Cheese and Beef Enchiladas

 

All ingredients in photo above were used.

 

Put pinto beans and rice in water and set aside, about an hour (beans can be left in water over night). Beans cook quicker and so does rice.

 

Begin your prep work. Chop chiles and onion for the beef. Set aside 1/4 cup of diced onions to top enchiladas.

 

 

Begin browning ground beef and add chopped chile and onion. I used Serrano.

 

Once your ground beef appears cooked, then add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1 1/2 tblsp of Caldo con Sabor de Res, Beef flavor Bouillon. Add water-enough that your meat is under water then cook down to just ground beef. Set aside to cool.

 

Once my beef is cooked then I begin my beans. I put water to boil and once it begins bubbling/boiling, I add my uncooked pinto beans then 1 tblsp of oil and 1 tsp of salt. Let cook until beans are soft and ready to eat.

 

 

Brown rice, until golden brown then add onion. Before you add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, add 1 tsp of minced garlic and a pinch of cumin seeds then add water-about 1 1/2 cups of water for 1/2 cup uncooked rice and let cook.

 

Begin the magical red enchilada sauce, 2 tblsp of oil.

 

2 tblsp of flour.

 

Whisk oil and flour together, like a roux sauce.

 

Add water once you have a thick smooth substance, I added 1 1/2 cups of water. If you like it thicker then add flour to a mixing cup and add water and whisk together-aside from main mixture then add from mixing cup to this main mixture until you get your desired thickness.

 

Add the chili powder. I love the red stuff so I used 4 1/2 tblsp of chili powder, your favorite brand works fine. 

 

Keep whisking together. Add minced garlic and a pinch of cumin seed, ha that's my secret and it's the same taste at little amounts so they all add up at the end.....yum....and it's delish. My other sauce secret, 1 tsp of Caldo de Tomate, Tomato Bouillon-yum.  You cannot mess this up, just keep adding any of these combinations until it taste like enchilada sauce that you like.

 

Once you get your taste right where you like it, remove from heat. Spoon some in the pan you will cook your enchiladas in to begin your assembly line work.

 

 

You can spoon some sauce in the oil you cook your tortillas in, I just use oil because the sauce seems to soften the tortilla almost to a torn tortilla. Just 1 tblsp of oil will work just fine and if you begin running low on oil, just add some more oil.

 

Begin the rolling-I started with cheese.

 

 

Then I rolled the beef ones.



 

I put diced onions on top, added the cheese and sauce. Cooked in oven for about 20 minutes, on 300 degrees. I have been known to lower the degrees and leave in oven for no more than 45 minutes until the beans and rice to serve all warm and freshly made at the same time. Yum and delish.

 

 

Dinner served! This is not a calorie cutting diet suggestion so eat less if you can and if not, you will find great savor in this heavenly combination of ingredients. 

 

 

Enjoy!!!!

He Did Not Wait!

A chocolate cake is always a good idea.

 

 

 

Step 1: I just followed the instructions on the box.

 

 

Step 2: I had to get it just perfect after allowing it to cool for about 45 minutes.

 

Step 3: It looked so picture perfect.

 

 

Step 4: Walked away to wait until the morning for some milk with fresh chocolate cake for breakfast.

 

 

About five minutes later, I walked back through the kitchen and found this. He asked why I would wait a whole night before cutting into it and told me not to cover it back up because he was not finished. He said it was delicious and that he would save me some.

 

Life is awesome and I live with a funny guy. 

Mole con Arroz on Cinco de Mayo

The battle of Puebla went to the Mexican army in 1862, rather than the French forces. Thus, Cinco de Mayo. Yes, there is much more history but that is my gist.

Today is an excuse for me to make something special as a way to pay tribute to my paternal side of the family and heritage.

I felt like Mole ("mowlay"). It's a thick sauce, consistency of gravy, with chicken and it's delicious.

The real sauce consists of many different ingredients, such as peanuts, spices, chiles, chocolate, and some may use coffee grains or cold coffee. I have read that it takes a long time to cook the sauce when made from scratch, something like 8 to 12 hours. Mine is out of jar and I modify it to my liking.

I cook my chicken breasts first (you can use your favorite chicken pieces), in an iron skillet.

 

Once it's cooked, set aside.

 

In same iron skillet, add the following:

 

1 tblsp of cooking oil;

2 tblsp of creamy peanut butter, your favorite brand;

1/2 jar of Mole; and

1 cup of water.

 

Reminds me of making gravy without flour and I like to use the juices from chicken so I always use the same skillet.

 

Lower the heat, medium to low heat works fine. Mix above ingredients together until you see a thick paste like consistency then gradually add water to sauce while you keep mixin water into sauce. I sometimes use a whisk.

 

 

 

Work the lumps out, just like you do when making gravy.

 

Add cooked chicken back into iron skillet, with it's broth.

 

 

While Mole finishes cooking on low heat, cook rice to your liking in a different sauce pan.

 

I brown my rice, then add minced garlic, cumin seeds, and sliced onion-powders of both work just fine too.

 

I add tomato sauce, water, salt, and pepper then let my rice cook.

 

 

Once the rice was done then it was time to serve my favorite and wonderful Mole.

 

 

Below is the jar I mentioned above:

 

Dinner was served. I enjoy my Mole with corn tortillas (store bought work just fine). I know people eat it Mole with bread, flour tortillas, or just a big spoon.

 

Today was a wonderful day for me and yum, I had Mole con arroz. Life is good.