Diaz de Mayo Mexican

Cookbook

All recipes are from a potluck lunch held on the 10th of May, 1991
by Marcom, STD, Teradyne, Inc., Agoura Hills, CA
and are copyright © 1991, 2003 their respective contributor(s).
 Table Of Contents
Sopa de Albondigas
contributed by Lygia Ionnitiu
En-Cheap-ladas con Queso y Carne
contributed by dragonrider
Three Bean Chili
contributed by Elaine Bennett-Mike
Potluck Fruit Medley
contributed by Chris Robinson
Taco El Sal-ad
contributed by Sallie Patterson
Guacamole Dip and Baked Tortilla Chips
contributed by Sue Hudson
Non-Alcoholic Cerveza
contributed by Miguel Castro (aka Moku
Chakra)
Senor Jose's Chips & Dip
contributed by Patt Rowland
Ralph's Chocolate Cake
contributed by Patt Rowland
Mazie's Corn Bread
contributed by Thomas Neuburger
Sweet Tamales and Chilled Verde
contributed by Chris Johnson and Walt Love
Mexi-Dip
contributed by Darlene Nakaoka
Flim Flan
contributed by Janine Marinescu
Tacos de Lao-tzu (Tacos con Pollo Chinese Style)
contributed by James Homan
Lemon Soup
contributed by Sue Hudson
Quesadillas
contributed by dragonrider
Three-Pepper Quesadillas
contributed by dragonrider
 Sopa de Albondigas
Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

1-½ pounds ground beef

1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons minced fresh mint (I used cilantro)
3 teaspoons salt
½ cup flour
4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium green pepper, seeded and diced
1 quart hot water
1-½ cups red wine
30-oz. of canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine meat, broken into bits with a fork, bread crumbs, egg, pars-
ley, three of the crushed garlic cloves, mint leaves, and 1-½ teaspoons salt. Mix thor-
oughly with a fork or your hands.

2. Form the meat mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Roll each ball lightly in
the flour and brown in the olive oil in a large Dutch over over moderate heat for about
7 minutes. Remove the meatballs, drain on a paper towel, and set aside.

3. Saute the pepper onions, and the other three crushed garlic cloves over moderate
heat for 5 to 7 minutes in the drippings that remain in the Dutch oven.

4. Add 1-½ teaspoons salt and all the other ingredients and cook the soup over
moderate heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the meatballs, cover the pan, and simmer
the soup for 1-½ hours.

Recipe contributed by: Lygia Ionnitiu

With apologies to The California Heritage Cookbook, assembled by the Junior League of Pasadena, pub-
lished by Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1976.
 En-cheap-ladas con Queso y Carne
Serves 12

Ingredients

1½ lb. ground beef

2 dozen corn tortillas
1 lb. mild cheddar cheese
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese
1 16 0z. can small, pitted ripe black olives
1 28 oz. cans Las Palmas® enchilada sauce
(for spicier enchiladas, use red chili sauce)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 cup water
1 package (¾ oz.) Shilling® taco seasoning

Directions

1. Brown ground beef with garlic powder. Do not drain. Add taco seasoning and 1 cup
water. Mix thoroughly. Simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain remaining liquid,
and allow to cool.

2. Grate cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses into same bowl. Mix thoroughly.

3. Warm enchilada sauce. (Not too hot - you have to stick your fingers in it.) Assemble
enchilada sauce, meat, cheese, and olives in one place. Have a towel handy, it's time
to play with the food. In a 12X15-inch baking dish with 2-inch sides (glass, if you're
going to microwave these), cover the bottom with warm enchilada sauce.

Coda

4. Heat 2 corn tortillas in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds, enough to make
them warm and pliable. Place tortillas in enchilada sauce and coat both sides.

5. Place tortilla in baking dish. Put an olive in the center.

6. Fill with cheese in a line across the diameter of the tortilla.

7. Add one heaping tablespoon of beef, spread evenly.

8. Roll tortilla.

9. Now do the same thing with the second tortilla. Put it in the baking dish, add an olive,
fill with cheese, add some meat, and roll.
10. Lick fingers. (Okay, wipe them off.)

11. Repeat from Coda until all tortillas have been used. Cram them in there if you have to.

12. Garnish the top with any remaining cheese, olives, and beef. Pour remaining
enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas. Float 'em!

13. Microwave on high power for 7 to 10 minutes, or until cheese in the middle of the dish
is melted and the sauce starts to bubble.

