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" It&amp;#039;s not a party unless I&amp;#039;m cooking. Some people find entertaining stressful, but it is therapeutic for me; I find it relaxing. We always have our family over in San Antonio and friends over in Los Angeles. [Eva&amp;#039;s husband, NBA star Tony Parker, plays for the San Antonio Spurs.] At our house in San Antonio, I had my stove built into the island so I can face out when I&amp;#039;m cooking, as opposed to having my back to everybody. My worst habit in the kitchen is not allowing anybody to help me. I like to cook by myself. Tony calls me &amp;quot;the crazy woman&amp;quot; at Thanksgiving. He says, &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t get near her; she&amp;#039;s in her crazy mode.&amp;quot; I always host Thanksgiving at our house. We typically have about 20 to 25 people, family and friends, including all of the &amp;quot;homeless&amp;quot; basketball players on Tony&amp;#039;s team who live too far away to go home for the holiday. I deep-fry our turkey. It&amp;#039;s juicier than roasting it. My signature dishes are ropa vieja [a Caribbean shredded-beef dish] and tortilla soup. I found the tortilla-soup recipe in a magazine when I was 14. It might have been REDBOOK! Home cooks should spend more time prepping so they spend less time cooking. I do all of my chopping in advance so that when I&amp;#039;m ready to cook, everything is waiting for me. Baking is too precise for me. I cook with a pinch of this or that. I could never give up Mexican food. Nachos are usually my go-to if I&amp;#039;m courtside at an NBA game. I always, always get my picture taken with my mouth wide open and a tortilla chip sticking out of it! I COULDN&amp;#039;T COOK WITHOUT: CUMIN I use it in everything: meat, marinades, rice, chicken. CANNELLINI BEANS They&amp;#039;re perfect for making easy dips. EUROPEAN BUTTER I always make sure I have enough. [European butter has more fat.] LOTS OF OLIVES Both black and Spanish. PANKO BREADCRUMBS It&amp;#039;s a Japanese breadcrumb that I use to bread fish, chicken, even goat-cheese balls. --AS TOLD TO ELIZABETH JENKINS FOR EVA&amp;#039;S TORTILLA-SOUP RECIPE, PLUS TIPS FOR FRYING YOUR TURKEY, READ ON... 1. Use a smaller-size turkey \u2014 not more than 10 or 12 pounds.  2. Follow the manufacturer&amp;#039;s instructions for filling the fryer with oil \u2014 each brand is different.  3. Always remove the giblets.  4. Remove any excess fat around the neck to allow the oil to flow through the turkey.  5. Never stuff a turkey if deep frying it.  6. Never use an outdoor propane turkey fryer indoors, in a garage, or attached to a building, and avoid cooking on wood decks.  7. If the turkey is brined, make sure to pat turkey very dry before frying.  8. Lower the turkey into the oil slowly to prevent splattering.  9. Use only oils with high smoking points such as peanut, canola, or corn oil.  10. Let turkey rest on the counter at least 1/2 hour after finished frying before serving. \u2014Barbara Chernetz Want the dish on Eva&amp;#039;s signature tortilla soup? Delish.com has her hearty recipe. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/food-recipes/advice/a5965/eva-longoria-parker-interview/?link=emb&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_redbook&mag=rbk>