Mom’s Recipes – Recreated with Love – Girl in a Gi

This is my beautiful mom…Sagrario Felisa Hontanilla Rodriguez aka Felisa (wife, seamstress, friend), Mama, Tita (aunt) and Yaya (grandmother) – depending on what place you held in her life. I was blessed to have her in my life for 46 years. You see, she was a fighter to the end. Cancer was in her body for 17 years and she refused to let it slow her down. Mom and dad would go to Niagara Falls casino on a monthly basis with a big group of their friends. There they would get mom a wheelchair so she wouldn’t miss out on any of the fun.

Every two months they would alternate between each other’s home gathering for large meals where the game of Uno combined with hefty doses of Spanish wines, manchego cheese and chorizo were always the results of many mascara-drenched eyes, big full red-lipped smiles and lots of hugging. Heaven forbid I walked into my folk’s home when chaos was in full swing and I didn’t kiss absolutely everyone in the room with the traditional two kisses on the cheek. Let me tell you, it doesn’t matter how old one is….you ALWAYS kiss the elders in the room. You’re never too old for a smack across the back of the head!! #spanishcanadiankidtroubles

It didn’t matter which month it was, who was invited or if even you simply showed up at the door….food was always a plenty…always. And who could say no to tasting or having large platefuls of this delicious smelling food?!?!?

Since mom’s passing, I have slowly begun to recreate her recipes. I say slowly because when i smell the foods or even just look at her recipes, my heart breaks and i miss her…a lot.

But that shouldn’t stop me from sharing a little bit of her. I will attempt to make her recipes and share them with you. Please take a copy of the recipe – most are mediterranean style – all delicious. At least, they are for me.