Nurturing my inner... deep-fried decadence

How could I have forgotten about this place! The Tortilla Factory in Herndon.  When was the last time I had been there?  Two years ago?!  Three years ago?!  The travesty!  What has kept me away?  Have I been so bewitched by an abundance of proficient and readily available chain restaurants that I was temporarily blinded?  Or perhaps because it's tucked away in a half-abandoned, skanky strip mall that I loathe to even drive past?  (Yeah, that's it.)  Well, don't be fooled by the rough and tumble, your-tires-may-be-stolen-right-off-your-car-while-you're-inside, exterior.  Personal safety aside, they have the best chimichanga I've ever eaten.

When I went there this most recent time, I was alone.  And I was not going to eat there, alone.  (Not without a can of pepper spray in my hand and my eye to the door.)  So I got take out.  (In daylight.)

For about $9.00, you get quite the heavy box of wonderful Mexican fare.  (Back your car around, if it still has tires that is, it's of substantial volume.)

Chimichanga or deep fried suitcase?
It surely was the size of some Samsonite.

Like a giant, well-crafted dumpling, the edges were folded so neatly.  And though this doughy purse had obviously been deep fried, it still appeared light and crispy.  Not greasy.  (How they do that?)

Attention to detail is apparent. Made
with love. (And lard.)

The over the top part though, is the guacamole cream sauce.  Oh. My. My.  It's killer!  You add that creamy, tangy, velvety topping to the crackly, chewy, meaty chimichanga and your voyage to cloud nine has begun.  Silky smooth refried beans with cheese and light, fluffy Spanish rice are the perfect sidekicks.

I did my best recreation of their plating when
I got it home. (And I like my plates better
than theirs.)

Enough of the artsy stuff.  It was time to cut open this fried pillow that encapsulated hearty, tender, moist, shredded chicken.  And let me tell you, it was jam packed with gobs of it!  (A whole coop!)  And I have to note, it must have something to do with a flash frying technique, but there was no drying out of anything.  The Tortilla Factory does this perfectly right.  I'm beholden to their expert craftsmanship.

Possibly had an entire chicken in there.

As much as I wanted to down the entire chimichanga in one sitting, my stomach capacity (and my perceived calorie count of the entire madre load being over an entire day's worth of calories) would not permit it.  I knew it would lose some of the crispy factor when I heated up the remaining half the next day, but that was a small price to pay for the immediate moment's bliss.  The half I did snarf down (like mad) was so ridiculously good that first day, that I could forgive the second day's shortcomings with nary a second thought.  No disappointment here.

It's a pity when important things like wonderful, wacky, holes-in-the-wall are forgotten in the rush of a busy life of cookie cutter convenience.  I'm going to add a reminder to my Outlook calendar to go back in a couple months, instead of forgetting again for a couple years!  (Yeah, my memory ain't what it used to be.  I'm not ashamed to employ technology as a helping hand!)

Nurturing my inner... june cleaver goes to cabo

Oh, this one is going to be good!  You're not going to want to miss it.

Pot Roast Tacos

Pot Roast

2 lbs chuck or bottom round
1 leek, washed and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 package sliced mushrooms
6 carrots, peeled and cut
10 small red potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 sprigs of thyme
1 can of beef broth
1 can of beef consomme
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp granulated onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

I'm warning you, this recipe really delivers.  I had tacos like these at M&S Grill and had to learn to make them at home.  I created a rich, flavorful gravy for them, so if you wanted it to be lighter, you could forgo the can of consomme and add that in water.

There is some effort to put forth in preparation, but then it all goes in the Crock Pot and you get to leave it for 6-8 hours.  So while you're chopping vegetables, just think of the reward you'll get in less than half a day.

They look like they just came from the garden.

They peel quickly with a sharp peeler.  They were too pretty for me not to take a picture with the greens still on.

Definitely picture worthy, before I hacked
them all up!

And then I chopped them into large pieces, because I knew they'd be cooking for hours.  (Hindsight: I might consider waiting until the last two - three hours to add the carrots and potatoes if I wanted them to be less soft.)

You do know that's how they make "mini" carrots
anyway, right? They cut down big carrots.

I went to Wegmans in August to get the beef for this traditional family fav.  I remembered they had a really great selection.  Most recipes said that bottom round was the preferred cut, but I hadn't seen any that day.  So I spoke to the kindly Wegmans butcher and he lent me a helping hand.  He said that chuck was what I was looking for.  (Who's chuck?  What did I know.)  I ended up with two one pound pieces.  And because I wasn't ready to make it that day, I froze them.  Which lead me to my next adventure: using the microwave to defrost these two.  I've not ever used my microwave to defrost meat.  Turns out, it works really well.  You choose the defrost button, then put in the weight, flip it over a couple of times when it tells you to, and bada bing - you're all set!

It worked fantastically.

I do have to mention that I realized later should the police have had any reason to search my freezer in recent weeks, having a bag labeled "chuck" was probably a bad idea.

See, it looks sketchy. I told you.

Before these two went into the Crock Pot, they needed to be seared.  Sealing in the juices by searing the meat offers a better texture and flavor later.

Side one. Do yo thang!

Large cuts of meat in a pan with olive oil creates this: spatter.  No one likes spattering.  1.) It's hot and hurts when it lands on your hands and arms. 2.) It's a pain in the tukus to clean off your stove.  This handy little spatter screen is worth the purchase for an event such as this and it's slim and stores away easily.

Spattering oil stays confined as it should.
Your hands, and stove, with thank you later.

Maybe five minutes on each side and your roasts will look browned up perfectly like this:

Looking good already.

That wasn't very hard at all.  Now into the Crock Pot they go.  Ready to meet the rest of their friends.

How ever will I wait for six hours?

Every good pot roast needs the right liquid combination.  I've seen people add dried onion soup mix or tomato paste.  I opted not to go either route and instead, kept it basic.  But that didn't mean I was going to skimp on rich flavor and lovely gravy.

The key to rich gravy is to add enough broth
and not too much water.

I also thought I should pack this with a bit of extra flavor, because it was a good hunk of beef.

Dried and concentrated.

I will also add the fresh stuff, but in a stewy like dish a bit of extra flavor makes it that much more wonderful.



Salt and spice and everything nice.


Beef broth and consume in, along with half a cup of water.

I could almost quit at this point.
What else could make this more perfect?

Alright, alright, veggies need to be a part of this grand plan.  I knew I'd be adding onions in later for the taco part, so I thought hey, I'll put in a leek for flavor now.

Green part was looking a bit ragged.

Sliced up the garlic, shallots and mostly the white and light green part of the leek.

Now that's some fresh flavor!

I debated showing you the next item.  Because they had been sitting around for a bit too long in my fridge.  As a result I ended up with some sad mushrooms.  Since they were going in the slow cooker, I wasn't too disapointed.  They'd be fine.



So though they had seen better days, I
knew they'd rally!


Into the pot went the shallot, leek, garlic, thyme, mushrooms and seasoning.

Very earthy.

Well, what's a pot roast without potatoes?  Like a night without stars.  Like a cookie without chocolate chips.  Like a... okay, enough already.

I like the texture of red potatoes for this.

Potatoes should be peeled.  Little potatoes are big work, but you've come this far, so don't give up!

They were small, so I used about 10.

Then I quartered them.  I left them in large chunks, just like the carrots, because of the long cook time.  They were all about the same size.

Similar size veggies ensure even cooking.

Of course, they too now go into the Crock Pot.  Everything will fit.  It all cooks down over time.  You just need to make sure you have enough liquid.

Officially meat AND potatoes now.

Then add the carrots and the flour.  It's getting easier and easier.

And done.

Lid on and you're outtie for six to eight hours.  Ah, but wait!  That was just the pot roast portion.  Your June Cleaver moments are behind you.  Now it's time to embrace your "caliente" side.

