Mom's Tex-Mex Enchiladas

Mom is back and she cooks up a storm in my latest recipe video.

She describes her Tex-Mex Enchiladas as: "A recipe with just  three ingredients: a can of beef chili, cheese, and corn tortillas." So you can rustle up this tasty meal at a moment's notice -  quick and easy.

What makes these Tex-Mex Enchiladas is a can of Wolf Brand Chili, beef, and no beans. This canned meat sauce is Texas-style. Hey, it's just canned chili, so use any local purveyors you have on hand. You can even substitute it with vegetarian chili. I've used veggie chili before and it's quite tasty.

click on any photo to see larger

Mom uses about a pound of cheddar cheese, but go ahead and use good old-fashioned American Cheese if that's what you got.

One of the tricks for Mom's Enchiladas is to heat the corn tortillas for one minute to soften, them so they don't crack and spit when loaded with cheese and rolled shut. Pssst, don't tell anyone, but I learned to roll a doobie watching Mom make enchiladas.

She also oil sprays the baking dish so the Enchiladas crisp on the bottom, just a little. Okay to use any oil you have in the cupboard.

Once you've assembled the Enchiladas they are ready for a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes of baking - that's it!

Of course, any recipe evolves, so now she adds a few spices for extra flavor: chili,  cumin, garlic, and onion powder, plus salt and pepper. For this version, I'm keeping it simple. Mom didn't use extra spices for this recipe when we were kids. If you want to add extra flavors, go ahead and add a teaspoon of each extra spice.

This is a recipe from my childhood and teen years, made and served by my Mom in the 1960s and early 1970s. And, as most moms were apt to do, any high school friends hanging around the house (often up to no good,) were fed Mom's Tex-Mex Enchiladas.

One of my high school buddies was Marvin, and he still is my friend. We recently got together again when I visited Mom in Gonzales, Louisiana. And I remembered how he loved her Enchiladas more than any of my other friends. So I thought it apropos to have him over to film Mom's Tex-Mex Enchiladas recipe with me.

During the shoot, he mentioned that one bite brought on a flashback from our high school dazes. Well, that's all I needed to make that flashback happen - and as a sign of true friendship, Marvin agreed to reenact hanging out like we were teenagers, again -- listening to rock 'n' roll and sneaking a smoke in my bedroom. Oh boy, wait 'til Mom busts the Doobie Brothers!

Be sure to watch the video to the flashback ending where it's Wayne's World meets Beavis and Butt-head!

Our flashback high school hijinx happened in the last 2 minutes of this recipe video. So be sure to watch my latest video all the way to the end!

So kick back and join Mom, Marvin, and me in a recipe/flashback video that will leave you craving Mom's Tex-Mex Enchiladas. Go ahead and make it for yourself sometime - it's one of Mom's oldies but goodies!

Tex-Mex Enchiladas - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 8 minutes 57 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (about 10 enchiladas)

• 15-ounce can of chili - use any chili with beef (no beans)  you like. Okay to substitute with a vegetarian chili. Hey, use chili with beans if you like - it's all good.
• 1 pound cheddar cheese - okay to use any favorite cheese on sale, even American Cheese. Cheese can be grated or thin sliced.
• 11 corn tortillas - Mom had enough room in her baking dish for 11 filled tortillas.
• 3/4 can water - about 1 1/2 cups water added to chili sauce.
• 2 tablespoons oil - to coat tortillas and bottom of baking dish. Mom used oil spray, but okay to use favorite veggie oil.

Extra spices - optional

• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion and garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste - I find canned chili has enough salt for me.

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a frying pan over medium heat.

First, heat up a can of chili and water. Mom likes Wolf Brand Chili, but it's okay to use any favorite that you like.

Add the chili to a pot, along with 3/4 can of water - or about 1 1/2 cups water.

Next, Mom likes to add extra spices. But it's okay to leave these out, as she did not use them 45 years ago when I was a kid.

click on any photo to see larger

Extra seasonings (optional) include half a teaspoon each of cumin, chili, garlic and onion powders.

Stir and simmer chili sauce for about 5 minutes or so, to thicken just a little bit.

As chili simmers, heat up corn tortillas in the frying pan. You can spray the corn tortillas with oil spray or add oil to the frying pan. Heat tortillas for about 30 seconds on each side or one minute total. You could microwave tortillas to soften.

