One of my family’s favorite dishes that I make is my enchiladas.  I created my own recipe, inspired from my dad's enchiladas that he started making probably when I was in high school, as well as from a few recipes I found online.  As with most of my recipes, there are several variations, but here’s the basic version:

Ingredients:

- Ground Beef
- White Corn Tortillas
- Mexican style cheese, shredded
- Onion
- Old El Paso Medium red enchilada sauce (this is the best brand to use)
- Vegetable Oil
- Tomato (optional)
- Jalapeno (optional)
- Cilantro
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic


Directions:

1.  Cook ground beef in a skillet on the stove and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic to taste.  Chop some onion and add it to the pan.  Cook until meat is no longer pink.

 

2. Heat oil in a small pan (put in enough oil so that it's 1/4 to 1/2 in deep).  

3. One at a time, place tortillas in the oil, leave in just a few seconds until tortilla is softened.  Remove from oil and blot with paper towel to soak up excess oil.  

4. Lay tortilla flat and spread a spoonful of enchilada sauce over top.  Add meat and cheese.  Roll tortilla up and place in a baking dish.  Repeat this process for however many enchiladas you'd like to make.  

5. Pour extra enchilada sauce over top of rolled up enchiladas.  

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until sauce is bubbly. 

7. Sprinkle lots of cheese over top, and, if desired chopped onion, tomatoes, and jalapenos.  Place back in oven and cook just long enough for cheese to melt.  Remove from oven and sprinkle chopped cilantro over top.

Serve with a side of chips and guacamole for a real win!

Tonight's Dinner! These are a little more plain than normal because I was missing some ingredients; I'll try to get a prettier picture someday!

These are a little more complicated than most things I make, but as long as I’m just making it for 2-4 people, it’s pretty quick.  Unfortunately, this is one of the few recipes where it really does take a lot longer to cook for a crowd.  A little trick I learned from my dad - if you’re only cooking for a few people, I recommend using individual baking dishes, like these – the enchiladas come out better and it’s just fun to have your own dish!  If you’re cooking for a larger group or don’t have individual sized dishes, just use whatever size glass bakeware you like.  But, be warned, sometimes the enchiladas are tricky to get out in one piece!