keeping off the streets
Recipe: chimichangas
That’s right, we got more snow over the weekend. *gush* We made a go of Breckenridge for one last time Sunday. I do believe this will be the end of our resort season unless A-basin gets miraculous dumps in a few weeks. Temperatures are warming up (although they are forecasting snow later this week – but I’ll be getting chemo’d) and the snow is starting to feel heavy… like the stuff that falls on the west coast. We powder snobs are feeling a bit put out with the “Sierra Concrete” the warm weather is generating. It’s not even Sierra Concrete anymore… it’s turning to slush.
bye bye breck
After we got back from skiing, we grabbed my photo gear and went over to shoot some flies. Our good friends are phenomenal anglers who also guide. I’ve been wanting to shoot Tom tying flies for over a year now and finally got a weekend when we were all in town (they fish ALL the time). Tom has studied what fish love to eat down to the time of day for a given season. The man knows.
mmmm, shrimp
amazingly complex for something so tiny
scooty chillin’ out nearby
You should check out their website: Green Drake Anglers, especially if you love to fish and want The Best Guides. I should add that Kellie can outfish *anyone*. The woman is Badass.
Today I was down in Boulder for lunch at Aji’s with a tele bud and then to run some errands. It was 75F in town, but it felt like 105F to me. Oh.my.god. I know in a month or so I’ll be used to it just like I got used to 12F on the slopes. But for now, it felt like Evil Genius Mastermind had pointed the Evil Hot Ray O’ Death at Boulder. There was a lot of swearing.
i had the posole, but i should have asked for a bucket of ice for lunch instead
Now, my dear Graeme recently posted some brilliant chicken chimichangas on his blog after much badgering from the rest of us. I felt inspired this evening and grabbed some carne adovada from my freezer to make my own mini chimichangas.
roll with carne adovada and some cheddar
Yeah, we have orange cheddar again – Jeremy balked at paying double for white cheddar. I still prefer white cheddar, so get off my case. Why mini chimis? I like small foods and it’s nigh impossible to polish off the burrito-sized chimis. I bought fajita-sized flour tortillas for these little dudes.
cute and little
I secured the buggers with toothpicks because the first one I fried unraveled in the oil and made a fabulous mess. The rest were rather well-behaved, deeply-fried, and deliciously-golden.
dressed with enchilada sauce and a dollop of guacamole
For me, the chimichanga is a throwback to ye olde days of ChiChi’s, that faux Mexican restaurant chain that graced southeastern Virginia in my youth. After living in Southern California for ten years and hitching my wagon to a native New Mexican, it seems I’ve come full circle to return to my white trash roots.
delish
Mini Chimichangas
[print recipe]
12 fajita-sized flour tortillas
2 cups carne adovada
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
vegetable oil (for frying)
toothpicks
Warm the tortillas so they are pliable. Heat enough oil in a pan on high heat to deep fry the chimichangas. Place 2 tablespoons of meat and 1 tablespoon of cheese in the center of a tortilla and fold the sides in. Roll from one end to the other, tucking the filling in as you roll. Pierce a toothpick through the folded end to secure the tortilla. Fry the chimichanga for about a minute a side or until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with enchilada sauce.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Those enchiladas look mighty scrumptious! Tex-Mex food is wonderful!
Scooty is a very handsome kitty! Such a pretty face and pattern!
Cheers,
Rosa
April 14th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
*Ooooh, 75°F! I feel so sorry for you!!!* Hahaha! I’m joking… Why don’t you come around here, where burritos turn themselves to chimichangas in the atmosphere alone?
I find that despite my not-really-decreasing-as-quickly-as-I’d-like weight, I take very small portions these days.. Those mini-chimis would really hit the spot (on that note, I finally found imported Enchilada sauce!– how weird would it be, though, if I would be the third person in this circle to post on chimichangas, lol).
