Remember when I was relaxed? That feeling lasted for approximately 12 hours after my last blog post. We continued to enjoy ourselves…

(Yes, this is how you entertain yourselves when you’ve been married for 10+ years. Am I the only former wannabe-cheerleader marveling at Corey’s toe touch?!)

But on the final day of our vacation, we learned our dog had been skunked and we’d be returning to a fairly stinky house. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a catastrophe – our dog sitter did an excellent job and handled the situation as well as she could – but when you’re 7+ months pregnant, fairly hormonal and sensitive to strong smells, it sure feels like one. We spent the next several days cleaning and deodorizing everything in our house. Furniture and rugs were steam cleaned. Massive amounts of laundry were done. And the source of all of this trouble received both a new haircut…

…and a new collar. His dad felt he needed something tough to ward off future skunk predators.

While the skunk drama and odor are starting to fade, we’re still not completely free of household problems. Our washing machine is acting up, and in a clumsy pregnant moment I managed to do this to our laptop.

The screen is now permanently damaged, and we have to decide whether to fix it or get a new computer. Fixing the screen is cheaper than buying something new, but before this happened we were considering a few software upgrades…and now it may be more economical to just buy a new one.

I’ve shed more than a few tears over the past few days. Really, it’s all minor stuff, but it was a lot to deal with in a short amount of time. To combat this negative energy, I’ve spent a lot of time in my kitchen, which truly is my happy place. I made a delicious pork roast on Sunday, and while Corey would be content to eat straight-up pork for days on end, I wanted to do something different and delicious with the leftover meat. Roast pork enchiladas fit the bill.

If you are having a bad week, might I humbly suggest you increase your consumption of cheese, salsa and sour cream? This was so comforting and delicious. I’ve always loved Mexican food, but pregnancy has elevated that love to a much higher level. I have intense cravings for spicy salsa and tangy, pickled jalapenos; this recipe took care of both of those cravings, while fulfilling the more important task of using the leftover roast pork. I chopped the meat and mixed it with some caramelized onions, diced green chilies and a splash of chicken stock. It was a nice twist on the typical enchilada.

You’ll notice that the enchilada sauce is neither red nor green, which was something different for me. When searching for potential recipes, I found this one and was intrigued by the sauce ingredients: sour cream, salsa verde and chicken stock. Those who tested and reviewed the recipe said it was much too watery for their tastes, so I made a few tweaks and came up with something creamy, light and tasty. The pork was a great complement to these flavors, though I think leftover chicken or beans would be equally delicious.

Let’s hope this dish is a sign that things are looking up in our household. Mexican food certainly smells a lot better than skunky dog.

Roasted Pork Enchiladas

inspired by Emeril Lagasse

2 cups cubed or shredded cooked pork*

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp canola oil

salt and pepper, to taste

7 oz can diced green chilies

1 c chicken stock

1 c lowfat sour cream

1 c salsa verde

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 c shredded monterey jack or Mexican blend cheese

8 to 10 small corn or flour tortillas (I really like these because they have the texture of flour, but a corn-like taste)

2 – 3 tbsp chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish, if desired

pickled jalapenos, for garnish, if desired

Preheat the oven to 400.

Heat the oil in a large pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and allow to slowly cook and caramelize, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. (You want them brown, but not burnt). Add the cubed pork, diced green chilies, cilantro and a few splashes of chicken stock – just enough to give the mixture a slightly moist texture. Warm the mixture for a minute or two, then remove from heat and set aside. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Whisk the sour cream, cumin and salsa verde together in a mixing bowl. When combined, add the chicken stock, starting with 1/2 cup and adding more until desired consistency is reached. You want it to be saucy, but not too thin; I added about 3/4 cup total. When the sauce is fully combined and the consistency is to your liking, use 1/2 cup to evenly coat the bottom of a glass baking dish. Scoop a generous amount of filling into each tortilla, add a sprinkle of cheese and roll them up, placing them seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Cover the tortillas with the remaining sauce, shredded cheese and jalapenos, if using.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil that’s been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly. Broil for 1 – 2 additional minutes if you like a brown, crusty topping. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving, and garnish with chopped cilantro and sour cream.

