Nurturing my inner... Mexican

Today is a recipe day.  (Yippee!)  Once I figure out what I actually did and write it down for you.  Because I make stuff up as I go along.  You will learn this soon enough.  I will not be bound by the constraints of a recipe!  Good reason for me to stay away from baking.  (I would like to make a side comment that I do not understand why people go grocery shopping with mp3 players on and their ear buds in.  Honestly, you can't be unplugged for 30 minutes?)

Enchilada Bake

2 chicken breasts (I'd say around 1 1/2 - 2 pounds.  If you want precision, go to the professionals.  I'm just a web content manager who guesses at stuff and hopes for the best.)
6-8 oz sour cream
1/2 - 3/4 bottle green enchilada sauce (I prefer Ortega.)
1/2 can chopped green chilies
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
6 Corn tortillas
Chicken broth (I use Trader Joe's concentrate packets that you add to water.)
Fresh cilantro
Fresh lime

Boil chicken breast in pot with chicken broth until cooked through.  About 20 min.  Take chicken out of liquid, try not to burn yourself, put on plate and let cool down.  Save broth.  (Pay attention to this small, yet important detail.)

Mix enchilada sauce, chilies and sour cream together in a bowl.  Pull the chicken apart in a shredded like fashion as to appear like you know what you're doing, add to the sauce and sour cream mixture and then, well, mix some more.  (I'm no TV host.)  Use nonstick spray on the bottom and sides of a 10" x 7" rectangular baking dish. (I love my red Le Crueset stoneware that was a gift.  You can buy them on Amazon or at the Leesburg Outlet where they have 15-35% off sales at times.)

Put down two corn tortillas in the stoneware.  (The original recipe I used when I first started to make these said to cut them into strips, but since I've done it several times and tweaked it, I've learned it wasn't necessary.  But if you really want to cut them in inch long strips though, have at it.  Make origami.  Whatever.)  Spoon half of the chicken mixture onto the tortillas in an even layer, add two tortillas on top of that and cover with half the cheese.  Spread out remaining half of mixture on top of that.  Put the last two tortillas on top and then the last half of the shredded cheese.  Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, remove foil, bake for another 10 minutes uncovered until golden brown.  Remove from the oven, stare at the wonderful creation made by your own two little hands, take a picture to show your mother as proof because she won't believe you and cut into four sections. (Can be square or rectangular. Personal preference really.)  Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro to finish at the end like a professional.  (Which would not be me, but this little tip makes me look good to others.)

Still in the stoneware all bubbly

Crazy Beans

1/4 green pepper (chopped)
1/4 yellow onion (chopped)
1 medium carrot (chopped)
1 ear of fresh corn (cut off the cob)
3 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 can pinto beans (not drained)
1/2 can diced tomatoes (mine had green chilies in them)
1/2 can green chilies
1/2 tsp taco seasoning
dash of salt
2-3 strips of bacon
1 cup or so of chicken broth from above recipe (Where I told you not to throw it out earlier, so I hope you listened to me or our teacher/student relationship is going to be strained from here on out.)

In a medium pot, add beans with liquid, diced tomatoes, green chilies, corn, taco seasoning and broth.  Cut bacon into small pieces and render until crispy in a neighboring frying pan.  Take bacon out and add to beans.  In the bacon fat (seriously, you've come this far, so just go for it) or olive oil, cook the pepper, onion, carrot and garlic on medium low until soft.  Add that to the beans.  Stir it all together, bring up to simmer, cover and cook for 30 min which will thicken it up some.  Stir occasionally, taste because it's yummy, and watch carefully to make sure liquid doesn't evaporate super quickly.  If it gets too thick, turn the heat down a little and add more of the left over chicken broth to thin it out to your liking.  Serve in small, brightly colored bowls.  Because you can.  (I wanted to add a bit of chopped avocado to top them off as well, but the ones I bought weren't ready yet, so not this time.)

Served in my hand-painted plates from Mexico that I got in San Antonio, TX in 2009

I really did create the bean recipe on a whim today when I thought of the beans they serve at Rio Grande.  I wanted something to go with the enchilada bake and those ingredients came to mind.  It's liberating to be adventurous with food.  I used to be so afraid to just get in there and give it a shot, so I often let that stop me from doing anything at all.  Because, what if I really messed it all up?  This is what you do if you really blow it beyond repair - throw it out and start over.  It's not the end of the world!  Some of the best things I've made recently were by combining about three or four different recipes I saw instead of following one recipe to the letter.  But now the recipes I have are uniquely mine with my own personal flavor.  Now it's your turn to give it a shot.  What have you got to lose?