Results for: “Cooking”

Do-Ahead Party Planning

Mexican Fiesta Buffet

Guacamole

Roasted Cactus Salad

Jicama with Ancho Chile Powder

Meatballs in Chipotle Salsa

Shrimp with Green Pipián

Chicken Tinga

“Pot” Beans

Zucchini with Tomatoes, Corn, and Chipotle

Corn Tortillas

Hibiscus Water

Fruit Salad with Tequila

SUMMER BRUNCH

(3 courses)

Cucumber Mint Cooler

Lime and Cilantro Soup

Shrimp Salad-Stuffed Poblano Chiles

Brandied Mangoes

DINNER PARTY—MENU I

(4 courses)

Chayote and Chile Poblano Soup

Shrimp Ceviche Salad

Pork Loin with Mango-Chipotle Salsa

Green Beans a la Mexicana

Fruit Salad with Tequila

Dinner Party—Menu II

(3 courses)

Black Bean Soup

Steak with Roasted Poblano Chiles and Onion

Garlicky Mushrooms

Roasted Cactus Salad

Mango Mousse

PEOPLE ARE HERE!

“Mama! People are here!” The “People are here!” cry rang through the house with much excitement, relayed by various sizes of children with the same alarm as “The British are coming!” People were here! Lots of people had always been here at Green Pastures as long as I could remember. There were five of us children who had grown up in the big frame country house: nieces, nephews and cousins had come to live with us while attending school in Austin, and many others whose extended “visits” had lasted anything up to three years. If clients of my father were lonely, he’d send them out for a week or two’s “pepper-upper” with his favorite diet of *Hot Water Corn Bread and the fresh buttermilk which Mama churned daily. But this time when the people were here, it was different. These people would be paying to be at Green Pastures—we were in business.

I had always been the one in the family to be in charge of getting ready for company dinner, planning the parties, decorating the house—after recruiting all sorts of “free” help, of course. I remember so well getting ready for a party Camille Long and I gave when we were in junior high school. Colored bread had just come into style, and Good Housekeeping magazine had a section on party sandwiches. We made pink and green ribbon sandwiches, solid pink rolled sandwiches, and pink and white checkerboard sandwiches—all day! We also made pecan fudge with heavy cream. We had an electric milk separator which separated the milk from the cream, and this cream was much heavier than whipped cream and made terrific fudge. We also thought it would really be gay to give out fancy paper caps at the party, such as we’d seen at a New Year’s Eve party in a movie; so we cut the colored crepe paper and white tissue paper for fringed tassels, but didn’t have time to put them together, as making the sandwiches and fudge had taken the entire day. I desperately took all the cap-makings in to Captain Tally and Daddy, who were upstairs visiting. Captain Tally was eighty-five years old and had been a trail-driver all his life. Making party caps wasn’t quite his forte—neither was it Daddy’s, which he made clear as he disapprovingly wrapped the thread to secure the tassel on the end of the cap and expounded on how we were spending entirely too much time on the frivolities of life. I donned my pink organdy party dress with picoted ruffles and sallied down the stairs to greet the guests who were coming to dance to the music of our new Panatrope—which Daddy had taken as payment for a case.

I NTRODUCCIÓN

Cuando viajo por los Estados Unidos me doy cuenta que existe una idea falsa acerca de la cocina mexicana. Con frecuencia me preguntan: ¿Cómo puedes comer esa comida tan pesada y grasosa todos los días? Muchas ocasiones he salido en defensa de mi bienamada cocina, enseñándole a la gente que lo que comen al norte de la frontera no es necesariamente la auténtica comida Mexicana. Se trata de tex-mex o de cal-mex, que son de hecho estilos culinarios diferentes. Estos estilos fueron introducidos por inmigrantes jóvenes y pobres que rara vez cocinaban antes de salir de sus casas en México. Las cocineras más famosas de las ciudades y los pueblos, que casi siempre eran mujeres, permanecieron en casa, mientras que estos hombres poco refinados se dirigieron al norte en busca de fortuna, abrieron pequeños restaurantes que ofrecían los platillos sencillos y económicos que ellos sabían cocinar. Rara vez servían los ricos moles y pipianes que implican tanto trabajo, y en lugar de ellos ofrecían tacos y enchiladas, platillos que se consumen en hogares pobres y que además son rápidos y fáciles de preparar. Suponer que estos platillos representan toda la comida mexicana es como decir que los estadounidenses sólo comen hamburguesas (comentario que de hecho he escuchado de boca de algunos europeos).

APPETIZERS

Now you can serve and enjoy gluten-free appetizers that are really appetizing. We have perfected little bites that are so good we bet they will have your guests requesting recipes. They’ll forget all about gluten-free.

More than just crowd-pleasers, our appetizers are easy to make, and most can be prepared well ahead of time. Don’t let the long ingredient lists fool you. Most go together quickly, whether we’re talking Smoked Gouda-Cheddar Pimento Cheese spread on our Savory Tarragon Biscuits or Mexican Grilled Polenta Bruschetta. (Okay, you do have to make the bruschetta in two steps.)

Bill says, “Face it: Appetizers are party food. I don’t know any families or individuals who serve appetizers before a meal on a regular basis. Kim probably does. The purpose of appetizers is to tempt your guests’ palates, and prevent them from getting ravenously hungry before the meal is served, or getting too carried away with the social beverages.”

MARINADES, SEASONINGS, AND SAUCES

We love bold taste. We think the most important part of any dish is the seasoning. Not only do spices make a dish piquant and intriguing, but so many of the herbs and spices we commonly use have marvelous medicinal and healing properties. We use a wide variety in our recipes, and that goes for our mouthwatering marinades and zesty sauces, too. Our marinade for chicken, beef, and lamb, and our sparerib seasoning will have your family coming back for seconds. Our recipes for New Orleans Peach-Bourbon Basting Sauce and our Asian Ginger-Plum Dipping Sauce are always crowd-pleasers.

We recommend making your own sauces and marinades whenever possible. You would not believe how many of the sauces, marinades, and seasonings on the supermarket shelves have gluten in them. Even basic, simple items, like ketchup, soy sauce and other Asian sauces, barbecue sauce, and mustard often contain gluten, though you’d never know it by reading the label.