All you are doing is softening the corn tortillas so they are pliable and easy to roll when filled with cheese.

Oil spray, or coat the bottom of a baking dish. This will help crisp up the enchiladas just a little so they don't fall apart. This is a mushy entree anyway, but so tasty.

As tortillas are cool enough to handle, fill each tortilla with grated or thin-sliced cheese. Mom uses about 2 tablespoons of cheese for each rolled enchilada. Of course, you can load them up with as much cheese as you like.

Place each cheese-filled corn tortilla in the baking dish, side-by-side. Mom managed to fill the baking dish with about 11 rolled enchiladas. Do leave half an inch clear at the top of the dish, as chili will bubble and may overflow. Okay to put a cookie sheet underneath the baking dish just in case.

Add heated beef chili over the top of filled enchiladas. Finally top rolled enchiladas with plenty of cheese.

Add baking dish with enchiladas to a 350-degree oven and bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and chili sauce bubbling hot.

Serve right out of the oven after Mom's Tex-Mex Enchiladas cool down for a couple of minutes.

Super Bowl Recipes - Touchdown!

Head to the end zone for a long pass of recipes from The Culinary Quarterback. Are you ready for Superbowl Sunday? The Fried Pig Skin Lovin' Chef has some tasty football food that will leave enough green in your wallet to buy an extra keg for your tailgate party.

Repainted Randy's Donuts in Los Angeles, just for Super Bowl LIII

Los Angeles has Superbowl fever and the above donut shop, Randy's Donuts, made special edition pastries in honor of the Los Angeles Rams. And they were so good I made a video below that features two kinds, a Sprinkles Donut and a Donut Bar with vanilla filling.
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So if you are looking for regular eats for your Superbowl Party, I got your halfback, I mean back. There are no fumbles in this recipe list!

It's East Coast New England Patriots versus Westcoast Los Angeles Rams for Superbowl LIII. Which coast is the most delicious coast? Well read on and you pick the winner this time!

New England Patriots fans will eat up my riff on an East Coast favorite Lobster Roll -- a cheaper Scallop Roll. This recipe is so scrumptious it was featured on the Huffington Post website! Click here to see the write-up.

  Scallop Roll

If game day is freezing cold in New England, then throw another log on the fire and gather in front of the big screen with a steaming bowl of my cheap$kate Clam Chowder. Patriot fans will throw off their warming blankets, peel off their gloves, and line up for a big bowl.

 Stuff your face Los Angeles Rams-style! Start with a reverse flea-flicker of a recipe called, Carnitas. Hours of braising reduce a pork shoulder to a tender and succulent Mexican-style taco filling. I even throw in the pigskin for extra flavor. Carnitas are what I order for late-night noshing at a taco truck.



My recipe for a LA Street Dog is a freeway pileup of flavors that make an end-run around any hot dog out there.

A Los Angeles fan favorite is a California Roll. Like a stadium wave, this California spin on Japanese sushi has traveled to grocery deli cases all around the country. And it uses cheap imitation crab so you will save big bucks on usually expensive seafood.

Both Coasts love Pizza on game day. You can avoid the long lines at Domino's or Shakey's Pizza and make your own cheaply with my recipe that uses pre-made cooked pizza crusts from the Dollar Tree store.

What's great about making your own Individual Pizza, is everyone can add the ingredients they like. I like anchovies and an egg on mine -- I know no one else would order that one!

Just set out a stack of individual pizza crusts and a few bowls of pepperoni, shredded cheese, black olives, fresh basil leaves, Italian sausage, a fave jar of marinara sauce -- you get the picture. And it only takes 10 minutes or so in a hot oven and they are done!



Next to pizza and hot dogs, Fried Chicken is a fan favorite and no one fries chicken better than this Cheap$kate Game Changer.

I've come up with a crunchy coating that will empty the bleachers and have fans storming the kitchen! Get Superbowl Sunday going with my Fried Chicken Sandwich Recipe, or use my special flour and spice mix for regular bone-in chicken pieces. Fry up a batch of chicken to handoff when the coin is tossed to start the game.



