At every party and dinner, we have a basket of crudités as a better-for- you option and for those with dietary constraints. For Mother’s Day, we’re adding some flower power with this Bouquet Of Crudités from Hidden Valley,

Hidden Valley serves them with their Original Ranch Dressing; we’re making a nonfat yogurt dip.

RECIPE #1: BOUQUET OF CRUDITÉS

Prep time is 15 minutes.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

1. MAKE the dip (recipe below) and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

2. WASH and seed the peppers. Cut jagged edges into the tops.

3. STICK the snap peas on the skewers to create the leaves. Insert the skewers through the bottoms of each pepper and put the tomato in the center as shown. Arrange in a flower pot, vase or on a plate.

 
RECIPE #2: GARLIC-LIME-HERB YOGURT DIP & SAUCE

This recipe can be served as a dip with crudités, pretzels and other snacks, or as a topping/sauce for grilled fish, meat, poultry, even burgers. You can also mix it with boiled potatoes, macaroni or shredded cabbage for a fat-free potato salad, macaroni salad or cole slaw.

Or sweeten it and use it as a fruit dip.

The recipe makes a small bowl of dip, or 4 sauce servings for a main course. You can use your creativity to mix and match the seasonings to your main.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND the yogurt, garlic, lime juice and ginger in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

 
VARIATION: YOGURT DIP FOR FRUIT

1. REPLACE the garlic with one teaspoon agave, honey or sweetener of choice. (Only lightly sweeten the dip: You want to appreciate the sweetness of the fruit, not overwhelm it.)

2. REPLACE the herb with grated lime zest or other citrus zest (lemon, grapefruit).
 
___________________________
*The Hidden Valley recipe combines 1/2 cup Original Ranch Light Dressing and 8 ounces softened fat-free cream cheese, chilled until ready to serve.

[2] How about chunky guacamole? Make different textures and let guests decide (photo © Calvo Growers).

[3] Chunky guacamole (photo © Calvo Growers).

[4] Guacamole “bites” in cherry tomatoes (photo © FronteraFiesta.com).

[5] Fusion food: guacamole with tuna sashimi cubes (photo © Ippudo Restaurant | NYC).

So many guacamole recipes, so little time!

The solution: Make guacamole trios, three different recipes at a time. Here are some favorites of ours:

 
And then, there’s Crocamole, a crocodile-shaped presentation for kids.
 
 
A DIY GUACAMOLE PARTY BAR

You can also go for the Do-It-Yourself option: a Guacamole Party Bar. With the mashed avocado, lime juice and salt, provide some of the following:

 
Serve a trio of chips, too: perhaps yellow tortilla chips, blue tortilla chips and pita chips.
 
Also check out this fusion recipes from California Avocado Growers for Cajun Guacamole, French Guacamole, Greek Guacamole, Italian guacamole, Japanese guacamole.

There are 21 pages of guacamole recipes on the website, including a Cranberry Guacamole recipe for the holidays.
 

THE HISTORY OF GUACAMOLE

Mesoamericans cultivated the wild avocado, a tree fruit that had grown in the region for millions of years.

Dating back to Mayan times (pre-Aztec), guacamole was made from avocado, onion, chiles, fresh tomato, and salt, a recipe that is still made today.

The conquering Aztecs called the avocado ahuacatl. The “tl” is pronounced “tay” in Nahuatl, the Aztec language, hence, ah-hwa-CAH-tay.

AhuacamOlli (ah-waka-MOLE-ee) is a compound of ahuacatl [avocado] + mOlli [sauce]. The chocolate-based mole sauce comes from that same word, mOlli.

When the Spanish conquistadors under Hernán Cortés arrived in 1519, they heard ah-hwah-cah-tay as “aguacate,” the spelling and pronunciation they used. In Spanish, ahuacamOlli became guacamole (huac-ah-MOE-lay).

Guacamole ingredients were mashed in a molcajete (mol-cah-HET-tay), a Mexican pestle carved from volcanic stone (today granite is an easier-to-clean option). Over time, different regions of Mexico mixed in local ingredients, creating countless variations.

Ahuacatl, avocado, first meant “testicle” in Nahuatl. The Aztecs saw the avocado hanging from the tree branches as resembling testicles, and ate them as a sex stimulant.

According to Linda Stradley on the website WhatsCookingInAmerica.com, for centuries after Europeans came into contact with the avocado, it carried its reputation for inducing sexual prowess.

