Never Get Involved in a Land War in Asia

So, I recently re-watched the animated version of Anastasia with Meg Ryan (weird casting) and Kelsey Grammar (even weirder casting), and I realized something. This movie is basically Russian monarchist propaganda. They blame the entire revolution on Rasputin's curse, as though the people weren't really unhappy, it was just because Rasputin had a vendetta and cursed the royal family. It explains the motivation for the revolution as nothing more than one man's personal revenge scheme. There's also a song that includes the line: "Since the revolution our lives have been so gray" Basically, they're saying that everything has pretty much gone to hell since the monarchy fell, which may or may not be true, but you can't imagine that the peasants were that much better off under the czar.  They were starving. See also: Bloody Sunday. The czar's family are certainly sympathetic characters, regardless, (except maybe Alexandra, who may or may not have been banging Rasputin on the sly) so I dont really know why they decided to go the 'monarchy is good and the peasants were all suffering from some mass delusion caused by crazy ass Rasputin' route. I mean, they shot Anastasia's family in a basement. Was that not enough? They couldn't leave the politics out? If I were Russian, I'd be kind of pissed.

Also, at the end, they make it seem as though Anastasia has to choose between Dmitri and claiming her place as the heir to the Russian throne. Does anyone really care if a princess without a throne marries a commoner? Are there even rules about that? What was she going to do, muster an army, invade Russia, kill Lenin or Rykov or whoever, and re-instate the monarchy? I think we all know how that would have ended. In the wise words of Vizzini, "Never get involved in a land war in Asia."

And now for something completely different:

I made chimichangas last week and they were epic. Check it:

(marinade - this is basically carne asada)

3/4 lb flank steak
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c lime juice
1/4 c oil (I used canola)
1/2 c water
chopped garlic (I used 2 cloves but I love garlic, so...garlic at your discretion)
1tsp cumin
1tsp chili powder
1tsp oregano
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and let marinate for at least an hour. I whisked the shit out of it so it emulsified a bit because, as you know, oil, water, and vinegar don't really mix. You can also throw in some cilantro. My husband hates it, so I left it out this time.

Assembly stuff:

4 flour tortillas (medium size)
about 2 cups shredded cheddar
beans (my recipe follows, but you can totally use canned refried)
oil for frying
guac, sour cream, salsa, yellow rice

Grill the flank steak - sear it on both sides, it should be about medium rare. take it off and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Cut it up into bite sized chunks. Grab a tortilla, plop some beans on it, put 1/4 of your chopped flank steak on the beans, grab a fistful of cheese (how much? a fistful.)

This much.

Put it on there, wrap your tortilla up into a square (I used toothpicks to hold it together, but you probably don't have to, just remember to remove them before you try to eat the thing and stab yourself), and fry. If you have a gas range, I would recommend heating your tortillas up for about 10 seconds on each side on one of the burners, this makes them easier to fold. If you have an electric stove, you can stick them in the oven at 350 for a few minutes until they're more pliable, but watch them carefully so they don't dry out and get crispy. Maybe brush some oil on them (calm down. you're going to fry them anyway).

I pan fried mine in about a half inch of hot oil (fry on the toothpicked bottom side until golden, flip, fry on the other side until golden, remove to a paper towel). I was too lazy to break out the deep fryer, but I'm sure that would work even better. You could also theoretically bake them, but what the hell kind of fun is that? This Mexican restaurant I used to go to as a kid would deep fry them, then cover them with cheese and stick them under the broiler, just in case you needed some extra cholesterol. I may do that next time actually.

Serve with guac, sour cream, salsa, and yellow rice.

This was more than enough for 4 chimichangas, which was more than enough for 2 people. We actually only ate 1 each, so I would say this serves 4 adults, unless you are Dolph Lundgren.

Beans

(I stole this recipe from my chef husband, so the proportions are kind of vague because he never measures anything. Just keep tasting it and add more if you need to.)

1 can of black beans (do not drain)
1 small to medium garlic clove
cumin
chili powder
onion powder
oregano
salt and pepper

Chop garlic, fry in some oil until golden. Add can of beans. Sprinkle onion powder, chili powder, and cumin (I leave the sprinkle lids on and give each a good solid two shakes, maybe a little more for the cumin since it tends to clump), probably about half teaspoon of oregano or so, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Heat until bubbly. If you've got bacon fat lying around it would also be awesome to fry the garlic in that, because bacon.

Anyway, look at this bad boy. BOOM:

You're welcome.