Classic Chicken Enchiladas

Without a doubt, chicken enchiladas are my guilty pleasure. I have a slight obsession with Mexican food to begin with, but I rarely make it at home (with the exception of beef tacos, which happens every.single.week).

Now, I do have a fantastic crock pot chicken enchiladas recipe posted on All Kinds of Yumm, and while that’s always my fall-back, this has a more authentic taste to it. My friend, Terri, mentioned that I should use corn tortillas in my enchiladas. I ignored her advice for the longest time, until all I had were corn tortillas, and I had forgotten to put the chicken in the crock pot. But on that particular day, I wanted-no, I needed-chicken enchiladas. I had to make due.

I decided to wing it and came up with this fantastic recipe.

Ingredients (makes about 16 small enchiladas and feeds about 4 people):

• Corn tortillas
• 8 oz. bag Mexican cheese
• 28 oz. Las Palmas enchilada sauce
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

We’re going to start with the chicken. Place it in a bag and, using a tenderizer, flatten it to about ½ inch thickness. Place in a pan on medium-high heat. Top with half of taco seasoning and cook each side for about 5 minutes, taking turns on each side until chicken is completely cooked.

Chop into small pieces.

In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil (I used peanut oil) on medium-high heat. Now, pour about half of your enchilada sauce into a large bowl and (one at a time) dip a corn tortilla into it.

Place in the pan with oil.

Let cook for about 10 seconds on each side, or until it starts to bubble.

Set aside and continue with the rest of the corn tortillas. You’ll need to do this with about 16 tortillas. If one or two fall apart, don’t think about it-just eat it.

Now we’re going to arrange the chicken enchialdas. Start by topping the tortilla with chicken. Don't overload it-a little bit goes a long way here.

Top with about 1 tbsp. cheese.

Lightly drizzle with enchilada sauce. Wrap it up tightly and place in a 13x9 pan. Continue until chicken is gone.

Once they’re all lined up, top with all the rest of the enchilada sauce you have and cover with remaining Mexican cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Serve warm with sour cream or your other favorite toppings.

Love and the classics,

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Homemade Refried Beans

It's no secret that I L-O-V-E bean burritos. From the time I was a little girl, Taco Bell had a firm grip on my heart. The only problem is, I've started getting grossed out when opening the cans of refried beans from the store.'

They're kinda' slimy when you first open it. Then, a day later, they're completely crusty and almost...evaporated. Kinda'.

I put off making these because they were going to be hard. I'd spend hours sweating in the kitchen like the Mexicans of old. Or so I told myself.

These are easy peasy. I'll never open a can again.

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. bag pinto beans
• Water
• 1/2  Onion, Chopped
• ½ Tablespoons Red Pepper Flakes, Or More To Taste
• ½ Tablespoons Paprika
• 2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons Salt, Or As Needed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

• First and foremost, if you have the time, soak the beans overnight in water. Just make sure they're covered. If you don't have the time to do this, no problem. I didn't. We'll just cook them a little longer.
• Pour the beans into a tall pot, filling with water and covering the beans several inches. They will act almost like rice and absorb a good bit of water, so don't be shy.
• Bring the water to a boil. Once it's bubbly, take it down to a simmer. Leave it simmering for 2-2.5 hours (1.5 if you soaked your beans overnight) or until the beans are tender. Keep an eye on the water, and if it gets low, add more.
• In a separate pan, heat up the olive oil. Add the red pepper flakes, paprika, brown sugar and onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until onions are slightly browned.
• When the time is up and the beans are nice and soft, drain them, except for one cup of the liquids.
• Mash 'em up like they're mashed potatoes.
• Add the cup of liquids and the sauteed mixture and, using a hand mixture, whip them up until they've lost most of their chunkiness. Some chunkiness is okay. This thought comforts me in other aspects of life.
• Once it's combined, add a good bit of salt. You may need to taste-test these until you find the right amount.

Serve warm!

Love and better-than-the-canned-stuff,

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