Showing posts with label Appetizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Appetizer. Show all posts

Monday, July 25, 2011

Keeping Cool with Los Cocos Fruit Ceviche

Summer heat is setting records in 2011
 The scorching sun has sent the summer temperatures well over 100 for more than 41 days, only considered cool in a "I survived that kind of way",  I'm all for prepping meals with little or no oven time right now. To heck with conventional cooking, please don't turn up the heat.  The Summer of 2011 could almost be considered the Summer of Ceviche for our family. We've had many endless variety in this popular Latin American dish. This fruity Ceviche version is named after one of my favorite Fruiteria stands in Monterrey Mexico. I've only had fruit cups there at Los Cocos but if they had a Ceviche with fruit it would taste  something like my version. Make a Ceviche with whatever seafood is on hand and be liberal with choice of fruits. Ceviche is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices & spiced with chili peppers. Our family enjoys Ceviche & it seems like the perfect way to cool things down at the end of a long hot day. Follow it with a crisp wine or cold Mexican beer & it's a meal. Salute!














Los Cocos Fruit Ceviche
1 pound medium-size raw shrimp, shelled and veined

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2cup lime juice, divided in half
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup melon, cubed
1 avocado, diced
2 kiwi fruit, skinned & diced
1 cup pineapple diced, juice reserved
1 orange, cut in sections and diced, juice reserved
Salt and pepper**

Directions

Blanch the shrimp in boiling water until no longer translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain & quickly cool down in iced water. (Chill shrimp approx 30 min)

Combine the shrimp, red or yellow pepper, cilantro, jalapeno, and 1/4 c.lime juice in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain off most of the liquid.

Whisk together the olive oil, ketchup, all citrus juice, and cilantro. Pour over shrimp and add diced avocado, melon, (add all fruits at this time), orange pieces &  pineapple. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.**Fruit juices are natural tenderizing agents so remember to prepare approx. what will be consumed in given meal.  The shrimp tend to keep tenderizing with the fruit juices & become mushy in more than 24 hrs.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Tortilla Espanola, in Spain it's a Spanish Omelette~

In Mexico Tortillas are disks of either corn or flour flat bread to be served with food tucked into them.  In Spain a Tortilla is an entirely different matter. The Espanola is an egg dish filled with potatoes & served either hot or cold.  It may be served as an appetizer in a Tapas bar or a main dish at home.  My first education about the Spanish Tortilla was in a Miami Beach Tapas restaurant believe it or not. (at last count Miami has at least 8 Tapas restaurants) My husband had lived in Spain & was thrilled to find a Tapas restaurant & introduce the family to one of his favorite foods.  Since then I have been captivated by this easy mainstream dish from Spain. Tales of this dish differ on where the Tortilla Espanola originated however all seem to agree that it dates back to the early 1800's. Historically speaking it was said to gain popularity during wartime as a way to feed a crowd with few handy & wholesome ingredients. The dish is both easy & quick to put on the table.



Tortilla Espanola ~ Spanish Tortilla
6-7 medium potatoes, peeled
1 whole yellow onion, sliced
5-6 large eggs
1 cup Spanish Chorizo, sliced into rounds
3  cups loosely chopped Swiss Chard
2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut the peeled potatoes in half lengthwise. Then, with the flat side on the cutting surface, slice the potato in pieces approximately 1/8" thick. If you slice them a bit thick, don’t worry – it will simply take a bit longer for them to cook.

Peel and chop the onion into 1/4" pieces. Put potatoes and onions into a bowl and mix them together. Salt the mixture.

In a large, heavy, non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Carefully place the potato and onion mixture into the frying pan, spreading them evenly over the surface. The oil should almost cover the potatoes. You may need to turn down the heat slightly, so the potatoes do not burn, next add chorizo slices & cook 3-4 more minutes or till sausage browns slightly.

