“The crazy thing is, when you’re performing and you’re just kind of into it, you never know where it’s gonna go and where you’re gonna go with it, and how that might turn out,” Miguel told Billboard of his show choreography gone wrong.  ”So this is one of the less favorable moments.”

Even so, the 27-year-old singer was apologetic towards the fan whom he injured, tweeting his apology.

“Got caught up in the moment, thank goodness Khyati is ok,” tweeted the R&B star, who had been performing his hit tune “Adorn” when the accident occurred.

While Miguel may not have taken home an award – he had been a contender for “Top R&B” song, ultimately losing to Rihanna – he certainly earned his fair share of air time, thanks to his on-stage debacle. The hash tag #Miguel became one of the top five trends on Twitter and the dramatic dropkick went viral on Vine, YouTube and Google+.

The incident also became the subject of numerous memes, all poking fun at what’s sure to become a top moment in pop culture history.

#NowPlaying Miguel #Adorn Looool! Seen Some Of The Funniest Pics Today! Still Laughing! KCx twitter.com/ChoiceFM/statu…

— Choice FM (@ChoiceFM) May 20, 2013

And it looks like there was no serious damage done to Khyati, who not only received a public apology from the star but also received one-on-one time with him backstage afterwards.

“I’m very happy to bring my new friend, Khyati, we just met,” Miguel said when interviewed backstage while Khyati was icing her arm. “Unfortunately, we did not meet under the best circumstances, but I think we’re okay.”

I just KNEW Miguel was the White Ranger….I KNEW IT! twitter.com/SKTV_/status/3…

— Trav NEVER Chills (@SKTV_) May 20, 2013

And it looks like Khyati was just thrilled to have had her time with Miguel – no matter what the circumstances.

“I Adorn him,” she told Billboard.

Each of these words describes an identity tied to an element of truth about me — Mexican-American  for my ethnic heritage; American for my citizenship; Mestizo for the name of my race; and Toltec, a Naguatl term that means “artist,” as the name of the oral tradition of which my great-great grandfather don Exiquio Macias says I am a descendent. All of these elements express a mask based in truth about my physical body and its ancestry.

In my family tradition, based on our Toltec Philosophy, an identity is a mask that helps us understand who we are by providing a grounding sense of self as we navigate life. The mask of identity is a symbol that provides meaning, and we often attach ourselves to it by believing it is the truth of who we are. But like any symbol, the meaning is subjugated to an agreement.

RELATED: [VIDEO] Miguel Ruiz, Jr. talks about being raised in a Toltec family, and his new book

As we become attached to our mask of identity, it becomes a model for acceptance and rejection of ourselves and the people around us. We lose awareness that our identity only means something because we agreed to it, by believing it to be the truth. We can often lose sight of our true self behind our many masks, allowing them to control our actions and thoughts. This creates disharmony in life.

As I grew up, I often felt I needed to be more Mexican or more American in order to fit in. Accepting my family’s Toltec tradition carried with it a new set of self-judgments. When each of my masks of identity surfaced, I expressed myself differently based on who I thought I needed to be at the moment. These identities sometimes overlapped, while at other times, they were at odds. It wasn’t until I let go of my masks of identity that I discovered I didn’t need to be more or less of any of these. I could just be me.

Letting go requires a moment where the truth allows us to see that our life is worth something more than the mask we used to describe it. Clarity follows, allowing us to see the humanity in the people around us. Then a moment of skepticism allows us to recognize the possibility of seeing the world in a different way, of seeing ourselves in a different way. Once we open up the possibility of letting go of all the conditions of self-acceptance by simply no longer believing in them, we find freedom.

The mask of my identity is after all just a symbol. Who I am is an empty definition subject to my own agreement, defined by my knowledge. All of these masks describe a portion of who I am, yet I am more than all of them. Life will take me in many directions and my experiences will color who I am, way beyond the limiting mask of my identity.

With awareness of myself, I am free to say yes or no to the agreements that allow me to create my own life. I am free, and my identity is a simple reflection of the living being that I am today. I don’t need to put a mask on in order to know who I am; the fact that I know that I am alive gives me the grounding sense of self that I need. I am worthy of my own love, simply because I am alive.

Miguel Ruiz, Jr.’s first book, “The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World” hit shelves in March 2013. 

The trademark was for an animated movie by Disney and Pixar Animation Studios Inc. that is inspired by the holiday.

