Doña Lupe’s Kitchen

One of my Friday evening rituals is to head down to the local Farmer’s Market to see what goodies they have that I can play with.  I often, as in this case take the grandkids and have a blast with them.  This afternoon we packed up the stroller and headed out for adventure, fun and produce.  The Eagle Rock Farmer’s Market is small but fun.  We have an Elvis impersonator! Sorry, no pictures of him today – the kids were tired out before he came on.

We found dragonfruit at the booth of Teo and Otillio, which though I love the color – I was slightly under whelmed at the taste.  They tasted like tunas to me, or prickly pear in English.  Still, the color was brilliant and I wanted to dye yarn with it as soon as I saw it.  I also thought mmmm it would make a brilliant cheesecake and I could sugar the petals to decorate the sides….

There were my summer favorite, squash flowers for a dollar a bag.  The ones I found had tiny little squashes attached and they will make excellent quesadillas or a budin.  We also found huge nectarines, peaches and avocados.  I mean like Godzilla-sized.  Seriously.  Check out the gallery.  Huge.

Bacon-wrapped, Mexican-style hot dogs, aguas frescas, black grapes, peaches, apricots and gorgeous nectarines the choices were as endless as summer seems to be.  The sun was shining, the smell of fruit and flowers filled the air and mixed with the smoky smell of chicken roasting over wood.  Kids were playing and everyone was eating.

I found strawberries so big and sweet in rows and rows that had me singing that Beatle’s song to the kids.  Jasmine now knows the words to Strawberry Fields Forever.

Jasmine wanted me to buy balot because they are dyed pink, but I draw the line at eggs with baby chicken embryos in them.  Ick.  Sorry folks, I will get my protein elsewhere.

We stopped and bought jamaica (hibiscus flower drink), sat down at a table in the shade and met the cutest little baby named Maria Elena and her family.  Two-year Aiden did tricks on his skateboard he takes with him everywhere (he calls it his game and even sleeps with it) and Jasmine twirled her sun hat.

Refreshed and cooler, we set off to take pictures of the men making pollos al brassa and I knocked over the wrought iron divider they had set up.  Always graceful, me.  After that, I had had enough and the kids were getting cranky so we rolled over to That Yarn Store and visited with David and other Yarn Store regulars.  I fell in love with this gorgeous Rio de Plata hand-dyed turquoise yarn but didn’t buy it.  Being unemployed prohibits buying yarn these days but that one has my name on it and it will be a shawl for me soon.  We shared dragonfruit and stories and had a great time before walking out into the cool night air and heading home.

One of the simple things that I make and my grown children go absolutely nuts over and always ask for is my tostadas de atún or tuna tosadas. It’s super simple, but so good and perfect for hot weather when you just don’t want to cook at all. It also a good recipe to make when you have little, hungry kids in the house and they want to help cook. Jasmine and Aiden like helping cook a lot so I chop everything up for them, open cans and then just let them add everything to a mixing bowl and stir. It makes them happy and they get a decent meal in the heat. The recipe also allows for a lot of creativity. It’s pretty flexible. When my kids were growing up, each one had their own spin on it. Albert always wanted me to add canned corn to it, lots of it and no mayo. Bernadette wanted pickles, cucumber and chopped celery. Phillip was the one who drowned it in so much lemon that we made him make his own and Bobby loved it with canned jalapenos and plenty of avocado.

Last Saturday, it was typical L.A. July weather, hot and nasty. We had gone over to Read Books for story time and Jasmine invited her friend Velouria over for an impromptu kiddie pool play date (for all my Twitter friends who commiserated and suggested help for the drowned Blackberry, yes that’s when I dropped it into the pool and thanks to all my Twitterfriend’s advice, it survived and is working).

After some fun time out back with Velouria’s mom Monica and the kids, Aiden and I went inside to fix lunch for everyone. I quickly decided on Tostadas de atún, because it was fast, easy and perfect for the day. I also decided I’d make my Grandma Lupe’s horchata de melon or agua de melon, a very cool and refreshing drink made of cantaloupe seeds. It was always my favorite agua fresca in the summertime and my grandkids love it just as much as I did.

While Aiden and I were working on lunch Monica and the girls came in from outside and Monica very kindly offered to take pictures since my camera is broken and I am not so patiently waiting for my new one to arrive. Thanks Monica!

Tostadas de atún

Tostada shells (store bought like we use or you can make your own)
Canned tuna (we use albacore in spring water)
Mayonnaise (optional)
Lettuce or other green leafy (on this day we used Mache)
Fresh lime or lemon juice to taste
Chopped tomato
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
Finely chopped fresh jalapeno peppers (optional)
Avocado chopped for the tuna and some slices for garnish
Powdered chile limon, sometimes called pico de gallo (optional)
Canned corn, chopped celery, chopped cucumbers, pickles, canned jalapenos (all optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Tapatio or other chile sauce to taste

Add tuna to a mixing bowl and add the chopped tomato, avocado, cilantro and green onion along with any thing else you want to toss in. Add about a quarter cup of mayonnaise if you want it creamy or just add the juice of one squeezed lemon or lime if you want it plain. I use both.

