I’m told that other people in history have had up to and as many as two children. Yes, even all at the same time. I recognize that we’re not exactly breaking any new ground. And I knew, based on our experience with our first baby almost three years ago, that adding another newborn into the mix was going to be exhausting.
Mina was born on Friday morning, at 7AM, which meant a solo weekend for two-and-a-half year old Violet and I, while Jillian recovered in the hospital, stealing an hour of sleep here and there amid a fog of painkillers and the incessant needs of a brand new tiny human person. Violet and I did everything we could to get ready for the new addition, bracing ourselves with tequila (me) and new Yo Gabba Gabba toys (Violet) for the changes to come.
Even in spite of all of that mental and physical planning, we weren’t ready. Who could be ready? This is madness. New babies are so much different than the person we’ve grown so comfortable with over the last few years, and we have so much to re-learn. One cries. Both cry. Or are we crying? Jillian sleeps where she falls. Day and night cycles and nobody notices. I try to be useful in the ways I can, which amounts to doing lots of dishes, installing shelving, and making enchiladas.
I wouldn’t trade it, any of it, not for the whole world. This must be what life is supposed to feel like. It’s a cripplingly exhausting, terrifying mess, and the most exciting and satisfying thing you’ve ever done, all at once.
More coherent posts to come (probably) in the near future. In the meantime, wish us luck.
- 1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium-sized onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 2 Serrano chiles, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 2 cups of chicken broth
- 2 cups of sour cream
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 8 fresh tomatillos, husks removed and cut in half, and blackened slightly under broiler
- Dash of cayenne
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 tablespoon of canola oil
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat, flipping occasionally, until golden brown. Let cool, then shred with two forks or chop with a knife, removing any large obvious chunks of fat.
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- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add chiles and cook until they start to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a minute more. Add flour and cook for one minute longer. Add chicken stock, stirring until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat, and add sour cream, cumin, cayenne, and cilantro, then transfer mixture to blender. Add blackened tomatillos and pulse until smooth.
- Transfer about a cup of the sauce to the bottom of a casserole dish. Transfer another cup to a plate. Set the rest aside.
- Dip each corn tortilla into the plate of sauce to moisten both sides. Fill with ⅓ cup shredded chicken, a teaspoon of onions, and a tablespoon of cheese. Roll tightly and arrange each enchilada seam side-down in the prepared casserole dish. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling. Serve with chopped cilantro.
