When you give a gift that shares knowledge, you give a "forever gift" .  And the gift giver (you) gains that warm feeling from sharing from the heart.  I love to help people do just that!  Just call us at 505-243-2622 for a gift certificate(s) for a class or product assortment or gift box.

Our gift certificates for any of our classes or products share how to prepare dishes that are delicious and healthy.  And once you know the "insider secrets" for yummy dishes of all kinds and types, cooking them becomes much more fun and easily accomplished.

So many people don't realize the huge benefits of chile health.  How regular eating of them  protects you from the wear and tear of daily living.  And...when you couple red or green chile with blue corn--it is totally amazing.  Did you know that blue corn is the only known food with ALL of the essential vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids for total health?  By the way, we do carry blue corn flour and posole and of course, several kinds of pure chilies with no additives or preservatives.

And....it is so easy to give our Gift Certificates.  Just give us a call at 505-243-2622 and a gift certificate will soon be on it's way electronically for your own gift giving pleasure.  We do have special Gift Box combinations of our products with autographed books, which make an especially wonderful gift--and we will drop ship for you to any designation.

Here's my favorite cut-out cookie recipe and Frosting--

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

This is a classic for Christmas or anytime you want cookies for decorating. I have made these cookies for many years for Christmas. Sometimes, we have made them thick, almost ½ inch thick and placed a piece of drinking straw in the top of the dough and when baked and decorated, we have hung them on the Christmas tree. By the way, when the Clinton’s were in the White House, we were selected to represent New Mexico and made adobe churches and houses of the dough for hanging on the tree. They sent us a picture of themselves in front of the tree with all the state’s cookies on it—a nice touch. These cookies keep very well. They are really the best when frosted.

Oven Temperature: 350F Baking Time: 10 minutes

Yield: Approximately 2 to 3 dozen cookies, depending on size

¾ cup butter or margarine (1½ sticks)
¾ cups granulated or brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
¾ cup molasses
¼ cup water
3¼ cup all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Cream butter and sugar together. Add the salt, soda and spices. Stir in molasses and water. Gradually mix in flour until completely blended. Wrap and chill dough for 2 hours. Dough may be frozen at this point.

3. Roll out dough, half at a time, and cut out cookies.

4. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets in preheated oven until light brown around edges, about 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Frost when cool.

BUTTERCREAM   FROSTING

This flavorful frosting is a basic for decorating cookies or even frosting a cake.  Make several bowls of the frosting and tint various colors.  Use a frosting gun for decorating as well as red hots, colored sugar and even chile flakes such as caribe.  (If you do not have a frosting gun, use a small plastic bag such as a sandwich bag, fill to desired level, then take a tiny snip off one corner and use for decorating.)

Yield: about 2 ½ cups, enough for above recipe of cookies or 1, 2 layer 9 inch cake
1 box (1 pound) confectioners’ sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon or more freshly grated lemon or orange rind
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
2 to 3 Tablespoons milk

1.  Combine the sugar, butter and salt together using an electric mixer on lowest speed.  Add rind,  vanilla and milk as needed to make a thick frosting.