One of the best ways to celebrate our diverse world is by embracing the foods that bring us together. Every country imparting it’s own unique flavor to the culinary table. Spiritually speaking, I have brother’s & sisters in every part of the world. Though our faith unifies us, our diverse backgrounds & cultures add color & warmth to the human mosaic. Interwoven with stories & experiences & at the center of our conversations is always food, as it simple brings us together.

One of the best meals I’ve ever had was while visiting my friend Oliva & her family down South. It was a simple offering of handmade tortilla, seasoned pinto beans, served with salsa & a crumble of Cotija. Part of the experience was watching the hands that prepared the tortillas & listening to the busy conversation between mothers & sisters & children. Just a few humble ingredients & yet I still think about how wonderful it was.

1.) Trendiest Quencher | Smoke & Salt Pineapple Margarita | Life On the Rock’s

1 cocktail

• 1 shot Jose Cuervo

• 3 slices of fresh jalapeno

• 1 Tbsp. smoke salt

• 1 tsp. lime zest

• 1 shot pineapple juice

• 1/2 shot Grand Marnier

• juice of 1 lime

Optional garnish.

• fresh pineapple wedge

• lime slice

Drop jalapeno slices in Cuervo for 1 hour. Mix smoke salt with lime zest & place on a small plate. Moisten the rim of your glass with a lime half & twirl in the smoke salt, set aside. Combine the tequila with pineapple juice, Grand Marnier & lime juice & a pinch of smoke salt. Pour over ice in prepared glass. Garnish with fresh pineapple & lime.

2.) Hottest Mexican Appetizer | Thai inspired Albondigas Appetizers with Fresh Pineapple

SERVES 10 (3 albondagas each)

Meatballs (recipe makes 30 meatballs)

• 3/4 lb. pork sausage

• 1/2 lb. ground beef

• 1/2 cup whole milk (or heavy cream if you desire a Keto version)

• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (GF rice panko for GF version, or ground pork rinds for Keto version)

• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

• 3 plump cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tsp. chipotle in adobe sauce, finely minced

• 1/2 tsp. toasted cumin seed, finely ground using a mortar & pestle (or prepared ground cumin)

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1/4 cup each, cilantro & Italian parsley, minced

• 2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely minced

• 4 fresh mint leaves, very fine chiffonade

For the appetizer skewers.

• 1 fresh pineapple, cut into wedges

• 5 limes, cut into six wedges each

• 30 sprigs of cilantro

• 3 jalapenos, sliced paper thin on the bias

• 30 bamboo paddle skewers

1. ) Preheat oven to 400f. Prepare meatballs. In a large bowl combine all ingredients using your hands to mix until well combined. Using a 1 oz. cookie scoop shape meatballs & place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake in a until golden & cooked though (pork & beef must be cooked to a minimum of 155f.) about 10-12 minutes.

2. ) Thread meatballs, pineapple, limes & jalapeno onto to skewers, garnish with cilantro & serve.

3.) Sexiest Side Dish | Arroz con Crema’ stuffed Poblano

Never underestimate the ability of a few simple ingredients to absolutely blow your mind. These creamy, dreamy, cheese & rice filled Poblanos are Mexican comfort food at it’s best but don’t just save them for Mexican night, they are the perfect complement to roasted meats or serve two with a salad for a filling meal.

4 SERVINGS

• 2 large, Poblano peppers

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1 shallot, finely minced

• 1 plump clove of garlic, finely minced

• 2/3 cup Jasmin or Basamati rice

• 1 Tbsp. Sofritto seasoning (if you can not find this seasoning just omit)

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 Tbsp. butter

• 1 cup shredded jack cheese

• 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled

• 1/4 cup chicken broth

1.) Roast Poblanos over an open flame until well charred on all sides then place in a ziplock bag for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat your oil in a medium size sauce pan until it shimmers then add shallot & garlic. Cook for a minute or so then add rice & toss to coat. Add 1 1/2 cups water to the pan along with the Sofritto seasoning & salt. Put a tight fitting lid on top & simmer (very low heat) for 15 minutes.

2.) Remove Poblanos from bag & peel off charred skin under cool running water. Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove seeds. Preheat oven to 375f & grease a baking dish large enough to hold the peppers. When rice is done, stir in butter, jack cheese & half of the Cotija. Distribute the rice mixture between the four pepper halves, sprinkle with remaining Cotija cheese. Pour chicken stock in the bottom of the baking dish then place peppers on top of the broth. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly & the cheese has browned in spots.

4.) Hippest Mexicali Brunch | Huevos Rancheros SD Breakfast Pizza

Pico de Gallo -‘The beak of the Rooster.’ Implicating the size of the veggies being comparable to the size of a rooster’s beak. Also know as ‘salsa fresca’ & classified as a cruda (or raw salsa) it offers a fresh & vibrant accent to Mexican cuisine. The spicy pork chorizo, black beans, crispy seasoned potatoes & sunny eggs over the toothy chew of sourdough, makes this a hearty Mexican feast so gratifying. Serve with an offering of fresh mango or papaya & dark roast coffee. Our favorite is Humboldt County-Shipbuilders Dark Roast.

Chef Notes: This recipe uses a true sourdough made from starter, there is no added commercial yeast, therefor it is vital that your starter be healthy, alive & hungry so that it properly metabolizes the gluten. You will need to begin a day ahead to allow for proper fermentation & rise. Alternately if you are using discard, you may add 1 1/2 tsp. of active dry yeast to the recipe. This would be added to the water & starter, if you choose this method, use warm water (110f) rather than room temp. You can certainly make this recipe with purchased pizza dough to save time but the sourdough is so worth your effort. Feel free to use a purchased salsa to save time as there are many good quality varieties available.

