Mile High Mexican Pie

This recipe was created by my cousin, Mollie. I made a few changes and will note them accordingly!

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (Mollie uses deer meat...a benefit of having a husband that hunts!)
2-3 cups of freshly shredded cheddar cheese (see my note about cheese)
3 burrito sized Tortillas (Mollie uses wheat tortillas)
1 can of rotel (or diced tomatoes & green chilies)
1 package taco seasoning
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 can of Red kidney beans, drained
1 small box of Velveeta (Mollie uses a small jar of cheese queso)

sour cream, optional

Steps:

1. Brown beef in a skillet. I use the micro cooker from Pampered Chef. Drain.

2. Melt Velveeta in a microwave safe bowl and add cooked beef and taco seasoning.

3. In a separate bowl, combine corn, beans and rotel.

4. Lay a tortilla in the bottom of a round dish.

5. Layer meat mixture, veggie mixture and sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese on top.
6. Repeat layers and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top tortilla is crisp and cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Guacamole

Ah, guacamole...you either love it or you hate it! Me? I LOVE IT!!! I could LIVE on it! As a matter of fact, I have made it so much during my 13 year marriage, that I have completely burned my husband out on it! No problem...that just means more for me! If you love it, you probably already have a recipe for it...and no two people make theirs the same. But, I thought I'd share my version with you.

First, here's a funny little story: When I was little, my parents took me to a mexican restaurant and ordered guacamole. When it was served, I wanted NO part of it...I must have thought it looked gross, as most kids do (including mine). My parents told me it was "green ice cream" and convinced me to try it. Well, little did they know what they were getting themselves into! Every time I went to a mexican restaurant after that, I ordered "green ice cream!"

Ingredients:

Avocados (see my note on How to Pick an Avocado)
Red Onion
Roma Tomatoes
Chili Powder
Garlic Salt

Steps:

1. Cut avocado in half lengthwise and remove pit. Use spoon to scoop out avocado into a bowl. Mash with fork to your desired consistency. Some people like it chunky, some like to smooth and creamy!

2. Dice red onion (see my note on How to Cut an Onion Without Crying) to your size preference.

3. Dice tomatoes to your size preference. Mix all ingredients together.

4. Sprinkle on a little chili powder and garlic powder. Mix and then taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Don't make it too salty, especially if you are eating it with chips.

You can eat it right away or store it for a short period of time. If you are storing it, cover it with saran wrap. As you put the saran wrap on, press down on it so that it touches the guacamole...this will prevent air from getting to it. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Guacamole is definitely a "make and eat" in one day...it goes bad fast!

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 - 1 1/2 lbs chicken
1 small bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
vegetable oil or butter
1 small onion
1 small green bell pepper
fajita or taco sized flour tortillas
sour cream
guacamole (click on link for my recipe)
cheddar cheese (see my Note about Cheese)
salsa


Steps:

Cut fat from chicken and slice chicken into strips. Put in a container and cover with Zesty Italian Dressing. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour.

I use a grill pan to cook these inside, but you could also use a wok or skillet. In the grill pan, pour a little bit of veggie oil and use a paper towel to make sure the surface is covered in oil. When using butter, I use a couple of tablespoons and melt it in the grill pan...once melted, I swirl it around until the surface is covered.


Slice up bell pepper and add it to the pan. [When slicing bell peppers, I slice from top to bottom. Leaving the core of the pepper intact will help preserve it if you are not using it all at once.]


Slice up onion and add it to the pan. Let the veggies cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Scoot pepper and onion to the edge and lay chicken in the pan in a single layer. Cook for 4-5 minutes and then flip to other side. Remove chicken as it cooks. When all chicken has been cooked, add it back to the pan and mix in with peppers and onions.

Heat tortillas according to package. I layer mine with sour cream, guacamole, chicken mixture, cheese and salsa (in that order!):