GAH! I’m back! We’re back! And what a way to be back, with a partnership with one of my favorite brands on the planet… Target. I mean who doesn’t like Target? It’s like summer, who doesn’t like summer? Well, it’s been a heck of a summer! Between LA and San Diego and work and play I feel like the last 6 months happened in about 15 minutes. But I missed US you guys! Sometimes you just need to take a minute. To sit back and evaluate what you really want to spend your valuable time on. I used to be that person that said YES to everything. Every appearance, every gig, every trip, every event. EVERYTHING. And Fau, my teen, was right there with me. For ten whole years it was him and me around the literal world. And as we both were climbing to the top, us two little humans fighting our way to a really cool life, Philip came back into my life and soon after we were blessed with the two little Button babies. Nacho David and Hurricane Anna had plans for us. For me. And they were a little different than what I had envisioned for this next phase in my life. Fau had become self-sufficient. A reliable, independent, well-rounded and happy kid. No need for mom to be hovering 24/7. But the babies, oh the babies. I’d forgotten how everything becomes completely unimportant compared to the smell of the crown of a newborn babies’ head. I used to be that person that would respond to every email, every request LITERALLY within minutes, even if that request was sent at 3 am. I used to HATE the weekends because I’d had to wait until Monday to get stuff going again; to send emails and proposals, to make phone calls, to hustle! And here I was, with an 18 month old David, a newborn Anna and a teen Fau. I’m so grateful for Philip because if it would have been just me I would have sold the house, moved into an airstream and just hung with the 3 kids without working until the money ran out (which is actually sort of still a dream btw). But I digress. It’s funny because the more selective I became about who to associate for both ethical and time reasons, the busier things got. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I was going to pass on a national TV appearance with the top chefs in the country so that I could make pie crust with the kids in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner instead, I would have told you you were insane. But it happened. And here we are. Days are just as busy but a morning trip to @target to recover a lost blankie (we dropped it somewhere in the Getty Museum) is just as important as a manuscript deadline. Those mornings at Target, you know the ones when you walk in for toilet paper and walk out with a cart full of life, have become my and the kids’ favorite mornings. What don’t they have at that place? Truth is I’m just reorganizing every minute of my days to spend as much quality time with them as I can now. All three of them need me so much. These children are my life. They don’t define me. I know who I am if I am not their mother, the same person I’ve always been. Just so much more aware. So much more determined to make a difference. So much more determined to make sure that we have some really good stories to tell in our huge Posadas reunions in 20 or 30 years. We’re busy building memories over here.
And speaking of memories, what better way to create those memories than around the dinner table? I’ve been listening to what you guys have been saying, what you respond to the most and here’s the overwhelming answers; the classics of Mexican cuisine and the healthy/plant-based versions of them as well. So for my first recipe back? Enchiladas Verdes, just like I used to have at home in Tijuana, just like my mom used to make for me. Best part? 20 years ago I had to go to 3 different places to find the ingredients. Today I went to my garden for tomatillos and then headed down the street to @Target for everything else in the recipe, an elephant blankie for Anna, khakis for Fau, a “Best Big Brother” tee for David, a reading lamp for dad and a really cute necklace that I’m wearing for date night. In short, plan wisely. Spend as much time as you can with your kids. Cook as much as you can. Love as much as you can. Help as much as you can. I’m just happy to be back…
Beso! Marcela
ENCHILADAS SUIZAS
(Makes 6 enchiladas)
Ingredients:
- 9 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 serrano chile
- 1 yellow chile (guerito pepper)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the tomatillos, onion and both chiles in a medium heavy saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the tomatillos turn an olive-green color, about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer the tomatillos, onions and chiles to a blender. Add the garlic and cilantro and blend until smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Mix the Mexican crema and heavy cream together in a small bowl and season with salt. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas until golden but still pliable, about 10 seconds per side, using more oil if needed. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Place the tortillas on a work surface. Divide the shredded chicken evenly among the tortillas and roll up each like a cigar. Spread 1/3 cup of the sauce in a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the enchiladas in 1 layer, seam-side down, snugly inside the dish. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas. Drizzle the cream mixture on top and sprinkle the cheese all over. Bake until the cheese is melted and starting to brown in spots, about 30 minutes.
Serve immediately.
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