Enticing Enchiladas

My husband Paul might well roll his eyes at the idea that I have actually "landed" on anything when it comes to cooking, as I am notorious for continually refashioning and teasing concoctions in the quest for culinary perfection. However, after many attempts and tweaking, I have finally landed on an enchilada recipe that I feel confident sharing. It is a spicy, flavorful creation that pairs well with sides of Mexican rice, black beans, tortilla chips and some fresh guacamole.

In the spirit of discovering the hidden culinary genius in all of us, I highly encourage experimenting with the recipe until it fits your distinctive style and tastes.
Buon Appetito! ~ Sarah

Ingredients

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Packet of Spicy Taco Seasoning
1 Small White Onion
2 Cups Grated Mexican Cheese
2 Large Cans Enchilada Sauce (*Recommend Rosarita's)
1 Small Can Fire Roasted Green Chilies
1 Small Can Sliced Black Olives
1 Cup Cottage Cheese
8 Large Flour Tortillas
Chipotle Chili Pepper Seasoning
Fresh Minced Garlic
Fresh Cilantro
Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Brown the beef in a skillet and drain excess fat and grease (if you use 96/4% ground beef, you won't have much). 

Prepare beef with spicy taco seasoning as directed. 

Mix in fresh minced garlic to taste (I use around 1 tbsp). 

Mix in chopped white onion. 

Let mixture simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Mix together a little more than half of the grated cheese, cottage cheese, chopped cilantro (to taste) and green chilies in a separate bowl. 

Combine all of the prepared ingredients together.

Put some olive oil on a paper towel and generously rub the inside of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. This will prevent sticking. 

Portion the mixture into the tortillas and wrap burrito style. Place in pan. I usually put five horizontally along the 13 inch side of the pan and three vertically in the space that is left. 

Pour the two cans of enchilada sauce over the tortillas so that they are covered completely. Top with the remainder of the grated cheese. 

Drain the can of black olives and sprinkle over the top. 

Add fresh cilantro and chipotle chili pepper seasoning over the top. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. 

Remove foil and place back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes to assure top cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving. 

Magical Hair Product

A little health and beauty segment today... In a moment of self disclosure, I will admit that I have hair issues! The Native American side of me allows me long, dark, thick and fast growing hair, for which I am very appreciative. On the flip side, it also comes with a natural tendency towards oiliness. I grew up watching my dad struggle with the same issue. So, I share this as an intro to the product I am promoting in this post. Because my hair gets oily very quickly, I have always felt the need to wash my hair every day in order to avoid feeling like I swam through the an oil slick just hours after taking a shower. In addition, I have hesitated to use creme rinse/conditioners because it felt as though the use of them just expedited the problem. This of course often left my hair feeling tangled, breaking, appearing dry and hard to manage. As a result, as much as I love having long hair, I have not always been able to feel confident with it. Admittedly, first world problems.

Luckily, I have found a product that has literally changed my hair life! Meet 'Sexy Hair Healthy: Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Nourishing Styling Treatment'. Long name, fantastic results.

It is incredible! This product leaves your hair silky soft, detangled, manageable and smelling lovely! If you are struggling with tangles, dryness, frizziness or the effects of over-styling, you must try it.

Simply wash your hair as normal. Towel dry hair and comb through with a big tooth comb. Put a thin, quarter sized dollop of the product in the center of your hand. (*I have hair that is below my shoulders. The shorter the hair, obviously the less you will need.)  Pull hair into a pony tail at the nape of the neck with your hands and rub the oil through the hair from the back of the pony tail through to the front. Continue running the oil through your hair all over the lower half. There is no need to put it up into the hair on the crown of the head. Any excess can be rubbed through your hands, onto dry spots of your face, etc. I like to take any excess and rub it onto my elbows. It is a natural oil and is absorbed into the skin nicely and without leaving any greasy residue behind. Combing through the hair again at this point will help disburse it throughout the hair. Then style normally. You will find that this product shortens drying time and leaves your hair frizz free, tangle free and feeling soft & silky!

Think Pretty Thoughts ~ Sarah

*WARNING: When traveling with this product, place the container in a sealed plastic bag. I have found the bottle likes to leak if not kept standing up straight.

Sidewalk Inspiration

I saw this during one of my runs this week and it made me smile. It was accompanied by several other chalk drawings that included the words "hope", "don't worry, be happy" as well as some flowers, smiley faces and rainbows. Such a simple gesture by some neighborhood children, but the pure simplicity and goodness that oozed out of the display was enough to make me reflect upon the beauty and joy that can be discovered when we pay attention to the little moments that surround us every day. So, I offer this up today in the spirit of scattering the tokens of wisdom found on life's adventure in order to potentially benefit all along for the journey.
~Sparkles, Sarah