There are two options, baked and fried.
Being the lady I am, I usually go with the fried version, but since I’m getting ready to give birth any minute now, I need to keep an eye out for lighter versions after the baby’s born.

Fried tortilla chips

Ingredients
6 Corn Tortillas
1 cup Vegetable Oil

Directions
In a cast iron pan, (if you have it – if not, pull out a lidded saucepan) heat 1 cup/1 inch vegetable oil to 380 degrees on a deep fat thermometer.

Cut stack into 6 wedges.

Fry just a few corn tortilla wedges at a time, turning until crisp and lightly browned (it really only takes 1 minute or less).

Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Baked tortilla chips

Ingredients
6 corn tortillas

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°

Cut tortillas into 8 triangles each. Spread out in single layer on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

If you wish to salt chips after baking, spray lightly with vegetable oil spray (like Pam) and sprinkle with salt.

Serve with your favorite salsa.
I might recommend the mango salsa from a few days ago.
Yum.

Inspired by the always enjoyable Elise.com, this Mango Salsa recipe is great on fish tacos, chicken tacos, eggs and corn tortilla chips.

Ingredients
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 medium red onion that’s been chopped fine
1 Jalapeño chile also chopped fine
1 cucumber that’s been peeled, had the seeds removed and diced
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped fine
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced fine
1 lime’s worth of lime juice
3 dashes tabasco and/or other brand hot sauce
Salt and pepper to the way you like it

Directions
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Thanks Elise and Simply Recipes! You make my tortilla chips proud!

My husband James makes this guacamole for most parties. When guests of said parties hear that this guacamole will be making an appearance, they get all happy and start dancing.
(I know, it’s true!)

It’s based on Ina Gartner’s guacamole in her deliciously perfect Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

4 ripe Haas avocados
1/2 lemon’s worth of fresh lemon juice
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup tiny chopped red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro.

Halve and pit the avocados.
Slice the avocados in their skin and then scoop the wee diced pieces into a bowl.
Add the lemon juice, Tabasco, onion, garlic and salt and pepper; toss all together with a spoon.

Add the tomatoes and cilantro and toss to combine. Adjust the seasonings as needed.

Ina doesn’t like cilantro, but it’s my favorite art.

And stand back as people try not to elbow each other.

All right, I may have told you that wine isn’t always the best match for spicy foods.
But Sangria is one exception.

Everyone loves Sangria, and with widely available frozen fruits, you can throw some together in no time.

(Truly, a perfect party.)

I like to serve my Sangria in a big glass jar, or a big old punchbowl that I got from a thrift store. Here’s a picture of the kind of big glass jar I speak of:

My white sangria is perfect for these spicy foods of which I speak. Promise.

Ingredients
4 peeled and sliced kiwis
1 bag frozen sliced peaches
1 container of strawberries, sliced thin
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup white rum
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 cups white grape juice
2 750ml bottles of (oops) Sauvignon Blanc
Lots of ice

Toss the fruit in bottom of a large pitcher or punch bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Pour 1/2 cup white rum on top of the fruit and let it sit for about an hour.

Pour in the big bottle of white wine with about 2 cups of white grape juice.

Add more sugar if you need it.

Stir, add ice cubes and chill.
Tastetastic!

To help make things easier, it’s good to have taco seasoning on hand.
This stuff can be added to hamburger meat, rubbed on flank steak, sprinkled over chicken breasts or mixed into beans.

It’s just that versatile.

Shake it up in an cleaned out spaghetti jar and keep in your pantry for spicy emergencies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chili powder
3 tablespoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons oregano
4 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 cup dried minced onion
2 tablespoons brown sugar

I like to use about 2 tablespoons or so per 1 pound ground beef.
The same ratio, 2 tablespoons per pound also works for chicken and beans.

It’s June, it’s getting hot outside, and we have some food that needs cooking.

I love spicy food in warm weather.

We’re going to make some home made taco seasoning, we’re going to spice up some fish, we’re going to blister our tongues and cool ourselves down with our own special air conditioning.

Wine isn’t the best match to spicy foods, beer, juice and milk will help you more. But we can’t expect every month to be wineready. We here at (oops) are just thrilled to help you entertain effortlessly with a minimum of mistakes.

And spicy food can be both effortless and mistake free.
Just watch.