Brenda's Enchiladas

This is not a recipe of Brenda's Enchiladas. 

In fact, even if I had her recipe, I doubt I would be able to re-create it. 

Brenda, and her lovely mother Ophelia, spoiled me in college. Their fresh, made-from-scratch, Mexican food was the fuel to keep me going those 4 long years at WU. It was such a treat going over to their house (or, on the rare occasion, getting a foil-wrapped plate handed to you in your room) and gorging on their creations. Enchiladas, tamales, taco's, cactus...the list goes on and on.

Now, more than a year later, I'm craving some of Brenda's Enchiladas. 

It's hard to describe how simple they were, but how absolutely savory and tantalizing they tasted. So naturally I asked Brenda how to go about making them. Well, let's just say I didn't even bother asking details since I knew the sauce alone would be a disaster if I tried to make it.

Instead, I made my own version-- the Not-Quite-Brenda-Enchilada version.

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion
1/2 zucchini, chopped
Cooked ground turkey, unseasoned
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can enchilada sauce
5 - 7 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup freshly shredded cheddar & pepper jack cheese (or a bag of Mexican cheese mix)
1/3 cup cilantro
1 avocado

Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Set a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in olive oil. When hot, add in the onion & zucchini. Cook for about 8 minutes, until all veggies are tender.

3. In a large bowl, add the veggie mixture, ground turkey, black beans and 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce. Mix to combine.

4. Heat the tortillas for about 20 seconds in the microwave to make them more pliable. Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 in baking dish. Tilt the pan back and forth to coat the bottom entirely.

5. Place a tortilla on a work surface and scoop the filling in a line down the center of the tortilla. Add a small amount of cheese to the top of the mixture. Roll the tortilla up tightly and transfer to the prepared baking dish with the seam of the tortilla down. Do this until the pan is full.

6. Evenly pour about 1 1/2 cups of enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle the top with the cheese mixture. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes (TIP: as to not have the melted cheese stick to the foil, create a dome with the foil instead of putting it flat across the pan). Remove foil and return to oven to bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for about 7 minutes, then sprinkle the cilantro on top. Add avocado if desired.

Serve and enjoy! 

They definitely weren't Brenda's enchiladas, but they certainly were delicious. A simple and quick recipe to whip up, and clean up is a breeze. Give it a try why don't you! 

Brenda, my dear, this one is for you.

xx

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Garden of Glass

Dale Chihuley: creative genius, Washington native, eye-patched pirate, and glass-blowing extraordinaire. He gives Seattle a good rep.

His Glass & Garden museum at the Seattle Center has been around for a few years now, and crowds continue to flood the gates to check out Chihuley's masterpieces. Mom had been wanting to go since it's conception, so for her birthday we decided it was high time to go.

Native American inspiration & reflection

Pendleton blanket wall

glass ceiling 

The Museum and Garden are absolutely breathtaking. I was in awe at how detailed the glass was and the scale at which some of the glass sculptures were made. Whether you're a local or not, this is definitely something to do in Seattle. It's in the heart of the city, but you feel like you've stepped into another world made entirely of beautiful, hand-blown glass. 

After meandering around the Glass for the afternoon, we had worked up an appetite. Since we were in the mood for something casual and fun, I suggested Brave Horse Tavern for some pretzels and shuffleboard.

Dad was crowned Shuffleboard Champ and soon after we headed back to the Eastside. All in all, a fabulous weekend with the fam with the help of Dale Chihuley and Tom Douglas. Couldn't have asked for a better Sunday. xx

Where Ya At, Matt?

Whenever B comes to town, I use it as an excuse to go out and eat. Whether its a food truck or a restaurant, my list is always growing. So when B picked me up from work on Friday for lunch, I knew exactly where to go. We made our way to Elliot Ave and parked right by Seattle's top rated food truck.

Strategically situated between corporate buildings, Where Ya At Matt was busy serving up lunch to to the locals. Last week, the The Daily Meal ranked all the food trucks in the nation and created the 101 Best Food Trucks in America list. The Seattle Times quickly re-published the list and called out the 4 Seattle based Trucks that made the list. Coming in at #9 was none other than Where Ya At Matt.

Inspired by the flavors of New Orleans, Matt's has all the basic Southern classics you could ever want: po boy sandwiches, jambalaya, gumbo, grits, and cornbread. I got the catfish po boy, and B had the pork po boy.

The perfect size for a hearty lunch, this sandwich was delectable  The catfish was perfectly fried-- not too heavy-- and the house made aioli sauce was the perfect pair.

I've already saved the truck schedule on my phone. Thursday's they're in Georgetown, right around the corner from work. Thursday lunch? Check!

xx

Seattle REMIX

For some reason this last week was a stressful one. By the time Friday rolled around, everyone was at their wits end and in dire need of a drink or two. Lucky for us the Seattle Art Museum's REMIX was on Friday- the perfect excuse to let loose and forget about the weary week.

I was terribly indecisive about what to wear but finally settled on this:

Jacket: Adidas Original

Shirt: Nordstrom

Leggings: TopShop

Shoes: Nike

Huge shout out to Abs for doing my make up!

 After freshening up, we threw back some margaritas, called our UBER cab's and headed into downtown to the event of the night.

This being my first time to SAM Remix, I really didn't know what to expect. The whole museum closed for the night and throughout the building were art activities and fun games to join in on. There were dance floors, DJ's, bar's and plenty of people watching. After stocking up on more beverages, we headed off to the activities area and got creative.

tile drawing

masterpiece wall

drag-queen bingo

Tickets were limited and I'm glad I got mine early-- I will definitely be doing this again next year! Check out the SAM Calendar for a list of all the cool & artsy activities going on this summer.

xx