I am reminded that Mother’s Day (the real one) was celebrated on Thursday the 10^th. This holiday was a particularly hard one to celebrate in our household. My mother was the kind of woman that would not want you to make a fuss over her but at the same time would be the first to criticize any lack of effort. She was content with the same gift every year. All she wanted was a nice meal with the family and an envelope filled with money. My mother always hated gift certificates. First, she would disregard them because they were not cash, but secondly and most importantly she would become angered because she considered gift certificates to be inconsiderate suggestions as to where she should be spending her money.

Mother’s Day was the day where we all put our political ideologies aside and celebrated the woman who had given so much of herself. Even my dad would abstain from drinking on Saturday, so that he could be as fresh as a daisy and tolerate my sister and me. We all knew that we had to go to church and endure 50 minutes of being told we were going to hell, 6 minutes of salvation, and 4 minutes of community events. We were also reminded that if we gave a little bit more to the collection plate, the church would be able to provide air conditioning rather than rely on those heavy fans that looked like they came off a set from a silent movie.

After church, we all shuffled from one frying pan and into another frying pan: my father’s Crown Victoria, with the kind of windows that would roll down with little or no guarantee they would roll back up. My mother considered Hometown Buffet to be a nice meal, even though the rest of us would protest and hope she would reconsider. She had always enjoyed buffets because they offered so many choices, none of us could possibly complain about a meal the buffet didn’t have. If we wanted burgers, Hometown Buffet had them. If we wanted pizza, Hometown Buffet had them. I’m sure if had an appetite for baby seal served in a white elephant’s trunk, Hometown Buffet would have found a way to serve it.

 The problem with Hometown Buffet was not the menu selection but rather the timing. It seemed that my mother was not alone in her love for buffets. Mothers would guilt their unwilling families to stand in line for upwards of two hours in order to enter. The four of us would stand there waiting for what seemed to be eons because it always seemed that the Buffet only had tables for sets of three or five. I could feel myself aging in line. All the while, my mother talked about the kind of salad she was going to get.

When we eventually sat down, we were warned that we had to eat: there would be consequences if we came back with a tray filled with cheesecake. The first unwritten rule was that you had to have at least two servings before you were allowed to get a dessert. The second one was that you had to have something green on your plate that was not Jell-o. The mariachi would play in the background and my mother would stuff my pockets and her purse with sugar cookies and chicken drumsticks wrapped in about a million napkins – claiming that it was for the alley cats that kept my dad company while he read the morning paper.

 Those are the days I wish I could still have. We do not go to Hometown Buffet as much anymore since my parents passed on. Whenever we do go, it is usually on a whim. The weird thing is, the unspoken rules are still observed. My sister and I still make two rounds before attacking the dessert stand. We sit around telling the same stories, whether it is about my mom’s non-tipping policy or my dad making us claim we were five years younger than we actually were so that we could save 50 cents a head; they’re all memories that make mother’s day worth remembering.

[Photo by  Rusty Clark]

“Every now and again we get emails from people asking us to post their recipes- which I love. I love recipe sharing and comparing how people make certain dishes, or how they add a nice twist to classics. This recipe comes from the V&V Supremo folks featuring their tasty cheeses. Of all the recipes, this one caught my attention the most (I’ll be posting more in the next few days). Who doesn’t love goeey, cheesy flautas for dinner? This recipe is easy, low key and flavorful and pleases vegetarians too (you can add some store bought shredded chicken if you want). Enjoy and stay tuned for more V&V Supremo recipes!”

Yields: 6 servings

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 4 cups V&V SUPREMO® CHIHUAHUA® cheese, shredded
• 2 cups V&V SUPREMO® SIERRA® cheese, ground
• 1/2 cup V&V SUPREMO® QUESO FRESCO, crumbled
• 1 cup V&V SUPREMO® CREMA SUPREMO® sour cream
• 2 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 1/2 tsp. pequin powdered chile or cayenne to taste
• 1 dozen corn tortillas
• ** oil for frying

Directions

On the fifth trip up to the buffet, you fight gnawing fatigue like a champ. Your jaw aches. You’ve unbuttoned your pants with the same single-minded determination of Rocky Balboa asking Mick to cut his swollen eye. The meat-sweats have started. You’ve eaten so much that you can feel your last mouthful clawing its way back up your throat.

But, you paid $11.99 for this buffet, and that, by law, gives you the right to eat a week’s worth of food in one sitting. Semper Fry, dammit. Semper. Fry.

