| Show Section Tuesday April s'' 292003 Pagel The Herald Journal - o Celebrate Cache Valley’s newest Mexican restaurant shares some recipes just in time for the holiday By Pat Bohm Troatie features writer s the Cinco de Mayo hoi- -' iday nears thoughts turn to one of the United States’ favorite cultural activities associated with Mexico— eating Mxi-- : can food Mis Amores is a newer Mexican eatery at the northern end of Cache Valley and it is ready to meet that need Gordon and Rosita Brewster opened this outpost of Mexican cuisine eight months ago in Preston She cooks spicy authentic dishes from her hometown of Jalisco near u Many people wrongly equate Cinco de Mayo with Mexican Independence Day which was on Sept: 16 1810 more than 50 years earlier Guadalajara “We sell ‘em right off the wall” he said He said the restaurant patrons seem to enjoy the changing ddcor Although die dishes she cooks come front all parts of Mexico Rosita Brewster said she learned to cook many of them at home in Jalisco from her mother and sister Later she cooked at a small restaurant in California where she met Gordon also a cook there After they married they started Mis Amores on a shoestring She was the only cook and he the only waiter “We didn’t even have enough silverware” Gordon said He remembers whisking the knives and forks away from customers who had finished their meals washing and drying the tableware and immediately setting a new table with them Now he said their restaurant has a steady stream of patrons they’ve paid off 'most of the debt they took on at the start and yes they have more than enough silverware In fact they recently hired anoth- er cook and waiter As Cinco de Mayo approaches local residents who do not share Hispanic heritage wonder about the holiday Cinco de Mayo is an important date for the Mexjcan and Chicano communities It marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5 1862 Although the Mexican army was eventual' ly defeated the “Batalla de Puebla” came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism Unfortunately many people wrongly equate it with Mexican Inde- pendence Day which was on Sept 16 : as well as milder American favorites “My wife makes tamales by hand” said Gordon a local man “She makes a big batch on Monday and Wednesday and a really big batch on Friday” He said the corn and flour tortilla chips are also made at the restaurant Acting as maitre d’ and waiter Gordon manages the dining room Actually he pretty much built it fabricating round tables from cable spools and pine logs He rebuilt the kitchen and renovated the dining room as well With booths along the wall and round tables in the center the place seats 70 people His mother long a collector of housewares from earlier times decorated the dining room walls with items from her antique store Brent StsvensHerald Journal Rosita Brewster of Mis Amores restaurant in Preston makes her own tortillas from scratch FRESH CABBACE SALSA 1 large head of cabbage finely diced tomatoes diced small small can pickled jalapenos diced tablespoon salt 3 ripe 1 1 ' Mix vegetables and salt with the' juice from the pickled jalapenos Serve with tortilla chips 6UACAMOLE 6 avocados mashed 2 fresh tomatoes diced l 'yellow onion diced 1810 more than SO years earlier Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much larger scale here in the United States than in Mexico People of Mexican descent in the United Stages celebrate by having parades mariachi music folklorico dapc- ing and other festive activities In celebration of Cinco de Mayo Mis Amores is offering a free appetizer or dessert on the holiday Meanwhile try their recipes on this page 1 tablespoon-sal- - t 3 fresh limes Mix tomato onion and avocado with salt Squeeze lime juice over the mixture anstir in The lime juice slows browning If the top of the turns brown' skim off the very top layer Serve with tortilla chips or fresh cut up vegetables gua-camo- le CHICKEN IN EASY MOLE SAUCE Mole is a rich sauce uniquely Mexican which uses chocolate chiles nuts and seeds to task Mexican attain a complex taste Although making mole from scratch is a multi-hoimport markets such as La Ranchera in Logan offer a prepared mole base to lessen the cook’s time in the kitchen' ur 1 jar prepared mole such as Rogelio brand 3 cups tomato sauce - ' 4 chiles diablos ’ 1 salt tablespoon 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic thick h 4 chicken breasts sliced Blend ingredients well in blender or food processor ' ( 12-inc- In a large pan cook the sliced chicken breasts with as little oil as possible Add sauce and bring to a boil Simmer for 15 minutes Serve with rice and beans if desired Note: Chile diablo is a skinny red dried chile available in Hispanic grocery stores or sections of supermarkets m -- ? 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