Tag: Chocolate

What Are Some Popular Mexican Desserts

When it comes to Mexican deserts there are many to choose from. Flan is a common and popular dessert. It is caramel custard. The dessert includes rich custard with a layer of soft caramel on top. The dish is known as flan in most of the world, even though it is a French word. Flan is simple to make and usually consists of vanilla flavored custard. You may be able to find them made in other flavors such as coconut, lemon, and other fruits.

Empanadas are another dessert found in Mexico. It is a stuffed pastry that contains different sweetened fillings depending on the country. Some fillings you can find in Mexico are cream, pumpkin, and a variety of fruits. In some states in Mexico, the empanadas are filled with different meats. Empanadas can be served as a dessert and also a breakfast food.

Chocolate has a rich history in Mexico. The Aztecs adopted the use of chocolate from earlier Mayan culture. Chocolate played an important role for the Aztecs. They used it both as a food and as currency. One of the items that the Spaniards acquired from the Aztecs was chocolate. The Spaniards took the chocolate back to Spain where it became the King’s official drink. The Aztecs made a variety of drinks with the chocolate which also included nuts, seeds, and honey. Champurrado is a chocolate drink that is very popular at breakfast time in Mexico. It is warm and thick. You can find people in the morning buying a cup by street vendors. It is also considered a dessert which can be served with Churros.

A dessert found in the Yucatan is called sapotes dulces. Sapotes are a fruit grown in Mexico. It is very rare to find the fruit in the United States. Sapotes have an orange flesh that has a unique flavor of being juicy, creamy and can often be said simmiliar to the flavor of coconuts, and vanilla. Sapotes dulces is a dessert using the fruit and mixing it with orange juice, rum, and sugar and served chilled. It is easy to make and has a great flavor.

Cajeta is syrup made in Mexico that’s main ingredient is caramelized milk. The process of making the syrup consists of slowly cooking down the sweetened liquid until it is thick. Sweetened milk is the most common ingredient of the syrup. Cajeta is eaten by itself, on pastries, and even as a topping on ice cream. The Hershey Company introduced their own cajeta targeted for Mexican food lovers that live in the United States.

There are many more Mexican desserts to please your sweet tooth. There is a wide variety of chocolates, cakes, cookies, candies, just to name a few. Recipes can allow you to experiment and discover new sweets. If you would like to sample them before making your own, some local authentic Mexican restaurants include these desserts. You may also have luck finding them at a Mexican grocer in your area. It will be easy for you to get hooked on these tasty and enjoyable treats.

What Are Some Mexican Soups

If you love soup and you love Mexican food you are in luck. There are many different Mexican soups to discover and try. These would be perfect for special occasions such as Christmas dinners, and also anytime of the year. Some are sweet, while others are hot and spicy. Some are for dinner, while others are deserts. There is a soup that will please anyone!

Cream of Jalapeo soup is perfect for a cold day. It includes ingredients such as avocados, tomatoes, garlic, and of course jalapenos. Even though it calls for jalapenos, the soup isn’t extremely spicy. Another popular Mexican style soup is the Tortilla soup. There are different recipes for the soup, some making the soup creamy. Tortilla soup is a favorite, which is not a surprise. It contains many tasty ingredients. You will find the soup filled with different vegetables, chicken, and of course strips of corn tortillas.

Menudo is a traditional Mexican soup. It is usually full and spice and tripe. Long ago, poverty among the campesinos was common. This meant that when it came to food, they were not picky about what they had. They used just about everything from the cattle. This meant internal organs, brains, tails, hooves, and so on. The stomachs happened to be the lengthiest part of sheep and cattle so was used for the soup. Other foods that are added to this soup include onions, lime juice, oregano, and fresh cilantro.

