Mexican
One Pot Tacos
One pot tacos? Cooking Dude’s latest invention! This will work with the Ninja Foodi and probably most air fryers. Sorry, Instant Pot can’t do this. The other night I wanted some homemade tacos, but it was only for me, and it seemed like a lot of work for only a couple...
Tamales
Tamales have been a Christmas Eve tradition for many decades among those of Mexican ancestry. My dear Mom (R.I.P.) taught English for over 30 years in Arizona, and of course had many Mexican-American students. One year she had the students write essays about what...
Shrimp Vera Cruz
Here's a delicious shrimp recipe that's fast and easy to make. Use medium to large shrimp, and to save time and trouble, you can usually buy them peeled, de-veined, and frozen. One bag of 15-20 shrimp is enough for four servings, unless there's a hog at the table....
Mexican Rice
This Mexican rice recipe is better than any other I've tried so far. The flavor is outstanding, and the colors and textures make any dish look better. This makes enough for six or seven servings, so you might have some left over. If so, that's a bonus, because it can...
Fish Tacos
We fell in love with Rubio's fish tacos way back when we first came to San Diego. Mr. Rubio had a small taco shop in Pacific Beach, which has now grown into a publicly-owned chain of restaurants. The original recipe is said to have come from San Felipe, a small...
Enchiladas
Some enchiladas are stuffed with cheese, some with chicken, some with beef, some with pork, some with green chiles -- well, you get the idea. Also, some are rolled and some are flat. This page will teach you how to do all of these. Personally, I prefer chopped onion...
Chiles Rellenos
Chiles rellenos means stuffed chiles. Typically, this means either Anaheim (or California) chiles or Poblano chiles stuffed with a white cheese, such as Jack, coated with an egg batter, and fried. This is a delicious and elegant Mexican dish, well worth the effort to...
Chicken Loco
This grilled chicken recipe came about as I was trying to come close to the flavor of Pollo Loco's grilled chicken. It's citrus-based, like theirs, but not quite the same. I have a hunch their recipe is simpler, but what the heck, this recipe turned out so good I may...
Pinto Beans, Refried Beans, and Drunken Beans
There must be a million bean recipes. Maybe a billion. Anyhow, I've tried and collected dozens myself trying to get the taco shop bean flavor, and finally I'm darn close. If I come across an improvement, you'll be the first to hear about it. The beans always start out...
Green Chili (Chili Verde)
This dish goes back to the ranching side of our family, and was Lucy's secret for many years. I don't know for sure, but I imagine Lucy has long ago gone to the big roundup in the sky. But we mere mortals can still enjoy her signature dish, and I'm sure she is proud...
Taquitos (Rolled Tacos)
This has to be one of the biggest hits of any easy meal I fix. For starters, the refried beans are usually left over from another meal, and the salad and taquitos themselves fix up in a jiffy. Taquitos are usually served with guacamole, and making that is also fast...
Tamale Pie
Out here in the Southwest, a good tamale pie is about as good a cozy winter dish you can find. Although delicious year-round, it always seems to hit the spot when it's cold and rainy outside. Served with a warm buttered tortilla, its flavorful filling and crunchy corn...
Tamale Casserole
This is similar to a tamale pie, but a LOT easier. In fact, I used to make this is huge batches to take to corporate parties, and it was always a big hit. This is proof that yummy doesn't mean difficult. The main tool needed here is a can opener. You also need a...
Tacos
Taco night is always popular at our house. They aren't much work, and they are always fun to make and to eat. We usually use ground beef in our tacos, but there's no reason not to use chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, or just beans if you want to. Sometimes the taco's...
Chipotle Short Ribs
This is without a doubt the family's favorite short rib recipe. I think I could make it several times a week without any complaints. And it's special enough for company. This recipe will serve four or five, so if you need to increase it, it's easy to do. Chipotle...
New York Steak Arrachera
Arrachera is a delicious Mexican steak made from skirt steak. But the Arrachera marinade was so good that I decided to try it on a New York steak, barbeque it, and see what the family thought. Well, it was a big hit, so I think it deserves a spot on Cooking Dude. You...
Carne Asada and Carne Asada Tacos
Carne asada tacos are a delicious, and somewhat special, departure from our normal taco night. In this case, carne asada is used as the meat for the filling, and either corn or flour tortillas, either soft or fried, can be used for the shell. The photo above shows a...
Mexican Breakfast
Of course there are dozens of Mexican breakfasts, and probably many more. But here is my favorite quick Mexican breakfast. Quick meaning you have leftover refried beans and pre-cooked bacon on hand. Or you can microwave raw bacon wrapped in paper towels for about 1...
Green Chile Casserole
Technically, maybe this is a "strata" rather than a casserole. But whatever you call it, it is always a huge hit around here. I generally make it for breakfast for special occasions or when we have overnight guests. Last time I made it the compliments (and requests...
Egg and Poblano (or Anaheim) Chile
This dish is to show you an example of a delicious breakfast that can be made quickly in one pan. And the variations are practically endless. Look what you have in the fridge and invent. For this breakfast, I had leftover Poblano chiles, but it could just as easily...
Southwest Salad
OK, I admit that the idea for this salad came from Jack-In-The-Box. But their salad was very good, and I made it at home for those who hadn't had it at JBox yet and got lots of complements. With quesadillas on the side, this recipe made a great and fairly light...
Tortilla Soup
In our house, this is the substitute for chicken noodle soup. Mrs. Cooking Dude swears that this soup is not only delicious, but kills viruses and bacteria. Maybe so, but if you need to clear out your sinuses, just increase the white pepper. This is basically a...
Tomato Chile Soup
I had a bountiful harvest of tomatoes and chile peppers, and needed to use them up. I found a recipe for red bell pepper and tomato soup, and thought that might be a good starting point. I made it with a variety of peppers, and found I still needed to add some herbs...
Tortilla Chips and Strips
Tortilla chips and strips have lots of uses, either as a snack, an appetizer, or part of a main dish. You can make them or buy them, and of course this page is about making them. I make chips and strips out of both flour and corn tortillas, depending partly on the...
Quesadillas
This is probably the number one quick snack around here. But we also frequently make them for breakfast, appetizers, or a fast lunch. You can either start with cooked or uncooked flour tortillas. I usually prefer the uncooked, but for quesadillas it doesn't make much...
Nachos
We make nachos a lot, and hardly ever do them the same way twice. Depends on what's on hand. If there are leftover refried beans, use 'em. But if you don't have any, make nachos anyway. There aren't any beans in the nachos at the ballpark. As my oldest son is bound to...
Guacamole
One of the delights of living in Southern California is that not only do we produce most of the nation's avocados, we also consume most of them. And I try to do my share. I usually serve it as a dip with tortilla or potato chips, or with taquitos(rolled tacos) and...
Fried Quesadillas
We try to always keep uncooked flour tortillas and shredded cheese on hand for quesadillas. Great for a quick lunch or breakfast, we just throw a tortilla on the griddle, turn it over when it's brown on one side, fill it with cheese, and fold in half. That's a normal...
Chimichangas
Chimichangas are a real taste treat! They are actually deep-fried burritos, usually filled with refried beans. If you don't have a deep fryer, it doesn't matter much; just heat 1/2 or so of oil in a skillet and cook them there. It's a little slower because they only...
Cheese Crisp (Crisp Quesadilla)
Here's one of our favorite easy and delicious appetizers. And they bring back fond memories for me. Back in my college days in Tucson, most of the Mexican restaurants served a big cheese crisp as a free appetizer. I didn't realize until I had moved away that this was...
Avocado Relish
Here's a delicious relish, or salsa, recipe that is fast to prepare and delicious to eat. Serve it as an appetizer with tortilla chips, crackers, or pieces of toast or pita. I served it as a relish with steak, and it was great. You can make it hot or mild depending on...
Salsa
A good salsa is useful as an appetizer dip, as a garnish on beans and meat, and as a sauce on tacos and enchiladas. This is a very good salsa to use on tacos and fish tacos. As usual, I encourage you to start with this recipe and, in the future, modify it according to...