15 Cinco de Mayo Recipes
Are you getting ready for your Cinco de Mayo party? Here are 15 ideas you could make to make your fiesta even more festive. You don’t have to make all 15 of them of course. I personally would pick the 7-layer dip, salmon tacos, and mexican lasagna for my own Cinco de Mayo party. Plus Margarita of course. Oh and Tequila shots. Ay Papi! Advance Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Enjoy the dishes and let me know how you parties turn out.
Christmas Gifts From Your Kitchen
There really is nothing wrong with giving food items as Christmas Gifts. And it’s even more special if you make the goodies yourself. Christmas time is baking time so it’s always a good idea to double or triple your baked goodies so you have enough cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, or cake pops for the family, relatives, friends, neighbors, Teachers, mailman, or whomever else you want to give a gift to this Christmas. Here are a few goodies from my kitchen that you can also make. There’s still plenty of time to get the ingredients and make all the treats as pretty as can be.
Click on the highlighted text to get the recipe for each item.
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Apple-Cinnamon Rolls
- Peach Marmalade Cinnamon Rolls
- Twisted Cinnamon Bread
- Plain Or Chocolate Chips Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Toffee & Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Brownies
- Cake Pops
- Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Buttery Gooey Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Or you can always make fruitcake. 
Christmas Sugar Cookies For 2011
Making sugar cookies complete with decorations thanks to my mediocre talent is a tradition in my family. It started with my son when he was 5 years old. Now it’s with my 5 year old daughter while my 13 yr old son just helps out with the decorating part. This year I made the dough while the kids were with the husband during an appointment for the car, and a haircut for Caine. Actually, my husband told me he’d take the kids with them so I can have time for myself. So I made the cookie dough then stored it in the fridge coz it’s always better to do that before rolling it out to cut in different shapes. I could have started the latter process and then baked cookies after the dough spent an hour chilling in the fridge but I decided to wait for my daughter coz I know how much she loves making sugar cookies with me. Good thing I did that coz apparently she was a little bad during the car appointment.
She knew it too as soon as they got home coz she was very quiet. I told my husband that perhaps she just missed me. A few minutes after I said that, she stood up from the floor, went to a corner wall and was silently crying. So I knew she felt bad for acting out. I let her have a moment with the wall for a few minutes then asked if she wanted to make cookies. Instantly, her eyes lit up and smiled so sweetly.
And off we went to make cookies.
I’m not posting the recipe here. I’ll just direct you to an old post where you could get all the ingredients and instructions to make Christmas sugar cookies with/for your family too. This year I’ve also used edible markers to make some of the designs. I found out at the last minute that I ran out of red coloring so red is not represented much this year. The kids helped out with the decorating but they got tired after a while so I finished the whole thing by myself. And FYI, there are cookies inside the tins and Santa Clause cookie jar too. My back was really hurting after all the cookies were decorated and the kitchen was back to its organized and clean state.
The sugar cookie recipe is actully good for any other occasion like Valentine’s Day, Easter, or Halloween. Just match the cookie cutters and decorations for each holiday. The cookies are great to bring at holiday parties and gifts for family, friends, and neighbors. Use cute tin cans as containers.
Tip to avoid breaking the cookies if mailing them out to friends and family: Wrap 4-5 cookies in a saran wrap as tight as you could get. Do this for like a set of 5 or more depending how large the tin can is. Line the tin cans with either a bubble wrap or gift tissue papers then carefully place the wrapped cookies.
Entry for Food Friday. 
Pumpkin Cheesecake W/ Dulce De Leche Topping
Ditching the traditional sweet potato pies for our Thanksgiving desserts, I made pumpkin cheesecake with dulce de leche topping instead. It was my first time to make it so I was bit nervous how it will turn out. I also made red velvet cake truffles as a back up dessert just in case I totally mess the pumpkin cheesecake up. I pretty much just relied on the basic cheesecake recipe then added the usual ingredients that go with pumpkin, i,e cinnamon, and brown sugar. The result? So delicious especially with the dulce de leche topping and at the last minute, the homemade whipped cream that was optional but certainly didn’t hurt to have with the cheesecake.
| Pumpkin Cheesecake W/ Dulce De Leche Topping |
- CRUST
- 2 packets of cinnamon flavored graham crackers
- 1 stick Melted
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- FILLING
- 2 bricks Cream Cheese
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups pumpkin puree(canned)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
- TOPPING
- 1 can of condense milk
- homemade(or store bought) whipped cream, optional)
- ———CRUST———–
- Crush the graham using a Magic Bullet or regular blender.
- Melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave. Pour it into the crushed graham crackers. Add the vanilla, then mix together by pulsing a few more times in the blender.
- Put the crumbs into the bottom and sides of springform pan. Distribute the crumbs evenly while flattening it at the same time with the bottom of the glass and/or your hands too sometimes. Set the pan aside after doing this.
- At this point, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- ——FILLING——–
- Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar, mix until incorporated.
- Add the eggs (4). One at a time. Beating in between. Keep beating until well-incorporated. Scrape the sides a few times, then beat again.
- Stir in the flour, salt, cinnamon powder and vanilla, then add the pumpkin puree and heavy cream. Continue to beat a few more minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Shake it gently to make the top smooth or just use a flat spatula to smooth out the top. Stick it in the oven to bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes
- After baking, turn the oven off, then open the oven door. DO NOT TAKE THE CHEESECAKE OUT! Leave it in the open oven for 10 minutes.
- After that, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the counter to cool for about 10 minutes then stick it in the fridge to chill overnight.
- ———–TOPPING———-
- 2 hours after you’ve chilled the cheesecake, make the dulce de leche topping. Pour the condense milk into a pot, under medium heat. Whisk and continue to whisk until it’s smooth, bubbly, and the color has darkened slightly.