Recipe contributed by: dragonrider

 Three Bean Chili
Serves 5 (with second helpings)
10 (1 large bowl each)
or 15 (1 small bowl each)

Ingredients

2 lb. ground beef

3 or 4 strips of bacon
1 large green pepper
3 medium onions
2 tablespoons Nile spice (available buy at Cost Plus®)
or use cumin and sesame seeds
(The recipe calls for cumin and sesame seeds, but I have this spice mixture (Nile spice)
that has them all mixed up with some other things, like coriander, so I used it instead.)
1 to 2 15-oz. cans red kidney beans
2 to 4 15-oz. cans chili beans
½ bag frozen french-cut green beans
Pico Pica® sauce, hot
1 small can V8® juice
salt and pepper, as needed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small can green chili salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions

One or two nights before serving the chili:

1. Brown ground beef, drain grease. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and chili powder.
Cut up green pepper and 2 of the 3 onions. Add to meat. Cook until onions start to
become transparent. Add tomato sauce and simmer while you fry (or microwave)
bacon until just underdone. Cut/break up bacon and add to meat. Mix together well.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chili making day:

2. You'll need 3-4 hours for everything to simmer together (I did everything the night
before our fiesta and just reheated it.)

3. Remove meat mixture from refrigerator and let sit while you prepare beans.

4. In a large pot, put canned chili and kidney beans. Add V8® juice, salsa, Nile spice,
and about ¼ bottle of Pico Pica®. Mix well. Let simmer 1 hour. Add meat mixture,
 simmer 1 hour. Taste, add whatever spices, if needed. (More salt? More chili powder?
Add to your taste.)

5. One hour before serving, chop last onion. Add onion and frozen green beans.
Simmer until time to serve.

6. If desired, top serving bowl or individual bowls of chili with grated cheese. I use a mix
of cheddar and Monterey Jack. I also put a bowl of chopped onions and Pico Pica®
sauce on the table.

Recipe contributed by: Elaine Bennett-Mike

 Potluck Fruit Medley
Serves: see below

Directions

1. The day before the potluck, head on over to Lucky® on the way home from work. Buy
whatever fruit is on sale. Bring the fruit home, and piss away the evening watching TV.

2. At about 10:00 P.M., start griping that you forgot about that damn potluck and go to
the kitchen.

3. Switch to "LA Law®," break out a knife, and clean off a cutting board. Take all of the
fruit that you bought and slice those babies thin. Then arrange them on a plate,
leaving a few extra pieces for your breakfast the next morning and for your husband or
family members (including cats and dogs) who are bound to scarf a few pieces while
you aren't looking.

4. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe contributed by: Chris Robinson

 Taco El Sal-ad
Serves 10 to 15

Ingredients

1 medium head of lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 large carrot, grated coarsely
2 green-band celery stalks, chopped neatly
1 green onion, sliced in rounds
1 can kidney beans, rinsed well
3 medium can pitted, black olives, sliced in rounds
3 medium or 3 large or 5 small tomatoes, cut in wedges
1 pound of 15% lean ground beef, crumbled with determination
2 large tablespoons chili powder, sprinkled casually
1 whole lot of garlic powder, shaken hard
1 medium pinch of cumin, scattered briskly
1 medium pinch oregano, sprinkled with fervor
1 medium pinch of thyme, tossed tenderly
1 medium pinch rosemary, ducking rapidly
6 oz. medium cheddar cheese
6 oz. small Monterey Jack cheese
1 to 2 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 to 5 tablespoons salsa
1 teaspoon Worchestershire
1 LARGE bag corn tortilla chips

Directions

1. Into one very, very large bowl, toss the lettuce,

carrot, celery stalks, onion, kidney beans, black
olives, and tomatoes. Cover with Glad Wrap®
and place in refrigerator until other ingredients
are ready.

2. Into one very medium skillet, stir and brown

ground beef, chili powder, cumin, oregano,
thyme, rosemary, and garlic powder. Cover with
lid and keep warm while completing the next
step.

3. Into one medium small bowl, grate and mix the

cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Cover with Glad Wrap® until the very last
minute.
4. Mix 1 to 2 cups mayonnaise with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 tablespoons of salsa to taste, lemon
juice, and Worchestershire sauce, stir, and store in the refrigerator for later.

5. Into the very, very large bowl that contains the lettuce, etc., that has been tossed
really well, gently stir the warm ground beef that has been browned nicely.

6. When individuals have loaded their bowls with the above ingredients, let them dig into
the cheese bowl and sprinkle a handful of cheese on top of their salad. They should
then spoon on some mayo/salsa dressing.

