Cuisine: Mexican

Green Chile Chicken Tamales

Every Christmas eve my mother-in-law served tamales and albondigas soup. She got her tamales from a local source in East Los Angeles. My friend asked if I wanted to make tamales with her. Absolutely! We corralled another friend, who actually knows what she’s doing and my daughter. We each bring our own filling. I've made Beef Tamales with Red Chili Sauce, pork and Green Chile Chicken Tamales. I had made tamales in the past, but only one dozen. This time, we made 150! My friend said that you have to take a shot after every dozen is completed! Given that it was 10 am when we started, I only did 2 shots, and then there were those mimosas…. It was so much fun, that we do it every year.  

By Leslie Blythe

Instant Pot Chicken Chili

This Instant Pot Chicken Chili is a lighter version than traditional beef chili. Cooking in an Instant Pot makes dinner effortless during a busy work week. 

By Leslie Blythe

Tortilla Soup

WARNING: This is gonna be hot!

There are hundreds of recipes for tortilla soup. I found on in the Los Angeles Times years ago and have been making ever since. The first time I made this soup, I made a very big mistake. Instead of putting one chipotle chile packed in adobo sauce, I put the whole 4 ounce can of chiles in! This is REALLY not a good idea. We manage to eat it anyway…. I won’t go into details!

The reason that I like this recipe is that it is not roux* based, which makes it lower in fat. When I open a can of chipotle chiles packed in adobo sauce, I put one in the recipe. The rest I wrap individually in plastic wrap and put them in a zip-lock bag and freeze them for the next time I make soup.

*Roux is a cooked mixture of flour and a cooking fat, like butter, that is used to thicken sauces and gravies.

By Leslie Blythe

Jalapeño Corn Casserole

This Jalapeño Corn Casserole has sweet corn, sharp cheddar, and spicy jalapeños. You can step up the heat by increasing or lessening the amount of jalapeños you use. It's the perfect side dish to serve a crowd and super easy and delicious!

By Leslie Blythe

Chi Cheese Quesadilla

Sadly, our local go-to Mexican restaurant is closing in a few days. One of my favorite items on the menu:
Chi Cheese Quesadilla - char-broiled chicken or carne asada, spiced with our chipotle chile and barbecue sauce. I guess I now have to start making it at home.

By Leslie Blythe

Fried Tamale Egg & Cheese Skillet

Every Christmas eve we make tamales with a group of friends. My friend Ginger told me to fry up the leftovers, add eggs and cheese. This is now my favorite way to eat tamales. It's all about the crispiness.

By Leslie Blythe

Tex-Mex Stew

I love pulling things from my pantry and freezer and making dinner. This Tex-Mex Stew didn't seem like it would be very good because it uses frozen peppers and onion soup mix, but I was wrong. It takes 5 minutes to prep and about 15 minutes to cook. I didn't even use a fork to eat it, just tortilla chips. You could actually pour it into a bag of Fritos, like Frito Pie.

By Leslie Blythe

Homemade Corn Tortillas

If you want to up your taco night game, try some Homemade Corn Tortillas. It's a simple mixture of masa harina and water, which results in the most wonderful corn tortillas you ever tasted.

By Leslie Blythe

Mexican Potatoes

These simple Mexican Potatoes are a great addition to your taco night. They are delicious and flavorful make a nice change from our usual Spanish rice.

By Leslie Blythe

Chorizo, Potato Tortilla & Egg Skillet

On the weekends, I usually look through the fridge and concoct some sort of breakfast. This Chorizo, Potato Tortilla & Egg Skillet is what I came up with. Having a cast iron skillet works really well for this. Chorizo is a type of pork sausage with smoked paprika.

By Leslie Blythe