Al Pastor Enchiladas with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

I went for a long walk this morning, longer than usual. Maybe it was the fact that is was finally cool with the promise of coming rain that kept me walking. It's Thanksgiving break so my kids were sleeping in and with them now in Middle school and high school, they are pretty self-sufficient now. At least for those 2 hours this morning, time was my own to do what I wanted without any other responsibility tugging at my minutes. As I crunched through fallen leaves, I thought about being thankful. Somewhat fitting with the Thanksgiving holiday where we all take stock in all our blessings. For me it was just happenstance of the timing, but today was the day I really felt thankful for being able to stay at home to raise my kids. Because they are now well on their way to being self sufficient, I've felt a bit lost and I've been feeling the pressure to get back to work. But today, I realized that my work, my job of being a stay-at-home mom was important and is still important. I gave up a career to be home with them. I gave up adult interaction and personal achievement to help guide my kids through, infancy, elementary school, now puberty with the promise into adulthood. I like to think that this time was not wasted. I like to think that my value as a woman, as a mother, and as a human being means something to my kids and to the world at large. Today, I felt proud of all that I gave up to be a good mom to my kids. As I look forward to going back to work and finding my own path outside of motherhood again, I'm excited for what lies ahead but I also feel sad that this time spent with my kids is coming to an end. 

Al Pastor Enchiladas

Makes 12

Main Ingredients
Ground Pork Filling (recipe below)
Al Pastor Enchilada Sauce(recipe below)
Pineapple Avocado Salsa (recipe below)
12 corn tortillas
Oaxaca cheese, grated

Cotija cheese, crumbled

Al Pastor Enchilada Sauce

Makes 3 cups

1 T canola oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T Mexican oregano

2 t  cumin

1/2 t black pepper

1/4 t ground cloves

4-6 dried Guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed

2 cups water or chicken broth

1- 15oz. can of pineapple chunks with juice (reserve 1/2 of the pineapple for the salsa)

2 T achiote paste

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

salt and cayenne pepper (to taste)

Heat oil over medium heat, then add garlic, oregano, cumin, pepper and ground cloves to a medium saucepan and heat until fragrant ~ 1 minute. Add water or chicken broth, dried chiles, pineapple, achoite paste, cider vinegar and boil 30 minutes. Cool and blend well. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside or it can be made ahead, just refrigerate in an air tight container. 

Pineapple Avocado Salsa
Makes ~ 1 cup

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
1/2 reserved pineapple, cubed 
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, finely minced
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper
1 avocado, small dice

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Pork Filling
1 T canola oil

1/2 red onion, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 lb ground pork

1 cup Al pastor Enchilada sauce

salt and pepper (to taste)

Add oil and onions to a large skillet and saute until translucent ~5 minutes. Add ground pork and 1 cup Al Pastor Enchilada Sauce and cook until liquid is reduced. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. 
Heat tortillas in an oiled skillet and then keep warm in a tortilla warmer until ready to roll.

Pour half of the reserved enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 10 x 14 casserole dish. Spoon about 1/3 cup of meat mixture into tortilla, add a sprinkle of cotija cheese and roll up with seam side down. Repeat. 

Top with Oaxaca cheese and bake in a 350 degrees oven for about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.   

Top with Pineapple, avocado salsa, additional cotija cheese or sour cream or all the above. Enjoy! 

Other recipes to try:

Michelada Pops

Albondigas with Chimichurri Pesto

Chilaquiles Corn Bread Stuffing

Corned Beef Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema

Lemon Ginger Sweet Potatoes

Full disclosure... I am not a fan of Thanksgiving yams/sweet potatoes or any of the marshmallow coated casseroles that are so popular this time of year. But last year, I had a sweet potato dish made by my friend, Carina. They were sweet but not overly sweet. They had a hint of citrus, which I thought was orange, but she used lemon, not orange. They were so subtle and sweet and just down right delicious and a nice complement to all the creamy gravy laden dishes of Thanksgiving yummy-ness.  I've been wanting to make a version of her sweet potatoes since last year and that time is finally here. I used her basic recipe of sweet potatoes baked in a brown sugar syrup with lemon slices topping them. I added some ginger, garlic and herbs to complement the lemon and the sweetness of the potatoes and it turned out amazing. Thank you Carina for the inspiration with your delicious recipe. 
                                         🦃Happy Thanksgiving!🦃

Lemon Ginger Sweet Potatoes

Serves 6-8

1.5-2 lbs. sweet potatoes or yams with similar diameter(about 2 lbs)
2-3 lemons, sliced into 1/4" slices
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (to taste)
Simple brown sugar syrup(see recipe below)
Compound butter(see recipe below)

Prepare Simple Syrup
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2-3 slices of fresh peeled ginger
lemon peel of one lemon

Add sugar, water, ginger and lemon peel into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, until sugar is completely dissolved. Turn heat down and let simmer for 10 minutes. Do not strain lemon or ginger from the syrup, leaving it in intensifies the flavors. Let syrup cool and place an air tight container . Refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made up to 3-5 days in advance.  

Prepare Compound Butter
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 T fresh oregano, finely chopped
3 T fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made up to 3-5 days in advance.

