Elaine's Chicken Enchiladas

Several years ago when I lived in Oregon, I had a friend named Elaine Rasmussen. I'll tell you about her after I share the recipe. I know that everyone has their own favorite recipe for chicken enchiladas, and everyone swears theirs is the best. Even if you already have a recipe that you love, try this one. It is different and very tasty.

1 c mild green salsa
1/4 c fresh cilantro
1/4 c fresh parsley
1 T lime juice
2 cloves garlic
2 c chopped, cooked chicken
3/4 c shredded mozzarella (or more, I don't measure)
6 tortillas (I prefer corn)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 11x7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place salsa, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth (I like leaving it a little bit chunky). Reserve half the mixture. Mix remaining mixture, chicken, and 1/4 c cheese. Spoon about 1/4 c chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling, place seam side down on baking dish. Pour reserved sauce mixture over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake covered for 20-25 minutes.

First of all, I always double this recipe. Second, sometimes for the green salsa (especially if I can only find medium heat) I drain a small can of tomatillos and put that in for half the salsa. Also, once a friend of mine whose grandmother was from Mexico made some enchiladas for me and when she served them she just cut them and served them in squares, not as individual rolled enchiladas because that is how her grandmother always did it. So now I use that as my excuse that this authentic Mexican grandmother didn't bother with individual rolled enchiladas, I just layer everything in the pan--so much faster! (Never mind that my authentic Mexican mother-in-law serves the individual rolled enchiladas.)

And now about Elaine. I moved from Oregon about five years ago, but during the time that I lived there I loved talking to her, we shared so many common interests, and I always felt like she really understood me. Sometimes I felt like she was the only one who understood me. Definitely someone Anne Shirley would call a kindred spirit. The interesting thing about all this is she is probably thirty years older than me. I'm not sure exactly what it was about her that made me think of her as a peer instead of my grandma, but it was probably because she just cared so much about people that she could relate to them even if they were young and silly. Unfortunately I'm really bad about keeping in touch with people and haven't heard from her for about three years. But I think of her every time I make her enchiladas.