Tacos and Sauce

Flour tortillas
1/2 onion sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1/2 cup mayonaise
1 chipotle pepper
1 tsp adobo sauce

I've had several kinds of flavored mayos on sandwiches when I've been out, but never thought of taking the time to learn to make them at home.  Well, until I wanted to recreate the pot roast tacos.  So I had to figure out how to make chipotle mayo.  Pretty much, it's just chipotle and mayo.  I know, complicated, right.  You can add a fresh squeeze of lime if you wish.

You can easily double the amounts and
it will work just fine in larger batches.

The mini food processor has been so handy.  I'm glad I have it.  It's the perfect size for these smaller jobs.  (And the only one I have, so...)

One chipotle, skin and all.

I also added a bit of the adobo sauce that was in the can with the chipotles because it has great flavor.  Don't waste it!

Mmm, spicy!

A friend gave me and other guests a great gift before a holiday dinner one time.  We each got a couple of mini spatulas and some kitchen towels.  You may think that is boring, but I thought it was such a fun and useful idea!  I use the towels often and these mini spatulas have found their place - scooping clean the inside of a mini food processor.

Williams Sonoma Outlet has great gifts.

Um, I wanted it a bit more spicy.  So I added more adobo.

Have to be a little daring.

I had to keep taste testing, because I needed to find the right balance of spicy, but not painful.  I like heat, but only if it's flavorful.  Burning off my tastebuds isn't my idea of a good time.



Ooh, I like that pumpkiny color.

To make it easy to add the chipotle mayo to the taco, and restaurant worthy, I had bought some little squirt bottles.

Made for travel shampoo and conditioner.
Fairly certain I got them at Target.

I used a small demitasse spoon to add the mayo into the bottle.

Takes a little patience up front.

The half cup amount should fit perfectly.  Fill bottle up and then put in the fridge for later.

Sort of looks like thousand island dressing.

Now that that's set, time to get the other veggies ready for the tacos.

You and you, get ready.

I sliced them both as if they were going into a fajita or a cheesesteak.

They really do make you cry.

Who would ever have thought green peppers with pot roast?  Gotta love it.

They don't make you cry.

Soften them up in a pan with a little olive oil.  Just to take the crisp off of them, but not long enough to make them soggy.

Fajita-rific!

Six and a half hours later, I decided I couldn't wait any longer for the pot roast.  I tested it and the meat was wonderfully cooked and falling apart.  Let's go!

Like, WOW!  Check that out. Give it a
little stir. You could eat it as is.
But that isn't the plan.

I couldn't see too much of what was going on in the pot under that lovely, yet murky, liquid, so I put it out on a plate to get a better look.

"Gee Wally, that sure looks like one perfect
pot roast."

Okay, okay, okay!  This is the moment I had been waiting for nearly eight hours for!  Time to make the tacos!!!  (Way excited for assembly time.)

For some reason, I prefer the flour tortillas
you can get in the refrigerated section.
Nice and soft.

You can always toast them lightly over an open flame, if you have a gas stove, but I just put one down on a plate.  Because I was hungry and impatient!  I added a little of the sauted onions and peppers on top.

Sort of does remind me of a fajita. But that's
not what M&S called them, so neither will I.

I took the meat, removed any fat and shreded it up.  (I used the potatoes, carrots and mushrooms as the side dish.)  Then placed some of it, a generous portion actually, on top of the veggies and added a drizzle of gravy.

I can hardly wait! The suspense is killing me!

Almost there.  Take your squeeze bottle, make sure the top is opened all the way and generously top your taco with spicy deliciousness.  That is the final touch.  The cherry on your taco sundae.  (Iew, that misguided metaphor sounded yucky.)

Rightly outrageous. I know you're drooling.

Fold in the sides, pick up, tilt head and *chomp* until your heart's content.  (Oh my my, I just might fall over.)

Your personal aerial view.

This dinner is amazing!  Not gonna lie.  I mean it.  You'll impress yourself if you make it - you'll also impress your husband, children, friends, visiting dignitaries, celebrities and possibly your mother-in-law.  Promise me you'll try it around the holidays when you get tired of turkey and ham.  It's a modern twist on an old standby.  Hey, it's good to modernize.

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?