Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

On Monday I made my first ever meatloaf. On Wednesday I played with several different recipes for tomato basil soup, and today was beef stew, as per my mountain cedar allergy struck husband's wishes. When I cook, I work half from a recipe and half from feel, smell, taste, and gut - er, stomach - instincts. With every new dish I served up I tweeted about it, proud of my work.

There was much approval, some even declaring they must go make their own as well. My friend Amanda (she's been showing up a lot lately, hasn't she?) mentioned that Sylvia Plath baked when she got writer's block. I tittered, amused to find myself within the same topic as Sylvia Plath. I rarely bake more than a microwavable brownie, though I've been thinking of trying to make some fancy pastries. And then what had been said finally sunk in, and I stopped at the thought.

Am I cooking to avoid writer's block?

Many people don't realize that there are several different dialects of Spanish. I've always known this because my parents are from different hispanic cultures. My mother is from Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, and my father is Mexican. By and large, the language is the same, but there are some words thats differ.

Like empanadas. In Puerto Rico, they are thinly pounded steaks breaded and pan fried, served with rice and beans, no gravy. In Mexico, they are meat or fruit pastries. In Puerto Rico, those pastries are called pastellios.

I absolutely love both kinds of empanadas. In fact, I love both Mexican and Puerto Rican food. But I especially enjoy going to Puerto Rico, because I still have family there. Its awesome going around with them - they know all the tourist places, and all the hidden gems. In Puerto Rico, they sell produce from the median on all the major rules. We even used to buy pizzas from them! And tourists - here's a little informational nugget for you: Vendors who know you are a tourist and can tell you can't speak or understand spanish will charge you more for the things you buy. Trust me, because my mother would tell my sister and I to not speak because when we got older, we forgot our spanish, and she didn't want the prices raised. So, if you go to Puerto Rico (or anywhere with a different language from yours) learn the basics of the language so you don't get ripped off.

Also, I just got some Maltas!!!! Looove me some maltas! Its a non-alcoholic malt beverage with very little carbonation. Its delish! I grew up with them, so I love them, but my husband and my father don't care for them - I guess its something you have to grow up with, something to get used to. Oh well. More for me!

I just made enchiladas! I've only made them once before, and that was when I first married my husband, David. That time, I used too much salt, forgetting to account for the saltiness of the onions (yes, they are salty) and green olives. Despite that, David LOVED them. Every time we went to a mexican restaurant, ate at my parents house (they are hispanic), or even saw a commercial for mexican food, he would turn and give me a dirty look and complain that I haven't made enchiladas in forever.

So today, I all of a sudden decided I felt like making enchiladas. I headed to the store to pick up the ingredients and just finished putting them in the oven. David got uber excited when he figured out what I was doing.

... Time Passes ...

O.M.G. They are delicious!!!! Here is the recipe for my enchiladas:

Chicken Enchiladas


1 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced green olives

4 cups cheese (I love cheese - just use however much you want of that, but you'll need at least 2 cups)

10 - 16 regular size corn tortillas

1 14oz can enchilada sauce

Slice and cook chicken, then take two forks and pull apart each piece, shredding the chicken. DO NOT SALT ANYTHING! A little bit of Mrs. Dash is fine, but thats it. Lightly spray your 3 quart pan with cooking spray, then spoon about 1/2 a cup of enchilada sauce onto the bottom - helps to keep the tortillas from sticking. Preheat oven to 375. Warm up the tortillas slightly - it helps to keep them from falling apart as you make them. In each tortilla, place a bit of cheese, chicken, onion, and green olive, roll it closed, then place each one seam down in the pan. Once done, pour leftover enchilada sauce on top, sprinkle cheese (however much you want - lots, in my case), extra onions and olives over that, then cover with aluminum foil, bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for a bit, then serve.

Enjoy!