Kitchen Experiment: SUCESS! or Enchiladas

Basic Enchilada

*gluten free, *vegetarian/vegan

If you use this recipe I’d love to know how it worked and if you did any awesome variations.

Like,
Once I added cinnamon to the sauce to give it a Caribbean flavor because I was using black beans. Then I thought, “Hell, why not add pineapple?” But that was after it was already baking…

I use a layer of masa on the bottom because it holds together better than just tortillas. If you don’t have masa herena or don’t know what the heck it is you can use tortillas instead.

The cheese is a preference thing. Generally I use Sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack. Go ahead and use whatever cheese or cheese-like thing you want. It’s your enchilada, damn it.

A note about spoons: when I was inventing this all the measuring spoons were MIA. So I used a regular small spoon from the silverware set. These are not heaping spoons they are leveled. I’m guessing they come out to be about ½ a teaspoon.

I cook like a ninja.

Sauce:

1 can diced tomato

½ cup water

1 jalapeno OR a blend of cayenne and chili powder (half and half equaling about 1 spoon)

2 spoons cumin

1 spoon oregano

Filling:

1 can beans

3 cloves garlic

1 cup-ish chopped carrot

4 mushrooms

Cheese

6 Corn tortillas

Masa (1/2 cup masa herana, ½ cup water)

¼ cup cilantro

Directions:

In a pan heat tomato, water and spices (it doesn’t need to boil or anything this just helps any dry herbs you might have to soften and release their flavor)

In a small baking dish make a layer out of all the masa; then layer beans, vegetables, cilantro, half the tomato sauce, tortilla, beans, vegetables, cheese, cilantro, tortilla, more cheese, the rest of the tomato sauce.

Bake for 30 min. at 350f

Enchiladas always taste better reheated so you can make this ahead!

Oh February!

After about two and a half years of working on miXtape, I’ve chosen to leave. February 17^th was my last show. The show has been challenging and I feel that it’s time for me to take a break. I don’t have any definite plans, but for the next few months I will be reconnecting with friends and just laying low.

You know, I’ve seen break downs of how the creative process works and one of the periods in it was rest. I think Americans ignore that step. No wonder so many people here are burned out. When I tell people I’m going to just hang out for a while they get an almost visceral reaction. I think under it all is a wish that they too could just hang out for a few months. But the bills and the merchant machine don’t allow it.

last hangout with the miXtape ball

Anyway, here’s the February break down:

Theater:

• Left miXtape February 17^th

Music:

• The Noisy Heart is still in recording. We keep thinking we’re almost done but what does that really mean?
• I’ve got another song in development

Fiber Art:

• I’m working on a rectangle and a sweater!

Business:

• I’m taking classes and researching bag patterns. A friend of mine loves making bags and we’ve been talking about doing an Etsy shop together. I have no idea what will happen with that.

January

First half was all about what on earth am I doing? I’m trying to figure out a market for the things I make. Some people have said I should do Etsy. I guess it’s worth a shot if only I could figure out what to make… And then I got a really crazy big idea that is rocking my world and has hardly anything to do with Etsy. And then three days latter I realize I'm not going to do it and quit my job. Oh my brain!

January
the rundown:

Theater:

• Went back to miXtape on the 16^th 
• Helped build sets for Flood, lots of flowers

Business:

• Worked on my website rewrite check it out!
• Working on an outline for a business plan
• Product development, i.e. I’m making something awesome you could own or am I? Maybe this one’s a personal project? I don’t know anymore.

Music stuff:

• The Noisy Heart did a little show of the longest song ever took about 45 minutes to perform it. Oh right, The Noisy Heart is my band's name.
• Recording for the band we should have a single out soon, woot.
• Wrote a song

And I’m back in school mainly business classes, what if I got a MBA? Lol.

Funny thing I used to think I wasn’t busy, now I wonder if I’m too busy.

December

I hate December, not Christmas (so calm down). It’s all the extra stuff people insist must happen. In theater December is traditionally the cash cow so we put extra effort into our product. Work is good but I never see non-industry people and my family have a hard time keeping track of where I’m at. By the middle of the month I’m ready to quit life and crawl into some little burrow and sleep for a million years. But the shows must go on.

December run down:

Theater:

• Mid-month mixtape took a break, wheew!
• Did props and set dressing for LPT’s An American Christmas at the Hotel Del Coronado

The band:

• We are closer to a launch event!
• We are trying some bizarre ideas
• If you’re in SoCal and want to come to our feedback launch party gig thing let me know and I’ll get you on the list.

Extra stuff:

• Made more edging…
• The shenanigan at work is done, pictures coming to the facebook page soon.

November

It was a whiplashy sort of month. I was fully expecting to lose my contract in December but at a late hour the producer announced to us his decision to extend it by six weeks. It was actually a good happenstance because it forced me to clarify my career goals and I revised my resume.

The next challenge in that arena will be negotiating a deal to get those goals accomplished. Lord help me, I've never tried this sort of thing before.

Anyway, here's the project run down for November:

Crochet edgings; made lots of sample bits. I'm thinking of selling them and making a bit of a side business out of them.

Godzilla series continues on instagram.

Began writing That Hideous Scream a follow up piece to From Above. 

Wrote/recorded demos for songs.

Ran out of ideas for the Kitchen Experiments, oh well.

Also began a shenanigan at work. More on that later, *wink.*

October

You know that moment when you realize you smell bad and you can’t remember when you last showered but you’re pretty sure it was a Wednesday and today is Tuesday? It’s been that kind of month.

October a lovely month

The Kitchen Experiment will be a regular feature now. I’m aiming to have one up once a month. If you find them enjoyable and helpful let me know.

Made bags

Got called in to help my friend Michael finish his set for LPT’s Around the World in 80 Days. Elephant ears!

Mistakes Were Made closed on the 21^st, no more fishy.

I returned to miXtape 1 November and there was much rejoicing.

Oh right, and my band finally named itself and we’re working on some visuals here’s a sneak peek.

Last but not least we have the Halloween costume for this year. This one's had more effort put into it than the last few. I don't know maybe it was because I was dancing Thriller for a Halloween carnival so I had to look like I tried.

This concludes the part with pictures.

I'm working on a newish script in addition to the other stuff that's always in progress. I feel like I had something else I wanted to tell you but I can't remember it... oh well.

November promises to be interesting. Things to look forward to:
the new Kitchen Experiment (I don't even know what it is yet!)
the band's photo shoot (hopefully soon I can tell you the name but we're waiting for a show to announce it.)