cleaning my study & enchiladas

Favourite thing today: okay, it's not cleaning my study but rather the result. A clean study. After weeks (actually, months) of accumulated papers and books piled precariously on and around my desk, and post-its everywhere, and kids' drawings interspersed with my things, it is so great to file the papers, put away the books, throw away the post-its, display the drawings, and see the surfaces in this room again.

A few days ago I made one of Rachel's favourite things. Or rather, what she calls "favourit-ish things." Here it is:

Easy Recipe Michal Loves:

Enchilada Lasagna (takes 10 minutes – literally)

corn tortillas

cheddar/jack cheese, grated

Trader Joe’s Enchilada sauce (or any other brand)

Tofu

Cottage cheese

Corn

Black beans, if you want

Pour enough enchilada sauce in the bottom of a baking dish to cover the bottom. Then put a layer of corn tortillas on top, then layer the cheese, tofu, cottage cheese, corn and beans. Then pour over some sauce. Then repeat. On top layer (I usually do 2 layers), just pour sauce and then put cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 45 or so minutes.

This recipe was great and the kids and Joel both loved it. BUT it had one flaw specific to living in Ottawa. Ingredient #3--Trader Joe's enchilada sauce--isn't sold here. Worse, as far as I can tell, no enchilada sauce is sold here. Still, I was committed to making this recipe and so I went on the internet and found a recipe for enchilada sauce. It worked (and I was impressed with myself because it looked and tasted just like real--ie. bottled--enchilada sauce) but it definitely detracted from the "quick and easy" part that had appealed to me in the first place.