When in doubt, go back to your roots

Growing up, enchiladas were a staple in our house. They were usually for dinner, but did make an appearance for breakfast / brunch on weekends. These enchiladas are flat, not rolled, layering lightly fried corn tortillas with beans, chile, and cheese, and are topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and if you're really lucky, an over medium fried egg. There were usually saltine crackers with them, to push the bites you cut onto your fork, and as another vehicle for the chile, cheese, egg combo on the plate. For family gatherings or parties, enchilada casserole would appear - giant pans of layers of chile, cheese, tortillas, and either chicken or beef, depending on whether the casserole was made with green or red chile. It's all incredibly delicious, whether fresh from the oven or reheated for another meal later on. This is the height of comfort food for me, and always makes me feel all warm inside.

Two alligator approvals!

Last night was for that comfort food, but with a twist. My husband is a mole lover - he gets excited when he sees one of our favorite Mexican restaurants with it on their menu or as a special. He especially likes the dark moles, full of the flavors of  chiles and chocolate, spooned on top of a rolled chicken or cheese enchilada. So, it's not a surprise that we had a jar of mole in our pantry, and seeing that jar, and knowing that I had a pound of ground bison thawed out in the fridge was the inspiration for dinner last night: Mole enchilada casserole. I fried up a potato with the ground beef, added some spinach, and layered that with the mole sauce, corn tortillas, and grated cheddar cheese. I baked it at 350F until it was bubbling and the house smelled of melted cheese and mole. We let it sit for about 10 minutes to calm down, then scooped it into bowls, and then into our mouths! Together with a nice dark beer, it was heavenly!

I know I've mentioned this before, but it's sometimes hard for me to share recipes that I don't make from a book or website. Not because I don't want to, but because I cook by look, feel, taste and smell. I had a friend ask me to give her my recipe for red and green chile recently. I said I'd be glad to, but she would need to come over and cook with me. She and her husband came and we got to cooking. Her husband is an engineer, so he was not pleased when I couldn't give measurements for the red chile beyond take the stem off, shake the seeds out, and fill the blender. He asked how many, and I said, I don't know, until it's full - depends on how big the pods are. He adapted and both chiles were tasty, although the green one was almost to hot to eat.

Spring is slowly moving into summer here in Denver. When we're not under shelter in place orders, that usually means parties in the backyard full of grilled food. Well, we can still have the grilled food, so don't be surprised if the backyard and Walter start making more appearances in future posts and pictures. However, it won't be tonight - although it's amazingly sunny and warm, the wind is insane so we'll be cooking inside, even if we go outside for other activities. Stay safe, stay grateful, and fill your day with joy!