Oh I have been slacking again. But here’s the thing. I traveled a lot this past week. Well a lot for me. My job normally requires no travel, but when it comes to this time of year, I hop on lots of planes to deliver prizes for our art contest. Lucky for me this year I didn’t have to travel alone (which I think sucks balls). Jen and I traveled to L.A. and Alyssa and I went to New Jersey/Philly. Much fun. Though I could never do the work travel thing regularly. It’s seriously exhausting. And all the sitting on planes made me super dehydrated. Poor chapped lips.

There were also two more concerts the last two weekends: Guster and Band of Horses. I’m going to post some pictures and go on and on about how much I love Guster later this week. Just so you know and have something to look forward to.

Oh and, AND, big news – Mira and I got a new roommate! I adopted a sweet little kitty on Saturday.Her name is Lola. She’s quite the talker. I think she likes to sing to herself as she runs around the house or plays with her feathers on a stick toy. She and the Mira dog are getting along quite well all things considered. Lola isn’t scared of Mira at all. Mira does not want to eat Lola. On the contrary, she desperately wants to play with her, and cannot understand why Lola sprints away when she chases her down the hall. My only current problem is placement of kitty food. Adam says if we tell Mira no every time she tries to eat it, she’ll learn.

Now, I have a very, very good dinner for you. Cheesey Enchiladas with Gravy filled with whatever your heart desires. I added a variety of vegetables. I think some shredded chicken would be tasty as well. Add some jalapeños, maybe olives if you’re into that, zucchini may even be good! I think what I really like about these is the gravy. I’m not a huge fan of the red enchilada sauce. The gravy in this recipe packs some heat, so be warned and dial down the chile powder and hot sauce if you’d like! Overall, a good weeknight meal. Takes about 30 minutes total time to make.

Cheesey Enchiladas with Gravy
adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Ingredients

for the gravy
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon adobo seasoning
2 tablespoon chile powder
2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
1 teaspoon hot sauce

for the enchiladas
1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 tortillas (corn, flour, I used whole spelt tortillas)
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese (though I used mozzarella because that’s all I had!)
1/2 small onion, diced
handful mushrooms, washed and chopped
half a green or red pepper, chopped
two roma tomatoes (or any other tomatoes really), chopped
chili gravy

Preheat the oven to 450°.

In a medium-sized pot, heat up the oil over medium-high heat. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the flour mixture browns, about 3-4 minutes.

Add in the garlic powder, cumin, oregano, adobo seasoning, and chili powder and cook for another minute, all the while stirring.

Add in broth and turn heat to low, whisking sauce to smooth out any lumps. Let the sauce simmer and thicken while you prepare the tortillas and veggies. If the sauce gets too thick, add in a bit of water and whisk.

Heat up a bit of olive oil in a small skillet. Add the onions, mushrooms, and peppers and saute for just 2 minutes or so. Set aside in a medium bowl.

Make sure your skillet is still slightly oiled (if it’s not, just add a bit more) and heat each tortilla on both sides until pliable and warm. Set aside, keeping them wrapped in paper towel until you’re ready to assemble the enchiladas.

Add the cheese and tomatoes to the sautéed veggies. Just cover the bottom of a square baking pan with some of the gravy (you’ll need enough to pour over the top of the enchiladas in a second). Assemble the enchiladas by putting a handful of cheese and veggies into the center of each tortilla. Then fold two edges together so they overlap, and the other two edges up over the ends of the enchilada so you create a nice little packet. Place each rolled tortilla into the baking pan seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour the gravy over the enchiladas and sprinkle any remaining cheese & onions over top. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese has melted.