Diane Kennedy enjoyed a long and fruitful life, leaving behind an incomparable legacy in the aggrandizement of Mexican cuisine, her death on July 24 at age 99 pulled heavily on my heart strings.

I treasure the autographed copy of “The Essential Cuisines of Mexico” my late husband brought home after meeting Diana when she visited Ajijic in March, 2006. He fancied himself a gourmet cook and relished presenting award-winning Mexican dishes in competition as a member of CASA, the Culinary Arts Society of Ajijic. And once, as a tall, lanky gringo, he astonished contestants and judges in a Mexican gastronomy competition sponsored by a Guadalajara radio station by taking first place with his dish of a stuffed squash blossom take on Chiles en Nogada.

I’m not nearly as ambitious when it comes to whipping up Mexican food. I do dabble in the genre, but generally skip the most complex and challenging recipes. Why not, considering there are plenty of local cooks and chefs quite able to satisfy my hankerings for such.

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