(Some people want even more cholesterol and choose to crumble tortilla chips on top of
the whole thing. Other people prefer to put their crumbled chips underneath their salad.
In this case, they need to pick up their salad carefully with their fingers and shove their
crumbled chips underneath, being careful not to disturb the cheese and dressing.)

Bon Appetit!

Recipe contributed by: Sallie Patterson

 Guacamole Dip and Baked Tortilla Chips
Serves 6?

Ingredients

This is based on 2 avocados; you can extrapolate as

needed.

2 medium avocados, very dark and soft

2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
½ cup La Victoria® Chili Dip (a mild salsa; go
stronger if you dare...)
1 dozen flour tortillas

Directions

Guacamole:

1. Mash the avocados and add the lemon juice; whip by hand until mostly smooth.

2. Add the salsa; cover with p[lastic wrap resting on the surface so it won't turn black till
you're ready to eat it. Refrigerate.

Baked tortilla chips:

1. Cut flour tortillas with a scissors into chips.

2. Lay on cookie sheets; bake in a 500 degree oven for about 5 minutes, til brown.
Watch them carefully; they don't brown if the oven isn't quite hot, and they get done
fast at the end.

3. The same basic approach works for pita bread, too.

Recipe contributed by: Sue Hudson

 Non-Alcoholic Cerveza
Serves 6 per 6-pack

Proceed through the following series of menus. MAIN

MWNU (Welsh. The English translation is: Main Menu)
Beverage Selection
1. Agua
2. Ambrosia
3. Cerveza

Use California ration book to select #1.

If you are a deity, select #2.
Otherwise select #3.

SUBMWNU 3
CERVEZA SELECTION

a. Alcholic Cerveza
b. Non-alcholic Cerveza

SUB-SUBMWNU a
ALCHOLIC CERVEZA

1. Sierra Nevada® Pale Ale

2. Guiness® Stout (on tap)
3. Corona®
4. Anchor Stream®
5. Dos Equis®
6. San Miguel® (dark)
7. other imported
8. other domestic

SUB-SUBMWNU b
NON-ALCHOLIC CERVEZA

1. Buy non-alcholic cerveza at the store; bring to potluck lunch.

2. Forget it. (It doesn't taste very good.)

Open question: when the brewers produce non-alcoholic cerveza, what do they do with
the extracted alcohol?

Answer: They make gas-ohol with it, drink the non-alcoholic cerveza, then drive sober
(but they don't know where they're going).

Recipe contributed by: Miguel Castro

 Senor Jose's Chips & Dip
Serves 1 or more

Ingredients

1 Trader Joe's® store

1 car or some sort of transportation
1 LARGE bog of corn tortilla chips (regular or blue colored; both are good tasting.
Located back of the store against the wall.)
1 container of guacamole (located in the deli section right next to the Tofu Lasagne.
Yum!)

Directions

1. Get in car. Drive to Trader Joe's®. Buy tortilla chips and guacamole. Bring chips & dip
to potluck lunch.

2. Open bag gently, don't get too anxious and rip the bag down the side; you will have
chips all over. Open Guacamole container by carefully following the directions on top
of the container. Remove clear plastic seal before attempting to taste. Join the chips
with the dip. This can be done in a variety of ways:

A. Scrape off the top of the dip to savor the flavor.

B. Go fot it! Dip that chip as far as it will go.
C. Be neat and start at the sides and work in.
D. Do not scoop -- pretend it's a stream and fantasize!

Recipe contributed by: Patt Rowland

 Ralphs® Chocolate Cake
Serves as few you like (be selfish)

Ingredients

1 Ralphs® store chocolate cake

Directions

1. Located in the bakery section, usually in the middle of the store, where you can pick
up free samples of other food you don't really need but will buy anyway. Make this part
of your weekly grocery list. It's simple, yet satisfying. Also for those of you who
attended the cancer education class, it's Fat Free!

2. Serve at room temperature. Enjoy this treat in your car on the way home. Be an
animal and pull it apart while driving. Or in the privacy of your own home, slice neatly,
and serve on clean plates

Recipe contributed by: Patt Rowland

 Mazie's Corn Bread
Serves 8 to 16

Ingredients

1 cup Albers® Yellow Corn Meal

1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup milk

Directions

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine wet
and dry ingredients, mixing as little as necessary.

