Favorites Week

Combining the chaos-inducing stressors of Thanksgiving, work, and international cuisine has left me a bit exhausted.  I need to get stuff done at nights this week (see here for what I need to get done) so I'm opting for tried & true favorites that I can whip up in less than an hour, with minimal mental exertion. 

Last night, we had Chicken Tamale Casserole for the first time in months.  It was delightful. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it...I thought I'd taken some last year when I made it for the old blog, but apparently I didn't.  Next time.  I did try it (more or less accidentally) in a 9x9 pan instead of the 8x14 or whatever it was supposed to be...it turned out ok.  I left it in for longer, at a lower temperature, and the bottom actually got kind of crispy, which was a pleasant surprise.  I like crunchy, if you couldn't tell. 

Saturday night was Hungarian mac n cheese (Truros whatever), with more bacon and a lot of paprika.  Didn't really taste the paprika, so maybe next time I'll try something else. 

Sunday we went out. 

Tonight I might make enchiladas (funny comfort/favorite foods all seem to be Mexican...and our favorite restaurant is Mexican too).  Or maybe chili salad.  I dunno.  We'll see. 

Anyway, sorry for the boring week.  Next week is Swiss week though, which I have high hopes for.  Also, at some point (maybe for the party) I'll make baklava.  I just haven't found an "authentic Iraqi" recipe for it (just a vague mention that it should include pistachios).  Did you know that the origins of baklava are a sore spot for a few cultures? Specifically Turks, Greeks, and middle-easterners all claim they invented it...it's apparently one of the oldest recipes known to man.  I love that there's so much history in food (sometimes).  If you have ideas for an authentic recipe for baklava, maybe I'll try out a few different variations of it and see which one turns out the best.