Which cycle will you be on next week (probably 5th, right)? I hope the side effects fade quickly :)
April 14th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
When we fish, we use marshmallows…they love them. :) What can I say, we are cheap.
My husband would love these. I am allergic to the stuff that makes it taste good. :)
April 15th, 2008 at 2:54 am
My husband prefers white cheddar too, but that’s because the colour of the orange cheddar freaks him out – he’d never seen any cheese that colour until the first time he visited Canada. I have to admit that now after 14 years of living in Italy, I find the colour a little disturbing now too! Those chimichangas look amazing! I’m going to surprise my hubby with them this weekend! Thanks for posting!
April 15th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Ooh! Yours have all that sexy sauce too.
I would happily sleep on top of those if I were small enough.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:33 am
love the mini chimis, they look great! and what a super easy way to please the mr. mimi who will love these too :)
April 15th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Those mini chimi’s look so cute – and delicious! Gonna have to make some of those… my boys would love them!
April 15th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Jen – I made your pulled pork recipe – I seared the meat before cooking it in a slow cooker and it turned out fabulous. Your adovada is up next, I hope! I think I’ll try to make a lot and freeze it like you have – a really great idea! Then, we can have fun meals like this in a pinch. And you know, I cannot resist any avocado/guac :)
April 15th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Mmmm… these look SO good. I think you have just found a good way for me to get out of my dinner rut lately! Thanks for posting these.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
‘Scuse me, but it’s Sierra Cement (and Cascade Concrete). But it sucks either way. What a way to just drill your legs. Heavy. Sticky.
I feel your pain with the weather. 75 is about the warmest I tolerate well. Anything approaching or over 80 makes me feel ill. Truckee is the place for gals like us: often the coldest city in the country because unlike many places that get plenty of cold in the winter it doesn’t get much summer heat. But as you note, you’ve got better powder.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Hello, I just stumbled across your blog.
Your food recipes and photography are fabulous!
April 16th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Rosa – yes, Scooty is very handsome and a total goofball :)
Mark – I figured you’d have something to say about the weather! And why are you trying to lose weight? You look rather thin to me in your photos during your tour of CA/LV. Yes, it’s my 5th. I hope they wear off quickly too, but they seem to get worse with each round. Oh well, only two more to go! xxoo
Peabody – if I went fishing with you, I’d go diving in after those marshmallows ;)
Joanne – great! I hope he likes them.
Graeme – if you slept on top of the chimichangas, your clothes would get greasy and then where would you be?! ;)
Mimi – huh, it seems all of the men folk would be huge fans of the chimis!
Patsyk – more boys about to have chimichangas? See other comments :)
Christine – isn’t pork AMAZING? I’m glad you like the pulled pork. I think I like it more than the carne adovada… however having the CA in the freezer is super handy for quick meals like this or the stacked enchiladas. Besides, if I ate all of that pork in one sitting I’d have cancer! Oh wait… ;)
Holly – you’re welcome!
Cindy – huh, I’d always heard it called Sierra Concrete in Mammoth. You Tahoe people… ;) Let’s start a ski whore commune in Truckee. The minute it hits 75 at our house, I start to get irate. Today was a high of 60, but you know it’s coming… Actually, we’re suppose to get snow tomorrow – of course, it always snows the day before or day of my chemo!
Fumipuriri – thanks!
April 16th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Yum! Hey Jen, how long does the carne adovada keep in the freezer?
April 17th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Hi Jen,
Great shots of the tying. My dad does this, he is so passionate about fly fishing … moved his life to be near a river to do it all the time (well, weather permitting) and even had a tying room (as big as a closet) added to the house.
And the CARNE looks outstanding, I could naw through the company right now!
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Shoshanna – ummm, so far it kept for about 6 months if you seal it properly to avoid freezer burn. Very handy to do!
Denise – I find fly tying to be incredible. The knowledge these guys have of the bugs that hatch and buzz – all to catch that fish :)
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
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