It wasn’t purchased or consumed by any genteel person concerned with his or her reputation.

American avocado growers had to sponsor a public relations campaign to dispel the myth before avocados could become popular. After then, their dark green, pebbly flesh also earned avocados the polite name, “alligator pear.”

But as with Mexican food in general, Hispanic-style cheeses continue to grow in popularity, with many varieties now available in mainstream supermarkets across the country.

California is the country’s leading producer of Hispanic-style cheeses, followed by Wisconsin. You don’t need to wait for Cinco De Mayo to try them, but they’ll make the celebration more authentic.

Thanks to the California Milk Advisory Board for this guide to domestic-made, Hispanic-style cheeses.

Note that the names given here are the most common names for these cheeses. However, it is not uncommon for a Hispanic-style cheese to be called by more than one name. Also, some cheese makers sell their cheeses under a proprietary name. In most cases the names given here will be on the package.

> The history of cheese.

> The different types of cheese: a photo glossary.
 
 
FRESH HISPANIC-STYLE CHEESES

Fresh (unripened) cheeses are very young cheeses that have not been allowed to age. Typically, fresh cheeses are soft and moist, white or off-white in color. They have a shorter shelf life than aged cheeses and must be kept in the refrigerator.

Many Hispanic-style cheeses soften but do not melt when cooked. Because they hold their shape when heated, they are often used as fillings or toppings in recipes.

They also tend to have mild to pronounced saltiness, so require less salt added to recipes. You can find them in whole-milk or low-fat varieties.

[2] Queso fresco with mango salsa (photo courtesy EatWisconsinCheese.com).

[3] Queso blanco (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[5] Anejo Enchilado is a firm, aged Mexican cheese, rubbed with mild red chili or paprika for added flavor. It is typically used as a garnish, crumbled or grated over a variety of dishes (photo © SpecialtyProduce.com).

AGED HISPANIC-STYLE CHEESES

Aged Hispanic cheeses are made in semi-firm and firm styles. Some will soften but not melt when heated; others are excellent melting cheeses that add richness and creaminess to cooked foods.

Aged cheeses have a longer shelf life than fresh cheeses. Store them in the fridge and handle them as you would Cheddar or Jack.

Most are available in whole-milk or low-fat varieties.

Note that “añejo” (aged) means something different in Hispanic-style cheeses: It is not analogous to American and European aged cheeses.

Hispanic-style cheeses are aged to some degree, but their dry texture and pungent, sharp flavor come from being salted, pressed and dried rather than being aged for a long time.

 
 
IN SUM…

Latin cuisine can be spicy, but the cheeses are usually mild, providing a pleasant contrast. Dairy products also lessen the heat of fiery chile peppers*.

When choosing a Hispanic-style cheese for cooking, keep these three categories in mind:

 
Delicioso!
 
_________________

*The casein (a protein) in dairy binds with the capsaicin (the heat component of chiles) to help wash it out of your mouth.
  

Depending on which survey you read, the Margarita may be the most popular cocktail in the U.S. There are scores of variations, from Ginger Margarita and Melon Margarita to Frozen Grape Margarita to a Frozen Kiwi Cilantro Margarita.

For Cinco de Mayo, we’re adding a new Margarita recipe to our repertoire: the Blood Orange Margarita.

The original Margarita was made with tequila, Cointreau and lime juice. Here’s the story and more Margarita trivia.

The recipe was developed by Chef Billy at Prepara.com. If you can’t find fresh blood oranges for the purée, look for frozen purée or substitute refrigerated blood orange juice.

RECIPE #1: BLOOD ORANGE MARGARITA

Ingredients Per Drink

1. PREPARE the optional salt rim. We like to mix 1/3 orange zest with 2/3 salt (zest the orange before squeezing the juice). Dip the rim of the glass into 1/4 inch of water, then twist in a dish of the salt or salt mix to create the rim.

2. COMBINE all of the ingredients in a shaker. Shake well and strain into a glass with more ice. Garnish as desired and serve.
 
RECIPE #2: BLOOD ORANGE PURÉE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. ADD all ingredients to a blender or food processor and purée. Taste and add more simple syrup and.or lemon juice as desired.
 
MORE MARGARITA RECIPES

[1] A ramekin of Dulce De Leche Rice Pudding (photo and recipe © IMUSA USA).

