Mexican Lasagna

I have been experimenting some with my cooking, trying new recipes and adjusting some to our taste/budget. And when I make a good one Sean will say "Put this in the recipe box Mommy" So here is one that we love.


Mexican Lasagna:

This is an combination of a few recipes and just what was in the pantry that sounded good. We LOVED this one. It makes a lot, so I froze 1/2 of the mixture for a quick meal later in the week.

1 Cup uncooked rice (2 cups if you are making it all for one night)
2-3 Cups chicken broth (more if you are making it all for one night
1 can tomatoes (or 2-3 fresh whatever you have)
1 small onion (chopped really small so Justin doesn't know it is there!)
2 Can black beans
2 packet of taco seasoning
1 1/2 lb grnd turkey, or beef (I also use turkey it is cheaper and leaner than beef)
1 jar (16 oz) salsa.
4-6 small flour tortillas (double if you are making it all for one night)
Bag of shredded cheese, I prefer cheddar and a lot of it, but a Mexican blend would be good too
4-8 oz enchilada sauce
2 bags frozen corn (I prefer the white and yellow mixture)
Sour Cream for garnish

Cook the rice according to package directions replacing the water with chicken broth. In large skillet melt 1/2 T of butter. Add tomatoes, onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add in taco seasoning to taste I used about 1/2 a packet. Stir to combine. Add the beans and stir. Transfer 1/2 to a large bowl and 1/2 to a freezer safe container. Add rice to bowl and stir combine

In the same skillet brown the ground turkey. Mix taco seasoning and water according to packet instructions. Add 1/2 of the meat and one bag corn to your freezer container stir and set aside. Reserve remaining meat in pan.

To assemble lasagna pour 1/4 jar of salsa in the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Layer tortillas to cover. Spread 1/2 of rice mixture over tortilla. Sprinkle with a layer of cheese. Add another layer of flour tortillas. Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce over tortillas. Spread taco meat over sauce. Layer 1 bag corn over beef. top with remaining rice mixture in an even layer. Spread remaining salsa over rice and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 375 for 25-35 minutes. Allow to sit 10 minutes.


I used the frozen mixture as a taco filling instead of lasagna. I was just as good.

Enjoy!

YUM-O!

I have had mixed results with recipes from Rachel Ray. It seems like the ones I like I LOVE, and then the rest I really do not like. Well her Gingerbread waffles are definitely blog worthy! Because I am such a rock star mom (in my head anyway) I have been sending special snacks to Sean's speech class on Fridays that relate to the "sound of the week." This week was "W" (Waffles) so I decided to give these a try. It was SO worth the trip to Meijers at 8:30 Thursday night for Molasses.

Friday morning Sean and I made the batter while Katherine was still sleeping. I cut them into waffle sticks so they could easily be eaten. I felt bad that they wouldn't have syrup so I bought some strawberries which Sean helped me cut up. His teacher said they were a huge hit! And Sean said "Lets always make these, no more regular kind." After I dropped him off I came home and Katherine and I each had one waffle topped with Strawberries. They didn't even need syrup. I think this will become a regular Monday morning breakfast for us. (Monday is our Sunday since hubby doesn't work) The leftovers also made a fantastic after school snack for the kids.

Here is the recipe hope you enjoy as much as we have:

Gingerbread Waffles

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron
Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table

Preheat waffles iron. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. Serve with toppings of choice.

Valentines Blog coming soon, I am having trouble uploading pictures.