ARTICLE POSTED BY MAGALY "MAGGIE" TOMPKINS OF @JETPLANEMOMMY.
Magaly "Maggie" Tompkins is a wife, mommy, flight attendant, and the creator of Jet Plane Mommy. She loves sharing a glimpse of her travels, recipes, and DIY projects. When she’s not flying the friendly skies, you can find her spending time with her daughters and husband. For a daily dose of family fun, recipes, and mommy tips, follow her on Instagram at @jetplanemommy.
Gracias a mi abuela, Día de los Muertos is a special holiday in our casita. Each year, we prayed and remembered loved ones that passed away. During these times, I learned a little more about the richness of our culture and the contributions of each member in the family.
Now as a mami, I keep these traditions alive by partaking in the same festivities with which I was brought up. I want my daughters to embrace and love nuestra cultura. I want them to have the same level of orgullo that I do.
Special occasions like these are opportunities for me to pass down family traditions as this is how we honor our ancestors and empower future generations to be proud of their raices. Given our multicultural family, we celebrate many holidays, but Día de los Muertos is definitivamente the one day of the year we reflect, listen, and appreciate our history.
Como muchas familias, we start with our ofrenda. Over the years we have collected photographs of our loved ones which we showcase alongside marigolds and calaveras. We build a small mural around these items and add dishes of their favorite food, pan de Muerto, alebrijes, and most importantly, candles.
These are important because they are believed to guide them back to the land of the living and the alebrijes serve as their guides back to their resting place in the afterlife. The girls really enjoy this process and we start mid-October so that our ofrenda is in place by the evening of October 31st, as that is when the dead will visit the land of the living.
The most traditional pastry on that day is Pan de Muerto. This is a sweet roll, that is baked a few days ahead leading up to El Dia de los Muertos. The bread is rolled in such a manner that its shape resembles bones, and the center of the bread resembles a human skull. There are quite a few recipes that require hours of preparation, but realistically, I like to take some shortcuts with my recipes. They are still fun to make and taste just as delicious!
The best part of making things in nuestra cocina is that the girls can join in on the fun and learn a family tradition, because it’s never too early para aprender. Some of my favorite childhood moments are those con mi mami in her kitchen, and I’m grateful to be able to recreate this tradition with my girls as they enjoy baking as much as I do. And just like my mother has passed on recipes to me, I am glad to be doing the same with daughters and with all of you. With five simple ingredients, you too can enjoy this delectable Pan de Muerto with your loved ones. Si, solo 5 INGREDIENTES! You heard that right!
5 Ingridents Pan de Muerto
Things you will need:
1 crescent rolls (refrigerated package)
2 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of orange juice
½ cup of sugar
¼ cup of brown sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F;
- Lightly cover your work area with a little bit of flour (so the dough doesn’t stick);
- Combine your juice and milk together and stir (set aside);
- Separate your crescent into two parts;
- Grab one part of your dough and ball it up. Place it on the floured table, and roll with a rolling pin; using your hands, be sure to stretch it out in circular motion as much as you can; then place it on top of a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
- Brush your milk and orange juice wash onto the dough and sprinkle a little bit of sugar and brown sugar on it;
- Grab the remainder of the dough and cut it into 4 sections. Make a ball (for the skull) and 4 strings (for the bones) to add to the top of your dough that is on your baking sheet;
- Use your wash again to add one more coat and sprinkle the remainder of your sugars on it (be sure to save just a little bit of sprinkles for once it comes out of on top once it comes out of the oven for more of a decorative look;
- Bake for 17 minutes or until golden brown;
- And now a comer!
Bien facil, verdad? This pan didn’t last long as soon as it came out of the oven. Estaba riquisimo, tan rico, that I had to make a few to ensure we had enough for the ofrenda. I have to admit, I love to eat Pan de Muertos con mi cafecito. Once you try this receta, it will be one that you will enjoy sharing.
Once we’re done with baking and eating, a limpiar! We like to use Weiman Disinfectant Granite & Stone Wipes and the Weiman Disinfectant Granite & Stone Daily Clean Shine Spray. Given we have granite countertops, I need to use a dependable product that is going to disinfect, clean and leave my kitchen smelling fresh. If you have non-porous surfaces that you need to regularly clean, this is a product you’ll definitely want to try. A quien no le gusta!
Buen provecho,
Maggie
