"Cochon de Lait" a l'Afrique, Black Eyed Pea Croquette, Caribbean Mango Salsa: The Main Course at Voodoo, for the 5 Star Restaurant Wars Challenge

This month's edition of the 5 Star Makeover Challenge is a real doozy: Restaurant Wars. Two months ago, our hosts, Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! and Natasha of 5 Star Foodie divided participants into groups of three, tasking us each to create a virtual restaurant based on a single theme or ingredient. Each team member would be responsible for one of the three courses.

And am I ever happy with the team members fate dealt me. Jessica of Cajunlicious and Maya of Foodiva's Kitchen were fabulous to work with, and it didn't take us too long to hammer out a name, theme, and dishes for our restaurant.

Tostadas de Atun (Tuna Tostadas), an UnRecipe Recipe

I had a bit of a debate with myself about posting this dish. I mean, it's tuna and a bunch of other stuff on a tostada. Nothing gets cooked. Pretty basic stuff. Tasty to be sure -  but worth blogging about?

Then again ...  things like boxed cake mix, Cool Whip-based desserts, and Jello pudding with a handful of raisins tossed in seem to count as recipes - so why not a tuna tostada?  It's so very Sandra Lee.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not claiming I make a homemade meal from scratch every single night - not by a long shot. The occasional sandwich, grilled sausage, or canned soup is certainly served at Casa de Trix. But when I put a little extra somethin' somethin'  into, say, a sauce I bought at the grocery store, I don't particularly feel compelled to tell you about it.  (Of course the exception proves the rule, like this fabulous doctored cake mix post by my friend Trevor. But then, most people can't pull this off with such aplomb.)

Mercado Monday: Exploring the Markets of Mexico City

With my new friend Ricardo at La Merced

It seems that just about any day of the week is ripe for being turned into some arbitrary (albeit alliterative) food-related post: Travel Tuesdays, Wordless Wednesdays, French Fridays ... so  I figure why not Mercado (Market) Mondays?

And so in this, the first - and I'm being honest, likely the last - Mercado Monday, I'd like to share some images of Mexico City's vast produce markets. I'll begin with the city's largest retail market, La Merced - and in a city with a population of over 20 million, that's saying a lot.

La Flama Blanca: A Fizzy Lime & Basil Mezcal Cocktail

This lovely drink was inspired by a recipe I recently received through the Better Homes & Gardens Recipe Insiders Group. It's been awhile since I Trixified a BHG recipe (the last one was asiago baked hummus back in January) because the truth is, they haven't been all that inspiring to me. Meatloaf ... sickeningly sweet desserts with names like "donut pudding" ... lots of things with the word "bake" in the name, like "egg bake," "sausage bake," etc. Just not feeling it. (And now it's time to wait for the email telling me that they're kicking me out for my smack talk.)

Cantina La Mascota: Or, How to Eat (a Lot) for Free in Mexico City ... A Rather Wordy Wednesday

I realize that I'm not exactly breaking new ground by writing about Cantina La Mascota. I didn't discover this place, not by a long shot: Other bloggers and food writers have rhapsodized about it, and yes, even Anthony Bourdain went there on No Reservations. 

And while I hate to be a follower, I simply have to join the ranks of admirers and tell you about it because, well ... the food here is free. And I'm not talking bar snacks. This is real food, from a menu that changes daily. The catch? You have to buy drinks. That's it.