By Fall. Week 9 win, regular season ends 9-1, lost a game in October to a tough team.
I made tailgate for the family this week. The kitchen filled with the smell that tailgate makes. Lisa and the kids ate around the table. The conversation was about the week, the kids' activities, the small ordinary news of a household in motion. Diego called from CSU and said hello. The twins ate too much. Sofia ate the right amount. Lisa ate slowly. I ate the rest.
The dog tags were under the polo. The chain was around my neck. Hector's ring is not on a chain yet. Papá is still alive. Mamá is still in Las Cruces. The road keeps bending. The road bends. Feed your people. The game is won at the table.
The small Denver-area high-school football-coaching-position at the small 5A school continues to be the small career-passion. The small head-coach role since 2019. The small assistant-coach years before. The small full-time PE-teacher day-job that the small coaching-position is built on. The small twenty-five-year-football-life is the small identity.
The four kids are: Diego (born 2007, plays football), Sofia (born 2009, runs cross-country), twins Marco and Elena (born 2013, in everything). The small Lisa (the small wife, Anglo from Colorado Springs) is the small ER-nurse at the small Denver Health. The small two-income six-person household has the small careful-budget shape.
The small New-Mexican-heritage runs through the small kitchen. The small Hatch-green-chile is the small heritage-staple ingredient. The small green-chile-on-everything (the small green-chile-cheeseburger, the small green-chile-enchiladas, the small green-chile-stew, the small green-chile-mac-and-cheese). The small Carlos’s family is from the small Las Cruces area; the small Lisa’s family is from the small Colorado Springs-area.
The small Carlos-family-tamale-making at Christmas is the small annual-marathon. The small three-day-process the small whole-family participates in. The small Gloria-recipes (Carlos’s mother Gloria still in Las Cruces) are the small heritage-anchor. The small two-hundred tamales-per-year output feeds the small extended-family and the small football-team and the small church.
The small Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Parish congregation is the small Sunday-worship. The small Carlos-and-Tanya parish-presence has been the small lifelong-Denver-Catholic-community membership. The small parish-quinceañeras, the small parish-cookouts, the small parish-Día-de-los-Muertos altar-building are the small community-rhythm.
The small football-season runs the small August-through-November fall. The small Friday-night-games are the small fall-Friday-anchor. The small Saturday-morning-film-review at the small coaches’ office. The small Sunday-team-dinner at the small Medina-house where the small two-dozen-football-players show up for the small family-style spread.
The small Sunday-publishing-rhythm of the recipe blog continues to be the small organizing-spine of the small week. The small Sunday-cooking happens in the small late-morning-to-early-afternoon window. The small photographing of the finished dish happens at the small three-PM kitchen-light-window. The small writing-up of the recipe happens at the small four-PM workspace at the kitchen-counter. The small final-edit happens at the small five-PM. The small post publishes at seven PM. The small ritual has been running for years.
The small recipe-development-philosophy continues to be the small small-batch-test-then-publish approach. The small first cook of a small new recipe happens on the small Saturday afternoon. The small adjustments are noted in the small kitchen-notebook. The small second cook happens Sunday with the small adjustments incorporated. The small Sunday-cook is the small version that gets photographed and published. The small two-test process catches the small recipe-flaws before they reach the small reader.
The small kitchen-equipment-inventory has the small key-pieces that show up in nearly every recipe. The small heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for the small braises. The small twelve-inch cast-iron skillet for the small sears and the small pan-roasts. The small half-sheet baking-pans for the small roasted vegetables and the small cookies. The small wooden-spoon-collection in the small ceramic-pitcher on the counter. The small chef’s-knife and the small paring-knife and the small bread-knife that are the small daily-tools.
The small grocery-shopping rhythm runs through the small Tuesday-evening trip and the small Saturday-morning top-off. The small Tuesday-trip is the small weekly-stock-up for the small staples and the small produce and the small protein. The small Saturday-trip is the small quick-fill for whatever the small Sunday-recipe requires that is not already in the small pantry. The small two-trip-per-week pattern keeps the small grocery-bill manageable and the small food-waste low.
The small meal-planning happens on the small Sunday-evening for the small week-ahead. The small dinners are mapped out across the small Monday-through-Saturday. The small repeating-meals are slotted in (the small pasta-Monday, the small taco-Tuesday or similar pattern). The small new-recipes are slotted for the small Wednesday-or-Thursday for the small variety. The small planning ahead reduces the small daily what-are-we-making-for-dinner stress.
The small weekday-cooking is the small efficient-and-fast mode. The small Sunday-cooking is the small slow-and-careful mode. The small two-modes serve the small two-different-needs. The small weekday-cooking has to be on the small table within forty-five minutes of getting home from the small work-or-school-pickup. The small Sunday-cooking can take three hours and benefit from every minute of that time.
The small recipe-archive on the small blog has grown to many hundreds of recipes over the years. The small archive is the small searchable-resource for the small weekday-meal-planning. The small reader-feedback in the small comments-section helps refine the small recipes over time. The small note-from-a-reader who tried a small substitution that worked better than the small original gets incorporated into the small recipe-revision.
The small Sunday-cooking-and-writing rhythm is the small thing that has held across years of life-changes and family-events and small ordinary-weekday-disruptions. The small constant is the small Sunday. The small constant is the small recipe. The small constant is the small posting-at-seven-PM ritual. The small constant is the small reader on the other end of the small post who is going to read the small recipe and try the small recipe in the small reader’s own kitchen.
When the Week 9 win was sealed and the house filled up and everybody found their seat, the food on the table was doing the same work it always does—holding people still long enough to be together. That’s what the Cinco de Mayo flavors in our kitchen have always done: they carry the heritage forward, they smell like Las Cruces and like Mamá’s kitchen, and they feed a crowd without apology. Whether it’s the Sunday team dinner or just the six of us on a fall Friday, these are the recipes I reach for when the table needs to be full.
25 Fantastic Recipes Cinco de Mayo
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8–10
Featured Recipe: Hatch Green Chile Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium white onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup roasted Hatch green chiles, peeled, seeded, and chopped (fresh or canned)
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- Soften the aromatics. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Build the chile base. Stir in the chopped Hatch green chiles, drained diced tomatoes, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant and most of the liquid has reduced.
- Melt in the cream cheese. Add the cubed cream cheese and stir over medium-low heat until fully melted and incorporated into the chile mixture, about 3 minutes.
- Add the shredded cheese. Reduce heat to low. Add the Monterey Jack and cheddar in two or three additions, stirring continuously after each addition until smooth and fully melted.
- Loosen with milk. Pour in the milk a little at a time, stirring until the dip reaches your desired consistency—thick enough to coat a chip but fluid enough to scoop. Add more milk by the tablespoon if needed.
- Adjust and hold. Taste and adjust salt. Keep the dip warm over the lowest heat setting, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve. It will thicken as it cools; a splash of milk brings it back.
- Serve. Transfer to a warm serving bowl or keep in the skillet. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve immediately with tortilla chips.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 285 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 420mg