Corn tortillas
Sharp cheddar (Monterey Jack opt.)
Choice of accents: onion, olive, pimentos, sunflower seeds, any color bell pepper
Enchilada sauce (canned, pkgd., scratch or any combination)
Choice of stuffings: nothing else, mushrooms, chicken, beef, eggplant, squash, broccoli

1. Make a bunch of sauce (about a quart for a 9 x 12 inch pan). Canned or packaged enchilada sauce set the tone, rounded out with tomato sauce/puree/paste and whatever diced chunky things you want in this pourable concoction. Good place to hide some garlic. Simmer this as you go into chopping frenzy.

2. Chop or grate: a cup of onion, black olives, mushrooms, peppers and a massive bowl of cheese (sharp cheddar holds its own; Jack or Colby gives a mild harmony). Any extra cheese goes into a baggie, so don't hold back.

3. Set up a triangle of cookware: front burner fry pan with oil (just above medium heat), back burner sauce on warm, side counter 9 x 12 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Now, the assembly line: quick-fry tortillas to flexible stiffness, both sides and drop each into sauce for a good coating, then with tongs, transfer one at a time to baking pan, flop it down, and go through the chopped and grated line with your fingers, picking out choice combinations to make a 1 inch mound down the center of the tortilla, using cheese as bottom layer.

We usually make part of the batch with onions, part without, part veggie, etc. (Meat must be pre-cooked, onions and mushrooms may be sauteed first, and eggplant or broccoli should be steamed.) Roll up the tortilla full of goods and push it up against the pan wall and make room for the next one. When you hit your stride, you'll always have one tortilla in fry pan, one or two in sauce and one at your fingertips being stuffed.

Fit as many enchilada logs into rows as you can, depending on them to hold each other together. Pour remaining sauce all over the place, but don't drown them. A sprinkled layer of cheese goes on top. Now you can put a couple of olives or onion bits on top of certain ones for a clue to the contents. Everyone will love you for this.

4. Cover pan, bake for 25 to 30 minutes while you clean up the kitchen and commit the extra cheese, sauce and chopped things to Tupperware. Serve with pinto or refried beans seasoned to taste, Spanish rice with mild, medium or painfully hot salsa, and optional salad or chips. Invite us over, too.