South of the Border and There is Cheese in my Cake

 

Tuesday night had me craving tidbits from the south of the border. Yes, Mexican cuisine is one of my favorites! Terry also loves food from Mexico, but not "flat tacos." After a previous visit to Hacienda Vieja, our favorite local Mexican restaurant (read about "flat tacos" by clicking the above link), he decided he did not prefer flat tacos as they are useless. I had no flat tacos in mind, but rather some enchiladas, refried beans, and a dessert of some type. 

Wondering if the kitchen was any better for me this week, I flipped on the light and began the process, with my audience watching closely. Kit attended the cooking affair when he heard the mixer start up. The whir of the motor had him curious, like he's curious about most things new around him. I chose to make a cheesecake for the follow up to my planned Mexican meal. In my mind it seemed as though it would go well together, so the stirring, mixing, and blending process began. 

Mid-mix, my bladder kicked in and screamed about all the water I had consumed during the day. I set the mixer aside and headed for the bathroom. Washing my hands, I began to think about Kit being out where the food is. The cat is curious about everything in his world, and this frightened me a bit. I was worried about the unfinished cheesecake I had left behind. The kitchen was still without a "crash" sound, meaning the mixer was thrown to the floor, so I was hoping it was all good. 

As I walked into the kitchen, I found Kit standing on his hind legs, sniffing all that was good on the counters. The cat is large and him standing on his hind legs means he can get fairly close to my cooking project. Shooting out of my mouth first thing was, "Kit, get down." Thankfully he does listen fairly well. Not saying he won't return and try again but my presence in the kitchen would thwart that idea. But he didn't give up the chance of shooting me some dirty looks upon my quest to finish the project. My guess was he did not enjoy the sound of the mixer. 

A few nasty looks from the feline and a couple of moments later, the blending of the cream cheese mixture was complete. Pulling the beaters from the delightful batter, this got his attention. He sat a bit closer and straightened in his position to see what mom might have to share with him. His beautiful face softens into his usual expression when curious about anything. 

Kit was softening the glare into a "please, mom?" begging position. While I wouldn't share any cheesecake batter with him, he sure looked cute trying to beg for a bite. 

I should have let him lick the beaters like the child he is. The cat has produced moments of childlike behavior. Terry and I have always agreed that having Kit is like having a toddler around the home. Constantly keeping him out of things is our life. My day is spent by walking through the house doing various tasks between work saying, "Kit, get down!" "Kit, get out of that." "Kit, quit scratching that couch!" But the best part of the day is when he is quiet, calm, and lovely. "I love you baby boy." 

The cheesecake was thick and ready to be poured into the graham cracker crust. Mm. I love cheesecake. I bought a package of strawberries and pulled them out of the refrigerator to slice on top of the completed cheesecake before putting it in the fridge to complete the process. I didn't have time to make a cheesecake from scratch, so I purchased a mix. These mixes are always great for adding fresh fruit to the top to add flavor. However, I opened the strawberry container and found mold and strawberries all mushed together. Nastiness!

Digging through the refrigerator again, I found some blueberries Terry had not eaten yet. He loves blueberries and whipped cream for dessert. I figured I could grab him a fresh container of the fruit when I went to the store the following day. Now, typically I cook the berries and add some sugar. The cheesecake had plenty of sugar in the batter and crust, so I left out the sweet addition. I set the fresh blueberries on top of the cheesecake surface whole and moved into making the enchiladas. 

Enchiladas are a favorite of mine. Local store shopping left me without the enchilada sauce I like to use, so I grabbed a different can of sauce instead. As I poured some into the bottom of a pan and another pour went into the meat mixture, I found I didn't care for the aroma of the sauce. It was not what I use and will not ever use it again. I am on the search for my enchilada sauce. Cravings for enchiladas had been going on for a couple of weeks and now this. Anyway, I completed a couple of pans of them, coated the tops with cheese and into the oven they went. 

Out of the oven and done! Love these things! Adding refried beans to the meal for good measure.

Terry and I sat down to eat the enchiladas and refried beans while watching one of our favorite shows, The Mentalist. We are making our way through the series, and it is still as good. Many times, I get burned out on a series after watching a few episodes, but this one is still going strong. I have noticed many of the murder/whodunnit shows do get a bit bloodier as they move through the story, and this is one such show. But it's still a good show. I just look away when the murder victim appears on the screen. I used to watch Castle every week too and same thing, the blood, the gore, the nastiness they really don't need to show. But they show it plenty of times instead of just once. That makes it fun.

Dinner done, dishes put away and now it's time to munch some cheesecake. We will see how well Kit supervised the project by how well it came out. Still watching The Mentalist, we snacked on a slice of cheesecake and enjoyed the show. I have to admit, the program does keep me intrigued even amidst the gore. Kit, Togo, Jasper, and Bella all watched as every bite of the cheesecake went into our mouths. Fur babies. They act like they are starving. Our finances say otherwise. 

Tuesday is complete. Another day spent together, doing what makes us happy. Watching television shows we both enjoy and eating a good meal together. Of course, the conversation following is always good too. Spending time together is so important, and we do it well. There is always something to giggle about and other things to love. All is well this week (so far), in the Macrae house. Love is abundant and laughter is our best feature.