I hope everyone of you had a Happy and delicious Easter!  We surely did.  I roasted a Ham with a Double Cherry-Berry-Bourbon Chutney, and had Swedish Scalloped Potatoes, Cesar Salad, Asparagus, Fresh Fruit and Apple Strudel ala Mode for dessert.  We spent a lot of time chatting out of doors, looking at the beautiful flowers and enjoying the company of my daughter, grand-daughter and so-in-law and our 2 darling Dachshunds.

Mother's Day is just around the corner.  I think that  many Mother's would enjoy one of my cookbooks and a Gift Box of our Pecos Valley Spices.  My Quick and Easy Gift Box features my

"Quick and Easy Southwestern" cookbook which has over 200 recipes that can be made in 20 minutes or less with an average of 5 ingredients and all are very health conscious with Nutritional breakdowns featuring low fat, sodium and calories .  Included in the box are an assortment of our pure spices and chiles to use in the recipes.

For the super health conscious, I created the Chiles 4 Health Gift box which features my all time most beautiful cookbook, "Real Women Eat Chiles" which is loaded with good to know, life extending chile health information and very health conscious recipes, using the same health index as the "Quick and Easy" cookbook above and are quick and easy to prepare recipes.  An assortment of our pure chiles and spices are included.

For the chili lovers,  the Chili Madness Gift Box is just the thing with spicy, fun recipes for all kinds of chili used all kinds of ways.  There are appetizers, ways to use left over chili, side dishes, desserts and drinks.  And our pure chiles and spices are just the thing for cooking up great chili--which is great anytime you can get it.

And then there is my Mexican Regional Gift Box, featuring my "Mexican Regional"  cookbook which has many of the  popular and yummy recipes from the regions of Mexico along with the pure chiles and spices to prepare the delicious dishes.   This cookbook features the recipes from my award winning series of weekend cooking classes at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess hotel.

Each of the gift boxes contains one of my cookbooks and Pecos Valley Spices and I will be glad to autograph the cookbook  to whom you wish.  We will ship wherever you wish as well.

We have a very few half price openings for our April 26-28 weekend and would love to have you come cook with us.  Our shut off time is Thursday, April 25. Our next weekend class is May 24-26, 2019.

I am extending our 25% off week long price through this week.  The dates for the week long class are July 15-19, 2019 and finally--we are now accepting reservations for Oaxaca for June 9-15, 2020.  You may make payments for the Oaxaca or week long class.  

Here are some favorite quick and easy recipes to go easy on the cooking after Easter.

                                                                        AZTEC PORK CHOPS
We have the Aztecs to thank for chipotle chiles.  With their spicy, smoky taste, they are delicious combined with cinnamon in this dish.  Serve them with grilled Jicama for crunch, whipped sweet potatoes with carrots, and a spinach salad for a meal fine enough for company.  

Yield:  4 servings
Cooking time:  16 minutes

2 dried Chipotle Chiles, reconstituted, or 1 teaspoon Chipotle Chile powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup honey
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground pure mild red chile
 4 pork loin chops (1 inch thick), trimmed of excess fat
4 cinnamon sticks
4 slices Jicama, each ¼ inch thick 

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the drained chiles, garlic, honey, ground cinnamon, and ground chile.  Add enough chipotle cooking liquid to make a thick paste.  Marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Preheat the grill, stovetop grill, or a large, heavy, seasoned skillet to medium high.  Grill the chops for 8 minutes per side.  At the same time and on the same surface, grill the Jicama until it is slightly edged with brown on each side.  To serve, top each chop with a cinnamon stick.  Overlap each chop with a slice of the grilled Jicama.

PER SERVING:  Calories 281, Protein 25 g, Carbohydrates 20 g, Fiber 1 g, Fat 11 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 70 mg, Sodium 53 mg.

POLLO RELLENOS WITH SALSA GARNISH

Relleno in Spanish means stuffed. Here, I have stuffed the chicken breasts with cheese and green chile, then coated them with a crispy coating. The traditional Salsa Fresca is wonderful as an accompaniment.

Yield: 4 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of any fat or sinew (see note)

2 Tablespoons low-fat Cheddar Cheese or more to suit taste

2 Tablespoons chopped green chile (canned or frozen) or more to suit taste

¼ cup skim milk or buttermilk

½ cup cornflake crumbs (see note)

Salsa Fresca, optional

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Pound with a tenderizer mallet or the flat side of a heavy knife. Lay the chicken breasts out flat and divide the cheese and chiles among them.

Roll the chicken and fasten with toothpicks or skewers, tucking in the sides to hold the cheese mixture. Dip in the milk to coat uniformly then dip into the cornflake crumbs.

2. Place in a microwave-safe baking dish, cover with wax paper, and cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the Salsa Fresca, if using. Spoon a ribbon of salsa over each serving.

Salsa Garnish

½ cup chopped tomato

½ cup chopped onion

½ chopped green chiles

Combine the tomato, onion, and chiles; mix well.

*Note: Boneless, skinless thighs can be substituted, if preferred. Cheese-cracker crumbs can be substituted for the cornflake crumbs, but they contain more fat.

Per serving: Calories 205, Protein 29 g, Carbohydrates 13 g, Fiber 1 g, Fat 3 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 74 mg, Sodium 242 mg.