Something new for your kitchen table!

Well winter has come early this year, and we are in store for a very cold one at that. I am not to excited for that seeing i hate the cold, but on a lighter note things are going well! School is well school but thats a give right? Alright on to more exciting things.

This semester i have found myself in a rut of frozen dinners, ramen noodles, and an assortment of frozen vegetables. In an effort to make my way out of that Ryan and i have been cooking together once a week, which has been so fun and nice to have a good meal! Well today i decided i had had enough of ramen Noodles, and Frozen Dinners after my roommate had an intervention of sorts. I had become quiet notorious for them. So i went out and bought a new cookbook! To gain some new inspiration. It took quite sometime to find a good one but i finally decided on Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of Latin cooking. This was just what i needed to get my drive to cook back. i could hardly wait to try out all of the yummy recipes! so naturally i went to the store asap and i had a wonderful dinner at about 10pm of POSOLE. A delicious Mexican soup. After tweaking it a tad and making it my own i had found myself quite the masterpiece and have decided to share it with you! so enough with the rambling. Here it is...

Pozole

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 lb of pork tenderloin or pork shoulder cut into 1/4 inch cubes (season with salt and pepper)

1 yellow onion diced

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder ( i only used 1 as i cant handle the heat)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3 cups chicken broth or stock

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic add juice.

1 can of hominy. 15 oz. ( i added to cans to make it more hearty i also added about half the liquid from the cans)

i jalapeno seeded and diced. ( if you like more heat keep the seeds)

1/4 of a bunch of cilantro chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garnish - Avocado, spring onions, and lime wedges.

In a soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the pork ( in batches if needed) saute until opaque on all sides but not brown, about three minutes. Transfer meat into a bowl and set aside.

Add the diced onion to the same pot and saute until softened, 3-5 minutes. add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook stirring to blend the spices, for about 1 minute.

Add the stock/broth, tomatoes, hominy, jalapeno, sauteed pork with any juices. Then salt and pepper to taste. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. once boiling add the cilantro then reduce heat to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes

Garnish with avocado slices and sliced green onions. i squeezed a lime wedge into my personal bowl as well and it takes the soup to a whole new level.

I love this recipe for fall/winter because it really does just warm up your whole body and is sooooo easy!

Buen Provecho!!

If you do make it let me know what you think! I would love some feedback.

Mary Alethia

Over due for an update...

hello!

i know it has been a LONG time since my last post. life has kept me v.e.r.y. busy. here is a quick update since the last time i blogged. i am now just about d.o.n.e. with my culinary arts degree and am hoping to graduate with my associates degree this spring! then i will be starting my bachelors in hospitality management : )

i am LOVING life here in p.r.o.v.o. and trying to learn all that i can from the trials life has thrown at me. as you can see i have quiet a few pictures with my family posted. as i was going through my p.h.o.t.o.s. from the past 2 years, deciding which ones i wanted to post. i could not help but f.i.n.d. myself gravitating towards the albums from family gatherings. my f.a.m.i.l.y. is what has helped me grow so much in the past few years. even when i am so far away from most of them! i am so grateful for them and all the support and love they share with m.e.

now, with a new s.e.m.e.s.t.e.r. started. i have begun to transition back to the life of a normal college student again. which i have been surprisingly excited about! i have been amazed at the growth of my t.h.i.r.s.t. for knowledge. one positive a.s.p.e.c.t. of being out of the kitchens has been the amount of time i now have to spend on the things i love! (sewing, reading, exercising, and more) I am going to do my b.e.s.t. to keep you updated regularly on life here...so expect to be hearing from me soon!

Mary Alethia