Begin a day ahead.

MAKES 4-INDIVIDUAL BREAKFAST PIZZA’S

Sourdough crust.

• 1/2 cup sourdough starter (healthy, alive & hungry)

• 3/4 water, room temp.

• 2 1/2-3 cup bread flour, unbleached

• 2 tbsp. olive oil (plus more to grease bowl)

• 2 tsp. salt

Huevos Rancheros.

• semolina, about 1/4 cup

• olive oil

• 1 tbsp. fresh oregano, finely minced

• 2 cups of Monteray Jack, shredded

• 8 oz. Cotija cheese, crumbled

• 16 oz. chorizo

• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes

• 1 can, black beans, rinsed

• 8 eggs, grade A large (room temp.)

Pico de gallo.

• 3 hot house tomatoes, small dice

• 1 small shallot, finely minced

• 3 plump cloves of garlic, crushed & minced

• 1/4 cilantro, chopped

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1/2 of a lime juiced

• 1 jalapeno minced fine (or a serrano, habanero or Thai chili)

• 1 tsp. fresh oregano, very fine mince

• 1 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

Optional offerings.

• 1 ripe avocado, sliced (toss with a tsp. of lemon juice to prevent browning)

• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

• 1/2 cup Cotija, crumbled

• 1/2 cup Crema Mexicana (or sour cream)

• 1 juicy lime, quartered

Prepare sourdough.

1.) In kitchenaid bowl, whisk together starter & listed water. With a wooden spoon stir in 1 1/2 cups bread flour, attach dough hook & run on low for 2 minutes. Stir in another cup of bread flour along with oil & salt, stir to incorporate then knead on low with dough hook for 10 minutes. You want a wet, fairly slack dough only add addition flour if necessary. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a ball & place in a large non-reactive bowl that has been oiled, turn to coat top then place smooth side up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap & leave on the kitchen counter over night. If it’s early in the day, place the dough in the fridge then place on the counter before you turn in for the night. You should wake up to a ‘full belly’ dough that has doubled in size.

Shape & bake your crusts.

2.) Punch down dough, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, cover with a kitchen towel & rest 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500f. If using pizza stone’s, place them in the oven as it preheats. Alternately you may use two sheet pans, sprayed with non-stick spray & sprinkled with semolina. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, roll or shape by hand each piece into a rimmed 8” circle. Brush with olive oil then scatter with fresh oregano. Remove the preheated pizza stone from the oven & sprinkle with semolina. Carefully lift pizza dough onto stone’s (or sheet pans if using). Par-bake for 4 minutes, remove from oven & set aside.

3.) Combine all of the ingredients for the Pico de Gallo & set aside to allow flavors to develop. Prick Yukons with a fork & microwave for 4-5 minutes, long enough to take the edge off but not so long that they cook through. Set aside to cool, then cut into large dice. Cook chorizo until no pink remains, remove with a slotted spoon (reserve fat) drain of paper towel then toss with black beans. Fry potato’s in the residual chorizo fat until crispy & cooked through, set aside.

4.) Layer ingredients on your crusts; a bit of cheese, chorizo & beans, potato’s more cheese, then create a couple of pockets to cradle the eggs. Crack eggs into the pockets (2 per pizza) give the eggs a good spritz of cooking spray (this helps prevent the eggs from drying out). Bake for 8-10 minutes are until the the crust is golden & the eggs are set but with a soft yolk. Remove from oven, garnish with Pico de Gallo & serve with other offering as desired.

5.) The Ultimate Mexican Comfort Bowl | Sopa' de Tortilla

SERVES 6-8

• 2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 red pepper diced

• 3 plump cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 Jalapeno, seeds & ribs removed finely minced

• 2 qts. chicken stock

• 1 14.5 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies ( I like Muir Glen Organic)

• 1 chipotle, finely minced

• 3 cups of Rotisserie chicken, mostly dark meat, sliced

• 3 bay leaf

• 1 tsp. chili powder

• 1 tsp. smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp. freshly toasted cumin seed, ground with a mortar & pestle (or pre-ground is fine)

• 1/4 tsp. white pepper

• salt to taste

• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, finely minced

• 1/2 cup of cilantro (plus a little extra for garnish)

• 8 corn tortillas, lightly oiled & salted & cut into strips

• 2 cups shredded jack cheese (shred from a block, pre-shred has a strange wax coating)

• 1 cup of Cotija, grated

• 3 limes, wedged

• 2 large avocados, cubed (squeeze a lime wedge over them to keep them from browning)

1.) Preheat oven to 425f. Bake tortilla strips on a sheet pan until golden & crisped, about 10 minutes but keep an eye on them as they quickly go from crisped to burnt. Set aside.

2.) Over medium, heat oil in a large sauce pot until it shimmers. Saute onion through jalapeno until softened & browned in spots. Add stock through white pepper & simmer for 20 minutes. Squeeze two wedges of lime juice into broth, add oregano & cilantro. Adjust final seasoning with salt & pepper to taste.

3.) To serve. Put a handful of tortilla strips in each bowl, top with about 1/3 cup jack cheese then ladle hot soup over the top. Garnish with Cotija, additional cilantro, avocado & a lime wedge for squeezing over the top.

Chef Notes: Alternately, you may place the chips & cheese under a broiler to aid in the melting process before ladling soup over top. Just make sure that you are using a heat resistant soup bowl.