I have this thing about kids and sugar. I don't think they make such a great combination and I grip to this conviction, hard. When she was much younger, I used to tell my daughter that she could have sweets when she was five. Five seemed like a safe and far-away target, but as it approached, I knew I had to keep my promise.

So last weekend, as we said goodbye to four and hello to five, I let go of my no-sugar rule and made her what she really wanted: a sugary sweet birthday cake complete with edible pink glitter.

It was a transformational moment for us both.

More

Spicy, zesty, and addictively tangy and salty, Sangrita makes the perfect sipping partner for tequila. I recently tried a version I'm over the moon for, and am excited to share the recipe with you today.

More

At a taco shop in Phoenix, Arizona, I saw an unfamiliar drink on the menu called cochata. Before the cashier had even finished telling me it was iced coffee mixed with housemade horchata, I had ordered one. There are some combinations you just know are going to be perfect, and iced coffee with creamy, sweet, spiced horchata is one of them. More

Asparagus and cherries is not a pairing you normally hear of, let alone see in taco form, but when we tasted this combination during our recent trip to Washington state, we felt like we'd been let in on a marvelous secret. More

Did you know that the very first Mexican ice treats were made with snow carried from the tops of local volcanoes? What this says to me is that, by now, the people of Mexico must be the authority when it comes to icy treats like paletas.

To support my theory, we have Fany Gerson and her latest book Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Iced, & Aguas Frescas. I dare you to read five pages without either getting pulled into a description of a fruity, creamy, flavor-filled paleta or, alternatively, just wanting to lick the page. I certainly couldn't. More

We just ate asparagus FIVE days in a row and would have been pretty asparagused out if it hadn't been for this exciting new discovery – asparagus salsa! Green salsa, or salsa verde, usually contains tomatillos or copious amounts of herbs but this version gets it vivid color from asparagus spears. More

Many great chefs rely on writers and cooks like JJ Goode, one of the handful of behind-the-scenes writers who help chefs translate the wild and woolly ideas in their heads and palates into cookbooks. JJ is a youthful spirit who writes, mostly about food, from his apartment in Brooklyn, and whose most recent collaboration is with the contemporary Mexican chef Roberto Santibañez. The result is Santibañez's new book, Truly Mexican, coauthored by Goode.

I am interested in real working kitchens and so I asked JJ if I could come over and scope out his "office." He invited me for salsa on what ended up being the hottest day of the year so far. We pushed the chiles to the limit, and without air conditioning, we slurped salsa from spoons while we we kicked back and talked about how a regular guy like JJ in a regular apartment (and tiny kitchen) in Brooklyn can make a great Mexican chef's recipes make sense to the rest of us. More

I'm just going to say it up front: the key to this whole dish is the cheese. (Isn't it always?) Cooked long and slow, this cheese melts into the rice and forms a crust on the bottom of the pan. The whole dish becomes infused with rich, smoky, caramelized cheddar, which a taste that's just this side of heaven. More

Are your taste buds ready to explode? Do you want to dance with fire? You know it! The array of neon-colored Mexican candies had long tempted me at my local Latin market, so finally some friends and I held a proper tasting — and it turned into quite a party. Read on for our review of these out-of-control sweets! More

We really need only the barest excuse to cook Mexican food, and Cinco de Mayo is permission to go all out. This year, we'll be celebrating with super slow-cooked pork and chicken tingas served up on crispy fried tostadas with a sprinkle of queso fresco. Ever had this dish? More