crusts
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs
• 1 – 15 oz can plain pumpkin
• 1 – 12 oz can condensed milk
• 12 bamboo skewers or wooden popsicle sticks

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Soak bamboo skewers or wooden popsicle sticks in water for 15 minutes

In a small bowl, mix sugar, salt and spices.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs.  Stir in pumpkin, sugar, salt and spice mixture and condensed milk.  Set aside.

Pie Pops Assembly:

1. On a floured surface, prepare pie dough by rolling out the crusts to 9 inches in diameter.
2. Using a 2  ½” cookie  or biscuit cutter, or the rim of an overturned glass, cut out as many circles as possible.  Gather dough scraps and roll out to cut out more circles.  Repeat with second pie dough.
3. Place half of the dough circles on two baking sheets and gently press skewers (or popsicle sticks) on each of them.
4. Place a tablespoon of pumpkin mixture on the center of each dough circle.
5. Beat the last egg in a separate bowl.
6. With a baking brush, brush egg wash around pumpkin pie filling .
7. Add the top crust by gently placing the second round on top of the round with pumpkin filling and skewer.
8. Using a fork, gently press around the pie sides to secure and seal the pie pops.
9. With fork, poke a few holes on top of the pie pop to let trapped air escape.
10. Once sealed, brush the pops with egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Makes 6 Pie Pops

{All photos courtesy of Ericka Sánchez}

Ericka Sánchez–Proudly born in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico, Ericka arrived in the United States in 1982 to El Paso, Texas. Her love of food began in her mom’s kitchen but flourished in a food photography studio where she assisted in food styling/design and photo shoots.

Now a wife and a mom to a 2-year old toddler, Ericka launched her bilingual blog Nibbles & Feasts in 2010 as a guide to satiating food cravings through recipes and to share her restaurant recommendations and food events in Los Angeles. You can read all of Ericka´s recipes here.

A couple weeks preceding Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), we begin creating and preparing the decorations for our altar.  One very important element and colloquial symbol incorporated in the altar is the sugar skull (calaverita de azucar).

Sugar skulls represent and honor a departed soul.  Customarily, the name of the person the altar is dedicated to is written across the skull’s forehead.  If you do not have an altar to display them on, sugar skulls can also be given to loved ones as fun gifts.

This vibrant and folkloric art is a great way to include the entire family in a fun and creative project.  Making sugar skulls involves practice, patience and yes, clean-up.

Since there is a lot of handling involved, consuming these sugar skulls is not recommended.  They are better at being admired than eaten.

A very important note:  Sugar skulls must be made on a day with absolutely no humidity (no rain or fog) at all.  The humidity will impede the sugar and meringue powder mixture from drying and your sugar skulls will not set.

This project takes a couple of days to complete.  Be very patient.  Practice as much as you can and make sure you have a large, clean work area.

Most importantly, have fun, remember your honored loved one and create a lasting family tradition by creating sugar art.

Feliz Dia de Muertos a todos!

YOU WILL NEED:

Sugar Skull Mold (found at arts & crafts stores or online)

Granulated Sugar

Powdered Sugar

Meringue Powder (found at baking stores or arts & crafts stores)

6”x6” Corrugated Cardboard squares

Large metal bowl for mixing

Measuring spoons

1 Cup liquid measuring cup

¼ cup dry measuring cup

Decorations: Concentrated paste food coloring (found at baking stores), colored tin foils

(you can also use sequins, feathers, beads, glitter etc… let your imagination go wild!)

RECIPE FOR SUGAR SKULL:

5 lb. bag (or 10 cups of granulated sugar)

¼ cup meringue powder

10 teaspoons of sugar

1.  Mix dry ingredients by hand in a large bowl then sprinkle in water to mix completely.  Ingredients should be completely moistened and must take on a “beach sand” feel.  You will know it is ready when you squeeze an amount of sugar mixture on the palm of your hand and your fingers leave an imprint and mixture keeps its shape.

2.  Pack mixture firmly in mold.  Make sure all crevices are filled completely (pay special attention to skull’s chin and nose).  Use a sharp edge to level off the back of the skull flat. Place a corrugated cardboard square over the mold and invert immediately.  Lift mold carefully and let skull dry 6 hours.  (If the skull crumbles when removing from the mold, start over, return sugar mix back in the bowl and spritz some water into the mixture).

3.  When skull feels dry enough to handle, and you are assembling a two-piece (front and back) skull, you must scoop out with a spoon the inside of both pieces, leaving a ½” skull wall.  Do not scoop out the neck area. Set the skull front and back pieces back on the cardboard squares and let dry for 12 more hours.

4.  Prepare Royal Icing (see recipe below).  Royal icing is used to “glue” both pieces together.  It will also be used to decorate.

When skull pieces are completely dry, place a ¼” bead of thick royal icing on one side of the back of the skull, either applied with a knife or squeezed from an icing bag.  Affix the front and back skull pieces together making sure they are aligned.  If icing oozes out, immediately wipe off excess with finger. Let dry for 3 hours.  If your sides do not line up straight, use fine sandpaper to even them out.

RECIPE FOR ROYAL ICING:

2/3 Cup water

1/2 cup meringue powder

2 pounds powdered sugar

Mix ingredients with an electric/stand mixer until icing peaks (about 9 minutes). Don’t mix up more than two pounds at a time. Keep in a tightly covered container. DO NOT REFRIGERATE.

TO DECORATE YOUR SKULLS WITH ROYAL ICING:

Use ONLY concentrated paste food colorings (NOT liquid food coloring from the grocery store). Mix icing & paste colors in disposable cups to your desired depth of color. Use pastry bags and metal tips or strong disposable bags and snip the tips to make fun and colorful designs.  After decorating, remember to let dry one last time for 3+ hours.

Foil eyes and beads can be adhered to your sugar skulls by carefully applying royal icing and gently pressing them against the skull.

Yields: Four, 4” sugar skulls

Ericka Sánchez–Proudly born in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico, Ericka arrived in the United States in 1982 to El Paso, Texas. Her love of food began in her mom’s kitchen but flourished in a food photography studio where she assisted in food styling/design and photo shoots.

Now a wife and a mom to a 2-year old toddler, Ericka launched her bilingual blog Nibbles & Feasts in 2010 as a guide to satiating food cravings through recipes and to share her restaurant recommendations and food events in Los Angeles. You can read all of Ericka´s recipes here.