Recipe | Cornbread Taco Bake

This is one dish that I remember my mom making as a child.  I believe she got the recipe from my dad's brother's wife, when we visited them in Texas years ago.  I think we ate it quite often afterwards that we got sick of it and then my mom didn't make it for a long time.  But, I wanted to try making it again a couple years ago, and oh, I really do like it!  It's pretty quick and easy to make, and I think it's real yummy!

Mom would always serve this dish with a Mexican fried rice, so that would make a great side to go with this.  Otherwise fruit, veggies, a salad, or tortilla chips are always great!

Cornbread Taco Bake

2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 envelopes taco seasoning
2 (15.5 oz.) cans chili, without meat
8 oz. shredded Marble Jack cheese (a blend of Colby & Monterey Jack)
1 can Mexican-style corn, drained
2 (8 oz.) packages corn muffin mix, or following homemade recipe

Brown ground beef, drain, and mix in taco seasoning.  Stir in chili and 1 cup cheese.
Prepare cornbread.  Stir in corn and remaining 1 cup cheese.
Spread beef mixture evenly onto bottom of jelly roll pan.  Top with cornbread mixture to edge of pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes (at 400 degrees, or temp used for cornbread mix), or until golden brown and cornbread is done.
Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Top with chopped tomatoes, sliced olives, sour cream, and salsa.


Cornbread:
2 cups buttermilk (can do 1 cup skim milk and 1 cup buttermilk)
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 cups corn meal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup apple sauce
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar

Mix together and bake at 400 degrees.

Notes:
*I like to use chili that doesn't have meat in it since there is hamburger in the taco mixture.  But, I do like the addition of beans in the taco mixture.  So, I usually use a "vegetarian chili with beans" (Hy-Vee brand).  If you don't like beans, you could try a "without beans" chili, or you could just use a meat chili with beans.  Or, you could even try doing homemade chili!
*I always use the homemade cornbread recipe.  I would suggest making a whole batch, BUT DON'T USE IT ALL.  Otherwise it will run over the pan and make a big mess as it bakes.  Just spread the batter to cover the meat mixture and to get it pretty close to the edge of the pan.
*Since it would take me forever to eat a jelly roll pan of taco bake, I decided to try making a half batch and baking it in a 9X13 pan.  It worked great!  I made only a half batch of the corn bread and I didn't even use all the batter - just add a nice layer over the meat mixture.
*Leftovers freeze well!  Just cut the taco bake up into nice portion sizes and freeze.  Then when you want a piece of taco bake, defrost a piece in the microwave, and enjoy!

I'm Back | Recipe for Asian Quinoa Salad

I know, I haven't blogged in forever!  Basically this whole school year (my junior year of college) went by and I haven't blogged.  I've wanted to, and I've missed blogging, but I just haven't gotten to it.  There have been some recipes that I've wanted to blog, but I usually don't end up liking the pictures I take, and I just haven't had time to blog a bunch.  It's fun to be able to look back at recipes I've made, holidays & celebrations with family, craft projects, and all else that I've blogged.  I do wish I had pictures of this past year's holidays.

Now that school is over, I do hope to do some blogging this summer - some recipes, an exciting trip I'm going on, and maybe some crafts or something!!

Not much as happened over the past months - school has been a lot of work, I am still working as a dietary aide, and I have been involved in CRU.  Living in an apartment has been fun - I have enjoyed getting to cook and bake, and getting to eat homemade food.  I HAVE become a COFFEE DRINKER this last year!  One of my roommates got me hooked on it, and it is SO GOOD.  Just straight up black.

I decided to start the summer of with making this Asian quinoa salad.  It is so good, and is perfect for summer.  It can be eaten warm or cold, and goes great with grilled chicken.  The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup each of the bell peppers, but I think I would do a little more.

Asian Quinoa Salad
From:  The Farm Chicks Cookbook

1 small piece of ginger (about 1 1/4 inches)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups quinoa
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
4 tsp. peanut butter
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup sliced green onions
Peanuts, for serving (optional)

Cook the Quinoa:  Peel the ginger and grate enough to equal 1 teaspoon; set aside.  Place the remaining whole piece of ginger in a medium saucepan.  Add the broth and quinoa, and cook according to the quinoa package directions.  Discard the ginger and transfer the quinoa to a medium-sized salad bowl; set aside to cool.

Make the Dressing and Salad:  Meanwhile, whisk together the vegetable oil, vinegar, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic, and reserved grated ginger in a small bowl until combined.  Add the peppers and green onions to the quinoa in the salad bowl; pour the dressing over the top and toss to thoroughly combine.  Sprinkle top with peanuts.

Junior Year Apartment

Last fall was my second year in the dorms.  I knew that after two years in the dorms, I would want to move onto living in an apartment.  To be able to find an apartment here, you have to start looking for one in the fall before you plan to move in (yeah, its crazy early!).  This meant that last fall is when I would have needed to start figuring out where I'm going to live for this school year.  I had no idea how to go about this, where to look for an apartment, but mostly, who I would live with.

I would talk to my mom about it, as I was a bit worried about it all.  Mom didn't know what to do, and could only suggest for me to just turn it over to God.  I finally did.  I turned over where I would live, and with whom, to God.  And, I did my best to just let it go.

I thought that it would be like May of the fall before I hoped to be living in an apartment (this fall) that God would reveal to me where I would be living.  But, like two weeks after turning my housing situation over to God, two girls that I lived across that hall from me in the dorm building, one being my Bible study leader, asked me to live with them.  This was completely an answer to my prayer!!

They had agreed to live in a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment and they were just trying to find people to live with them.  I was in!  

For the rest of the school year, we tried to find a fourth roommate.  Most people had already made living arrangements.  There were times when we thought we had a fourth roommate.  We eventually found a fourth roommate this summer after posting an ad in the newspaper.

In August we moved in.  I have been wanting to blog some picture since, but just haven't gotten around to it.  The pictures here aren't great, but they are the pictures I have.  I have to say the apartment feels much more like home than I think they pictures show.  I am thankful to God for the girls He chose for me to live with!

Ten, Thirteen, and Fifteen

Each year around Labor Day, we get together with relatives to celebrate any summer birthdays.  It is always a fun reason to get together.  This year we were celebrating Jakob's 15th, Sarah's 13th, and Tilli's 10th, though Peter has a 50th birthday coming soon and Frieda had a birthday not to long ago.

There was lots of delicious food!  We grilled hamburgers and chicken breasts and had all the toppings.  I made homemade potato salad.  There was a kale and beet salad, chips, fresh fruit, veggies, and some appetizers.

To drink there was water, coffee, Izzes, and hibiscus iced tea (which is a new favorite of my mom's and I).

There was present opening.

^^Ann made Jakob's birthday cake request - Sukse Kake, a Norwegian Almond Torte!^^

There was lots of delicious cake!

^^Fifteen^^

^^Thirteen^^

^^Ten^^

^^Patiently waiting for some cake!^^

And, there was lots of time outside - seeing the animals, jumping on the trampoline, guys playing basketball, a 15 year old practicing his driving on the gravel roads, and croquet.

^^Sisters^^

^^Caramel apples to be sent home with everyone.^^

Thanks Chris for helping take pictures!

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