My mother, although multi-talented, had an aversion to the kitchen and has often said that I learned to cook at an early age “out of self-defense.” When she made chicken à l'orange by smearing a chicken with powdered Tang, I quickly developed a necessary passion for creating tasty things to eat. Somewhere in the family photograph album is a picture of me at the stove, age ten, happily stirring marinara sauce.

I developed a lifelong fascination with food; good food. There was even a foray of working as a chef’s assistant at a French restaurant during my mid twenties, just for fun. I had always loved watching Julia Child and knew that Mastering the Art of French Cooking was to be revered. It wasn’t until I read her biography (long before the Julie & Julia movie) that I really became fascinated with her work. From that book, I decided to prepare her recipe for mayonnaise.

Upon tasting it, I wept. . . .


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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Guacamole Compuesta

You know how it is at the end of an intense, difficult workday. Pretty much all you want to do is flop down, eat Capn' Crunch and bang on your high chair. I imagine even Julia had days when the thought of making a meal would send her over the edge. 

Here's my go-to meal for days like that. I call it guacamole compuesta, giving a nod to my south Texas heritage. (compuesta means "composed" or, in south Texas, "piled with extra stuff"). It's quick, easy, and the epitome of comfort food. 

Oh, and it's healthy, too. What's not to like?

Side note: My wonderful grandmother, Budgie, could not say "compuesta", or just about any word in Spanish for that matter. She loved the chalupas compuestas featured at the local Tex-Mex restaurant, but when ordering it, it would always come out "com-pray-sto." To this day, my family laughs about it.  

Brown the tortillas: One can do this by frying them in oil. Tasty, but fattening and who wants to fry anything on days like this. I like this method even better. Spray a couple of whole wheat tortillas with I Can't Believe It's Butter spray (you can pretend you're macing your boss) and bake them in a 400 oven for ten minutes or until brown.

Meanwhile. . . 

Guacamole: I love avocados, so I really don't like onions, cilantro, or lime juice getting in the way. I just mash two avocados with a quarter tsp of salt. That's it. If you have an ear of corn, better yet. Strip the kernels off and add them in raw. Wow. It really is an excellent addition. 

Spread the tortillas with the guac, smear with sour cream, add sliced grape tomatoes.

Easy-peasy.

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