Muy Bueno Cookbook Spotlight & Cookoff: Week 2

Muy Bueno’s food blogger cook-through hosted by Girlichef.com is still underway! It’s blogger's choice this week, and the recipes keep looking better and better. Take a look at what the 16 bloggers did, and be sure to check back next week for their final reviews of Muy Bueno.

Many of the bloggers had a difficult time choosing just which recipe they wanted to try. Everything looked too good! One of the most popular dishes was the Beef Brisket Tacos, and it was a favorite for many of the same reasons. The simplicity of the meal left the chefs ample room to try any or all of the toppings suggested by Veronica. Sue from The View from Great Island tested it out with the Queso Fresco and Crema Mexicana to give the dish a “creamy moistness.” Why else did they love it? Let’s face it: the slow-cooker is the most attractive kitchen item for the person with a busy schedule. It's great to whip up the night before a long day, and throw into the cooker before you leave for work. Some bloggers were ambitious enough to pair two recipes together. Karen from Savoury Table made the Brisket Tacos with the homemade flour tortillas, and has decided never to buy tortillas again! 

Photo by Sue from The View from Great Island

Photo by Karen of Savoury Table

For those of you that want to try a new dessert or a tasty drink, check out the Coconut Flan featured in Cathy’s blog, Wives with Knives, or the Pear Margarita featured in Danielle’s blog, Cooking for my Peace of Mind. There is truly something for everyone in Muy Bueno!

Photo by Cathy from Wives with Knives

Week 2 Blogroll

Juanita's Cocina - Tacos de Carne Deshebrada (Beef Brisket Tacos)
Foodness Gracious - Chilaquiles Rojas
Savoury Table - Brisket Tacos w/ Homemade Flour Tortillas
The View from Great Island - Beef Brisket Tacos
Ms. enPlace - Beef Tongue w/ Tomato (Lengua Entomada) + Jalapeños w/ Soy Sauce (Jalapeños Toredos)
Javelin Warrior's Cookin w/ Luv - Roasted Green Chiles w/ Buttermilk & Cheese
Miz Helen's Country Cottage - Green Chili w/ Beef & Potatoes + Jesusita's House Salsa (Salsa Casera)
Cooking for my Peace of Mind - Prickly Pear Margaritas
Cooking... On the Ranch - Macaroni and Cheese ala Mexicana
Kahakai Kitchen - Bruschetta topped w/ Apricot, Melted Brie, & Pomegranate Seeds
Wives with Knives - Coconut Flan
Delectable Musings - Beef Tongue w/ Tomatoes
girlichef - Tacos de Chicharrón y Salsa Casera
Stirring the Pot - Stuffed Bell Peppers w/ Ground Beef & Potatoes
Sweet Life - Chicken Tinga

Muy Bueno Cookbook Spotlight & Cookoff: Week 1

The food blogger cook-through of Muy Bueno hosted by Girlichef.com has officially kicked off! Over the next few weeks, 16 bloggers will be trying out different recipes from Muy Bueno and posting about their experiences, so be sure to check back here for updates.

For week one, Heather of Girlichef chose two recipes from Muy Bueno for the bloggers to try out in their own kitchens: Mushroom, Jalapeño and Cilantro Salsa, and Capirotada, a Mexican bread pudding. The fresh mushroom salsa is an interesting Latin-fusion spin on the traditional tomato-based variety, while the sweet capirotada is a traditional Mexican holiday dish that goes back generations. Click here to see how these bloggers fared with their first foray into Muy Bueno's delicious recipes!

Heather's Mushroom Salsa looks delicioso! This would be great on steak tacos.

Heather - girlichef  

Danielle - Cooking for my Peace of Mind 

Gerry - Foodness Gracious  

Mark - Javelin Warrior's Cookin w/ Luv  

Lea Ann - Cooking... On the Ranch 

Kim - Stirring the Pot  

Jen - Juanita's Cocina 

Jenn - Rook no.17 

Michelle - Delectable Musings 

Karen - Savoury Table  

Cathy - Wives with Knives 

Michelle - Ms. enPlace 

Vianney - Sweet Life  

Deb - Kahakai Kitchen 

Helen - Miz Helen's Country Cottage  

Sue - The View from Great Island

Muy Bueno: Cookbook Spotlight and Cookoff

We’re excited to announce that Hippocrene Books is sponsoring a food blogger cook-through of Muy Bueno, hosted by Girlichef.com! Starting September 16^th, 16 different bloggers, including Heather of Girlichef, will cook from the book and share their experiences. 

