During the day, Cornelius resident Bob Enzwiler is busy filling orders for motorcycle accessories at his highly successful Lake Norman headquarters of Pro-Pad USA. He and his wife Louise work long days together, leaving them little time to cook since they often don’t arrive home on weekdays until after 7pm.

In a way, that’s a shame since the St. Louis native, 69, really does enjoy cooking.  However, it also proved to be the stimulus for the creation of Bob’s latest culinary treat: Tacos Nachos.

“I made up this recipe because I wanted something fast and easy for a Friday evening when we didn’t feel like going out,” said Enzwiler. “We liked nachos but wanted something with a little more flavor and more substance.”

It has also turned out to be a favorite with their growing family. The Enzwilers, who have lived in the Harborside area of Cornelius since 2005, have two sons, a daughter-in-law and three growing grandchildren.

Bob is a serious chef, having taken classes at Johnson and Wales in Charlotte. He is also the proud owner of a huge backyard grill which frequently sends a tasty smell throughout the neighborhood.

He’s also the “designated chef” for most holiday dinners.

Besides cooking, he also enjoys traveling, especially to vacation spots such as Cancun.

For this recipe, Bob suggests you use “your favorite nachos. Enough for two people, the amount varies on how hungry you are. Two handfuls are usually enough. I prefer Tostitos scoopers, multigrain.”

Bob Enzwiler’s Tacos Nachos

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. hamburger meat, 93/7 lean or roasted chicken cubed or both.
•  Mexican refried beans. Your preference on brand and low fat or not
•  1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese.
•  1/4 cup chopped green onion
•  1/4 cup chopped red pepper
•  2 small tomatoes sliced and cut into 1/4” or so pieces.
•  1/3 cup of chopped fresh cilantro or lettuce
•  1 lime cut into quarters
•  Optional: your favorite salsa and sour cream for toppings.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place scoopers on a sheet pan.

Fill individual scoopers with refried beans, hamburger (or chicken), and cheese mix. I usually use a 1/2 teaspoon for each.

Place the sheet pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Melting the cheese and getting the other ingredients hot. Remove when the cheese is melted before the nachos are brown.

Transfer the hot ingredients to the serving platter.

Spread the onions, red peppers and tomatoes across all the scoopers. Then the cilantro or lettuce over all the scoopers.

Squeeze the limes over all the cilantro.

Ready to serve.