The Los Angeles-based humorist created a movie poster that quickly went viral of a skeletal Godzilla-sized Mickey Mouse, with the words: “It’s coming to trademark your cultura (culture).”

Anger and ridicule expressed on social media largely by Latinos began circulating. On Tuesday, Disney said it was no longer seeking a “Dia de los Muertos” trademark request because the film’s name will change before its release.

“Disney’s trademark filing was intended to protect any potential title for our film and related activities,” a company statement said. “It has since been determined that the title of the film will change.”

Disney has not said that social media responses were responsible for the withdrawn trademark request. The company did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.

RELATED: Disney drops bid to trademark Dia de los Muertos name

Whatever the reason, the episode showed how quickly reactions to even the smallest corporate move can spread online and lead to calls for boycotts.

“It was not social media that started this. It was Disney that started this,” said Tom Garrity, head of the Garrity Group, a public relations firm that advises companies on social media practices. “Social media only highlight the deficiencies in Disney’s planning and what people saw as cultural insensitivity.”

The Disney request momentarily replaced immigration as the hottest topic among Latinos on Twitter, said Elainne Ramos, vice chair of LATISM, a nonprofit group Latino social media group. She noticed the trend by monitoring posts on Twitter and had planned a live tweet town hall until the trademark request was withdrawn.

“Some people saw it as an attempt to own our culture and profit from it,” she said.

Critics said they were concerned about the company attempt to trademark a cultural holiday like November’s Day of the Dead and its history of trying to profit from cultural icons.

“This is a corporation that has consistently co-opted culture for profit,” said Andrea Quijada, executive director of the Albuquerque-based Media Literacy Project, a group that focuses on media literacy and policy. “Just look at Pocahontas, Mulan, Jasmine,” Quijada said, referring to characters from Disney films.

Not only was the move seen as insensitive, critics said, trademarking the popular holiday put thousands of businesses that made products linked to the day at risk. Disney had hoped to secure the naming rights for merchandise such as snack foods and Christmas ornaments.

“It’s a terrible idea. I’m outraged,” said Kiko Torres, owner of Masks y Mas in Albuquerque, a shop that sells Day of the Dead art and clothing year-round. “I mean, what’s the purpose of that?”

The Day of the Dead honors departed souls of loved ones who are welcomed back for a few intimate hours. At burial sites or intricately built altars, photos of loved ones are centered on skeleton figurines, bright decorations, candles, candy and other offerings such as the favorite foods of the departed. Pre-Columbian in origin, many of the themes and rituals are mixtures of indigenous practices and Roman Catholicism.

In the last decade or so, this traditional Latin American holiday has spread throughout the U.S. along with migration from Mexico and other countries where it is observed.

Not only are U.S.-born Latinos adopting it, but various underground and artistic non-Latino groups have begun to mark the Nov. 1-2 holidays through colorful celebrations, parades, exhibits and even mixed martial arts fights.

Lois Zamora, a University of Houston English professor who has studied the Day of the Dead, said Disney’s interest shows how much this once obscure holiday has grown in the U.S. But she said the trademark attempt was odd.

“Disney doesn’t quite get it,” Zamora said. “It would be like copyrighting `Christmas or `Easter’ or, for that matter, `Halloween.’”

Graham Harvey, owner of the Thibodaux, La.-based Matthew Media group, said the Disney flap should be a reminder that all companies should have social media strategy as part of their promotions, or face the wrath in real time if any promotion is controversial.

“Any company or organization that wants to protect its brand needs to understand the powerful, viral nature of social media,” he said. “A backlash can occur in the blink of an eye.”

—

From a small farming community in central Mexico, my family immigrated to the United States in search of a better life in a small town in Texas. Growing up in an agriculturally-based society based on hard work, my parents had no idea what sports were or the doors participation in sports could open for me. They felt I was wasting my time in track and, given our meager means, didn’t have the extra money for running shoes or running gear that I needed.

Silver medalist Leonel Manzano of the United States poses on the 2012 London Olympics podium in London, England. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

I didn’t think I had the same opportunities as my other U.S. born counterparts. I thought I would graduate from high school and find a job. I wasn’t expected to go to college like my U.S.-born friends but on the flip side, the fact that going to college was not part of my future, made me work all the much harder to attain that goal.

My big break came when I received a call from the track coach at the University of Texas, who offered me a track scholarship. I had no idea at that time that this opportunity would set in motion a roller coaster of events that ultimately led me to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and 2012 Olympics in London.