In week one, all of the bloggers will try their hand at a recipe chosen by Heather. The second week is blogger’s choice, when they’ll each be cooking up their favorite delicious dish from Muy Bueno, and in week three each blogger will share their own review of the book, coinciding with its October 1^st release date. Plus to sweeten the deal, each of the 16 bloggers has a copy of Muy Bueno to give away! Here are the participating bloggers:

1. Heather, Girlichef

2. Danielle, Cookin for my Peace of Mind

3. Gerry, Foodness Gracious

4. Mark, Javelin Warrior’s Cookin w/Luv

5. Lea Ann, Cooking…On the Ranch

6. Kim, Stirring the Pot

7. Jennifer, Juanita’s Cocina

8. Jenn, Rook No.17

9. Michelle, Delectable Musings

10. Karen, Savoury Table

11. Cathy, Wives with Knives 

12. Michelle, Ms.enPlace

13. Vianney, Sweet Life

14. Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

15. Helen, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

16. Sue, The View from Great Island

It’s going to be a fun and exciting month, so starting September 16^th don’t forget to check back weekly to find links to individual posts from each blogger, and for a chance to win your own copy of Muy Bueno! You can find more information about the authors on their blog.

Delicious New Titles: India: A Culinary Journey and The Iraqi Family Cookbook

Whether you've had Indian food before or not, chances are you've missed out on a great deal of this expansive country's myriad culinary offerings—there's simply so much to be had. In India: A Culinary Journey, author Prem Kishore takes on the task of concisely yet thoroughly leading you through India's cuisine, history, and culture. Specific dishes represent the various regions and styles of cooking: Punjabi makki ki roti, Mughlai biryani  and gravies, dhals of Rajasthan, Kerali appams, dosas of Tamil Nadu, chutneys from Andhra, wild pork of Coorg, and fish from Bengal.

Have no fear that these won't be feasible in an American kitchen. Kishore has adapted each delicious recipe to be workable for those who may not know very much about Indian spices and ingredients, and a handy glossary quickly sums up the most important ones. Born in India and having lived in England, the Middle East, and the United States, Kishore entertains and educates with personal stories and a guide to Indian festivals, celebrations, and customs. You'll quickly learn that the richness of India is not restricted to its food.

This new cookbook is available now in bookstores, and online on our website, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

From somewhat further west comes the equally diverse cuisine of Iraq, detailed in Kay Karim's The Iraqi Family Cookbook, a new edition of the book that won a World Gourmand Cookbook Award in 2007. It features color photographs alongside the over 150 recipes from Karim's family and the various regions and eras of Iraq, home to the world's oldest cuisine (dating back 5,000 years to Ancient Mesopotamia).

You'll be using beans, rice, fish, and lean meats alongside allspice, dried lime, sumac, saffron, and turmeric (among other spices listed in a detailed guide) to create the healthy and flavorful dishes of this Middle Eastern country. There are also delicate sweets like Baklawa (Baklava) and Shakar Lama (Cardamom Cookies), which we sampled first hand thanks to a generously-stuffed box that arrived at the office last holiday season. Kay's perfectly spiced walnut (not pistachio) baklava disappeared at an alarming rate!

Anthropologist and historian Dianne King says, "To read this book is to be transported to the gardens and kitchens of Iraq, breathing in the scents of mint, dates, apricots, citrus and pomegranates." It's a sensory and cultural experience not to be missed.


Purchase The Iraqi Family Cookbook at your local bookstore, on our website, or through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. 

Recap: Yvette with Mrs. Obama and Mamiverse Contributors

The conversation between the First Lady with these Mamiverse contributors and Latina moms, moderated by CNN analyst Maria Cardona, delved into diverse issues including nutrition and the Let's Move initiative, education, healthcare, and passing on traditions and values. The round table held in Miami went by very quickly, but each woman was able to share her own story and ask questions. 


Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, one of the authors of MUY BUENO (available October 1st) and mother of two, brought up the growing problem of childhood obesity and diabetes. Mrs. Obama suggested using  family dinner time to connect and foster healthy eating habits, saying "at 6:30, whenever [the President's] not traveling and we're all together, we have family dinner. You do much more than just eat together."


Watch the video and share your comments. What are your favorite recipes to get the family to the table?