TexMex Enchilada Casserole

This casserole kicks it old school. In the 1950s and 60s, the cheese enchilada was a staple on almost any Tex-Mex restaurant menu. The "cheese" in these enchiladas was velveeta, which was paired with onions and rolled into corn tortillas that were topped with something called chili gravy. It's not a dish you're likely to come across on a modern menu, at least not around here.

Chili gravy was considered a hybrid between a traditional brown gravy and a Mexican chili sauce, and it was an absolute essential in any Tex-Mex kitchen. Back in the middle of the last century, restaurants played with traditional Mexican dishes to make them seem more familiar to their Anglo-American customers. That said, to my American taste buds, chili gravy actually has very little in common with brown gravy, other than its color. As far as I'm concerned, this is a good thing.

For those who are used to enchilada sauce from a can, chili gravy is definitely within the comfort zone. It's a sauce with more flavor than heat and a familiar mix of spices. Once you know how to make this chili gravy, you'll never have to buy another can of enchilada sauce again.

So why a casserole? Honestly, I cannot roll a corn tortilla without breaking it, and I have tried every method out there. Rolling enchiladas is time-consuming and tedious, and the filling always leaks out. On the other hand, a casserole is easy and fun to put together.

This recipe is adapted from The Tex-Mex Cookbook, by Robb Walsh.


TEXMEX ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

for the chili gravy:
1/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chili powder
2 c water

for the rest of the casserole:
12 corn tortillas, torn in half
8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
8 oz montery jack, shredded
1 bunch green onion, chopped

1. In a small bowl, combine all the spices for the chili gravy: black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Whisk for about 3 minutes, or until a light brown roux is created. Add in the prepared spice mix. Continue heating, whisking continuously, for another minute. Pour in the water, whisking to combine with the roux. The sauce should begin to thicken. Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes. If sauce gets too thick, add more water (I always wind up adding at least 1/4 c).

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. To layer the casserole, start by coating the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with some of the chili gravy. Top with 12 of the tortilla halves. Top with 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the green onion. Top with remaining tortilla halves. Pour remaining (or less) over top. Top with remaining cheese and green onion.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbly.

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

September Stuff

I try to make one post a month that's not a recipe. Not more than that, because I know what people like, and people like recipes. Not less, because I like a pinch of variety here and there. So I thought, what could I talk about during the month of September that's not food related? And I drew a blank.

That's because I've been consumed with food for the past few weeks. I made these Apple Harvest and Pumpkin Spice cupcakes for a luncheon this week. I'll have the recipes for these up on the blog next week. This weekend, I have a really cool mini-pie idea for a baby shower. If I can pull it off, it'll be awesome. Fingers crossed.

Does anyone know a good place to find cute cupcake liners? The kind you bake the cupcake in, not the kind your wrap around an already baked cupcake.

I'm not able to find as much time for thrift shopping as I used to, but I'm still finding some nice pieces. Since some pieces are just too nice to bake with, I've been using Pyrex to decorate the house. A good portion of our home is still relatively empty since we moved here almost 3 years ago. It could use a little Pyrex sprucing.

Cake Batter Cookies

I've been seeing cake batter recipes all over Pinterest. Cake batter pancakes, cake batter blondies, cake batter truffles. At the heart of the cake batter phenomenon is the "funfetti" cake mix, which is, from what I gather, yellow cake with sprinkles in it. It's a concept I find intriguing and horrifying at the same time. I felt compelled to try it. So I jumped on the cake batter bandwagon and hoped for the best.

These. cookies. are. so. GOOD! I can't confirm whether they taste like cake batter, since I've never eaten cake batter. But I can promise that they are crazy tasty (and crazy addictive to boot!). I love the chewy texture of these, and love that they bake rather flat. The cookies didn't last long, not because they went stale but because we ate them all. This recipe is a keeper for sure. I might try playing with it to bypass the box mix, but I'm very happy with it as written.


CAKE BATTER COOKIES

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c funfetti cake mix
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla

1. Stir together flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, cream together butter with the sugars. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Scrape sides of bowl and beat for another minute or so. Add in dry ingredients. Mix just to combine. Cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets. Keep in mind that these cookies spread (it's part of their charm), so leave about two inches between each scoop. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Source: Lovin' From the Oven, who adapted the recipe from Stephanie Cooks

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Foodie Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Have you ever had days that you're just not "feeling it." Well, that's where I am with blogging right at this very moment. I think I'm just tired. Sundae is going through a phase where she doesn't want to be more than a few feet away from me at any time. This has resulted in her jumping up and down on me at 4 AM. Although, I'm pretty sure that from her perspective, I'm the one with the problem. After all, by that time of the morning I've been sleeping, not paying attention to her, for hours. What's my problem, right? There's a reason I'm not mom material, because I love to sleep. That's why I got a cat. I thought we shared the same interests. Sundae's really throwing me for a loop with this perpetual toddler routine of hers. She's just lucky I love her insanely ridiculous amounts and that's she so freaking adorable, even at 4 in the morning.

So, basically what I'm saying, as long winded as possible, is that I don't have much to say today about this coffee cake. It's delicious. It stays moist. It's a recipe I've tried many times with no fail. It cooks in a bundt pan, which I love. It has a delicious cinnamon and pecan filling. But that's all I can think to write about it.

I need a nap. I'll kick it into gear for next week, promise!


SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

for the filling:
1 c chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp sugar

for the cake:
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 c sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Fold in sour cream and vanilla. Gently fold in the flour mixture.

5. Pour about 1/3 of the batter into prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle 3/4 of the filling mixture into the pan. Top with remaining batter and then sprinkle with remaining filling.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack before removing from pan. When removing, keep in mind that the top of the coffee cake is facing up in the bundt pan, so you'll need to flip the cake twice when unmolding.

Source: The Essential New York Times Cookbook

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday

Stovetop Mac & Cheese

Macaroni and cheese made in just minutes on the stovetop. No blue box required.

I have always loved macaroni and cheese. It's one of the very first dishes I learned to cook. For the longest time, I thought homemade mac and cheese by definition included a roux and was baked in an oven. And that's how I did it for years. Truth be told, though, I missed the blue box stovetop style I grew up eating. While there's nothing wrong with baked mac and cheese, it never felt right, either.

When I found this recipe, I was a bit skeptical. Evaporated milk? Only minutes to make? How would it taste? Would it be cheesy enough? Goodness knows I've tried an astounding number of mac and cheese recipes that seemingly have no cheese taste. I don't know how that can be, but it appears to be an epidemic. Well, I'm happy to report that this recipe is definitely cheesy enough. Cheesy and creamy. I don't think I'll ever go back to baked. Not that my husband would let me; he fell in love with this recipe at first bite.


STOVETOP MAC & CHEESE

2 c dried elbow macaroni pasta
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
5oz can evaporated milk
8oz block cheddar

1. In a stockpot, bring some salted water to a roiling boil. Add in pasta. Cook according to package instructions. Drain pasta and return to pot.

2. Add butter to pasta and stir until butter has melted. Add in evaporated milk, spices, and egg and stir to coat pasta. Heat over medium-low until evaporated milk has appeared to thicken, about 3 minutes. Add in cheese and stir until cheese has fully melted.

Source: Evil Shenanigans

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Foodie Friday