Leave in pan until the potatoes are cooked. If you can poke a piece of potato with a spatula and it easily breaks in two, your potatoes are done. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon or spatula and allow oil to drain.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat by hand with a whisk or fork. Pour in the potato onion mixture. Mix together with a large spoon.

Pour 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil into a medium, frying pan (aprox. 9-10”) and heat on medium heat. When hot, stir the potato onion mixture once more and “pour” into the pan and spread out evenly. Allow the egg to cook around the edges. Then you can carefully lift up one side of the omelet to check if the egg has slightly “browned.” The inside of the mixture should not be completely cooked and the egg will still be runny.

When the mixture has browned on the bottom, you are ready to turn it over to cook the other side. Take the frying pan to a sink. Place a large dinner plate (12”) upside down over the frying pan. With one hand on the frying pan handle and the other on top of the plate to hold it steady, quickly turn the frying pan over and the omelet will “fall” onto the plate. Place the frying pan back on the range and put just enough oil to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Let the pan warm for 30 seconds or so. Now slide the omelet into the frying pan. Add chopped swiss chard & use the spatula to shape the sides of the omelet. Let the omelet cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the tortilla sit in the pan for 2 minutes. If chard needs wilting more broil it for 1-2 minutes or till nicely wilted.

Slide the omelet onto a plate to serve. If eating as a main course, cut the omelet into 6-8 pieces like a pie. Serve a wedge of the Tortilla with sliced pickle, marinated mushrooms, fruit or a piece of crusty bread & a glass of wine.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Natchitoches meat pie, the original hot pocket.

Think comfort food to in the 1700's in Louisiana & you might well be dreaming of the Natchitoches Meat Pies; that's pronounced (NACK-uh-tush) for those less familiar with Louisiana names & places. These tasty meat pies are a hold over from the early Spanish settlers in the Louisiana territory. Which is to say they were similar to beef Empanadas & were taken literally across the Spanish empire by early settlers. We often dined on Empanadas in Mexico which were very much like these "north of the border" meat pies, hence my addition of Chohula hot sauce to my meat pies! These days you are likely to find the meat pies at the New Orleans Jazz festival, a football game or at a boucherie deep in the heart of Cajun land. Sometimes they are called Cajun meat pies but whatever one says about them they are a crowd pleasing, taste tempting pastry filled with meat & spices. Natchitoches meat pies are great for a main dish with a salad or as an appetizer. They need nothing other than a napkin to catch any filling which may tumble out however I made an easy Avocado dip we thought was perfect for these treats.



Natchitoches Meat Pies

for meat filling
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 lb ground pork
1 c chopped green onions
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp coarse black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp Sherry vinegar
2 tsp hot sauce, Cholula, Tabasco, etc
1/3 c flour
Combine all ingredients except flour & cook till meat breaks up and is no longer red. Sift flour over the meat mixture , mix well, remove from heat. Drain meat into a colander, cool to room temp.
Crust:
2 2/3 c flour
1/3 heaping solid shortening
1 lg egg
3/4 c Milk
Vegetable oil for frying pies
Sift flour, use pastry cutter&cut shortening into flour. Mix in egg & milk. Form dough into a ball. It will be semi sticky.

Flour board and rolling pin. Rolling out about 1/3 of dough at a time roll about 1/8 in thick. Cut into 5in circles (use coffee can or similar size) To assemble pies place heaping spoon of filling dampen edge of pie dough with an *egg wash & seal shut then prick each top twice. These can be frozen or fried in deep fat fryer at 350 degrees. Drain on paper towels, serve warm. *Yolk of 1 egg + 1 tsp H2O, beaten & then brush on the inside edges of dough before pressing edges shut & crimping.

















Avocado Horseradish Dip

2 large ripe avocados, peeled and pits removed
2 Tbsp Milk
16 ounces sour cream
4 Tbsp prepared horseradish*
2 tsp garlic, peeled & coarsely chopped
3 green onions, chopped (or)
*1 small shallot can be used
juice of 1 fresh lime
2 tsp Cholula hot sauce

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor & chill before serving. *I use the prepared horseradish found in the deli, do not use a horseradish spread which is more than horseradish. It is less pungent & has less bite to it for this recipe.

