From A to Z

Apparently our Beautiful weather has left us.  Our skies are Cloudy and Dark.  Everything is Funky and Gloomy.  It is rainy and Humid.  Incredibly as I wrote this Justifiable rant, Kismet happened and the sky turned Light and a Miracle occurred.  The weather turned Nice.  Opportunity having Presented itself, I Quickly Ran out and did my Shopping, Taking advantage of the clear and Uplifting skies.  Sunshine makes me Very happy.  When I returned home I eXclaimed....Yummy....I am going to make Zucchini Enchiladas.

Okay I am done being silly.  This week I got a lot of beautiful veggies from my CSA, including some very nice zucchini and a bunch of cilantro.  Then when I was thumbing through my latest issue of Cuisine at Home I found a yummy looking recipe for zucchini enchiladas that I thought would be perfect for my Try it Tuesday menu.  I am going to start our fiesta this evening with chips and guacamole and ask Frank to make up some of his famous margaritas.  But first we are going to finish painting so that the nursery doesn't take on a Mexican theme LOL.

Since I was in a Mexican frame of mind, I ended up taking a siesta this afternoon.  When Frank got home I got up and "helped" him finish the nursery.  He put on a second coat of paint and I put the wall plates back on and vacuumed.  Frank cleaned the carpet while I started dinner.

I know it sounds very fancy that I would make guac and chips just for the two of us but don't get too excited.  This is how I serve guac and chips when we don't have company.

You might notice I didn't even bother taking one of those coasters for my margarita LOL.

It was very nice to have a few moments to share snacks, drinks an visit with each other after our busy couple of weeks.  We talked about the possibility of Frank being able to retire soon.  It will be a big change in our finances but I would LOVE having him home each day.  I think we could buckle down for a while and turn this dream into a reality.

While Frank was making those margaritas for us to enjoy, I was getting dinner ready to go in the oven. Unless you are lucky enough to have an outdoor or basement oven you might want to make these early in the day and reheat them in the microwave at dinnertime.

I adapted this recipe from Cuisine at Home, Issue #106.  There are some further changes I will make if/when I make these again.  I will share those with you after the recipe.

This was a perfect recipe, because other than the Chorizo, the ingredients are staples in my fridge and pantry.

Dinner is served.

Zucchini Enchiladas

adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue 106

10 oz. Mexican Chorizo

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. cumin

1/2 t. coriander

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles with juices

salt and pepper to taste

1 (15 oz) can red enchilada sauce

2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 c. shredded mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 425*.

Brown chorizo in a large saute pan over med high heat until brown.  Drain chorizo in a fine mesh sieve.  Set aside.

Deglaze pan with onions and garlic until softened and translucent.  Add spices and saute for a minute or two to release flavors.  Add beans, chiles and chorizo.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread 1/3 can of the Enchilada sauce into bottom of baking pan large enough to hold zucchini halves.  Place the zucchini on top of the sauce and spoon chorizo mixture into the zucchini shells.  Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes longer.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Print Recipe

Frank enjoyed these as written.  That being said if/when I make them again I will use ground beef or pork instead of the chorizo.  The chorizo was much to greasy for my taste.  Frank also crumbled some of the corn chips on top of his which was a good idea because otherwise, while these had good flavor, they had no texture.

Let me know what you think if you try this recipe.