With a teetering skyscraper of battered shrimp, you head back to your table and sit with your companions. All, like you, are battling a hush puppy-induced food coma.

Predictably, your dinner conversation turns to the most American of topics – food-porn memories of other delicious meals you’ve had in the past. The deep-fried brownie sundae you had in Memphis. The  26 oz. steak you washed down with a 42 oz. vanilla milkshake. The vat of pork rinds that you, on a whim, bathed in nacho cheese, an event which can only be described as holy.

Yes, you are fantasizing about other meals while you’re still in the middle of an epic one. This is so American that you can almost hear “The Star Spangled Banner” playing in the background.

Sure. Admittedly, recent CDC projections do point to obesity rates rising to 42% by 2030.

But while these numbers are meant to scare us, they just might contain the one fatty thread that can bind us all and give us hope for a strong, unified nation. Some refuse to see the possibility that lies before us as clearly as a grease-saturated take-out bag.

So, El Guapo and the Daily Refried are proud to introduce The Gluttony Project.

The Gluttony Project aims to counter racism, sexism, ageism, classism, terrorism, homophobia, Lutraphobia (the fear of otters), xeonophobia, and any other divisive -ism or -phobia that has fractured and continues to fracture this country.

But, El Guapo, how do I participate in The Gluttony Project?

Join us by celebrating the one thing that can override all the bs that we use to separate ourselves from our fellow man. Celebrate your gluttonous achievements and encourage those of others.

1. Serve yourself an overflowing plate of something awesome.
2. Snap a before pic of your plate.
3. Eat, dammit, eat.
4. Snap an after pic of your plate. Show us the carnage left behind.
5. Share these pictures with us on  The Daily Refried Facebook Page Wall with the label “The Gluttony Project” or Tweet your photos with the hashtag #gluttonyproject
6. Congratulate your fellow participants.

• Fair warning: If we see a vegetable that isn’t battered and deep-fried, we will revoke your membership to The Gluttony Project.

[photo by  stuartpilbrow]

I wasn’t a coffee beaner until college.  When studying, I needed more hours in the day. Beans made the day stretch farther, made me study harder. They gave me the energy to make the As.  The college essentials were books, plumas, notepads,  Alice in Chains’ Dirt, and coffee beans.  As I began my professional life, the only thing that was replaced was the CD. A cup of coffee is  part of my daily ritual.  If it wasn’t for coffee beans, I could not function effectively.   I  would go Eres Nerd Smash!  everyone around me.   I maintain that it  wasn’t for beans, the social-economic system of the world would end.  The weekly Monday facebook posting showing various forms of the “I need Coffee!” picture confirms my point.  The world would stop turning and there wouldn’t be Superman there to rewind it.  He would be too cranky.  Bean withdraw is a serious issue.

I am also a “Frijolero.”  I love frijoles. Frijoles with queso wrapped in corn tortillas are a marvelous thing.  The most important equipment in a Latino kitchen is a re-imagined potato masher turned into a frijoles masher.  Frijoles makes life better and  without them, Thomas Jefferson’s promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is an just an empty promise. There are times when, despite their richness of iron and protein,  I am unable to satisfy my frijoles cravings, such as in work meetings.  It is not professional busting out a bowl of beans, but it is acceptable to drink a cup of coffee.  What is Latino Beaner Frijolero to do if one is craving Frijoles during these situations? Frijoles coffee is the solution.  Frijoles are pinto beans.  Coffee is made from beans.  Therefore, I can brew frijoles.   Based upon this insight, I proceeded to make frijole coffee.

Researching the Internet, I found the process to roast coffee beans, which was applied to frijoles.  I heated up the oven to 475 degrees and let it preheat.  I laid out the frijoles evenly in a pan.  Then the frijoles roasted for 30 minutes.  About every  3 minutes or so,  I mixed the frijoles so they would evenly roast.  The aroma of  frijoles roasting quickly  filled my kitchen.  It was a good smell. A delicious smell.   The freckled beans began to darken into a dark brown.  I removed them and let them cool.

I have a conical burr grinder, which I use every morning to make freshly ground coffee beans. A conical bur grinder is mejor that a blade grinder porque the coffee beans are crushed with little friction.  Thus, making the bean oils more easily extracted, making the beans taste better, smoother, and awesome.   I emptied the frijoles into the conical burr grinder, which crushed them into a nice light brown coarse powder.    I placed the frijoles power into my coffee maker, filled its reservoir and waited eagerly for it to brew.

