It started out as a Trader Joe's "W.O.W. Enchilada Casserole." What happened next?

Once again, payday is still around the corner and we have a fridge full of items nearing their sell-by dates. Or, let's be honest, looking back over their shoulder at their expiration dates. Before this evening, one of those items was a package of Trader Joe's precooked carnitas. 

I looked up an easy recipe for this product on TJ's site and found their "W.O.W. Enchilada Casserole." If you want to make that, follow the link.     :-) 

If you want to make a variation with what's in your fridge and cupboards, may I suggest another take on Amy Dacyczyn's casserole formula? (What is that? you ask. And who is Amy Dacyczyn and how do you pronounce that last name?)

Amy Dacyczyn (pronounced "Decision") used to author a newsletter called "The Tightwad Gazette." In fact, her nickname was the Frugal Zealot. HOW FRUGAL WAS SHE? (Thanks, audience.) SO frugal that she and her husband paid cash for a house, barn, and acreage and raised their six children on her husband's Navy pension after she quit her paid job as a graphic designer. Her newsletters were compiled into books (The Tightwad Gazette I, II, and III, and eventually The Complete Tightwad Gazette), all of which I read when I was a very young wife and mom. I loved them and not only learned many tips for frugal living but was excited whenever I read about one that I'd already come up with on my own.

Back to the casserole formula: Amy printed a "flexible casserole recipe" that involved a cup of the main ingredient, a cup of a secondary ingredient, a measured amount of a "goodie" (nuts, olives, etc.), a binder, a topping, and so on ... the discretion to choose all of the ingredients in those categories being with the cook. This formula is great for someone who has gobs of ingredients lying around and just needs to combine them in a palatable and nutritious way.

Inspired by Amy and by TJ's "W.O.W. Casserole" recipe, I decided to mirror the latter by applying the principle of the former; in other words, having fewer than half of the ingredients called for in the TJ recipe, I would sub in others for the rest of them. I also downsized the recipe substantially to make enough for 2 people versus 6-8.

It went a little something like this. (Actually, it went exactly like this.) 

• TJ's Kalamata Olive Oil (for pan) - CHECK
• 1 bottle TJ's Enchilada Sauce - Nope. We did have a half jar of Bolognese sauce, though. 
• 1 package TJ's Pork Carnitas, heated to package directions (substitute: cooked ground beef) - No need to substitute. CHECK. (I used some and froze the rest for another day.)
• 6 TJ's Green Onions, sliced, green tops preserved for garnish - Would you believe 2 green onions from the garden and I forgot the green tops for garnish?
• 2 Tbsp TJ's Jalapenos, minced - No. Just no. But we had leftover chili sauce from takeout Indian food, so I drizzled that into the Bolognese.
• 1 can TJ's Sliced Black Olives - Not just black olives ... JUMBO black olives.
• 1 package TJ's Corn Tortillas, cut into strips - OK, this substitution was weird, but it worked. I used Kettle Chips in Backyard Barbeque flavor.
• 1 package TJ's Mexican Shredded Cheese Blend - How about the last of a package of shredded Cheddar instead? It was about 3 T.
• 2 TJ's Avocados, sliced - We had 1 very ripe avocado. 
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I followed the casserole directions on the Trader Joe's site, more or less, and produced an edible ... nay, a perfectly acceptable dish. As my husband said after finishing his, "That was tasty. Weirdly tasty, but tasty."

Isn't that a happy ending?