Tortillas - Homemade tortillas are not difficult; they taste great and are fun to try. You don’t need a fancy press or any special equipment.

For corn tortillas: Mix 2 Cups Masa Harina Flour and 1 cup water. Let stand 15 minutes. Divide into 12 balls, place between two sheets of waxed paper, roll or press into about a 6-inch round, and cook in an un-greased skillet.

For flour tortillas: Combine two cups flour, 1 tsp. Salt, and 1 tsp. Baking powder. Cut in 1 Tablespoon lard or shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add ½ to ¾ cup of warm water. Let stand 15 minutes. Roll out on lightly floured surface to about a 7-inch round. Cook in an un-greased skillet until lightly browned.

Tortilla Soup - From start to finish, this soup takes about 30 minutes and is a great first course for an enchilada dinner.

1 8-ounce can of tomatoes

1 medium onion, cut up

1 clove garlic

2 T. snipped cilantro

¼ Teaspoon sugar

Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan; stir in 4 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Cut up about 6 tortillas into ½ inch wide strips and fry until crisp. Grate one cup of cheese. Dice one avocado. Divide tortilla strips, cheese and avocado among bowls. Ladle soup over top.

Chicken Enchiladas - The ingredients in my chicken enchiladas vary depending on what I have on hand and what sounds good to me that day, but the process is the same regardless of what you put in the filling – and they always turn out great. You can make them ahead, refrigerate or freeze and bake whenever you are ready. For the filling, combine about 2 cups shredded chicken, some canned green chili peppers, a little fresh cilantro, a 3-ounce package of cream cheese, and some chopped garlic and onion. You can add black beans, olives, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Soften corn tortillas by cooking in a skillet with a little hot oil until limp. Drain on paper towels. Spoon some chiucken mixture into each tortilla and roll up. Put in a baking dish seam side down. When all the enchiladas are rolled up, pour a can of enchilada sauce over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Lift foil up and sprinkle about a cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese on top. Return to oven until cheese melts.

The World's Best Guacamole - On two recent diving trips to Cozumel, the Captain and I had the best guacamole we'd ever tasted. It was prepared by the crew on the dive boat and served with our lunch during the surface interval between dives. After much pleading, the crew finally agreed to give me their recipe. And it is: Take some avocados, smash them up with a fork, add salt and pepper, and serve. That's it, no mayonnaise, sour cream, onions, garlic, limes or other fancy ingredients.