A Man Among Men

I have been under the weather, so to speak, for a little while and decided not to go to the center today. Just back pain. That meant SK would have to take care of the meal alone.  Without complaint, he packed everything up and headed out.  He called me a few times from the center to check on how to do things, but otherwise, he was the man tonight.

I made the dessert yesterday (2 apple cakes)....I have yet to find out how they were.  I didn't want to cut into them to check, and it is an untried recipe (SK always wonders why I take opportunities like a dinner for 30 to try something out....I don't know, maybe it is the one ounce of daring I possess!)

Today, he and I worked together to make 50 honey-lime enchiladas.  It took us awhile.  If I had been doing it in the States, I would have purchased a couple of large Macayo Green Enchilada Sauce, one or two Costco rotisserie chickens, Costco Mexican Blend Cheese and a bunch of corn tortillas....slam dunk.  Ah the joys of Costco.

For tonight as usual, everything was a little more time-consuming and difficult than I anticipated.  We found a little specialty shop in Copenhagen - the ChiliHouse.  They have all kinds of salsas and sauces, at a price.  But they didn't have green enchilada sauce!  ..No one did.  We looked.  And looking requires a fair amount of walking....which takes time.  So I bought a small bottle of green sauce.  It looked good.  I also bought a large bottle of green chilies.  Yes!

I made a white sauce, using the magic ingredient (Penzey's Chicken Soup Base)...I need to have stock in that company!  I pulverized the green sauce and chilies in our little food processor, and added that to the white sauce with some garlic powder.  It was actually quite good and it had a little bit of a bite to it!  We had a eureka moment when we discovered some wheat/corn tortillas at our local favorite grocery store, and then we purchased cheddar cheese and used the same little processor to grate it.  That little item is almost as wonderful as the crockpot!

We found some frozen chicken breasts on sale, which we slow cooked in the above-mentioned appliance in Penzey's soup base.  It all took time!  It also ended up being quite expensive, unlike what it would have cost in the States.  But when we were finished, they looked quite good, and all the ingredients tasted good, so we thought we probably had a winner on our hands.

So back to SK.  He carted off the four pans of enchiladas and various and sundry other items, including a detailed list of what to do at the center, and when.

He set the tables, put table cloths on, put the enchiladas in the oven, conscripted some of the YSAs to chop veggies for the green salad and got the meal on....went next door to buy chips where they are cheapest, and called around 7:30....about 45 minutes before the crowd would convene to eat.
"They're done....and I think they are getting burned!" he said.
This is what is known as the panic just before the meal is about to be served.  It happens every week with one or more aspects of the dinner.

He hasn't put the enchiladas on yet, but the table looks pretty impressive.

I had him turn the oven off and put a loose tent on the enchiladas.  I heard from him 3 minutes before time to eat....and he sent me a picture.  Seriously less than 25 minutes later he called to say the enchiladas were all gone and were a great hit!!!!  Isn't that fun?  I know they have never had anything quite like those, because it is such a unique recipe that Erin found and then shared around with the family.

The great benefit of cooking Mexican food, despite an appalling lack of proper ingredients and the extra time it takes to make do, is that most people around here don't know what it is supposed to taste like, and they seem to appreciate any and all efforts to bring the Mexican flavors to Copenhagen.  They are all very sweet that way.  I have missed not being with them this evening....they are a high point of every day we have with them.  I love those young people!

I haven't heard from SK since, and it is now 11:00.  I know he is tired and probably doing up dishes o'plenty.  Normally, I do them as I go so that all that is left is the serving dishes....but that is because SK is doing the other things to get the meal on.  And then after, he is performing a great sacrifice of his time by playing CRUD just to be social.  Don't believe it for a second!  He loves that game!  I suspect that he ended up playing a few games and got stuck in the kitchen afterwards.

He is unfailingly cheerful.  Seriously.  If you know him, you know that is true.  He has been a prince today.