Mexican Pizza

My son will not let his older sisters kiss him. He will accept kisses from his Dad. He will let me kiss him. He will even reluctantly kiss me good bye in front of his friends at school. Noted, I did say reluctantly. When I made this Mexican pizza, his sister shared some of her pizza with him. He really liked it a lot. He still wouldn't kiss her. Don't worry. His sister's will kiss his cheek after he goes to sleep. Then they tell him the next day.

Mexican Pizza
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1 (15 oz) can refried beans
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
8 (9 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup salsa
2 green onions, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup black olives, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Coat two pie pans with cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a skillet, brown the meat over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic cloves to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Season the meat with the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
6. Add the 1/2 cup water and combine well. Cook for 2 minutes.
7. Place a tortilla in the middle of the pie pan. Cover the tortilla with refried beans.
8. Spread 1/4 of the seasoned meat over the tortilla.
9. Top the seasoned meat with a little cheese.
10. Cover the cheese and seasoned meat with another tortilla.
11. Bake the Mexican pizza for 10 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and top the tortilla with your desired toppings: additional cheese, salsa, tomatoes, green onions, and olives. 
13. Bake the Mexican pizza for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Recipe adapted from Trader Joe's Recipes.

One year ago..........................I made Banana Cupcakes.

Did you already know............
-The Trader Joe stores began as Pronto Markets in 1958.
-In 1968, Pronto Markets changed their name to Trader Joe's.
-Trader Joe's are named after the founder Joe Coulombe.

Enchilada Pie

Since I can make my own tortillas, I can decide the size for the tortillas. Tortillas only seem to come in two sizes at the store, really gigantic or small. For this dish, I made the tortillas to fit my circular baking dish. Isn't that cool? It probably would have taken me just as long to drive to the store to buy the tortillas than just make them. I love my food processor. 

Since it was cold out, I didn't want to go out. I had hamburger in the freezer. Cheese in the refrigerator. I cheated since I had a can of enchilada sauce. I asked my youngest daughter for an onion and garlic. She brought me 3 onions. So, I asked my son to grab me some garlic. He did and showed his sister what garlic looks like. Then he saw I had 3 onions so he ran and grabbed a pair of sunglasses. He is so thoughtful. The sunglasses were too dark to use in the house. Since I only used half an onion, I didn't cry.

Enchilada Pie

4 flour tortillas
1 lb ground hamburger
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped fine
1 garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground chili powder
1/2 cup water
1 package of shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (10 oz.) can of enchilada sauce
salt and pepper for taste
sour cream, scallions, cheese and other desired toppings

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium skillet, brown the hamburger over medium heat.
3. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic to the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes.
4. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes.
5. Add the water and cook for about 5 minutes.
6. In a baking dish, add about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce to coat the bottom of the dish.
7. Add a tortilla to the dish.
8. On top of the tortilla, add about 1/4 cup of the meat. Spread evenly over the tortilla.
9. Cover with a handful of cheese and then top with 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce.
10. Repeat the layer until topped with the last tortilla.
11. On top of the last tortilla, cover with the remaining enchilada sauce and top with cheese.
12. Bake the dish uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown.
13. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
14. Serve with desired toppings.

Recipe from Jen of Sweet Morris

 Did you already know...........
-Jalapeño peppers range from green to fully ripen red.
-Jalapeño peppers are originally from Mexico.
-The heat of the jalapeño pepper are from the seeds.
-Jalapeño peppers are a good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin A, and also contains traces of Vitamin E and Vitamin B plus other nutrients.

Flour Tortillas

When I was around fifteen years old, I went over to my friends house. Her mom was making tortillas. I had seen anyone make tortillas before. We ate them with butter and they were so good. 

My friend also invited me to her Quinceañera. It was beautiful. I tried to have my parents let me have a Quinceañera but they said no. I was already allowed to shave my legs and wear make up unlike my friend. 

I thought making flour tortillas would be hard. If you have a food processor, these are quick and easy. They are soft and taste better plus I can pronounce all the ingredients. I used butter but you could substitute the butter for shortening or lard. My friend's mom used lard. No wonder they were so good!

Flour Tortillas
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cups to 1 cup water

Directions:
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter to the food processor.
Pulse the mixture until crumbly. (You could use two forks to make crumbly.)
Add the water slowly while the food processor is running. 
Continue streaming in the water until the dough forms a ball.
Knead for 30 seconds. The dough should not be overly sticky if so add additional flour.
Divide the dough into twelve pieces on a floured surface. 
Roll the dough into small balls.
Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for ten minutes.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. (Do not use oils, sprays, or butter. The skillet should have nothing on it.)
Work with only one piece of dough at at time, roll the dough into circles. (Use only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Keep the remaining balls of dough covered.)
After forming the flat circle, add the dough to the skillet.
Cook the dough for about 10 to 20 seconds per a side. 
Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough.
Serve the tortillas warm, keep in the refrigerator for a week, or freeze.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats and originally from Confections of a Foodie Bride.

The tortillas make great quesadilla or try my enchilada pie which I'll post tomorrow.

Did you already know........
-Quinceañera is to celebrate when a girl turns 15 years old.
-Quinceañera marks when a girl becomes a young woman.
-Quinceañera begins with a Catholic mass or religious ceremony followed by a reception at another location.
-The celebration is very formal with gowns and suits.
-The young woman arrives at the party accompanies by fourteen guest of her choosing.