Yumm, Enchiladas.

Enchiladas are definitely up there on my list of favorite foods ever. They're kind of a big mess and a whole to-do when waking them, which is why my mom doesn't make them that often, but when she does it's a real treat.

If you're doing all the store bought stuff it's relatively easier so here's the basic steps:

Market run:

Cans of the enchilada sauce - there's different levels of spiciness so pick whatever you like best. The red sauces go well with beef and cheese enchiladas, green goes well with chicken.

Tortillas - these are really important, so whatever you do, don't forget these.

Meat - Chicken, beef, or both! Ground beef is fine, and if you buy a rotisserie chicken you can save some cooking time by just shredding that in stead of cooking THEN shredding.

CHEESE - This is important, people. Cheese works as a topping AND a filler for the enchiladas. You can never have too much cheese (unless you're lactose-intolerant, which would suck) so load up on this.

Sour cream and other toppings - Sour cream is really the best to have with enchiladas, ergo you should throw this in the basket. Guacamole is good too, though I suggest making it yourself since store bought just never tastes quite right. Onions, olives, some cilantro, basically anything you would put on other types of Mexican food works here too.

Chile - Adding more spice is never a bad thing. Definitely grab some chile/salsa to pair with the enchiladas.

Back at home:

Meat - Prepare your meat however you'd like so that it's ready to stuff the tortillas once they and the sauce are warmed.

Sauce - Warm up the sauce. NOT to a boil, just to a simmer if even that. You just need it to be a little less thick and heating it up fixes that right up.

Tortillas - Warm the tortillas. You can either do this on the stove over the flame (takes the longest) or warm them up in the microwave -- just stick them in with the plastic bag for a few seconds. What my mom usually does is put some oil in a small pan, heat that, then stick the tortilla in the oil for a bit on each side. Either way, just make sure the tortillas are warmed up!

Time to get messy - Have a large plate/low and wide bowl/something to this effect and place some of the warmed sauce in here. Once you have the tortillas warmed place it in here and coat it with the sauce. Move it to a second plate to stuff it with either beef, chicken, or cheese, then place it on a cookie sheet. Repeat the process until you've used all your meat or tortillas. After that, put some more sauce on top of the enchiladas (not too much!) and then apply cheese. LOTS AND LOTS OF CHEESE to the top. Then stick them in the oven for the cheese to melt and so everything gets nice and warm.

Serve them with whatever toppings, beans and rice and, let me tell you, this will be one delicious dinner. Even though it's a whole lot of work, it's definitely worth it in the end. You can also get friends to help so you can have an assembly line type thing going to make the process faster and more enjoyable. Enjoy!