How is everyone (in Alabama) enjoying their tax free weekend? I had a fun little run at Belk and Publix yesterday morning but it became way to crazy busy for me out there, so the rest of my day was spent piddling around the house. Which I really enjoy doing. Great time to be lazy and stay cool. And watch my main man Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory on the DVR! Does anyone else love that show as much as I do?? Bazinga!

Oh! I also painted my toes a fun new color – Bikini So Teeny by Essie.

Whatcha think??

In other news – the weekend of gluttony continues……

I ate lunch with the DH at Zoe’s Kitchen – which wasn’t too bad except for the giant chocolate chip/chocolate chunk cookie they have sitting by the register that I can not resist for any amount of money.  I also made it through the afternoon without a snack so there is absolutely no guilt about the awesome cheesy goodness of the Simple, Perfect Enciladas I made for dinner.

First of all, let me tell you about the salad I usually make to serve with any mexican dish – it’s yummy, easy to assemble and is a really great accompaniment for this meal.

I call it my Sante Fe Ranch Salad.

• Hearts of Romaine lettuce (in a bag)
• Mexican blend shredded cheese
• Can of black bean (drained and rinsed)
• Can of corn (drained and rinsed)
• Bag of tortilla strip salad toppers
• Hidden Valley Ranch Spicy Ranch Dressing

You just place the lettuce in a big bowl or individual bowls, top with a mixture of the beans and corn, sprinkle with cheese, as much dressing as desired and then finish it off with the tortilla strips. Yummy and pretty!

As for the Enchiladas, The Pioneer Woman refers to the components of the meal as The Sauce, The Meat and The Rest, so that is how I will go at it. Also, I am halving this recipe because it’s just the two of us and the original serves 8.

The recipe below is the half recipe.

The Perfect Enchiladas

The Sauce

• ½ Tbs of canola oil
• 1 Tbs of flour
• 1 (14 oz) can of enchilada sauce
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• ¼ tsp of salt
• ¼ tsp of pepper
• 1 Tbs of chopped cilantro, more for serving

The Meat

• ½ lb. ground beef
• ½ medium onion (chopped)
• 1 (4 oz.) can of diced green chilies
• ¼ tsp of salt

The Rest

• 6-8 Corn tortillas
• canola oil for frying
• ¼ cup chopped black olives (I omitted these because I don’t like ’em)
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• 1½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese (I used mexican blend)
• Cilantro

You start by combining the flour and canola oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk this together and let bubble for 1 minute.

Then pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.

Brown the meat and onions in a large skillet and drain the fat. Add to that the green chillies and salt. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.

In a small skillet over medium heat, lightly fry the tortillas one at a time in the canola oil just until soft (do not crisp). Drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread ¼ cup of the sauce in the bottom of baking dish.

Next dip each tortilla in the sauce and place on platter to be assembled.

Layer meat mixture, (black olives if you wish), green onions and cheese.

Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in baking dish.

Once all of the tortillas are finished stir the cilantro into remaining sauce and pour over the tortillas.

Top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Once out of oven sprinkle with more cilantro.

I served this with the aforementioned salad and cooked seasoned black beans.

HOLY HOT TAMALE!!! – these puppies were awesome!!!! I have to give credit to the Pioneer Woman – she knows how to make an enchilada!!!

The DH went back for 3rds and was scraping the bottom of the baking dish as he took it to the sink (I cook, he does the dishes :)). He also said we could have those again tomorrow night – you have to understand – Mexican is not his favorite (Italian is), so this is really saying something. Note: the serving for 8 was cut in half and the 2 of us finished it off……

They were so good, I kind of hate that this was not a peanut gallery meal.  Oh well, they will eventually get to try it because this is going on the normal rotation!!!

It was a little time consuming – probably not one I would want to make after a long day at work unless I had the components made up ahead of time, which would be doable except for frying the tortillas. I need to keep that in mind because I have a feeling this one will be requested again in no time!

Give it a try! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

abp