There are enchilada recipes and then there are enchiladas like my MIL made. It took me 12 years to perfect this dish, because by the time I met her, she was no longer able to cook them, so I never got to watch her do it. It was my FIL who wrote the recipe down, but that was just the beginning of my learning to make them.

The ingredients for these stacked enchiladas are pretty basic: hamburger browned with onion, cheese, enchilada sauce, salad, corn tortillas, eggs. The secret is in the technique. For years I tried to make them so that all the plates hit the table at the same time, and that was my error. Well, that and frying the tortillas too long. The way to do it is to fry the tortillas just enough to soften them, and build each plate as you go, and then move on to the next one. And always top them with a fried egg!

So, fry the tortilla, dip it in sauce, put some meat and cheese and salad on it, and repeat if desired until it is as tall as you like it. Adults need 2-3 layers, young children only one. Put another fried and dipped tortilla on top (if you want it) and fry an egg till the white is firm but the yolk is not and put it on top (if you want it). Pour some extra sauce over the whole thing, and enjoy.

My family loves these, and we’re having them tomorrow night, I think.

Technorati Tags: enchiladas, recipe

I am sitting here looking at my glass of tea and thinking that summer is coming up and I really ought to start drinking more water. The thing is, I don’t much care for water. I prefer TEA. I saw this water bottle filter the other day, and it got me to thinking: Why don’t they much water bottle flavor-ers? Like the filters, you know, but instead of just taking the ewwwwww out of the water, it would also put some flavor in? I’d drink more water that way.

Technorati Tags: tea, water

I found this recipe on the back of a box of brownies, and it is delightful. It’s the most expensive chocolate brownie I’ve ever made, but it is worth every penny. Make your brownies according to the box, or from scratch if you feel particularly feisty. When they come out of the oven and are still hot, put a couple of handfuls of mini-marshmallows over them in an even layer so that they melt. Then add a layer of graham crackers over the brownie. Easy, and just wonderful! The graham cracker helps keep the melted marshmallow goo off your fingers. Be prepared to wash your hands anyway, and don’t use a fork, either. That’s just cheating.

Have you ever made snowballs and preserved them in the freezer?
Have you ever had a cooking disaster?
Have you ever sent or received a piece of fan mail?

No, yes, no.
I am usually a pretty good cook, but I do have a story or two to tell. I remember one meal I cooked that I burned every single thing. All of it! I hardly ever burn anything (as in that was the first and last time, except bread, sometimes it gets a little darker on the bottom than is ideal), but that one meal made up for my usual non-burning self.

The other disaster of note was my first from-scratch pie crust. I neglected to take into account the fact that I was using self-rising flour, and so I added salt to the crust. Blech! My dh loves a pie, though, and he ate it anyway.

Technorati Tags: manic monday

This makes 2 pies

1 pound frozen spinach
12-16 ounces bacon, diced and fried crisp
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 pie crusts
Bisquick
Eggs

Fry the bacon, and thaw the spinach. Mix these together with the cheese. Put half of this mixture in each pie crust. Mix up the Bisquick according to the cheeseburger pie recipe on the box (sorry, I am pumping at the computer, the box is in the kitchen), making a double batch. Pout half over each filled pie crust. Bake as directed on the box for cheeseburger pie.

This is so yummy. All my crew loved it.

You have to put the sugar in while the tea is HOT, not after it’s cold. That way the sugar melts all in the tea, and doesn’t settle to the bottom. So here’s what I do:

Take 4 family size tea bags, and put them in a pot of water. Bring it to a boil. Turn off and let steep if you have time (I usually don’t). Pour into a gallon pitcher and add about 1 and a half cups of sugar. Stir vigorously. Refill the pot using the same tea bags, and bring to a boil again. Add this to the pitcher, and stir vigorously. Finish filling the pitcher, if it’s not full already, with cool tap water. Stir again. Put in frig. Repeat every 12 hours for a family this size :)

Technorati Tags: tea, sweet tea

If you are looking for a new microwave, you may want to visit the microwave oven guide first. You’ll find some helpful tips on the types of microwaves available, and how to choose the one that will best met your needs. You can even run price checks The only thing missing is recipes, and you get those in the manual that comes with your new microwave, usually.

We couldn’t live without one in this house. We use it to cook vegetables, pop popcorn and heat coffee. Before the family got so big, I used to cook more things in mine, but……..the amount of food we need just doesn’t fit in there anymore, LOL!

Technorati Tags: microwave oven, cooking

Here’s a neat idea that combines two of my passions: cooking and books internet. BigOven Recipe Software - 160,000 Recipes will keep the cook in you drooling for hours. The cost is $29.95 for teh Deluxe addition, but they do have a free trial. The Starter edition is 9.95. Additionally, it can be used with your Palm or Pocket PC.

• Easily enter your own recipe collection… and discover hundreds of thousands of other great choices to add to your own
• Drag and drop recipes onto a grocery list… BigOven will give you a grocery list sorted by aisle, saving you time on every grocery run
• Create meal plans quickly — choose from your rotation or those you’ve flagged ‘Try Soon’
• Scale any recipe up or down; let BigOven do the math
• Find virtually any recipe by ingredient, cuisine or more
• Join a fun online recipe-swap… share your family favorites with others!
• Get your shopping list and favorite recipes on your Windows Mobile or Palm PDA
• Generate Nutrition Facts for any recipe

Technorati Tags: food, recipes, cooking, recipe software, big oven