Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

It's been well over 2 years since we ate this particular form of enchiladas but I still remember it clearly.  Our friends had us over for dinner and after we ate I knew I couldn't leave before obtaining a copy of Glenda's recipe.  Turns out it was from the Cooking Light magazine which is great - makes me feel healthier, right?  :)

After moving a few times since then, both domestically and internationally, turns out I hadn't lost the copy after all this time.  You might be surprised by that, but people who know me well probably wouldn't be!

I don't own a blender yet, so the sauce looks a little "chunkier" than the recipe calls for.  But it tastes the same!  I did utilize my awesome food chopper to practically mutilate the onion, so that was fun.

The sauce doesn't drench the enchiladas like some recipes call for, so if you like it SAUCY then definitely double the sauce portion.

I'd highly recommend serving this with some form of Mexican rice, black beans, tortilla chips, and lime.  And don't forget the salsa!

Oh, and definitely don't accidentally miss the "cooking spray" part of the recipe...or when you try to dish them up, they will look like this:

Print recipe here.

Successful Fried Rice

I love all kinds of fried rice, from the fresh home-cooked to the Panda Express version.  But I’ve only attempted it once.  We were living in Peru and I REALLY didn’t know what I was doing…the final product proved that.

But I stumbled upon this blog post a few days ago and had to try it. Fortunately, all the ingredients (or at least those from this recipe that I wanted to use) were in the house already – whoohoo!

A tasty success.

A little tidbit probably unknown to most of you: Over the past 100 years, there have been many Asian immigrants to Peru – I believe mostly from China, but I could be mistaken.  So, there are little Chinese/Peruvian restaurants everywhere called “Chifas.”  You can find fried rice almost everywhere in Peru, though it’s not an original dish to the country.  We most often heard it called “Arroz Chaufa.” 

At the very inexpensive restaurants (~$1 USD for a gigantic plate of fried rice), you never really knew what exactly would be in the dish – sometimes it looked more like leftovers all fried together.  But we just ordered and enjoyed.  It’s usually best not to ask questions.

Time for Some Hawaiian!

For those of you who do not live in an area with Hawaiian restaurants, I am very sorry.  It is one of our favorite types of food!  The most popular one here in Eugene (or at least the one with the most locations) is Hawaiian Time.

One thing I've never been a huge fan of is macaroni salad.  Or cold pasta salad in general.  Yet, something magical happens when I put a bite of theirs in my mouth!  Most of the dishes are served with this mac salad and rice.  We were told once (and who knows if it's really true - any Hawaiians out there to verify??) that it's tradition to either mix it all up together with the teriyaki meat or to make sure you have all 3 (meat, rice, macaroni) in each bite.  Didn't sound all that great to me...until I tried it, of course!

We have tried a few different items on the menu, but never ever get tired of eating their #2 Honolulu Plate.  It includes "thin sliced beef, marinated in a Korean style sauce." Sharing the large size is not only plenty for Husband and me, but we are both stuffed afterward.  But don't forget my favorite part - Sriracha!  We affectionately call it "Rooster Sauce."  It's very spicy for most people but we shovel it into every bite.

Service (speed, friendliness, etc.): 4 out of 5 stars
Ambiance (in relation to theme of restaurant): 4 out of 5 stars
Food (tastiness!): 5 out of 5 stars
Bathroom (cleanliness, comfort): 4 out of 5 stars
Music (volume, theme appropriate): 4 out of 5 stars

Grilled Mahi Mahi

And just when you were thinking that all I cook anymore are sweet goodies...
presenting my first fish dish!

Seriously, that's how beginner I am...Besides tuna sandwiches, I have always had this strange fear of preparing fish.  Mike helped with the grilling while I prepared the mojo sauce to go on the fish when cooked, a tomato & onion salad I learned from my dear friend Valerie after eating it at her house a few weeks ago, Jasmine rice (my favorite), and asparagus!  Thinking over the dish, I needed more of a contrast to the flavors so I luckily found some canned peaches in the cabinet.  And there you go!

(Thanks, Mike!)

My First Lomo Saltado

I put these pictures on facebook, but of course I should log it here!  I, in my own humble opinion, made a very good rendition of the famous Peruvian dish, Lomo Saltado.  I was very pleased with how it turned out and everyone else seemed to gobble it up as well.  I will definitely make it again!

Dad was a good sure helper!