The Good, the Bad and the Guacamole

by Rebecca Adler

1 medium onion, diced

  2 cups chili gravy

  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a large baking dish.

  Pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth after heating until all are heated. Pour ½ cup of chili gravy in the baking dish.

  Place ¼ cup of the cheese and 1 tablespoon of the onion in the center of each tortilla and roll it. Place the rolled tortillas in the baking dish, seam side down.

  Pour the remaining gravy over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and onions on top. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

  Senora Mari’s Pecan-Crusted Tilapia

  Makes 4 servings

  Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 8 minutes

  ½ cup pecan halves

  4 fresh tilapia fillets, about 6 ounces each

  1 teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon garlic powder

  ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  3 tablespoons butter

  Golden Rum–Butter Sauce (see recipe)

  lemon wedges, for garnish

  fresh parsley sprigs, for garnish

  Chop the pecans until fine and pour into a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the fish fillets with the salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Dredge the fish in the finely chopped pecans.

  In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the fillets, and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until well-browned and the fish flakes when pierced with a fork.

  Serve each fillet with Golden Rum–Butter Sauce, a lemon wedge, and a parsley sprig, if desired.

  Golden Rum–Butter Sauce

  3 tablespoons butter

  1 shallot, minced

  1 clove garlic, minced

  2 tablespoons rum

  1 teaspoon honey

  ½ teaspoon salt

  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

  Melt the butter in a small pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the minced shallot and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is tender.

  Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in the rum slowly, and then add the honey, salt, lemon juice, and orange juice. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

  Serve warm.

  Variation

  You may substitute fresh lemon juice for the rum.

  The Cogburn Hotel’s Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

  Makes about 4 dozen

  Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes

  2½ cups all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 cup butter (2 sticks)

  ¾ cup sugar

  ¾ cup brown sugar, packed

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  2 eggs

  2 cups chocolate chips

  1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

  In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture.

  Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet by tablespoons. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

  Josie’s Favorite Peach Margarita

  Makes 1 cocktail

  1 ounce peach schnapps

  1 ounce cranberry juice

  1½ ounces margarita mix

  1 ounce tequila

  ½ ounce raspberry liqueur

  ¼ cup lime juice

  Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker. Serve on the rocks (use plenty of ice) in a salted or sugared margarita glass.

  About the Author

  Rebecca Adler lives in Texas and writes mysteries set in far West Texas, filled with sweet, Southern-fried flavor, delicious suspense, and scrumptious Tex-Mex recipes. She is the author of Here Today, Gone Tamale (book one in the Taste of Texas Mystery series). Visit her online at AuthorRebeccaAdler.com.

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  Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.

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