Chimichangas

My husband loves chimichangas. If we go to a new sandwich shop he orders a Reuben. To make sure it's a good restaurant, he says. If we eat Mexican chances are he'll order chimichangas. A restaurant with a good chimi is worth a second visit. Disappointed by the chimi, adios!

So I resolved to try my hand a frying chimichangas.

Maybe it's good I'm not running a restaurant.

Ok, so it wasn't that bad. But I did learn there is definitely a trick or two to making those beautiful chimichangas he loves so much.

First the filling. Whatever size tortilla you use you must make sure to have the right amount of filling inside. Too much, things explode (or well, ooze out). To little and it's a little shabby.

Second, toothpicks. Seriously, don't make the mistake I made a first. I bought all the ingredients at the store while forgetting to check my supplies. "Hmm, it says to pin with toothpicks. Oh well.i suppose they'll be ok without...." No. Just run to the store if you are out of toothpicks. While I did end up getting them mostly to stay together, the toothpicks would've kept much more of the filling intact.

Finally, the heat. If you have the heat just right you'll end up with beautiful golden chimichangas in no time. Too high or too low-even by a little-made a big difference in the results. Watch that temperature!