Feliz Navidad on Christmas Eve

So here we are. Christmas Eve. Whether or not you're ready! And I pretty much am. Regardless, this is a day to enjoy. Final preparations. Gift wrapping. Christmas music on the stereo. And the anticipation of friends and family tonight and tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we make the Christmas trek. My partner's sister's for brunch and presents. Then, my parents' house early evening for cocktails, stockings and beef tenderloin for dinner. It's great to see everyone, but exhausting by the time the day is over. They couldn't live further apart. So, a couple of years ago, we put our foot down and said we'd be at our own house for Christmas Eve. Of course, we invited people to join us and it's become a tradition. We have a casual dinner with family and friends and sit around and relax. It's a perfect way to spend the evening.

And we follow the example of so many in this part of Texas and have tamales for dinner. Again, there's no reason to try and make when others can do it better. So, I bought pork and chicken tamales from Luna's here in Dallas. (Everyone swears they're the best.) And we'll supplement with salsas: homemade pico de gallo and roasted tomatillo. Corn dip. Queso. And this great easy-to-make chicken enchilada casserole. With a cerveza and a margarita, it will be a feliz navidad to remember.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

12 corn tortillas
1 small onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 small (4.5 oz.) cans chopped green chiles (plus half their juice)
1/2 tablespoon garlic salt
4 cups chopped cooked chicken (I use all white meat, but you could easily get 4 cups of chicken from one store-bought rotisserie chicken)
3/4 lb shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (Don't worry too much about cheese ratio. I usually just buy the Mexican blend pre-shredded cheese you can get at the grocery store.)
3-4 tablespoons butter

Fry corn tortillas in oil until just soft. Set aside to drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, tear into pieces just bigger than bite sized.

Combine onion, soups, sour cream, chilies and garlic salt. Blend well.

To assemble casserole, arrange half tortillas pieces in bottom of greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Cover with half of chicken. Layer in half of soup mixture and sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Dot with butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.