I just put chicken cheese enchiladas in the oven..and am about to start my version of spanish rice...and have some pintos that are in need of frying from this weekends meal. Everything from scratch but the corn tortillas. Even the enchilada sauce is..

Years ago I made a salad similar to the one at the link below. Don't remember putting chile powder in the dressing altho I served it with Mexican food. Also this recipe from Sunset sounds good: Orange-Red Onion Salad - 8 servings 1 red onion (3/4 lb.), cut in thin rings 4 large oranges (2 3/4 lb. total) 3 quarts inner leaves (8 in. or smaller) from 2 heads romaine lettuce (save large leaves for other uses) 4 large radishes, finely shredded Whole radishes and orange slices 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar Salt and pepper 1. In a large bowl, cover onion with boiling water; let stand 15 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, then pat dry. Chill airtight until very cold, about 2 hours. 2. With a sharp knife, cut peel and white membrane from outside of oranges. Cut between inner membranes to free segments; discard membranes and peel. 3. Place romaine in a bowl; add onion and orange segments on top; scatter shredded radishes over all. Garnish with whole radishes and orange slices. Serve, or chill airtight up to 4 hours. 4. In a tightly capped jar, shake oil and vinegar to blend; season with salt and pepper. Shake again before serving; pour over salad. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.cooksrecipes.com/salad/orange_&_onion_salad_recipe.html

My friend makes this. She's excellent at improvisation and the notes are what I gleaned from her. It wasn't 'hot' -- the serranos she used may have been milder ones (they do vary). I would not omit them even tho I don't care for chilies. Key to sucess is a flavorful-smelling curry powder. If it doesn't smell delightful, it won't improve with cooking. I found one at World Market (like Cost Less was in Calif.) in a celaphane pkg. that was great. Curried Coconut Chicken - Lyn's fav 4 chicken boneless, skinless breast halves 1 1/2 Tbsp oil 2 Tbsp curry powder 1/2 onion, sliced thinly 2 cloves garlic (opt.) 1 serrano pepper, minced ** 14 oz. can coconut milk 16 oz. can stewed tomato pieces 8 oz. can tomato sauce (omit) 3 Tbsp sugar 4 canned whole yams or sweet potatoes, cut in large pieces * Heat curry powder in oil; add chicken & saute 5 min.; add onion & garlic; saute til limp; stir in coconut milk, tomatoes & sugar. Cover and simmer 30-40 min. adding yam pieces the last 10 min. notes: Lyn omitted tomato sauce & added 6 mini peppers, sliced plus 6 skinny sweet potatoes, large chop. think she used less chicken * if using fresh sweet potaoes, boil just til tender ** if using serrano pepper, add with onion & garlic

I haven't made this yet, but it sounds good. Creamy Rice Pudding PREP TIME 25 Min COOK TIME 20 Min Original recipe yield: 4 servings INGREDIENTS 3/4 cup uncooked white rice 2 cups milk, divided 1/3 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg, beaten 2/3 cup golden raisins 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract DIRECTIONS In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. In another saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm. Tortellini Salad recipe 1 (14 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini 1 cup chopped raw vegetables 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing Thaw tortellini according to package directions. Add remaining ingredients; toss gently. Source of Recipe Taste of Home - M. Dennis; Clarks Hill, IN Southwestern Rice -- e-w Serves: 8 1 medium green pepper, diced 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 T. olive - or - canola oil 1 14-1/2-oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 c. uncooked long grain rice 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained ** 1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen corn, thawed In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the green pepper, onion and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Stir in the next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. Add beans, tomatoes and corn; heat through. To make a main dish out of this just add cooked chicken.