¡Hola! Get Ready for Mother's Day & Cinco de Mayo

We're sharing our sourdough tortilla recipe, our essential guac recipe technique, and a ridiculous anecdote about a time we went to a winery in Mexico.

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May 02, 2024

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In This Post

My guacamole recipe, a sourdough tortillas recipe, our mother’s day gift guide and more.

* Don’t forget! Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 12th this year, and Mexican Mother’s Day—Dia de las Madres—is on Friday, May 10th. Dia de las Madres is always on May 10th.

What wine tasting in Mexico and spray tanning have in common

Cinco De Mayo is fast approaching and I can’t help but think about that time I went wine tasting in Mexico.
I admit, I’ve been spray tanned. For those of you who haven’t experienced a tanning session, I’ll paint you a picture. Alone in a shower-like stall, wearing just a shower cap, feet carefully lined up with the stickers on the floor, you are instructed to assume a slight-squat-arms-out-elbows-bent stance. A computerized voice instructs you to hold your breath and close your eyes.
(Scroll to the bottom to read the rest of this harrowing tale)

Small Bites

My #1 Guacamole Making Tool — I am a total guac snob and I make the best guacamole. It is all about technique because I only use three ingredients. The key is using a molcajete (a stone mortar and pestle pictured in the collage above). Keep scrolling to get the full recipe.
A Dream Stay—Flora Farms in Cabo Mexico is a verdant oasis hidden in the low, dry hills of San Jose del Cabo. The compound consists of bucolic farmland dotted with palm trees, open air restaurants, a shop, spa and straw bale luxury vacation homes designed for culinary enthusiasts. It’s the first reservation I would book upon planning a trip south. Check out their experiences which include farm tours, movie nights and cooking classes.
A little about micro cilantro (a microgreen): Micro cilantro is my all time favorite microgreen. It’s super high in carotinoids found in the eye (lutein and zeaxanthin), which studies show play a critical role in the prevention of age-related eye degeneration.
Get personalized planting dates by zip code: May is prime time for getting your summer garden in full swing. We’ve listed some of our favorite things to grow in May, but check out this link to the Farmer’s Almanac, which is a planting calendar based on your zip code. This is what we’re currently growing and plan to plant this month:
- Veggies
  - Summer Squash, Peppers, Cabbage, Kale, Arugula
- Fruit
  - Strawberries
- Herbs
  - Rosemary, Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Garlic Chives, Mint, Lemon Balm, Calendula
Healthier Tres Leches Cake: Tres Leches cake is our de facto Mexican dessert because churros are hard to make at home, and it’s moist à la poke cake. It uses three types of milk—condensed, regular, and evaporated. We hunted down a recipe that lightens this somewhat-heavy dessert up a bit. If you’d rather have the classic version, check out this post that tested and tried nine recipes to find the best one.

Sourdough Tortillas

Warm, pillowy tortillas. Do I have your attention yet? This recipe uses sourdough starter discard and transforms it into delicious, homemade tortillas perfect for tacos, burritos, or just enjoying on their own!

As long has you have some starter bubbling away, you’ll be slathering butter on a hot-off-the-griddle tortilla in just 30 minutes.

Get The Sourdough Tortilla Recipe

My Guacamole Recipe

It’s creamy. It’s delicious. There is not a tomato to be found.

Guacamole Ingredients

About 2 heaping tablespoons of roughly chopped yellow or white onion
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (I use Diamond Crystal, which is less salty than table salt so use less)
2 large ripe avocados (ripe means they give a bit when gently pressed with thumbs and knife slides in)

Directions

Step 1: In the molcajete add onion and salt. Use the pestle to completely liquify the onion. No chunks of onion should be visible after this step. The salt helps breakdown the onion.

Step 2: Open avocados and spoon flesh in with the onion. Use the pestle to smash the avocado in the molcajete. The final product should be creamy with small avocado chunks (no bigger than a corn kernel).

Step 3: Taste and add salt as needed. Perfecto.

*The only other permitted ingredient is a hot chili. Add some jalapeño with the onion in step one. Taste the jalapeño to decide how much to add for your desired heat level.

The Edit

Some Mexican-Inspired goodies we’ve got our eyes on.

Meat Free Mexican Cookbook by Thomasina Miers. I’m always searching searching for meatless Mexican food that is more than a bean burrito. This cookbook caught my eye.
Dump Truck Pinata. Parties with pinatas are the best parties. Everytime I leave my house I drive by a piñata/party shop with the most creative piñatas hanging for every bit of ceiling space. My nephew is obsessed with trucks, so this creative piñata would be perfect for his next birthday party!
Tortilla Warmer. Everyone knows tortillas are best when they are piping hot. Heat your tortillas on a comal (flat cast iron pan) or directly on your gas stove burner and tuck into a tortilla warmer like this one. It doesn’t technically warm your tortillas from room temp, it keeps them warm after you’ve heated them. Fits corn tortillas. Fold flour tortillas in half or quarters to nestle in the warmer. Whip up a batch of my Sourdough Tortillas recipe and have a taco night! (If you have sourdough starter, they are VERY easy to make.)
Talavera Everything. My paternal side is Mexican-American. I grew up on Mexican food and love all things Talavera pottery including these mugs. I love it so much, I want it all. I’m planning doing more writing about Mexican design.

