Sister Alatini's Recipes From September's Relief Society Dinner

These recipes are old recipes from my mother and she never wrote them down - they were just by word of mouth.  My mother never cooked with recipes- that’s what made her a great cook.  I know these just because I had watched her over and over again make these recipes.  So I am trying to put these instructions in a way that everyone can understand.  I too only know these recipes by mouth and do not have exact measurements.  I apologize.  If anyone has any questions or gets stumped when making these, just call me and I will be happy to walk you through.  Also Mexican food is very oily and very fattening which is why it is so yummy.  I always say in moderation. Ha! Ha!  It is a nice treat here and there.

Rice:         This rice is a bit different - not the way everyone is used to making rice.  I know I use a rice cooker most of the time, but when you make Mexican rice, you need to have flavor, and unfortunately Mexican rice or Spanish rice is made in a greasy, but tasty, yummy way, and of course, is only eaten every once in awhile. 

1 c. oil

4 c. rice (calrose rice is best)

1 bunch cilantro

2 cubes caldo de tomato or tomato bullion

8 c. water  (2 cups of water for every cup of rice)

seasoning salt, to taste

Use a pot that has a deep dish for several cups of water.  Put about 1 cup of oil in the pot on med high.  Once the oil is hot enough, put 4 cups of rice on the stove with the oil.  Keep mixing the rice into the oil until rice changes to a white color.  When most of the rice has changed colors, add 8 cups of water, mixing the rice very well.  Add 2 cubes of Caldo de Tomato. Chop the cubes into small pieces before putting them in the water.  Chop up one bunch of cilantro into small pieces and throw it into the water.  Add some seasoning salt and mix very well (until you see the caldo de tomato pretty much dissolved.) Cover with a lid letting a crack be open on top to let the steam out.   Turn stove down to med and let cook until water is gone.  I usually watch rice very carefully.  Half way in between, mix it one more time.  Rice is done when all the water is gone.

Enchiladas(Chile quiles) :   

corn tortillas

salt

2 cans green Chile sauce (las Palmas)

cumin

3 cans green chilies

pepper

4 c. oil 

1 boiled chicken,

shredded

cheese

Boil chicken, then shred chicken or cut into pieces.  Put chicken in cooker for about 2 hours with 1 can Green Chile sauce to simmer. Add salt, cumin, and pepper according to your taste.  Add about 3 cans of green chilies to your chicken as well to simmer. When chicken is done, you can start layering.


First put a little green sauce on the bottom of your pan as a base for your tortillas.  Heat up about 4 cups of oil to dunk your corn tortillas in to soften them up.  (You do not fry them to where you are going to make a complete tostada shell.  You just dunk in oil for them to crisp just a little.)   Put in pan one by one to cover the pan (about 7 tortillas all on the bottom of the pan with the sauce.)  Put on top chicken with the sauce.  Add a layer of cheese.  Smother on more green sauce to cover all layers of chicken and tortillas.  Keep repeating this until you have done about 2 or three layers. 

Lemonade recipe: 

Lemonade Kool-aid

Sugar

Mango flavoring (Smart and Final)

Frozen fresh peaches, and sliced lemons

Just mix lemonade kool-aid with sugar according to taste in one gallon container or whatever container you decide to make it in.  Always mix it according to taste with the sugar.  When you put it in a glass pitcher, you then put one to two cups (again according to your taste) of the mango flavoring.  Then just add the frozen fresh peach slices and lemon slices.  This drink is meant to taste good, but also serves as a pretty drink on your table.