Getting Ready for Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, are you ready to party?  I came across this very cute piñata cookies' recipe on a website called, She knows Food and Recipes.  The recipe is great with step by step pictures and clear instruction.  If you want something different for your kids on this Cinco de Mayo, this will definitely surprise them with a pinata cookies filled with mini M&M inside=)

The cookies just like a real pinata (filled with candies)!

Cinco de Mayo is not just for kids, how about some taquila shoot for the grown-ups?

Need party ideas?  Taquila shoot and mini taco for the adults.
(photo from Pinterest)

No, they are not paper weight!

Rosa Rodriquez was once a hopeless single mom without a job and now she is a successful business owner based in San Francisco, CA - Mexican-American jello artist, Rosa Rodriguez lose her job in 2009.  She was struggling to pay the bills and support her own kids.  She always knew art is something she was passionate about.  After losing her job, she started considering using her creative and artistic side of her brain to create an unique business (a combination of art and food) she always wanted and support the family.  She creates amazing jello arts by using syringes filled with colored gelatin, an artist's eye and a steady hand, she injects the colored gelatin into the clear, forming a design as she works (click here for video).   Now Rosa is a proud owner of Sweet Collection Catering company (check out her official websites for pictures, classes and ordering and catering information), a genius jello artist and a successful role model for her two kids. 

(Photo courtesy of Sweet Collection)

Gelatinas are a Mexican standard, often served at quinceañeras and weddings, made in all shapes and sizes. Flowers are the most common designs, but Rodriguez takes custom requests, recently doing a special order of gelatinas for Google that bore the company logo.  And while they're usually fruit-flavored, Rodriguez also makes spiked versions--that is to say, fancy Jell-O shots--with tequila, rum and vodka. When seasonally appropriate, she has been known to bust out an eggnog version  (Source from Taste Table).

The story of Rosa is another inspiring and touching story for those once lose hope.  At that one particular moment, you might thought you lose everything, sit back and let your mind remind yourself "the best is yet to come!". 

More amazing jello arts will be posted soon...

Tamarind Water Recipe

We just went to try a new Korean BBQ place by our house.  Food is good and we enjoyed spending time with our family, but now I am so full, and also feel and smell like a big piece of greasy-beezy pig belly...when we got home, the first thing came up in my mind was the tamarind water I made last week.  Hm...hm...so refreshing, and now I successfully turned myself from a fatty big belly to a less fatty one=)

So you will ask, what is tamarind?  Tamarind is a fruit found in Africa and tropical Asia.  These not so good-looking (they look like Mr. Henkey from the South Park, see picture above. LOL) but surprising tasty fruits are very popular in India, Mexico, Southern Asia, Egypt and portions of Spain.  Tamarind water is one of the most popular agua fresca drinks from Mexican cuisine.

This drink is super easy to prepare and you don't need a lot of ingredients.  Here is my recipe:


6-7 tamarind pods (usually you could get this fruit from Mexican market or Indian/Asian market)
6 cups of water
2 cups of white sugar

Tamarinds with shells

Getting the pods out by hands

About 6-7 pods

1.  Remove the pods from the shells by hands.  I used about 6-7 pods, but it depends on size of the tamarinds and your personal preference (Remember this fruit is a little on the tart side).

Boil 6 cups of water in a tall pot.

 2.  Boil 6 cups of water.  Once the water got boiled, put the pods in the pot and boil for another 25 mins.

3.  Grab the pods out from the pot (they are very soft after boiled, so using a strainer will be a great choice to take them out from the pot).

Mash them good.

4.  Put the soften tamarinds in the strainer and put a bowl at the bottom of the strainer, and try your best to mash them good to get as much as liquid out from them.  After you got the liquid from the fruits, you could discard the seeds and the tamarinds.

5.  Put the liquid back to the boiled water and now you could add 2 cups of water.  Boil for another 10 mins.  

6.  Let the tamarind water cool down before putting it in the fridge.

7.  Add ice and enjoy=)

This drink is so refreshing, so easy and cheap to make, and it makes a good addition in your fridge.  Whenever you need something to refresh your mind, just pour some out and add some ice, and it will certainly put a smile on your face=)

Speedy Gonzales and Mexican Themed Cupcakes

I made a dozne of Speedy Gonzales and Mexican themed cupcakes in the past weekend.  This cupcake order was personal to me, Mr. G and Mr. G's family because it's an order request from Mr. G's cousin for their grandpa G (grandpa G used to be called Speedy Gonzales by his coworkers and friends). 

I have heard so many wonderful things about grandpa G - a very hard-working man, a loving husband, dad and grandpa, an extremely socialable person, a funny guy.  Also, a man could make friends everywhere he went; a man could talk to anyone from the President of the United States to the least important person in the world; a man could tell a lively story...

Unfortunately, I have never got a chance to meet the healthy grandpa G since I have came to the family.  However, everytime we went to visit him, I could see from his eyes and smile that he was so happy to see his family and his grandchildren.  It looks like he remembered the good old times he had with everyone - Drinking with his family, telling stories to his grandchildren, party-ing with everyone, dancing with grandmom G, traveling with the family - I could tell he still remembers the countless unforgetable happy moments in his life!

Cupcakes costed certain amount of money, but seeing this face eating the cupcake is priceless!

“The love of a family is life's greatest blessing”