Fast forward, and here I am in the Olympic Stadium in London for the second time in my life! I place my foot on the starting line and the gun goes off! The first two and a half laps are brutal; I didn’t get good position, and was boxed in. Suddenly, in an instant, my life flashes before my eyes.

I think about my family and how hard my dad has worked all these years. I think about how he used to drop me off at 5:15am for track practice since we only had one car. I think about how he had gone to work on crutches when he couldn’t walk. I think about my mom and how much she had put up with me as a kid. I think about all my family and friends in the U.S. and in Mexico glued to their TV sets at home watching me in this Olympic final.

I say to myself, “Fight for every minute for every second until the last second!” With 100 meters to go, I realize that I am in 6th place. It dawns on me that it is now or never. Like a lot of Latinos, I am Catholic, so I begin to pray and to talk to myself. “Come on! I can do this, if I can pass at least 3 more people I can win a medal!” I bear down and start my kick with just 50 meters to go, and find myself speeding by not one, but two, three and yet a fourth guy. I cross the finish line and I know that I have just won an Olympic medal!

In the rush of emotions, I thought about how much this would mean to everyone back home in both the U.S. and in Mexico. I thought especially of those people that I grew up with, the working class people who toil away, day in and day out like my dad, El Jefe, who never missed a day of work in his life. I thought of all the sacrifices everyone made for me to be in the Olympic stadium enjoying the moment. Rewards on the track championships are only achieved with years of hard work, long hours, a lot of sacrifice, laser mental focus, dedication to the sport and of course a lot of pain.

Who am I? An immigrant, a U.S. citizen, a Mexican-American, an Olympic silver medalist. I am proud that, from a humble beginning, I have been able to overcome so many obstacles and realize my dream. I am especially proud that I was able to bring home the first silver medal in the men’s 1500 meters since 1968. More importantly, it also gives me much joy that I can share this with all my brothers and sisters from the U.S., Mexico and Latin America I also feel that this accomplishment and victory is all of ours!

There are many words I can use to describe myself – so many in fact, that I prefer to share my identity, my Mexicanness, through food and at the table: the one place where it all seems to make sense so beautifully.

My story begins in Mexico City, where I was born and raised in a middle class, Mexican-Jewish family. My three sisters and I were taught to work hard, study hard and above all, to appreciate good food, like the magic made when a touch of salt is sprinkled onto a warm and soft corn tortilla. At home, the conversation always revolved around food. From “Grandma made egg salad with mashed ripe avocado and gribenes!” to “Did you get to the school cafeteria on time to eat Doña Lupe’s sopes?” and “Papi will kill us if he finds out we stopped at El Galan for a spicy hot dog on our way home!” food was always on our minds.

I attribute my love of food partly to my grandparents, both sides of whom immigrated to Mexico from different parts of Europe and Eastern Europe. Our heritage and home was reflected on the plate, when we ate many traditional Jewish foods for the holidays – like gefilte fish – in a very Mexican way, a la Veracruzana, simmered in a spicy tomato sauce dressed with pickled chiles, olives and capers. Being Mexican and Jewish were one as I grew up eating pan de muerto, sucking on sweet sugar skulls during Day of the Dead and always enjoyed matzo ball soup on Fridays. Celebrating Passover and going to mass on Sundays with my nana was also a way I continuously tread between my two worlds.

Jinich with her sisters and parents always enjoyed quality time around the dinner table during a New Year’s Eve celebration. They’re pictured here during the ’80s in Mexico City.

Then everything changed when I moved to Texas. Overnight, I went from being undeniably Mexican to being someone who unexpectedly didn’t conform to people’s expectations of what it meant to look and sound Mexican. And so there I was, alone in Texas with a husband always on the road, writing my thesis on Mexican democratic institutions and missing everything that had made me feel at home: Mexican food. Though I had flirted on countless occasions with the idea of a culinary career, I tried to stay true to the policy analysis path in order to become an academic. “Snap out of it Pati!” I would say, reminding myself that I could indulge my love of cooking on vacations and Sundays. Years later, already in Washington, D.C. with undergraduate and graduate degrees under my arm and a job in a prestigious think tank, I switched careers and dove right into the culinary abyss. Since then, I’ve made sharing Mexican food my mission as a cooking show host and cookbook author in the United States because it was through food that I have been able to reconnect with my home country.

Cookbook author Pati Jinich with her three boys, who call themselves Mexican American.

