A quest for mason jars and Fall Enchiladas Ole

Today, Anni and I went on an odyssey of sorts, for mason jars. I hate paying the outrageous prices to purchase new ones, and all the ones my friends and I have retrieved from garages are currently full of jams, sauces, and pickles. So, the little one and I went searching. Eureka, we hit pay dirt at Value Village, 3 quart size jars for 69 cents each.

Across the parking lot at the local thrift shop for community charities, we found another 3 for 50 cents and for a dollar, a larger glass canister in which to store some of those organic grains taking over the kitchen. Anni scored too. She found a mini dollhouse for $3 at our first stop and was given a free book (Pippi Longstocking) at the second.

Now after a through washing and sterilizing, I'll have plenty of jars in which to make a tasty batch of pumpkin butter. Hmmm, I can almost taste it on a slice of toasted homemade bread.

And speaking of tasties, we continued in our celebration of the Days of the Dead with another great meal. We made very tasty fall enchiladas Ole (a Julie Ann original), served with a fruit platter and a green salad. Here's the recipe.

Fall Enchiladas Ole
1 Tbsp veggie oil
1 small onion, chopped
(Optional: 1 cup of cubed chicken or 8 oz of cubed tofu)
1/2 winter squash, skinned and shredded (I used an Asian squash, with beautiful bright orange flesh, that came in the CSA box)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small green mild chili pepper, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 can of corn, drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (this can be greatly increased for those who love cilantro, like me)
1/2 cup water
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1 dozen flour tortillas (or larger corn tortillas, if you prefer)
1 can enchilada sauce
(Optional:1 can of chopped or sliced black olives)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the filling:
1) Heat oil in large skillet over medium-low flame. Add onion, and chicken or tofu if using, cook for 3 minutes. Then add the shredded squash, chili pepper, oregano, and corn. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add the cilantro. Stir thoroughly, but gently. Add water to keep from sticking.
2) Open enchilada sauce. Pour 1/2 cup over the mixture in the skillet. Stir. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and stir again. Remove from heat.

Assembling the enchiladas:
1) Spray baking dish with nonstick spray. Add 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce to bottom of pay. Swirl to cover bottom of pan. Add more if needed.
2) For each enchilada, Lay tortilla on counter, place a large spoonful of filling down the center of the tortilla and roll it up like a tube. Place each in pan, snugging it up to its neighbor.
3) When all 12 are in pan, cover the top of the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce, remaining cheese, and olives if desired.

Cook: Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy.