Three Kitchen Fairies

Empanadas and recipe/ Empanadas y receta

Since we're so busy lately, we have resorted to super quick meals, and easy meals like sandwiches and salads. Today, I spent a bit more time than usual to make some “empanadas arabes”. They're a kind of beef turnover from around here, and they're so easy to make, and really yummy. I even was in the mood for some pictures, and why not writing a quick recipe to share with you. This is how this goes.

Como estamos super ocupados últimamente, las comidas han sido restringidas a cosas sencillas como ensaldas y sandwiches. Hoy me dí un tiempito en la cocinar y hacerles un cariñito a mi gente. Les hice empanadas árabes, que son un tipo de empanada que hacen por estos rumbos. Son facilísimas y bien ricas. Hasta me dí el lujo de tomar unas cuantas fotitos y porque no; de compartir esta receta con ustedes. Y va así:

 

• 1 kg. (about 2 lb.) of ground beef.

• 1 medium onion chopped

• 2 or 3 plum tomatos chopped

• 1 tb or oregano more or less

• the juice of one big lemon

• 30 pastry rounds. You can find these at any Latin American market. 

• salt to taste

  
  

• 1kg. (2lb) de carne molida

• 1 cebolla picada

• 2 o 3 tomates [perita] picados

• 1 cucharada de orégano

• el jugo de un limón grande

• 30 discos para empanada aproximadamente

• sal al gusto

  
  

Mix all the ingredientes minus the pastry rounds and let it rest for one hr. in the fridge. Pre-heat the oven at 425 F. degrees (220 C. degrees,) and grease a couple oven heat resistant pan. Take one pastry round, place a full spoon of the prepared ground beef, and fold it as shown in the pictures. Place your empanadas on the previously greased pan, and bake them for 15 minutes aprox. Or until golden brown.

Easy, peasy, right?? and they are delicious. Enjoy!!

Mezcla todos los ingredientes (menos las tapas de empanadas!!) en un recipiente grande y déjalo reposar por una hora en el refrigerador. Calienta el horno a 425 grados Farenheit (220 grados Celsius). Engrasa un par de charolas para el horno.Toma una tapa de empanada, coloca una cucharada de la carne prepada y dobla la empana da como te muestro en las fotos. Hornea tus empanadas por 15 minutos más o menos o hasta que se vean doraditas. No tardan mucho.

Facilito, no?? y ricas!! Que las disfruten!!

On a totally different note: The comments to the “Inspirations” magazine giveaway will be open until tomorrow morning. Then I'll run the numbers thorugh the ramdon thingy to pick the two winners. Thank you for such a good respons to this giveaway.

Pasando a otro tema: Los comentarios del post del sorteo de la revista “Inspirations” se cerrarán mañana en la mañana. Después elegiré a los ganadores en ramdon.com. Mil gracias por la respuesta tan positiva a este sorteo. 

Related articles

"Inspirations" magazine, and a giveaway/ La revista "Inspirations" y un sorteo.

It's hot in here...

Halloween

Halloween came through and went by so fast. I'm happy I was able to enjoy my children and to entertain a bit for them and their little friends. There was some of that anti-Halloween feeling in the air as I remember it was when I was a child growing up in Latina America. We just went with the flow and enjoyed some orange colored cupcakes with mate, talk about a mixture of cultural elements.

Halloween vino y se fué rapidito. Aún así tuve tiempo de disfrutarlo y de celebrárselo a las niñas con algunas amiguitas. Había un poco de un sentimiento anti-Halloween en el ambiente, el mismo que recuerdo existía en los años de mi niñez en Latinoamérica. Así que hicimos las cosas sin forzarlo, dejando solo que se diera lo mejor posible. Comimos cupcakes de chocolate con betún anaranjado acompañados con mate.

Due to our doubts about dressing up, the girls and their friends came up with some [last minute] vampire costumes plus cat plus Katniss Everdeen (from the Hunger Games) outfits; the pretend blood (provided by one of the friends) was a hit as you can see. We took them trick or treating, and believe it or not they came with a loot that included some fresh strawberries from the produce corner store.

The same way they celebrated Halloween, they're now all excited about “Dia de Muertos.” The altar is set but I haven't found time for the pictures. You can see a couple of them here and here.