Mexican, Mexican-Jewish, Mexican-American: Now, 15 years after moving to the U.S. and raising a family, I feel confident sharing what it means to be a Mexican. In a way, I hope I can break down myths about Mexican food (it’s not greasy and cheese, nor always laborious with hard-to-find ingredients, nor always spicy) but I also want to tear down walls surrounding Latino identity. I’ll never forget when I was a guest on the Paula Deen show a few years ago; when I was introduced as Mexican, the adorable Paula said bluntly ‘you don’t look Mexican at all! And what is that last name?’ So while my last name is European and I have blue eyes, I am Mexican and extremely proud of it.

Because there are so many words to say how I feel about my culture and identity – countless, really – I prefer to share fabulous food, heavy with the flavors, scents and colors of Mexico to share my story and what it means to be Latino and Mexican in this country. After all, when you stir, blend and season contradictions into one pot, they taste absolutely delicious.

“Yeah, people are people, we all have many similarities but there are certain things that give certain groups of people a comfort level that don’t mean anything to another particular demographic,” he said from his company headquarters.

“For instance,” he said, “…take Mother’s Day.  Here in America it’s celebrated on the second Sunday in May, but that’s not when its celebrated in Mexico.  Over there, it’s always May 10, regardless of whether that’s a Sunday or not.  So if you’re trying to build rapport with the large percentage of Hispanics who are of Mexican ancestry, you’ll make a better impression wishing them a happy Mother’s Day on May 10 instead of the second Sunday in May.  It’s not that you’re expressing a fundamentally different sentiment, you’re just expressing it according to their traditions.  And doing that tells them: “I recognize how you do this, I ‘get’ you.”

Antonio Swad, chief executive officer of Pizza Patrón,
(Photo by Noah Berger/Bloomberg News)

Another example from Swad’s arsenal of cross cultural understandings is his vegetarian pizza — specifically the one with spinach topping on an Alfredo sauce base.  It’s not his top seller, he said, but, around the time of Lent he promotes it heavily to his core customer base (which is one-hundred-percent Catholic). He says promoting this veggie pizza sends a key message.  “It tells them, ‘we feel ya!’  We know you’re going to alter your buying habits a little bit so why not try something you probably do usually order.”

Listening to Swad it’s tempting to think there might be a ‘playbook’ of ‘Latino-isms’ that could be grafted on to an existing marketing plan.  “Not so.” Swad will tell you.  “Try that,” he says, “and it will feel false and gratuitous and quite likely backfire.”  Swad says his team is constantly listening to his customers, and responding with new promotions that are tailored to join their needs with his products.

Glenn Llopis, founder of the Center for Hispanic Leaderhip, is an advisor to Fortune 500 types.  He says what Swad is doing is really no different than what any marketer does to connect with any group of people.  “If you want to sell shoes to ‘soccer moms’ you’ve got to find styles that will appeal to them and use language that lets them know you ‘get’ how they think.  If you’re trying to reach ‘teenage boys’ or ‘pre-teen girls’ or ‘retirees’ or ‘women executives,’ or anyone,  you’ll have to take time to figure out the culture of that group, and tailor your message to connect with their interests.”

When it comes to the Hispanic community, that might mean using Spanish language, or English language peppered with Spanish expressions, or no Spanish at all.  It depends on what segment of the Hispanic market you’re trying to engage.  Swad focuses on first generation, mostly Mexican immigrants, but the Hispanic market is much more diverse than that.  Another business in another Latin market will need to listen to its own customers to figure out what they think is cool, and how they like to express it, and how your product or service fits in to their needs.  And for that, there is no ‘secret-code’ or ‘playbook’ beyond your own observations of your own customers.

To find out more on Pizza Patron and how to market to Latinos tune in this Sunday May 12 to MSNBC’s “Your Business” at 7:30am ET. 

Get this: George Lopez dyes his hair

Hair dye isn’t just for the viejas or wannabe blondes anymore with the big reveal that Lopez – who turned 52 in April – dyes his hair jet black.

“There’s also more pressure on me to look younger, because my show is still on TV all the time in syndication. In the show, I’m in my forties. People think of me as that age, as if I’m frozen in time. I also look younger because I have all my hair. And, OK, keep this between us …. I dye it …I admit that going prematurely gray and having little kids tell me that I looked old bummed me out.”

“Medical marijuana is a wonder drug”

Lopez admits while he used to “get high just to get high” that medical marijuana helped him recover after his kidney transplant in 2005. He now carries a medical marijuana card in order to use the drug for pain relief and reveals that how he prefers to take his weed – in gummy bears and brownies.

“Those are amazing. Very simple to make, too. Just get some Duncan Hines brownie mix and cook the weed right in there. Drop it right in with the butter. I don’t know who came up with this idea first, but it’s sheer genius.”

On compression socks and other “special devices”

Lopez doesn’t want to be considered old, but as he shares in his book, growing older comes with a very special set of aches and pains. That being said, Lopez shares his very favorite accessory – you know, the one that lets “you know when you’ve turned the corner form middle-aged to old.”

Compression socks. Lopez writes, “It’s not a youthful look. Or a stylish look. The guys from Jersey Shore do not wear compression socks. Apparently they don’t wear condoms, either.  But here’s the thing ….a confession about my compression socks. I don’t care how they look; compression socks are the single most comfortable item of clothing I’ve ever worn. Ever. It’s as if these socks pull everything together in a heavenly way.”

On having kids after 50

In 2010, Lopez divorced his wife Ann after 17 years of marriage; with 50 came the chance to dip into a much, much younger dating pool. While Lopez doesn’t reveal the identity of his 20-something girlfriend, here’s what he does reveal: He doesn’t want to have more children.

“The clock is running out, dude. You can do your best. You can chase after your kid in the park until your breath gives out and you’re sucking wind and your side starts to stab with pain and feels as if it’s about to split open …You can try to deal with all the best intentions but you can’t avoid this – tick, tick tick. Yes, when you have a kid after fifty, life is a wrestling match. And you’re about to get pinned.”

Lopez keeps donuts in the house at all times – just because

Getting older is a great reason to get into shape and start paying attention to what you eat. Just ask Lopez, who says he even tried veganism in his quest towards a diet that didn’t depend solely on tacos and tostadas. But that being said, Lopez always keep donuts in his house and reveals the reason why:

“I always keep a box of doughnuts in my house, because when I was a kid, my grandmother didn’t allow them in the house. She gave me a million reasons. They were treats, only for special occasions. Or they were bad for you. Or they cost too much. Or I’d abuse my doughnut privilege and eat too many at the same time. Whatever the real reason, I never had any doughnuts when I was growing up. Now, at night, when I’m foraging around the kitchen deciding on a late-night snack, I want to know that I have the option of a doughnut. I never eat them, but I like seeing them there. Makes me feel safe. Gives me comfort.”

“I love you @MarkConsuelos happy anniversary! 17 years feels like 17 days,” tweeted Ripa, who posted a picture of their 1996 wedding ceremony on with the follow-up missive “omg. Here it is. 5/1/96.”

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelosat their Las Vegas wedding ceremony in 1996.

The photo shows Ripa and Consuelos looking into each other’s eyes; Consuelos in a dark suit and Ripa in a spaghetti-strapped pink dress.

As for Consuelos, he seems more in love than ever, sending his wife the affectionate tweet “Happy 17 th anniversary to my boo @Kelly Ripa.”

TV personality Kelly Ripa and actor Mark Consuelos look just as much in love as they did at their wedding in 1996.

The happy couple – who have three children, Michael Joseph, Lola Grace and Joaquin Antonio – first met as actors on the set of “All My Children” and later eloped to Las Vegas, where they were wed on May 1, 1996.

And while the two may have begun their careers as day time soap actors, Ripa is now a pop culture icon thanks to her gig as co-host of the hugely popular daytime talk show “Live with Kelly & Michael.” Consuelos – of Mexican heritage – makes regular appearances on prime-time television and also runs a production company with his wife.

As a child growing up in San Francisco’s Mission District – home to many of the city’s Mexican immigrants – Luis Villavelazquez’s days often began and ended with warm, fresh pastry at his mother’s workplace, a small but legendary café-bakery named Sally’s. Villavelazquez’s memories of donuts fresh out of the fryer, hand-rolled cookies and warm conchas with crackled frosting have inspired him to reinvent classic Mexican pastry with French technique and fresh, organic ingredients; a task that flies in the face of the abuelitas who vow to uphold traditional cuisine at any cost.

However, at San Fran bakery chain La Victoria Panaderia, Villavelazquez charges on, churning out conchas coated with freeze-dried strawberries instead of milky frosting, creating pastries – like sticky buns studded with crunchy pepita seeds and crumbly biscuits layered with chorizo and Oaxaca cheese – that taste of Mexican heritage but reflect time-tested classic pastry technique and a modern American sensibility.

