Honor your Father with one of our Super Specials on my autographed cookbooks with tried, true and fun recipes...or better yet--one of our Gift Boxes combining a book with the chiles and spices to prepare many dishes.  Each is discounted 10% until June 8 midnight.

The "Finger Lickin' Barbecue "  cookbook contains a collection of sauces from all over the US, such as Fiery Hot South Carolina Pork, Alabama Smoky Barbecued Chicken, Down Home Louisiana Barbecued Shrimp and New Mexico Barbecued Beef Ribs plus lots of hints 'n tips for barbecuing indoors as well as outdoors.  And a real plus is a current list of the very best barbecue places in the US--from joints to extravagant...called the PIt Stops section at the end of the book.

With this book you will be licking your fingers for many years to come.

My "Southwestern  Grilling" book offers a collection of special recipes for grilling many kinds of meats such as Dallas Style Grilled Flank Steak, Leg of Lamb a la Greque, Jamaican Jerk Rubbed Grilled Pork Ribs, Grilled Chicken Breast with Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette over Fusilli and Margarita Marinated Grilled Red Snapper.

This book takes away the ho-hum  out of grilling.

My Newest version of  "Chili Madness" is so much fun--it takes making chili to a new dimension!  I have had so many  people tell me their family has cooked all the way through the first edition of "Chili Madness" which was a fun collection of mostly award winning chilis--whereas the newest editions have more than 130 new recipes--some for chilis, and many for appetizers, ways with left over chilis, side dishes,  desserts, drinks and more.

One of my favorite endorsements came recently from Robert Smith of Clearwater, Florida who said he lost 75 pounds by making my favorite Bowl o' Red Chili and First Love chili.  Chili is so healthful in so many ways!   Some of the new chili recipes include, Clam and Green Chile Chile,  Chorizo  Turkey Chili and Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili.  Leftover ideas include such  yummy recipes as Upside-Down Chili Pie, Navajo Tacos and Portobello Mushroom Chili n' Cheese Steaks to name a few.

Plus there's salads such as Apple-Blue Cheese Slaw, Mexican Confetti Salad with Avocado Citrus Dressing and Black Bean Chipotle Salad.  Desserts include Applesauce Cake with Creamy Frosting and Spiced Walnuts, Double-Chocolate Farmer's Cakes and Fresh Lemon Custard Pie,  Shaker Style. plus lots of amazing drinks.

This book is my all-time best seller and is included in a great gift boxassortment with my favorite chiles and fresh, fresh cumin--so necessary for  great tasting chili.

Order NOW for Father's day and  I will autograph the book as you wish.  Or give him a class or the very special Oaxaca tour.

We have been very, very busy with all the ordinary gardening and such plus entertaining Lou's granddaughter and boy friend from Washington DC, seeing the great Garden Tour of Corrales and presenting a very special private class for 7 Pastel Artists here for a convention from Cape Cod.

We are extending our 20% off special on our week long class and taking reservations for our day classes, weekend classes and Oaxaca. 

Have a great week--here are 2 favorite recipes...

CLAM AND GREEN CHILE CHILI

Clams are definitely innovative in chili! However, I have always loved New England style clam chowder and thought, why not marry the flavors—using the milder green chile flavor with the spiciness of chorizo to pep it up. It works, and I hope you enjoy it too.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

8 ounces Mexican chorizo
1 cup chopped onion (1 large onion)
2 large unpeeled russet potatoes, diced
3 large green chiles, parched, peeled and chopped—or 1, 4 ounce can or ½ cup frozen green chile
2 fresh jalapenos, minced
3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin, divided
1, 15 ounce can whole kernel corn
2 cups chicken stock
2, 6 ounce cans chopped clams
6 corn tortillas, cut into very thin strips
Pequin chile, to taste, optional

1. Remove casing from chorizo and coarsely chop. Place in unheated large 5 quart pot and sauté over medium heat until the chorizo melts and cooks—about five minutes. With a spoon, remove most of fat.

2. In remaining fat, sauté the onion until clear. Add the potato, chiles, garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, corn and chicken stock. Simmer until the potato is done, about 20 minutes. Add clams and remaining cumin. Taste and adjust flavors, adding salt if desired.

3. In the meantime while the chili is simmering, preheat an oven to 425 F. Place finely cut tortilla strips on baking sheet and place in oven until crisp—about 8 to 10 minutes. When tortilla strips are first baking, squiggle with a large fork to make them curl.

4. To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls, then sprinkle with pequin if desired. Or pass the pequin for those who like it spicier.

APPLESAUCE CAKE WITH CREAMY FROSTING AND SPICED WALNUTS

This is a fabulous cake, I think, which I have enjoyed for special occasions forever. It is the one I wanted for my 40th birthday. A wonderful ending to any dinner, this cake is dressy enough for even the most regal occasions. An option would be to bake the cake ahead of time, freeze it, and frost it just before serving. To save additional time, toast the chopped walnuts for the cake while browning the Spiced Walnuts for the garnish.

Yield: Serves 12

Temperature: 375 F

Baking time: 35 minutes

Spicy Walnuts:

¾ cup walnut halves or large pieces

1 egg white

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Few grates fresh nutmeg

Cake:

1 cup walnuts

12 Tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter, plus 1 teaspoon for buttering pans

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce

½ cup dried currants, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish

Creamy Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Prepare the Spiced Walnuts. Place the walnut halves in a shallow bowl. In another small bowl, beat the egg white until foamy, then add the remaining ingredients and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the walnut halves and carefully stir so as not to break the walnuts. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Place the spiced walnuts halves on al aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, separating them so they do not touch each other. Place the whole walnuts in a shallow ovenproof pan. Bake the spiced walnuts and whole walnuts until toasted, 10 minutes. Set aside the spiced walnuts until needed. Chop the toasted whole walnuts and set aside.

3. Prepare the cake: Butter the sides of the two 9-inch round cake pans, then cut a piece of waxed paper to fit the bottom of each and line the pans.

4. Place the remaining butter in the large bowl of the electric mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until completely incorporated. Add the egg and beat until fluffy again, about 1 more minute.

5. Combine the flour with spices, salt, and soda and stir to mix well. Add half of the flour mixture, then half the applesauce, and mix on low speed until well mixed, about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining applesauce, mix again until completely incorporated, about 1 more minute. Add the chopped walnuts and currants and mix in. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

6. Place the cake pans on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cake to loosen if from the pan and invert it into the wire racks to cool for an additional 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting.

7. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cake plate and spread on third of the frosting on top. Place the second cake layer on the first and spread the remaining frosting over the top and side of the cake.

8. Sprinkle the spiced walnuts in a ring about 1 inch from the edge of the cake. Scatter the remaining currants over the walnuts. Slice and enjoy.

Creamy Frosting

This classic cream cheese frosting is especially good on moist cakes, such as carrot, zucchini, or the applesauce cake. It’s also good on cinnamon rolls. It can be made several days ahead and kept sealed in plastic container in the refrigerator, or for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Makes 4 to 5 cups

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

5 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, preferably Mexican

1. Place the butter and cream cheese in a mixer bowl and mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.  Add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and combine on low speed until well mixed. Add the vanilla. Continue to add the confectioner’s sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition, until all the sugar is completely incorporated.