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Traditional Tacos and Contemporary TortillasBy Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady
Let’s Start with the Traditional A TACO TESTIMONY: Passionate, candid, captivating, and raw, this vibrant new “memoir in food”, A TACO TESTIMONY, by Denise Chávez, reveals the challenges faced by a gifted girl coming of age in New Mexico. Her remarkable testimony to cultural pride and family devotion includes arguments in the living room, as well as exultant nights around the Chávez family’s Taco Table.
Sharing her reflections on a misguided father and loyal mother, she ends by embracing the influence each has had on the woman she is today. “My meditations begin in gratitude,” writes Chávez. She offers a rich feast of a book, which, like a formal Mexican dinner, moves from grace through a wide range of memorable experiences — from family recipes to poems, from moving tributes to the less fortunate to strong statements of Chávez’s belief in the power of culture and family to shape character and give great meaning to life. The captivating writing, paired with recipes like Biscochos, Delfina’s Spanish – Really Mexican – Rice, Salsa Daniel, and Tacos a la Delfina, will make A TACO TESTIMONY a favorite food memoir in every family for generations to come. About the Author
And after reading the book, I really want to go to her house for dinner. A TACO TESTIMONY: Recipes from A TACO TESTIMONY Delfina’s Spanish—Really Mexican—Rice1 small onion, diced Sauté onions in a faithful sartén. Two tablespoons of oil should do it but since onions vary, you will have to check, and you may need more. When the onions are soft, add rice. Add the cup of tomatoes. Stir gently and add two cups boiling or very hot water or broth. After the initial stirring of rice, water and tomatoes, add the comino and salt, about a teaspoon each. After this, cover the rice and leave it alone. Don’t look, don’t touch, and don’t mess with the rice! Don’t even think of looking at it until it is done. And how will you know when it is done? You’ll just know. Something in your body will start twitching and itching and you’ll know, you’ll just know it’s ready. If for some reason you don’t start twitching, it should take about 20 minutes. That is, if you use simple white rice and not brown rice. If you use brown rice, we know what kind of person you are, and it will take longer, about 45 minutes. Take the rice from the heat and let it rest. If you are my Mother, your rice will be perfect. If you are like me, the rice will be pretty good, my husband’s phrase for so-so or merely acceptable. His arbitrary “so-so” is what I fear my rice tastes like. Capirotada Sin Vergüenza/Shameless Bread PuddingI come from people who have worried about their food. Maybe not so much about the food itself but about what people thought about their food. Our parents grew up hiding their bean and meat burritos in paper sacks. They’ve eaten their lunches away from others so they wouldn’t be called poor Mexicans, beaners or mojados/wetbacks. Our parents were punished for speaking to each other in Spanish and for having an accent. This recipe for capirotada is without shame. It calls for what you have on hand without the need to get uptight for what you don’t have. 1 loaf of old bread, white or whole wheat Shred bread with your fingers. You can cut it if you choose, but why waste the time? Place bread in a deep, buttered ovenproof dish. Mix in raisins and nuts. Dot with butter and piloncillo. Sprinkle brown sugar and spices over the bread matter. Add juice or liquid to taste. Sprinkle or spread cheese on top. Bake in a 350-degree oven until it browns. This dish is designed to be enjoyed on many levels. Not only is it easy to make, as well as tasty, but it makes you feel good because you can put anything you want into it and you don’t have to explain anything to anyone. Suggested things to put in: (Recipes from A TACO TESTIMONY: Meditations on Family, Food, and Culture, by Denise Chávez; Rio Nuevo Publishers; July 2006; $16.95/Trade paperback) Tumaro's Tortillas Un-"Wraps" New Website New Site Features Recipes, Online Shopping, Retail Locator and More
The new site reflects Tumaro's commitment to making tortillas and wraps more appealingly diverse than ever before. Consumers of all ages and culinary tastes are sure to find something just for them with compelling recipes running the gamut from Tumaro's Caesar Salad Wrap to Italian Pizza Tortillas to the new Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wrap.
Says Tumaro's President Herman Jacobs, "Tumaro's re-designed tortillas 15 years ago with the introduction of the world's first flavored tortillas, so we thought it was only fitting that we do the same for our Website. We have worked hard to make it as warm and appealing as the products themselves, and look forward not only to offering our valued customers a full range of recipes, store locations, and nutrition details, but to receiving their feedback and creative ideas as well." Just last month, Health Magazine named Tumaro's Multi-Grain wraps "the year's best wrap." This marked only the latest in a growing series of major honors for Tumaro's, which includes being recognized as Best Wrap in Men's Health magazine in both 2003 and 2005; and being named 2004 Category Captain/Best in Category by Progressive Grocer Magazine. About Tumaro's Gourmet TortillasBased in Los Angeles, California, Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas is the country's best-selling flavored tortilla brand, a category the company first introduced a decade ago. Offering delicious and nutritious tortillas, wraps, and flatbreads through retailers throughout the country and through its successful food service division, Tumaro's products have received numerous national food awards. For more information, visit www.tumaros.com or call 800-777-6317. Madelyn Miller is a writer and web entrepreneur who writes for www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com |
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TM
It must have been Mexican fusion day at Fed X and UPS. On
one day recently, I got a book on tacos and some very healthy tortillas
flatbreads. Clearly the Gods of Hunger knew I was craving something Mexican. And
they thoughtfully provided even a healthier alternative.
I wonder how different her life might have been if she had
Tortilla Flatbreads. But is reflecting on that sort of like wondering what would
have happened if Columbus discovered the world was flat,
Denise Chávez is an award-winning fiction writer,
playwright, actress and teacher. Her first novel, Face of an Angel, won the 1995
American Book Award. Her works include Loving Pedro Infante, nonfiction, fiction
for children, and over forty-five plays. Chávez founded the Cultural Center of
Mesilla and the Border Book Festival. She lives with her husband in Las Cruces,
New Mexico. 
Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas, America's best- selling
flavored tortilla brand, today serves up its newly-revamped
The consumer-friendly new site also features a separate
page designed specially for the company's food service clients, including
restaurants, snack shops, hotels, theme parks and other popular visitor
destinations nationwide.