This pozole is such a flavorful soup that will satisfy all. Pozole verde is a green Mexican corn soup made with the plump and meaty white corn, known as hominy. The richly flavored broth is layered with the tang of tomatillos, the spice of cumin and poblano peppers, and the aromatic medley of garlic, onion, and cilantro. You can make this soup as spicy as you like by adding or omitting the jalapeno in the broth.

I have always been fond of Mexican food and much of the flavor profile is reminiscent of the deep scents and spices we use in Middle Eastern food; cumin is a staple in Egyptian cuisine from the popular broad bean fava salad and falafels, to the seafood served along the Alexandrian coast of the Mediterranean. The fresh flavors of the peppers, tomatillos, and cilantro freshen and brighten this broth with a burst of flavor. The best thing about this soup is the customization of toppings layered over the soup: shredded chicken, cabbage, sliced radishes, avocado, cilantro, and of course some lime.

Pozole, or posole, as it is often called in Mexico is made best with fresh, high quality prepared hominy. I searched for the best quality and found some at Rancho Gordo, and I now keep this in stock in my pantry year round. This grain of corn is an ancient variety and a healthier whole grain, so enjoy this in your soup, or other recipes. Avoid the can because it is much too soft in my opinion. Additionally, cooking the dry hominy with the chicken in a slow cooker or pressure cooker makes a beautiful aroma of freshly made tortillas in the house–except you’re not actually making any. Mexican tortillas are in fact made with the ground up hominy corn flour. You may use the dry hominy corn found in the Goya line as well, but this has a longer cook time, even in a pressure cooker: about 1 hour versus 20 minutes for the prepared hominy.

This soup is as easy as combining corn to a pot of water and letting is simmer to perfection. I often make this vegetarian by omitting the chicken and cooking a vegetable broth by adding in a a few carrots and celery. The amazing flavor profile comes from the blended roasted greens I add: tomatillos, poblanos, onion, and garlic with some fresh green cilantro. Adding in a jalapeno will kick this spice level up a notch, but it is perfect to heat up your mouth when congested or during the winter blues. The longer the soup simmers and sits, the better the flavors. Move over chili!

These muffins are moist, fluffy, lemon infused cakes bursting with juicy summer blueberries accented with the delicate scent of lavender. The moist cake is based on one of my favorite citrus cakes from my aunt. You will love the fresh and summery vibe of these muffins! My aunt’s recipe was mostly made with oranges, and this recipe is awesome because you can use orange zest and orange juice instead of lemons and throw in cranberries for the perfect orange cranberry muffins as well. This is definitely a versatile, reliable, and delicious muffin recipe to add to your files.

I took some extra time to make sure this recipe is moist, packs in as many blueberries as you possibly can without falling apart, and perfectly infuses lavender to accent the berries and lemon flavor.

I also spent a good amount of time mastering the dome of the muffin with a lovely crumbly crust! Check out all the tips and tricks below to whip up this beautiful and easy recipe.

Here is the break-down of everything you need to know to achieve that perfectly domed muffin top :

• Start by letting the muffins sit out for 1 hour in the muffin tin to allow the flour to fully absorb liquids so it rises nicely according to Hummingbird High who researched Levain Bakery‘s muffin perfection.
• Use more flour to allow the muffins to peak, per Zoe Nathan author of Huckleberry.
• After baking these gorgeous muffins that not only puffed up proudly, but also spread out into a gorgeous top hat, I learned that I should place the muffins apart from each other leaving an open cavity between each muffin to give them enough room to pop out in all directions, without bumping into one another.
• Use of parchment paper liners helps them rise higher and wider too.
  • I use baking powder and start baking at 400 degrees (F) to give these muffins ultimate reaction and rising power but also add baking soda so that the muffin top also spreads wideuffin nicely.
• Adding more flour can make the muffin too floury, so I experimented with the perfect amount of moisture, adding 4 eggs along with 1/2 of buttermilk.
• I even tested this recipe with denser, whole wheat flour which is healthier but also contains more grain. The puffed domes and fluffy muffins still came out nicely.

You’re welcome! I hope you thoroughly enjoy these gorgeous muffins!

This is hands down the most requested drink by my family, friends, and my very picky children. This watermelon cooler is refreshing, hydrating, cooling, and tastes like a tropical drink you’d enjoy on vacation. In my Vitamix blender, I throw in cubes of fresh watermelon, which becomes the liquid portion. I add frozen strawberries, fresh mint leaves, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

I often make this recipe to use up a watermelon that is getting too watery before we can eat it, or to repurpose a watermelon that turned out to not be perfectly sweet and crunchy for slicing and eating raw. I often even blend any watermelon, whether it is ripe or not, too soft or too crunchy, as the texture and flavors are instantly remedied and delicious in this drink.