This dip was so good we even tried it with chips & veggies. Oh, the possibilities any dish with an avocado presents...

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

5, 6, 7, 8...What a difference a year can make!



Last year's Cinco de Mayo meal was eaten South of the Border. Back then I made an Asian fusion meal which suited my Cinco tastes of the day. I noted in 2009 that Cinco de Mayo is not a holiday celebrated with such exuberance throughout Mexico as it is in the states. In Mexico the holiday is barely a blip on the party throwing scale unless one is in the state of Puebla Mexico. For a review of the holiday check here. This year I tried a more traditional "state-side" route. Living back in the states now we join in with the rest of the Cinco de Mayo, Margarita swigging fiesta goers.


We served our Tacos for Cinco de Mayo with plenty of Guacamole, Salsa, cold Jarritos & Cervezas. Hope your Cinco de Mayo was wonderful wherever you celebrated it. Buen Provecho, Enjoy!

Guacamole con la Bandera
is simply this: Avocado mashed & topped with diced tomato, diced onion & a combination of diced jalapeno (or Serrano pepper)& Cilantro. Guacamole served in this manner throughout Mexico is considered "con la bandera" since it has the colors of the Mexican flag. I serve mine with lime wedges. Let the diners mix in the ingredients they would like.



As I scrambled mid day to place a small pork loin roast in the slow cooker for a few hours I decided to mix it up a bit & cook the pork roast with local favorite, Jardine's 7J Ranch, Campfire Roasted Salsa. It was wonderful over our tacos we made from the pork roast too.



















Salsa Roasted Pork Loin
3 lb Pork Loin Roast
1 small Onion. sliced
1/3 cup of Jardine's Campfire Roasted Salsa
1 Lime, juiced
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped

Season the Pork Loin roast with peppers, garlic & place the Pork loin roast in crock pot. Pour the salsa over the top of the roast, lay sliced onions over the top of the roast, squeeze the lime juice over the top & bake on high for 4 hours & 30 minutes. Cool roast approx. 15 minutes, then slice & roughly chop the slices. Serve in corn tortillas with chopped cilantro, dice onion, baby spinach leaves, diced pineapple & Jardine's Campfire Roasted Salsa. We served this on locally made fresh corn tortillas....many tortillas!!
D.L. Jardines has a great online store where you can order this salsa & many more of their products.

Five Ingredient Salad for Cinco de Mayo
1 Avocado, seeded, pealed & sliced
1 Mango, pealed, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
4 oz. Queso Fresco, crumbled or sliced into 1/2 inch bite sized pieces
1/4 small onion, diced
1/2 head of Red Leaf Lettuce, loosely shredded by hand.
Arrange clean lettuce into the bottom of serving bowl then layer on the rest of the ingredients ending with Avocado. Serve with Green Chili Dressing, recipe found in previous blog entry.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Of Saints & Sinners....

The phrase, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints..." keeps running through my head on this day. No, I am not drawing lines calling anyone a Sinner here. We all know the literal version of what that statement means however I am thinking of the New Orleans Saints today & Drew Brees our Texas born quarterback....

When I was living in Louisiana during college I initially noticed the die hard rabid fan base of the New Orleans Saints were not that different from our beloved Dallas Cowboys fans. There was one big difference in Louisiana. In Louisiana the fierce love of the game, the sport & the team left little room for the outsiders. It is an all or nothing Saints fan base. The State of Louisiana was behind the Saints & cared not who else was in on the gig! Seriously, all Texans want people to like our football teams. We do think we perfected or invented the sport!! They are a tough group of fans too, even when they sat in the stands some years ago with paper bags over their heads watching the Saints loosing game after game. Saints fans held onto the hope that their day would come. Well that day has arrived & the Saints have marched through much more than most Football franchises could imagine in the past 5 years. The "Who Dat" nation is now set in stone in Louisiana & the fans are beyond proud. If anyone doubts that there will be partying in the Big Easy tonight regardless of what happens in Miami they do not know the resilience of the people of Louisiana. My money is on the New Orleans Saints. The Colts may have an incredible quarterback but the Saints have all that & more! The Colts may be out to bring home another trophy but Saints are searching for a triumph & the sweet fragrance which should follow Victors who have come through more than just a game.



