Today I am Mexican

And two months ago I was Irish.

No matter that I am half German, a quarter Lithuanian and a quarter Scots with a possibility of some English (my Great Grandma McKaye swore on her deathbed we were related to Sir Walter Raleigh....Sweet! Got a pirate in my family tree!). When it comes to certain holidays I, as many Americans, celebrate St. Patricks Day like I am Irish as Paddy's Pig and Cinco de Mayo like I am Juanita Conchita Gonzalez Ruiz from Pueblo.

Green Beers and Corned Beef or Margaritas and Tacos, it doesn't really matter. We celebrate the occasion and hopefully know the reason behind each one, even if this is not the culture we stem from.

Because America IS a melting pot. Why not celebrate?

Hmmmm?

Snakes were driven out of a country sometime in the 1600's by a Saint from the Roman Catholic Church and Mexico defeated France in a very unlikely victory in the year 1862.....Randomly this is actually celebrated more in California than it is in Mexico...so.....

So we eat and drink and celebrate because of this and for a brief moment we all are Irish and/or Mexican.

Even if we aren't.

Tonight I am Mexican.....

I came home and had a margarita instead of my glass of wine. A Cadillac Margarita, because that is how I roll. I love me a margarita, but don't even think about serving it to me without salt, serving it blended or without Cointreau or Grand Marnier floating on top. I'll kick your ass, make fun of you and find a new bartender.

My enchiladas were a "new" recipe....and by that I mean I made the recipe up on the fly and I can claim it as my own. Got to love it because it really does have some flexibility on the ingredients and you can make do with what you have instead of making a special trip to the store if you don't have to. I think next time I want to add corn to it (because I love corn almost as much as bacon) and try it with corn tortillas instead of flour. we shall see....if you make any deviations, let me know!


Steak and Chile Enchiladas

1 Medium Red Onion, medium dice
3 Anaheim Chiles, seeded and sliced thin
2 Green Onions, Sliced

Jalapeno Oil*

1/2 cup chopped Cilantro

2# Beef Steaks, cut in 1/4" pieces (I used tri tip steaks this time)

8 oz Green Salsa (tomatillo)

8 Oz Jack Cheese, Shredded
8 Oz Ranchero Cheese or Queso Freso, crumbled

Seasonings**

Corn or Flour Tortillas

Saute the onions and peppers in the Jalapeno oil until soft. Set aside in a large bowl. Add Chopped Cilantro. Saute beef in Jalapeno Oil (*Can be substituted for olive oil, but if you want the heat, add a few chopped jalapenos) until browned but not cooked all the way through. Add to chile and onion mixture. When cool, add 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 cup Green Salsa. Season with a little garlic salt, cumin and chili powder to taste....maybe 1/2 - 3/4 tsp of each.
Salt and pepper as needed to your taste.

Pour 1/4 cup of the green salsa in a greased 9x9 pan and spread around the bottom. Fill tortillas with meat and chile mixture and place seam side down in the pan...this recipe filled 5-9" tortillas for me.

Pour remaining green salsa over the top and spread around to cover.

Top with remaining cheese and bake at 400 for about 30 minute until bubbly and delicious looking. if your oven runs hot, cover with a piece of greased aluminum foil so the cheese doesn't burn.

Salud! Y feliz Cinco de Mayo!