2. Pour into a well-buttered 8" X 8" pan and bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until done.

3. Serve warm.

Recipe contributed by: Thomas Neuburger

 Sweet Tamales and Chilled Verde
Serves 8 to 16

Ingredients

3 Simple Ingredients:

2 large portions of laziness

1 small portion of "couldn't be bothered"
1 dim memory

Directions

5 Easy Steps:

1. Four days before the fiesta, gripe about having to cook something and not wanting to
clean up your kitchen. Realize shortly thereafter that your gripes are falling on deaf
ears and the rest of the group is not going to let you partake of the rewards without
putting in some labor.

2. Three days before the fiesta, bring in your favorite cookbook to loomk for recipes.
Turkey tacos sound good (Elaine rolls her eyes so you rule that out). Ah, a real easy
one to prepare: flounder with Mexican salsa. (Everyone in the Solarium rolls their
eyes, so you rule that one out.)

3. Two days before the fiesta, you have an inspiration: maybe I could just buy something.
Then realize that Taco Bell® is the only Mexican restaurant you know of with take-out
service.

4. One day before the fiesta, you have a dim memory:

"Darlene, didn't we see a Mexican delicatessen next to the bagel place we always go
to?"

"You're right, Chris."

"I'll bet I could get some Mexican food there."

"Figured that one all out by yourself, huh, Chris?"

"Yep. I didn't fall off the turnip truck just yesterday."

That day at lunch time, you stop by to check it out. It looks good. Walt, who is in the
same boat...uhm, car, also approves. You decide on chili con carne (you can order a
 large quantity and it's cheap); Walt decides on sweet tamales (hah, much more
expensive).

5. On the day of the fiesta, Walt calls the delicatessen to place the order (he can get up
early enough to do it). You agree to do the pick-up. After the group meeting, you rush
over to pick up the food (every one else has already started laying out their stuff so
you're in a hurry). Walt has given you a twenty because he doesn't have anything
smaller (which is fine by you). You give the man the twenty and he gives you a bag
containing the tamales and a canister with green stuff inside.

"But it's green," you say. "I thought I ordered chili con carne."

"This is chili with meat," the man says. "It's a green chili sauce: we call it Chili Verde."

"But...but it's green," you say.

Never mind; you're in a hurry. You rush back to the big T—everyone is already on their
second helping. You lay out the sweet tamales and the, by now, chilled verde. Since
everyone is full, your chilled verde does not go very fast. This is okay with you,
because you discover that's it's very yummy. You smile; you will get to take a lot of it
home.

Tamales and Chili Verde obtained from:

Carillo's Tortilleria & Mexican Delicatessen
5843 Kanan Road
Agoura Hills, CA 818-707-7677

P.S. Walt doesn't forget when you owe him money.

Recipe contributed by: Chris Johnson and Walt Love

 Mexi-Dip
Serves 10

Ingredients

1 medium can refried beans

1 small can diced green chiles
1 bag of grated cheddar cheese
1 bag of grated jack cheese
1 small tub of sour cream
2 boxes of frozen avocado dip
1 small can sliced olives
Chopped green onions and tomatoes to garnish

Directions

1. Mix the green chiles and the refried beans together. Spread in a thin layer on the bot-
tom of a 9” x 13” x 2” pan.

2. Next, spread the avocado dip in a thin layer on top of the refried beans. Continue
adding the ingredients in layers

Third layer: sour cream

Fourth layer: cheddar cheese and jack cheese
Fifth layer: olives
Sixth layer: green onions and tomatoes
Seventh layer: anything else your heart desires

3. Serve with a bowl of crisp tortilla chips or your favorite dip chip. Follow the dipping
procedure outlined on page 9 of this cookbook.

Recipe contributed by: Darlene Nakaoka

a graduate of the "Yang can cook, so can you" school of cooking. *
* Not affiliated with the "Yan can cook..." television program!
 Flim Flan
Serves 10

Ingredients

8 eggs
15 tablespoons sugar
1 quart milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the eggs with 8 tablespoons sugar. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix
well.

2. In the top of a Bain-Marie (double boiler), put 7 tablespoons of sugar. Heat it over low
heat. When the sugar is melted, roll the pot so the sugar covers the sides of the pot.
Let it cool until the sugar starts cracking.

3. Pour the egg mixture through a fine strainer into the coated pot. Place water in the
bottom of the Bain-Marie and place the pot on it. Bake at 375° for 1½ hours.

4. Cool down.

5. To take the flan out of the pot, put a big, deep plate on top of the pot and quickly flip
the whole thing upside down.

Recipe contributed by: Janine Marinescu

 Tacos de Lao-tzu
(Tacos con Pollo Chinese Style)
Serves: proportional to how hungry you and your guest(s) are.

