Good Morning.
When I was a kid and my parents went somewhere on a Friday or Saturday night, I was okay with being babysat by a great aunt who lived with us and made stuff like ice cream sandwiches out of waffles the minute they were out of sight. I was okay, that is, until I went to bed and worried myself silly. I never closed my eyes until I heard the car in the driveway and the garage door close with a thud - garage doors were operated by hand back then. I pretended to be asleep when my parents checked in on me and maybe smoothed out the covers. The door to my bedroom was never closed and there was a night light in the hallway and a dog who made the rounds to make sure everyone was safe and sound. That was the most important thing in the world - feeling safe.
I cannot imagine what those kids are going through down at the southwestern border of the United States, being torn from their parents and caged up like animals. These children will likely be damaged for life, but nobody in the current administration seems to care about anybody at all, even innocents who had nothing to do with their parents' attempts to come here under less than optimum circumstances. Every former first lady has now publicly decried the wretchedness of what is happening to these kids under a policy created by public officials clearly not in touch with the human condition. The Methodist Church has sent a formal letter of protest to the Attorney General telling him to knock it off, and several other churches are also speaking out. They'll probably have their tax-exempt status yanked sometime this week. Therefore, with my attitude nicely in place, I offer a menu that would never be served at the White House.
We begin with Mexican Pork Chops, adapted for the American palate. This recipe will feed six people.
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
6 big pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup picante sauce
1/2 cup taco seasoning mix
1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
Spray a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the chops on both sides with salt and pepper, then brown them on both sides and set them aside. Combine in a bowl the water, rice, tomato sauce, picante sauce, and taco seasoning and pour it into the baking dish. Lay the chops onto this mixture and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with Colby Jack, return
to the oven, and bake, uncovered, for another ten minutes. To serve, scoop a chop with some rice mixture onto each plate
and top with a dollop of sour cream. Absolutely delicious.
Serve the chops with an icy cold Corona or Dos Equis and this easy Avocado and Tomato Salad.
4 avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
The juice of one lime
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
In a large bowl, place the avocado, onion, pepper, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Toss carefully and serve on salad greens. You should have enough for the six people who are eating the chops.
And for dessert we have Tres Leches, one of the best cakes on the planet.
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups whole milk
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Grease and flour a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside. In a bowl, cream the butter and the first cup of granulated sugar until well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.
Beat well. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a bit at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for half an hour. Remove from the oven, pierce the top with the tines of a fork, an ice pick or whatever you have on hand. Let the cake cool completely on the counter. In a bowl, mix up the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk and pour over the top of the cake. In another bowl, beat the whipping cream, adding
the last cup of sugar a bit as you go, along with the last teaspoon of vanilla. Spoon the whipped cream over the top of the cake and keep in the fridge unless you're cutting yourself another piece.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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