Mexican MEATLOAF!

Ok, admittedly, Mexican food happens to be my favorite kind of food.  I know the last recipe I showed you was Mexican Lasagna, but I'm on a kick and today I have for your eating pleasure - MEXICAN MEATLOAF!  I came upon this recipe through my wonderful cook Momma!  She makes something almost identical-ALMOST!  So, I cannot take credit for this delectable brainchild, but as she can tell you, I'm not very good at following directions, so I had to put my own spin on it.  Pretty easy to put together and a big hit!  Try it, you'll like it!

 You will need:
1.5 lbs ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken or any combination to make up the weight)
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 chopped green onions
1 can diced tomatoes (I used the kind with zesty green chiles, like Ro-Tel)
1 bag yellow rice/spanish rice/mexican rice
Mexican/Cheddar cheese
Chopped cilantro to garnish

Start by cooking your rice.  During the final couple of minutes, add the juice of the diced tomatoes to the rice to absorb.  Preheat your oven to 375.

Then start to make your meatloaf.  Combine your meat and your eggs.

 Add 1/2 cup bread crumbs

 Add 1 tsp cumin

 Add 2 tsps Chili Powder

 Here's a second picture so you don't forget to add the second tsp!

 Add 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Mix together thoroughly!

  

(Fear not those of you who do not have a mixer.  I actually prefer to mix it with my hands, but for picture taking purposes, it was easier to use my mixer.  That said, dig in and get your hands dirty!!!)

 Add your green onions and blend until mixed in evenly

 Turn out your meatloaf into your baking dish.  Using your hand, make an indent in the center of your meatloaf.  You will be putting your rice in here, so make sure it's big enough and deep enough to hold all of the rice!

 It's hard to see, but your indent should look like this.  You could get crazy with your indents and do all sorts of shapes, but I was having a boring night and just did a plain old rectangle.

 Mix together your rice and your can of tomatoes.

 Fill your indent with your rice mixture.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

 Take your meatloaf out of the oven and top with cheese.  Return to oven until the cheese melts (about 5 min)

Remove from oven.  Let it rest for five minutes and serve!

 Don't forget the cilantro!  (Jalepeños, sour cream, salsa, salsa verde, sriacha are also great additions!)

Enjoy!

Tasty Meal

Last night I attempted a new dish from Cooking Light.  Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken

Click here for the recipe

This is NOT a picture of what mine looked like, although it came out pretty similarly.  Instead of potatoes, I paired it with Mexican rice and we did have a salad with field greens, green onions, green beans and berry viniagrette dressing!  It was definitely a crowd pleaser; so much so that my husband asked me to make it again before we had even finished dinner! Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

Here we go!  I have a recipe to share!  This is a recipe of my own creation and I took pictures of the cooking process so you, too, can enjoy the delecable creation that is - MEXICAN LASAGNA

Let's start with the ingredients!

1-box Lasagne (I only used 9 noodles, but cook extra in case they break!)

1-2lbs ground beef/ground turkey*

1-8oz pkg Cream Cheese/Neufachatel Cheese

1-14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes with zesty mild green chilies

10 oz corn

1 tsp Chili Powder

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Cumin

1-15oz can of Enchilada Sauce

6 oz Cheddar Cheese (or any Mexican/Nacho Blend)

Sliced black olives

Chopped Green Onion

**optional- Sliced Jalepeños, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa**

**(NOTE: I put the varying amount of ground meat to give you the option of also adding Black Beans to this dish)**

 Step 1:  Cook your ground beef/turkey over medium high heat until no pink remains and drain excess liquid

 Step 2:  While browning the meat, cook your lasagna noodles and preheat oven to 350

 Step 3:  Turn heat down to medium and add the entire pkg of cream cheese to your meat

 Step 4:  Add your can of diced tomatoes

 Step 5: Heat through and mix until cheese is softened

Step 6: Add 1 tsp Chili Powder

 Step 7: Add 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

 Step 8:  Add 1/2 tsp Cumin and stir

 Step 9:  Add the corn and mix *optional to also add black beans at this point*

 Step 10: Coat the bottom of your baking dish with a thin layer of enchilada sauce

 Step 11: Add 1 layer of lasanga noodles

 Step 12: Spoon an even layer of filling to cover the noodles

 Step 13: Layer with lasagna noodles again

 Step 14:  Drizzle on a little more enchilada sauce

 Step 15:  More filling!
Step 16: Layer with noodles (keep repeating this sequence until you are satisfied with the thickness of the lasanga or you run out of filling/noodles)

 Step 17:  Top with enchilada sauce and sprinkle cheese on top

 Step 18:  Add sliced black olives

 Step 19:  Heat in your oven until cheese is melted (approximately 15-20 mins at 350).
Everything is already cooked AND warm, so you're really just aiming to melt the cheese.

 Step 20:  Add the chopped green onions!  Let it rest for a couple of minutes and serve!

 Add a dollop of sour cream and some sliced jalepeños

Even add some crushed up tortilla chips for extra crunch!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!  It is definitely a big hit over here!  If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in a comment and I will respond as soon as I can!  ENJOY!

Feeling crafty!

I'm in a crafty kind of mood, so....The first 5 people to leave comments on this post will get something crafty from me!  Don't forget to leave me your email address if I don't already have it!  Don't forget, pay it forward if you can- you'll make someone smile!

Have a happy day!

Whoooo Whoooo Whoooo!

I bought this pattern a while ago and could NOT wrap my brain around it!  It's a little tricky, but the end result makes all of the hard work worth it!  What do you think?  Adorable, right?

Mad birds!

Two of the boys in my life think that a certain game is hilarious!  I searched for different images on the web and found a general idea of what I wanted to make, but because of copyright laws, couldn't find a pattern that I was completely happy with.  So, I improvised!  I used the same basic hat pattern for both hats and just modified them to make them look like this.  What do you think?  If you're interested how to make either of them, message me and I can write up what I did to modify them!  They love playing "birds" together!

Jenji Hat

So I am IN LOVE!  This hat is so quick and easy to work up and never fails to please!  You can add a nub on the top, or make it round.  Add a flower, add pulls, braids, the possiblities are endless!  Here are a couple that I made up.  What do you think?

Click HERE to get the pattern for this hat or visit Mamachee's shop on Etsy or her blog.