Hopi Beef Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings

When the weather starts to cool off, there's nothing quite so comforting as a hot bowl of chunky, homemade stew. This Southwestern style Hopi Beef Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings brings together some of the crops which originated in the Americas - squash, pumpkin, chile peppers and, most importantly, corn.Corn is considered sacred amongst the Pueblo and Navajo people, and plays an important role in their legends, ceremonies and daily lives. Most of us are used to only seeing yellow corn, but it also comes in a variety of colors, including red, blue and multi-colored. Here, we've combined yellow cornmeal along with other traditional ingredients and our own New Mexico Chili Powder, a mild, earthy blend of New Mexico chile, guajillo chile, paprika, cumin, garlic and onion. We've also included our own Alderwood smoked salt and, in the dumplings, some ground sage to bring a dash of Southwestern flavor.Recipe adapted from Marcia Keegan, "Pueblo and Navajo Cookery," Earth Books, 1977

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Beef and Bean Taquitos with Avocado Sauce

'Tis the season for hosting parties. While sometimes that can be a bit stressful, the experts at Cook's Illustrated have come out with this book of 75 "only the best" appetizer recipes to reduce some of the stress. All-Time Best Appetizers Cookbook makes it easy to create a spread with everything from things that can be dipped, spread, or eaten by the handful to two-bite treats. These Beef and Bean Taquitos with Avocado Sauce are great for any get together...or for a "finger food" dinner. From the authors: "Why this recipe works - Making crunchy, golden taquitos is easy for restaurant cooks with access to a deep-fryer; our goal was to make them foolproof for home cooks, too. Adding mashed pinto beans to a seasoned ground beef filling and rolling the taquitos tightly helped the filling hold together. Sealing the edge with egg wash offered extra insurance, and frying in a mere cup of oil prevented the taquitos from unrolling as they cooked."

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