**A typical Mexican Artesania showing an image of a Saint resisting the temptations of the ultimate "Sinner".
















Our Superbowl Appetizers are full of typical Texas to Mexico kick. For the first time in several years we will watch the Superbowl without Spanish broadcasting voice over (yipee) & we will not miss those great Superbowl commercials. It is odd what bits of Americana one misses when living abroad!
Chorizo stuffed Jalapenos
3 tbsp. olive oil
12 jalapeno peppers, seeded, halved & membranes removed
10-12 Crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup of diced onion
8 oz. Mexican Chorizo
1/4 cup black Spanish olives, seeds removed & roughly chopped.
1 cup whole grain breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 large egg, beaten
3 tbsp. chopped green onion tops
1/2 cup of Monterrey Jack Cheese, reserve extra for top of peppers

Saute the Chorizo over medium heat in a large skillet until the pieces begin to crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Drain Chorizo well & set aside. *I drain mine onto a paper towel to remove grease. Into skillet add onion & mushrooms, saute 5 minutes. Remove to medium mixing bowl, add Chorizo, chopped olives & green onions. Next add in breadcrumbs & cheese. Add beaten egg, melted butter & blend till the stuffing is moist & clumping.

Stuff each peppers the stuffing, rounding it on top of the pepper halves. Once they’re all stuffed, top with small amount of cheese, place into an oven safe dish & bake @ 375 for 20 minutes or until tops of stuffed pepper are slightly browned & cheese is melted. Serve immediately.




















Spicy Artichoke & Crab Queso Dip
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
salt to taste
3 Roasted green chilis, seeded, cleaned & diced
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded, & finely diced
1 plum tomato, diced
4 oz. Artichoke frozen hearts, thawed, diced
1/4 cup diced yellow Spanish onion
4 oz *Crab claw meat, drained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground, Chipolte Chili

In a medium saucepan, add butter & onion, allow to melt over low heat. Add flour and stir until it is well blended with butter and mixture is free of lumps. Color will be nice & golden after 1 minute or so.
Add cream and stir to combine, allowing to heat up until thickened, about five minutes. Stir frequently with spoon and do not allow cream to boil. Add cheese, and whisk vigorously until completely creamy and fluid when stirring.
Taste for salt and add accordingly. Add chilis, artichoke hearts, tomato, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne, and stir to combine. Finally add crab meat. Do not over heat or stir vigorously enough to break up the crab meat. Nice lumps of crab within the dip are best.
Serve warm with your favorite tortilla or pita chips. Makes approx . 1 quart dip.
*I used Crab claw Meat since it is in sturdy lumps & will not break up as easily in this dip.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

In the News, Cooking & Daughters...

News worthy time spent South of the Border~















The long overdue trip to Mexico by our first born finally arrived 2 weeks ago. She hadn't been to visit Monterrey since her Birthday Celebration a couple of years ago which happens to coincide with Diez y Seis (aka: September 16th, Mexican Independence Day.) True, we have seen our girls since we travel home frequently but she had not had a recent opportunity to visit here, wine, dine & relax. I won't give too many details of her trip as the first born kids in our family never lack for words & she did give a fine detailed account of her visit in her Blog here:

Our Bytes-from-Texas girl had the chance to visit & meet up with several friends as well as find out that visiting Gringos often make it on the local television station! We traveled out to Presa de la Boca on Dia de Benito Juarez for sun & fun on the water only to find out when we arrived that a slow news day here can merit a television crew! Seriously, boats on a lake in Mexico are not all that newsy but Gringos as I am told are a tiny bit of comic relief on the evening news! Thank God for a slow news day in Northern Mexico...recent activities put a negative spin on life here & we were only to happy to be a "kinder, gentler, type of news story". I actually turned the camera on a particularly nosy cameraman who trained his camera at length on our boat. A seriously invasive Azteca News camera guy!! What is good for the Americanos is good for the locals in my book. The tiny photo at the top of the blog is a guy beside the news van with the camera trained on our boat.