Dada la duda acerca de disfrazarse o no, las chicas acabaron improvisando sus disfraces: unas fueron de vampiros, otra de gato y una más se disfrazó de Katniss Everdeen de los Juegos del Hambre. La sangre artificial (provista por una de las amigas) fue todo un éxito como pueden ver. Al final salieron a pedir dulces y para nuestra sorpresa volvieron hasta con fresas de la verdulería de la esquina.

De la misma manera que se emocionan celebrando Halloween, se han entusiasmado con la celebración de Día de Muertos. El altar esta puesto, pero no he podido tomar muchas fotos. Les puedo mostrar un par de mi Instagram acá y acá.

 

 

A pretty cake/ Un lindo pastel

Last Friday we had a birthday, my oldest turned 12.

It feels as it was yesterday when she was a baby. This is the cake I was able to bake for her; I'm showing it to you because I feel really accomplished since I've been trying for so many years coming up with an [awesome] homemade, egg free, birthday cake. This girl of mine is allergic to eggs...

El viernes pasado mi hija mayor cumplió 12 años. Parece que fue ayer cuando apenas era una bebé. Este es el pastel de cumpleaños que le hice. Se los muestro porque me sentí realizada después de tratar por años de hacer un pastel de cumpleaños [lindo] casero y sin huevos ya que mi hija es alérgica a los huevos.

It's eeg free chocolate cake, with dulce de leche filling, and Wilton's buttercream icing. I made the tiny bunting out of scraps, cute, huh!?! She picked the icing color. She was very happy with her cake and her birthday celebration. 

Es un pastel de chocolate con relleno de dulce de leche y el betún es una receta de Wilton's. Le hice la tirita de banderines con retacitos de tela, lindo, no?!?! Ella escogió el color del betún. Estuvo feliz con su pastel y su celebración de cumpleaños.

Pruritus

That long week of 'vacation food' is paying back. Believe me, I ate all the good food I could, including fried empanadas. This week I got a sudden rash on my face that was so itchy that I had to call the doctor, and she came to see me at my own home!! Just like when I was a little girl! The diagnosis was either a food allergy or food poisoning. I was prescribed some meds., and I'm expected to eat diet free of allergens which is almost impossible btw. Today I gave this [organic] lentil soup recipe a try. It was pinned on my "Yum" board in Pinterest. It was really good.

Parece ser que la semana de vacaciones y de comer en restaurantes me afectó un poco. Creanme, comí cosas deliciosas, incluyendo empanadas fritas. Todos esos abusos los estoy pagando esta semana con un salpullido muy finito en la cara que me produce mucha picazón. Llamé al médico y vino a la casa!! como cuando era niña! El diagnóstico: o una alergia o intoxicación; me recetó unas medicinas y me mandó una dieta ligera y libre de alimentos que causen alergia, lo cual es casi imposible. Hoy probé de hacer esta receta de sopa de lentejas orgánicas, el enlace lo tenía en uno de mis muros del Pinterest. Quedó deliciosa!!

I also served some [organic] bread, and [organic] gouda cheese for lunch but I did have any cheese. I limited myself to take a picture a be happy with it. Hopefully, the 'pruritus' will go away soon.

Lo serví con pan [orgánico] integral casero y queso gouda [orgánico] para el almuerzo, me contuve de comer queso, solo me limité a tomarle una fotito. Espero que el 'pruritus' se me quite pronto. 

Friday again/ Viernes otra vez

It's Friday again, do you have plans for the weekend. I've been browsing through my Pinterest and I think I found some options worth trying. I'm just hoping I get some free time to try one at the very least. I'm not asking much, am I?? So why not share them here with you. Shall we??

 

 

Source: mccallsquilting.com via Paloma on Pinterest

A lovely vintage quilt pattern. Even better, it's one of those free downloads. Obviously there isn't enough time to make a quilt during the weekend. Well, I simply can not. But it's always nice to read through the pattern and save it for future quilts. Maybe you're a fast quilt top maker, and you can get it done in one weekend ;) 

 

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Paloma on Pinterest

 

An eco friendly recyclable project. This one I think is quite kids friendly' well, at least from 7 years and up. Find your collection of maps and give this basket a try!! 

Source: whiteonricecouple.com via Paloma on Pinterest

 

How about some Mac and cheese. Little people around have been asking when can we have some of it. I never try making mac and cheese before, but it was one of their favorite options at some restaurant back in MI. 

And like that I can spend hours just browsing my Pinterest and yours too. Am I not following you?? then leave me a link so I can check out your Pinterest too. Happy Friday!!