Tasting the frijoles coffee is like drinking charro beans.  It had a roasted taste with a smooth aftertaste.   The drink was hot and satisfying.  My body reacted naturally to it, my brain began to awaken, the day seemed brighter and a plethora of options seem attainable.  Was this because of an emotional response to my ritual of drinking beans every morning regardless if they were coffee or pinto beans, I could not tell.   I do know it was good. It was a mix of comfort drink and a comfort food.  I filled my insulated coffee cup and took it to work.  I had hot drink with caffeine, iron and protein in the same package.

Frijole coffee solves frijoles craving in a cup.   While everyone is drinking coffee at work meetings, my cup is providing me with essential minerals and caffeine, while it making me fell better thinking of my ama’s frijoles.   Estress is lessen, one is healthier, while getting the recommended daily allowance of beans.

Eres Nerd lives a nerdy life in the borderlands of Estados Unidos and Mexico. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter @ElEresNerd.

[Photos by eres nerd]

If you can go to a restaurant and park your car in the valet area while playing Josh Groban and greet the Latino valet guy in broken Spanish, you might feel like your Latin cred is still solid. But have you ever felt you’re “not Latino enough” when you order your food that comes with some form chile and you say something like “but no jalapeño please” or “but instead of salsa roja, can I get it with salsa verde?” Are Flamin’ Hot Cheetos too flamin’ for you? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

I remember a few years ago, I went to Los Tres Cochinitos, a local Mexican food hot spot in Lincoln Heights, to order lunch. A stocky, older man stood behind the counter with a serious demeanor, almost resembling the Mexican version of Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi. I ordered their carne asada burrito (which is still one of my favorite dishes there!) just the way I like it – with rice, beans, no onions and salsa verde. When I mentioned to the cook that I wanted it with salsa verde, he gave me an evil look of disappointment and replied “Pero que no eres Latino?!” I was just waiting for him to yell at me saying “No burrito for you!”

I’ve heard many different stories as to why people don’t like anything spicy on their food. From delicate taste buds, saying that it drowns out the flavor of the food or even having some dramatic story about a bad experience with chile (cough, cough… that’s me…), we all have different reasons why we prefer not to eat spicy food or to opt for the mild chile and you shouldn’t feel bad for it.

When I was four years old, I accidentally ate one of my mom’s chile de arbol chiles by accident. Needless to say, I was a little chillón for hours until my mom was able to calm me down. Fast forward a few years and I really didn’t start eating any chile until my senior year of high school. I started with salsa verde, knowing that it wasn’t too spicy and it would be a good starting point. These days I’m not much of a fan of spicy food; but I try to give it a little kick, from time to time. For the record, I do eat Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and if you haven’t already, you need to try out the Tapatio Doritos!

Growing up in a house where chile was served with almost every meal, you could’ve expected my taste buds to adapt to it, regardless of my childhood incident with chile. So I guess one can assume that if you grow up in a household where chile isn’t a key ingredient in many of your meals, you’re likely not to going to be a huge fan of chile as an adult.

Reflecting back on why I didn’t eat chile when I was growing up, I have to admit that I would probably be a huge fan of spicy food had I took my parents’ offer for chile. It’s something that I hugely regret now, because everybody would tell me that my mom would make the best chile from her homegrown chiles and now that I do enjoy some spice in my meals, she’s no longer with us. Talk about a major regret.

So now when I go out to eat, while I’m still a bit cautious in adding chile to my meals, I make sure to give it a fighting chance because I know that I’m missing out on something that I could actually enjoy but don’t out of fear. Regardless of your reasons for not eating chile or anything spicy, you shouldn’t feel any less Latino because of it. Not all of our kitchens looked the same growing up and probably still don’t as adults, so therefore our taste buds shouldn’t be the same either.

If something is going down in Los Angeles, chances are that Ulisses is knows about it. His extensive network of friends in the politics and entertainment can have him in any part of LA on any given night. From happy hours to political mixers, from concerts to taquerias, he’ll always point you in the right direction. You can follow him on Twitter @the_uliverse

[Photo by Steve Snodgrass]

Celebrating Cinco de mayo this weekend? We’ve got a killer list of our favorite food and drinks to keep the celebration going all weekend! From appetizers, to main dishes, drinks (alcoholic- to non alcoholic) and dessert (don’t forget the coffee) we have it all covered for you. All these recipes are super easy, low maintenance and are sure to make you the hostess with the mostess. Salud y buen provecho–and be safe!