We thoroughly enjoyed all of our time together. As always in the Texas to Mexico house a good deal of time was spent cooking. Slow meals south of the border are always better with loved ones. I always love cooking with my girls. We especially enjoyed the Spanish Tapas style meals with small bites & our favorite Latin American wines.

Mushroom & Jalapenos with Chorizo Stuffing
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
6 jalapeno peppers, seeded & split
8-10 large mushroom caps, stems removed & gills removed with spoon.
8 oz. hard Spanish Chorizo, casing removed & diced
1/4 cup black Spanish olives, seeds removed & roughly chopped.
2 cups homemade breadcrumbs*, divided
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 inch cubes of Manchego Cheese

Saute the Chorizo over medium heat in a large skillet until the pieces begin to crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of breadcrumbs and the chicken stock and saute for another couple of minutes. Remove to a bowl.

Make the toasted breadcrumbs by brushing the breadcrumbs with the butter and quickly running them under the broiler. You’ll want to watch them the entire time to ensure they don’t burn. Once they come out of the oven, mix them with the parsley, olives, next add in the cubes of Manchego cheese & blend well.

Stuff each pepper or mushroom cap with as much of the stuffing as you can fit and set aside. Once they’re all stuffed, place into an oven safe dish & bake @ 375 for 20 minutes or until tops of stuffed peppers/mushrooms are browned & crispy looking. Serve immediately. *We ate these with a nice Alamos Malbec wine.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Texas Cactus Fritters


Cactus: nutritious & delicious too!
Cactus or Nopal brought many a Texas rancher through a long hard Winter in the not too distant past. I have heard my Grandfather talk about burning the Prickly Pear Cactus all Winter long so they could keep cattle fed when grass was scarce in the 1930's. Texas A&M University has done extensive research on the benefits of Nopal for both people & animals. Early Spanish explorers were introduced to the Cactus as food source when they met indigenous peoples who used both the fruit produced by the plant as well as the green pads. In South Texas & Mexico the Nopal or tender pads of cactus are used in Salads, Soups & even scrambled into eggs...my personal favorite. The taste is similar to asparagus or a green bean. Nopal is both high in fiber, vitamins & claims to lower blood sugar levels, as well as help a hangover! For more information check here:

In many Latin grocery stores nopal is easily accessible. The cactus or nopal must be blanched in order to use it in salads or cooked so the texture is acceptable. This recipe simple & can be used as a side dish or appetizer. I made a dipping sauce from Sour Cream & ready made fire roasted Salsa Verde, mixing equal parts. The sauce is nice but by no means necessary.




















Texas Cactus Fritters
1 1/2 cups Yellow Corn (can be fresh, canned or frozen as long as it is drained & thawed)
1 cup of Nopal cut into small diced pieces (nopalitos), blanched & well drained
1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup Poblano Pepper, roasted, peeled & diced
1/4 cup onion, diced1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded, diced
2 Eggs, beaten
3 - 4 Tbsp. milk
2 Tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 cup Corn meal
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
Oil
Mix together corn, peppers, onion, nopal. Add dry ingredients, stir to coat all of the ingredients with the cornmeal mixture. Once this is done add the beaten eggs & then add in the Tbsp. of milk 1 at a time, making the mixture the texture of a sticky texture dough batter. Drop well rounded spoonfuls into hot vegetable oil in skillet & cook over med high heat. Turn them once making certain to brown well on each side. Drain any excess oil onto paper towels & serve at once.

