Cinco De Murder

by Rebecca Adler

  2–3 tablespoons of water

  1 tablespoon cooking oil, plus ½ cup

  4 corn tortillas

  4 eggs

  salt to taste

  Salsa

  Chop tomatoes, onion, garlic, and serrano chile. Add thyme and 2–3 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth. Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a saucepan until hot. Pour tomato mixture into the hot oil. (Be very careful, liquid may spatter.) Simmer until salsa is deep red and slightly thick.

  Salt to taste.

  Tortillas

  Pour ½ cup of cooking oil into a small-to-medium-sized frying pan—about ¼ inch deep. Heat oil to medium hot. Fry tortillas in oil for 20 seconds on each side, 1 at a time. Do not allow tortillas to get hard. Drain excess oil.

  Sunny-Side Up Eggs

  Using the medium-hot oil from the fried tortillas, add 2 eggs to the oil. Tilt the pan so the eggs are close together. Cook until whites of the eggs are cooked through and yolks are runny.

  Serving

  Place 2 tortillas on serving plate. Carefully place eggs on tortillas. Spoon warm tomato salsa over eggs. Serve immediately.

  Senora Mari’s Chicken Quesadillas

  Serves 8–10

  Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes

  2 chicken breasts

  ½ teaspoon oregano

  ½ teaspoon garlic powder

  ¼ teaspoon cumin

  salt and pepper to taste

  vegetable oil or your favorite cooking oil

  ½ cup onion, chopped

  butter for sautéing

  1 cup shredded Manchego or asadero cheese

  1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

  1 dozen flour tortillas

  Season chicken breast with oregano, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Fry in small amount of oil over medium heat. Cook until browned and cooked throughout. Shred the chicken, using 2 forks.

  Brown and caramelize onions in butter.

  Spoon 2 tablespoons of each cheese on one side of tortilla. Add some chicken and caramelized onions. Fold tortilla in half. Fry in butter over medium-low heat until cheese is melted and tortilla is golden brown.

  Pecan Pralines

  Makes 20 pralines

  Prep time: 5 minutes. Inactive: 10 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes

  2 cups white sugar

  4 cups pecans

  2 cups light-brown sugar

  1 heaping tablespoon unsalted butter

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  ⅔ cup whole milk

  6 tablespoons light corn syrup

  Stir together all ingredients in a large saucepan. Be sure to stir well. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until mixture reaches 234 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (Candy may resemble a softball at this stage.)

  Remove mixture from heat and stir 2 minutes, or until the mixture loses some of its shininess. Quickly spoon candy onto trays lined with wax or parchment paper. Let candy cool for about 20 minutes.

  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 and The Good, the Bad, and the Guacamole (books one and two in the Taste of Texas Mystery series). Visit her online at AuthorRebeccaAdler.com.

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