Easy 4-Ingredient Beef Enchiladas

I know I don't even have to mention how much 2020 sucked and how much we missed.  I try hard to keep my posts here at The DD positive because I know folks love to visit cooking blogs for recipes and fun stories.  Not to be reminded of the negativity of everything that has been going on in the world.  So I tell you this because my story of something negative grew into something very positive and has a happy ending.  For the bad news first we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving with our families like we usually do.  The Devilish Nephew and his sweet wife were stuck in Houston.  Not only because of Covid but their sweet golden retriever had to have surgery.  We opted not to have the big traditional turkey day meal with our parents.  My brother has a birthday at the end of November so in lieu of the holiday meal we had a very small get together as a birthday celebration.  I'm not a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving meal and neither is my brother so here's where the story starts the upturn.  I decided to make Mexican food, because that's always a hit with my family.  I knew there would be no complaints!  I made a big batch of Gluten-Free Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas because Mr. DD loves those.  But not everyone on my side of the family is a fan of chicken in Mexican food.  I decided we needed a beef option and I was almost embarrassed I made such a simple recipe for a birthday meal.  I also made a big pot of Cowboy Beans and a batch of Restaurant Style Mexican Relish.  I also made a batch of our newest favorite salsa.  We found Simple Salsa Mix at the boat show in Little Rock last year.  (Remember we went crazy and bought a boat!) It is THE BEST salsa.  It's a dry mix you simply mix a scoop with a can of diced or crushed tomatoes.  Perfect for camping and RVs.  Also perfect for people in quarantine who did nothing but go fishing and eat chips and salsa.  We love this mix in the cute little can so much we gave everyone a can for Christmas!  The salsa was a hit at the meal, it was hard to keep it a secret that everyone at the table had some under the Christmas tree.  And if you thought the salsa was a huge hit, the Easy Beef Enchiladas were the absolute star of the evening.  No one touched the chicken enchiladas. And they are excellent! The beef enchiladas casserole dish was wiped out.  I lost count of how many helpings my brother ate.  He thanked me a million times and even texted me later in the evening after he got home.  The next day he called and thanked me again and told me for the millionth time how much he loved the beef enchiladas and asked for the recipe.  He called Mom and told her a million times how much he loved the enchiladas.  At Christmas a month later he was still talking about the enchiladas.  They are so embarrassingly easy, but a definite crowd pleaser.  Amid all the chaos and negativity I'm happy to report our family has a new standby recipe that requires almost no effort. Here's hoping we can all enjoy meals like this with our families soon! 

Irish Coffee Custard

Little Devil and I have been on a quest to master Macarons.  If you've tried to make them, then you'll probably understand the need to perfect them.  It's addicting.  Not to mention even the rejects and failures still taste good.  I've probably tried again 10 or 12 times with varying levels of success and failure.  The other result of macaron trial and error is egg yolks.  Lots and lots of egg yolks.  So what do you do when you have an abundance of egg yolks and your husband asks "What did you make for dessert" every single night?!?  You master custard.  I've probably made custard 4 or 5 times now and unlike the macarons, the custards have been superb every time.  I've made vanilla custard, chocolate custard, chocolate peanut butter whiskey custard, and since St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner: Irish Coffee Custard.  I also had a semi-successful attempt at Irish Coffee Macarons (the Bailey's Buttercream filling was to die for!) but I'm more proud of the custard.  The secret ingredient is espresso powder.  If you're not familiar with it, it is definitely not the same as instant coffee.  It is made from dark roasted coffee beans that have been ground, brewed, dried and then pulverized into a very fine powder.  Think of it as an intensely dark and concentrated instant coffee.  But not for drinking, for desserts.   The strong, rich concentrated coffee flavor adds depth and flavor to everything from savory steak rubs to barbecue sauces to virtually any dessert, especially chocolate.  Want to impress your friends with brownies that taste better than anyone else's? Add a teaspoon or two of espresso powder to your batter.  Try it in chocolate chip cookies.  Coffee is a natural compliment to chocolate and will totally enhance the flavor.  What else tastes decadently delicious with coffee?  Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur of course!  It's an alcoholic beverage flavored with cream, cocoa and Irish whiskey.  Every single one of those ingredients pairs perfectly with coffee.  If you're looking for a satisfying after dinner dessert that's slightly different from the usual after dinner adult coffee, then this custard is for you!  It's smooth and velvety.  Thicker and richer than your average pudding and this version is definitely for grown ups.

Baked Feta Pasta: The Internet Sensation

When it comes to technology I'm always a day late.  I would probably still have a flip phone if it were up to me.  I still prefer turning an actual book page to an e-reader (although I do enjoy my Kindle on vacation, no longer having to haul tons of books in a suitcase...) And aside from sharing recipes, I'm not one to spend tons of time on social media platforms.  (I'd rather be fishing.) I'm not even on TikTok where a video of this recipe went viral.  From what I've read it's been viral for a while.  So I apologize if you heard about this a while ago, because it was all new to me.  The funny thing is the same week I made this recipe I had two friends tell me about it and saw countless variations of the recipe allover the internet, so it is still going strong and rightfully so, because it is tasty and super simple to prepare. From what I read this recipe went so crazy it may have been responsible for a temporary feta cheese shortage!  Olive oil, fresh tomatoes, tangy feta cheese.  One bowl preparation.  What's not to love?  No wonder it is literally the recipe that broke the internet (and the feta factory.)  Even the most novice cook can feel like a gourmet with this recipe.  Make sure and use a quality delicious tasting olive oil (we love this one) and we also love a French feta cheese.  There are several varieties out there but if you can get your hands on the French, it's the creamiest in texture.  I think it works better in this recipe than a drier, crumblier feta.  Definitely look for feta in block form instead of crumbles.  It makes for a better presentation too.  I even read that if your tomatoes are very ripe and starting to wrinkle that means they are at their sweetest, making the perfect compliment to the tangy feta cheese.  I used gluten-free penne pasta too, but feel free to use bow ties, orecchiette (little ears) or even radiatore (little radiators).  Whatever you choose will be delicious and if you want to get even fancier add some mushrooms, fresh herbs, or prosciutto.  Next time I will add some grilled chicken for a heartier meal.  

Hot, bubbly, cheesy goodness.
No wonder it took over the internet!

Place the olive oil and tomatoes
 in a baking dish.  Toss with olive oil.

Add feta cheese. (Maybe not this much)
Drizzle the cheese a little more with 
olive oil and season with cracked pepper.

Bake until hot and bubbly and the cheese starts 
to brown.  The tomatoes will start to burst and 
create the most delicious sauce.

Add fresh garlic and red pepper flakes.
Toss with pasta and fresh basil

Serve with garlic bread.  Next time
I'm going to add some sliced grilled chicken. 

BAKED FETA PASTA

2 Containers cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for finishing
8 ounce block of feta (I used two blocks and I think it was a little too much)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 pound pasta cooked according to package directions
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
handful fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Add 1/2 cup of olive oil into an oven proof baking dish.  Add whole cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Use the smallest dish possible to accommodate the tomatoes and cheese so the are close together.  Add the block of feta to the middle of the dish and drizzle with more olive oil and season with fresh pepper.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes.  Prepare the pasta according to package directions and drain.  After 30 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for another 5-10 minutes to make sure the feta is starting to brown and the tomatoes are starting to burst.  Remove the baking dish from the oven and stir in the minced garlic and red pepper flakes.  Toss this mixture with the cooked pasta and add the fresh basil.  Taste and season with more olive oil, salt and pepper if necessary.