- Pour it on top of the chilled cheesecake and carefully spread to cover the top. Put the cheesecake back into the fridge to continue with the chilling process(overnight).
- Once ready to serve the dessert, take out the chilled cheesecake out of the fridge. Let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing. This process will soften the dulce de leche topping which will make slicing into the cheesecake easier.
Look at how beautiful this slice of pumpkin cheesecake with dulce de leche topping is.
Put a dollop or(rose-tipped decorated) whipped cream on top too if you want.
Entry for Food Friday.
Cajun Roast Turkey
For our Thanksgiving’s main star of the feast, I decided to use a dry-rub to season the turkey with. I went through my dried herbs basked and concocted my own cajun seasoning just like when I made the cajun fried chicken and cajun beef fajitas and tacos. Since I was cooking a 12-pound bird, I had to double the ingredients so by the time I was done rubbing the turkey and stuck it in the oven to cook, I was sneezing my brains out. Bygones, everything went well and I ended up with a flavorful and moist turkey in the end.
| Cajun Roast Turkey |
- 12-pound turkey
- 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 stick of butter
- 2 sheets of foil
- Preheat the oven to 325°
- Make sure to take out the neck and the bag of innards located inside the turkey.
- Combine all the seasonings together in a bowl. Sprinkle and rub some of the seasonings inside the turkey. Stick two fingers underneath the skin-breast sides, season the top too. Do the same on the outside making sure to rub every wrinkle and parts of the turkey. Slice butter in small pieces to dot the turkey with. This will give the turkey skin a nice color and crispy texture.
- Cover the turkey with the sheets of foil. Stick it in the oven to cook for 3 hours. Occasionally baste the turkey with its own juice from the pan.
- After 3 hours, take out the foil, baste one more time, then stick it back into the oven to cook for additional 25 minutes or so. Take it out of the oven after that and let it rest in the counter for 15-20 minutes before slicing into it.
For the gravy: Reserve some of the juices and bits from the turkey pan. Put in a pot to cook in a medium heat, with butter and flour. Whisk together until it forms the rue. Add chicken stock or turkey stock or cream and continue to whisk until it forms a thick yet slightly runny consistency.
Zucchini & Yellow Squash Au Gratin
I wasn’t really sure if I was going to make Zucchini & Yellow Squash Au Gratin as one of the side dishes in our Thanksgiving feast yesterday. I thought it about weeks before but wasn’t firm about it and just told myself to decide on the day itself, depending on the time and my mood. Well, I decided to make it and good thing I did. It’s such a simple side dish to make but it’s really good in a cheesy and creamy way.
| Zucchini & Yellow Squash Au Gratin |
- 1 zucchini, peeled, sliced in rounds
- 1 yellow squash, peeled, sliced in rounds
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup of bread crumbs
- salt & pepper
- In a square baking pan, arrange the sliced zucchini and yellow squash. In a bowl, combine the milk, heavy cream and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Pour the whole thing over the zucchini and yellow squash. Top with the remaining cheese, then the bread crumbs. Bake it in the oven, 355° for 20 minutes.
- Cheesy and creamy side dish that you can make anytime, holidays or not.
Our Thanksgiving Feast
I am sooooo full. But then again, all of us say that every year after stuffing ourselves with yummy dishes from Thanksgiving. I decided to wear a dress this year though so that helped a lot in breathing, haha. So this year, I made:
- Cajun seasoned roast turkey
- cornbread casserole
- zucchini & yellow squash au gratin
- mashed potatoes with cream cheese
- sweet potato bread
- green beans casserole
- pumpkin cheesecake with dulce de leche topping
- red velvet cake truffles
Entry for Food Friday.
Thanksgiving Day Recipes
Looking for easy recipes to make for Thanksgiving Day? I’ve curated the recipes from my own Thanksgiving Day Menu throughout the years that I’ve posted in this foodblog for easy access. Just click the links to get the recipes. The print button for each recipe is located underneath the title and in newer posts, it’s also located within the recipe box, top-right.
4th Of July Double-Cheese Sliders
I made these sliders for our 4th of July feast. They’re just like burgers but in smaller sizes that are just too cute to eat. Well, of course we ate them but they’re just cute as buttons I couldn’t help but admire my masterpiece, before I devoured one after another, and another.
Christmas Dinner 2010
Our Christmas Day meal for 2010 consisted of cinnamon rolls for breakfast, leftover spaghetti for lunch, and a feast of glazed ham, green beans casserole, fried rice, and creamy mashed red potatoes for dinner. Plus apple pie for dessert. I didn’t make Irish soda bread like in the previous years coz my brother-in-law and his family couldn’t make it to dinner due to the weather. Ham and 3 side dishes were MORE than enough to feed 4 people and have leftovers for days.
Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnabon inspired frosting. I woke up early to make this so we could have it for breakfast after opening the gifts. I’ve already made a bunch for the neighbors on Christmas Eve.
Sliced Glazed Ham.
Bacon, Peas and Cilantro Fried Rice.
Green Beans and Mushroom Casserole. This picture was from our Thanksgiving dinner by the way. I didn’t bother taking a picture from the Christmas table since it’s the same thing anyway. Even the casserole pan .
Creamy Mashed red skin potatoes. This is similar to the creamy white mashed ‘taters from Thanksgiving which was inspired by The Pioneer Woman. I’ll post a step-by-step in a few days.
That’s my plate. Yes, I had seconds. But just the ham, and rice………….then the mashed potatoes and beans.
Our Christmas dinner can’t go on without apple pie every year. The Blue Bunny white chocolate w/ macadamia nuts ice cream on top is oh-sooooooooooo-good. It’s better than plain vanilla ice cream.