It takes a long time to cook tripe in order for it to be good enough to eat, so typically Menudo is cooked in large batches and sold on certain days. In the Mexican state of Chihuahua, a soup called Pozole similar to Menudo is made, but uses a meat that is easier to cook. Menudo is so popular in Mexico, that the country gets shipments of tripe from the United States and Canada. This soup is often helps when someone is battling a hangover. It can also be seen served at special occasions.

Vegetables are throughout most of the soups. Pozole soup calls for traditional corn called maiz blanco. It is a large kernelled corn found throughout Mexico. The corn is soaked in a special solution of lime. The soup also includes pork, chilies, onions, and a variety of spices and seasonings. This soup is eaten in both Mexico and also the Southwestern United States, especially the state of New Mexico.

Mexican soups are also for dessert. Atole de Fresa is a strawberry desert soup. It includes milk, masa, cinnamon, and of course strawberries. The soup is usually served warm. Atole de Fresa can be found in Mexican restaurants.

There are so many more soups in Mexican cooking. Some include pumpkins, others include coconut. Before trying to make your own bowl, try a few different types at your local Mexican restaurants. Once you find one that you enjoy, try to make it at home for your family and friends to enjoy. It would be a crowd pleaser at your next party celebration.

What Are Some Mexican Frozen Treats

It can get very hot in Mexico. Mexicans have a variety of cool treats to enjoy. From ice cream sandwiches to popsicles, they have many to choose from. The treats consist of chocolate, cinnamon, and different fruits. Some men even sell the treats up and down the streets similar to in America where you will see ice cream trucks in the summer selling cold snacks.

Popsicles are popular in Mexico. Paletas which mean “little shovels” in Spanish can be found in Mexican grocery stores. They come in regular shapes, but their flavors are what differs them from American popsicles. Some paletas include milk and tropical fruits, while others are full of more ice and more tart flavors. Some flavors that are not very common in America are chili, and cucumber. The chili one is a bit spicy, so pepper lovers would enjoy this flavor. Paletas are easy to make at home and carry little fat. If you would prefer to buy them, paletas are sold at many street vendors in Hispanic neighborhoods. A California-based company named Palapa Azul makes paletas to sell to a much wider market, not just for Hispanics. You might even be able to purchase paletas at Walmart!

Mexican fried ice cream is another mouth watering treat. It is somewhat Americanized. You can find fried ice cream at Mexican restaurants in the United States and also at festivals. The ice cream used is more frozen than majority of ice creams. The ball of ice cream is rolled with different items such as cookie crumbs and then cooked in the deep fryer at a very low temperature. This allows the ice cream not to melt. Once it is fried, toppings can be added. Cinnamon is a common topping. Fried ice cream has become so common that it is also served in Chinese and Japanese restaurants. They add different flavors to the ice cream. You might find it green tea flavored.

If in the mood for just regular vanilla ice cream, cajeta would be a great topping. Cajeta is a Mexican confection of syrup most commonly made from caramelized milk that is sweetened. The syrup is made by the sweetened liquid being cooked slowly and breaking down until it is very thick. Some people use different liquids instead of sweetened milk. You might find cajeta made with juice or a different sweetened liquid. Different parts of Mexico may know the milk candy by different names such as leche quemada and dulce de leche. It is topped on ice cream. Even the Hershey Company produces cajeta which is targeted for Mexican food lovers. Cajeta is a great addition to ice cream, especially on a hot day in Mexico.

These cool treats are easy to make from your own home. Do some research on the different flavors and try to make a few. If you have a child, have some fun and both make them together and of course eat the finished treat. These are perfect on a warm day, but can still be enjoyable anytime of the year.

Pop Culture and the Coffee Franchise

Coffee is more than a drink these days it is a cultural phenomenon that seems to have taken the world by storm. While we aren’t quite sure it exactly how it began or when it got so big, one thing is for certain: coffee is a drink that is definitely here to stay. If you are interested in beginning a business of your own, you might want to cash in on this big business (in excess of 5 billion United States Dollars per year) and the popular culture it represents.

