Kinda Mexican Wednesday
Enchiladas and nachos – an unusual, but good combo. I’d been working on financial planning spreadsheets most of the day, and wanted something simple to make for dinner.
I had a little fresh minced beef left from burger night, not enough to make a pan of chilli, but enough to act as the filling for a tray of enchiladas, using my last pack of tortillas. I fried the mince with garlic, chilli flakes and dried oregano, then added a finely chopped capsicum, some cayenne, and a can of chopped tomatoes, and then left it to simmer for an hour, for the flavours to blend. Usually with enchiladas, I bake the filled tortillas with more tomato-based sauce on top, but this time I just used a generous sprinkling of grated cheese.
Son is great at making nachos. It’s one of his signature dishes. He reckons they are so good because he layers the nacho chips, the salsa and the cheese, but they always come out yummy, and made a crispy partner to the enchiladas.
It was a good day for cake, and while the chili sauce was cooking, I made a tray of plain vanilla cupcakes, which I later turned into butterfly cakes. This is so easy, and they look so pretty. You simply cut out the tops of the cakes (and set them to one side), and blob a half-teaspoon of jam (I used strawberry) into the dimple, followed by a spoon of buttercream frosting. Then you make the butterfly ‘wings’. Take the discarded tops, cut them in half, and stand them on top of the icing. Ta dah!
I should add that I didn’t make the cupcakes from scratch. I’ve found a fantastic cake mix in the supermarket, which works brilliantly for these, and is a foolproof way to make them rise every time.
While at home more, I’m indulging in my love of cooking shows. This meme made me smile 😊
Every Chef
New Zealand is under Lockdown for at least four weeks. This blog intends to avoid the bad news about rising numbers of victims. It focuses instead on food, and the challenges of cooking fresh meals every day – with the ingredients from my larder. A much nicer message 😊
Sofia Grey 