November 12, 2014

Yesterday was another tough day. Good husbands don’t like to talk about tough days. That’s why we are good husbands, right? We keep it together, we make it happen, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Easier said than done. I wish I could say I was sweating some small stuff. I even would encourage some small stuff.

My parents are anything but small stuff. My dad, a wonderful man, is being ravaged by this MSA disease and not only feels trapped in his own body, but a prisoner in his own home. He lives in Tennessee, and I live in Michigan. We just hired around the clock caregivers to help him in his home while my mom recovers in the rehab facility. This is expensive and not sustainable, but a good interim solution until my siblings and I figure out a permanent housing solution.

So, what’s for dinner, right? We still have to eat and no matter how bad your day was, the communal aspect of making a meal and using dinner as a time to discuss the days travails with your spouse will make everything better; if only until morning….

Spence’s Mildly Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas are very easy. The dogs love them. Well, not really, but my Tennessee Bluetick, Susie, waits patiently by the kitchen counter, hoping , pining for a small piece of chicken, maybe a bite of salsa that the Good Husband Cook might occasionally drop while creating these little masterpieces. Luckily, I’m pretty careful, so Susie will need to stick to the kibble for tonight….

Easy, Easy Ingredient list

½ chopped onion

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

I 27 ounce can of Marzano Tomatoes (there they are again. These will show up a lot in my recipes)

I small bottle of roasted red peppers

Garlic salt

Tobasco sauce

Salt

Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Six small flour tortillas

Melting cheese (I prefer to use Chihuahua shredded cheese)

I small roasted chicken

Preheat Oven to bake at 350 degrees

In a medium sized skillet, heat up the olive oil and throw in the chopped onion. Sauté’ until translucent, but not burnt. Throw in the chopped roasted red peppers and a couple of shakes of the smoked paprika. Stir for a couple of minutes on medium heat. Now throw in the tomatoes, a couple of shakes of salt, pepper, and tobasco sauce. Taste, taste, taste and adjust to your level of tastiness.

Now, start shredding some of the white meat from the roasted chicken. We have a local market here in Michigan called the Westborn Market which has terrific pit roasted chickens on a daily basis. Keeps it simple. Although I like baking my own chicken, for purposes of expediency, this is a very good substitute after a long workday and easy to pick up on the way home from work.

Lay the tortillas flat, place a handful of chicken and shredded cheese on the tortilla, and then roll it up. Do about six of these. Once done, put a couple of spoonful’s of your sauce at the bottom of a Pyrex dish. Place the tortillas, all six, right next to each other. Then pour the remaining sauce on top. Now, take a generous helping of the generous cheese and sprinkle on top of the tortillas and sauce.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve right away. You and your spouse won’t be able to eat more than two. Leftovers for another day this week!

You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!!

All the best,

Spence