Sunday, August 26, 2012

In the mood for Mexalian?

Ever have the craving for Italian food?
What about a craving for Mexican food?
Ever have both cravings at the same time?
Feeling a little indecisive and can't decide between Italian and Mexican?
Well here is the perfect recipe.  It's a cross between Italian and Mexican.
I call it Mexalian.
Granny calls it Taco Lasagna.
This recipe isn't a Granny original.  She got it from her favorite cookbook.
How do I know it's her favorite cookbook?
Well take a look at it.
No back cover!!!


Granny's fav cookbook. Held mostly together with a rubber band.












It's pretty obvious that this one is used very, and I mean very often.  
To make Taco Lasagna gather the following ingredients:
2lbs. ground beef (or turkey)
2lbs. cottage cheese
2c. sharp cheddar
2c. mild cheddar
1 (12oz) jar spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
 Fritos chips

Of course Granny can't just follow a recipe so she doubled the amount of spaghetti sauce and used the entire packet of taco seasoning and for the first time ever, she didn't use as much cheese as the recipe suggested.

Start by browning the ground  beef. When the beef is thoroughly cooked drain it and add chili powder, taco seasoning and spaghetti sauce.  Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
 In the meantime, crush about half of the chips and spread a few chips into a 9x13" casserole dish. 
 In separate bowl mix the cottage cheese and the eggs.
Now the meat sauce should have simmered enough, so we can commence the layering.  Cover the corn chips with a little of the meat mixture and then the cottage cheese and shredded cheese.
Repeat the layers until all of the ingredients are used.


Finally bake it on 350 for about 30 minutes.  Granny covered the dish with foil so the cheese wouldn't burn.
Serve with a few leftover Fritos for an extra crunch.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Best thing before sliced bread

I only recently started eating cornbread. Even though it's a southern staple I never liked it.  I still don't like all types, but the type Granny calls skillet bread is one I do enjoy (I also like Jiffy bread).  This version is what I call the cheat version (so called because of the type of cornmeal used).
Granny uses this cornbread for making her cornbread dressing, serving along side her hearty beef stew, with turkey hash, and just to eat...all things I can't imagine eating with "sliced bread."

Ingredients:
1 c. self-rising cornmeal
¾  c. buttermilk
1 egg

Preparation:
Combine cornmeal and buttermilk in a medium bowl. 
Add egg and stir.
Heat oil in a skillet. Pour oil into mixture and stir
Very lightly sprinkle flour in the skillet. It will keep the bread from sticking and allow for a beautiful, easy release.
Cook for approximately 20 minutes at 450° or until lightly golden.  Granny says just until the aroma of the bread starts to fill the room. 
Carefully flip the bread over in the skillet. 

Serve it with any entree, soup or salad! But remember to slice it first.