If you can't stand the heat...

My new place is barefoot in the kitchen.

I'm not talking traditional, sexist, gender roles.

I mean I really love to cook.   It's a lot about sharing meals and treats with people I love. Seeing the joy that it brings, and having conversations over dinner.

But it's mostly about the process. Especially when the weather gets warmer, my favorite place to be is standing with bare feet on the tile in the kitchen. I love the heat of my body over the stove, with the oven running. I appreciate every aroma, scent, and taste lingering throughout the house as I concoct some new recipe, or recall one that brings back fond memories of days long lost.

I feel light, joyous, free, empowered, relaxed, passionate, whole-hearted... feminine. I bask in that afterglow, with my face warm from the steam and my hair disheveled from twirling while I think up what to mix in next. I feel like woman.

I don't know where I discovered this newfound love of cooking, but I've become enthralled with it. I print recipes and create some of my own. I watch the Food Network religiously.

Just this weekend, I achieved the most amazing green chile chicken enchiladas. I think I may have outdone my mother, and that is not easy to do. (;

Unfortunately, I failed to take pictures to share my pride and glory, but here's the recipe that I got and tweaked to my own liking:

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (15-ounce) green chile enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
12 corn tortillas
1 package shredded Monterrey jack cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Stir in black beans, green chile sauce, and soup and simmer 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and reduces. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Arrange tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with cheese and an equal amount of chicken mixture. Roll up tortillas and place side by side in a shallow baking dish. Top tortillas with shredded cheese (1/3 cup per tortilla) and remaining sauce.

Bake enchiladas 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and gooey!