Good morning. We’re getting close to one of our favorite Mexican celebrations – Dia de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead. Dia de Muertos is a holiday celebrated on November 1 in many parts of Latin America; but more prominently in Mexico.
In Mexico, celebrating the lives of our departed loved ones, is a full day affair. We eat, drink, throw parties, and do many of the activities the dead enjoyed in life.
While we don’t live in Mexico any more, we continue honoring our deceased with an ofrenda or offering which consists of photographs, bread, foods, flowers, toys and other offerings that those who passed away used to like. We also make a special dinner every day of that week with dishes that remind us of the loved ones who are no longer with us.
The first week of November, we’ll cook Camela’s recipe for Mole de olla. Camela (aka Carmela), Leticia’s grandma, was her father’s mom. She used to make this recipe every time she hosted a family gathering, and everyone loved it!. We will also make Enchiladas Potosinas. These little treats remind me of my mom’s mom, Marta, who used to live in San Luis Potosi and would always have these empanada-like enchiladas at her house.
The signature dish of my dad’s mom, Laurita, was tostadas de pollo (chicken tostadas). The best part was that she would only make these for her grandchildren, never for the adults. And I also have to make my uncle Gustavo’s favorite recipe – beef tips in beer sauce. While the original version is made with pulque, he modified the recipe to use dark beer instead as it was more prevalent those days.
Finally, let’s not forget about our grandfathers. “Calos”, Leticia’s grandpa, was a fun, loving person that loved hosting parties and spending time with his family. He wasn’t really into cooking, but he liked to snack on guacamole with chicharrones. And Pancho, my mom’s dad, was a loving and kind Texan that decided to make Mexico his home. He loved all things food, but he really enjoyed eating those dishes that reminded him of Texas, especially if they were spicy, such as this 3-pepper green chili.
It’s your turn. How do you celebrate the lives of your departed loved ones? We’d love to hear your story. You can share it on our Facebook page or simply write us a note at info@mollisauces.com .
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If you run into problems along the way, with a recipe or our website, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Drop us a line at info@mollisauces.com or on Twitter at @mollisaucesSOS We’ll get back to you soon as we can. See you in two weeks. Provecho!
Rodrigo and Leticia
