Cinco De Mayo Recipe: Mexican Beef Pie

This easy casserole makes it simple to prepare a great Cinco De Mayo meal without a lot of work. Tasty Mexican ingredients such as corn, tomatoes, cornmeal, and chili powder go great together with the ground beef, and the ease of preparation will make this one a hit for your Cinco De Mayo party! Feel free to add other ingredients if you like, and if you like it spicy, add crushed red pepper, or substitute a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies for the plain tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese if desired before serving.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Mexican Beef Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
12 oz corn
15 oz diced tomatoes (do not drain juice)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
3 cups water
1 cup cornmeal 
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup ripe olives, chopped

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Get out a skillet and sauté ground beef and onion in butter until beef is browned. Add the corn, tomatoes, pepper, salt, and chili powder; set aside.
2. Boil the 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Once it begins to boil, slowly stir in the cornmeal and 1 teaspoon of salt. Turn it down to low heat and stir constantly, cooking, until very thick. Remove from heat and add the beaten egg and olives. 
3. In a 2 quart casserole dish, spread half the cornmeal mixture and top with beef mixture. Use the remaining cornmeal mixture and drop by spoonful on top of the beef mixture layer. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Recipe: Down South Chess Pie

If you've never had a chess pie, you're in for a real treat! As with most delectable desserts, of course it consists mostly of butter and sugar, but once in a while it's okay to indulge. Chess pie is a classic Southern dessert somewhat similar to a pecan pie, but without the pecans. Give it a try sometime for a special occasion, and you won't be disappointed!

Down South Chess Pie

Ingredients:

Chess pie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, beaten lightly
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp plain white cornmeal
1 unbaked pie crust

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set unbaked pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan and crimp edges.
2. In a bowl, mix together butter, both sugars, salt, and vanilla.  In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs, then to the eggs add in the sugar mixture; stir to combine.
3. Add milk and cornmeal to the bowl; stir to combine.
4. Pour this mixture into unbaked pie crust in pie pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn heat down to 300 degrees and continue to bake pie for 40 to 45 more minutes or until pie is golden brown.

Remove and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe - Jalapeno Cornbread (In A Cast Iron Skillet)

Here is one of my favorite cast iron skillet recipes. My mom made this, and this was one of the few spicy foods we would all eat as kids - it was sooo good! I tried making it once years ago, and it didn't turn out very good at all - nothing like what I remembered. But that was before I got my first cast iron skillet.... I made it again this year, and it was amazing!

Hope you enjoy it, and feel free to of course add your own variations!

Jalapeno Cornbread:

Image via WikipediaSift together:
3/4 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

Add to dry ingredients and mix well:
1 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten
2 TB shortening, melted (may also use butter, bacon fat, or chicken fat)
1 small onion, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, minced (remove some of the seeds and veins if you prefer it less spicy)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or mix cheddar and Monterey Jack, or use Colby Jack, or Swiss - feel free to experiment!)

• Pour batter into a well-greased 8-10 inch cast iron skillet. 
• Bake at 400-degrees (F) for 20 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. 
• Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Recipe - Pumpkin Cornmeal Bread

Here is a delicious breakfast idea - great for these cool fall mornings! With the healthy benefits of pumpkin (a super food!), and buttermilk for a moist crumb, plus very little sugar, this tasty bread makes a great breakfast on the go - just make the night before, and eat cold, or grab a slice and warm in the toaster oven before heading out.

Pumpkin Cornmeal Bread

Image via WikipediaIngredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups cornmeal
1 egg, beaten slightly
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp shortening (melted)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray 9 inch cake pan or cast iron skillet with non-stick oil.
2. Put pumpkin and dry ingredients in big bowl and mix until combined.
3. Add beaten egg and buttermilk, stirring to combine.
4. Add melted shortening and stir.
5. Pour into prepared pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until firm in center, and browned around the edges.

 

More Pumpkin Recipes:

• Get Into Fall With These 5 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes (fitsugar.com)
• Fall and Pumpkin bread (aliswonderfullycrazylife.wordpress.com)
• Protein Pumpkin Muffins (runningnthesun.wordpress.com)
• Make This: Pumpkin Pancakes (fitsugar.com)
• 10 Pumpkin Recipes To Try (makingtimeformommy.com)