Day # 16 (A Favorite Food)

Back to the "favorites" thing again!!!  ;o)

Well, I've been thinking about this.  "A favorite food", huh?  Now THAT'S another hard one!  I like almost everything and have a LOT of "favorites".   I LOVE seafood, I love pasta and Italian dishes, I love Thai and Indian food, and I LOVE pizza (so many wonderful variations and techniques!  You could have a different kind of pizza every day for a year (or more!) and never repeat.  I like that in a food!

But since this post is to be about my "favorite food"... I guess that honor alone has to go to...  "Mexican food".  Honestly, I have never had anything Mexican that I just don't love.  *YUM!*  And the spicier the better -- I have a VERY HIGH heat tolerance! 







There's only one Mexican restaurant in my town, and frankly, it's not great.  (But it'll certainly do in a pinch!!!)   So, out of necessity, (and if I do say so m'self!) I have become pretty darn proficient at Mexican cooking.  You might even call it my "specialty".  And my favorite homemade go-to, easy-weeknight-Mexican-dinner?  Probably some kind of enchiladas.

Enchiladas are right up there with pizza, as far as unlimited variations go.  As well as countless "enchilada casseroles", I also make dozens of different kinds of tradtional rolled enchiladas.  I make veggie enchiladas (with beans or tofu); chicken, beef or pork enchiladas; cheese, onion and chorizo enchiladas; enchiladas with green sauce, or red sauce, or cheese sauce; enchiladas with corn tortillas (my favorite) or flour tortillas (if that's all I have on hand!)    I bake them, I sautee them, or even just microwave them (when time is really short!) 

Serve with refried beans and red rice (* my favorite recipe follows) --  yum!

For dessert?  Grill up some mango or pineapple slces, drizzle with fresh lime, sprinkle with flaked coconut and serve for a healthful and delicious dessert.  (Although ice cream works well, too!) 

And my beverage of choice?   Well... a frozen Margarita or an ice cold Corona or Dos Equis always goes quite nicely!   OLE' !!!

* As promised, here's my easy/breezy, favorite red rice recipe:

ARROZ  ROJO (RED RICE)















1.5 cups long-grain rice
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp. salt (I like kosher)
2-3 tsps. olive or canola oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1 finely chopped chipotle (canned, from adobo sauce) - optional.  (Can also use some finely minced jalapeno pepper, or add a sliver of a fresh habanero to the rice as it cooks, then pull out the pepper before serving.)

Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven.  Add rice, and cook and stir over medium heat until lightly browned.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook and stir until onion is tender.  Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-40 minutes.

Photo credits: here,  here and here

******TOMORROW:  Day 17 of my 30-day blog challenge.  "A Photo of My Family".  You're gonna see some folks you haven't seen before!  ;o)    Stay tuned!