Nopal scrambled into eggs with tomato & green onion.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Tomato Mexi~tizer!

The fresh vegetable selection in Mexico is an incredible & endless variety. I made this Appetizer with a diary product found in Mexico called Jocoque. Jocoque has a flavor like sour cream but is almost as thick as cream cheese. Lebanese in originit is reported to have health benefits similar to yogurt. Certainly cream cheese can be substituted if you cannot find Jocoque in a Latin or Mexican market





















Jocoque & cheese stuffed tomatoes
3/4 cup Shredded Monterrey Jack or Chihuahua cheese
1/2 cup Jocoque, (cream cheese will be fine but less of a true flavor)
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley, reserve extra leaves for garnish
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise

Mix above ingredients together, chill & prepare tomatoes for stuffing. Use 12 small vine ripe tomatoes, slice off top, core tomato with melon ball tool & then rest upside down on paper towel to drain remaining juice 5 to 10 min. Stuff with cheese mixture & garnish with parsley.

*The tomatoes I used were about 2 inches in diameter~

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Flaming Hot Queso~

This Mexican favorite has as many different recipes are there are varieties of cheeses. It is easy & best with some good white wine to break up all that cheese. Queso Fundido means Fused Cheese~try fusing your queso with these ingredients. Oh, this awesome looking doorway was one I spotted in Santiago. Beautiful colors!
























Queso Fundido con Chorizo y Hongos
1/2 cup *Mexican Chorizo or one small link
6 to 8 ounces mushrooms any variety, discard any woody stems & slice ( about 2 cups)
Salt, pepper
10-12 ounces Queso Chihuahua or Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
dash of fresh ground black pepper
Fresh, warm Corn or Flour Tortillas
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet (preferably non-stick), heat to medium-high. Saute Chorizo about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir nearly constantly, saute 5 minutes longer. Season with salt, usually about 1/4 teaspoon. Transfer the mixture to a 9- or 10-inch shallow baking dish, Mexican cazuela or pie plate. When the timer goes off, stir the shredded cheese into the warm mushroom & chorizo mixture. Set in the oven & bake until the cheese is just melted, about 5 minutes, broil 2 min. to brown the top, then sprinkle with the thyme and black pepper and serve, accompanied by warm tortillas.

*I like to use at least 50% soy chorizo which I can find in Mexico, it is less greasy & lower in fat.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Jaimes Spanish Village~wonderful Tex-Mex!

Jaime's a great place to meet, eat & relax with the Jaime's special Margarita~mmmmm! While my own Compuesta recipe is not Jaime's own recipe, it'll do South of the Border. Compuesta=Queso+Guacamole!! Don't knock it if you haven't yet tried it.

















Some places have memories connected that defy words. Jaime's~an Austin Texas institution since 1937. Good Tex-Mex, Great company & awesome frozen Margarita with just the perfect combo of Sangria swirled in...ah! And if we are with good friends, then all the better!

















Mother & daughter at the end of "move-in" day for college, still all smiles!

Chile Con Queso Compuesto

Basic Texas Chile con Queso
Easiest recipe in the Lone Star State. If you've got a microwave or double boiler you can make this for a few or a crowd. You’ll need one can of Rotel Tomatoes and a pound of Velveeta. (Save liquid but drain Rotels, if the Queso needs to be thinned out later) to get the consistency you like. Chunk the Velveeta, pour in the rotel & micro til everything is melted. *I use my own salsa but use what you like best!

Guacamole~ the green half of the Compuesta
2 avacados
a scant 1/4 c of YOUR favorite salsa
1/2 clove of FRESH garlic, smashed, minced & diced
* salt to taste
Smash everything together with a fork to the consistency you like.

Spread the Guacamole in the bottom of a medium sized bowl, spoon about 1 cup Queso over the top. Serve steaming hot surrounded with chips with the Compuesto & enjoy an awesome frozen Margarita. Buen Provecho!!!