Holiday cooking
When friends and family gather for good company and good food

Cockwise from top left: Linda Martinez, Lidia Medrano, Julieta Robledo, Silvia Muir, Maria Garcia.

In every country, city, town or community, there is one language understood by all - that of good food and laughter around a table.

This year the Jasper Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce will celebrate that idea in their Christmas parade Dec. 7, Christmas Around the World.

Children in schools always learn how Native Americans and new arrivals from Europe came together to begin a harvest tradition, the first Thanksgiving, almost 400 years ago. It brought together two very different cultures, but for that feast there was harmony and good will.

Many more immigrants came, bringing traditional cooking from Ireland, Italy, Germany, and Portugal. Spanish and French blended to become creole and cajun. From Africa came a taste for sweet potatoes (actually, Africa had nyami, yams).

Corn was native here, unknown in Europe, but quickly adopted worldwide. From South America came a strange red fruit, the tomato (yes, it is a fruit), and a bitter drink made from chocolate (but, oh, what the Swiss did with that).

In the West, Chinese were helping to bring the railroads East. Later came Japanese, Phillipinos, Vietnamese, Indians and Russians, along with new vegetables, spices, and methods of cooking.

Every people who has reached these shores have added to the richness of American cuisine. What we think of as a traditional Thanksgiving dinner is really a map of where we came from, and a blueprint to build fellowship in shared meals.

Tex-Mex Proud

Texas brings to the table not only the time-honored traditions of the Old South and the New England pilgrims, but also the fiery taste

of Mexico in a cuisine that is enjoyed all over the globe and universally recognized as Tex-Mex.

It's different from the Cuban food in Miami. It's hot enough to bring tears to an Argentinian's eyes. It's not some confused West Coast blend that can't decide if it's Mexasiafornian or Calexicasian or whatever.

Students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Region 5 Adult Education Center recenty gathered at Linda Martinez's home in Rayburn Country to prepare authentic cuisine from various parts of Mexico.

All of these recipes can be put together is a few minutes, cooked and on the table in an hour or less. Some, like Maria Garcia's secret chicken salad would adapt well with leftover turkey.

Martinez said you can

save time on her Mexican lasagne by using tortilla chips, but "frying your own is always better."

Ingredients like "cacique," a canned cream, are increasingly available at area supermarkets, and cilantro has become a staple.

The last hallmark you need to know isn't in the ingredients or the method of cooking --- it's in the presentation.

Decórelo. Add a sprig of mint or a sprinkle of cinnamon to your rice pudding. Wreath your chicken salad with cilantro and cherry tomatoes. Make a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. And treasure every tradition that brings you pleasure.

Corn Tortillas

By: Lidia Medrano
3 cups of corn four
(Maseca)
1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 cups of warm water

Mix the ingredients for about 2 minutes to form soft dough. If dough feels dry, add more water. Let it stand for 3 minutes. Divide the dough into small balls. place each ball between plastic in the tortillera and press.

Pre-heat "el-comal" (fry pan) on medium high heat. Cook tortillas turning them so both sides would be cooked.

And now it's ready to eat with what ever you want.

Makes: 30 tortillas

Chilaquiles-Mexican Lassaña

By: Linda Martinez
1 cup vegetable oil
30 tortillas
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chicken concentrated
1 lb. green tomatoes
3 Serrano's chilies
3/4 cup water
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup table cream
"Cacique"
1 lb. chicken breast

Cut tortillas in squares and fry them in oil until they are golden brown. Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels.

In a skillet cook tomatoes with chilies and onions. Then blend them until the sauce is ready.

In a large dish fix layers with tortillas and the other ingredients until you place all ingredients.

Pre-heat oven to 350º then cook "Los Chilaquiles" for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

*This recipe is for 8 servings.

My Secret Chicken Salad

By: Maria Garcia
4 cups chopped chicken
1 cup romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cubed carrots
1/2 cup cubed celery
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh green onion
15 oz. mayonnaise

Cook the chicken with salt. Then make small pieces.

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients except the mayonnaise. Put the mayonnaise and stir carefully.

Place in a serving dish and garnish with some cilantro.

Makes: 20 servings

Rice Pudding

By: Julieta Robledo
8 cup milk
1-1/2 cup white rice
1 cinnamon stick
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup raisins (Optional)

Combine the milk, rice, and cinnamon stick. Boil the rice until tender, stirring constantly. Then pour in the evaporated milk, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and raisins (optional) in the pot.

Boil until thickened.

Let cool then serve in individual cups. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Serve cold or hot.

Serves 12.