Enchilar

Fresh out of the oven!

Enchilar: Spanish word meaning 'to add chili pepper to'.

Enchilada is the past participle of this word.

Enchiladas have always been one of my favorite 'go to' meals whenever I'm unsure as to what to make for dinner that night. They just never disappoint. I learned how to make enchiladas years ago when my mom taught me, and this method is the one I still use today whenever I make enchiladas.

 Now my friend Nita had never had ground beef enchiladas, as ground beef is not the traditional authentic type of meat typically used when making enchiladas. She always has used either shredded chicken or pork, but never ground beef. She also typically uses a green sauce with her enchiladas, while I use a red sauce.

Rosarita's Red Enchilada Sauce that is. I've tried other brands of enchilada sauce in the past, but nothing compares to Rosarita's as many other brand I have tried are too bitter, acidic or have too much of a smokey flavor etc. Rosarita is somewhere right in the middle, not too spicy but very flavorful. As far as tortillas go we always buy the Guerrero brand tortillas as they taste best in my opinion. Anyways I wanted to show my friend Nita what ground beef enchiladas with Rosarita's red enchilada sauce was all about, and so the adventure began.

But first things first, I made us some cocktails.

Cookin' + Cocktails

What I really do enjoy about cooking with others is that you get to see how other people do things in the kitchen. We all have are own methods and techniques, and I'm always open to learning a new thing or two, especially on a dish I have cooked many times. But we'll get into that it a minute. Here's what we did for dinner that night...

Noonie's Classic Enchiladas

Prep Time: 10-15 mins

Bake Time: 20-30 mins or so

Supplies:

Corn tortillas

(I prefer the Guerrero White Corn ones)

Ground Beef

Onions, finely chopped

Cheddar Cheese, grated

Enchilada Sauce

(Rosarita's really is best!)

4-5 T. Oil

Basic Idea:

-Get your oil warmed up in a frying pan

-Fry tortillas for about a minute on each side,

just so they are slightly crispy but not crunchy

-While tortillas are frying, brown ground beef with onions

-While beef is cooking I usually add a little salt + pepper, 

as well as a tablespoon or so of the enchilada sauce to give it a nice flavor
-Once your meat + tortillas are finished..

-Put a little beef and cheese in the middle of your fried tortilla and roll,

continue this step until all your tortillas + meat are gone

-Place rolled tortillas in a 13x9 baking pan,

prior to putting the tortillas in the pan throw in a tablespoon of enchilada sauce

to coat the pan to prevent sticking

-Pour your enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas, sprinkle with cheese cover with foil

-Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or so, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling 

Tips I learned from Nita:

*If you like your enchiladas moister and on the softer side don't fry them as long. I personally like a little crunch to mine but a happy medium is good too :)

*Before rolling your fried tortilla dip it into some enchilada sauce, this ensures the enchilada is covered with that flavorful sauce which not only gives it an extra shot of flavor, but it also ensures the enchiladas won't get dried out!

*Be sure to cover your enchiladas with foil before cooking them! This also ensures your enchiladas won't get dried out or be too crunchy! Now growing up we never covered our enchiladas with foil and they usually did turn out a little crunchy on the ends of the enchiladas which I personally love! But I know not everyone likes that little crunch, which is why I would suggest the foil if you want softer, moister enchiladas. 

My enchiladas are always a hit, and after picking up these little tips from Nita they are even better than before!! 

Coating the pans with sauce
to prevent sticking

Meatin' up the enchiladas

Cheesin' up the enchiladas with
some help from mi amiga :)

Rollin' them bad boys up!

Time lapse of the enchiladas

Recorded this thru Vine

These didn't last long!

Okay so as promised here are a few ideas you could try in order to modify this recipe to make it a little healthier; although there aren't many modifications that I can think of that you could do with enchiladas. I mean come on they are enchiladas. But here are a few I could think of.

-Use less oil when frying the tortillas.

-Use ground turkey instead of ground beef or

-Use veggies instead of meat

-Go light on the cheese, maybe just sprinkle some on top

rather than stuffing each individual enchilada with cheese or

-Use reduced fat cheese

-Serve "healthy" sides with the enchiladas

I like to serve corn and either refried black beans or rice along side my enchiladas. If you've never tried refried black beans I highly suggest you give them a try! Even if you don't like black beans! I myself don't like black beans, but I was hooked once I tried refried black beans! The brand of beans we really like is La Costena. We've always got a can in the cupboard.

You just can't go wrong with this delicious, quick to prepare meal! What I also really like is that there are so many different varieties of enchiladas you could make, and they really never disappoint!

Until next time..Cheers!!

For the Love of Antiques UPDATE!

Victoria confirmed my estimated date on
this compact being from the 1940s

"The Elgin compact I'd definitely guess 40s...because of the shape, and also since it is Elgin brand they were most popular mid-late 40s and after that the brand seemed to phase out."-Victoria, Vintage Makeup

I have shared my love of antiques in the past, and blogged about it earlier last year. You can find my original "For the Love of Antiques" blog here. I was unsure of the dates of a few of my vintage makeup compacts and lipsticks despite my Internet research, that was until I spoke with a fellow blogger, Victoria, who is the founder of the blog Vintage Makeup! She was so kind as to drop some knowledge on me regarding a timeline as to when she believes my vintage compacts/lipsticks were made, and I just had to share!!

Victoria dated this square compact from the 1940s because "of the compact type, there were still square compacts in the 40s of course, but design wise they were a little different looking."

