Entomatadas Verdes (Mild Green Enchiladas) #MeatlessMonday

Simple and easy to make, Entomatadas Verdes are corn tortillas stuffed with asadero cheese and red onion baked in a mild tomatillo salsa.

For those of you unfamiliar with entomatadas, they are milder version of enchiladas. Simply put, enchiladas are made with a chile-based sauce and entomatadas are made with a tomato or tomatillo-based sauce. Entomatadas Verdes are a childhood favorite of mine. My abuelito (grandpa) used to make Entomatadas on those days when groceries were running low. (Meaning we didn't have any meat in the freezer and/or we still had a few days before payday.) Now that I'm all grown-up, entomatadas verdes are one of my go-to recipes because I always have corn tortillas, some kind of Mexican cheese, and homemade salsa verde in the fridge.

Secret Recipe Club: Beer Mimosa

Fresh squeezed orange juice and chilled Mexican beer combine together for a fun twist on the classic mimosa.

Hello, friends! Welcome to another installment of The Secret Recipe Club. I've been apart of the SRC for a couple of years now, and have really enjoyed discovering new blogs from all over the world, learning about different cuisines, trying new recipes, and of course, making new friends along the way. Sadly, The Secret Recipe Club is coming to an end this month.

She Made/Ella Hace: Café de Olla

Café de Olla is a delicious and fragrant Mexican coffee brewed with aromatic spices like cinnamon, clove, and star anise.

I'm baaaaccckkk! And... I'm not alone. My friend Heather (from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen) and I are teaming up once again to bring back She Made/Ella Hace. To kick things off, we are celebrating Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead). Whether you're looking for something sweet and delicious to serve for your Day of the Dead celebration, or if you're looking for traditional food ofrendas (offerings) for your altar de muertos (altar), we've got you covered. Heather is making Camotes Enmielados (Mexican Candied Sweet Potatoes), while I am serving steaming mugs of classic Café de Olla (Mexican coffee).

Secret Recipe Club: Cauliflower Apple Manchego Melts

Roasted cauliflower and tart fall apples topped with melted manchego cheese atop toasted bolillo roll slices.

¡Hola, mis amigos! Welcome back to another edition of The Secret Recipe Club. This month my assignment is The Wimpy Vegetarian, written by Susan who also happens to be our group's hostess with the mostess. Susan describes herself as a mostly (wimpy) vegetarian married to a mostly carnivore. Her blog is filled with tantalizing vegetarian recipes which also include tips on how to adjust for meat lover's. Comforting fall-inspired recipes like Lightened Maple Carrot Flan, Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, and Mexican Street Corn Tart were just a few of the recipes that caught my eye.

Microwave Roasted Pepitas

Enjoy homemade roasted pepitas in as little as five minutes after you've carved your pumpkin with this easy microwave recipe.

It's fall, ya'll! And I for one couldn't be happier because fall is my favorite season of all. The crisp weather, the shorter days, and the endless array of delicious pumpkin treats and goodies. I bought my first calabaza (pumpkin) of the season the other day, and immediately split the pumpkin in two to make both Calabaza Enmielada (candied pumpkin) and homemade pumpkin puree (to freeze and use later). And because I don't like to let any part of the pumpkin go to waste, I also roasted up some Pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds) using my go-to microwave method.

Piña Colada Arroz con Leche

Traditional arroz con leche (rice pudding) meets tropical piña coladas in a creamy dessert made with pineapple, cream of coconut, and shredded coconut.

Did you know that August 9th is National Rice Pudding Day?! I didn't, at least not until this morning while scrolling through my Instagram feed. Because I love all things rice pudding, what better way to celebrate this food holiday than with Piña Colada Arroz con Leche? This is a delicious summertime dessert that can be enjoyed warm--topped with toasted coconut, or served cold--topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry just like a piña colada cocktail.

Comfort Food Classics: Repollo Guisado (Sauteed Cabbage)

Repollo Guisado is a simple and comforting Mexican dish made with sautéed cabbage, onion, serrano chile, and queso fresco.

I have been craving my abuelita's (grandmother's) repollo guisado for a couple of weeks now. But with so much going on the past couple of months, I never got around to making it. It had almost completely slipped my mind when someone on a Facebook Mexican food lover's group asked for Mexican recipes using cabbage. I shared my grandmother's sautéed cabbage recipe with the group, and once again my craving returned. I made it the very next day, and finally satisfied my craving. It was well worth the wait.

Salsa Verde Ground Beef Tacos w/ Corn and Nopales

With the exception of my Secret Recipe Club posts, I've done a terrible job lately of sharing recipes and blogging. A rather interesting project presented itself, and I've spent the better part of the last two months working on it. This "project" is a dream come true for me, and a part of me still can't believe it's really happening. But, it is! And for that I am extremely grateful.

Secret Recipe Club: Salsa Roasted Cauliflower w/ Queso Fresco

Can you believe how fast time flies by? It feels like it was just the other day that I was posting the reveal of my July assignment for The Secret Recipe Club, and now all of a sudden it's August 1st and time for another installment. Granted, I've been a little distracted lately, and will explain in much more detail later this week. But first, a little about my assignment this month. Lavender and Lovage is a stunningly gorgeous blog written by Karen, whose love of food was greatly influenced by her grandmother and mother. (Something I can relate to.)  Karen divides her time between France and England, and devotes that time to food writing, food styling and photography, and teaching cooking workshops.

It took me a couple of days to stop swooning over the beautiful photography, mouth-watering recipes, and Karen's dreamy, Julia Child-style kitchen. (Or at least that's how I imagine how Julia Child's kitchen might have looked like.) My original plan while perusing through Lavender and Lovage was to choose an appetizer or dessert to serve at Hope's high school graduation party. But as we read through Karen's blog, Hope and I ended up wanting to make pretty much every single recipe for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert for the next two weeks. We finally narrowed down our choices from Spiced Cinnamon and Coffee Buns, Baked Lemon Chicken w/ Saffron, and Shirred Eggs over Kale & Garlic, down to a rather impressive Whole Roasted Cauliflower in a Spicy Mexican Sauce.

Secret Recipe Club: Slow Cooker Fajita Chicken Tostadas

This slow cooker fajita-style shredded chicken seasoned with ancho chile powder, cumin, garlic, and bell pepper, is a flavorful filling for tacos, burritos, and/or tostadas.

Happy 4th of July, amigos! To my friends and family celebrating in the US, I hope you are having a safe and happy Independence Day. And because it's also the first Monday of a new month it's time for another installment of The Secret Recipe Club. My assignment this month is my friend Dorothy's blog, Shockingly Delicious. With 25 years of recipe writing and recipe developing under her belt, Dorothy offers great recipes, tips, and how-to's that'll transform just about anyone into a fabulous home cook. Dorothy's byline--"unbelievably drool-worthy, scrumptious, 'scary good' recipes for people who love food"--is the perfect description of her blog, I have been a fan and follower of Dorothy's blog since "meeting" her in another cooking group a few years ago.

Pay de Limón Paletas #PaletaWeek

Creamy, dreamy Key Lime Pie Paletas are a deliciously sweet and tart summer treat!

This week mi amiga Lola (from Lola's Cocina) is celebrating #PaletaWeek and has invited some of her favorite bloggers (myself included) and Instagrammers to join her in this sweet celebration. Always one looking for any reason to celebrate, I gladly accepted her invitation. Be sure to check out Lola's list of all the mouthwatering paleta recipes being shared this week.

Secret Recipe Club: Brunsviger (Danish Coffee Cake)

Brunsviger is a classic Danish coffee cake with a buttery sweet brown sugar and cinnamon glaze.

One of my favorite things about The Secret Recipe Club. is discovering new-to-me cuisines and/or recipes that I might not have ever thought to make. My assignment this month is Sid's Sea Palm Cooking. Sid loves preparing good food and sharing it with friends, so much so that she hosts a monthly Tapas Night in her home and later shares photos and recipes on her blog. Sid's blog is full of delicious and easy-to-follow recipes, but what really drew me in were her authentic Danish recipes. My mouth was watering just reading through the recipes. Asier (Danish pickles), Skidne æg (hard-boiled eggs in mustard sauce), Lagekage (Danish layer cake), and Melboller (flour dumplings) which Sid says are perfect for soup. are all on my list of Sid's Danish recipes to try. I ended up choosing Brunsviger because the words Danish Coffee Cake just spoke to me.