Bring more Southern flavor to your kitchen, no matter what State you are in. Fans will take a half-time break and huddle around your cast iron pot of my fragrant and spicy Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya and Cajun Gumbo.

 Mom's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

In Louisiana, we put a dollop of Cajun Potato Salad on our Gumbo. If you don't believe me just check out the video below.



You gotta serve BBQ if you are tailgating on game day in the parking lot of  U.S. Bank Stadium, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fans, I have the perfect recipe for you, a succulent and smoky BBQ Pulled Pork recipe. My recipe is easy and cheap to make, of course. Just check out the video below or click here to see all the tasty recipe details.

If a meaty bowl of Homemade Chili and a mug of icy cold beer are what you crave on game day then you've come to the right place.

Or go straight up the middle with a tray of Teriyaki Spam Musubi. Weave through the living room backfield with a pile of Mexican Carnitas Tacos (slow-cooked pork) and you'll be lucky to make it through without being sacked!

While everyone's watching the pre-game show send in any of my delicious sideline sides and appetizers, including: Bacon Wrapped Dates and Brussels Sprouts, Tomato & Basil Bruschetta, Deviled Eggs, Portabella Mushroom Fries, Sweet Fried Plantains, Ceviche with Avocado and Black Beans, and Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce.

Football zealots are not just meat, but potato fanatics too. I like mine grilled, how about you? Well, I got Grilled Yellow and Orange Sweet Potato recipes for you to try.



Start Superbowl Sunday with a couple of omelet recipes, including my French-style Cheese Omelette



And just click here to see my Veggie Frittata recipe that will feed all your hungry team players (go ahead and add some ham pieces to fill out the frittata.)

And, everyone will huddle around sandwich plates of gooey, cheesy Patty Melts, hearty Meatball Subs, Homemade Deli Pastrami, Falafel Pitas, and steaming Sloppy Joe's.

If you're looking for one-pot meals, so you don't miss any action on the field, just check out my Pork Bourguignon, French Cassoulet, Chicken Tinga Stew,  Mr. Patti's Red Beans & Rice, Baked Pasta with Cheese and Cauliflower, Baked Lasagna with Ground Chicken, Shepherd's Pie, or Sausage & Sauerkraut with Beer recipes.

Baked Lasagna with Ground Chicken

 Looking for a sneak-play recipe? How about a different twist on Buffalo Wings with my African Spiced Water Buffalo Wings? This original recipe features chicken legs, but you can substitute wings.

Tired of stale, soggy stadium hot dogs? I have a great and easy Corn Dog Recipe made with Vienna sausages -- but you can use regular wieners. Your hungry guest will not be offsides dipping these crunchy coated pig skins into my tasty Honey-mustard Sauce.

Since you have the fryer going you might as well make a batch of my Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. They're as light and airy as the Goodyear blimp.

So get your backfield in motion and click on any of my tasty treat names above to watch an instant reply of recipes from my blog. Your guest will be cheering you on -- from their cheap seats!

Football Cuisine Battle Royale: Los Angeles Rams vs New Orleans Saints

It's the perfect culinary storm this Sunday when the Los Angeles Rams battle the New Orleans Saints in the football playoffs for a berth at the Super Bowl.

Which local cuisine will be the winner? Recipes from Los Angeles will shake and rattle your taste buds like an 8 point earthquake. Or a category 5 hurricane of spicy Cajun Cuisine swamping your tongue. Well, it's time to take sides!

I went to high school in Louisiana so grew up with the New Orlean Saints football team on the tv.  I grew to love Cajun Cuisine as it became a part of my culinary DNA. My Mom, nephews Zakk and Matt, have made a slew of video recipes with this Cheap$kate Chef. Everything from Blackened Fish to Mom's Jambalaya, I even have a Red Beans and Rice recipe from good vegan friend Miss Patti.

After graduation, I knocked around a bit then heading to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the L.A. dream machine. First off Los Angeles is the Taco Capital of America. I've eaten my way from bustling Downtown LA to scenic Santa Monica bordering the Pacific Ocean. And I have the recipes to prove it!

 So my loyalty is divided, oh boy.

Will it be an LA Street Hot Dog or deep-fried cornmeal crusted Alligator that spikes your taste buds? Well read on and cast your vote for the winning recipes and local eateries -- and go Saints, I mean go Rams!! Oh forget it!

