Mexican Lasagna

I haven't updated in awhile....oops.
I actually got this recipe on the back of a Kraft Mexican 4 cheese Shredded Cheese bag, very easy and yummy!


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 pack taco seasoning
• 3 - 8inch soft tortillas
• 1 8 inch baking dish
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1 can pinto beans - rinsed and drained
• about 1/2 bag of Kraft mexican 4 cheese shredded cheese and about 1/4 of a bag of shredded pepper jack (but you could just use the mexican cheese if you wanted - we just had some pepper jack, so I used it)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400

• Brown meat in skillet, drain off grease, add in salsa and taco seasoning, stir, let simmer for 10 minutes

• In your baking dish, spray with cooking oil, place one 8 inch tortilla in the bottom of the dish.

• Apply half the meat mixture, half the pinto beans, and cover with cheese (use as much as you need)

• Top with another 8 inch tortilla

• Top with the rest of the meat mixture, the rest of the pinto beans and the rest of your cheese (as much as you like)

• Top with last 8 inch tortilla

• I spray a little cooking spray on top of the tortilla so it will crisp a little in the oven
• Cover and put in the oven for 30 minutes, let sit and cool for about 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving!

• ENJOY!

Ceviche Tacos

My sister recommended this recipe to me....it came from Epicurious, I adapted it to fit my own needs....but didn't need to change that much! You have to enjoy tuna....and be okay w/ eating semi-raw fish!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lbs sushi-grade fish ( I used sashimi Tuna)
• 1 tbsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. fresh crushed black pepper
• 3 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup chopped, seeded tomatoes
• 3/4 cup chopped red onion (about 1/2 an onion)
• 2 tbsp. fresh jalapenos ( recipe calls for jarred....no thanks) you will need a little over half a jalapeno, chopped and seeded.
• 1 tbsp. jarred jalapeno juice ( yes, you still need to buy the jarred jalapeno's....but the freshness of using the new jalapeno's will make you want to use them over the jarred)
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped (3-4 cups)
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• Hard taco shells (we bought soft shells too)
• Salsa

Steps:

• Cut tuna into 1/2 inch pieces (or smaller)
• Place tuna in a glass bowl, add in lemon juice, lime juice, salt, pepper, and sugar, mix until incorporated, cover dish and chill for 4-6 hours, tossing occasionally.

• Mix tomato, onions, jalapenos, jalapeno juice, and olive oil in a medium bowl, cover and chill for up to 2 hours.

• When tuna is finished, strain all the juices out and  toss together with tomato mixture.

• Heat taco shells
• Make the taco's as you wish (recipe calls to mix lettuce, avocado's, and salsa with the tuna mixture, but I chose just to add what you wished to your taco.

• ENJOY....they taste SO fresh....Delicious!
• I served mine with white corn (and I cut a small corner of my tuna off before making the ceviche and saved it to make a small appetizer of ahi tuna to eat before dinner....just marinated it in soy sauce and seared it in a skillet for 2 minutes on each side)

Oven Fried Chicken Chimichangas & Fried Corn Cakes

After visiting my sister in Augusta this past weekend and talking about cooking....I am obsessed with 2 ipad apps she suggested to me.....if you have an iPad, I definitely suggest them...."Epicurius" & "Big Oven"
So.....needless to say, these recipes were adapted from both.
I realized when I was almost done cooking that I had not taken ANY pictures, so there are very few in this post....sorry.


Oven Fried Chicken Chimichanga Ingredients:

• Burrito size flour tortillas ( recipe says it makes 4....I made 6)
• 1.5 cups cooked chicken shredded or cut into bite size pieces
• 2/3 cup salsa
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions (including some tops)
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• cooking spray
• Mexican cheese or salsa to top

Fried Corn Cakes Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I used a bit more for some spice)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp white distilled vinegar
• 2 cups frozen white shoe peg corn kernels, thawed (you can use yellow corn if you prefer) 
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tbsp canola oil (or more as needed)

Before cooking anything, go ahead and preheat the oven to 400

Oven Fried Chicken Chimichangas Directions:

• Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray
• In large bowl, mix chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese, green onions,  and cilantro.
• Place 2/3 to 1/2 cup of mixture in center of tortilla, fold sides over filling, tucking in the ends and place seam side down on the baking sheet
• Spray tops and sides of tortillas with cooking spray (I just brushed oil over mine)
• Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp
• Serve with melted cheese or salsa on top (or whichever garnish you prefer)

Corn Cake Directions:

• Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
• Add milk, egg and vinegar to the bowl and whisk to combine.
• Mix in corn and green onions
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Crop batter by 1/4 cupfuls into the skillet (Like pancakes)
• cook cakes until brown and cooked through (about 3 minutes on each side)
• repeat until all batter is used, adding additional oil as needed (I added a little each time, so they didn't burn on the bottoms)
• Transfer to aluminum foil lined baking sheet, and place in oven to warm 

Finished product:

Enjoy!