Mexican Chocolate Horchata

Mexican chocolate, cinnamon and rice combine together in a rich, decadent twist on a classic agua fresca.

Satisfy your sweet tooth and keep cool this summer with an ice cold glass of Mexican Chocolate Horchata. Mexican chocolate isn't just for atoles, Champurrado, and mole sauces. It can be used in cookies, custards, as well as countless other desserts, and even in refreshing aguas frescas. Two of my favorites being Agua de Chocolate (made without milk) and this Horchata de Chocolate, which tastes like cinnamon chocolate milk in a fun agua fresca that is way more refreshing.

Longaniza Pineapple Tacos #TacoTuesday

Enjoy all the spicy sweet goodness of Tacos al Pastor in no time at all with these easy to make tacos made with Mexican longaniza sausage and pineapple.

If you like chorizo, you're going to love Mexican Longaniza. Longaniza is a Mexican sausage similar in flavor to chorizo - although sometimes it can be spicier - the main difference lies in that chorizo is made with ground meat while longaniza is made with finely chopped meat. Both are delicious and can be prepared a number of ways.

Potato Pambazos #MeatlessMonday

Pambazos de Papa (Potato Pambazos) are a delicious meatless take on a classic Mexican sandwich made with crusty bolillo rolls bathed in a spicy guajillo salsa then filled with refried beans, cooked potatoes, shredded lettuce, crumbled queso fresco, and Mexican crema.

Pambazos are a traditional Mexican torta (sandwich) made by splitting open telera or bolillo rolls, dipping them in a spicy guajillo salsa, then frying them in manteca (or vegetable oil). The fried bread rolls are then stuffed with potatoes and chorizo, and topped with garnishes like shredded lettuce, crumbled queso fresco, Mexican crema, chiles en escabeche (pickled chiles) and/or a spicy tomatillo salsa.

Secret Recipe Club: Egg Foo Young

Hello, May! The beginning of a new month means it's time once again for another installment of The Secret Recipe Club. My assignment this month is Dancing Veggies written by Amanda, a vegetarian who loves to cook. Amanda's blog focuses on quick and easy vegetarian recipes with simple ingredients you can find at your local grocery store. Being the zucchini addict that I am, I was tempted with many a tasty zucchini recipe, like Zucchini Oat Bread, Spinach & Zucchini Lasagna, and California Enchiladas (stuffed with zucchini). But there were quite a few non-zucchini recipes that also caught my eye: Sweet Potato Lentil Burgers, Greek Baked Eggs, and Herbal Tuna Salad just to name a few.

How to Make Mexican Sopes (Sopes de Frijoles y Chorizo)

Sopes are one of my favorite traditional Mexican antojitos (street foods). Loaded with delicious fillings like Refried Beans, chorizo, shredded beef, pork or chicken, or a variety of guisados like Picadillo, Pork Chile Colorado, and/or Rajas con Crema (just to name a few). But why stop there?! Sopes can also be topped with shredded lettuce, crumbled queso fresco, Mexican crema, and a variety of fiery salsas for an irresistible treat. For those of you unfamiliar with Mexican sopes the base is like a thick handmade corn tortilla with a small border to keep the yummy fillings from spilling out. And like tacos and tostadas, sopes are eaten with your hands. Traditionally sopes are fried in manteca (lard) before adding the fillings, but vegetable oil works just as well and that is how I prefer to fry my sopes.

Shredded Chicken Salpicón

Salpicón de Pollo is a refreshing Mexican chicken salad seasoned with cilantro, serrano chiles, lime juice, onion, tomato, and avocado.

Salpicón is a classic Mexican salad traditionally made with shredded beef, but it can also be made with pork, fish, shrimp, and chicken. All versions are absolutely delicious, but my favorite is this one made with shredded chicken breast. The fresh lime juice and olive oil combined with the onion, tomato, cilantro and serrano chiles makes for a simple yet slightly tangy dressing. Chicken Salpicón is perfect for hot summer days because it's light, refreshing and super easy to make.

