"Enchi-la-las!"

Thank you for the little girl that wondered into the kitchen while I was cooking and yelled "Enchi-la-las!" in enjoyment to what I was making.

Of course you have found out what I am making this week by doing the job of reading the title. I must say, I have made this dish a few times and not once has it been the same. Although you may find a taste that you like each time, never is it the same. It is a pain staking process with hungry wolfs lurking in the background asking when is the food going to be ready. Let it be known that making them from hand may time some time, but always worth it.

I use chicken breasts with the bone (skin if you want it), a can of either pureed tomato or even just regular tomato sauce. You will probably have to research and try different sauces or tomatos because some sauces can turn sweet. Pick up some chili powder. Don't get the simple powder that you get from some regular spice company that you ALWAYS use. Pick up something that you haven't tried before - GET AN ORIGINAL TASTE! Get your onion, cilantro, tortilla, avocado, whatever 'have-yous'.

Making the sauce is by far the hardest part of the whole experience. You have to slow cook it and add the spice slowly into the sauce! Don't over do-it...you will regret it if you do. I like adding some cilantro to add some nice taste and smell. Add some lime juice, maybe something else if you want to. Some people use flower to get a nice texture...that's if you want to.

Boil and shred the chicken - put it in a bowl and add lime juice (you will love it). Add chicken onion and cilantro, put it in the sauce, hold it with thongs, and fry it a little while, place it in the cooking dish. Repeat. Pour whatever sauce you have left on top. Cook for a while. Serve.

There is nothing too complicated about the dish, really. People seem to be afraid of it. Yes, you can screw up...fail...have people hate it. But just learn from your mistakes because I can guarantee you, it was an easy mistake.

Anyone have any recommendations to add/change?

Not Smart, but definetly Final

With spring break commencing, friends and family gather for the occasional afternoon picnic. The usual items are provided, a mixture of fruits, sandwiches, and the oh-s0-lovely potato salad. Nothing sings American outdoor eating like the eloquent side dish containing often somewhat questionable ingredients. If you are asking if this happen to come from a dear friend or relative of mine you are sadly mistaken. This treat was fully prepared by Chef's Choice from Smart and Final.

Although a simple dish like this should not be hard to ruin, the assault on my bowels would prove otherwise. Yes, it was the only dish I had. Seeing as it was a childhood favorite, I had no problem placing a large amount on my plate. My palate was attacked from the large sections of egg and an overload of mayonnaise with a second assault of sour dill pickle. By far was this the worst potato salad I have ever encountered. Not only will I never buy that brand again, I will never approach a Smart and Final again without remembering the awful events that transpired that day.

A not-so-common BBQ item

Lobster was given to me at a recent BBQ. In all honesty I've never had lobster at a BBQ before - this was to be an interested treat!

The person who was working the barbecue hasn't had much experience with lobster so preparing and cooking it was to be a new challenge for him. There was to be no marination or any special seasoning while cooking. The main purpose was to just cook the lobster tails.The task seemed to be easy enough because it wasn't long until we were presented with our lobster tails. In simple fashion, we had melted butter and lemon to accompany the shellfish.

The real challenge came when we had to break open the lobster tails - yet another task I had not performed before. As I so eliquently broke the back of the shell, pieces of lobster flew out only to cover my friends with fragments of lobster meat and shell. Once I had gathered what was left of the lobster tail I proceeded squeeze a lemon slice over it and dipped it sparringly into the butter.

The meat was a bit chewy however nowhere near tough. If I hadn't used lemon or the butter I would imagine that the lobster would be somewhat bland. Also, I would recommend using some tpe of herb butter to better the taste experience. Like chicken, I see lobster as a meat that can attain several different flavours due to whatever is added to it - and to the fact that if served by itself, could be very boring to eat. Although very simple to make, I can see lobster as a fun item to cook because you can make it taste however you want!

We all know that lobster is always an expensive item on the menu when you go out to eat. I have to ask, should it be that way? Do we pay for the taste, or do we pay for the idea of lobster?

The Reason

So, I have decided to create this thing for one reason: Food.

I want to discuss food. Anything and everything about it. From recipes, to restaurant meals, to Starbucks! I am going to write about all the food I have had recently and food that I remember from a past time. I would like to review and critique everything about food. Not just taste, but looks, and even how a food makes you feel.

I believe food plays such an important role in our lives and I would like to explore it more with the help of a little audience called The Internet. Let me know what you think and please please PLEASE let me know what I should eat!