Have you selected a winning Mother’s Day gift yet?

Our gift guide has something for every kind of mom we know. The outdoorsy mom? A new wide brimmed crusher hat. The mom who tracks her steps? Some cool trainers. The mom who likes to create? A Matisse paint by number kit. For the mom working on her sleep? A smart, soothing “alarm” clock. And for the mom who doesn’t want anything? Luxurious hand soap and lotion that she’d probably never buy for herself (but are so worth the splurge to treat her with.)

Mother’s Day Gift Guide (listed by row from left to right)

New Balance 990v4 Sneakers: Treat her feet to comfort and style with these iconic New Balance sneakers, perfect for her active lifestyle and casual outings. ($210)
Our Place Dream Cooker: Simplify her cooking experience with the versatile Our Place Dream Cooker, designed to streamline meal prep with pressure cooker and slow cooker settings.($200)
Cotton Crusher Hat: Shield her from the sun's rays in style with a chic cotton crusher hat, the perfect accessory for her outdoor activities or leisurely strolls ($38)
Grown Alchemist Hand Lotion + Soap Set: Treat mom to a luxurious hand care experience with this indulgent lotion and soap set, pampering her skin and senses with botanical goodness. ($64)
Electric Pour-Over Kettle: Elevate her tea or coffee ritual with this efficient electric pour-over kettle, ensuring she enjoys a perfect brew every time with ease and precision. ($195)
Paint By Number Kit: Unleash her creativity and unwind with a captivating paint-by-number kit featuring Matisse's iconic daisies, a delightful artistic journey for her to enjoy creating. It’s as easy as painting within the lines. ($39)
Tote Bag with Hat Strap: This amazing tote bag features a convenient hat strap on the side for her daily outings in the sun. ($198)
Loftie Alarm Clock: Help her start her mornings on a peaceful note with this sleek alarm clock, featuring soothing sounds and customizable settings for a rejuvenating wake-up experience. ($150)
Ina’s Coconut Cake: This decadent coconut cake is by no means healthy, but is delectable and inspired by the culinary genius of Ina Garten, a delightful sweet to celebrate her special day. ($100)
Boston Waterproof Clog: These clogs are lightweight and waterproof. Perfect as a room shoe or “summer slipper”. ($50)
Mexico: The Cookbook: We recommended a meatless Mexican cookbook in our Cinco de Mayo Edit, but we like this one just as much for meat eaters. ($33)
Stardust Blue Light Blocking Glasses: For the mom who is attached to her screens, a pair of stylish blue light blocking glasses to protect her eyes and enhance her well-being. ($28)

Spray Tan/Wine Story Continued…

A heavy mist begins to hiss out at your from all directions. It lasts just long enough that your lungs start screaming and all you want to do is take a deep breath. But if you do, you’ll coat your lungs with micro tanner. But it’s not over yet. That robotic voice again. Turn around, line up your feet, and keep holding your breath. More hissing, more tanning mist. When it ends, you take a deep gasp of breath. Yes, there is most certainly still tanner in the air. Have no idea what was in that mist, but I’m sure it wasn’t good for me. All it did was create the appearance of a healthy glow.

In the Summer of 2021, I was so excited to be out and about, I crossed the Southern Border to experience Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe wine region. My sister and I found a Las Vegas-looking (flashy and a bit tacky) winery with a dedicated vegan menu and a liberal use of micro cilantro). To enter the winery, several large security guards ushered us through a strange tunnel that took me right back to my spray tanning days. The tunnel, like the tanning stall, shot out a micro mist of (hand?) sanitizer from all directions. Thankfully this time I was fully clothed. But that mystery disinfectant mist coated my hair, lungs, purse, jeans, face, hands—everything.

While the micro-droplet disinfectant shower was likely ineffective at neutralizing any lurking lung infection, it certainly gave the appearance of being health conscious.

We are dazzled all day long with things that make us appear healthy or make us feel like we are making healthy choices, am I right? Think about all those “healthy” vegan foods that are just highly processed food in diguise, or “organic” junk food. The greenwashing is everywhere.

Our brains start to play the comparative game. The spray tan is better for me than skin cancer from actual tanning. The vegan processed food is better for me than the other processed food because it has whole grains, the organic candy is better than conventional. While those comparisons may be accurate, they are misleading. We don’t need a tan or processed foods to be “healthy.”

So this week, let’s try to see through the hype, reject the bogus comparative game, and focus on things like minimally processed foods and moving our bodies. Then we might actually be healthy, not just be healthier than someone else.

- Melissa

Flora & Fauna

Flora of the week: This is Melissa’s project from last weekend. Stringing up the herbs to dry! This is mint. but she also did lemon balm! (Our last newsletter drop featured our calming mocktail recipe with cucumber, matcha, and optional lemon balm)

Fauna of the week: Meet Kelly’s 5 year old dog Comet, a rescue from South Korea. She’s very pleased with herself in this photo after chasing squirrels through a park (she’s never caught one thankfully).

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Meet The Editors

Above: This is us (Melissa & Kelly) enjoying some fresh coconuts at a roadside shack while traveling in the Yucatan, Mexico. Read more about us on the blog. Thanks for making it this far!

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