Robin, I use mole in many ways. We love the stuff. I keep it around both as a paste and mixed with chix broth. Here's a few uses... Enchilladas, burritos, BBQ sauce especially for chix & ribs (for this I mix a bit of the paste with a bit of broth - about a 1:4 ratio), salsa for chips (add cilantro, lime juice, green onion, & you can also add diced tomatoes), eggs (we like mole over an omelet). Generally, I like a salsa verde for tamales because I use a pork filling but once in a while I use mole instead & it's very good. Mole is a generic word for "sauce" although there are some specific dishes it can refer to. My recipe is generally known as a mole poblano. There are many different types of moles. Another one we like very much is mole de cacahuate (peanut mole). Moles are more labor intensive than other Mexican sauces & used to be reserved for special occassions. They're in more general use today from what I've encountered. There's a fun folk story around mole involving its origination. Something about a young Mexican woman called upon to cook for an important guest. Not knowing what to cook & being low on supplies...she started tossing things onto her comal (frying pan) to toast. At the end, she added chocolate & presto! Mole! The combination of ingredients is a bit odd but every one of them add to the finished multi-dimensional flavors. Omitting even one really alters the taste. I was out of cloves once & figured 1/4 teaspoon wouldn't make a difference...wrong. Very complex flavor & very yummy stuff. We're sorta addicted to it. /tricia

Another useful substitute for shortening is (non-hydrogenated) coconut oil, and you can often reduce the amount by 20-25-percent and get the same results. I purchase LouAna brand in the cooking oil/shortening section at Wal-Mart and our Kroger affiliated Dillons stores. This particular brand doesn't have any coconut flavor or odor - so is neutral in taste. It is solid like shortening, but as the temperature goes up, it will get soft and start to liquefy at 76-77-degrees F. That's how you know it wasn't hydrogenated. I make a whole wheat angel biscuit recipe and after I roll the dough out I cut the biscuits with a pizza cutter into square biscuits. This method is faster and will prevent "second cuts". That's the dough remaining after you cut round biscuits and you rework it to cut more biscuits. The problem with second cuts is that the dough is over-worked, developing the gluten in the flour even more, and you get tough biscuits from second cuts. Then I place the cut biscuits on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and quick-freeze the biscuits, and store them in the freezer in plastic containers, freezer bag, or vacuum-sealed in a FoodSaver bag. Bake a few in your toaster oven when needed, or larger amounts in your oven - 400-degrees F for 10-12-minutes. -Grainlady

Tricia's recipe and instructions are excellent. They will give you a fine mole. As you can see, it's not difficult, but neither is it simple. That is about as simple, in terms of number of ingredients and number of step, as a mole gets. It's worth the work. If you want something simpler, yet tasty and authentic, I suggest chilaquiles CHILAQUILES EN SALSA VERDE (for 1 serving) 3 small stale corn tortillas cut into pieces 1 cup Salsa de Tomate Verde Cocida (purchased ready made or made according to recipe which follows) 2 tablespoons sour cream 2 tablespoons crumbled farmer cheese or grated mild Cheddar An individual flameproof serving dish 1/3 cup cooked, shredded chicken, warmed A small frying pan Cooking oil (1/4 inch deep) paper toweling A saucepan Heat the oil and fry the tortilla pieces lightly -- do not let them become too crisp. Remove from the oil and drain. Heat the sauce, and when it is bubbling add the tortilla pieces and cook them for about 3 minutes. Pour the chilaquiles (the sauce coated tortilla pieces) into the serving dish, cover with shredded chicken, and sprinkle with the sour cream and cheese. Pass under a hot broiler for a moment or two until the cheese melts, then serve. SALSA DE TOMATE VERDE COCIDA (cooked green sauce) A blender 2 cups canned tomates verdes (tomatillos), drained or poached fresh tomatillos 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped 1/4 medium onion, chopped 2 or 3 fresh chiles serranos (or jalapenos), softened and charred on a warm pan 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste A small frying pan 2 tablespoons cooking oil Blend the ingredients together until smooth. Heat the oil and cook the sauce for about 5 minutes, until it has thickened a little and is well seasoned. From The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy with minor editing. Jim

My favorite pie crust recipe doesn't call for lard but I see no reason why you couldn't replace lard for the shortening. I used to make lard pie crust most of the time but realized one day that while I liked it for savory pies I really like butter based crusts better for dessert pies. Foolproof Pie Dough Cook's Illustrated Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavordo not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup). INGREDIENTS--For one 9-inch Single-Crust Pie 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon sugar 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/4-inch slices 1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 2 pieces 2 tablespoons vodka , cold 2 tablespoons cold water 1. Process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl. 2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. 3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes. 4. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Flute dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against rim of pie plate. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes. 5. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Note: I've doubled this recipe for two crust pies, just rolled, filled and put the top crust on, it's wonderful. Nancy