El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 25

Things to do: Fashion shows; rock, pop and acoustic guitar performances today 2D PI El Paso Times Section1! nnnnmm Wednesday March 12, 1997 Features Editor Marc Brown, 2D TVVamoS 3D 6D Money gaMteBmHw-fmrrtinwiiliaiii xmmamjemmmmmmmM nam if' ii Ii 'BORDERLAND 0 I fJ 0 jl: 11, HMIHA W' mmm mm Da la Vega, Hutchison Busy cooks' use prepared prod nets to ease mealtime stress By Maria Cortes Gonzalez El Paso Times the thought of using enchilada sauce from a can horrifies take a deep breath. If the sound of i fnl munching on a store- y.r'h-' Peal Dellggarga Cook to Cook Ay Cocula shares beef dish recipe When Christina DelgadorenBt-ed the recipe for Chuleta a lai'lan-cha from the Ay Cocula restaurant on Lee Treviflo, I did not expect to get a behind-the-grill cooking demonstration, i I went to the restaurant to explain who I was and what I wanted, and manager Jesus Aguirre was skeptical. He said it is one of their most popular dishes and a rather simple one to prepare. I might add he is over-simplifying this dish's preparation. Tacos al Carbon, Ay Cocula is one of eight restaurants owned by the Serrato family that features open grill-style cooking.

The other El Paso restaurant is on Paisano near Fox Plaza; six others are in Juarez. Now, rather than give a recipe, let me break it down as it is prepared. That way, if you do not nave the equipment, you at least can adapt it to your kitchen. Start by making an oil mixture. Warm one cup of salad oil over a low flame.

Add one or two chiles de arbol and Vt teaspoon of ground crushed chiles', Set this aside. Next, make the finish seasoning liquid by combining 2 cups of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, cup of the chile oil and a teaspoon of salt. Set aside. To finish the dish (for one serv ing), first put a sizzle platter in the While it heats, ladle about cup of the chile oil onto a very hot griddle, spread it: around and then add about a Vt pound of thinly sliced beef (about '-inch thick). Spread the meat out to cook as quickly as, possi-" ble.

When the meat is about halfway cooked, use a cleaver or a big knife to cut it '-inch strips. Take out the now-hot sizzle platter and place the meat on it. Pour about cup the sea-soned soy sauce over it and serve. Be careful of the hot platter and the steam from the juices Serve with grilled green onions, baked potato, pico de gallo, salsa and plenty of tortillas. Be- cause of the need for working with a very hot griddle, I suggest you think this one out before try-'.

ing it at home. I My thanks to Christina TJelga-do and to manager Jesus Aguirre' and the staff at Ay' Cocula for letting us in on the recipe. bought taco shell makes you shudder, you'd better turn the page. And if the sight of slathering canned beans onto a tortilla makes you gag, go for a walk. Now that the Mexican-food purists have left the room, let's talk (with our heads held high) about cooking using short cuts, Let's count the ways we use store-bought packaged flour tortillas, dehydrated pinto beans and enchilada sauces.

With today's two-income families and harried lifestyles, there's no shame in making tortillas from ready-to-use mixes, building burritos from dinner box fixings, or making a quick chicken mole with the help of Dona Maria. "Now, with so many working mothers, people just don't have the time anymore like in the old days to make these kinds of things (from scratch)," said Rick Galindo, general manager of Las Cru-ces Brand Products. The El Paso-based company has manufactured corn and flour tortillas, pico de gallo and tostadas for more than 30 years. "People now wafit prepared foods that they can stick in the microwave and warm up," Galindo said. Eastsider.

Katha Crowe knows people who would shun the use of packaged tortillas. "My daughter's mother-in-law would have to have both arms in a cast well, even then I don't think she would bother with store-bought tillas." But Crowe doesn't think she's losing anything by letting someone else knead the dough. "I used to make (flour tortillas) from scratch when I lived in Germany because the brands you get over there are just horrible," she said. "But then I tried the Las Cruces brand. Now, I can't see going through all that trouble." Crowe, who cooks for her husband find 10-year-old daughter, said she saves at least half an hour when she A variety of products are on store shelves to help cooks whip up a quick meal of Mexican food.

Among them: prepared taco shells, mole mix and guacamole mix. 1 i 1 i 111 I i i Bill Maine El Paso Times Ivent honors women: The Women's Resource Center of El -Paso Inc. and the El Paso County Medical Society Alliance will sponsor the second annual "True Women" at 6:30 Jp.m. Saturday in the Marriott Uotel, 1600 Airway. This year's honorees will be Sen.

Kay Bailey Hutchison and Guadulupe Arizpe De la Tfounder and past president of' 'JFEMAIV The event is a black-tie affair. Information: 544-0782. opening: The Wilderness Park Museum, 4301 Trans will have an opening for the exhibit "The Deer, the Horse and the Dancer" March The exhibit will showcase more than 30 silk-screen images illustrating Native American life culture. It will be on display through 'July 10. Information: 755-4332.

Luncheon benefits hospice: Jlospice of El Paso will be the' Beneficiary of the annual luncheon and style show by the Club of El Paso at 1:30 a.m. today in the Centennial Club on Biggs Army Airfield. All proceeds will benefit the Eospice, which provides care to facing a fatal illness. Cost $16. 1 Information: 598-2890, 8-8247 or 755-0562.

focuses on students: The Bridge Center for Contemporary Art will present "the multimedia installation of fhe project "Cultural. by Joe "Lewis from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday the center, 1112 E. Yandell. The is being done in collaboration with Mauricio Olague and the students at Guillen School.

"-The event will include sculptures by Lewis made out of gum-tt)y bears. The. sculptures are on Interviews Lewis did with students from Guillen ibout their hopes and aspirations. "7 Information: 532-6707. ELSEWHERE Blues pioneer dies: LaVem Baker, whose hits "Tweedle-Ijee" and "Jim Dandy" put her the top of the rhythm and pines charts in the 1950s and earned her a spot in the Rock Und Roll Hall of Fame, has died.

She was 67. who had suffered from jJiabetes and had had both legs -amputated below the knee two years ago, died Monday at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York. was inducted into the rock hall of fame in 1991, telling the audience, "Regardless of how old you are when you get tEis, it's still good, baby." Actor likes Indie films: Greg-pry Peck's film tastes go beyond traditional Hollywood. 1,1 Peck, won an Academy Award for "To Kill a Mockingbird," said he's a big fan of films made outside major studios, like iargcv 'a dark comedy about rriurder in small-town America.

good sign independent, pictures are doing so well," Peck, 80, told a student' audience Monday at George Mason University. "Sometimes the conglomerate mentality Tends to lack originality and follow a formula of what already popular." Actress honored: She acted like a queen in "Dynasty." Now actress Joan Collins has been honored by one. visited Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace Tuesday, where she was named all Officer of the Order of the British Empire. V'Tve lived in America for a long time and my friends ask me why I haven't become an American citizen," said Collins, 63. "I love everything that goes with being British, and this is one of the things that makes me so "iVour news is good news to readers of the El Paso Times.

Send items similar to tribse above to Community News, P.O. Box 20, El Paso, Texas 79999 or fax information to 546-6415. You may call 5366174 to request an all purpose form submit news items to the Times. meal. "When someone comes over for dinner and I forgot to put beans to cook, those little beans come in handy.

You just put the water to boil, stir in the beans and they're ready in about 10 minutes. "Even those with the most discriminating taste for beans will not know they're not homemade," Aguayo said. JoAnn Mick, a single West sider, said she never reveals the secret behind her delecta ble chilaquiles. "I make them for potluck at work and I never tell (co-workers) that I didn't labor at it," she said. The key ingredients to Mick's recipe can be found on a grocery store shelf: Tostitos tostadas and Old El Paso enchilada sauce.

"It's something real easy and really she said. A glimpse at grocery store shelves in El Paso shows that Please see Quick-mix 2D makes burritos or tacos. "All you have to do is cook the meat and beans, chop up whatever you want and stick it in the microwave. And 22 seconds later you serve it." And what about the flavor? "They taste great. I don't think I'm sacrificing taste I'm just saving myself time," she said.

Carmen Aguayo usually cooks from scratch. But there are times when a package of dehydrated beans saves her m5s is A quick addendum to last week's Red Lobster recipe. We omitted the oven temperature. Heat the oven to 450 degrees and cook the rolls for eight to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Quick chilaquiles By EJ Paaoan JoAnn Mick 2 8-ounce cans of Old Ei Paso enchilada sauce 1 frounce bag of Tostitos tortilla "chips 1 small onion, chopped Shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (as much as desired) Pour sauce Into a pan, stir and bring to boll.

Cover with half a bag of tortilla chips. Turn off heat and spoon sauce over chips. Spread chips onto a baking dish and sprinkle with onion and shredded cheese.1 Easy enchiladas By Pasoan Katha Crowe 1 pound of ground beef 2 20-ounce cans of Rosarita enchilada sauce 1 8-ounce can of Campbell's cream of mushroom 1 package of com tortillas Grated mozzarella cheese (as much as desired) Brown meat and set aside. In a bowl, pour cream of mushroom Into enchilada sauce and stir welL Then, one by one, lightly fry tortillas enough to get them soft. Next, dip each one In enchilada sauce, place the prepared meat and cheese in the center and roll.

Place each one side by side in a baking dish. When all done, pour sauce and more cheese over them and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Com tortillas (Makes 1 dozen) 2 cups of Quaker Masa Harina de Maiz V-h cups warm water Heat comal until It is very hot (about 475 degrees). Combine flour and water and mix until It forms into a ball. If it's dry, add a touch of water.

Wet your hands and form 12 balls of flour; (They should be about 1V4 inches in diameter). Place the ball between a plastic bag and press in tortilla press, (or you can use the bottom of a cake mold). Press until you form a tortilla, about 6 inches wide. Separate It from the plastic by pulling away plastic. Cook the tortilla for 30 seconds or until the sides begin to dry.

Turn the tortilla over and continue to heat it for a minute. It's possible that the tortilla will rise some. Turn It over again and let It continue cooking for 30 to 45 seconds. Take the tortilla and put It in a tortilla receptacle to keep It warm. Continue for each tortilla.

Cook to Cook runs each Wednesday. Tq request the recipe for your favorite dish at an area restaurant, write to us and we'll get from Chef Paul Bellegarde, executive chef at Providence Memorial Hospital and representative of the ACF Paso Del Norte Chapter. Write to Cook to Cook, El Paso Times. P.O. Box 20, Paso, Texas fax 546-6415.

Please include your name a no phone number. Commission for Women to induct 7 honorees yu'. I I I'll I Brennand Turner Paez Castiglia Parker Lacy By Coco Ballew El Paso Times Since 1985; the El Paso Com-mission for Women has worked to ensure that all El Paso women 1 are allowed equal rights and responsibilities. The group's Hall of Fame grew from the desire that women also receive equal recognition for their accomplishments. The commission will induct seven women into the Hall of Fame at a banquet Thursday.

Katherine Brennand was nominated in the civic leadership category by Guadalupe Casillas-Lowenberg. Brennand co-founded the El Paso Public Schools V.I.P Program (Volunteers in Public Schools) through the Ju- nior League of El Paso. Also through the Junior League, she researched a project that resulted in the establishment of the El Paso Community Foundation. Patricia Castiglia was nominated in the health category What Paso Commission for -Women Hall of Fame banquet When: 6 p.m. Thursday.

Where: El Paso Marriott: How much: $40. "mv InformatJon: (505) 589-5839. She also initiated a citywide voter registration drive for and customers for th city'a' eft reer schools. i v. Sue Cardwell was posthumously nominated in ibe civic volunteer category by tfte Woman's Department of 'tjie Greater El Paso Chambfetf of Commerce.

Turner pioneered a cooking program in the 1950s on what was then KROD teleIsirin. She also helped establish the Na-' tional U.S. Border Patrol Museum. m. A cae Auxiliary of El Paso.

Ducre distributed food and other essentials to low-income people in her Lower Valley neighborhood. Mary A. Lacy was nominated in the education category by Rosemary Neill of the YWCA El Paso del Norte Region. After 32 years as a teacher, Lacy joined the YWCA as the administrator of its Teen Leadership program. Her recent project for Make a Difference Day "Read on El Paso" contributed thousands of books to the public library by the University of Texas at El Paso.

Castiglia has served as dean of the university's College of Nursing and Health Sciences since 1990. The college's enrollment has more than doubled under her leadership with the implementation of five new programs, including the graduate nurse-midwifery program, family nurse practitioner program and the women's health-care advanced nursing practice program. Rufina Eva Ducre was posthumously nominated in the civic leadership category by Zeta Ami- Leticia Paez was nominated in the health category by Myrna Deckert of the YWCA El Paso del Norte. Paez is the director of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Community Partnership for Border Community Health Education.

Carolyn Laura Partee Parker was nominated by Tritate Beauty Schools. Owner of Tri-State Beauty Schools since the late 1960s, Parker provided leadership and mentoring to the school's students many of whom are low-income women..