SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
Growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I learned to eat Mexican food quite early. I don’t remember my Mother making anything but enchiladas, but we ate out at Mexican restaurants quite often. It took me a while to learn to eat guacamole and enjoy it, but now it’s one of my favorite foods! I never try to make it myself, but our favorite Mexican restaurant in town makes the best! I have a friend from Albuquerque who owned a health food store and eatery one time, and she just whipped up the best guacamole I’ve ever eaten! Wish I’d gotten her recipe!
In any case, I had a sopapillas recipe from my Aunt Jessie, but was a bit difficult and time consuming to make, so didn’t do that too often. I did make enchiladas quite often however. While we were living in northern Maine for 13 months, we met a family across the court from us who had a Mexican heritage, and she made really good Mexican food. She shared her recipe for tacos and sopapillas, which have been my family’s favorite for a long time.
I don’t make the sopapillas that often, but they are a great compliment to the tacos. They puff up nicely. Bite off one corner of a sopapilla and pour warmed honey into it…and yummm!! Lots of Mexican restaurants use sopapillas as a “dessert,” but that’s not what I use them for. I could make a meal of them! As a matter of fact, when our girls were growing up, they really didn’t like the tacos, so whenever I made that meal, their meal was the sopapillas! However, they’ve both grown to love all kinds of Mexican foods.
TACOS
1 finely chopped onion, sautéed in 2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil)
Add and simmer until most of the juice has cooked out:
½ cup V-8 juice
3 peeled minced green chilies (one small can)
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
⅛ tsp thyme (or less, according to your taste)
½ – ¾ tsp salt
Dash of cayenne
Stand taco shells up in a 9”x13” pan; fill each shell with cooked mixture. Top with chopped tomatoes (or not) and shredded cheddar cheese, and lettuce if you desire.
Bake in a 350º oven until cheese is melted.
(I doubled this recipe for 12 tacos shells)
Credit Google Search, Pixabay and Taco Time Again Taco
SOPAPILLAS
1¾ cup sifted all-purpose flour (unbleached is okay)
2 tsp baking powder (NOT BAKING SODA)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp shortening (Crisco) – use the stick kind – easier to measure
⅔ cup cold water
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening (I have a pastry blender that I use). Mix with your hand to get the “feel” of all the shortening mixed in. Add the water and mix thoroughly to make a stiff dough.
Knead the dough lightly until it is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at least 10 minutes. Longer than 10 minutes is okay – it only makes the dough softer.
Roll the dough very thin (about ⅛” thick) into a rectangle. Cut into 3” squares.
Heat the oil in a large pot until it is very hot (385º – 400º on a deep-fat-frying thermometer). When hot enough, drop a few squares of dough into it. Turn frequently so that the sopapillas will puff up evenly. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Serve hot with warmed honey.
Credit Google Search and isabeleats.com
~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~
Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .
Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.
After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.
Old Things R New 