I'll have what she's having

Bonding, burritos, and a table full of sabor

There is one thing that I realized me and my mom bond over—and that’s hosting. Yesterday, I was talking to her about organizing a brunch with my friend and her family, and I told her I wanted it to be Mexican. Her eyes lit up.

We immediately started brainstorming ideas, made a grocery list, and went shopping for everything we needed. When we got back home, we opened a bottle of wine, and my mom—true to form—jumped right into the preparations for the next day.

We decided we were going to make machaca burritos. Machaca is a type of dried, shredded beef, very typical in the north of Mexico. It’s often cooked with tomatoes, onion, and chile, and wrapped in a flour tortilla. Super flavorful and perfect for brunch.

We also made salsa roja with tomatoes, and salsa verde, my favorite. Salsa roja is usually made with roasted red tomatoes, garlic, and chile, while salsa verde is tangy and bright thanks to tomatillos and green chile.

Then came the huevos al albañil—poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce with beans in a soup-like base. It’s hearty, spicy, and warm, a true comfort dish.

We made molletes, which is bread topped with refried beans and finished with pico de gallo that we also made by hand. Molletes are a classic Mexican breakfast food—simple, filling, and full of flavor.

Next up were gorditas, made with corn flour and fried until golden. Then we filled them with salsa, lettuce, radish, avocado, tomato, cucumber, crema, feta cheese—or queso fresco, if you ever find that. Gorditas are like little corn pockets that hold all the best toppings.

One of my favorite dishes is rajas poblanas—poblano pepper cooked with onions and corn in a creamy sauce. It’s rich, just a little spicy, and so comforting. It’s a dish I could eat every day.

We also had refried beans, pickled onions, and a fresh corn salad made with corn, lime, cilantro, salt, and feta cheese. There were homemade totopos, and a fruit platter with pineapple, watermelon, melon, and mandarins.

And because it wouldn’t be a Mexican table without it, we added chamoy—a sweet and spicy candy sauce, Tajín—a chili-lime seasoning that we put on everything, and Miguelito—a tangy, spicy candy in powder form that we love to sprinkle over fruit and vegetables.

For dessert, we had churros and flan, two of the most classic Mexican sweets. Churros are fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar, and flan is a smooth caramel custard that melts in your mouth. We also served chocolate caliente, made with cacao I brought back from Mexico.

My mom did everything. Another thing I noticed: my mom likes to cook alone—just like me. It’s funny, but the more I grow up, the more I see myself in her. So I let her do her thing. But she also enjoys having someone nearby while she cooks, so that’s what I did—kept her company while she worked her magic. She prepared every single dish, and somehow, she didn’t even take long.

We both woke up early to get the rest done the next morning. By the time we asked our guests to come, everything was ready.

I think what we enjoyed most wasn’t just the food—it was the whole process. From brainstorming to grocery shopping, prepping, decorating, and setting the table. That’s why I love hosting. It’s a full creative event. It’s fun, expressive, and it fills me up.

Doing it with my mom this time made it even more special. It was a beautiful way to connect over something we’re both passionate about.

And, as good Mexicans, when our guests left… we stayed. We kept eating, kept chatting, and before we knew it, brunch turned into dinner. The beauty of what we made is that it fits perfectly at any time of the day, and it was so good we were happy to serve ourselves all over again. In Mexico, gatherings don’t really have a start and end—they just flow. The food, the company, the laughter—it all continues, especially when it’s with family.

I can’t share the recipes for everything, since this whole thing was my mom’s magic. But I’ll leave you some pictures to inspire you to create your own Mexican-themed brunch for your next hosting moment.