Okay, it’s me, Donna. I see Russ hijacked the blog last night. Sue said he was going to give me a run for my money. Sue, I offered him all the money I had and he STILL wouldn’t run! It would have been worth it!
Okay, first things first. About those enchiladas… To answer a question from Judy, an enchilada is basically any meat or cheese filling rolled up in a corn tortilla, covered with enchilada sauce and usually cheese and baked in the oven. The most common fillings are shredded beef, pork, or chicken, or just plain cheese. I have made them just about any way, but the old family recipe departs from this formula somewhat.
I really don’t have a recipe so all amounts are approximate and can certainly be changed. Most recipes I see as a suggestion anyway – a starting point if you please. I seldom stick with written instructions.
So here are the ingredients:
6” Corn tortillas – I will give the amounts I would use for a package of 10 tortillas – nothing seems to come in an even dozen anymore!
About 1 1/2 lbs. of lean ground beef
1 29oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 bunch green onions
1 can black olives
About 1 lb. of shredded mild or medium cheddar cheese – sometimes I like to use part jack cheese….but I only use Tillamook!
Empty the tomatoes in a saucepan and add about 1/2 can of water. Season with a little garlic powder…a couple of good shakes ought to do it.
While the tomatoes are heating, shred the cheese if you didn’t buy it already shredded, cut the olives in half or slice them, and clean and chop the green onions.
Fry the ground beef, chopping it up into crumbles, until cooked through. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder to taste.
Fry the tortillas in hot oil one at a time and drain on paper towels. Don’t make them crispy (a little crispy around the edges is okay!)
By now your tomatoes will be hot, thicken them with a little corn starch dissolved in water. They should be a little thinner than your best gravy! Put a little bit of the thickened tomatoes in the bottom of a 9X12 pan and spread them around. This just keeps the stuff from sticking to the bottom. I spray my pan with Pam before I put the tomatoes in.
Okay, here’s where the lazy part comes in. I used to stand for HOURS (well, a long time anyway), rolling each tortilla with just the right amount of filling and making sure they were all about uniform. Finally got smart and now I just spread half the tortillas in a 9X12 pan (deeper is better). Let the tortillas come up on the sides a little. Overlap the tortillas as needed – it all works out.
Toss the hamburger evenly over the tortillas, pour about half of the tomatoes on top, then spread on half the cheese, onions and olives. Put another layer of the remaining tortillas. Top the tortillas with the rest of the tomatoes and cheese, and sprinkle the rest of the onions and olives on top.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 325 degrees or until cheese and tomatoes are bubbly.
Serve with Mexican rice and refried beans. Guacamole and chips are optional!
Oh... about that frozen guacamole…it tasted fine but the texture was a little changed. When I buy, rather than make, guacamole, I get it from Costco and it comes in four plastic bags. I’ve frozen those many times with no loss of quality. I’m not so sure I would freeze the homemade variety again.
Well, that’s enough for now. We had a VERY BUSY day today, but we can visit about that tomorrow. Glad to see that Rick and Paulette are just about ready to hit the road. Elaine reports that the other Rick’s surgery was a success so they may still get to head south sometime this winter. Here’s hoping. If you need smile, hop on over to the Dixon’s, and read about Sandie’s 98 year old Aunt Happy! What a great story. Merikay had a succinct comment on comments last night. It won’t take you long to read her post!! I really liked Donna Cave’s thoughts on old photos, and Al had some great tips on taking backlit photos. Just one more that really made me laugh…Hobo Joe posted a You Tube video about living at Walmart in your RV. It’s worth the watch.So many fun things to read about in Blogland and so many bloggers getting ready to fly south for the winter. Fun times.
I told Donna I would do a video of her making the enchiladas if she would make another batch. All in favor, say, Aye......
ReplyDeleteAye...Aye...Aye...Aye...Aye...
I think the Aye's have it so she will have to make another batch!
Aye! Aye!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the recipe and instructions - I'll pass it all on to a better cook than me!
thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletesounds simple enough even I might make it! my retirement was from cooking, so I try not to do that too much!!!
That sounds good! Will have to give it a try:)
ReplyDeleteI've often wanted to just layer the enchiladas!
ReplyDeleteMy mother always said "it all goes into the same stomach" when my brothers would complain about her casseroles.
Aye aye!..a video would be fun..kind of like watching the Food Network!..the recipe sounds yuumy!!
ReplyDeleteAye aye, captain! Thanks for the receipe. It'll do until we get the video.
ReplyDeleteAnother AYE from me!!!
ReplyDeleteHusband # 1 - no food could touch, no soup, stews or casseroles. He would eat all of one food and then move to the next.
ReplyDeleteHusband # 2 - ANYTHING but sauerkraut or anchovies.
Think I like husband # 2 better.
Well Donna, don't know if I'll be able to make your enchiladas. You see, for me the lazy part comes in much higher than you have it :)
ReplyDeleteYour recipe sounds delicious! I will give it a try. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCandy
Have you ever tried them with flour tortillas? I was out of corn one day and tried it and liked it better, so I always use flour now instead of corn.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe! Maybe I'll even try it. That's the difference between a cook like you and a non-cook like me. You say a recipe is just a suggestion and get all creative with it. I can only follow it to the letter.
ReplyDelete