Plan now for Christmas with Tin Christmas Ornaments!

We all remember the paper chains, popcorn and cranberry garlandsand glittery angels we made as Christmas decorations as children. Of course our parent's thought they were the most beautiful decorations on the tree! Yeah right!

Now we say the same thing to our children! If you want festive holiday decorations this year, then you've got to hang Mexican Tin Ornaments all around your tree, garland, wreaths!

They even make great gift tags!

Each one is made in Oaxaca, Mexico, by artisans who have passed on the trade from one generation to the other.

Each ornaments is handpainted on both sides, so they'll always add a splash of color to your holiday decorations!

If you want to try something a little different, I've got tin ornaments shaped like an armadillo, a horse, a shark, and a variety of other images.

The tin ornaments can be used for party decorations, added to centerpieces, or hung around your home year-round.

They'll always add a touch of Mexico with their colorful designs!

Authentic Mexican hot chocolate

One item many associated with the border is Mexican hot chocolate. There is nothing else like it. It tastes nothing at all like the pre-packaged instant stuff or the chocolate syrup you squeeze from a bottle into hot milk.

If you enjoy a hot cup of cocoa on a cold night, then you've just got to wrap your hands around a mug of hot Mexican Chocolate.

The most popular brands of Mexican chocolate are La Popular, La Abuelita and Ibarra.

I grew up on La Popular. I used to sneak into the pantry when I was a little girl and break off a piece of the hard chocolate and eat it like candy.

Mexican chocolate is sold in hard circular or square disks. It has a very grainy texture to it because it is a combination of chocolate, sugar and ground cinnamon.

Authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate

1 tablet (disk) of La Abuelita chocolate
4 cups of milk
Several cinnamon sticks

In a saucepan, combine the milk and chocolate. You might want to break the chocolate in small pieces so it will dissolve quicker. Stir it often until the chocolate dissolves. Don't be surprised to find small chunks at the bottom of the pot.

For a truly Mexican experience, blend your chocolate with a molinillo - a hand carved wooden whisk made in Mexico. Leave the chocolate in the saucepan, insert the molinillo and then roll the handle between your palms for a minute or two.

Pour the chocolate in mugs, add a stick of cinnamon and enjoy!

Toma Todo - It's almost like Spin the Bottle without taking off your clothes!

Every cultural group has its customs, foods and holidays that are celebrated by families worldwide. Each also has a set of games that you played as a child. You probably learned to play from your parents, grandparents or long lost cousins.

For those of us who are Mexican or Mexican American Toma Todo is one of those games.

It doesn't take much to play, it doesn't cost you but a few pennies and you can play with as few as two people.

So what is Toma Todo? What does Toma Todo mean? Doesn't Toma mean to drink?

Yes the words Toma Todo can literally mean Drink It All. But they also mean Take It All. For this game we'll pass up on the drinking - at least until the kids are gone and then its a whole other set of rules!

A Toma Todo looks like a top. Most are hand-crafted of wood, while others are made of plastic.

The six-sided top is called a Pirinola. Since Toma Todo means take it all that’s exactly what you get to do - take the jackpot.

It can be played with poker chips. When we were little we used to play with a pile of dried pinto beans, but its much more fun playing with money!

Each player places a coin in the center and then takes a turn spinning the pirinola. When it stops you follow the instructions on the top side of the pirinola.

Here’s what each side means:

• Todos ponen - everyone places a coin in the jackpot
• Pon 1 - means you have to place one coin into the pot
• Pon 2 - you have to place two coins
• Toma 1 - take one coin from the pile of money
• Toma 2 - take two means you take twice as many coins
• Toma Todo - means you win the jackpot! You get to Take It All!

If you'd like to buy a Toma Todo for your children or family to enjoy, I have them and other Mexican toys available on my Web site at www.mymercadoimports.com/

Make some Salsa for your next party!

I live on the Texas-Mexico border, so most of the items I sell on the Internet are Mexican imports. I love spending time in the border towns.

I love to people watch - it is interesting to me to watch the Mexicans interact with visitors from this side of the border and the vice versa.

In Nuevo Progreso the Mexican nationals depend on the tourists for their livelihood and the tourists depend on the nationals for their tequila, tortillas and souvenirs.

You always see the tourists buying Mexican products to take home. One item you'll often find them buying is Mexican pottery for their kitchen.

I think they think their food will taste just like the tacos, guacamole and salsa they had across the border.

If you're having a party this weekend and want to make a big bowl of salsa for your friends just print this recipe and you'll make the most delicious and authentic Mexican salsa your friends have ever tasted.

Fresh Mexican Salsa
6 Roma tomatoes
1 large white onion
1 serrano pepper
1 bunch cilantro
1 clove of garlic or garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

I prefer to chop my tomatoes and onions with a knife. I like them to be uniform in size because it makes scooping the salsa with chips. The salsa also looks so vibrant and delicious.

If you like your salsa spicy then leave in the seeds of your serrano or jalapeno pepper. I prefer serrano peppers, but you can use any fresh hot peppers you can get at your local grocery store or farmers market.

Many folks don't realize it is the seeds that pack the punch. To avoid stinging your mouth or that of your guests, chop the pepper in tiny pieces. Chop half the bunch of cilantro. Smash the garlic.

A molcajete works perfect for this.

Mix the tomato, onions, pepper, cilantro and garlic. Toss gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and the water to your chopped vegetables. Toss gently.

Now comes the fun part!

You've got to taste the salsa to see if you've added enough seasonings. Of course this could take several chips to decide if the salsa is perfect!

Refrigerate the salsa until your guests arrive. Serve with chips.

If you've got an authentic piece of Mexican pottery it will make the salsa look that much better.

If you've got salsa leftover just put it in the refrigerator for the next day. You'll find out it tastes even better.

If you don't want to go through the trouble of chopping your vegetables, you can always use a food processor. I just prefer the taste and texture of the chopped tomato, onion and cilantro.
If you need Mexican pottery bowls to serve your salsa I can help you there.

Just visit my Web site www.mymercadoimports.com/.

Loteria - just like Bingo - but with a topless woman!

The topless mermaid ... a set of skull and bones ... or a very politically uncorrect black man with top hat and cane!Which of the previous cards is among your favorite in the popular Mexican game Loteria?

You couldn't grow up in a Mexican-American home without playing Loteria sometime in your life.Much like its American counterpart bingo - the idea behind Loteria is to fill your playing card with the characters that have been called out.

I grew up calling the game Chalupa - you know just like those yummy toasted tortillas piled high with lettuce, cheese, tomato and spicy meat? But I've learned others call it Loteria or Mexican Bingo.

Just like bingo someone gets to call out the cards while everyone else puts beans or pennies on each of the characters called on their card.

The game is a lot more fun to play if there's a jackpot involved! You can start small and play for pennies or nickels, but quarters and dollars are much more fun. Just make sure everyone puts the right amount of money in the jackpot at the beginning of each Loteria game.

You can play a full card or a straight diagonal, horizontal or vertical line. The person that fills their card first wins the jackpot.

Now don't be too shocked to find cards with a mermaid who is showing you her breast -La Serena, the drunk stumbling on the streets -El Boracho or the black man dressed with a top hat and cane - El Negrito. The Chalupa is a fair maiden floating down a river in a row boat.

Growing up we had nicknames for many of the characters. Whenever someone called El Camaron - the shrimp - we always yelled out "Uncle Roger". That's because my late Uncle Roger had a reddish complexion just like a raw shrimp. El Soldado - the soldier - was nicknamed Ronnie after my dad's cousin who was in the Air Force.

Just enjoy the game, win the jackpot and practice your Spanish at the same time.

Lots of folks are using the games and deck of cards to create Mexican Folk Art, Nichos, altars and lots of other items.

If you'd like to buy a Loteria game or a deck of cards, visit my Web site at www.mymercadomexicanimports.com/

My Mercado Mexican Imports

I have lived along the U.S.-Mexico border for years and have always enjoyed the culture, the food and especially the shopping across the Rio Grande.

It amazes me how many people from all over the world always want to exerience the art, the clothing and the flavors of Mexico.

Many grew up along the border and miss home, others have traveled in the region and want to recall those memories.

For that reason I combined my passion for the border - in particular the Rio Grande Valley - as far South Texas as you can get and created www.mymercadomexicanimports.com/