By Training camp. Day one. Ninety-three degrees on the practice field and not a cloud from the Rockies to the horizon. Forty-seven players in full pads. This is the forge. This is where August turns players into a team or reveals that they aren't one yet.
I watched the first day from a clipboard, letting my coaches run their units while I observed. That's a different position than I held at my last school, where I ran the defensive front personally. I'm adjusting to the head coach's remove — you see more when you're not in the drill. You see the rhythm, the energy levels, the micro-conflicts that haven't surfaced yet. I took more notes in one practice than I took in a week last year.
Jordan Rivera was what I hoped he'd be on day one: vocal, accurate, moving well in the pocket. The thing we worked on in the spring was visible. He set the tone for the offensive side of the ball. In the evening, when the players were cooling down in the locker room, I heard the offensive linemen laughing with him. That's what leadership sounds like from outside the room. Ease. Command without tension.
I'm sleeping in the coaches' office this week — a cot and a thermos of coffee. Camp week is all-in or not at all. Lisa drops off dinners at the school gate for me and the staff. Tuesday night she sent green chile posole. I fed the staff from the pot and told them my wife was a saint. They agreed. She is.
Lisa knows what a coaching staff needs after fourteen hours in ninety-degree heat — something with heat, depth, and enough volume to go around. She’s been doing this long enough to know that camp week isn’t the time for delicate plates. When I can’t bring her cooking home with me, I try to recreate that same generosity myself, and these Easy Enchilada Cups are the closest I’ve found to that spirit: bold, no-nonsense, and built to fill up people who’ve been working all day.
Easy Enchilada Cups
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 12 cups
Ingredients
- 12 small (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas
- 1 lb ground beef or shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 can (10 oz) red or green enchilada sauce
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, drained
- 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sour cream, sliced green onions, and cilantro for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
- Form the cups. Press one tortilla into each muffin cup, folding the edges to fit and form a bowl shape. Lightly spray or brush with oil. Bake 5 minutes until just starting to set.
- Cook the filling. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef (or warm shredded chicken). Drain excess fat. Season with cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Combine. Stir enchilada sauce, diced green chiles, corn, and black beans into the meat. Simmer 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Fill the cups. Spoon the meat mixture evenly into the pre-baked tortilla cups. Top each with a generous pinch of shredded cheese.
- Bake. Return to oven and bake 12–15 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and tortilla edges are golden.
- Serve. Let cool 3 minutes in the pan before removing. Top with sour cream, sliced green onions, and fresh cilantro as desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 13g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg