Last night I made green chile enchiladas from a recent Cook's Illustrated. I was a little intimidated, since I've never made enchiladas that didn't involve cream cheese or cream of mushroom soup. I've never made enchiladas that in any way resembled the enchiladas I eat out, but I've made plenty that resemble enchiladas housewives in Iowa might make. Even the Cooking Light spinach and mushroom skillet enchiladas, delicious as they are, don't remotely approach authentic, and include cream cheese. I've always been a little scared of trying more authentic enchiladas, to be quite honest.

But the tomatillos looked so good at the Hollywood Farmer's Market (and what is UP with that place? Last time I went, last summer, it didn't even stretch from Hollywood to Selma. This time it was blocks and blocks in every direction. Not that I'm complaining, but I wish I'd known sooner) looked so good, I couldn't pass them up. Plus, the recipe asked for using a blender for the sauce, and I still haven't gotten past the new appliance glee I have in using my blender.

I had some measurement issues- what I considered one medium onion yielded 2 cups, not 1, and it took me 5 medium jalapenos instead of 3 to make one cup, but that wasn't the end of the world. I used a combination of queso fresco and queso oaxaca instead of monterey jack. Their recommendation for softening the tortillas- spraying with Pam and heating in a 300 degree often for about 4 minutes- is the most effective and easiest method I've tried.

Here's a hint, though. Don't be smug just because you know better than to chop peppers before you chop onions, especially if you learned that lesson the Oh God I Have Habanero In My Eye and Am Blinded Forever way, because if you seed peppers by hand, and little bits get on your skin and your palms and face burn and burn through the next day, you're going to feel dumb for not being smart enough to wear plastic gloves.

Burn or no, though, the enchiladas were delicious.