[2] It’s easy to toast almonds. The instructions are below (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[3] Garnish the pudding with an optional sprinkle of cinnamon (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

[4] Dulce de leche can be lighter or darker, based on the length of cooking (photo © Karolina Kolodziejczak | Unsplash).

[5] It may look like chocolate pudding in this photo, but in person, dulce de leche is a deep caramel color (photo Audinou | Wikipedia).

[6] The longer you cook dulce de leche, the darker it turns and the deeper the flavor (photo © The Heart Of Food [now closed]).

[7] Use ‘em if you got ‘em—serve pudding in cocktail glasses or wine goblets (photo © Taste Of Home).

[8] Make Rice Pudding Cheesecake With Dulce De Leche, with this recipe from Kraft.

Rice is not native* to Mexico; dulce de leche caramel sauce is.

Combine them to make a most delicious fusion food: Dulce De Leche Rice Pudding (photo #1).

It’s a treat for Cinco De Mayo or for any day of the year when your palate calls out for rice pudding. (October 11th is World Dule De Leche Day.)

And if this sounds good to you, check out photo #8: a rice pudding cheesecake with dulce de leche (the recipe link is in the photo caption).
 
 
WHAT IS DULCE DE LECHE?

Dulce de leche (DOOL-say day LETCH-ay) is a sweet, thick milk caramel sauce, prepared by slowly heating a can of sweetened milk until it caramelizes.

The result is a confection that can be used as a filling or sauce—or eaten from the jar (see photos #4, #5 and #6).

You can buy dulce de leche in a jar, but it’s easy to make—simply by heating sweetened condensed milk until it caramelizes, as in the recipe below.

Before the invention of sweetened condensed milk (it was patented by Gail Borden in 1856), dulce de leche was made by more laboriously reducing milk (cow’s or goat’s) with sugar.

Now it’s easy, so let’s start by making a batch.

Cajeta is the Mexican word for dulce de leche, and is made with goat’s milk.

Other Spanish -speaking countries use “dulce de leche.”

World Dulce de Leche Day is October 11th.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE DULCE DE LECHE

Ingredients For 1-1/4 Cups

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F with the rack in middle. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Set the pie plate in a roasting pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the pie plate.

2. BAKE for 45 minutes, then check the water level. Add additional water as necessary, and bake another 45 minutes, or until the milk is thickened and brown. Remove the plate from the water bath and cool, uncovered.

3. REFRIGERATE, tightly covered, until ready to use. It will keep without loss of flavors for up to 2 weeks.
 
You can also make dulce de leche by boiling the unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot on the stovetop, simmering for 2-3 hours. The oven technique is faster.
 
 
RECIPE: DULCE DE LECHE RICE PUDDING

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BRING 3 cups of milk to simmer in a small pot over medium heat. Add rice and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring with a wooden spatula every ten minutes.

2. WHISK the egg yolks, vanilla and salt with the remaining cup of milk and set aside.

3. SLOWLY MIX the egg yolk mixture into the rice and add the dulce de leche. Continue mixing until the contents come to a simmer and the rice pudding starts to thicken. Remove from heat and pour into individual bowls or ramekins. When ready to serve…
 
4. GARNISH with cinnamon and almonds.
 
 
MORE DULCE DE LECHE RECIPES

 
 
HOW TO TOAST ALMONDS

You can toast slivered or whole almonds in just five minutes, in a regular or toaster oven.

Toasting gives all nuts a deeper, smoother flavor. Toast 1/2 cup to 1 cup as a garnish.

If you have leftovers, store them for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Use them cereal, on salads and soups, on vegetables, in muffin batter, on frosting, etc.
 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet or in a roasting pan. Bake for 3-4 minutes; then shake pan to for even browning.watching closely so that they don’t get over-toasted or burn.

2. RETURN to the oven, checking every minute until the almonds are the desired color. Don’t let them get too dark; they’ll acquire a burnt taste.

3. REMOVE from oven and immediately pour transfer to a large plate to cool in a single layer (otherwise, the almonds will continue to brown from the carryover heat.

4. STORE, completely cooled, in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
 
 
MORE DULCE DE LECHE RECIPES

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF DULCE DE LECHE
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF RICE PUDDING
 
 
_______________________

*Rice has been consumed in China for some 5,000 years. The first documented account of cultivation appears in 2,800 B.C.E. The grain then traveled west: to ancient Greece, from Persia to the Nile Delta, wherever there was the warmth and aquaculture it required. It came to the Western Hemisphere, landing in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1685. [Source]