Mexican

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter H

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Be Our Guest: Homemade Tortilla Chips! Ever wonder why your favorite Mexican restaurant has such incredible tortilla chips? Well now you can make your own café-style chips at home. Begin with flour and corn tortillas the day before. Just open the packages and let them breathe overnight on the kitchen counter. This simple step removes any excess moisture and allows them to fry up crispier. Sprinkled with sea salt and dipped in chunky salsa is practically a dream come true. 
HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS
Ingredients:

2 cups vegetable oil

1 package yellow corn tortillas, extra thin

1 package flour tortillas, soft taco size 

Sea salt to taste
Instructions:

Cut each corn tortilla into 8 wedges. Use entire package. Set aside. Cut each flour tortilla in half and then into strips. Use entire package. Set aside. Beginning with one cup vegetable oil in a large skillet, heat the oil on medium setting until a tortilla sizzles. Avoid smoke. That means the oil is too hot. Place a handful of corn tortilla wedges into the hot oil. Do not overlap. Fry for 1-2 minutes until the chips are golden and crisp. Use tongs to flip over half way through, if necessary. As the oil is used, reduce heat to avoid smoking. Use tongs to remove chips from oil; drain on paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat in batches until all corn chips are fried. Add remaining cup of oil to skillet. Repeat with flour tortilla strips. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!

Dining Outside the Home: Lorena’s Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill in East Peoria, Illinois

Dining Outside the Home: Lorena’s Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill in East Peoria, Illinois! Whenever my husband and I travel, we tend to gravitate to places that serve authentic Mexican food, recommended by locals. On a day when the outside temperature was as stifling as the Chihuahuan Desert, nothing sounded better than an ice cold margarita on the rocks. As we slid into a booth at Lorena’s, the air conditioner struggled to keep up. No worries. A smiling waiter offered salsa picante that matched the heat with hot sauce and chilies. One bite, one sip, and our minds were flowing with the mariachi music. “Fiesta Fajitas for Two, por favor.” Moments later, a sizzling platter overflowing with tender meat and roasted vegetables arrived satiating the appetite. Gracias, amigo!

Dining Outside the Home: Cazador Mexican Restaurant in Ankeny, Iowa!

Dining Outside the Home: Cazador Mexican Restaurant in Ankeny, Iowa! Where do you go when the outside temp is rising to 100° with a heat index even higher? You head straight to a Mexican cantina where the margaritas are golden and the hospitality is family-friendly. In a place where there is standing room only, the staff bustles to and fro keeping the cafe-style corn chips and spicy rich salsa spot on until the main course arrives. It may be located in middle America, but the menu is authentic south-of the-border when it comes to authentic Mexican food. And we should know. We’ve stopped here faithfully on our trips up north for the past five years. Cazador rates an all-star rating, in my opinion. 

Dining Outside the Home: Dos Reales Mexican Restaurant in Champagne, Illinois

Dining Outside the Home: Dos Reales Mexican Restaurant in Champagne, Illinois! Whether you choose to dine al fresco on the rustic patio or slide into a comfortable booth next to the cantina, the margaritas deliver a tasty tequila cocktail in a frosted salt-rimmed glass. And that’s just the beginning. Alternate between the chunky tomato salsa and the classic chili hot sauce as you crunch on tortilla chips before the main course arrives. The extensive menu selections leave your head spinning from corn-wrapped tamales, cheesy chile rellenos, and grilled steak fajitas to spicy pork carnitas. But the menu doesn’t stop there. No worries. The waiter, Pedro, is patient beyond measure. He’ll explain the specials of the house and walk you through a tour of Mexico that invites you back again…and again. Muchas Gracias!

Dining Outside the Home: Cabo Wabo Cantina in Las Vegas, Nevada 

Dining Outside the Home: Cabo Wabo Cantina in Las Vegas, Nevada! Walking by the Cabo Wabo Cantina on Las Vegas Boulevard is NOT an option. The outdoor patio is an all-day blowout that cannot be ignored. Red umbrellas mark the spot where music is rocking! Never mind that people are laughing, playing air-guitar, and drinking tequila cocktails popular at the beach, this is the best party going on. A Mexican cuisine-based menu mimics the obvious choice for Sammy Hagar, who has been known to pull an all-nighter in the sleepy little town of Cabo San Lucas. Day or night, when you’re in Vegas, make a stop at the perfect playground. 

Dining Outside the Home: China Poblano at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada

Dining Outside the Home: China Poblano at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada! Who says noodles and tacos don’t mix? Take a voyage where East meets West at the same table. Mixing traditions creates a balance of ancient spice and modern flavor at China Poblano. Fresh corn tortillas are filled with braised meats, house-made sauces, and mellow herbs. Twenty-Vegetable Fried Rice is a culinary adventure that changes with every season. Believe it or not, it works. Whatever you choose, do not go away without ordering the signature Salt Air Margarita. Words simply cannot express its pizzazz. 

Dining Outside the Home: El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant in Richmond, Indiana 

Dining Outside the Home: El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant in Richmond, Indiana! One foot in the door and it is apparent a celebration of Mexican heritage, culture, and pride exists on Cinco de Mayo. Between the lively mariachi music and the clink of margarita glasses as big as fishbowls, the atmosphere is hypnotic. Spicy aromas envelope the crowd in south-of-the-border savory dishes. Hardworking employees pass by with sizzling hot plates carefully stacked all the way up their arms without missing a beat. Lively conversation bubbles in our midst as we make our way to a treasured vantage point of activity, celebration, feasting, and of course the classic jumbo margarita. Olé! 

Dining Outside the Home: Plaza Azteca in Williamsburg, Virginia 

Dining Outside the Home: Plaza Azteca in Williamsburg, Virginia! Rich flavors originating in Jalisco, Mexico came across the U.S. to the East Coast over twenty years ago. Now customers come to Plaza Azteca expecting table side guacamole prepared fresh before their eyes. If you’re looking for ordinary, forget it. The grill is working overtime serving up everything from stuffed pineapple to sizzling fajitas. The biggest challenge is breaking away from the usual choices to sample something truly new and amazing. 

Dining Outside the Home: Mariachi’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine in Lihue, Kauai 

Dining Outside the Home: Mariachi’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine in Lihue, Kauai. As the sun dips slowly behind the shadowy mountain range, the view of Kalipaki Bay from this open-air restaurant is picture perfect. Window boxes and hanging baskets border the ledge with a color wheel of annuals. The sound of sizzling fajitas and acoustic guitar envelope the night as conversation becomes relaxed and margaritas flow. Age old recipes from all over Mexico plus family tradition combine to offer a diverse menu with authentic specialties. Olé!