In August I had a little going away party for the daughter of my BFF. It was a sad day and a happy one too. Kind of a fusion of emotions. I was very happy that she has secured a new job that pays her tons more than what she was making in Michigan. She was able to purchase her dream house. She will be near her aunts, uncles, and cousins. All of this is extreme good fortune. The sad part is that she is moving away. Her mother will now be far far away from her. This will be hard on both of them. It was a fusion kind of event. That meant only one thing – fusion cuisine. In this case I made my Jewish grandmother’s version of Mexican enchiladas. Yes, you read that correctly. So to be clear my grandmother did not in any way, shape or form keep a kosher house. So I present her recipe for Enchiladas:
Ingredients:
white or yellow corn tortillas
Velveeta cheese
Sweet onion
black olives
Hormel chili no beans
Process:
Place several cubes of Velveeta and a sprinkling of chopped onion and black olives on a tortilla and roll. Place into a glass baking dish with the loose end on the bottom. A heavy butter knife can be used to weigh down the enchiladas to prevent them from unrolling. Heat the chili and pour over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle sliced black olives and additional Velveeta on the top. Bake ~ 30 minutes at 350° F until cheese is melted.
To humor Sparky and treat my guests, I also did a chicken version with green enchilada sauce with cheese, chicken, green pepper and onion inside.
We had additional toppings of black olives, sour cream, guacamole, diced tomatoes from the garden, green peppers, cilantro, onion, mild salsa, salsa verde, tortilla chips, and a little extra chili. Everyone was able to customize their meal and I do believe all were satisfied!
Just like life, my grandmother’s version of enchiladas combined a little of what she grew up with and a little from what she experienced away from the bosom of her family. The end result is a little messy looking but is still delicious. There are so many variations on a theme. We live our lives making choices. Some people agonize over every little thing and others dash headlong into the future. I don’t think there is any right or wrong way as long as we each savor what we put on our plates.
A Different Perspective 
So well summed up, Val!
I must try your recipe soon.
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Thanks Punam! The recipe is delicious (in my opinion) as long as you are not expecting authentic Mexican cuisine! Like life it is not always what you expect to get but is delicious nonetheless.
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You are welcome. Delicious sounds good for me.
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🙂
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Fun!
And something to think about too.
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Thanks Carrie. We did have fun and we ate and laughed (at a social distance) enjoying the moment. There is much to think about in this interlude between election and swearing in, fall and winter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is much to be done but also a sort of calm to enjoy what there is and what we have…
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it looked delicious Val.. a must-try recipe..
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Thanks Michelle! It is tasty but not really an enchilada in the truest sense… It is its own thing but delicious!
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i am not a good cook so i basically copy and try out recipes of other people..lol so i must try yours… and will let you know ..fingers – crossed i give justice to your recipe
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This is an easy one to make. I made it in HS when visiting a friend…and she made it for her parents after I left. Everyone loved it.
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You teach me Val . I did not know the enchilada and no more Veveeta cheese ! So I learnt a lot.
I did not knwow you were a cook . Bravo . Sparky is a happy man! 🙂
Love ❤
Michel
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That was the prerequisite for the engagement (not really but I did it anyway), to cook 10 good meals. I think he was convinced after I made the first meal – lentil soup… They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!
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I like the last sentence. Poor men ! 🙂 🙂
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Ha! Thanks!
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Ha! I laughed out loud reading your Jewish grandmother’s enchilada recipe. Admittedly, I am a food snob and would never use the words Velveeta and cheese in the same sentence, but having grown up in Michigan I could SO relate to that particular take on a Mexican classic. I had just been ruminating on my own version of chiles relleno (translation: Stuffed chiles) which doesn’t entail the frying bit. Here’s to savoring what we put on our plates and being grateful for it!
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I’ve tried it with other types of real cheese and it just doesn’t translate. gotta have the cheese food stuff! It is definitely a midwestern dish and since I’m in Michiana I suppose that is close enough to count as a Michigander type recipe. I guess in the end it doesn’t much matter to me what is on your plate as long as I like what I put on mine. Enjoy!
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That is an interesting story! I often pepper my stories with some Yiddish expressions. I picked them up from my mother. I am not sure why or how but the question remains how do I know the meaning of meshugganah years later? The number of children not aware of the Holocaust and of history is “meshugganah.”
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My Jewish grandmother had some interesting phrases. My mother picked up a Yiddish phrase book and the one I remember is “Good health to your belly button.” which is what you say when someone gives you a “left-handed” compliment.
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My mom grew up in a Jewish-Italian neighborhood in NYC. I always wondered if I didn’t inherit some Yiddish to my soul. My favorite trip was a visit to Israel and work on a kibbutz. Wonderful people. This year was very good for Israel!
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Next year, perhaps not but we can pray.
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My cousin married a Rabbi (widowed now). As an Orthodox Jew she is living her dream in Israel, I believe near Tel Aviv…
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I loved visiting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you have the chance, visit.
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A trip to Israel is on the list for our world tour…
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Our tour begins in the states, out West.
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We’ve traveled to all the contiguous states. Just have Hawaii and Alaska left. We were planning a cruise to Alaska when the pandemic hit. We were able to get a refund so I guess we were lucky.
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Had to Google Velveeta Cheese, though loved your take on fusion:)
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It is a completely odd thing – Velveeta. Kind of like the Vegemite of the Midwest!
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🙂
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Looks good except olives. I dont like them and it’s one of the few things I will not eat.
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We are olive fanatics but you can always substitute green pepper… Anyway it is a tasty, quick and easy one dish meal!
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I had food poisoning from olives before. So I pick them off everything.
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That would do it! My husband got sick on bananas and only in the last few years has been able to stomach them. (only took 55 years for him to recover)
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That would do it! My husband got sick on bananas and only in the last few years has been able to stomach them. (only took 55 years for him to recover)
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It is peaches from a can for my husband. My a fresh whole one he will eat.
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I had bad peaches once. I prefer fresh but I will still eat canned just never off a salad bar!!
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got me licking my lips, fortunately I ate something similar yesterday 🙂
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Sounds like a win!
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Enchiladas are a mainstay of my diet.
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They are a favorite of mine too but Sparky is less fond. So I only make them once or twice a year…
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They look delicious
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Thanks! They were very tasty and we didn’t have much left over!!
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I have heard that Velveeta, that staple of my childhood, is now more expensive than actual cheese. Being a chowhound, I don’t worry so much about what’s in a casserole (save fried or boiled eggs, which I loathe), as long as it tastes good.
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You are right – Velveeta is very expensive! But you know nothing melts the way it does…
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