This is a recipe that I made in Mexico. And it has definitely become one of my most comforting meals. I highly recommend it. 

Sopa de fideo

INGREDIENTS:

7-10 tomatoes

1 onion, sliced in half

1 serrano pepper

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

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1 bag fideo noodles

2 tbsp oil

8 cups water

8 tsp Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor

Salt to taste

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Corn tortillas

Queso fresco

On a komal or skillet, place the tomatoes, onion slices, serrano pepper, and garlic cloves over medium heat. Cook them until blackened, turning from time to time. 

Peel the tomato skins and garlic peels. Put tomatoes, onion slices, garlic cloves, and one small piece of the serrano pepper (put it all in if you like things spicy) in a blender. Add one cup water and blend until smooth. 

In a pot, heat up oil over medium heat. Stir in dry fideo noodles and sauté. Stir frequently. When the noodles are lightly browned, it's time to add the contents from the blender. 

Put a large colander over the top of the pot with the noodles and oil. Pour the blender over the top of the colander and us a spoon to press the contents until all the liquid has entered the pot. At this point you can put the contents back in the blender with another cup of water and repeat the process. Remove the colander and discard the contents into the trash. 

Add 8 cups water, 8 tsp bouillon, and 1 tsp salt to the pot. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and stir occasionally. After about 15 minutes, check to see if the noodles are cooked and add more salt, if needed. At this point I put the lid on the pot and turn off the heat. I like to let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving so that the noodles can soak up some of the sopa, but you can eat immediately if you don't want to wait. Serve with tortillas and queso fresco, if desired. 

Banitsa

This is a classic Bulgarian dish. It is savory and comforting. Sirene can be difficult to find but the flavor results are worth it.

Banitsa

INGREDIENTS:

1 box phyllo dough

2 cups butter, melted

½ lb sirene Bulgarian cheese

¾ lb Whole plain greek yogurt

4 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

Salt

Pepper

HOW TO PREPARE:

Whisk yogurt with 4 whole eggs. Add sirene, salt and pepper. Blend well. Take one sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter. Place a third sheet on top and brush with butter. Spoon some of the yogurt/cheese mixture across on edge and then roll up and put in greased round baking pan. Repeat until all phyllo dough and yogurt/cheese mixture is used up. Beat egg yolk with remaining melted butter and brush the whole banitsa top. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes. The banitsa should be golden. It can be eaten either hot, warm, or cold.

Chicken and Potato Tacos

 My beautiful friend, Mireya, shared this recipe with me. It's a winner!

Chicken and Potato Tacos
INGREDIENTS:
1 large chicken breast, uncooked
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Fresh oregano, to taste
Chicken bouillon powder
6 potatoes
Lard (Manteca)
Oil
Corn tortillas

HOW TO PREPARE:

Put the chicken breast in a pot. In a blender, add chopped tomato and onion and six cups of water. Blend until smooth. Pour over the chicken breast. Add 1 tbsp chicken bouillon and oregano. If the chicken breast isn't completely covered, then add more water until it is. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, until cooked through and tender. 

Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces. In a skillet, add a little oil and heat it up. Add potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until cooked through. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until smooth. 

Remove chicken breast from pot and shred. In a large bowl add potatoes and shredded chicken. Stir together.

Warm up corn tortillas.  

In a skillet, add lard (manteca) and/or oil. The lard adds flavor so I recommend having some lard. I used about half lard and half oil. Heat to medium heat. 

Grab one corn tortilla and put some of the filling inside. Carefully place in the skillet and turn over when browned. Repeat until all the filling has been used. I put the cooked tacos on a cooling rack over a jelly roll pan to let some of the oil drain off. Serve with chili sauce or salsa. 

Lime Cheesecake

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Lime Cheesecake

CRUST:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or any plain butter cookie)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

FILLING:

4 (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon grated lime peel

2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

10 drops yellow food coloring, optional

5 eggs, lightly beaten

TOPPING:

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup whipped cream

HOW TO PREPARE:

In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Press into greased 10-in. springform pan. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the cream, lime juice, flour, lemon peel, extracts and food coloring if desired. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until center is almost set. Chill overnight. The next day make the topping: in a small bowl stir together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Spread on top of the cheesecake and grate fresh lime peel over the top. Serve.

Mexican Rice

 Mexican Rice

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups long grain rice

¼ cup oil

8oz tomato sauce

Cilantro (optional)

1 tsp garlic salt

2 ½ cups chicken broth

Dash of cumin

½ cup frozen corn

HOW TO PREPARE:

Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add rice and cook until lightly browned. Pour rice into the rice cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Push the “white rice” button to cook the rice. 

Cream of Chicken Soup

 Cream of Chicken Soup (equals 1 can)

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ cups chicken broth

¾ cup milk

6 tbsp flour

½ tbsp adobo

HOW TO PREPARE:

Combine the chicken broth & ¼ cup of milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and adobo into the remaining ½ cup milk until smooth. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and whisk until thickened. 

Cream of Chicken Soup (equals 2 cans)

INGREDIENTS:

2 ½ cups chicken broth

1 ½ cups milk

¾ cup flour

1 tbsp adobo

HOW TO PREPARE:

Combine the chicken broth & ½ cup of milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and adobo into the remaining 1 cup milk until smooth. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and whisk until thickened.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is one of my favorite soups.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup butter , sliced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic , minced
6 Tbsp flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
5 cups chicken broth
5 cups small diced broccoli florets
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese
2 oz parmesan cheese , freshly & finely shredded

HOW TO PREPARE:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until they begin to soften, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add garlic, flour and season lightly with salt and pepper then cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in evaporated milk (whisk well to smooth).

Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken then pour into a slow cooker along with chicken broth, diced broccoli and thyme. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 5 - 6 hours.

Turn heat to warm (or off) and stir in heavy cream. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Then add in shredded cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese and stir to blend. 

Shrimp Gumbo

Many years ago, I went to Louisiana. It was there that I first tried shrimp gumbo. One bite and I was hooked. I found this recipe in this cookbook.

Shrimp Gumbo

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup flour
7/8 cup bacon drippings
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
2 1/2lb shrimp, deveined and tail-off
Smoked sausage, chopped

1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
3 bay leaves

HOW TO PREPARE:

Brown flour in bacon drippings in large Dutch oven, stirring constantly. Add onions, green pepper, and celery; simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and shrimp; simmer, covered, until shrimp turn pink. Add sausage,  seasonings, thyme, bay leaves, and 3 quarts of hot water; simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice. Yield: 6 servings. 

Queso

 I recently stumbled onto this cooking blog and this is the first recipe of theirs that I have made. It didn't disappoint! Now, their recipe didn't include measurements, but I will share what I did. 

Queso

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, remove the seeds and dice the pepper

1 tomato, chopped

1 tbsp cornstarch
5 cups heavy cream (can use evaporated milk)
8oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
salt to taste

HOW TO PREPARE:
Sauté onion and garlic in the butter for 8 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. Add jalapeño pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Stir in tomato. After heated through, sprinkle cornstarch over vegetables and stir well. Add heavy cream (and/or evaporated milk). Heat until simmering. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend until pureed. Return to heat and add the 8oz of cheese. Stir constantly and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat until thickened to a desired consistency, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Baklava

This is a Bulgarian version of Baklava. You prepare it one day and then wait a day before you eat it. It's worth the wait. 

Baklava
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ lbs pistachios
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups butter, melted
1 box phyllo dough
SYRUP:
2 cups water
3 cups sugar
6 whole cloves
Juice of ½ lemon
Splash of rose water

HOW TO PREPARE:
For the syrup: boil water and sugar for 10 minutes. Then add cloves, lemon juice, and rose water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the whole cloves and let cool completely. 

In a food processor, process pistachios, sugar, and cinnamon until pistachios are finely processed. 

Grease 13x9 inch pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of the pan with 3-4 sheets of phyllo dough, folded in two, brushing lightly in between each layer with butter. Sprinkle ¼ of the pistachio mixture evenly on top of the layer. Repeat this process 4 more times. End with 3-4 more double layers of phyllo dough, each layer brushed with butter.

Lightly score the top of the phyllo in a diamond pattern. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until light brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour cold syrup evenly over the hot baklava. Let baklava set overnight so it can absorb the syrup. Serves 12.