Mexican Everyday!

     Hi, Friends!  For those of you who spend any time with me, you know I never turn down Mexican food!  It has been my favorite food since I started a job on Broad Street in Rome back in 1984 and my new friend (now old friend) Susan Marx introduced me to El Zarapes Mexican Restaurant across the street from our offices.  Susan is a vegetarian and we would order Vegetarian #3, and eventually I discovered the Burrito Fajita with Cheese Sauce, a/k/a the "Special Burrito Fajita".  Wow, that place and their food really made an impact on my life, and the restaurant is still there!  Now I get that same special burrito at Los Portales in West Rome because I live on that side of town!

     Eventually I learned about Rick Bayless on Top Chef Masters and learned he was a chef of authentic Mexican cuisine.  Then I caught his show, Mexico: One Plate At A Time, on PBS.  I wrote a paper on him when I was in culinary school, and one of my practicals was a buffet where we planned the menu, the decorations, and worked as Executive Chef; I chose Mexican for the food and I used a few of his recipes.  They didn't come out quite the same because the chef at school did not know how to buy the appropriate groceries that I requested, and at the last minute he changed most of the recipes.  It was more of an "Americanized" Mexican buffet than I intended, and I didn't "own it" anymore, but everyone enjoyed it.  There is a previous blog with photos of the buffet on here if you haven't seen it already.

     I follow Chef Bayless on Instagram and last year he had a contest where we could create four of his dishes and submit our photos to him for a chance to win his latest cookbook, "More Mexican Everyday".  I didn't win a cookbook but I did create three of the four dishes and had so much fun making them, and then eating them   Here are pictures of those projects, and you can find his recipes by clicking on the pictures.  Enjoy!

A "Seductive" Coconut Bread Pudding!

Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas!

Grilled Asparagus With Creamy Pasilla Chile!