shredded beef enchiladas

It has been quite a while since I shared a recipe on here. Mostly that is because when I cook I follow other people's recipes verbatim and can't really claim them as my own creations. And because I am just now starting to cook creatively again since Amelia was born (she's only three months old, I can still use that excuse, right?).

Last night I tried out a new creation on some company we had over, and it actually turned out pretty decent (I thought). So now I will share the concoction with you.

It all started because we have several beef roasts in the freezer downstairs (courtesy of living on a beef farm) and because Clay loves Mexican style shredded beef. So I looked up a few different recipes and combined the elements that sounded good to me.

First I cut a 3.5 lb shoulder roast in half and stuck it in my crock pot with 1 T. cumin, 1 T. coriander, 1 T. chili powder, 1/2 tsp ground red pepper, 1 large chopped onion, and a dash of garlic powder. And about 2 cups of water. Then I set it on high for about 6 hours, and then turned it to low for several more hours while I went outside and played with the horses. By the time I got back in the meat was falling off the bone and deliciously tender. Then I pulled it out of the crock pot, threw the bones to the dogs, and shredded it the rest of the way with two forks.

Then I stole most of the rest of the recipe from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook. If you don't have it maybe you should. I use it a lot, along with my lovely (and increasingly dirty) Hot Providence cookbook from Moscow. And the internet. But enough about little me. If you don't have her cookbook here are the steps:

Pour the following into a saucepan: 1 T. canola oil and 2 T. flour (whisk and then allow it to bubble for 1 minute), 2 cups chicken broth, 1 large can of enchilada sauce and some pepper. Simmer for a while.

Heat some oil in a frying pan and then lightly fry 10-14 (or so) tortillas until soft and starting to puff up. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Pour some sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 pan (or two). Dip the shells into the sauce (still in the saucepan) and then fill each one with some of the shredded beef, some grated cheese (whatever you have handy), chopped green onions and black olives. Chop some cilantro into the sauce and then pour the rest of it over the whole pan. Top it all off with some more cheese, black olives, green onions, or whatever floats your boat. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

I also served this with some re-fried beans, which I concocted about five minutes before company arrived. Because I was going to make rice and just then realized we were completely out. (Confession: I used canned pinto beans because I hadn't soaked and prepped dried ones...) First I fried some chopped onion in some lard. Mmmm. Once they were translucent I threw in two cans of beans and mashed them up really well. Then I sprinkled on some cumin and garlic. And lots of cheese. They seemed to go over well. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I was a little busy carrying around my little Amelia-peanut in her peanut shell and appeasing two toddlers with animal crackers.

We spend a large chunk of our "dining out" money on Mexican food so I figured it is worth it for me to try my hand at making it myself. Can't say that it's completely authentic but so far I have had fun. And I am working on it. Then I need to conquer Thai food.