NOTE: This event was a few days ago… but I was too busy with the event to update my blog and I wanted to get more photos to go with it before posting. It was all over the newspapers, and we had a near-record turnout!!! Truly an incredible evening 🙂 Sadly, we sold out half an hour early, having made a little more sauce than usual! AND, I didn’t even get a taste or a good photo…

This Friday marks my fourth Enchilada Supper with the Fort Davis Lions Club. I shadowed the chair-Lion one year to learn the ins and outs of putting on the big event. I chaired the event last year. This year, I’m co-chairing again.

It’s such a wonderful experience, even with all of the work involved. We have an, “all hands on deck, and bring your friends, too!” policy for the Enchilada Supper, which is our largest fundraiser of the year.

One of the things I love about the Lions Club is that every penny brought in through fundraising is put in a special account that is used for paying for eye doctor visits and glasses for locals in need, for providing scholarships to graduating high school seniors, and for giving financial assistance to community members in crisis situations. The money brought in from the community truly all goes back into the community.

Any bills, international club fees, and meeting expenses (like paying for our twice monthly meals at Poco Mexico Café), as well as any other expenses that might arise, are paid from a separate account that is funded by club members’ nominal monthly dues.

There’s lots of planning and preparation that goes into providing a fantastic Enchilada Supper for several hundred people. Fortunately, after many years of the event, we have a spreadsheet to follow with everything from our timeline of when to start advertising, to the shopping lists, to the task lists, to the secret recipes.

I took the shopping list to Porter’s two weeks ago, and have crates of fresh tomatoes, courtesy of our local and always generous Village Farms, ready to go.

The day before the supper, I plan on being a baking fiend in the kitchen, baking slab pies and cookies for the dessert table. We will have all sorts of delicious homemade goodies.

Our dessert table was filled with deliciousness.

The night before the supper, the Lions will meet as usual and then all head over to the Fort Davis United Methodist Church where we’ll don plastic gloves and begin cleaning dried chiles for making the homemade enchilada sauce. There’s always lots of laughter, and more than a little sneezing during sauce prep.

The morning of the supper, we’ll start making the enormous pot of beans, and skillet after skillet of Mexican rice. We’ll be prepping lettuce, tomatoes, onions and shredding cheese for the enchiladas.

Armed with the recipe and instructions for rice for 175 people…

I added my “secret ingredient” (not in the recipe) during the browning phase 🙂

Twenty pounds of cheese to grate…

If ever I was “grateful” for my Cuisinart, it was at this point in my Enchilada Supper prep!

All of the Lions will bring their homemade desserts which are available by donation as a sweet end to a fantastic supper.

One special former Lion will make her gallons of homemade salsa that is always a fan favorite when served with chips on the tables.

We set up everything, we clean up everything. Only the lingering scent of enchiladas remains.

The teamwork that is in effect during the Enchilada Supper brings tears to my eyes. Many hands truly do make light work.

The Fort Davis Lions Club will host its annual Enchilada Supper on Friday, Nov. 15 from 4:30-7 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall at the Fort Davis United Methodist Church located across the street from the Jeff Davis County Courthouse.

Adult plates are $10 each and child plates are $5 each, and include stacked cheese enchiladas with homemade red enchilada sauce, beans, rice, lettuce and tomato salad, iced tea and water. Desserts, all made by the Fort Davis Lions, are by donation. You can even get a fried egg on top of your enchiladas.

The Enchilada Supper is the Lions Club largest fundraiser of the year and enables the club to continue its mission of providing scholarships to high school seniors, eye glasses and vision care for those in need, and community assistance as needed. For more information, contact Lion Krysta Johns at johnskrysta@gmail.com.

Blueberry Slab Pie

1 box refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts), softened as directed on box

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 egg, beaten

(Note: any canned pie filling will work just as well – just use it in place of everything except the pie crust and sugar for the top!)

Heat oven to 400°F. Remove one of the pie crusts from pouch. Unroll and stack on lightly floured surface. Roll to rectangle or square that fits your pan – fit crust into ungreased 12×12 or 9×13 pan, pressing into corners. Do not trim pie crust edges.

In large bowl, mix blueberries, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon peel until well mixed. Spoon into crust-lined pan.

Unroll and stack remaining pie crust on lightly floured surface. Roll to rectangle that fits your bottom layer. Place it on top of fruit-filled layer.

To make lattice top, cut 1/2-inch-wide strips with pastry cutter or knife. Place half of the strips across pan diagonally. Weave remaining strips with first strips to form lattice. Trim edges of strips even with edge of bottom crust.

Pinch edges of crust together to seal, tucking under pastry crust, if necessary. Flute or crimp edges. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool completely, about 1 hour.