Girl Meets Fire Buen Dia Reader, A reader reached out and asked me for a papas rellenas recipe. Honestly, I love rellenos de papa, but I had never made them myself — so thank you for the push. I researched several recipes, developed my own version, and I have to say, I'm really happy with how they turned out. I still have some in the freezer. A quick note before you start: this recipe is specifically for frying. If you want to bake them, coat them in egg and panko before baking. If frying...

Girl Meets Fire Buen Dia Reader I started the year with a goal of sending you weekly themed emails, and your response has meant a lot to me. Those El Corillo deep dives into ingredients, techniques, and Puerto Rican food culture are some of my favorite things to write, and I am picking them back up. I will be honest with you: running Girl Meets Fire as a solo creator is a bit like a sculptor chipping away at stone. Always testing, always imagining new projects and ideas, always learning as I...

Girl Meets Fire Buenas Reader, You’ve seen the unmolding cake videos with perfectly shaped food coming out of the super flexible, rubbery silicone molds. I know you want them and are curious; I was too, until I bought my first set. Don’t get me wrong, I love any tool that will make my baking/cooking easier to use and clean, especially if it's going to make the final product look pretty. I also keep seeing people making amazing desserts in these elaborate molds, which are quite impressive, and...

Girl Meets Fire Wepa Reader Today I want to talk about something that even I struggle with in the day-to-day life in the kitchen. And that is, what to do with cooking oil after we are done using it. I know the story is quite relevant. You had a craving for bacalaitos 🤤, and after you have eaten your fill of these majestic fritters, you realize that now you have a pot full of oil. Remorse sets in because you know you shouldn't be frying more food, even though some empanadillas would be sweet...

Girl Meets Fire Hola Reader There is something intimidating about cooking. There is the fact that sometimes we don't quite know how to cook an item, or use a tool, or even what the ingredients would taste like. Many of these things come with trial and error and practice. I like to use these emails to shed light on these pain points so that cooking is not so intimidating and you feel even more inspired to try something new. Even if something new is thousands of years old. If there are any...

Girl Meets Fire Dimelo Reader, I hope this email finds you well and that the included information for your kitchen is useful. Today, I would like to go over the French term “Mise en Place,” meaning everything in its place. I learned about mise en place when I first started culinary school. In a restaurant setting, having everything on the ready and at hand is crucial to the service's effectiveness. Having foods that are already cut or partially cooked makes the guest experience that much more...

Girl Meets Fire Wepa Reader I'm updating my post on Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce this week - the one where we make beef bolognese from scratch and stuff the shells with mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan. Which got me thinking: let's talk about ricotta, not as the ingredient but rather as a quick tip on how to handle it. If you've ever opened a container of ricotta, you know no two are the same. Some are solid blobs that hold their shape. Others have a layer of whey pooling on top....

Girl Meets Fire Hola Reader Today I would like to talk about one of Puerto Rico's most beloved legumes, the pigeon pea or Gandul (Cajanus cajan). 🫘 The Gandul grows from December to May, and because its peak season begins in December, it is associated with festivities and Christmas, and it is used in our favorite Christmas and national side dish, Arroz con Gandules. A gandul or pigeon pea is a small greenish-brown, sometimes purple pea. It is bigger than a lentil and smaller than a bean, and...

Girl Meets Fire Dimelo Reader, Here is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while: meal planning and prepping. Now, I know when people talk about meal planning and prepping, what usually comes to mind is a five- or seven-day list of things to eat. That’s not my approach. 🤭 But if that’s something you’re interested in, reply to this email and let me know. What I want to do instead is give you tools to conquer just two things: the fear of “what’s for dinner,” and the “I hate cooking”...