The Whole 'Beef' Enchilada

Now I do enjoy cooking BUT it always seems that when ever I try to cook on the weekdays I become a little stressed out. So keeping that in mind I might make a full meal from scratch once a week. The rest are meals consisting of sauce in a jar, breaded and cooked chicken, pizza or takeout.

I did, however, make these beef enchiladas last night and I have to say they were really good. I think making the red sauce from scratch made all the difference. They did not take too long to make so I was able to enjoy some couch time before bed. I am only cooking for two people so keep that in mind when recreating this recipe.

Beef Enchiladas

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 white onion diced

3/4 cup shredded cheese - I used a Mexican blend

5 freshly made tortillas - Mission tortillas are not allowed in our house

1 cup pico de galo - bought at Kroger

1 Serrano pepper - diced and seeds removed

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Red Sauce

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon oregano

2 cups water/broth

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

I made the sauce first while the ground beef was cooking and preheated the oven to 375. Just add all ingredients to a sauce pan and let simmer. I added 1 cup beef broth and 1 cup water. It made enough for this meal plus I was able to freeze the rest for later.

Cook the ground beef until almost done on the stove top and add the onions and the pepper. Cook until the onions are transparent. Add some of the sauce you made to the ground beef mixture. Just enough to add flavor and moisture. Next take out an 8x8 pan and coat with non-stick spray. Dip the tortillas in the sauce and place in pan one at a time adding some beef mixture and a little cheese. Roll the enchiladas and place the cease face down. Once you have filled all tortillas pour the red sauce over the enchiladas. Until 1/2 inch of the pan is filled with the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas and place in the oven.

Cook until the cheese is melted and slightly crisp on the edges. Once you remove it, sprinkle the pico de galo and cilantro on top and serve.

Hubcap Grill

I have been reading excellent reviews about Hubcap Grill and decided I wanted to try it out. With people saying that it has the BEST burger in town I came with big expectation. So last Saturday the weather was perfect and with my husband and a friend joining me we headed over to the Hubcap Grill.

Now there are a few things you need to keep in mind before going to the Hubcap Grill. The first is that they have very little inside seating and the second is they only accept cash. When we arrived we saw that they have quite a few speciality burgers but since this was our first visit we wanted to stick to the basics. I ordered the cheeseburger with fries and then found a place to sit outside. Our orders were delivered to our table promptly and the food looked great. The bun they use seems like a ciabatta bun - I could be wrong. The patty was cooked perfectly and had just enough seasoning. The only thing that I can say that could be improved on is the fries. They are good do not get me wrong but there just is nothing special about them.

Entertainment while dining

While we were enjoying our meal we heard some commotion behind us. We look across the street and there are two girls fighting with a group of guys around them. Most of the guys are trying to break them up while another guy takes pictures. The girls kept following one another and starting back where they left off. Hair pulling, punching, bear hugs you name it we saw it. They did stop long enough to get a free Christian rap CD that someone was giving away downtown. Now where can you get a great burger and street entertainment! My overall impression of Hubcap is good and the entertainment we saw just guarantees that I will not forget my experience anytime soon. If you get a chance you should check the place out. It lives up to the rave reviews and who can pass up on an great burger.