Por alguna razón Typepad no me está dejando volver a cargar las fotos de Pinterest. Les dejo los elnlaces, solo hagan click y listo. O chequen las fotos del post en inglés. Gracias por su visita!!

Es viernes otra vez, tienen planes para el fin de semana?? He estado navegando por mi Pinterest y creo que encontré algunas opciones que valdría la pena intentar. Solo espero encontrar tiempo para aunque sea hacer una de ellas, no estoy pidiendo demasiado, verdad?? Así que por qué no compartirlas con ustedes, vamos??

Encontré este patrón para este quilt de diseño antiguo, es gratis y se puede descargar en PDF. Obviamente, no es un proyecto para un solo fin de semana. De seguro yo no lo podría hacer!! pero vale la pena echarle un vistazo como para planear hacerlo en otro momento. O tal vez hay entre ustedes algunas que puedan coser este quilt top en un finde ;)

Qué tal un proyectito ecológico de reciclaje. Creo que este proyecto se puede hacer hasta con los chicos, bueno, si son como de 7 anos para arriba, no creen?? así que ha buscar los mapas viejos, intentemos hacer aunque sea una canasta!!

Les gustaría hacer un poco de ... como traduce "mac and cheese"?? pasta de coditos con salsa de queso chedar?? En fin, esta es una de esas comidas tradicionales de EEUU. Las chicas se pregunta que cuando podemos prepara este platillo. En realidad, yo nunca lo he hecho pero esta era una de sus opciones favoritas cuando íbamos a algún restaurante en Míchigan. 

 Y así me puedo pasar horas navegando en mi Pinterest o en el tuyo!! No te estoy siguiendo?? entonces déjame el enlace, así le echo un vistazo a tu Pinterest también. Feliz fin de semana!!

 

 

 

 

 

Organics/ Orgánico

Even when there are many things to enjoy here in Cordoba, there still are things that we miss from Michigan. One of those is the availability of organic food. I won't go over the whole debate of transgenic vs. organic because this post would be endless if I do so, but what I can tell you is that in our experience going from organic back to transgenic food was mind bugging as we could tell by the taste of our food, and by the labels that something was definitely not right.

Little by little we're finding our way around here, and it turns out that the consumption of organic food is a fairly new trend here. Although there aren't organic food stores here, little comunities here and there organize themselves to buy truck loads of organic food that is later divided up in a food co-op style, the same way the produce load is shared every other week.

I'm happy to report that my family participated in one of these organic food co-ops that gets together only twice a year for this event. Last weekend, and after much organization, our loot of organic goodness arrived. We went to our “organic food host's” home, and there we opened and divided up the twenty something kilograms bags of grains, sugar, flour, wheat, dry fruits. Three hours later everybody was kissing each other good bye until next time with our vehicles loaded with the best food and our heart also filled with the goodness of a well spent afternoon.

This is the first of many breads that are to be made in this home. Believe me, I never valued the food we put on our table this much. The fact that getting our organic food requires so much organization makes less turn into more. At this point I truly believe that eating organic is not only a matter of personal choice: it's a community thing, even if you buy at your local food co-op or organic supermarket. It's a way to support local economies. Buying organic foor creates a bigger demand of organically grown products. It creates healthy eating habits in our family. And although consuming organic food may represent a sacrifice economycally, it definitely is an investment in health and peace of mind.

 

Aún cuando hay tantas cosas para disfrutar acá en Córdoba, todavía extrañamos otras tantas de Michigan. Una de esas cosas es la disponibilidad de comida orgánica. No voy a hablarles acerca del debate de la comida transgénica versus la comida orgánica, eso sería un post interminable. Lo que sí les puedo decir es que la experiencia de ir de orgánico a transgénico fué para pensarse, el gusto de la comida es diferente y las etiquetas nos decían también que algo estaba básicamente mal.

Poco a poco estamos encontrándole la vuelta al asunto de la comida y parece ser que esto de comer orgánico no es tan popular acá pero definitivamente se está dando como una nueva alternativa. Aunque no hay supermercados "orgánicos", hay pequeñas comunidades que se organizan para comprar camiones cargados de comida orgánica para despuer dividir la compra en su comunidad, algo estilo cooperativa; de la misma manera en que se divide las verduras cada quince días.

Les cuento que este mes participamos de una de estas compras la cual se realiza solo dos veces al año. El fin de semana pasado, después de mucha organización llegó nuestra carga de comida orgánica. Fuimos al reparto a la casa de la organizadora de nuestro grupo y abrimos bolsa y bolsa de granos, harinas, semillas, azúcar, trigo y frutas secas. Tres horas mas tardes nos despedimos con nuestros autos cargados de cosas deliciosas y con nuestros corazones también llenos de felicidad por haber pasado una linda tarde.

Este es el primero de muchos panes que se harán en esta casa con esos productos. Creo que nunca le había dado tanto valor a la comida que ponemos en nuestra mesa. El hecho de que conseguir comida orgánica requiera de tanta organización hace que menos sea más. Me parece que hoy en día comer orgánico no es solo una asunto de decisión propia sino también un asunto de comunidad, incluso si compran comida orgánica en un supermercado o en una cooperativa. Al comprar comida orgánica ayudamos a los pequeños productores y a la economía local ya que se crea mayor demanda de estos productos. Al mismo tiempo que se crean buenos habitos alimenticios en la familia. Y aunque consumir productos orgánicos representa para muchos un sacrificio económico, les aseguro que comer saludable es una inversión en la salud física y mental.

 

No more countdown/ No más cuenta regresiva

My countdown is finally finished. Last Friday, my family and I finally arrived in Cordoba, Argentina. Thank you so much for all the good vibes, the hugs, and positive comments you left me here, on Twitter, and Facebook. They kept me really positive, and feeling happy about our big quilting community. We lasted close to 24 hrs. in transit. By "we" I mean my family and also our cat; who became a great attraction as she was checked in at the airport, and the next day as she went five (or so) times around the baggage claim belt while we finished all the paper work at the immigration booth. We had an amazing welcoming committee that picked us up from the airport, and drove us to our new apartment. We were showered with attentions, and with as many hugs as possible to comfort us from such a long trip. Today was our first outing as a family. We were invited to the usual Sunday family get together by  a... family friend.

 

We were so warmly received that I have no words to tell you how pleasant it was to spend our Sunday eating delicious food, chatting, and watching my children and our friends' children play together in the yards adjacent to the lovely little house they live in.

We came back home feeling pampered, excited, and inspired. As for the girls; well, they were exhausted from playing hide and seek, claiming trees, and looking for snails.

Mi cuenta regresiva se acabó. El viernes pasado, mi familia y yo finalmente llegamos a Córdoba, Argentina. Muchísimas gracias por sus buenas ondas, sus abrazos, y los comentarios tan positivos en mis últimos posts, Twitter y en Facebook. Sus palabras me ayudaron mucho a mantenerme optimista y feliz de ser parte de nuestra comunidad de quilteras. Viajamos por casi 24 hrs. todos junto incluyendo a nuestra gatita, quien fué la gran atracción en los aeropuertos mientras la documentábamos; y a nuestra llegada mientras dió cinco vueltas (más o menos) en la banda del equipaje cuando nosotros haciamos los trámites en migración. Tuvimos un comité de bienvenida increíble que nos recogió del aeropuerto y nos llevó a nuestro nuevo departamento. Nos sentimos muy bien recibidos. Las atenciones de nuestros seres queridos fueron ilimitadas, así como tambien lo fueron la cantidad de abrazos y cariño.

Hoy tuvimos nuestra primera invitación para reunirnos a comer en un tradicional domingo familiar. Fuimos cálidamente recibidos. Realmente no tengo palabras para describir lo bien que la pasamos comiendo un delicioso almuerzo, conversando y viendo jugar a las niñas con las niñas de la casa en el jardín que rodea la hermosa casa en la que viven nuestros amigos.

Volvimos a casa sintiéndonos muy mimados, contentos, e inspirados. Y las niñas... ellas volvieron exhaustas de jugar a las escondidas, de trepar árboles y de buscar caracoles.

 

 

 

 

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Stuffed Jalapeño peppers

Today I woke up wishing to go visit again my childhood hometown. I grew up by the beach in a lovely port in Mexico called Veracruz. I longed for its people... so friendly and warm hearted. I miss its local repertoire of traditional dishes, and the salty smell of the Gulf of Mexico. Today I stepped aside form my sewing table to cook  "chiles rellenos" or stuffed Jalapeno peppers. Preparing the peppers themselves is quite a craft. I had to carve out all the seeds and the veins of the pepper carefully not to break apart the pepper. It has to stay in one piece!! I did have the patience to do so, and they turned out delicious, and not extremely spicy.  Just because of that I decided to share the recipe with you. 

 Here is to you the way I cook them today.

10 large Jalapeno  peppers

1 teaspoon of instant coffee

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

 

2 cans of tuna in water

olive oil

white vinegar

1 small tomato chopped

1 small onion. 1/2 in thin slices, 1/2 minced

1 small carrot in slices

1 bay leave.

Thyme

a teaspoon or so of sugar to caramelize the onions

salt and pepper

The crafty part of this dish is the cleaning of the peppers. Cut the top of the pepper only half way, then cut open the pepper all along one side. Remove the veins and the seeds carefully. Yep, it stings in your fingers, and make you cough if the peppers are really spicy.

Rinse them and put them to boil with the instant coffee, salt and sugar for ten minutes. Rinse them again in cold water and set them aside. In a separate pan heat some olive oil, add the minced onion, and the chopped tomato, salt, and pepper to taste. Drain the water from the canned tuna and add the tuna to the onion and the tomato. Let it cook for 5 to 10 min. In another pan, heat some olive oil. Add the sliced onions, and the carrots, let them sizzle a bit until the onion looks almost cooked. Add a splash of white vinegar, salt, pepper, and a bit of thyme. Then add 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar to caramelized the onions, and lower the heat. Let it cook for another 5 min. When the tuna is cold, take  your Jalapeno peppers and stuff them one by one. Be careful not to loose the tops of your peppers. I was well warned by my mom, and I still lost a few. Arrange then in a  plate. Top them with the caramelized onions and carrots. Let them get cold for a couple of hours in the fridge. Enjoy them with warm corn tortillas and a super cold Mexican beer. 

It feels incredibly sad that my hometown is no longer existing as the place I grew up in. It's now one of the most dangerous places in Mexico. It's a place where cross fire is part of the day to day. People loose their friends, and families in the hands of kidnappers, and sicarios (paid assassins.) It's a place where dusk announces an unofficial curfew for all its inhabitants. If you're the kind of people who prays, please pray for peace in Veracruz.

 

 

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Comfort food

After my three fantastic weeks of vacations, reality is hitting me hard, and winter is hitting us even harder. Just this week we got one ear infection with a touch of conjunctivitis, lots of cuddling needed…

I wish I could keep working on my many projects but the extra trips to the doctor’s office and the pharmacy [in slippery roads due to the freezing rain…] tent to slow everything down, and that stress me out a bit… ok, a lot.

My last resort: cooking. When I need to feel better I cook the kind food that one of the loveliest person in the world would have cook for me: my grandfather.

 

The last time a saw him was when I was 7 or 8 years old, but I still remember our weekly Thursday’s afternoon together. I remember the smell of tobacco of his shirt, he used to smoke. His shoes were always shiny. To keep his pants neat, he used to pull his pants by the ironed line at knee level before sitting down. He cooked the most delicious meals, and when I got sick he used to bring a batch of steam buns for me as a token of his love. He was an amazing grandpa, the kind that looks at you with a melting heart, the kind that is always happy to have you around. I think of him almost every day. Those special meals are my comfort food. When I feel sad or stress, or lonely I cook this soup, and the smell of the ginger and its warmth transports me back to my childhood, days… just like in the “Ratatouille” movie.

 

I had to re-make the recipe to share this soup with my daughter. She’s allergic to eggs and sesame too. When we take about comfort foods she’s the one who mentions : “the wonton style soup. “

And because this world is about sharing here’s my Wonton Style Soup.

For the broth:

2 32oz. Boxes of Swanson chicken broth

Vegetable oil

2in. Long piece of ginger cut in thin round pieces.

4 carrots, peeled.

2 celery stalks

2 boxes of Swanson chicken broth (16oz.)

　

1lb. of ground chicken

1 bunch of green onions (scallions) minced

1 teaspoon of minced ginger root

2 table spoons of soy sauce

1 chopped bok choy

¾ of a cup of dry Barilla Mini Farfalle Piccolini pasta.

This recipe yield for 5 servings, and still you’ll have some left overs

Cover the bottom of a 5qt. stock pot with vegetable oil and heat it up. Add the round thin cut ginger and let if cook but don’t let it burn. It’s just to add ginger flavor to the oil. Pour the chicken broth, and add the carrots, and the celery to the broth. Let the vegetables cook at a medium boil.

In the meantime mix together the ground chicken, the minced ginger, the scallions and the soy sauce.