Luis Villavelazquez has revamped traditional pan dulce to include a coffee-infused concha (l) and a version coated with a frosting made from strawberry juice and freeze-dried strawberries (r).

“I’m responding to old foods in a new way, removing the barriers around what we think of being purely, traditionally Mexican,” says Villavelazquez of his modern approach to traditional Mexican pastry. “There’s so much to be gained from moving Mexican food forward and elevating it to the European-class cuisine that it can be.”

Villavelazquez’s early exposure to pastry as a child inspired him to spend hours in the kitchen as a teen. An only child, he would bake massive cheesecakes (“it’s still my favorite dessert,” Villavelazquez says) to share with high school friends; by high school graduation, he was determined to become a pastry chef and enrolled  in the San Francisco City College Culinary Program.

Villavelazquez was only months into the program when he secured back-to-back jobs as a pastry assistant at Chaya Brasserie and Bacar. In 2004, at just 19 years old, Villavelazquez became the youngest employee at Citizen Cake under acclaimed pastry chef Elizabeth Falkner, where he became experienced in bread and dessert production.  Named one of the Bay Area’s most talented pastry chefs by San Francisco magazine and dubbed one of the city’s top five pastry chefs by 7×7 magazine, Villavelazquez moved on to develop pastry programs at Orson and Absinthe, where his unique flavor combinations – think tobacco-infused panna cotta with olive oil roasted figs, goat cheese ice cream and black currant and violet jam – quickly earned notice among the city’s foodies.

But it wasn’t until Villavelazquez started his own bakery and consulting company, Les Elements Patisserie in 2010, that that he ventured into the world of Mexican pastry. Offered the chance to modify the 30-year-old pastry program at La Victoria – one of California’s oldest and largest Mexican bakeries, with its pastries sold in more than 50 restaurants and cafes across the state – Villavelazquez quickly realized that this was the challenge he was born for.

“This project was important to me because bread is living history,” says Villavelazquez, whose love of fresh Mexican ingredients like limes, hibiscus and raw goat’s milk comes through in all of his products. “I take it as a point of pride that I’ve decided to go back to my roots, instead of taking the path many Mexican pastry chefs do, which is to get their classical training here and return to Mexico.”

Villavelazquez is continually testing new ideas (like a concha with chamomile-infused milk and fruit jelly squares in flavors like chili apricot and tamarin lime) for La Victoria and says his “ultimate goal” would be to open a La Victoria location in New York City.

“Changing the taste of tradition is exciting for me,” says Villavelazquez

“This is uncharted territory and I’m not interested in doing anything else.”

Here’s Villavelazquez’s recipe for cornmeal linzer cookies with prickly pear jam, a sweet treat that’s reminiscent of the cookies the 28-year-old grew up eating at Sally’s, reinterpreted with classic Mexican flavors.

Cornmeal Linzer Cookies with Prickly Pear Jam

Cookie

1 cup softened butter

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. salt

4 egg yolks

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. lemon zest

1 cup and 4oz. all-purpose flour

9 oz. multi-colored fine ground cornmeal

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cream butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add yolks, vanilla, zest, and beat until well mixed.

Scrape down bowl and mix for a few more seconds.

Sift together flour, meal, baking powder, cinnamon and on low speed gradually beat in.

Mix just until the dough holds together.

Roll out to ¼-inch thickness and cut with 1-inch circle cookie cutter.

For each 1 cut, cut one with a smaller cutter for the window to place on top of the jam.

Line pans and bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

Let cool completely.

Prickly Pear Jam

1 cup and 12 oz. prickly pear puree (look for it at your local Spanish market)

8 oz. corn syrup

6 oz. sugar

1Tbsp apple (jam) pectin

In a pot, mix together puree and corn syrup. Bring to a boil.

In a separate bowl, mix together sugar and pectin.

Once liquid boils, temper in liquid to sugar and pectin…and mix vigorously to dissolve.

Add into pot and return to boil.

Turn down flame and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

When ready, spoon a bit a jam onto a cold plate and wait 5 mins — if it has the jam ‘texture’ it is done.

When completely cool, place a 1 tsp of jam on the complete cookie. Let stand for 2 mins, then place the window cut cookie on top and press lightly to sandwich together. Let dry to adhere (5 mins).

Part 2 of our series on a new generation of Mexican American chefs featured Julietta Ballesteros on her go-to ingredients and favorite indulgences. Craving more? Check out Part 1 of our series, featuring Rick Ortiz of Chicago’s Antique Taco and his Abuelita’s Pop Tart. Read his story here.