Elote "Mexican Corn"

Elote is also known as Mexican corn. I grew eating this as a little kid. My brother and I would be playing PlayStation or Counter Strike 1.5 when we hear the bell. Sorry, it's the bell. If you grew up in this era, you would know there is that one moment of silence, to hear that bell ring again to make sure it's the corn man. Now hurry and find a dollar! One dollar can get you a corn on a stick, brushed with some mayonnaise, lime juice, cheese, cayenne and some yellow gooey cheddar cheese which we are skipping today. Though, I'm not sure how much it runs for nowadays... $1.50?! Blasphemy!

For this recipe, I got frozen corn instead, but feel free to use the cob. AND I also made this in a dish, because it's easier to eat and I don't want spicy cayenne pepper spreading around my face. You know how that is...

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Elote "Mexican Corn"

Recipe:

• 3 cups of frozen corn, microwaved till edible.
• 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup of good mayonnaise (or 1/3), it really depends on how creamy you like it.
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne to mix
  • Cotija cheese crumbled on top (I used Cacique)

The recipe is pretty straight forward. I got a plastic zip bag to microwave the corn kernels. Afterwards, by opening the zip a little bit, you are able to dumb out any excess water. I then squeezed in the lime and sprinkled with salt and cayenne. Now, you mix it all together. It might be hard with your hands because the corn is still hot, so I used a spoon.

Next is the mayonnaise. Don't get that olive oil base mayo. I get it. But you want to keep it classic. After it's done mixing, just pour it out onto a dish of your choice. It may be a little watery because of the heat melting the mayonnaise. If you want, you can always pop it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to make the mayonnaise clump up again, but I think its better hot. Crumble your cheese and top off with a dash of cayenne. If you don't use cayenne, and you know you are sensitive to spicy foods, then I would leave it out and just dash a little bit as you are eating this. Just adjust along the way. This is how it is if you get it on the streets. They ask you want on your corn so there isn't really a wrong way to do this if you stick to the right ingredients. Don't blame me for any butt fire incidents though...

I like to eat this with chicken, tortilla chips, tostadas, or just as it. By the way, cotija cheese is a little robust so if you are not a big fan of cheese, I recommend getting the Cacique queso fresco it's like my favorite for all my mexican dishes!

QUICK TIP: If you are using fresh corn on the cob, remove the silks but leave the husk. In the same bag that you loaded your corns in (clear plastic that is in the produce aisle), put your corns back in and just microwave it to cook! No need to boil water. If your husks are a little dry, just moist them a little with water. I normally microwave my corn for 3 minutes (one corn). Now thank me if I changed your life.

You can always serve it for parties like I did below:

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party size

enjoy the butt fires!

daiisies

Pan Roasted Asparagus, Fried EGG, lemon everything, Oro del Tempo Piave Vecchio

This dish is SUPER easy to make. So cancel all your plans, and grab yourself a bunch of asparagus, lemons, eggs and Cheese! Because there is no excuse. It was hot as hell this week in LA and I still managed to cook, so put on that apron or that one cooking outfit you know you haven't washed in weeks.

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Beautiful Citrus Asparagus Egg - But... you should see how my kitchen looks after...

This dish is so decadent, you will look like you were in culinary school for years. I am SO hooked on this dish right now, and it doesn't take much at all. Tell your friends you had this in Italy.

Recipe (for 3 people or one... lol)

• 1 pound of asparagus - try to get the thicker stems for more texture and flavor.
• 1 Lemon - juice and zest
• 3 eggs (Happy Eggs)
• Cheese: A lot of people use Parmigiano Reggiano, but I am using Oro del Tempo Piave Vecchio, which can be found at Whole Foods. The flavors taste like a matured Gruyere. ABSOLUTELY SHAAABBAANNGG.
• red chili flakes.

Ok. First thing FIRST. I started heating the pan on high while I shave off the ends of the Asparagus. Please do not skip this step, unless your asparagus still have a beautiful elasticity on it. Also, cut off the dry ends. No one wants to have a hard, dry chewy bottom, not even your dog. When your pan is hot enough, throw in your asparagus and coat them with the olive oil. Once they start charring, I tossed in some Kosher salt. On a separate nonstick pan, I started frying up an egg.

And next thing you know, it feels like so much sh*t is going on because you didn't prep anything. *runs for cheese*, *oh sh*t the grater*, *omg the asparagus!* *THE EGG!*. Please get your prep together, unless you can work extremely unorganized like I do. When the asparagus has a good char all around, remove it away from the heat and start plating.

Zest your lemon over the top of your asparagus and put some in the pan for the oils to release. I then squeezed half a lemon into the pan to pick up on any excess flavor. After about 15 seconds, pour your light dressing over the asparagus.  Top the egg, dazzle with some red chili flakes (or black pepper if you prefer), and shave loads of cheese.

Please show off to your friends, and tell them I taught you. But if you destroy the recipe, tell them someone else taught you. Make sure your eggs are sunny side up. Crispy edges is a major plus. GOOD QUALITY EGGS ARE A MUST (I used Happy Eggs).

Enjoy. And let me know what you think. Lastly, don't cook your asparagus to death.

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It must look like this.

Cheers!

Daiisies

Tacos Los Potrillos

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Al Pastor

It's a gem to find taco trucks nowadays. Don't need anything fancy. If you've noticed the same truck sitting at the same spot for a while, it should be good enough to give it a try (especially if there's a line). But I think it's more rare to find tacos that cost $1 now... So far, I only ran into 2. The first one (2nd one will be posted on a different day) is located off San Gabriel and Hill street in Rosemead. Here, you will find Tacos Los Potrillos located in the LA Auto Shine car wash corner. The taco truck is parked from 5:00PM - 12:AM everyday.

It was extremely hot when we came so we just decided to eat there instead of taking it home. We ordered Al Pastor and Asada. I wouldn't say these were the best I've ever had, but I would definitely come back if I were to crave some. And for $1, you can't really complain. And if you WERE to complain, it better be for good reasons like food poisoning for 5 days. If you got the sh*ts, it's normal... catch the drift? I swear sometimes when people complain, it's like going complaining about going to McDonalds and saying their burgers does not taste like a burger. And to those people that only order 2-3 and calls it quits, how are you even alive?!

So to conclude, for a buck, these were decent and worth the price. Don't take my word for it though, go check it out. It may be obvious, but it's CASH only.

E-A-T T-A-C-O-S.

Daiisies