Scoop it onto a tostada shell and garnish with avocado slices. Add Tapatio sauce if desired and a squirt of fresh lime.

Horchata de melon/Cantaloupe orchata

The seeds of one cantaloupe
Sugar or honey to taste
Ice
Water

Slice a chilled cantaloupe and scoop out the seeds and put into a blender.
Add about a cup of ice and water to almost fill the blender.
Puree for about five minutes, then strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth to get all the seeds out.
Add sugar or honey to taste and more ice if desired. Serve.

My friend Rachel Braver is very involved in putting together the very first Taste of Eagle Rock event, and being that it involves both food and community service, I was interested to find out more.  Rachel very kindly facilitated an interview with Dr. Patricia Hughes, CEO of GLAD for me, which proved very insightful. I’m happy to include it here on Dona Lupe’s Kitchen and hope that my foodie friends and readers will pitch in to help make this event a successful one that will encourage future events like it.

GR:     What is Taste of Eagle Rock and how is GLAD involved?

PH:    The Taste of Eagle Rock will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2008 from Noon-6pm.  This much anticipated event will bring together diverse restaurants and community based businesses in support of our non-profit organization known as the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, more commonly known as GLAD.  It will showcase local restaurants that will provide delicious samplings of selected menu items and is sure to draw residents of all ages from the local and surrounding areas for a fun filled and informative day.

GLAD in conjunction with the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce will proudly present this first ever event.  GLAD has been improving the lives of the deaf and hard of hearing since its creation as a volunteer organization in 1969.  The mission of GLAD is to ensure equal access of the deaf and hard of hearing community to the same opportunities afforded their hearing counterparts. The organization’s general purposes and powers are directed around the promotion of the social, recreational, cultural, educational, and vocational well being of its deaf and hard of hearing consumers.  GLAD is proud to be housed in the former Women’s Christian Temperance Union building, an Eagle Rock historical landmark and is a 501c3 Non-profit organization Tax ID Number 95-2677094.

GR:    What do you feel are the key ingredients of a rocking good food event

PH:    Great food, entertainment and FUN!

GR:    What local restaurants are participating

PH:    We have secured 13 restaurants for this first time event.

•    Big Mama’s & Papa’s Pizzeria
•    Colombos’s Italian Steakhouse
•    Colorado Donuts\
•    Dave’s Chillin’-N-Grillin’
•    Jamba Juice
•    Lemongrass
•    Marty’s
•    Senor Fish
•    Swork
•    The Capri Restaurant
•    The Oinkster
•    Tommy’s
•    Trader Joes

GR:     What can people do to contribute to both the event and GLAD to insure that this is worth the effort and time you put into it?

PH:    Participation will not only benefit a crucial social service agency serving the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community, it will also serve as an introduction, establishment or re-establishment of relations with the community at large.  The community can support the event in the following ways:

Become an event sponsor to help underwrite production costs- visit www.gladinc.org for sponsorship opportunities

Restaurant vendors still being accepted- visit www.gladinc.org for restaurant participation

Entertainers looking to share their talents- contact Vic Parrino at Colombo’s restaurant if you would like to perform- 323-254-9138

Raffle Items are always accepted- send donated items with item description/value to GLAD, Attn Taste of Eagle Rock, 2222 Laverna Ave. Los Angeles, CA  90041

Spread the word to increase ticket sales- tickets on sale now—www.gladinc.org

GR:    Are there any particular foods that you are excited about?

PH:    ALL OF THEM!  The GLAD staff loves to eat at these Eagle Rock establishments.

GR:    How well received has this event been? Do you still have need of donations in terms of food-related items and/or money?

PH:    The Eagle Rock community and Northeast LA are excited!  We have a wonderful planning committee and the event host committee consists of elected officials Congressman Xavier Becerra, Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, Senator Jack Scott, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Supervisor Gloria Molina, and Councilmember Jose Huizar.  Additional supporters include the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, Time Warner Cable, Sir Michaels Party Rentals, People Connectors and KRLA radio.   This is a great way for the community to come together.

YES- we are still in need of financial assistance to ensure the success of the event.  Contributions can be sent to GLAD, 2222 Laverna Ave. Los Angeles, CA  90041 or online at www.gladinc.org

GR:    For future events, do you think the idea of having famous foodies, critics and food bloggers would be invited to speak or otherwise participate?

PH:    Without a doubt- there are endless opportunities for future events.   Peter Dills, son of Elmer Dills, is currently helping with the promotion of this event.

GR: I’ve taken part in blogging events to benefit a particular cause that were very successful.  Have you considered a food blog event such as A Taste of Yellow – (a food blog event benefiting cancer research), or other type of blog-wide event would be of something that would benefit GLAD?  Food bloggers raising money in a worldwide blog event benefiting the deaf and hard of hearing community?

PH:    GLAD is open to any and all fundraising ideas especially with the current status of the State’s financial situation.  GLAD receives 80% of its funding from the Department of Social Services and is facing a 10% cut.



About Chief Executive Officer – Dr. Patricia A. Hughes
Patricia Hughes is responsible for the administration of GLAD programs and services, and working with the Board of Directors for long and short range planning for GLAD, policy and procedure development, establishment of programmatic goals and objectives, program analysis and evaluation. CEO oversees fiscal and budget of the agency, public relations including community education and deaf advocacy statewide and nationwide.

Hughes joins GLAD with a well-rounded career with work experience within government, the public and private non-profit sector and for-profit corporations. Hughes’s extensive educational background includes; Bachelor of Arts Degree in American Studies from Gallaudet University, Washington DC, Master of Public Administration Degree from Seattle University, Washington, and Doctor of Philosophy degree emphasizing on Organizational Development from the Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.

About Rachel Braver:

Rachel didn’t send me a bio but I can tell you that I’ve watched her coordinate these events over the time I’ve known her and she is an amazing and completely tireless dynamo who attacks these events with joy, compassion, her exuberant energy and unbelievable sense of organization. Any event organized by Rachel is bound to be classy, tasteful, fun and successful. Her efforts are what make these events shine.

Thank you to both Dr. Hughes and Rachel for this informative interview. 

Please take the time to visit the GLAD website and learn of the tremendous service they provide for the deaf and hard of hearing community in Los Angeles.  If you live in L.A., please visit the Taste of Eagle Rock to ensure its success and help it to grow for next year.

I love cooking and baking and take just about any opportunity to try something new or make something. If I’m cooking, I’m a happy camper. So when my roommate Rachel wanted to buy Challah for Shabbat with a friend, I jumped right in and asked if I could make it.

I had this recipe floating around that belonged to my grandmother Ruth on my dad’s side of the family. Grandma Ruth was a tiny bird of a woman who ruled with the proverbial iron hand in velvet glove. My grandfather Cecil Gleason towered over her at 6’8 and she was a tiny just under five feet woman. He was Irish, she was Jewish/English (or maybe Welsh) I believe. I wasn’t as close to them as I was to my Mexican grandparents but they loved me and they were sure interesting as hell. Grandma Ruth’s father Cornelius Losey was from Holland. I’m not sure when they came over or how the Judaism got left behind but that’s all I have from my dad. If any long lost family members see this and want to fill me in, I’d be grateful. I think my Grandma Ruth gave me this recipe years ago when I was still married and came over for a vist in a little envelope with a few other recipes. I’ve never tried any of them, although I really want to try her oxtail soup recipe.

I dug around for the recipe and there it was on a faded index card and found not too much to go on, no measurements. See I get that from both grandmothers!

The recipe was written as follows: flour, honey, yeast, eggs, oil, salt and water. Braid into six strands and bake. Garnish with poppy or sesame seeds. Continue Reading »

When I first saw this challenge posted, my first thought was, “oh holy crap no, there’s no way I can make that, I’m skipping this month,” but then I shook myself off and started thinking about fillings. The fillings got me going and as I read through the recipe, it actually didn’t seem that hard. Watching the video helped immensely (thanks to our hosts for providing that link) and I found other videos on Youtube that helped as well. I was starting to get excited about this recipe.

I ran into a few small snags. One was the weather here in Los Angeles. It was so hot I was calling in it Hell A instead of L.A. I worried that my dough wouldn’t hold the butter so I kept putting it off, hoping for cooler weather. One morning I woke up and decided to head off to Silverlake for ingredients. I neglected to check the weather and only when I was there did I find it was 110 degrees! Still I was dressed for the weather and determined to get what I needed. It turned out to be quite the odyssey.

For my fillings I wanted one to have something to do with these amazing glazed, roasted figs I had found a few months ago at The Cheesestore in Silverlake. I was lucky and found the one package they had left which caused a bit of consternation. Would it be enough? I quickly decided that chopped Fuji apples would be great with the figs and Brie and would augment my small quantity of the figs. The second braid would be filled with brandied cherries and dark chocolate, a little homage to someone I care deeply about whose favorite cake is Black Forest. To find out more about my crazy day hunting ingredients in 100-degree weather, check out my L.A. Journal.

I also sweet-talked my brother into taking me on a separate day to the Indian store I love in Los Feliz. They have a huge selection of spices and I was happy to find several varieties of cardamom. The proprietress let me snap away pictures at will in the store and seemed to be amused by my desire to do so. I have to go back, I completely forgot rosewater to try my hand at macarons ala Pierre Hermes.

Finally, a cooler day arrived and I was eagerly anticipating my baking. I gathered up my ingredients and three teenagers (my niece Arielle, my nephew Jesse and their friend Debbie who are out on summer break) and set off for last minute ingredients. We put off the dough for one more day and hung out a bit until they went off to the movies. The next day my brother Jesse dropped three sleepy teenagers off at my house and left whistling. I dubbed them Daring Baker Dude and Bakerettes and put them to work. Arielle grated orange rind, Debbie handed me flour and Jesse did a last minute store run for more flour. They all got to sniff the cardamom that I had found in cheaply at an Indian store in Los Feliz and I got to give a little impromptu class on spices, dough, yeast proofing and other fun tidbits. I found I really like teaching teenagers to bake! It helps that they were into it, interested and eager to learn. (If my brother is reading this, it does not mean your kids can hang at my house all summer long). Continue Reading »