Hispanic Heritage Month

Americans observe Hispanic Heritage month from September 15 to October 15 each year to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Spain.

This year, President Joe Biden issued this statement: “During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we reaffirm that diversity is one of our country’s greatest strengths.

We also acknowledge the Hispanic leaders who have stayed in the struggle for equal justice to ensure that everyone in this Nation can contribute their talents and have the opportunity to thrive.”

Book publishers across the country remain on the lookout for books written by and about Hispanics and Latinx (in addition to other marginalized and underrepresented voices).

Children want to see themselves in the books they read.

At the end of this post, I’ve included a list of books written by and about Hispanic and Latinx to add to your or your child’s reading list.

But first! I have a couple of recipes in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

In the 1500s Ferdinand Magellan set off to search for spices for Spain and discovered cinnamon in Sri Lanka.

Cinnamon is featured in many Hispanic recipes, including savory ones.

Both recipes today feature the sweet, gently hot spice.

MEXICAN BROWNIES

This is the easiest recipe ever.

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite Brownie mix *
1 ¼ tsp ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Red Chile Pepper Flakes
¼ cup Confectioners’ Sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix Cinnamon and Red Pepper Flakes into prepared Brownie Mix.
2. Bake according to package directions. Don’t overbake. (Tip: If you’re baking in a glass pan,dial down the heat by 25 degrees and cook for about 10 minutes longer to avoid overly crisp edges and an uncooked middle.)
3. Allow to cool.
4. When Brownies are cooled, pour Confectioners’ Sugar into a sieve, and tap the sieve over the Brownies for decoration.

*Of course, you don’t have to use a boxed Brownie mix. You can make your own from scratch.

But there are so many good mixes on the market!

Polverones with Canele (Cinnamon Cookies)

These cookies are similar to Mexican Wedding Cookies. Makes about 20 cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter
½ cup Confectioners’ Sugar
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup Confectioners’ Sugar
1 tsp ground Cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter with the ½ cup of Confectioners’ Sugar.
2. Mix in vanilla.
3. Add flour, salt and cinnamon.
4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Chill for at least an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Using a spoon, mix together ¾ cup Confectioners’ Sugar and 1 tsp ground Cinnamon; roll balls in sugar/cinnamon mixture when you take them out of the refrigerator.
7. Bake on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper for 15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Cool on wire rack.

While you’re waiting for your desserts to bake, take a look at this list of books.

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina (book 1 of 3).
A coming-of-age story about sixth-grade Merci who is attending private school on scholarship, making her different than her other classmates. Merci’s family doesn’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and she has to do community service to make up for her free tuition. She’d love to talk to her beloved grandpa about it, but he’s behaving strange lately—and no one will tell Merci what’s going on.

90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis.
This is the author’s story about coming to Miami when he was nine because his parents thought he and his brothers would be safer than in Cuba.

This novel describes his first-hand experience during the Cuban Revolution and his departure to the refugee camps of Miami.

Stef Soto Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres.
I liked this one a lot.
It’s the story about how Estefania Soto—who is tired of being called the Taco Queen because of her family’s taco truck—finds her voice and embraces who she is.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan.
This is from 2002, but it’s still a favorite.
Esperanza always thought she’d live a privileged life on her family’s ranch in Mexico, but a tragedy forces her and her mother to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp during the Great Depression.

Witchlings by Claribel Ortega.
Twelve-year-old Seven Salazar isn’t placed into one of the five witches’ covens. She’s just a spare. Spare covens are looked down on by everyone. Even worse,when Seven and the other Spares are unable to seal their coven, they’re stuck as Witchlings and will lose their magic.

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafta by Julian Randall (book 1 of 2).
Pilar’s world is changing, and she doesn’t care for it one bit. The only constant is her abuela and the code of silence around her cousin who vanished in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillo dictatorship. She hops on a train to dig deeper into her family’s mystery.

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