I have always loved Mexican food. Even before I went to Mexico to attend a Spanish immersion school for two weeks a decade ago and came home knowing how to cook instead of how to converse in Spanish. *shrugs* What can I say? I’m a natural.

I don’t get much chance to cook up enchiladas or burritos anymore, but when I do, I go for it with gusto! Here is a recipe I used the other day. Very yummy and it doesn’t take a lot of time or ingredients to pull it all together. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

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Turkey Potato Enchiladas (or burritos if I am too lazy or too hungry to dress this dish before baking it. Hee.):

5 small to medium potatoes, chopped small and cooked fork tender, set aside to cool

Extra lean ground turkey, as much as you want to use, cooked and finely chopped in a blender
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced or smashed
2 tsp canola oil

1/2 medium onion, cut in half or full rings
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 green pepper, sliced finely into half rings
1/2 red pepper, sliced finely into half rings
2 tsp canola oil

2 small jars of pasta sauce

chili powder to taste
paprika to taste
cumin to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Shredded cheese of choice

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Boil potato chunks, cool. Sautee veggies in oil, set aside to cool. Sautee ground turkey, onion and garlic in oil, set aside to cool.

Mix potato, ground turkey mix and veggies together in a large bowl. Mix both jars of the pasta sauce with the spices to taste in a small sauce pan and heat through on the stove. Place half of the pasta sauce in the bowl with the other stuffing ingredients, and reserve the other half.

Wrap spinach (or any kind you like) tortillas in foil packet in oven at low temperature for a few minutes till heated through.

Spread two or three tbsp portions of the stuffing onto the bottom third of each tortilla, top with a bit of cheese, and tuck the side flaps in as you roll up the tortilla from the bottom to the top. Place seam side down in a large oven-proof baking dish, continue till all the tortillas are filled and wrapped.

For enchiladas: pour the second half of the pasta sauce over top of the wrapped tortillas in the baking dish and cook in a preheated oven at 375 for 7 - 10 minutes. Add more shredded cheese on top of the enchilladas and bake for another 5 minutes before serving with sour cream and guacamole on the side.

For burritos: skip the second jar of pasta sauce all together and simply place the baking dish in a preheated oven set at 375 for 7 - 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream and guacamole on the side.

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For extra fibre, add half a cup of pre-soaked bulgar to the filling mix like I did for this batch.

This is that post where I tell you all about what a total and utter foodie geek I am. Heh.

I decided that I was going to make Joe some homemade ravioli last night after tonight’s dinner for some strange reason, so I did. I got out the fixings to make a mushroom filling (instead of a cheese filling) and made that from scratch, and then set up the counter to do the actual filling production line before finally filling the wanton sheets and folding them over.

It all went smoothly and fast because I thought of every detail before I started my prep, and I had a grand total of 36 big-ass raviolis when I was done. They look so lovely and so yummy, and I wanted to eat them raw right there and then! *snort* But, instead I placed them on a parment lined cookie sheet, wrapped them up tightly in plastic wrap and froze them for dinner tonight.

I was so excited about the raviolis, honesly I’m a total food geek, I laid in bed with Joe last night and got all giddy about them and squealed, “Whee! I cannot wait for dinner tomorrow night!” while clapping my hands a few times.

Joe simply rolled his eyes, then closed them, and promptly went to sleep.

A few weeks ago Joe and I attended a lovely potluck dinner with some friends, and one of the dishes that was served up was this very yummy Cajun Chicken Casserole. My husband loves all food, and truly will eat anything that’s put in front of him, so it’s unusal for him to ask me to make a specific dish — especially one we had at a dinner party. After securing the recipe from our friends, I made it for Joe tonight. He’s going to dream about the leftovers all night. I just know it. Hee.

Cajun Chicken Casserole
Serves 10 people

1. Heat oven to 375. Heat chicken in 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in peppers and onion; cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are slightly crisp.
3. Spoon into ungreased baking 13 x 9 x 2 dish.
4. Stir in tomatoes, soup and seasoning.
5. Stir remaining ingredients in medium bowl until blended. Pour over chicken mixture.
6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ½” strips by ½” squares

½ red and ½ green pepper bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1 can (approx 14 ounces) diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 can condensed Cream of Chicken soup
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun Creole seasoning

1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick (found in pancake mix isle)
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Been bakin’ again. This is my version of a cake batter recipe I stumbled upon the other day. They turned out nicely. These cookies baked up fast and easily, and they fill the whole apartment with that yummy warm cake smell.

I recommend frosting the cookies afterwards to add more moisture if you plan to try out this recipe, though. I would myself, but I’m not a big fan of icing or frosting in general. I found them closer to a dry biscotti than a soft, chewy cookie. Next time I will simply add apple sauce instead of veggy oil. But, they taste devine so don’t let a little thing like a lack of moisture stop you from baking up your own batch. Get creative with this one. I added oatmeal to mine instead of chocolate chips or nuts to add interest and texture. Go wild! It’s a cake batter. How badly can you possibly screw it up, right?

I love me some ethnic food, but what I love more than anything is picking and choosing the foods and flavours I love the most and combining them into new infusion dishes to see how it turns out. Sorta like my kitchen version of a social experiment if you will.

I was given a rice cooker for my birthday so I stationed in the back kitchen area at work to make quick, hot, hearty lunches and occasional dinners on nights, like tonight, where we are forced to stay late because there is a backlog of work to be cleared out so customers can pick up their busted… er, I mean, fixed computers in the morning.

Here is tonight’s experiment: Asian-Mexican Veggie & Noodle Stew

Cook the veggies and salsa together in the rice cooker for at least 30 minutes to soften the veggies (to your desired texture being the point). Remove the non-stick shell and stow the veggies and salsa in a bowl; set aside. Wash out the shell and fill with water. Place in the rice cooker to boil and throw in the Ramen noodles to cook. Strain noodles and divide into bowls, then top with the stewed veggie mixture. Enjoy!

Aren’t they adorable? I just love, Love, LOVE these hats by a fab Canadian fleece artist whose shop, QuteWear, can be found at Etsy. These are adult size hats and they are exceptionally well made on a commercial serger. The fleece is butter soft and stretchy yet substantial, and the designs are darling. The artist is running a sale from now until Valentine’s Day with $5.00 off select styles. I own a red and black aviator style kitty hat and it’s so warm and unique that I’ve been known to wear it around the house when my noggin gets cold or I just need a pick-me-up. Even if you’re not a hat person, you or someone you love really need one of QuteWear’s creations just for fun. These hats are sure to make you smile and they’re affordable, too.

First, the bad news. SugarLips, one of Etsy’s most stellar bath and body shops, is sadly no more. I and many others will miss Hilary’s awesome sugar scrubs and vegan deodorant, but a gal’s got to do what a gal’s got to do. The good news is that Hilary passed along her recipes to two other Etsians. Wicked Clean will be making the deodorant and FlameWorks will be carrying the scrubs, body butters, toners, and blemish remedy. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a bit until they get up and running and then the jury will be out for a while on the faithfulness of their recreations.

In other bath and body news, I’ve latched on to a great alternative to toothpaste. Soap. Yeah, you read that right. Tooth Chips by Rose of Sharon Acres is soap specifically created for brushing your teeth and gums and it outstanding! I kid you not. Fish out one Tooth Chip (a shred of soap), place it on a back molar, bite down and start brushing with a wet toothbrush. You’ll get plenty of cleansing lather and NO abrasion. Spit and rinse three times with water and — Viola! — the cleanest teeth you’ve ever had. Will your mouth taste like soap? Initially, yes, there is a hint of soapiness, however, the taste dissapates quickly. My dentist endorses tooth soap 100%. Said she, “A high quality, all natural tooth soap is the best thing you can use (to brush your teeth) because it isn’t abrasive and cleans effectively without irritating the gums.” If you aren’t certain that you can bear to brush with soap, check out the sample size of Tooth Chips for $2.25. You’ll get plenty of shreds and a handy, refillable travel container to use once you become addicted to the product. And, while your browsing Rose of Sharon Acres’ store, consider picking up a container of their thick, rich, nongreasy Goat Milk Cream (I’m a fan of the unscented cream) or a bar of their Lime in the Coconut soap which smells just like, well, just like lime and coconut.

I know, I know — I have been AWOL lately. Sorry about that!

I have been, however, busy in the kitchen baking lovely cookies to send back home inside parcels. I’m at work right now, but it’s slow, so it’s a great time for me to caught you all up with my plans and to show you my progress thus far.

Here are a few of the items that left my kitchen so far:
- Orange-infused shortbread with Toblerone chunks baked inside
- Chocolate cream cheese candy cane cookies with smashed candy cane bits on top

Thin chocolate patties made from melted mint, dark, and milk chocolate waffers, and snack mixes consisting of popcorn, dried cranberries, and Alpha-bits

Orange-infused shortbread with Toblerone chunks pressed in immediately after baking

Bite-size vanilla waffer cookies sandwiched around Nutella spread.

Lemon poppyseed glazed cookies (which I gave to my doctor to rave reviews from her and her staff)

I have loads more baking to do including some breads and trifle. I’ll blog about those soon.

I recently received a rather unique gift from a friend: The Scottish title of Laird of Lochaber. The title came nicely printed, albeit by laser jet, on a piece of faux parchment which also serves as the land deed. Along with it, I received a map of the Estate of Lochaber, details of fishing rights in a local river, a brochure filled with lovely photos, and a letter detailing what I cannot do with my one foot square piece of Scottish soil. My so-called Lairdship, one which is shared by thousands around the world, is part of an eco-program called the Lairds Wood Conservation Project. Essentially, my friend purchased me a piece of protected woodland and his $59.95 went to planting a tree or two and further ensuring that the property remains undeveloped. The title of Laird is about as useless as the actual land. It isn’t a legal title of any worth anywhere and may not even entitle me to stand upon my 12″ x 12″ patch of dirt. Nevertheless, I now own both the title and a spot of Scotland with this eco-conscious gag gift of sorts. Silly, yes, but I like it.

Recently I discovered the yummy blend of unbuttered popcorn, chocolate chips and Alphabits thrown together in a bowl, and devoured it at work all day, every day, for almost three weeks straight.

This morning, I wasn’t feeling the chocolate chips as much, so I opted to use dried cranberries instead. The only dried cranberries I had in the house were the new orange flavoured ones, so I threw those in on a whim.

The result was amazing! My husband, who calls food he likes yummy (this is high praise for him - a lukewarm reception will warrent a, “Doesn’t suck,” response in contrast), called this new flavoured snacky mix, and I quote, “F’ing awesome!”

You all have to try this blend of sweet, salty and tart. Trust him on this. You won’t be sorry.