Vegetarian Enchiladas

I love enchiladas. I love Mexican food. Actually, I love Tex-Mex. But Mexican food is good, too. However, it is generally not healthy. And I am trying to be healthy. Trying. So, how to combine my love of enchiladas with my goal of being healthy? Make a substantial and vegetarian version of enchiladas. And, as you will see, it's pretty easy. So this becomes a no brainer weeknight dinner.

Vegetarian Enchiladas
Makes 10 enchiladas
Cook time is about an forty five minutes, but I take my time in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 cup instant rice
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 red onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa
2 cups Mexican shredded cheese, divided
10 tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook the rice. I use instant rice and just add a cup of water and cook in the microwave for 7 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a skillet on medium high heat. Add onion and cumin and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until onions are soft.

4. Mix in the rice, beans, corn, salsa, and 1 cup of cheese. Remove from heat.

5. Spoon about 1/2 cup (more or less, depending on your judgment) of the mixture into a tortilla. Then roll the tortilla tightly and place in greased 13x9 glass pan. Repeat for the 9 other tortillas. At some point, it may look like they won't fit, but you can squish them in to make room.

5. Pour the remaining mixture on top of the enchiladas.

6. Pour the enchilada sauce all over the enchiladas. Then top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Then enjoy!

Note: I try not to make too many specifications in the ingredients. This is supposed to be easy and customizable. I used cans I have in my pantry. In fact, the only items I had to buy for this were the onion and cheese. Everything else is what I had on hand.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.

My Current Two Favorite Songs

I have two new current favorite songs! Both by new people that I have never heard of.

The first one, Budapest by George Ezra, is just fun to listen to.

The second one, Fight Song by Rachel Platten is fun to sing to.

3/14/15: The Ultimate Pi Day

It only happens once a century, y'all. When the month, day, and year combine to create a more accurate pi: 3.1415. And it is on a Saturday! Let's spend the whole day making pie!

I am not a huge fan of pie, but my husband loooooves pecan pie. His favorite comes from The Homesick Texan. Her pecan pie recipe is simple yet amazing, which is exactly what pecan pie is supposed to be. I highly recommend that you check out her blog and her books. Her recipes are great, but her storytelling is even better.

If I had to pick a favorite pie, it would be either key lime pie or pumpkin pie. I have never made either of these, because whenever I have made pie, it has always been pecan. (I do it for love, y'all.) But this year I have a hankering to try this raspberry pie from Taste of Home.Instead of a snowflake, I can draw a pi symbol with the icing! Very festive.

What is your favorite pie? How are you going to celebrate Pi Day?

St. Patrick's Day is Coming!

My husband and I both have Irish in our blood, so we love this holiday because it gives us a chance to celebrate our heritage.

This year, St. Patrick's Day is on a Tuesday. And on the closest Saturday is an even bigger holiday, because it only happens once every century: Pi Day with the year included! 3/14/15 will stand for 3.1415! Amazing thing to celebrate. So, St. Patrick's Day will likely be a more simple Tuesday celebration, whereas Saturday will be filled with pie!

A simple St. Patrick's Day, in my opinion, focuses on the Irish heritage. Definitely make some Irish soda bread, and perhaps some shepherd's pie for dinner. Unfortunately, Irish cuisine is not one of my favorites. Bu, what I do love about Irish heritage is their wonderful collections of blessings and toasts that focus on prosperity, friendship, and merriment.

Here are some of my favorite Irish blessings and toasts:

May the roof above us never fall in and the friends beneath it never fall out.

May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, and may good luck pursue you each morning and night.

May your blessings outnumber the Shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.

May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and heaven accept you.

May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty. And our ale never turn musty.

May you live a long life, full of gladness and health. With a pocket full of gold, as the least of your wealth.

May the dreams you hold dearest, be those which come true. The kindness you spread, keep returning to you.

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May Gold hold you in the hollow of his hand.

And finally:

Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
Who, through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here's toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings,
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick,
And see all those snakes again.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY, Y'ALL!

My Current Two Favorite Songs

Many people do not share my music tastes, but I wanted to share my current two favorite songs. I feel that neither one is getting proper radio time right now, despite the fact that they are both catchy.

The first is Geronimo. I think it's a pretty cool video. But I almost like the acoustic version better, so I am linking to that version, too:

The second is Shut up and Dance with me. It is so catchy that I have listened to it on repeat every time I drive somewhere. It's how I imagine my husband was thinking when we were just friends hanging out, but then we went to a club and danced and while we were dancing we became more than friends and fell in love. And now we are happily ever after, essentially because I was all like, "Shut up and dance with me," except that I never said "Shut up," but I did say "Dance with me."

Pictures from my Super Bowl Party

Well, I have OFFICIALLY finished all of the leftovers, so now it is time to write my post! My Super Bowl party was a major success, partly because of my planning, and partly because it was one of the best Super Bowls in years. Those last two minutes! Whoa!

The party came together nicely. The decorations were simple, of course, but they worked perfectly. The games were all fun, but the commercial break bingo was definitely the favorite. My dips were a hit. I made all eleven dips and set them up between two tables so that everyone could try each one.

Fortunately, I took some pictures before the guests arrived so I could show off my party :)

The living room all ready for the party

The buffet; Notice the ice cold cucumber water on its own table! Always important to keep guests refreshed.

The coffee table; No need to buy chip bowls when you can just the the bags up and cut them into a bowl.

My Valentine's bear wanted to see the game, too :)

Clockwise from top left: Tzatziki dip, Creamy Jalapeno Dip, Creamy Spinach Dip, Caramelized Onion Dip

Cannoli Dip

Football Field Mexican-Layered Dip; I obviously had trouble decorating with the sour cream, haha!

White Bean Dip; The Buffalo Chicken Dip went behind it, but was still baking when I took the pictures

Salsa, always served in my Mexican clay dip bowl

The favorite of the party: Sriracha Street Corn Dip

Brownie Batter Dip

The party favors: Commercial Rating Signs

 What a success of a party. We even had a balloon drop at the end when the Patriots won! I couldn't get a picture of it, though, because I was having too much fun.