Ingredients*

Boneless, skinless chicken

Peanut oil
Tomatoes (chopped)
Lettuce (shredded)
Corn or flour tortillas (or both)
Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese (finely grated)
Yellow onion finely chopped (optional)
Bell pepper finely chopped (optional)

Condiments*

Light soy sauce

Tomato paste
Cayenne pepper
Tabasco sauce
Crushed red pepper (if you’re really a nut)
Black pepper

* Note: I do not use measurements when I cook (I can tell just by looking how to pour out
an exact half- cup of let’s say milk. Ask my wife—she’s tested me). So this is all to your
own taste.

Directions
Cooking the Chicken:

1. Par-boil the boneless chicken for about ten minutes (that is in water that is just barely
boiling). Remove the chicken and let cool. Using a fork, you should then be able to
tear the chicken into shreds. Then marinate the chicken in soy sauce for about an
hour.

2. Heat a little oil in a wok (remember to heat your wok first, then add the oil; hot pan,
cold oil,foods won’t stick). Use a skillet if ou haven’t discovered this 3000 year old
wonder yet. Brown the chopped yellow onion and green pepper. Add the chicken,
along with the soy sauce, and the rest of the condiments.

Note: I usually use about half a can of tomato paste when cooking for four. The paste
gives the sauce its thickness as well as its tomato base.
3. After stir frying the whole lot (for about 4 to 5 minutes), drain off most of the sauce
and save if you wish.

4. The shredded meat may then be stored for later or put into a Crockpot® to keep
warm. If you don’t have a Crockpot®, just reheat the meat in a skillet or pot.

5. To take the flan out of the pot, put a big, deep plate on top of the pot and quickly flip
the whole thing upside down.

Making Tacos:

6. Hey, knock yourself out. I’ve just listed the basic ingredients for tacos. Use
guacamole, sour cream, olives, sliced banana—you name it. These are good with
either fried or soft shells.

Recipe contributed by: James Homan

 Lemon Soup
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

6 CUPS chicken stock

½ teaspoon dried or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs - any
or all of the following: chervil, tarragon, chives
1 ½ tablespoons brandy
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
4 eggs
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 to 8 tablespoons cooked rice or other small pasta
¼ cup minced fresh mint

Directions

1. In a 6 to 8 quart Dutch oven bring the stock, parsley, herbs, and lemon rind to a boil
over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Remove
the pan from the heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl beat together the eggs, lemon juice, and brandy.
Slowly pour in several cups of the stock mixture, stirring constantly (the broth is added
to the egg mixture very slowly to keep the eggs from curdling).

3. Return this mixture very slowly to the remaining stock mixture, off of the heat, still
stirring constantly. Add the cooked rice or pasta, place the pot over low heat, and stir
constantly for 3 to 5 minutes or until the soup thickens enough to lightly coat the back
of the spoon (like a thin pudding). Do not let the soup come to boil or the eggs will
curdle.

4. Add salt and serve at once, making sure that there is rice or pasta in each serving.
Garnish with freshly minced mint leaves. The soup may also be made ahead and
reheated over very low heat, again taking care not to let it boil.

Recipe contributed by: Sue Hudson

 Quesadillas
Serves 12

Ingredients

1 dozen flour tortillas

½ pound mild cheddar cheese
½ pound Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Grate the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and combine in bowl.

2. Generously cover half a tortilla with the cheese mixture. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of
salsa over the cheese. Fold tortilla in half.

3. Microwave on high until cheese is completely melted. Let cool until cheese solidifies.
Cut into wedges. Serve with guacamole dip and sour cream.

Recipe contributed by: dragonrider

 Three-Pepper Quesadillas
Serves 12

Ingredients

1 dozen flour tortillas

1 cup green pepper, thin strips
1 cup yellow pepper, thin strips
1 cup red pepper, thin strips
½ pound sharp cheddar cheese,
shredded
½ Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup margarine
½ cup onion, thin strips
½ teaspoon cumin, ground

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Saute the green, red, and yellow peppers and the onion in margarine in large skillet.
Stir in cumin. Drain, saving margarine.

3. Combine the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses in a bowl.

4. Cover half of a flour tortilla with cheese. Top with pepper mixture. Fold tortilla in half
and place on baking sheet. Brush lightly with saved margarine.

5. Bake 10 minutes. Let stand two minutes. Cut into thirds. Serve with salsa, guacamole
dip, and sour cream.

Recipe contributed by: dragonrider