Stacked Veggie Quesadilla

I saw this stacked veggie quesadilla recipe, labeled as a "last minute Super Bowl supper," in the most recent issue of Bon Appetit magazine... we made it tonight while watching the AFC championship game. It's pretty good, but I don't think I'll be serving it at Super Bowl, mostly because it's really hard to eat!!
The flavors were good and it really wasn't very hard (especially since they advocate microwaving pre-cut butternut squash- I cut up my own from the CSA, but did do the microwave thing). However, the stack of tortillas with all of the fillings is super tall and difficult to maneuver. You can't exactly pick it up without it totally falling apart. Part of this difficulty may be due to the fact that we got a little bit overzealous when crisping up our tortillas at the beginning, but I'm not convinced that floppier tortillas would make it any easier to handle.

Just a warning... don't be scared, but definitely bring a fork and knife if you make this!

Camarones Enchiladas (Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Sauce)

I've been craving something cooked in a spicy tomato sauce and served with feta since seeing various recipes bandied around the internet of late... Deb from Smitten Kitchen has been making shakshuka (eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce), Kevin from Closet Cooking is making tomato and feta baked eggs, and Alejandra from Always Order Dessert (who I met once in DC, as she used to be coworkers with Andy), had a spread in Real Simple with her mom's recipe for camarones enchiladas, or shrimp in spicy tomato sauce.

I decided to give Alejandra's recipe a try: definitely worth a try. The second recipe for us this week that uses the awesome smoked paprika as the main star.

Smoky Shrimp, Hominy and Tortilla Soup

This smoky and spicy soup is an easy weeknight combo of tortilla soup and pozole (a spicy Mexican pork and hominy stew)... it's really delicious- hearty, smoky, spicy and jazzed up with a little bit of shrimp. It really didn't take much time at all.

We topped ours with salty queso duro blanco, diced avocado, lime and cilantro. Plus, rather than let the corn tortillas dry out overnight, I brushed them with a little olive oil, sprinkled some sea salt on top and threw them on a cookie sheet under the broiler until crispy.

Amy's Fresno Chicken Enchiladas

Amy came over and cooked us Fresno-style enchiladas tonight... fabulous. These were so good.

Served with pinto beans and a corn/red pepper salad.

Todd's Enchiladas (in Amy's words)

INGREDIENTS

Sauce
oil (vegetable or olive oil)
1 med-large onion (white or yellow)
2 cloves garlic
4 tbsp. flour
4 c. chicken broth
8+ tbsp. chile powder
1+ tbsp. cumin
1+ tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2-1 c. tomato sauce (or half can 8 oz. tomato paste)
salt/pepper to taste

Filling
1 broiler chicken (5-6 lbs.) (baked or boiled)
Mexican crema (not Salvadoran or Guatemalan!) or sour cream
1 small can diced green chiles (drained) (optional)
1 package shredded cheese (spicy/Mexican flavors best or Monterey Jack)
salt/pepper to taste
optional flavors: dried oregano or fresh cilantro

Construction
1 package large flour tortillas
1 package shredded cheese
optional additional toppings: sliced black olives, diced green chiles, crema/sour cream (post-oven), what ever else sounds good!

Instructions
1. Shred chicken and mix with green chiles, crema until wet, a sprinkle of smoked paprika and cumin, and salt/pepper to taste. (Be careful it's not too salty--cheese and sauce will add to saltiness.) Set aside.

2. Pre-heat oven to 350F.

3. Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add flour and brown. Add chicken broth, chile powder, smoked paprika, and cumin and stir with whisk until dissolved. Add tomato sauce, sugar, and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then shimmer on lower heat until thickened (approx. 20+ minutes).

4. Put thin layer of sauce on bottom of baking dish (prevents burning). Roll chicken filling with cheese in tortillas and neatly line dish with them. Cover tortillas with remaining sauce, layer on cheese, and top with olives or green chiles, if interested.

5. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and allow top to brown.

6. Now enjoy those tasty motherfuckers with Mexican beers with lime, corn (frozen or canned corn, w/cumin, red pepper, red onion, butter, salt/pepper, and fresh cilantro stirred in at the end), Mexican rice, etc.!!!!

(serves approx 6)

Green eggs, no ham.

I had a craving for this egg recipe that I had when I visited Liz in Atlanta. This Rachael Ray recipe seemed reasonably close to what I remembered, and it was. Pretty good overall, but I think I liked the restaurant's version better. I finally remembered the name of the restaurant, the Flying Biscuit, and it turns out they have the recipe online! I think the feta is key, rather than the cheddar that Rachael calls for...