The playoff game starts early so might as well have a Los Angeles pastry from DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. Okay, New Orleans let's see you top a Rainbow Donut!

Just as colorful, plus topped with a baby Fève figurine, is a New Orleans King Cake...hmmm I might have to have a huddle to determine the winner of this dessert scrimmage.

For the opening coin toss, heads it's a Tommy Burger from Los Angeles, and tails it's a New Orleans Shrimp and Oyster Po'Boy.

Let's hit the neon-lit streets of Los Angeles for, some would argue, the best fast food burger in town (sorry In-n-Out,) a classic Tommy Burger. It's all about the chili and a fat tomato slice. And I chow it down at one of the most visited landmarks in town, Uban Light located at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA.) Check it out and give the video extra points!



The Big Easy is all about the food and my Po'Boy Sandwich Tasting Tour is so good that even fans in the nosebleed stadium seats will get up and cheer!



Saints Purple or Rams Gold, spicy boiled orange Crayfish, or green Avocado Toast? Can you tackle peeling a Crawfish? If you have ever looked at a pileup of boiled Crawfish and wonder how to get through them, just check out the next video and you'll learn how I peel and eat 'em.



Hup one, hup two, hike a peeled avocado onto warm toast for the tastiest two-point ingredient conversion of an appetizer. Avocado Toast is my fave sack, I mean snack. It's as easy to make as a ten-yard extra point field goal.



Should I call Mom during the Sunday game? I'm sure to get my rear chewed out - nothing comes between her and her favorite football team, the New Orleans Saints - don't even think about getting her off her easy chair once the game starts.

Best to just throw in the towel when it comes to Mom's Cajun cooking. She wrote the rule book and let's see if L.A. can come back once she unloads her recipe of Jambalaya.



Whew, that recipe should be penalized for deliciousness. Well, Los Angeles has a reverse flea flicker of a recipe called, Carnitas. Hours of braising reduce a pork shoulder to a tender and succulent Mexican-style taco filling. I even throw in the pigskin for extra flavor. Carnitas are what I order for late night noshing at a taco truck.



Boy, all this tasty cuisine has me thirsty, and not for Gatorade either! But I know how to fix that - with a frosty Daiquiri from a local Louisiana Drive-Thru Daiquiri shop and make mine a White Russian! If that sounds too good to be true just take a gander here.



My recipe for a LA Street Dog is a freeway pileup of flavors that make an end run around any hot dog out there.



In Louisiana, I shop at the Dollar Tree and back home in Los Angeles I shop at 99c only Store. If you are too busy to cook then hit those dollar stores during halftime for some cheap ready-to-eat treats, like these right here.

Liver Cheese from a Los Angeles 99c only Store

Cream Puffs from a Louisiana Dollar Tree

A Los Angeles fan favorite is a California Roll. Like a stadium wave, this California spin on Japanese sushi has traveled to grocery deli cases all around the country. And it uses cheap imitation crab, so you will save big bucks on usually expensive seafood - hey, now you can afford an extra keg for your tailgate party!



New Orleans is right on the Gulf Coast so they know how to spike a seafood dish, and my nephew Zakk has a Blackened Fish recipe that will move the chain poles 10 yards for a first down!



For my vegan visitors, it's Legume Touchdown time! You'll want to pass around Gas-X or turn the fan to high in the dugout. Mexican-style Pinto Beans are stuffed into every Los Angeles Burrito and believe me I've had my share and here is how I make them out here.



Miss Patti, my good friend from New Orleans, is vegan and knows her Red Beans and Rice. She even came out to Los Angeles one time to show me how Cajuns cook them.



Okay, let's call a truce, listen up here to the menu from Little Jewel, a replica of a New Orleans deli market located right on the edge of Downtown Los Angeles, in of all places, Chinatown. You see, we can all get along after all, at least until kickoff time!

Deep Fried Frog Legs with the Swamp Chef

This outré entree is not for the faint of palate! The Swamp Chef's latest video recipe are Deep Fried Frog Legs with Remoulade Sauce.

The Louisiana recipe comes courtesy of my nephew, Cajun Chef Matt. When I visit Mom in Louisiana it's always fun to hang out with my family, where we always get busy in the kitchen.