Prepare Potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice fresh lemon into 1/4" slices, removing seeds from slices and set aside. Peel sweet potatoes and slice into 1/4" rounds and add to a large mixing bowl. Generously salt and pepper sweet potatoes. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Note: A quick sprinkle of cayenne elevates the lemon and ginger without much heat. 

Add simple syrup to the sliced sweet potatoes and mix until well coated. 

Spray 9"x 13" casserole dish with cooking spray. Begin stacking sliced potatoes like poker chips into casserole dish, alternating with an occasional fresh lemon slice. 
Remove lemon and ginger slices from the remaining simple syrup in the mixing bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of simple syrup over sweet potatoes.

Top with the compound butter, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. At 30 minutes, remove foil and bake an another 30-40 minutes. Check, adding more time if needed. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes and serve. 

More Thanksgiving Side dishes:

Parmesan Creamed Onions

Corn and Squash Casserole

Chilaquiles Corn Bread Stuffing

Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake

Is it too early for citrus season? I know apples, root vegetables, and squash are front and center all fall long, but I just couldn't wait any longer to share this delicious Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake. All the bright citrus sweetness of oranges, hints of cinnamon and a sweet dense orange cake soaked with a blood orange simple syrup and the juice from the baked fruit. Utterly delicious and oh so comforting to get you through the cold winter...fall months. It's perfect right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or all by itself with a cup of coffee.  
Note: Blood orange season is pretty short and not every grocery store will carry them. Not to worry if you can't find blood oranges, you can substitute with regular or Mardarin oranges. But, if you are lucky enough to find blood oranges in the market, grab a few bags. Use the first bag to make this cake and the second bag to freeze the zest and juice so you can use the zest and juice well beyond the cold winter months. Enjoy!

Blood Orange Upside Down Cake

Simple Syrup
1 cup blood orange juice
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar

Place blood orange juice and cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan and heat until reduced by half. Add sugar  and heat on low until sugar is completely dissolved and thickened about 4-5 minutes. Let cool and reserve cinnamon sticks. Strain syrup in a fine mesh strainer to remove fruit pulp. Return cinnamon sticks to strained syrup and set aside. (Photo note: I added star anise the first time I made this, but preferred not to include it in the next few attempts, unfortunately I did not take new pics without the star anise)

Cake Batter
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
3 t milk
zest of 3 oranges
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
6-8 small blood oranges, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare simple syrup as directed above. 
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract and milk and beat until incorporated.  Add orange zest. Add flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Spray a 8" cake pan with cooking spray and then line the bottom of the pan with an 8" parchment paper circle, taking care to smooth out the parchment to remove all bubbles underneath the parchment. 
Add blood orange syrup and cinnamon sticks to the parchment lined cake pan. Next, layer blood orange slices over the syrup and cinnamon sticks. 

Then, pour cake batter over the orange slices and smooth over the top with a rubber spatula to level the batter. The batter will be thick.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. At 20 minutes, place a piece of foil sprayed with cooking spray over the top of the cake, to prevent over browning. Let bake the remaining 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10-15 minutes. 

Run a knife around the edge of the pan and then place a serving plate over the cake pan. Flip the pan and plate over together to remove the upside down cake from the cake pan.  Serve warm with a side of ice cream or all by itself. Enjoy!

Other dessert recipes to try:

Orange Cornmeal Cake

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Rustic Apple Torta

Gingerbread Petits Fours with Cinnamon Buttercream

Halloween Decorating 2019

Better late than never is my motto this year. After getting a late start on my Halloween ideas, my sparse decorating offerings are these two Black and Orange inspired tablescapes decorated with homemade wreaths and fun centerpieces. 

First, is an elegant tablescape of mostly black with small pops of orange as an accent. A handmade wreath and matching centerpiece tie the dining room together along side moody skulls and candles that sets the stage for my Black and Orange Menu. 

Second, is a festive family-friendly tablescape using light-up jack-o-lanterns, cowboy plaid napkins and festive salad plates. Simple and perfect for the extra large pizza and soda for the kiddos. 

I hope you take a look around and find something that inspires your inner Halloween! 🎃

Elegant Black and Orange Halloween Table

Entertaining on a Budget: 

Black dinner and salad plates, skeletal hands and bone candlesticks on buffet, and many of the resin skulls are from "The 99". Total cost: $28. The antiqued goblets are from a thrift store, I got all six for $3.  Four orange votive candle holders (on clearance, $1) and speckled gray mini pumpkins (on sale $1) are from Michael's. The three-tiered stacked skulls are from Home Goods ($7) 

Black and Orange Halloween Dinner Menu

Appetizer Course

Easy Black and Orange Kabobs

Soup Course

Vampire Slayer Soup

Main Course

Dead Sea Spaghetti (Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp)

Dessert Course

Bad Moon Rising Cheesecake

Festive Black and Orange Halloween Table

Black and Orange Halloween Wreaths

More HALLOWEEN Decorating Ideas:
Halloween 2018
Halloween 2017
Halloween 2016
Halloween 2015
Halloween 2014
Halloween 2013