Mexican Food & Gifts Cooking Tips

HOWDY FRIENDS….from Mexican Food & Gifts To Go
www.texmextogo.com

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Happy Cinco De Mayo!!

My favorite time of year has rolled in again! I always encourage all of you to plant, plant, and add more plants to your garden each year! With the rising food cost affecting all of us, fresh produce from your backyard has never been a more attractive endeavor for the whole family! Look for these tomato plants: Brandywines, Moonglow, Amish Red or Peppermint tomatoes (striped like peppermint candy) to use in your homemade salsas, pico de gallo or picante sauces. A favorite website with the largest chili pepper seed catalog is www.nmchili.com. We use a huge amount of fresh peppers in our commercial kitchen however we do not sell them – friends visit this site for seeds! Now you are ready to make homemade salsa!
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New
Mexican Food To Go Blog! Join the community of all things Mexican and Tex-Mex! We've got the chiliheads excited over starting the Mexican food blog: ask questions, share your recipes with the world, new cooking tips, share and try new recipes, and let us know what you would like to see in our online store. All of you have a story or a best recipe to share – we hope you join us! Using our cookware? Let others know how it has helped in making your Mexican dishes. Leave your comments or sign up for daily delivery into your mail box.
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Online Storefront
Now that summer is just around the corner, it is time to concentrate on boating, sailing, water sports and camping. Are you fully outfitted for the season? And Mother’s Day is nearing, so let me help you with a few ideas!
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Beautiful hand blown bowl in our pebbles pattern – Read more
Stainless Steel glasses: margaritas, wine or martini perfect for the boat! Read more
Decorative jumbo stainless steel: 15” tall, a centerpiece in itself! Read more
Unbreakable Melamine tableware: boats, patios, around the pool: perfect! Read more.
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So ‘ya just can’t go anywhere without that hot sauce: no fear, get the holster! Read more.
Taco holder: goes anywhere without toppling over – excellent for pool & patio. Read more.

Salsa caddy: place salsa or condiments – excellent for the boat & outdoor cooking. Read more.
Silicone kitchen gadgets: how did I live without these!! For grilling & campfires. Read more.
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Mexican Cooking Tips

Corn tortillas – because there is no gluten (wheat protein) in corn flour, the corn tortilla dough can be manipulated a lot without fear of ending up with tough tortillas.

Corn husks – you can substitute parchment paper for corn husks when making tamales. Cut the paper in 4”x 8” rectangles and spread the dough within 1” of the edges. Fold the sides in toward the middle so they touch, fold the top down and the bottom up, tie with a string and steam until the paper comes away from the dough.

Colored tortillas – to make green tortillas, drain the liquid from frozen spinach and use it instead of water when making tortilla dough. For red tortillas, add 1tbsp red chili powder.
For yellow tortillas, dissolve 1tsp turmeric in the water.

Avocados – avocados can become bitter when heated, which is why you almost never see a recipe for cooked avocados. If you ever find them on sale and want to stock up (!), you CAN freeze them! Purée the flesh with lime or lemon juice, pack into a freezer container and freeze for up to three months. Use this mixture for guacamole or chilled avocado soup. Haas avocados are the best choice for making guacamole. Others on the market, such as the Fuerte avocado have a higher water content and are not as creamy.

To ripen avocados – buy avocados that are firm and heavy for their size with no breaks in the skin and no soft spots. Place them in a paper bag and fold down the top. Let stand at room temperature for 2 to 4 days, checking the avocados daily. They are ripe and ready when the flesh gives when lightly pressed.

To ripen tomatoes – most tomatoes we buy at the store are not ripe. To ripen tomatoes, set them on a sunny windowsill until they give slightly when lightly pressed; try to buy tomatoes still on the vine. Do not store tomatoes in the refrigerator, as their texture will quickly become soft and mealy.
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Recipes

Mexican Chicken & Rice
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
4 small chicken breast halves, boneless & skinless
2 cups water
1 cup Tejano salsa mild
2 cups Minute rice, uncooked
1 can (8oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken & cover, cook for 4 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. Remove chicken from skillet. Stir in water & salsa, bring to a boil. Add rice & corn. Top with the chicken. Sprinkle cheese over chicken, cover. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stir & serve. We use Minute rice in this recipe for speed. Ready in 15 minutes. Serves 4.

Cooking Tips: an easy and quick after work dinner for the family. The teenagers love this one!

Cooking Tips: for an even faster recipe: try our Tejano salsa Rice Mex and make “Arroz Con Pollo”
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King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Ingredients:
8- 8” corn tortillas, divided
Chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1- 14oz can cream of chicken soup
1- 14oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 tbsp chili powder
3 to 4 pound fryer, cooked, boned and diced
1- 12oz pkg shredded American cheese
1- 10oz can chopped tomatoes & green chilies (Ro-Tel if available)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a 10x14 inch greased casserole oven dish, layer half the tortillas dipped in hot chicken broth, just long enough to soften. In a skillet, sauté onion & bell pepper in butter. Stir in soups, chili powder and diced chicken. Pour half the mixture over the dipped tortillas, then half the shredded cheese. Repeat layers: tortillas, mixture & cheese ending by pouring the tomato-green chilies over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. This casserole may be frozen and reheated.

Cooking Tips: this casserole might be the best-loved recipe in Texas.

The King Ranch may be the most famous spread in America and the largest ranch in the US established in 1853. Today, the ranch covers more than 800,000 acres in South Texas. In as much as King Ranch has been a historic innovator in the fields of farming and ranching, the ranch has also made an indelible mark as a true innovator in environmental stewardship.
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Piña Colada Fruit Dip
Ingredients:
8 oz can crushed pineapple in its own juice, do not drain
3 1/2 oz pkg instant coconut pudding and pie filling mix
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup dairy sour cream

Directions:
In food processor bowl with metal blade or blender container, combine all ingredients. Cover; process 30 seconds. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to blend flavors. Serve with plenty of fresh fruit. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Cooking Tips: an excellent dip for outside parties this summer, served with Piña Coladas or Margaritas – very refreshing, serve cold in stemmed glasses or try serving in a fresh pineapple, split in half lengthwise and hollowed out. Decorate with fresh mint leaves.

We’ve got plenty more recipes where these came from – have a seat and stay a while!
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We hope you enjoyed our May (the official salsa month) newsletter. If you have friends or family who you think might enjoy receiving our Mexican food newsletter, well by all means, pass us on!

Wishing all our devoted mothers out there…Happy Mother’s Day! We are here because of you - Thank you!
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If you have friends or family that might enjoy reading our newsletter, well by all means pass it on!
We might have great news to deliver in our next newsletter about our Tejano Salsa product line being available nationwide…stay tuned!

Wishing y'all a safe and fun-filled summer from all of us here in hot Houston Texas!

We’ll be back.…
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Chef Annie
chef@texmextogo.com
713.995.5502

Mexican Food To Go
www.texmextogo.com
230 North Main Street
"Old Church Place"
Salado, Texas 76571
Phone: 713.995.5502


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