This compact was dated by Victoria as being from the 1950s "because it seemed compacts then started to be more colorful and (had) less engraved detail."

"As far as the lipstick tubes I would guess 1950s because that's when they seemed to get more detailed/decorated, and bigger. In the 40s & 30s the tubes were mostly a bit more plain and more bullet like. However if the gold one is Revlon brand it could be as early as 1940s"-Victoria

Big shout out and thanks to Victoria from Vintage Makeup!! Go check out her awesome blog Vintage Makeup to see even more vintage makeup as well as beauty product reviews! :)

Resolutions

Photo from my trip to Cali with Noonie

NELLI:
For the past 5 years I have spent New Years in New York City, so when I rang in 2014 I wanted it to be something different! Not that I went out or did anything exciting, but this year my goals are based on me. So it seemed only fitting to spend the evening doing things I enjoyed (aka cuddling up with the doggies and watching a movie).
Each year I choose one resolution, some of the past ones have been: trying new foods, traveling, getting out of the house more... things like that. But this year is going to be different. The end of 2013 brought the end of much more than just another year for me. It was the year I finished my college career, the year I improved my eating habits, the year I began to understand my emotions, and the year I learned the most about myself and the way I function. Therefore, it seems only fitting that 2014 will be more than a year of resolutions, it will be a year of self-revolution + reflection.

I began 2014 with a new hair color, owning my emotions, + cleanse.
I added bright red highlights to my hair + will be vegan for the month of January (except for a little hiccup this past Sunday...). Additionally my revolutions this year will have everything to do with me + personal growth.

1. Accept + Own my emotions

2. Improve my relationship with myself

3. Exercise
(I know this sounds like everyone's resolutions but I have never made this one before)

4. Read More
5. Create More

NOONIE:
Well can't say that I've thought much about a New Year's Resolution, that was until Nelli suggested this blogoration (blog collaboration). To be honest I really haven't had a New Year's resolution for the last few years for various reasons, but that's to change this year.

I've very hopeful that this will be the year that my health gets back on track, and that positive things will be coming my way! A lot of aspects of my life are on hold right now due to my health so I'm some what limited with my resolutions. But off the top of my head..

1. Create more!

2. Be more committed to finishing all projects I start.

3. Write in my journal more.

Although I only have a couple resolutions I guess they say quantity over quality right?

Happy New Year to all from Nelli & Noonie! 

We hope this year brings you and yours many good things!

Cheers!
And heres to more blogoration posts!

Freshest Fried Mushrooms

Best fried mushrooms I've ever had!

I've had 'im a million times. You've had them a million times (or maybe not), but that's besides the point. I'm talking about fried mushrooms! And although I've eaten them quite a few times over the years I had yet to make them, that was until last night. What initially inspired me to make these little fried treats was the fact that we had 1/2 a carton of fresh mushrooms on hand, remnants  from stews past, and they were going to go bad if I didn't use them asap.

As I said before I had never made fried mushrooms prior to last night and after a quick little Google search I had a basic recipe in mind. We typically always have Italian bread crumbs on hand as I use them often in my meatloaves and meatballs, and the other ingredients are basic items most people already have on hand, which is why I really liked this recipe. That and it took about 10 minutes to make these, and I didn't have to sacrifice oven space in order to make them (as the oven was occupied with our steak broiling).

Here's what I did...keep in mind I didn't follow the quantities of the recipes I looked at to a tea, I just kind of winged it as it's a pretty basic recipe.

Home Made Fried Mushrooms

Prep Time: 5 mins or less

Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Fresh Mushrooms

Bread Crumbs

Flour

1-2 Eggs, beaten

2-3 T. Oil of your choice

Basic Idea:

Slice your (washed + dried) mushrooms in quarters

Dip in flour, tapping off excess

Dip mushrooms in eggs

Dip in breadcrumbs

Lay mushrooms on a plate, let them sit for a few minutes

While mushrooms set get your oil warmed up

Fry mushrooms 2-3 minutes per side

Let them cool for a few mins

Enjoy with your favorite sauce! 

(I love mine with ranch)

Note: I suggest only dipping a few mushrooms at a time 

so they do not break.

Gettin' them ready to dip

Dipping station: Flour, eggs, bread crumbs

Letting them sit so they will soak up
the eggs + bread crumbs

I'm so excited I'm finally able
to post videos! :D

So delicious! Can be served as an
appetizer, side or even as a snack ;)

These mushrooms were seriously the best fried mushrooms I've ever eaten as they were soo fresh tasting! You just really can't beat good ol' fashion home cookin'! Can't suggest it enough! And for those of you out there who are trying to avoid fried foods, I'm sure these mushrooms could be baked instead of fried using the same recipe (although I have yet to try that myself). One could probably also use olive oil instead of vegetable oil to make it a little healthier.

Nelli, as well as another girlfriend of mine Nita, are both very conscious healthy clean eaters, and they both  have inspired me to try to think outside of the box in ways to change recipes to make them healthier or "cleaner" (for lack of a better word). For this reason I thought from now on I will try to add little tips at the end of all of the recipes I post on how to maybe modify the recipe to make it healthier/cleaner in honor of my clean eater friends :)

UPDATE: These little suckers reheat great!! Had some leftovers, just threw them back in some hot oil and they tasted just as delicious as they did they first night I made them!

Until next time..cheers and happy eatin'!