Family happenings and Muchacha's Enchiladas

The biggest news from Liz's side of the family is that my brother Charles has proposed to Michele P., and without further ado they are tying the knot this month! Congratulations you two!! (Interested parties can see the happy couple in an earlier blog posting from their June visit to Portland.) Mike and I are delighted, and applaud their decision to get married on their own terms. A very small ceremony will be conducted later this month, and then they're throwing a larger wedding celebration next month. The only disappointing aspect from my perspective is that the timing of our due date precludes travel back to Chicago for the festivities. That trivial point aside, we welcome Michele into the family with open arms, and look forward to many years of good times and lots more competitive INTJ/P game-playing!

Also on the Liz family front, a couple weekends ago we were glad to play host to my cousin, Margery, along with my cousin, Doug, plus his mother Hannah and partner Carl. (Hannah and Margery's dad, Peter, were siblings with my grandfather, Charles, so technically Margery & Doug are first cousins once removed. Whew!) Margery was cruising around the West Coast visiting family members and friends, anticipating an imminent move to New Mexico for work. Margery is a rocket scientist, and was the person who launched the Hubble space telescope! Hannah recently moved to Portland, uprooting herself from Indiana after 46 years. Doug was the major draw, I think, having made Portland his home for a dozen years or so now. Hannah's daughter, Elaine, also lives nearby in Seattle.



Thanks to the ever-amazing Mike, we ate an absolutely delicious home-cooked dinner of Mexican dishes. Mike's graciously provided the recipe below, if'n you find yourself inspired! The rest of the evening was spent amusing each other with stories shared over tea and ice cream. We are glad to have the opportunity to spend time together with such congenial family.

--Liz

MUCHACHA'S ENCHILADAS
Serves 10

Fry 2 large chicken breasts in skillet. Allow them to cool then shred them.

Fry 1/2 lb ground pork in skillet.

Mince 1 large onion (use food processor if available). Saute with 2 heaping teaspoons chopped or minced garlic until onion is soft. Drain any excess liquid.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, pork, onions, most of 1 small can chopped green pepper, a small quantity of diced tomatoes, about 5 oz enchilada sauce (I like Rosarita brand, or you can make your own from scratch if you're feeling ambitious) and about 1/5 bag of mixed mexican cheese (a 50/50 blend of Jack/Cheddar works fine also). Mix thoroughly.

Grease 2 baking pans and pour in enough enchilada sauce to just cover the bottom.

Pour vegetable oil in skillet. Pour approx 20 oz enchilada sauce in another skillet. Heat oil until it is sizzling but not smoking

Repeat X 10:
1 - immerse large corn tortilla in sauce
2 - fry tortilla briefly in oil on both sides. Flip/remove when small bubbles appear in the tortilla. Hold above skillet until majority of oil has run off.
3 - lay tortilla flat in the baking pan (note that this gets a little trickier as the pan fills up - use the force.
4 - fill tortilla with 1/10 filling, a generous sprinkling of cheese
5 - roll so that seam is down

Note: It's best to station yourself near the sink so you can rinse your fingers after each enchilada. And you'll probably burn your fingers at least once so if you're prone to swearing send the kids outside before you start. Also, you'll definitely want a spatter-guard of some kind to cover the sizzling oil.

Pour enchilada sauce along length of each enchilada then top with the remainder of the cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Meanwhile prepare:

Side dish: mexican rice. Chop 1 medium onion. Saute with 1 heaping teaspoon chopped or minced garlic. Add a sprinkling of cumin - maybe 1/2 tsp. Add vegetable oil and 1.5 cups rice, increase heat. Allow rice to lightly brown, stirring frequently. Add a small amount of diced tomatoes and 3 cups water, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Side dish: refried beans. A can of Rosarita's low-fat heated in the microwave is just fine.

Side dish: Mexican salad. Finely chop iceberg lettuce. Season with vinegar (white is good) and salt, to taste.

Garnish enchilada and salad with shredded cilantro. Garnish everything with crumbled cotija (a Mexican cheese).

Serve with guacamole (1), sour cream, and 1 or more salsas. For instance: a mild salsa cruda, a medium exotic (like raspberry chipotle or cactus hooch) and a hot jalapeno or habanero. I don't have any particular favorites; it's nice to try different ones and keep things fresh.

And don't forget to have plenty of tortilla chips on hand. The tri-colored ones are especially festive. An inviting assortment of beverages never hurts either.

(1) Liz's Guac-A-Mole (pronounced "Guac" "a" "mole") is particularly delicious.

Mimi in Memoriam

We are deeply saddened to report that our beloved cat Mimi’s last day on earth was yesterday, September 2nd.

I adopted Mimi as a year-old cat from the SPCA in the summer of ‘96. I somehow wandered into the room where she was being kept – I thought I was there to adopt a kitten – and she tugged on my heartstrings immediately. She just looked at me through calm, intelligent green eyes while hunkered down inside her small cardboard litter box. When I held her, she purred and thoroughly ensnared me. Once rescued, she integrated herself into my life with perfect aplomb, and charmed everybody who met her.

Mimi was a gentle and loving cat, with a remarkable sense of joie de vivre that brought many smiles to our faces through the years. She was sharp as a tack, sometimes demanding and occasionally incorrigible, but always with the best of intentions. We joked that she seemed to suffer from a variety of ADD – Affection Deficit Disorder – based on how often she wanted to indulge in lap time. She also loved to spend time outdoors, lying in the sunlight or prowling slowly around the yard. Faced with a foreign interloper kitty or a robust raccoon, she proved herself a fighter – although thankfully she never had a true showdown with the raccoon!

Mimi’s health was troubled for the past couple years. While we were living in Sherman Oaks, she was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma, a chronic cancer of the intestine. Unable to say goodbye without doing something, we pursued chemotherapy treatment which happily soon had her back to sporting form. Since moving to Portland, she had improved even more; just three weeks ago, the veterinary oncologist gave her a glowing bill of health. However, it appears now that another cancer (of the spleen or liver) grabbed hold over the past couple days and very swiftly took her down. We are glad that she didn’t suffer long, and that we were able to care for her to the very end. She was put to sleep in the early hours of Saturday morning.

It hasn’t been a good year for cats in the McBacon family. Mike lost his boon companion China in December. She was born on his bed, and proceeded to keep him devoted company for the next fifteen years. She was a truly fearless champion among felines. And the cat with whom I grew up (from 7th grade, anyways), M.T., also passed away about a year ago. She always kept my dad company during naps, and he misses her intensely still.

I had ten great years with Mimi, for which I am very thankful. I remember her in so many places around our home, which feels very empty right now. We are both bereft and having trouble accepting that she’s gone. Yet, death is ever-present in the midst of life. We have to face this loss, shake off the mortal coil of fear, and move forward with infinite hope. Mimi will live on forever in our hearts and minds.

--Liz