Copy Cat El Chico Beef, Cheese, Onion Enchiladas with Copy Cat Mexico Chiquito Hot Sauce

 Must do these tried and true famous recipes for the best Tex/Mex solutions on your Family Mexican Nights. You don't do a Family Mexican Night! What's wrong with you!?!? Well no judgement here, but it's high time you started. Family Mexican Nights are ALWAYS special at our home.

Famous In Arkansas Copy Cat Mexico Chiquito Hot Sauce

1 large can of peeled whole tomatoes, juice and all, 1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeds and all, 4 peeled pods of garlic, crushed, 1 teaspoon, or salt to taste. All in the blender, careful not to liquefy, chop it all up! Voila, Famous Copy Cat Mexico Chiquito Hot Sauce 

Copy Cat El Chico Beef, Cheese, Onion Enchiladas & Chili Gravy

Beef Chili Gravy:  1/2 lb ground beef, 3 T oil, 1/4 c flour, 1/2 ts pepper, 1 ts salt, 1 1/2 ts garlic powder, 2 ts ground cumin, 1/2 ts ground oregano, 2 tbl chili powder, 2 c chicken broth

Brown 1/2 pound of ground beef in skillet, drain, and set aside. Heat oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add flour and continue stirring for 3-4 minutes, or until light brown.  Add remaining dry ingredients. Add chicken broth and stir till thickens. Set on low and simmer. Add more broth if it gets too thick.

Cheese Enchiladas:  Some oil, 8 corn tortillas (soft), 4 c cheddar cheese, shredded, 1 medium onion, diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour some oil in small skillet, heat tortillas one at a time for approximately 30 seconds to soften, NOT crisp. Lay on paper towel. Put some of the Beef Chili Gravy in the bottom of a sprayed 8x8 inch baking pan. Fill some cheese and onion into each tortilla, roll up and place seam-side down in baking pan, Pour remaining Beef Chili Gravy over the enchiladas and top with some of the shredded cheese, and sprinkle with some of the onions. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until gravy and cheese are melted.

 Serve hot.

Homemade Fried Corn Tortillas

1 package of soft corn tortillas, vegetable oil for frying, salt

Cut the tortillas into fourths, fry and turn frequently in a Fry Daddy Presto Cooker for approximately 2 minutes. Too bad if you don't have one, I've had mine for many, many years and have no idea if they're still around. Google it. Drain the hot tortillas on paper towel and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

Cheater's Guide Lasagna Feast

 Classic lasagna is such an easy dish to prepare even if you don't use the cheater's guide that follows.  It tastes like a million bucks whatever you do...but, you must use the finest of ingredients. It's the perfect company dish and with the best of wine, you will be considered a saint of a hostess when you have your next dinner party. However this being said, I'm positive you have been making this dish all wrong!!!

To begin with, the classic lasagna dish is made with a fancy Béchamel sauce or in common layman's term, a basic white sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. Betcha been using a ricotta or a cottage cheese mixture. Well, stop it. Simply make the white sauce. Now, you can cheat on the next step. For the authentic red sauce you can make your own or use Newman's Sockarooni Sauce because it's fabulous, cheap, and proceeds go 100% toward his charity. Whatta guy! You cannot go wrong with a Paul Newman sauce. Next, sauté some bitesize veggies in olive oil such as onion, bell pepper, carrots, and zucchini, add the best of ground round, garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Brown till done, then  throw in the Sockarooni sauce and you're almost there!

Ok, now for the assembly. Serious stuff here. Grab the best sliced and grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese you can afford, your Béchamel sauce, red meat sauce mixture, no boil noodles and begin. Spray a 9x13 inch lasagna pan (if you haven't already, go buy a real lasagna pan because life's too short not to have a REAL lasagna pan), layer red meat sauce, then add the noodles, next top with Béchamel sauce, red meat sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and do it all over again. Top row should have noodles, red meat sauce,  sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover tightly in foil, bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, uncover and bake for another 5 minutes. Let it rest before cutting.  Serve with a simple salad of marinated tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, oregano, basil, parmesan cheese, and (another excellent cheat) Olive Garden Salad Dressing you can get at Dollar General. If you really want to show off, add a chopped avocado. Finally, serve this feast with those ooey, gooey, buttery garlic New York Bread Sticks from the frozen section at your friendly neighborhood grocer. They are to Di for. Now, for the crowning glory (which actually makes it all spectacular). Choose a wonderful ripe, juicy red wine. or a Pinot Noir.  Spend a little money on this and buy enough for everyone to have a great Cheater's Lasagna Feast soon. Oh, and for dessert, cheat and simply serve sherbet (in your best stemmed dessert crystal glassware (time to buy some if you don't have any).