I know you may not find Frog Legs in your local market or even to your taste, but you can substitute chicken or fish, and the creamy and spicy Remoulade Sauce is tasty on any salad, or as a dipping sauce, similar to Tarter Sauce, for your favorite fried fare.

Also, join the Swamp Chef in a bullfrog swamp hunt, but don't worry, it's all in good fun as no amphibians are harmed when the Swamp Chef goes hunting. -- the video hunting scene is more Muppets than Duck Dynasty.

So, my vegan viewers may want to bail after the Muppets-like opening scene, as real Frog Legs are on the menu! But be sure to return and watch the last minute of the recipe video to see a frog's revenge.

 While Deep Fried Frog Legs are not for everybody, it's worth a try, at least once, especially when there is a rich Cajun Remoulade Sauce to go with it.

Matt's version of a Cajun Remoulade Sauce is made with a base of mayo, and the addition of lemon juice, ketchup, mustard, horseradish, chopped green onion, and capers. If you like Thousand Island Dressing then you will like a Remoulade Sauce. I easily find all the ingredients at my local Dollar Tree and 99c only Stores!

And surprisingly, Fried Frog Legs are mild in taste, having the texture of chicken with a slight fish flavor. To get a crunchy crust, Chef Matt soaked the frog legs in buttermilk then dusted the legs with flour, simply seasoned with salt and pepper.

If you have a favorite fish fry coating or fried chicken batter, then use it.

So check out my latest recipe video, Fried Frog Legs with Remoulade Sauce, featuring the Swamp Chef and Chef Matt. It's all in tasty good fun.

Deep Fried Frog Leg & Remoulade Sauce - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 9 minutes, 2 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients for Frog Legs

• 2 frog legs - skinned and defrosted. Okay to substitute chicken pieces or fave fish fillets.
• 1/2 cup flour - I sometimes use half flour and half cornmeal.
• 1 cup buttermilk - to soak and flavor frog legs. For Homemade Buttermilk, just use regular milk and add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice, then mix well.
• Salt and pepper to taste - okay to use your favorite seasoned salt or spice mix. I like a bit of garlic and onion powder, too.

Ingredients for Remoulade Sauce

• 1/2 cup mayo - light or regular mayonnaise.
• 1/4 onion - finely chopped.
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped - a couple chopped green olives are a good substitute.
• 2 green onions - finely chopped.
• 1 tablespoon Creole Mustard - or any mustard. A good substitute is a whole-grain mustard.
• 1 tablespoon horseradish - okay to use less to suit your taste.
• 1/4 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce - okay to use any fave hot sauce -- or just leave it out.
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• Lemon juice - half a lemon or about 2 tablespoons of juice.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
I really did not hunt and skin the Frog Legs in the video above but got them frozen from my local Louisiana grocery.

First, add buttermilk and Frog Legs to a bowl. Keep them in the refrigerator until ready for frying.

Chef Matt has a deep fryer, so he heated it up while making the Remoulade Sauce. Okay to use a regular frying pan with enough cooking vegetable oil to half-cover a Frog Leg, or about an inch deep of oil in a frying pan or pot.

.Click on any photo to see larger.

For Remoulade Sauce, mix the ingredients listed above in a bowl, including chopped onion, green onion, and capers, plus ketchup, lemon juice, hot sauce, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.

Keep Remoulade Sauce in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Now time to fry the Frog Legs. Add flour, salt, and pepper to a plate. Spread out seasoned flour and add soaking Frog Legs to a plate of flour. You don't need to drain off all the buttermilk from frog legs as it will mix and make a thin batter for frying.

Cover Frog Legs with seasoned flour, on all sides. Pat and add more flour if necessary.

When cooking oil reaches 375 degrees in temperature add the flour-coated Frog Legs and deep fry them for about 4 to 5 minutes until cooked all the way through.

If you are using a frying pan heat vegetable oil over medium/high heat. Add about an inch deep of oil and heat. Cook Frog Legs for about 4 minutes for each side, or until the flour crust is brown. Check doneness by slicing into the thickest part of the cooked leg to check for firmness - it should be just like cooked chicken.

When Frog Legs are done cooking allow to cool for a minute or two as they will be very hot right out of oil.

Swamp Chef recommends dipping Frog Legs into Remoulade Sauce and enjoy!