Bliss

The scene in Lubbock yesterday and today looks like this (side note: this picture was not taken in my neighborhood, although I wish it were; it is in Vintage Township) . I am loving the beautiful snow, but even more than that, the fact that I get the day off because of it!

When I was younger, I would get so excited about snow days. I loved getting out of school, and having a chance to play in the snow (which was very rare in East Texas). The funny thing is, now I think I like snow days even more than I did then! There is something about having an unexpected day off, with absolutely nothing I am required to do that makes me feel like I am in a complete state of bliss. I knew I would not have to go into work today when I went to bed last night, so I was able to sleep in (no alarm, hooray!), and enjoy a slow-paced morning. I cooked a nice brunch, and had time to enjoy my coffee rather then throw it in a mug and run out the door.

I saw a recipe on a new Food Network show the other day (Mexican Made Easy), for chilaquiles. This is a traditional Mexican brunch dish. It was first created to use corn tortillas that have gone stale. It is strips of tortillas fried a little, then cooked in a sauce. They are often served with eggs and or beans.

I was first introduced to chilaquiles on a trip to Cancun, Mexico a few years ago. The hotel where I was staying had an amazing breakfast buffet each morning, and they had chilaquiles with different sauces everyday. Since then, I have tried chilaquiles at every Mexican restaurant I find that serves them. When I lived in Las Cruces, there was a great little restaurant called Good Luck Cafe. They made very authentic Mexican dishes, none of the employees spoke English, in a very plain building (for those of you that live there, it is on Solano between Missouri and Lohman). I am not sure where they got the name for the restaurant, it does not seem like a very fitting name for a Mexican restaurant, I guess it just adds to its charm. Anyway, they have wonderful chilaquiles, which I loved to get when I lived there.

So, today I tried this new recipe. I actually made the salsa verde last night and left the tortillas out, then cooked everything this morning. I served it with scrambled eggs. You can find the recipe here. When you are looking over the ingredients, a few things may seem unfamiliar. Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes, but they are wrapped in husks. Serrano peppers look like thin jalapenos, and are a little spicier. I added roasted green chiles (surprise, surprise), and instead of queso fresco, I used cotija cheese, which is a similar, crumbly Mexican cheese. I found it at my local grocery store.

The recipe turned out to be delicious! Josh and I both loved it. It was easy to make, and like most Mexican food, very inexpensive! The salsa has chicken broth, but to make it vegetarian, I think you could substitute vegetable broth. I will definitely make this again, and think it will be great for company as well. You can prepare the salsa and tortillas the night before, so your work the next day is minimal. I also am going to look into chilaquiles made with red sauce to try as well.

Well, I am off to enjoy a wonderful, relaxing day!