A Lasting Love (25 page)

"I'll go with you, Reid. I want to be there. So we
both have things to do and phone calls to make." Loren was suddenly
serious.

"I'll cancel dinner with the governor and make
reservations on the first flight out."

"Reservations? We're not flying in your plane?"

"There isn't time. We'll fly back later to get it.
It'll give us a good excuse to make love again in the brass bed
upstairs."

Loren smiled, her blue eyes glistening with
happiness. "I'll call Althea and tell her the good news."

He kissed her soundly. "Break it to her gently."

"Yes, gently . . ." Loren felt a great surge of joy
rising within her.

"And don't forget next spring."

"Next spring?"

"We’ll celebrate in the bluebonnets ... in Texas . .
. you and me . . ."

Loren's laughter echoed against ancient brick walls
and floated up narrow stairs past the brass bed, through the attic
of the little town house on Prince Street.

Mexican food that Loren and Reid enjoyed in A Lasting
Love

Tortilla Soup

8 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips

1 Tblsp. olive oil

2 large tomatoes, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 large, cooked chicken breasts, skinned, de-boned
& cubed

6 – 8 cups of chicken stock

1 cup whole corn kernels

¼ cup cilantro

4 green onion, chopped

1 large mild jalapeño , minced (optional)

Bake corn tortilla strips on a cookie sheet @ 350
until lightly browned and set aside.

In a large soup pot with olive oil on medium heat,
sauté garlic, tomatoes, chicken breasts, cilantro, and green onions
about 4 minutes. Then add corn and cook another 2 minutes. Add
chicken stock and cook 15 minutes and in last 5 minutes, add
jalapeños if you dare. Top soup with browned tortilla strips.
You’ll have great soup in no longer than 30 minutes.

Bírria

4-5 lb. chuck roast or flank steak

2 bay leaves

2 large cloves garlic

1 can beer

2 jalapeños, seeds & veins removed

1 tsp. oregano

1 large onion, sliced

Put all items into a Dutch oven or other pan with a
lid and cook in oven @ 300 for 4-6 hours. Beef is ready when it is
so tender it falls apart when pulled with fork. Put the meat in a
bowl and continue to shred the meat. Remove the bay leaves from the
beef juice and store in the refrigerator for a few hours so you can
remove the fat. Then blend the remaining juice to serve warm as a
light sauce to accompany your Bírria.

This meat is usually served with Spanish Rice, Charro
Beans, finely shredded cabbage or lettuce and tortillas of choice.
Serves 8 - 12.

Mary Tate Engels, author of more than 30 romance
novels, soon to be on ebooks at Smashwords, also has two
non-fiction southwest history books with Texas Tech University
Press: Tales from Wide Ruins, Jean and Bill Cousins, Traders; and
Corazon Contento – Sonoran Recipes and Stories from the Heart,
co-authored with Madeline Gallego Thorpe. She has three sons, two
granddaughters, has raised a wolf in her back yard, and has adopted
two black cats for good luck.

Discover other titles by Mary Tate Engels at
www.smashwords.com

Book page to sample or purchase Loves Dawning:
http://smashwords.com/b/28521

Connect with me online at:
www.marytateengels.com

Mary Tate Engels' Author Profile:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MaryTateEngels