Carne Asada Caprichos #ThrowbackThursday

What do you get when you cross a taco with a quesadilla? Some might call them tacodillas or quesatacos, but here in our small town we know them as Caprichos. Caprichos have all the fillings of a traditional Mexican street taco like carne asada, beans, chopped onion, and cilantro AND each capricho is stuffed with lots of ooey, gooey melted cheese.

Pay de Elote (Sweet Corn Pie)

Pay de Elote is a delicious baked Mexican pie with a creamy sweet corn custard flavored with cinnamon.

Longtime readers of my cocina blog might remember that this blog's tagline used to be "Celebrating food, family, and life in Mexico." Well, the tagline might have disappeared, but my belief that there is always something to celebrate still holds true. And today is no exception because La Cocina de Leslie is celebrating it's 7th blog birthday/anniversary!

Mermelada de Guayaba (Guava Jam)

Delicious and aromatic homemade guava jam with a hint of cinnamon.

Spring has finally sprung in our small town and I am craving all things bright and cheery like fresh strawberries, mangoes, and guavas. Especially guavas! Now that the weather is starting to heat up, big breakfasts aren't that appealing to me. (For now.) Just give me a bowl of oatmeal and a couple slices of toast with Homemade Guava Jam and I'm a happy camper. (Along with a big cup of coffee or Café con Leche.)

Creamy Mango Colada Agua Fresca

Quench your thirst with this creamy agua fresca made with fresh mango and evaporated milk.

Because you can never have to many Agua Fresca recipes, and because anything mango is a sweet, warm weather treat... This Creamy Mango Colada Agua Fresca made with fresh mango and evaporated milk will delight your tastebuds.

Secret Recipe Club: Pineapple Zucchini Bread

Delicious and moist Pineapple Zucchini Bread with cinnamon and chopped pecans.

Hi, my name is Leslie and I am a zucchini-holic. I don't know when this addiction started, but if loving zucchini is wrong I don't want to be right! So when I saw a recipe for Pineapple Zucchini Bread on my assigned blog for The Secret Recipe Club, I really couldn't help myself.

Homemade Tomato Sauce (Salsa de Tomate)

Hello?! Anyone still out there??? I have been absent from the blogosphere for way too long, and for that I apologize. At first I was missing because we were in the process of moving to my suegro's house and we were waiting for our internet service to be installed. What I had hoped would only be a two week wait, at most, turned into a long, drawn-out five weeks and I was suffering from major social media withdrawals. (FOMO?!) Most of my time during those five weeks was spent packing up things at our old place while also clearing out the rooms we'd be moving to at my father-in-law's, painting, and making minor repairs before we "officially" moved in. The week our internet was finally installed, my in-laws (Alf's brother & sister) both came to visit from the US so that week was spent with the family. The week after my in-laws left we finished moving all of our stuff into my suegro's house. Now all we had to do was settle into our "new" place and I'd finally have some time to sit at my computer to work, blog, and get back to doing what I love most... sharing recipes.

Secret Recipe Club: Pumpkin Crumb Cake

It's the first Monday of a new month which means it's time once again for The Secret Recipe Club. This month my assignment is Making Memories with Your Kids, written by Erin, a single mom of two who loves to bake and craft. Erin's blog is a fun family-friendly mix of recipes and crafts for making wonderful memories with kids of all ages.

With so many festive recipes to choose from a few that caught my eye were Bread & Butter Pickles, Bacon Double Cheeseburger Dip, and Twinkie Pie. I ended up choosing Erin's Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake because I had some leftover Calabaza en Tacha (Mexican candied pumpkin) sitting in my fridge just waiting to be used. I had seen similar recipes on Pinterest where you simply combine cake mix with pumpkin puree, but the crumb topping is what ultimately won me over. Not only is this cake super easy to whip up, it's also incredibly delicious... like a cross between a pumpkin bread and old-fashioned pumpkin pie. My family and I are completely smitten with this recipe!

Secret Recipe Club: Baked Coconut (Cocada de Forno)

Learn to make Cocada de Forno, a sweet and irresistible Brazilian delicacy.

