Classic BBQ Chicken Sandwiches filled with tender pieces of shredded chicken in a tangy vinegar-based North Carolina style barbecue sauce.


Happy Labor Day to my friends (and family) in the US! But that's not the only thing we're celebrating today. The first Monday of a the month means it's also time for another installment of The Secret Recipe Club. Every month I'm assigned a new food blog from which I choose a recipe or two to cook and share here in my cocina on reveal day. This month my assignment is Cupcake Muffin, written by Sara who has been blogging for 8 years. One thing that really stood out to me about Sara's well-written blog is a list of menus that she's currently cooking her way through. The list of menus was recently given to her by her mom, but they were originally written by her great-grandmother, and has been passed down from generation to generation. Isn't that incredible?!

Secret Recipe Club: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

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If you're a fan of Irish cream, then I have quite a treat for you. Crema de Tequila is Irish cream's Mexican cousin made with tequila, and a hint of chocolate and coffee. It's sweet, creamy, and super easy to make at home with just a handful of ingredients. Crema de Tequila is a rich and decadent dessert cocktail that can be served on ice, or add a splash to a steaming mug of hot coffee or a tall glass of Iced Coffee Agua Fresca for a grown-up treat. Double or even triple the recipe to give as gifts to family and friends.


Homemade Crema de Tequila - laoocinadeleslie.com

DIY Crema de Tequila

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Easy semi-homemade peach cobbler with a flaky biscuit topping using canned peaches.


Easy Peach Cobbler with canned peaches - lacocinadeleslie.com


Happy "Eat a Peach" Day! It's a real food holiday that I had no idea existed until Heather (girlichef) suggested it as our theme for this month's She Made/Ella Hace. I'm all for celebrating food holidays so I was more than happy to make one of my favorite peach recipes. Heather whipped up a swoon-worthy Fresh Peach & Whiskey Ice Cream while I've serving up an Easy Peach Cobbler.

Easy Peach Cobbler w/ Biscuit Topping {She Made/Ella Hace}

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Wake up your taste buds with this refreshing Iced Coffee Agua Fresca!

Coffee Agua Fresca - lacocinadeleslie.com

After updating my Chile de Huevo recipe back in June for #ThrowbackThursday, I thought it would be fun to make it a monthly series to show a little love to some of my older blog posts. This month we're showing love to my Iced Coffee Agua Fresca.

I've been a coffee drinker for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl I liked waking up extra early with my grandparents because that meant one of them would make me a cup of Cafe con Leche to drink while they enjoyed their first cup of coffee of the day. Once I got a little older Gramm would make a simple Iced Coffee with instant coffee granules, water, milk, and sugar. Whenever she did, it was always a special treat that I absolutely loved.

Iced Coffee Agua Fresca (Agua de Café) #ThrowbackThursday

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An easy no-bake dessert made with Galletas María, dried cranberries, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk, with a subtle hint of orange.

No-Bake Coconut Cranberry Cookie Bars - lacocinadeleslie.com

Hi friends! It's the first Monday of the month, which means it's time once again for The Secret Recipe Club. My assignment this month was Chit Chat Chomp, written by Melbourne based blogger Leigh, who loves to cook, loves pots of tea, twinkling Christmas lights, and all things French. That latter part explains the chic, French vibe I got while reading through Leigh's blog. One thing that I really caught my attention was her 2013 Cookbook Challenge that she started to motivate herself to cook more recipes from the books in her collection. I for one need to really consider starting my own cookbook challenge, because my cookbooks have been long neglected and could use some love and attention.

Secret Recipe Club: No-Bake Coconut Cranberry Bars (with Galletas Maria)

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Crispy corn tortilla flautas stuffed with refried black beans seasoned with caramelized onion and ground cumin.


Black Bean Flautas - lacocinadeleslie.com

Because sometimes you get a craving for something crispy and fried. Black bean flautas are a meat-free alternative perfect for any night of the week. The kiddies love them because they can eat them with their hands, and Hubby loves the rich flavor the caramelized onions add to the beans. Serve these flautas with Mexican Rice and a simple green salad for a complete meal. Cut the flautas in half to make mini-flautas to serve as appetizers at your next family get-together.

Black Bean Flautas

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All the flavor of hot wings in a creamy, cheesy, and spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip made with Valentina Hot Sauce.


Buffalo Chicken Dip with Salsa Valentina - lacocinadeleslie.com

I'm so excited about this month's Secret Recipe Club because I've been a long-time admirer of my blog assignment for this month. Daily Dish Recipes is written by Nicole. Nicole is a mom of 5, writer, food blogger, and she has one heck of a green thumb. (I have major garden envy!) Because Nicole and I got to know each other through another food blogging group I have pinned and made a few of her simple, down home, feel good recipes. Like her Jolly Rancher Vodka. A must try! Other recipes I've wanted to try are Nicole's Pumpkin Donuts, Corn Cob Jelly, Crockpot Curry Chicken, and Summer Berry Cinnamon Bread Pudding.

Secret Recipe Club: Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip w/ Valentina Hot Sauce

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Homemade Chili Beans made from scratch with cooked pinto beans and five varieties of chiles.


Homemade Chili Beans - lacocinadeleslie.com

This weekend the US will be celebrating Independence Day. Now that I live in Mexico the 4th of July always makes me a little homesick for fireworks, American flags flying high, and all the yummy food being served at the cookouts. When I was younger the 4th of July always meant that Gramm was going to open a can of chili beans and ladle them over hot dogs, because for Gramm nothing was more American than hot dogs and chili beans.

Homemade Chili Beans

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Aside from my blender, which I use pretty much every single day, my favorite small kitchen appliance has to be my crockpot. Especially during the hot and humid summer months. That's one of the reasons why I suggested to my good friend girlichef (Heather) that we make a crockpot meal for this month's edition of She Made/Ella Hace. Heather is serving up Slow Cooker Baked Beans over on her blog, while I've cooked up Barbacoa de Res (Beef Shank Barbacoa).

 Barbacoa de Res is a tradtional Mexican dish with tender pieces of beef served in a dried chile broth seasoned with ground cumin and crushed oregano.

You won't believe how easy this barbacoa is to make AND you can serve it a number of ways so you don't get bored. You can serve barbacoa the traditional way with lots of chile broth topped with chopped onion and cilantro. Or you can serve the beef shanks whole Osso Bucco style with mashed potatoes and a chile broth gravy. (Yum!) Then if you have any leftovers, finely chop the meat and spoon onto warm corn tortillas for tacos de barbacoa. However you decide to serve up this Beef Shank Barbacoa, I'm sure it will quickly become a family favorite.

Crockpot Beef Shank Barbacoa (de Res) - lacocinadeleslie.com

Crockpot Beef Shank Barbacoa (de Res) {She Made/Ella Hace}

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This recipe for Chile de Huevo (en Chile Colorado) might look familiar to longtime readers of La Cocina de Leslie. It was one of the first recipes I ever posted on this blog. That was six years ago and it's one of those recipes that kind of got lost in the shuffle and hasn't really gotten the love I think it deserves. Because it's Throwback Thursday, and  because Chile de Huevo was one of my favorite breakfasts growing up, I thought it would be fun to share this recipe again.

Chile de Huevo en Salsa de Chile Colorado - lacocinadeleslie.com

Chile de Huevo (eggs in chile sauce) was a dish that both Gramm and Pappy (my grandparents) often made for breakfast. It was one of those easy, no-fuss meals that didn't require anything more than scrambled eggs and leftover enchilada sauce. Pappy liked to add nopales (cooked cactus paddles) to his Chile de Huevo, but back then I was not a big fan of nopales at all. Thank goodness times have changed because now I can't imagine having this dish without the nopales. They really do help to bring this dish together.

Chile de Huevo en Chile Colorado (Chile Colorado w/ Eggs) #ThrowbackThursday

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A vibrant mix of bacon, onion, tomato, zucchini, and colorful bell peppers, Pisto Manchego is often referred to as Spanish ratatouille.

Pisto Manchego with Zucchini - lacocinadeleslie.com

It's because of recipes like this Pisto Manchego that I love being part of the Secret Recipe Club, because every month I get the chance to discover new-to-me blogs full of swoon-worthy recipes from all over the world. My assignment this month is Things I Made Today written by Vicky Cassidy, a wife and mom who loves to cook, bake, blog and photograph everything around her. Vicky's blog is so beautiful and elegant, it's like looking through the pages of a gourmet food magazine like Saveur or Food & Wine. It's no surprise that her recipes have been featured on Apartment Therapy, Buzzfeed, The Kitchn, and Food52. But what I liked most about Vicky's blog is that it features simple, easy-to-follow recipes made with fresh ingredients.

Secret Recipe Club: Pisto Manchego

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My good friend girlichef and I are in the cocina once again for She Made/Ella Hace. This month it's all about strawberries. Heather (girlichef) is serving up not one, but TWO sweet strawberry recipes: Strawberry Atole + Strawberry Atole Paletas. (Be sure to head on over to Heather's blog to check out her mouth watering recipes.) And I whipped up these delightful Strawberry Margaritas, because who doesn't love a good margarita? These Strawberry Margaritas are sweet, refreshing and taste like summer in a glass.


Fresh Strawberry Margaritas - lacocinadeleslie.com

Fresh Strawberry Margarita {She Made/Ella Hace}

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Homemade snow cone (shaved ice) syrup made with fresh mango and a hint of cinnamon.
The temps are heating up here in Mexico, so it's time to keep cool with one of our favorite summer treats... Nieves Raspadas (aka raspados/raspas/snow cones)! Making your own snow cones at home is a fun summer activity for kids of all ages. And since mangos are one of our favorite summer fruits, I decided to combine the two for a sweet and delicious frozen treat. I like to add a dash of ground cinnamon to my mango syrup to enhance the flavor of the mango, but if cinnamon isn't your thing you can leave it out and still have a delicious raspado de mango. And if like me (Hubby & our kiddies) you like to spice things up a bit, sprinkle a little Tajin (dried chile & lime fruit seasoning) on top for an extra kick.

What's your favorite raspado (snow cone) flavor?

Nieve Raspada de Mango (Mango Shaved Ice) - lacocinadeleslie.com

Almíbar de Mango (Mango Syrup for Shaved Ice)

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Tender pieces of chicken in a rich, chocolate mole sauce wrapped in warm corn tortillas.

Tacos de Mole - lacocinadeleslie.com


These shredded chicken tacos are a cinch to make especially with the help of an old family friend, Doña Maria. Doña Maria is a brand of mole paste and it's the only kind of mole I ate growing up with my Mexican grandparents. Over the years I've learned to make various mole sauces from scratch, but every once in a while I crave the mole that my grandparents made.

Shredded Chicken Tacos de Mole

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Agua de Lima is a light and refreshing agua fresca made with sweet limes (citrus limetta).

Agua de Lima (Sweet Lime Agua Fresca) - lacocinadeleslie.com

Since moving to Mexico 15 years ago I have discovered (and fallen in love with) many new-to-me fruits native to Mexico like ciruelas amarillas (yellow plums), pitayas (fruit of the pipe organ cactus), and limas. Limas  are by far my favorite. Here in Mexico limas are a variety of citrus limetta (AKA sweet lemon/lime). Sweet limes have the distinct flavor and aroma of a citrus fruit, but without the acidity and tartness. In it's place is a subtle sweetness, hence the name "sweet lime". Although their flavor is subtle at first, it lingers on your tastebuds and in the back of your throat leaving you with a sweet and refreshing taste in your mouth.

Agua de Lima (Sweet Lime Agua Fresca)

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It's the first Monday of the month, which means it's time for another installment of The Secret Recipe Club. This month my assignment is the family friendly blog Hun... What's for Dinner? written by Cindy, a Canadian blogger who is also stay-at-home mom of two adorable little kiddies. Cindy lives in Canada and loves recipe contests. With good reason too. Her recipes have won several awards, including the Rising Star Award in the first season of the Real Women of Philadelphia Canada AND she's had several recipes published in Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. (Something we have in common!) And did I mention that her hubby is a chef?!


Banana Butterscotch Bars - lacocinadeleslie.com

I had a hard time deciding which of Cindy's mouth-watering recipes to make. A few recipes that caught my attention were Cindy's Lemon Cracker Cake, Chicken Club Pasta Salad, Zucchini con Queso, Strawberry Cake, and Jalapeño Popper Cheeseburgers. But then I spotted something that reminded me of my childhood... Banana Butterscotch Blondies!

Secret Recipe Club: Banana Butterscotch Bars

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