One of our family's favorite restaurants to eat out at growing up was El Torito. They had this fabulous Mexican Caesar salad. I've been holding on to the recipe for years now waiting to live somewhere where I can actually purchase pepitas and cotija cheese. Well, luckily I found this recipe that substitutes Parmesan and pine nuts. While I'd still like to try the real thing someday, this will at least fulfill the craving. The cilantro pesto dressing is SO GOOD! I think we'll have it again on Sunday.

Cilantro Pesto Dressing:

1 clove garlic, crushed
1/8 C. pine nuts, toasted*
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
juice of one lime
splash of white vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper

1. In a food processor or blender combine garlic, pine nuts, cilantro, lime juice and vinegar. Process until everything is well-combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
2. While machine is running, pour olive oil in a stream until dressing reaches desired consistency and flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dressing will be on the thick side.

* To toast pine nuts: Put pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shaking pan or stirring nuts frequently, toast until they take on a light brown color. Don’t leave them unattended because they will burn quickly! As soon as they are toasted, remove them from the pan to a small bowl to cool. Make sure you toast enough to use both in the salad dressing and in the salad itself!

Caesar Salad:

Chopped romaine lettuce
toasted pine nuts
shaved parmesan (parmigiano reggiano) cheese
fried tortilla strips*

1. Just before eating, put lettuce in a salad bowl.
2. Top with desired amount of pine nuts, cheese and tortilla strips.
3. Add some cilantro dressing and toss well.
4. Divide salad among plates or bowls and top each serving with sliced carne asada if desired.

* To make tortilla strips: Heat some oil in a deep fryer or in a deep skillet or dutch oven. While oil is coming to temperature, stack a few corn tortillas on a cutting board. Cut the stack in half and then slice into thin strips. When oil temperature reaches 350 degrees, fry tortilla strips in small batches, stirring them so they don’t stick together. Drain on paper towels and toss with a little salt while still warm.

I honestly can't remember if El Torito serves their entrees with a scoop of sweet corn cake. Most likely, since that reminds me of our family restaurant dinners growing up as well. And the honey-lime enchiladas, that's just a gem I came across first on MyKitchen Cafe and have seen many times since. It's a keeper. I only made a couple of changes this time. I added more enchilada sauce and used less cream. Not really by choice, more by obligation. I've gained about all I wanted to and I still have eight weeks before Claire will grace us with her presence. I also added some cilantro and I substituted half of the Monterrey Jack cheese for pepper jack- just for the extra kick.

Superman . . . BANANA!

I'm curious how many of you will understand that reference.

I am recognizing a pattern that repeats itself every year. I imagine, or at least hope, that some of you can relate. In January I find myself five or ten or even fifteen pounds over my ideal weight, with a few extra inches around my waste and super flabby "Phyllis" arms. (Also curious if any of you will catch that reference. Hint: it's from a movie.) I start to think about how in a few short months I'm going to want to accompany my children to the pool in a bathing suit and think maybe I should start exercising. I start working out, remember that I actually like it and that it makes me feel good, until summer comes. I often hear myself saying, "it's so much fun to be a Mom when it's nice outside." We just go, go, go... to the pool, to the park, or outside in front riding bikes. The kids are happy to be outside in the sun, and so is Mom. It feels good to feel the sun and be active. Not only that, but the kids get to be with their friends and so do I. Then Autumn comes around and it starts to get chilly. Fast. And then I turn into a hermit who craves chocolate, would rather stay in and watch movies and all the new TV shows than go out and be social, and only leaves the house when she has to. I do a lot of sewing and cooking and realize over Christmas break that it's been five days since I've left the house and I don't even mind. Freeze that picture. And there (or here) I am, flabby and ten pounds overweight.

So I started exercising again this week and I am so sore and stiff, but it feels great. I really hope I can keep it up because this year I have an even bigger motivation than just going to the pool. We're going on a Caribbean cruise after graduation!! I am so looking forward to having a real vacation.

I have kind of a weird approach to dieting and weight loss. I can't do "I can't believe it's not butter" spray. Let me tell you something: I can definitely believe that it's not butter. That stuff is disgusting. I still like to eat what I want, just less of it. I'll still let myself have dessert, if I've eaten a meager lunch. And I'd rather skip snacks than use fat-free mayonnaise, cream cheese, or sour cream. Yuck. Although I do believe in 1/3 less fat cream cheese and half and half. I love anything with a creamy sauce. Mmmm....

