Patricia Lopez shares family recipes for Hispanic Heritage Month

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's Hispanic Heritage Month, and we are celebrating by offering up a couple of the Lopez family's recipes.

Patricia's mom, Josie, is the eldest of 13 children in her family and she raised seven kids of her own. She really knows how to stretch a meal to feed many mouths.

You may remember that earlier this year, they shared the Lopez Family's Spicy Salsa Recipe. Because it was such a hit, they have opened up their kitchen for two more!

They made two family favorites - Carne Guisada, which is a Mexican beef stew and Fideo, which are noodles. The recipes are easy, and of course budget friendly!

Carne Guisada

Ingredients:

5 pounds of Beef sirloin (cubed into 1/2 inch)

Cooking oil

1 Tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

2-3 tomatoes (diced)

1 onion (diced)

1 bell pepper (diced)

Salt to taste

For the Rue:

1 cup Beef Broth

1 Tablespoon corn starch

1 Tablespoon of Fiesta Brand Carne Guisada seasoning

Directions:

1. Saute beef in cooking oil and brown beef on medium to high heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure to brown all sides of the beef.

2. Once your beef has been browned, add your diced vegetables (onion, green pepper and tomato.) Form diced vegetables on a mound on top of the beef.

3. Lower meat to medium heat and cook covered for 45 minutes.

4. After it's been cooking for 45 minutes, make your rue. In a bowl, combine 1 cup beef broth, 1 tablespoon corn starch and one tablespoon carne guisada seasoning.

5. Stir the rue into your beef pan and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

6. Add chopped up potaotes to make the dish heartier)

For the Carne Guisada, Josie's tip to save time and money is to purchase the meat at the Mexican meat market. She says the butcher can cut it up for you in chunks to your preference. She also says the Fiesta brand Carne Guisada seasoning is a good short cut for first timers.

Fideo

Ingredients:

Two boxes of 5 oz of pasta (Fideo)

Cooking oil

1 Cup chicken broth

1 Cup of water

1 sliced up tomato

1/2 sliced up green pepper

1/2 sliced up onion

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon of Morton brand Nature's seasoning Blend

1 Tablespoon of tomato sauce

1 Sazon Goya packet

Directions:

1. Brown Fideo in 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil. Carefully watch to not burn the pasta.

2. Once the pasta is a golden brown color, add 1 cup of chicken broth, 1 cup of water and all vegetables. Add cumin, nature's seasoning tomato sauce and Sazon goya to the fideo.

3. Let it simmer on medium heat for about ten minutes or desired tenderness.

Serve with Carne Guisada