* I used leftovers from a pork shoulder roast that had been simply seasoned with salt, pepper and brown sugar. You can use any leftover pork, or even leftover roast chicken or beans.

Next week, I’ll go for a very important ultrasound. In addition to checking the baby’s growth and ensuring that all organs are developing and functioning as they should be, this ultrasound will also tell us whether our little one is a boy or a girl. If pregnancy hasn’t seemed real to this point, it certainly will hit home when I hear that bit of news.

I don’t know what kind of parent I will be. I have an idea of how I want to raise a child, but I also understand that parenting is something that evolves as you, your partner and your child grow together and adapt to one another’s behaviors, needs and personalities. Regardless of the challenges and joys that lie ahead, one thing’s for certain: taco night will be a necessary family tradition. I get ridiculously excited about tacos. And while I have access to some of the best, most authentic taquerias in California, I get even more excited about old school gringo tacos prepared in my own kitchen. The shell must be crunchy, the meat must be beef, and the toppings must include sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and taco sauce from a notoriously inauthentic Mexican eatery. I do make my own taco seasoning, but that’s as far as I go in trying to make this meal remotely fancy or sophisticated. I value its simplicity because it takes me back to my own childhood, when taco night was easily the best night of the week. Excitement stemmed from being able to build our tacos exactly as we wanted them, as well as the potential to have Coke instead of the usual dinnertime glass of milk.

Many things about parenthood are unknown and uncertain. But the power of taco night? That’s something I know for sure.

Here’s a fun fact about me: I once appeared on a short-lived Food Network show called Calorie Commando. If you never saw it, the premise was simple: “real people” worked with the Calorie Commando, Juan Carlos Cruz, to come up with healthier versions of their favorite gluttonous foods. To be honest, I applied for the show because I really wanted to visit the Food Network studios. I had to pay my own travel expenses, but I spent a day in their studios and saw lots of cool behind-the-scenes stuff. (Example: you know how some of the chefs use canned/packaged goods with obviously fake labels so they don’t show any major brand names? There was a graphic designer on set whose sole job was to design those labels. I want that job!) Anyway, the point of this story is that I went on the show to have Juan Carlos Cruz revamp my favorite fatty food: nachos. This is the recipe he came up with, and to be honest, it was pretty sub-par. Juan Carlos did not successfully take command of my calories that day, but it was a fun experience – one I think about every time a nacho craving hits.

I had such a craving last weekend, but wanted something more substantial than chips smothered in cheese. I whipped up an easy, tasty casserole with the flavor of nachos and the hearty texture of enchiladas. (Nacholadas, if you will?)  It would be easy to adapt this to suit your tastes (baked chips instead of regular? all beans instead of beans and meat? red sauce instead of green?) and you can garnish it with an array of tasty toppings, though I strongly suggest sour cream, black olives and scallions.

“Nacholada” Casserole

serves 6

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 to 8 oz each

50 tortilla chips (roughly 1/3 of a bag – this is an estimate based on the size of my pan)

1 can refried beans (I use vegetarian)

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz can diced green chiles

14 oz can green enchilada sauce

1 jalapeno, sliced (optional – see below)

6 oz colby jack cheese, shredded

Black olives, sour cream and chopped scallions, for serving

Fill a saucepan 3/4 full with water and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and poach, keeping the water at a simmer, until cooked through. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your chicken; check after 10 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool, then shred using two forks or your fingers.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray the pan with cooking spray or oil. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute more. Add the refried beans and green chiles to the pan, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up any large chunks. If necessary, add a couple of tablespoons of water or chicken stock to thin the beans out a bit – you want them to be smooth and creamy. Heat the beans for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. When hot, add 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce and stir to combine.

Spread half of the tortilla chips in the bottom of an 11×7″ casserole dish. You may wish to lightly press/crush some of the chips to produce an even layer, but leave as many whole chips as you can. Top the chips with the shredded chicken, followed by roughly half of the shredded cheese, the refried bean mixture, and half of the remaining enchilada sauce. Top with the remaining tortilla chips (press/crush to produce an even layer), followed by the remaining enchilada sauce and the remaining shredded cheese. Add a layer of sliced jalapenos to the top of the casserole, if desired. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted. Allow to sit for a few minutes before slicing. Top each slice with black olives, sour cream and scallions.