by Michelle
"Happiness is a kitchen full of family." —Unknown
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| My nieces frying the corn tortillas and assembling the enchiladas. |
More often than not when my extended family gets together for a meal we prepare Mexican food. Nearly three years ago, we made
carnitas for my daughter, Maddie's graduation, along with
shredded beef tostados,
creamy refried pinto beans,
coleslaw,
strawberry-infused margaritas, and
pineapple-ginger auga fresca. For the past two years we gathered together for festive afternoons of making
tamales in early December in early preparation for our Christmas dinner. My sister Linda was known for her
Feliz Navidad Fiesta Menu during the holidays, which
albondigas soup and cheese enchiladas were key components. It seems as if we can never get enough of a good thing. We all love the spicy food hailing from our neighbors south of the border.
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| I use a combination of chiles for a more complex flavor. |
Last month a handful of our larger group were all together again at my house the day before Thanksgiving. The day before turkey day I am energetically baking pies and prepping sides for the feast. If I'm too busy cooking the night before Thanksgiving, which is normally the case, my husband picks up pizzas and a big salad so that I can avoid making dinner. I love the fact that I can be too busy cooking tomorrow's meal to cook tonight's dinner. In my family everyone cooks, and cooks well, so I figured that I would put all that talent to good use and ask everyone to pitch in to help put a homemade dinner on the table instead of bringing-in take-out. Ask and you shall receive.
My niece, Sonora volunteered to fry the corn tortillas and her sister, Avalon agreed to stuff the enchiladas. In a pre-planning move, I made the enchilada sauce the prior weekend along with a taqueria-style salsa. My sister, Juliette shredded the specialty Menonita cheese (made by Menonites) that she purchased just over the border in Mexico specifically for the enchiladas. Maddie arrived home a little later than expected because traffic was predictably terrible. She was thrilled to have a margarita poured for her shortly after walking in the door, plopping down her bags, and letting out a deep sigh of relief to be safely home for the holiday. No rest for the weary, I promptly tasked Maddie with making the
guacamole and the
Mexican crème fraîche, which always seems to be her assigned job. I was in charge of making the homemade refried pinto beans that everyone adores. As a group we can forgo the rice but we can't skip the beans. Many hands make light work and within short order we finished prepping the garnishes and made a really delicious dinner together while we chatted, sipped
margaritas and laughed. This cherished time together is what memories are made of.
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| Ready to pop into the oven. |
Best Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce
