To this day, I still joke that those were the first five words out of my grandma’s mouth whenever I came in the door. I lived with her for a few years right out of high school, but even before then, I can remember many an evening with her standing by the stove stirring pots and opening the oven to check on holiday meals. Or even Sunday meals. Many times, after church, we’d stop by the grandparents for authentic chorizo and eggs and refried beans. I firmly believe my partiality to corn tortillas is a direct result of her cooking.

My earliest exposure to the notion of food culture came from those visits. While my mom had integrated Mexican cooking into her repertoire, at Grandma’s it was all Mexican, all the time. Yet that didn’t mean it was nothing but tacos. There was hearty meat and potato picadillo, quesadillas with chihuahua cheese, gazpacho, fideo soup, and so many more unique food and beverage options. Even when the holidays were filled with traditional American fare like turkey and stuffing, the table was accented with tasty tamales, chicken mole, and rompope. ¡Muy delicioso! Enjoy!