Normally, I don’t condone half-birthday celebrations. They seem like a gateway to third and quarter birthdays, and if you open that door, your cake situation is going to get totally out of control.
However, normal went out the window for us 41 days ago (not that I’m counting). So when Rose asked if we could celebrate her half birthday with enchiladas for dinner, I said “Sure! I’ll even make you half a cake.”
Enchiladas are new to our repertoire but they’re an appropriate pandemic food because of all the canned goods that go into them. I’ll post my recipe below.
Per usual, we had our favorite Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake (recipe here). I halved the recipe (even though halving 3 eggs is tricky), frosted it with cream cheese frosting and topped it with 6 and 1/4 candles. We sang half of the happy birthday song with my aunt, uncle and cousin who dropped in via zoom.
Happy 12.5 to my girl. Hang in there, folks.
• Bean & Cheese Enchiladas •
serves 4-6
6-8 flour tortillas
Two 14oz cans enchilada sauce (we use one mild and one medium)
15oz can vegetarian refried beans
15oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups grated cheddar cheese (3.5 will do too)
Sour cream and cilantro leaves for topping
(Avocados would be nice if you can get them)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the beans, 1 can of enchilada sauce and two cups of cheese in a bowl and stir to combine.
Pour some enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Roll about 3/4 cup of bean and cheese mixture in a tortilla and place in the baking dish. Repeat until your bean mixture is gone. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with remaining grated cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until bubbling.
Let sit for 10 minutes or so and serve with sour cream and cilantro.
