Beef Enchiladas

First off, I have a confession to make, and it is nothing related to this enchilada recipe.  I love really, really bad horror movies.  For example, while I was flipping through the channels recently, Mega-Shark Vs. Giant Octopus was on.  Most people would scoff, mumble something like, "do people seriously watch this garbage?" and continue surfing.  Well, since one of my favorite pasttimes is going to the video store (the Be Kind- Please Rewind store back in the day) with my oldest brother and finding the worst possible movie ever, I love watching these.  I came in about 2/3 the way through, but I just had to see the Mega-Shark and Giant Octopus, so I kept watching.  Two of the main characters were a blonde lady and an older Asian man.  Right as I started watching, they started kissing, and then "took a walk" to a janitor closet and went to town.  I texted my brother and wrote, "Okay... That blonde chick that looks like Debbie Gibson and the older Asian dude would not hook up in real life."  His response, "Because that is the most implausible thing in that movie... I believe giant flying sharks might exist, but Debbie Gibson would never be singing 'I think we're alone now' to a guy that could work at Panda Express."  I about fell over laughing.  And it turns out, it was really Debbie Gibson, and she's in a sequel called "Mega-Python Vs. Gatoroid" with Tiffany!  Attack of the 80s icon pop singers in a cheesy horror film!  Maybe not as cheesy as these enchiladas though!

This recipe came from The Pioneer Woman cookbook, and I thought they were pretty good.  I love Mexican food, so I'm always busting out this stuff.  This isn't my favorite enchilada recipe, but I thought thy turned out tasty, so I'm sharing the recipe with you.  :)

"Simple, Perfect Enchiladas"

source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks (this is a good cookbook and good enchiladas, but I would not call these perfect enchiladas.  Sorry, Ree!)

4-5 servings

Sauce:

1 T canola oil

2 T flour

14 oz can Enchilada Sauce

1 c chicken broth

1/2 t salt

1/2 t black pepper

1 T chopped cilantro

The Meat:

1/2 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 4-oz can chopped green chilies

1/2 t salt

The rest:

10 corn tortillas

canola oil for frying

1/2 c chopped black olives

1 c chopped green onion

3 c grated cheddar cheese

cilantro

To make the sauce, combine the oil and flour over medium heat.  Whisk it and let it boil for one minute so it thickens. 

 Pour in the enchilada sauce, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.  Whisk to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer while you prepare the rest.

 Chop the onion.  Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet until browned.  Drain.  Add the green chilies and salt. 

 Heat the canola oil of medium heat.  Don't use your fingers like the picture, please.  Use some tongs.  I did this to quickly take a picture.  Fry the tortillas for only a few seconds on each side to soften them up.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. 

 Preheat the oven to 350. 

Spread about 1/2 c of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Pour some of the sauce into a pie plate.  Dip a softened tortilla into the sauce.

 Top with some of the ground beef mixture, olives, green onions, and a generous serving of cheese.  Roll it up and place it seam side-down in the prepared pan.

 Pour any remaining sauce pan into the saucepan.  Add 1-2 T chopped cilantro and stir. 

 Pour the sauce over the rolled enchiladas.  I always leave a couple without extra sauce for my kids. 

 Top with some cheese.  If you like cheesy, watch Meag-Shark Vs. Ginat Octopus.

 Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, if you'd like.  I totally forgot because I wanted to eat.  :)

This is a good, basic enchilada recipe, but check out the Mexican section of my blog for my favorite enchilada recipes. 

After watching the last chunk of the movie, I had to get up for 45 seconds to open the door for my daughter who came home from kindergarten.  When I came back, I totally missed what happened to the shark and the octopus.  I had to go on instant watch on Netflix to see the ending.  *sigh*  These bad movies get me every time.