So after a rigorous (for me) arm and shoulder workout yesterday and an enjoyable walk in some unseasonably warm weather (which by the way was probably more exercise I got than all of last season), I rewarded myself with this dinner. It was so good. And I love the way Franny says, "Enchi-LADA." And it certainly was a reward.



Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa
adapted from Tyler Florence's recipe

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa:

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked
• 1 yellow onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 jalapenos (I used just about 3/4 of only one jalapeno. I don't think my kids could have handled all that heat and I was happy with the outcome. I didn't strip the jalapeno of it's seeds, though.)
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Enchiladas:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock, storebought
• Chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 deli roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded (this would taste great, I'm sure, but I didn't have one, so I seasoned three boneless chicken breasts, boiled them, and shredded them.)
  
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 large flour tortillas
• 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup half and half
  
• Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Guacamole, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the salsa:

On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

Enchiladas:

Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Mix the half and half into the remainder of the salsa, pour on top of the rolled enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish with cilantro and tomato.

Serve hot with sour cream and fresh guacamole, if desired.

Shrimp Enchiladas and Sweet Corn Cakes

Franny's consultant came over for lunch yesterday. We do this every couple of months and it's a great opportunity for me to ask questions about Franny and get lots of helpful advice. Plus, she's fun to hang out with.

I've been craving shrimp like crazy lately, and I always love opportunities like this when I'm cooking for someone else besides Bobby to cook with seafood. I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe months ago, and I've been dying to try it. It looked so tasty and indulgent with all the whipping cream and sour cream... I couldn't resist.

So, I'm guessing some of you reading this are a little intimidated by cooking with shrimp, especially fresh shrimp, so I thought I'd say a little something on the subject.

First, why buy fresh shrimp with the shells still on when you can buy it cooked and ready to go? Let me tell you why. First, fresh will always taste better. Second, you can buy exactly as much as you need if you buy it from the case. Third, chances are, your recipe calls for some step where you have to saute your shrimp (or cook it in some other way) with an opportunity to flavor that shrimp with butter, lemon, spices, and salt so it will be delicious. If you've purchased pre-cooked shrimp, then you'll have one of two problems: either you go ahead and follow the instructions in the recipe to flavor the shrimp, resulting in a tough and rubbery texture, OR you skip that step and miss out on all those delicious flavors. Neither option is acceptable.

So here's what I always do. I really HATE shelling and deveining shrimp. It's gross and I always gag a little in my mouth when I have to do it. They don't smell very good and they're not very pretty. I'll usually do it the night before and keep them in the fridge so that the next day all I have to do is pull them out and they're ready to go.

So here's how ugly they look when you start.


But look how pretty they are only minutes later:


They cook faster than you'd think, so watch them. You don't want to overcook them.

Shrimp Enchiladas
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

1/2 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, divided (you can use half pepper-jack cheese for great results)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped
7 or 8 (9-inch) flour tortillas

Saute red pepper and onion in 1/4 cup butter until crisp-tender. Add oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, and flour. (I poured them into a small bowl and mixed them so they were ready to add all at once.) Stir for about thirty seconds and then pour the cream in. Continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute shrimp and 1/2 cup onion until shrimp are pink. Remove shrimp and chop; return to butter and onion. Add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of shrimp mixture. Roll up tightly. Arrange seam side down in a 9X13-inch glass baking dish. Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.


(I used Monterey pepper-jack cheese and I wish I had followed the suggestions in the recipe and used half Monterey jack and half pepper jack. It was pretty spicy. So I just added more sour cream and spread it on top. Worked like a charm, but I could have saved those calories if I had cut down on some of the heat in the pepper-jack. I'll leave it up to you. :)


I also served some sweet corn cakes, a lot like the ones you may have tried at Chevy's or my family's favorite restaurant while I was growing up: El Torito.

I didn't want to go out again to get some masa harina so I substituted 1/3 cup flour + 1 Tbs corn meal for the masa harina and was pleased with the results. So yummy!

Sweet Corn Cake

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup masa harina
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. Add the Mexican corn flour and water and beat until well mixed.
2. Using a food processor, process thawed corn, but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13 inch baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F (175 degrees C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop for easy removal from pan.

And here's how the story ends: