Rhubarb Pie *
(Serves 8)

9” double piecrust
3-4 C raw rhubarb stems (1/2” pieces)
1½ C sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine all ingredients (except pie crust) in a large bowl.  Toss to blend and let stand 15 minutes.  Spoon into prepared pie shell (frozen or homemade), top with 2nd crust and crimp edges.  Brush with a little milk, sprinkle with sugar, and prick holes with fork.  Bake 50-55 minutes till crust is brown.

* Make it a Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie by substituting 1 or 2 cups of sliced fresh strawberries for rhubarb.

Tips & Glossary: Tex-Mex

Hot, hot hot!  For many, that’s the pleasure with Tex-Mex cuisine.  But if you’re sensitive to throat-burning peppers, then turn down the heat by reducing the amount of peppers in these dishes. 

• Avocado: use only ripe avocados with dark purplish-brown skin. If you have any unused avocado (why would you?  But say you do…), rub the surface with lemon juice to keep it from browning.

• Chili Powder: dried ground chili peppers typically mixed with cumin, garlic powder, and oregano.  You can make your own blend, adding cinnamon, cloves, coriander, paprika, and nutmeg.  Briefly heat dried peppers in a skillet to release flavors, then grind them into powder.

• Chili Pepper: any small hot pepper, as opposed to larger, milder bell peppers; includes, cayenne (red), chipotle (smoke-dried jalapeños), habanero, jalapeño, paprika, poblano, serrano, and tabasco.

• Chimichanga: a deep fried tortilla, filled with rice, beans, cheese, or meat, and folded into a rectangular packet. It's thought to have originated in Arizona.

• Coriander:  also known as cilantro and Mexican or Chinese parsley. Both fresh leaves and dried ground seeds are used in Mexican, Mid-East, Asian, and Indian cuisines.

• Cumin: an aromatic, related to parsley and carrot plant; an important ingredient in chili powder.  Used especially in Indian curries, but also in Mexican, Thai and Asian dishes.  It has an earthy, peppery flavor.

• Enchilada:  made using corn tortillas, dipped in a sauce, filled and rolled up.  They are placed in a casserole type dish and covered with sauce and cheese, then baked.

• Quesadilla: (kay-sa-dee-ya), literally, “little cheese thing.” In southwestern cooking it has come to mean a sort of grilled cheese sandwich, using two tortillas filled primarily with cheese, grilled in a skillet or griddle, then cut into wedges.