1. Guacamole- must.have.period.

2. Pollo Pibil- a hearty taco dish- a real crowd pleaser.

3. Sopes! Perfect appetizer and you can fill them with ANYTHING. Great for all diet types.

4. Enchiladas Mineras- Aby’s are DELICIOUS. They are beautiful andtaste great- not too spicy and just the right amount of seasoning.

5. Tamarind Margaritas- sweet, spicy and loaded with tequila- salud!

6. Cucumber and mint agua fresca- fresh, clean and a great alternative to alcoholic drinks.

7. Spicy Mexican Chocolate Coffee Milkshakes- a refreshing end to hot, spicy food.

8. Tres Leches Cake- this just happens to be the BEST recipe ever. If you make it- can I come over?

9. Enjoy that Tres Leches cake with some Mexican Coffee (cafe de olla)- not to mention it helps the day after cinco de mayo!

10. For that late night munchie attack- these Gringas hit the spot!

This vegetarian friendly recipe is filled with light, flavorful vegetables like red peppers and corn. A generous portion of cheese makes it ooey good and and satisfying. The cilantro-cotija pesto comes courtesy of Chef Aaron Sanchez and gives a nice touch to peppers. Serve as an appetizer or with a side of rice (mixed with a little pesto) like I did and it’s a complete meal.

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 poblano peppers
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup white onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen is fine)
• 3 tablespoon cilantro
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 3 tablespoons cilantro-cotija pesto (see below for recipe)

Directions

1. 1. Roast the poblano peppers: lay the peppers on a baking sheet and cook them under the broiler until the skins begin to char. Rotate so all the skin chars- about 10-12 minutes total. Transfer them to a large bowl and cover the pepper to steam for about 10 minutes (or until you can handle them with your hands). Peel them carefully to expose the flesh.
2. Make the filling: Heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the onion, red pepper and cook until the onion is translucent (about 5-7 minutes). Add the corn until cooked through. Set aside in a large bowl to cool slightly. Once the mixture has cooled slightly add the cilantro, cheese and pesto. Mix well.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Cut a slit lengthwise in each poblano pepper, pull out the vein and scoop out the seeds. Divide the filling equally among the four peppers. Place them in a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes- until the cheese is melting. Serve with an extra sprinkling of cotija cheese and with rice if you want.

For the cilantro-cotija pesto, click here. Just substitute the Manchego cheese with cotija cheese.

This cake is nothing short of awesome: lemony, crumbly, slightly sweet, with bursts of blueberries in every bite. Perfect for breakfast or as a snack with your afternoon coffee.–not to mention a great way to use up those seasonal berries popping up in your farmers market or grocery store.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes plus cooling time

Yields 8 slices

Ingredients

• 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup fine cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt (lowfat is fine, but not nonfat
• 1 lemon, grated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

“Ever since the chef Aaron Sanchez cookbook fell into my hands, this was one of the recipes that caught my attention, because I love the flavors of garlic and chipotle and let’s be sincere… who doesn’t love potatoes in any of their presentation? The original recipe calls for roasted garlic, but I’m a little lazy for that – the waiting time just kills me! Jajaj so I chose a quicker way to prepare the puree, and it turned to be an easier and healthier version as well. I hope you like it!”

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking time: 20 min

Yields: 6 portions

Ingredients

• 6 russet potatoes cut in quarters
• 1 whole head of garlic, all the cloves peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 3 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped and with a little of the adobo sauce
• 1 cup of 2% milk (you can use whole if you want)
• 1 lime, the juice
• - salt and pepper to taste
• - chopped cilantro to garnish (optional)

Directions

“Whoever feels that spring is already gone and summer is making its appearance too early in the year, good news: you’re not alone! But high temperatures also mean enjoying ice cream, frappes, smoothies and shakes! And inspired by a recipe I saw on bonappetit.com this month, I prepared this simple but delicious shake-smoothie that is not only very easy to prepare, but healthy, flavorful and surprinsingly spicy. Enjoy!”

Yields 4 portions

Cooking time: 5 min

Preparation time: 10 min

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cold low fat milk, divided
• 1 tablet of mexican chocolate Abuelita®, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
• 3 medium scoops of coffee ice-cream or sorbet (you can also use vanilla ice-cream)
• 2 cups of crushed or regular cubes of ice

Directions