When the carrots are soft, take the ginger, carrots, and celery out of the stock. Then, with your hands wet make little ‘meat’ balls with the mixed ground chicken, and add them to the boiling stock. When they start to float, add the pasta and the bok choy. Let your wonton soup boil to a medium heat until the pasta is cooked, add salt to taste.

Enjoy!!

Pastel Azteca

 

It's been a more than a week since I last posted in this space. Lots of stuff are going on around at the same time as usual: crafts, and art, lots of sewing, and drawing; as well as the usual home-y duties. Last week was Miss Clara's B-day, she turned 10. I can't believe her first ten years went by so fast!! Still, I get the feeling we're having much more fun at this age than when she was a baby. Well, I guess it's different yet incredibly interesting and fun. Besides the usual party/cake/presents fun, I prepared her favorite dinner, which by the way turned out to be a recipe request by some friends on my usual chatty bits on Facebook. So here we go, this is my original family recipe since there isn't other like it on the web.

Pastel  Azteca

The chicken and its stock:

1 large chicken breast,  or one and a half.

2 stalks of celery

1 quarter of a large onion

Salt to taste

Boil the chicken with celery, onion, and salt to taste. When the chicken is ready, take it out and shred it. Save the stock for the salsa.

If you want Poblanos peppers to be part of the deal:

2 roasted Poblano peppers as explained here. Just the Poblanos you won’t need the corn or the rest of that recipe.

 The salsa

1 -28 oz. can of crushed tomato, diced, or whole tomatoes work too. I like the crushed tomatoes because the salsa turns out thick and dense.

½  onion. White or purple doesn’t matter.

1or 2  cloves of garlic.

A couple of spoons of Olive oil.

Black ground pepper

Thyme

A touch of salt if needed.

You’ll also need:

24 + corn tortillas

1 queso fresco grated (Mexican fresh/white cheese)

1 chipotle pepper.  Canned in adobo sauce works great. And it’s optional.

Aluminum foil

Vegetable oil

And a lasagna pan (9 X 12in)

How to:

Blend together the canned tomatoes, the onion and garlic. For a spicy sauce add the chipotle pepper or just a bit of the adobo sauce that comes with it depending on how spicy you want it to be. Heat a medium size pot with a couple of spoons of Olive oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the blended salsa.  Add some of the chicken stock until the consistency of the salsa is not too thick and not to watery. Add some ground pepper and a touch thyme and let it break to a medium boil. Let it simmer until the sauce looks more orange than red.  Keep in mind that the chicken stock has salt, and taste the sauce before adding any extra salt.

Let it simmer for fifteen minutes more or less.

Get ready your lasagna pan. Preheat your oven at 300F.

Line up your tortillas, shredded chicken, your grated queso fresco, the Poblano pepper strips, and your  salsa.

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, about a half- inch deep of vegetable oil should be enough. It has to be hot enough to make your tortillas sizzle. You’ll be working one tortilla at the time. One tortilla goes into the medium hot oil, let it sizzle for ten seconds, and the turn it over and fry it for another ten seconds. Do not let it get hard like a tortilla chip, this is Pastel Azteca not Chilaquiles. With help of a wooden spoon and another tortilla on your other hand, take the golden half-way fried tortilla out of the frying pan. Let the excess oil drip, and place it on your lasagna pan. The "half-way fry" process will help the tortillas mantain their texture and not to turn into dough after baking the Pastel Azteca. Lay them down, side by side, and cover the bottom of the lasagna pan. When the first layer is done, add a layer of chicken, a layer of salsa, lay some poblano rajas too, queso fresco sprinkled on it. Repeat the same procedure over and over until you have at least four layers. When finished with the layers, make sure the corners of your Pastel Azteca are cover with salsa. This way the corners will not dry up while baking. Cover your pastel Azteca with aluminum foil, and put it in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

When ready take it out of the oven, served it with a side of black beans and enjoy.

Tip: When boiling the chicken breast,  make sure you end up with lots of stock.  If the salsa gets too thick in the process you can add more stock.  If you realize you’ll run out of salsa you can always add a more stock. 

I love cooking this meal. It's a once in a while kind of meal, but it's definitely becoming a family favorite.

Honor to whom honor is due: Thanks to Mexico in my Kitchen for sharing so many wonderful recipes with us. It's one of my favorite Mexican cooking blogs. Go check her blog out! For me, it's like being at home.