Another dish that was a must to learn for Fe, especially after she found out that it was Casimiro’s favorite meal, was posole. First, she was told by La Loca, she must prepare the corn as she had been taught to make nistal for tamales, but she should not grind it! For every pound of stew pork, one cup of the whole nistal corn was boiled until half done, and then the meat was added and enough water to cover everything. Then you just let it cook until tender. Meanwhile, you added salt, chopped onion, and two whole red chiles—with the stems and seeds removed, of course, Fe!

Then, one afternoon, the two sisters and mother made a batch of biscochitos which are really customary mostly at las Crismas, but are also a delight at weddings and other types of fiestas. Biscochitos are Spanish cookies or Mexican cookies, depending on who you talk to. Doña Felicia, for instance, would tell you they were dreamt up by Mexican nuns to please some Church official, like mole. Sofia, on the other hand, was told by her grandmother that the recipe came from Spain. In any case, they are made from rich pie pastry dough, to which you add baking powder, sugar to sweeten, and—here’s the trick, there’s always a trick, you know, Fe—a bit of clean aniz seed. Next, you roll it out on the board to about a third of an inch thick. (Loca would not say a third of an inch, of course, but for our purposes here, I am adding specific measurements myself.)

Then you cut it into long strips about two-thirds inches wide, and then across into two-inch lengths. Finally, you cut little narrow strips about an inch long on the sides, pull along, and roll back each strip into a curlicue shape; dip in sugar and bake. (Doña Felicia would tell you here that in Old Méjico, these cookies were also cut into heart and star shapes!)

And while they kneaded and baked they all talked as if they were old comadres and laughed at the flour that got on their noses and the dough that somehow stuck itself to their hair, and that was when Fe first really talked about her new and quickly serious romance.

“Why is it that I didn’t know that my brother-in-law’s son was back here?”

Fe shrugged her shoulders. Her concentration was on getting the dough to form a perfect curlicue. Her mother persisted, “Didn’t Casimiro like Phoenix? He was practically raised there. Are you two planning on moving back there together, ’jita?”

“Mom, we haven’t discussed ______ that far,” Fe said, wiping her brow with the back of her sleeve since her hands were sticky with masa. “Casey said __ h __ a fall ___ out ___ ___ father and did not ___ to work for ___ anymore, so ___ decided to come ___ here. He ___ other family ___, too, ___know.”