Happy February, amigos! Can you believe it's already the second month of the New Year? Not only is today the first day of the month, it's also the first Monday which means it's time once again for The Secret Recipe Club. Yay! My assignment this month is Bewitching Kitchen, written by Sally who aside from being a talented food blogger is also an awesome biochemist. Sally has been sharing her love of food on her blog since 2009 and has an impressive catalogue of recipes to choose from like Feta Cheese Zucchini Loaf, Roast Chicken w/ Clementines, and Cremini Mushroom Meatloaf.  Sally was born and raised in Sao Paolo, Brazil and also shares traditional Brazilian recipes which were what really drew me in. Her Coxinha de Galinha (chicken fritters), Pao de Queijo, and Brigadeiros are all on my "to make" list.

She Made/Ella Hace: Chicken Pozole Verde #SoupWeek

Chicken Pozole Verde is a traditional Mexican chicken and hominy soup in a tomatillo and roasted poblano pepper broth.

For our final entry in our #SoupWeek celebration I have something very special for you... Chicken Pozole Verde AND the return of She Made/Ella Hace with my good friend Heather (aka girlichef) from the blog All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. (Pausing for a 30-second happy dance!) Heather was one of my first blogging friends and she was the mastermind behind us starting She Made/Ella Hace oh so many years ago. I've enjoyed hanging out in the cocina with Heather over the years, and I'm so happy that we'll continue to cook up wonderful dishes together in 2016.

Comfort Food Classics: Pork Chile Colorado #ThrowbackThursday

Pork Chile Colorado is a traditional Mexican stew seasoned with dried ancho and guajillo chiles, oregano, cumin, onion, garlic, and masa harina.

Making a list of my favorite soups and stews would not be complete without Pork Chile Colorado. I first shared this recipe back in 2010, and over the years this recipe has gotten lost in the shuffle, and I thought #SoupWeek was the perfect time to give this beloved family recipe a little #ThrowbackThursday love.

Sopa de Garbanzo (Mexican Chickpea Soup) #SoupWeek

Traditional Mexican garbanzo soup made with smoked pork chops, onion, tomato, fresh jalapeño, carrots, and spinach.

Sopa de Garbanzo (Mexican Chickpea Soup) is another of my childhood favorite soups. My recipe is a combination of both my grandfather's recipe and my suegra's (mother-in-law). Pappy loved making bean soups, and garbanzos were among his favorites. He always made his Sopa de Garbanzo in the crockpot with a couple of patitas de puerco (pig's feet) because he loved the flavor they added. I wasn't a big fan of pig's feet back then (and I'm still not), but Pappy was right in that they added a ton of flavor to the broth. To serve his soup Pappy would garnish it with chopped onion and tomato, and a little crushed oregano. I loved it and it was always a special treat when he made it.

Sopa de Fideo Verde (Salsa Verde Mexican Fideo Soup) #SoupWeek

Traditional Mexican fideo soup in a roasted poblano and tomatillo broth.

January is National Soup Month and to celebrate I'll be sharing some of my favorite soup recipes every day this week (Monday through Friday). First up in our #SoupWeek celebration is Sopa de Fideo Verde, because when I think of my favorite childhood soups, Sopa de Fideo (of any kind) is high atop that list. My abuelita (grandmother) used to make this soup using a can of green enchilada sauce, which always resulted in a delicious soup. But making your own salsa verde with roasted poblano peppers and cooked tomatillos takes the flavor of this soup to a whole other level.

Red Wine Sangria

Bite-size pieces of apples and oranges in a cinnamon infused sangria made with red wine, whiskey, and orange liqueur.

Because I hope we'll all have plenty of reasons to celebrate throughout the year the first recipe I'm sharing in 2016 is my favorite Red Wine Sangria. This fruity sangria has a little bit of everything like fresh apples and oranges, cinnamon, apple juice, orange juice, a splash of lime juice, red wine (of course!), whiskey, and orange liqueur. It packs quite a punch, especially if you forget to add the club soda. (I may or may not be speaking from experience.) For this particular sangria I used whiskey, but you can also use tequila, rum, brandy or vodka. All of which make for a delicious sangria. This is my go-to cocktail to make for family get-togethers because it's super easy to make and it's a definite crowd pleaser.