Looks like "John from Cincinnati" won't succeed in the traditional sense, for now it won't be back for a second season. There was a change in leadership at HBO and with it the long-term backing for the vision of "John From Cincinnati" became a need for more immediate results. Lack of support from the critics did not help, but "JFC" is not an easy show to digest. If your job is to be able to talk intelligently about every show on the air, how do you achieve this with a show that you are not necessarily supposed to understand? Sadly, critics often "need to know that they'll understand before they'll listen."

For a spark like "John From Cincinnati" to grow into a flame, the fanning must come from the viewers. There was a valiant effort on the part of many. After every episode the chat boards came alive with great observation and thought. As the Internet evolves maybe it will overtake the critics in the role of gatekeeper. For shows like "JFC" to succeed we must also move past seeing television as mere entertainment, and come to understand its powerful role in creating the reality we all live in. As cooks, we are lucky to know a reality that raises those around us. If this reality of cooks were to make it successfully to the screen, the world really would be a better place. Maybe our Penzeys One Award can play a part.

"John From Cincinnati" will not be truly gone, not soon anyway. It is certainly having its waves and ripples and ramifications. For us it has brought a whole new group of people into our community. One of them is Jesus Beltran. We met him in Imperial Beach and he showed up at the cookout as well. He is the original Jesus's little brother, which we did not entirely understand, but in the spirit of "John From Cincinnati" we listened anyway. For listening we got his very tasty and easy recipe for Chilaquiles. Thanks.

Short-cut Chilaquiles

20 corn tortillas, cut into triangles or strips
8 TB corn, canola or olive oil
2 16 oz. jars salsa - use your favorite
1 tsp. adobo seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1/4 Cup fresh, chopped cilantro
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add the tortillas and stir them around so they are thoroughly coated with oil. Add them a handful at a time and stir well to separate them and coat them individually. Like bacon, they shouldn't be thrown into the pan stuck together. If you'd like, let them crisp up a bit. The bottoms will brown and you can turn them all and brown them more. Jesus and Roberta prefer them more pliant. Season the browning strips with the adobo seasoning, salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper and stir until evenly coated. Pour the salsa over the tortillas. If you are using a fresh salsa with a lot of thin liquid, pour the salsa in a spaghetti strainer over the sink for a few seconds before adding it to the pan. Thicker salsas can be tossed right in. Cover the pan but leave it slightly off to vent the steam. Simmer over low heat until the tortillas soak up all of the salsa. Stir carefully a time or two so the bottom doesn't get too dry before the liquid has evaporated off the top, but don't stir too often or the tortillas can fall apart. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the onion, cilantro and cheese before serving. Yum!

Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6-8