I am still planning to make the hummingbird cake ASAP, but Toby and I are living in the Navy Lodge (a hotel) right now because our bedroom ceiling, walls and closet have been gutted/ripped out because of a leak. So it may be another few days. In the meantime, I wanted to share something I made a few weeks ago: cheese enchiladas.

Cheese enchiladas are one of my all-time favorite foods. In Arizona, it wasn’t too difficult to get my fork into some good enchiladas. But in the places I’ve lived since, it is a challenge. So I may have gone a little overboard with the sheer amount of cheese, tortillas and enchilada sauce I consumed when I visited San Antonio a few years ago. And you can imagine my excitement when I happened upon a blog called Homesick Texan.

Now, I have never lived in Texas. But my dad was born in Dallas, so I am technically half-Texan. And I can certainly appreciate the mix of Southern and Southwestern food that comprises Texan cuisine. So I have a crush on this blog.

Unfortunately, I must tell you: This sauce is good, but it is not the same sauce I loved at Marilyn’s Mexican Restaurant in Scottsdale, Ariz. I am going to experiment with putting some tomato paste and/or tomato sauce in it, but in the meantime you can be enjoying some tasty Texas-style enchiladas with what is apparently called “chili gravy.”

Yeah, you’re going to need some spices for this.

As a side note: I do like the enchiladas at The Mexican Cafe in Annapolis, but they aren’t quite the same. Plus, the restaurant is closed while they are relocating (closer to my apartment!). And these were easier to make than I expected — even though they didn’t taste like what I was expecting.

Um… this isn’t exactly low-fat. You don’t have to leave the tortillas in the oil very long, but I will warn you that it is kind of difficult to remove them from the oil without burning yourself. I used some tong thingies, but I still ended up half covered in hot oil.

Have y’all read the article in the New York Times about cheese? Basically, the USDA has been telling us to eat right and cut back on fat and calories, and all the while a marketing organization CREATED BY the USDA is trying to add a bunch more fattening cheese to everyone’s diet. Awesome. Apparently they didn’t know I was doing my part to increase cheese consumption all by myself. You’re welcome, dairy farmers!

Now, the photos the Homesick Texan has with her recipe show bits of tortilla that aren’t covered with sauce. But I am always in favor of more sauce, so I covered mine. Go with what you like. And enjoy the cheesy goodness!

One final thing: You may have noticed the icon on the right, but please consider voting for me in the Mobbies (Baltimore Sun’s outstanding blogs contest). You can vote once every 24 hours, but there are only a few days left. Thanks!!!

Cheese enchiladas (adapted from Homesick Texan)
Sauce/Chili gravy
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or lard)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican is preferred, but I used what I had in the pantry)
2 tablespoons chile powder (Homesick Texan explains how to make your own, I just used the darkest colored ones I had from the store)
2 cups chicken broth (or water, or a mixture of the two)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until it makes a light brown roux.

Add all the spices and continue to cook for one minute, constantly stirring. Add broth or water and stir until the sauce thickens. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add water if necessary for consistency.

Enchiladas
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8-10 corn tortillas
3 cups (8 to 10-ounce block) shredded sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese*
Sauce

Preheat the oven to 450. Pour the oil in a small skillet and heat the tortillas in the oil one at a time. Leave the tortillas in the oil long enough to get soft, but not so long that they start to become crunchy. Set on a paper towel until all are ready.

Pour enough sauce in a 9×13 baking pan to cover the bottom of the pan. On a separate plate, take a tortilla and place cheese (1/4 cup or as much as can reasonably fit) in the center, then roll it. Be careful if the tortillas are still hot! Place rolled tortilla in the baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining tortillas. Pour sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.

*I don’t like onions in my cheese enchiladas, but you are more than welcome to dice up one medium onion and add a bit to each enchilada.