Shane's Amaaaazing Enchiladas

Happy Birthday Mom! Last night my husband and I returned from a super evening at my parent's house. We were celebrating my beautiful mother's birthday with my son, Shane and his very sweet and delightfully fun girlfriend, Rachel. This was a special evening on two counts, the aforementioned birthday girl and my son cooking enchiladas. I should first say that until now, and Shane is 26 years old, I have only seen him cook grilled cheese sandwiches, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and reheating pizza. He made fabulous (and I'm not just saying that because he's mine) enchiladas completely from scratch. The sauce was delicious, very similar to Mole Sauce, with perfect color and consistency. The enchiladas had just the right amount of cheese filling and were perfectly executed.

Rachel's contribution to our meal, and the topping for the enchiladas, was very tasty and spicy Chili con Queso (In queso emergency, my corny joke). Mom made her famous Burracho Beans and a beautiful sweet and tangy Corn Relish Salad. I made White Spanish Rice and Mom's birthday cake, a rich and decadent Chocolate Ganache Cake. The photos are making me hungry again!

Shane's Cheese Enchiladas adapted from Robb Walsh Tex-Mex Cookbook

Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 C Lard (or vegetable oil)

1/4 C Flour

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred if it's available)

2 T chile powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt's or Whole Foods)

2 C chicken broth (or water)

Generous dash Tony's Creole Seasoning

Generous dash cayenne

Generous dashes Chalula Hot Sauce

Method:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.

Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.

Add chicken broth or water and Chalula Hot Sauce, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness. Makes 2 cups.

Cheese Enchiladas Ingredients:

1/2 C vegetable oil 8 corn tortillas

Velveeta cheese, cut into 1/4 inch sticks (for extra melting oomph and good ol' Tex-Mex authenticity

3 C shredded cheddar and/or Monterrey jack cheese

2 C Sauce (recipe above)

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat the tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth until all 8 are heated. Pour 1/2 C of Sauce in baking pan.

Take a tortilla, put 2-3 Velveeta cheese sticks and small sprinkle of shredded cheese mixture in the center and roll it.

Place rolled tortilla in baking dish, seam side down.

Continue with remaining tortillas.

Take remaining Chile Sauce, and pour it over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce and cheese is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Makes 8 enchiladas. Recipe can easily be doubled Mom's Cheater Borracho Beans

My mother is an incredible cook and my inspiration. The care, detail and love she puts into her cooking shows with every meal and she is never afraid to try new creations. Her beans she makes from scratch are terrific and I have never found any I like better. Remember, this was her birthday celebration and we had to keep prying things out of her hands for us to handle. The sneaky little rascal threw some beans together in spite of us. Knowing she was going to be scolded - she cheated with this recipe. I will be cheating with this recipe from now on. They were still really good. Cheating how - well the beans came from a can, then she did her usual and turned them into something grand. I know, I know, they're beans so what's the big deal? Try them, they are delicious.

Cheater Borracho Beans

2 15 oz cans Trappy's Pinto Beans 1 can stewed tomatoes - drained

1/2 of a large onion, diced and lightly sauted in a little oil 10-12 slices of jarred Jalapenos

1 T. Tony's Creole Seasoning

1-1/2 tsp cumin

1 T Chile powder Salt & Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to crockpot to simmer for 2-3 hours.

Then, she got into more trouble for her birthday and created this salad.

Corn Fiesta Salad 2 ribs celery, about 1/2 Cup 1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 small onion, diced 1/4 C red and/or green pepper, diced 1/2 C sliced black olives 1 cucumber, peeled and diced 3-4 T jalapeno, finely diced (optional) 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional) Pepper to taste small bottle Catalina dressing

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Great to make ahead, the flavors just get better!

White Spanish Rice

1/2 med. onion, diced

2 lg cloves of garlic, diced

1 C long grain rice

1 C chicken broth

1 C water

1 large Poblano Pepper, roasted, peeled and diced

1 tsp cumin

1 T. Fiesta brand, Spanish Rice Seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

Dry saute onion, garlic and rice until rice begins to toast. Add chicken broth, water, poblano pepper, and seasonings. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes.

Remove lid, fluff rice with a fork and serve.

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Ina Garten's recipe, it's rich, decadent and beautiful. I can't mess with perfection! Can be found on http://www.foodtv.com/ This was one great meal with authentic Tex-Mex flavors from our family to yours, enjoy!