For whatever reason the idea of a coffee franchise has grown, expanded, and evolved over the last two decades making it one of the most sought after franchise types available on the market today. Why is it so popular? The possibility of high profit for a low investment is one reason though certainly not the only reason. Investors tend to go with a product they believe in and since many Americans begin their day with a cup of coffee and drink another cup or two at some point during the day coffee promises some degree of demand on behalf of consumers.

For those planning to go into business that have done their homework it is understandable that a business like this, that has constant demand, is certainly appealing. The reason it is appealing is because all markets revolve around a system we know as supply and demand. There is typically a certain amount of demand for a product that has a limited amount of supply. The shortage of supply sets the price and the fills the demand (to some degree).

With the coffee franchise there is obviously enough demand to warrant fairly hefty prices on the cups of coffee that are served. This means that the market is not yet saturated beyond the capacity to entertain a few more contenders in most location (though some are arguably pretty well saturated with coffee franchises you’ll have to decide for yourself whether the area you are considering can handle an additional coffee franchise store).

Higher profit potential for hard work and effort is appealing to those considering opening a franchise store of any sort. Coffee often offers this allure. As far as pop culture goes, you will find coffee kiosks, vending machines, and cafes almost anywhere these days. Even hospitals are beginning to offer gourmet coffee centers for visitors. In other words coffee is becoming more and more a way of life in the United States than yet another example of popular culture.

The joys of a great cup of gourmet coffee are no longer reserved for the rich and famous. In addition to that, we are seeing a much younger generation experiencing the thrill of the caffeine and chocolate buzz that is often the result of a perfect cup of coffee. The popularity of coffee is fueling growth in an industry that shows no signs of slowing down, much less stopping. Are you ready to take your coffee franchise on that ride?

Wine Gift Baskets For Any Occasion

For any celebration or glorious moment in life, wine is essential to have. Parties and celebrations are thought of as being incomplete unless there is wine present, which makes it an ideal gift for virtually any occasion. Wine gift baskets are a great gift, they are very affordable, and perfect for nearly any occasion – such as birthdays, weddings, festivals, parties, or anniversaries.

Wine gift baskets are trendy gifts that are very popular – in terms of price and taste. Along with the bottles of wine, wine gift baskets also contain various accessories as well, such as wine glasses and corkscrews. With most wine baskets, fruit and chocolate is included as well. You can also find cheese in some baskets, which most consider to go perfect with fine wine.

Depending on the occasion, there are suitable wine gift baskets to choose from. When you select a basket, there are several factors that youll need to consider in order to make the basket a truly special gift. If you are giving a basket as a wedding present, then youll obviously want to choose a different basket than one you would give to a friend at a party. There are wine baskets out there that are cheap in price – to those that are more expensive and more suitable for a wedding gift.

If you are buying a wine gift basket for a beginning enthusiast, you may want to include a book on wine that will help them learn more about wine in general. If you are giving the basket to a wine enthusiast with a lot of experience, you may want to include a stopper. No matter who you are giving the basket to, a wine gift basket with an assortment of fine wine is a great gift that can bring joy to anyone.

For wine lovers, you can find gift baskets that include fruity red wine, tangy white wine, full bodied wine, dry wine, sparkling wine, and even sweet wine. Red wine is ideal for main course meals such as meats, while white wine is ideal for seafood and white meat. Sparkling wine on the other hand, is ideal for special occasions. If you are giving the gift basket as a wedding present, sparkling wine is a choice that you cant go wrong with. Sparkling wine is one of the most popular types of wine – perfect for weddings and anniversaries.

If you have a bit of difficulty choosing a wine gift basket, you cant go wrong with mixed baskets that offer a mixture of wines. You can find these types of baskets in local stores or on the Internet. They are affordable, starting around $20.00 and going up from there. If you are thinking of getting fine wine gift baskets, you should keep in mind that it can be a bit more expensive.