Big Mama ROCKS in the Sunshine Household!

A couple months ago, Big Mama posted a recipe for Chicken Chilaquiles, and last night, I thought I'd try it out. Here's a brief recap of what happened:

I started by boiling my chicken, because unlike Big Mama, I don't have an aversion to raw chicken in any form. Except eating it raw, of course, which I hope you do too. I soon realized that it would have been faster if I had used the rotisserie chicken ... but I'm hard-headed like that.

So anyway, I started putting the components to the recipe together, and decided to boldly go where the recipe did not take me. I added garlic powder to the recipe, because everything needs a good dose of garlic, in my book. Then, I added salt to the sauce. I know. I know. It's a light and healthy recipe ... but seriously ... the recipe contains cheese, so I thought it needed salt to go along with all the cheese that made the recipe so healthy.

Then, when I was adding the Parmesan cheese, I opened the wrong side of the container and accidentally dumped what looked like 1 cup of the stuff ... rather than the 1/2 cup the recipe actually called for. But, being the ultimate professional that I am in the kitchen, I did not worry. I kept right on adding the other ingredients. Low, and behold, when I got to the "1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers" (which is the very next item on the list of ingredients) I thought it said ... 1 cup. Or, maybe I wanted it to say 1 cup. So, I added one cup instead of 1/2. My only explanation at this point is, I needed to balance out all the Parmesan cheese.

When I poured the green sauce into the baking dish, I distinctly remember thinking to myself, two very clear and concise thoughts: 1) this is awfully runny! and 2) I'm not sure I'm going to like this, because I hate tomatillos ... a main ingredient to the sauce.

Finally, when the recipe said "Sprinkle top with Monterey Jack cheese," I used the remaining 1 cup of cheese in the 2-cup bag... because nothing tells your heart you love it more than a good helping of cheese. So in all actuality, instead of the 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers that the recipe called for, I used 2 cups. Because 1/2 and 2 are so similar, in that they both have a 2.

As it turns out, not only did I like it, I loved it. And, not only did I love it, but the whole familia loved it too ... my husband and Hunter, too! The recipe magically worked out perfectly with all my "additions and variances," the sauce thickened up beautifully, and it gave me a good use for some of the 100 corn tortillas I happened to have on hand (my husband purchase them a couple weeks ago... when I asked him to get 1 package. Evidently, I need to specify ... "a package of 10 corn tortillas, love!").

The only other change from Big Mamma's recipe is... She used extra spicy green chiles because she's a "Rocker" ... I used extra mild green chiles because I'm old. As in almost 40. As in ... I want to relish in the flavor of the dish, not peel layers off of my tongue.

No worries, though ... my very picky, very high-faluting-gourmet-lovin' husband gave the dish an A++ -- and added that he would have served some green salsa on the side to put on top of the finished dish ... because none of us at Casa Sunshine care to follow directions on recipes at.all.

So, thank you Big Mama, for sharing your light and delicious recipe for Chicken Chilaquiles -- internets, I encourage y'all that have a love (or even mild fondness) for all things Mexican to try this outstanding recipe!

And Big Mama, you ROCK in our household!