Mexican Lasagna

I made this meal the Friday after Thanksgiving, but I was too busy chasing kiddos (my niece and cousin and cousins-in-law. Not mine. Good Lord, not mine.) to write about it. So I'm writing about it now, instead of doing my homework. I blame Iowa State for my current lack of scholarly enthusiasm. They really shouldn't put a whole week break into the schedule three weeks before finals. They should just start classes earlier and then end at Thanksgiving. That's what I would do if I was the Dean...How am I not in charge of anything? I have so many great ideas.

Meanwhile, back on the topic. Friday my mother- and sister-in-law apparently took a vote that I wasn't invited to and voted for me to be in charge of dinner for everyone.
That's fine. I picked the easiest thing on earth, because I was still in quite the food coma.

I don't know if I have mentioned this on here, but I love Mexican food. American Mexican. Not the authentic kind from Mexico. The kind you get when you mix taco seasoning, hamburger, cheese, and tortillas in any kind of order. And salsa. And guac. And whatever else you like in your Mexican food.

The order that I chose this time was the order that makes it Mexican Lasagna. It's like a taco and lasagna put together. With beef and cheese and onion and cheese and beans and corn and more cheese and CHEESE.
Did I mention it has cheese?
Mmmmm....cheese.
All that stuff in layers separated by flour tortillas.
Yes, ma'am.

I had to make two separate lasagnas - one for the ladies and one for the menfolk. That is what is so great about this "recipe." It's more of a concept than a recipe. You can use whatever you like and leave out whatever you don't like. It's flexible. And tasty. And you'll think so too, because you only use the ingredients you want.

For the men, it was just layers of meat, cheese, and tortillas.
The ladies version also featured black beans and corn. And more cheese.

My wonderful sister-in-law made fresh guac, so I had a heaping helping of that and even put some on top of my lasagna.

I topped my helping(s) with guac, sour cream, more cheese, lettuce, and tomato. It was divine.
I want more now.



Oh, look! A recipe! 

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
8 ounces cheese, shredded - cheddar, American, nacho, pepper jack, Monterey, etc
Salsa or Enchilada sauce
8 - 8 inch flour tortillas

Optional Vegetables
Green peppers
Tomato
Onion
Black beans
Corn
Anything you would like in a taco

Optional Toppings
Guacamole
Vegetables (see above)
Lettuce
Sour cream
Salsa
Cilantro
More cheese


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Brown ground beef in a large skillet.
3. Drain ground beef.
4. Add taco seasoning to ground beef. Mix well. Set aside, but keep it warm.
5. Prepared vegetables (optional) by cutting into 1/2 inch cubes.
6. Shred cheese.
7. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa or enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, making sure that entire surface is covered.
8. Place two tortillas in the bottom of the pan, cover as much surface as possible with as little overlap as possible. Cut to fit if desired, but if it curves up the side of the pan a little, that's ok.
9. Layer in 1/3 of meat, vegetables, and 1/4 of cheese
10. Repeat layer 3 times, ending with another layer of tortilla (tortilla, filling, tortilla, filling, tortilla, filling, tortilla).
11. Cover surface of top tortillas with 1/4 cup of salsa or enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.
12. Bake until cheese has melted through, about 15 minutes.
13. Top as desired.

Devour.
Fall in love.
Devour more.

Biscoff Pumpkin Cheesecake

For those of you keeping track at home (which is probably no one, and I don't blame you), this post is a day late. I had full intentions of having it up yesterday, but then I found out I didn't have to work today. I did  a  little happy dance, then immediately began packing up to head home and making the 3 1/2 hour drive to Van Buren County. So that is what I was doing instead of making cheesecake and writing this.

If your family is like mine, you probably know exactly who is going to bring what to Thanksgiving dinner, because it is the same thing they bring every year. Everyone in my family has their one favorite dish that another family member makes. For me, it is my Aunt Stacey's taco dip. It's hot. It's cheesy. It's just a little spicy. Yum.

For my sister, it's Uncle Danny's chocolate layer pie. It's got a layer of chocolate pudding, a layer of chocolate pudding with whip cream folded in, and is topped with whip cream. I kid you not, that 80 pound girl can eat an entire one by herself. It's incredible.

But for my Uncle Danny, it's not Thanksgiving without my pumpkin cheesecake. I started making it a few years ago, and since that fateful Thanksgiving day it's an unwritten rule that I will bring the pumpkin cheesecake to every holiday. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't let me in the door without it.

Sorry I don't have any pictures for this one, I only make it for the holidays and I haven't made it yet this year. You're just going to have to use your imagination.

Now usually I make this in a graham cracker crust. This year I am going to make the crust from Biscoff cookies.
Have you tried these? They are so good. They also make this great Biscoff spread. It's delicious. You could sandwich that between tire rubber and it'd taste good.
I'm going to post this Biscoff crust recipe with the warning that I haven't tried this yet. I am substituting it, one for one, into my graham cracker crust recipe. I'll post back tomorrow if it needs to be corrected. Or if you try it, let me know how it goes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Biscoff Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust: 

2 cups crushed Biscoff cookies
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup brown sugar

1 can pumpkin puree
3 eggs

1/4 cup hazelnut coffee creamer, liquid or dry (I prefer liquid)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pumpkin spice


Directions:
Crust: 
Preheat oven to 375F.
Crush Biscoff cookies in a food processor. Add sugar and cinnamon; pulse to combine. Add melted butter until you have a moist "dough." Press into a pie pan and bake 10 minutes.

Filling:
Preheat oven to 375F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, mix cream cheese and brown sugar. Mix in pumpkin puree and eggs, one at a time. In a seperate bowl, combine cream, coffee creamer, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly add cream mix, and blend until smooth.
Pour into pre-baked pie crust. Bake 45 minutes, until center is set. Cool to room temperature before cutting.


UPDATE! Here's a picture of the cheesecakes this year. I made them at my in-laws, and, since I don't carry my homemade pumpkin spice blend in my purse (yet), I had to do a little improve.
I used pumpkin spice coffee creamer and nixed the hazelnut and other spices.
Still delicious.
And, bonus! I found a new favorite coffee creamer.
Until I start buying Christmas flavors. White chocolate peppermint? Yes, please.
Anyway, I was in kind of a rush to make these, so I only have a final product picture.

Candied Sweet Potato Pull Apart Bread

My life has been swallowed up whole by Pinterest - wardrobe, decor, and menu. I have chalkboard-painted cookie sheets in my kitchen. I have multiple "upcycled," old-shirt scarves. I have a stash of mason jars awaiting their calling in life.

Something about being on there, it just sucks you in and makes you feel a lot more crafty and creative than you really are. And yeah, 98% of my Pinterest projects end with "it looked better on Pinterest." But it's just so dang addicting.

Anyway...

Lately it seems that I cannot get on the internet, let alone Pinterest, without seeing pull-apart bread. So, I made my own. The idea of this recipe was to incorporate the flavors of one of my favorite Thanksgiving foods - candied sweet potatoes.

It was my first time making bread like this and I made a couple mistakes along the way, so I"ll point those out to you as we go.

Shall we?

(Not pictured, all ingredients, because I may have been making this up as I went along.) 

My base dough for this was 1/2 the recipe for Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Roll dough. I love her recipe for cinnamon rolls. I've made them several times and they always turn out great. 

Start by heating the milk, oil, and sugar over medium heat, until almost boiling. You don't want this to boil. Then, take them off the heat and let the milk cool to....warm. It can't be scalding hot, but you don't want it to be luke warm or cold either. It needs to be warm, like a nice bath. Does that explain it?
I hope so. 

While the milk mixture is cooling, cut the sweet potatoes into about 1 inch cubes. Toss them, just to coat, in vegetable oil and spread them out on a baking sheet. Then, roast them at 400F until they were fork tender and a brown around the edges, about an hour. 

Once the milk has cooled, add one package of active dry yeast. If you buy it in the 4 oz containers like this one, that's 2 1/4 teaspoon - thank you, Google. But first, measure it into a cute bowl that doesn't really serve a purpose other than being cute and holding things that are already measured. But it's so cute! And bendy! And fun! 

 Sprinkle the yeast over the now-warm milk mixture. 

It should get bubbly like this one did. That means your yeast are enjoying their bath. 

 Add 4 cups of flour. It will be a hot (warm) sticky mess, but that's okay. Just cover it with a towel and let it rise for  about an hour.
I hope it's easier for you to find a clean towel than it was for me. When a trip home is coming up, I tend to put laundry off as long as possible. Actually I do that all the time, but my trip home was coming up this time, so I had an excuse. 

Your sweet potatoes should probably be done roasting by this point. If you haven't checked them, now is the time.
If they are nice and tender, go ahead and mash those up. I used a hand mixer, but you could use a potato masher, or your hands, or find a strong man to do it for you. That's what a lady from work would suggest - find a strong man to do any moderately physically demanding task. My friend Emma (Check out her blog. She's really super cool and makes beautiful, delicious things in a kitchen.) would do it herself though. And so did I. And so can you!

 When your dough is done rising, you are going to add another 1/2 cup of flour, 1 scant teaspoon baking powder, a heaping 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes. Go ahead and measure those out now. Use your cute bowls again! 

My cup of sweet potato is a little scant. I may have had some for lunch.

This is what your dough will look like when it's done rising. About twice its original size and still kind of a hot sticky mess. 

Add your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and mashed sweet potatoes. Mix it thoroughly. You could do this in a mixer, but I just used my hands. I recommend using your hands. I really like to use my hands rather than a utensil as often as possible. It reminds me of when I was just a little foodie and my mom let me mix meatloaf with my hands. 

 When you've got it all mixed up, flour your counter and roll it all out to about 1/2 inch with a rolling pin, or find a strong man to do that for you too. Now, here's where I made the biggest mistake. I didn't add any butter. Butter is always the right choice, but I didn't have any so I skipped it. The bread still tasted great, but my layers wouldn't peel apart.
So now, melt 1 cup of butter and pour it over the whole thing. Make sure you cover every bit of surface. 

Sprinkle it heavily with 1 cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon allspice. Just when you think you have enough, add a little more.
Then cut it into strips. I used a pizza cutter and it made it super fast and easy. 

If you have a loaf pan, now is the time to get that out. I don't, so I used my 8x8 baking dish. It would have been better in a loaf pan, but I am too cheap to buy things and just make due with what I have. 

Whatever you are using, you want your dough strips to be about 3/4 as tall as your dish, so when they rise they don't get too big for their britches. Don't stuff your dish completely full of these. They will need a little breathing room. I left about an inch for them to grow and it worked out perfectly. 

At this point, you could cover it and keep it for one or two days in the fridge. Or you could make it now. That's what I did. 

Bake in a 375F oven for 30 minutes. This won't quite cook it all the way, but that's what we want. 

While the bread is in the oven, make the marshmallow glaze. Melt 1 stick of butter, 1/2 a bag of mini marshmallows, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla over medium-low heat. Stir it continuously, so everything melts quickly and evenly, and because I am a compulsive stirrer. This will turn into a golden, butter-colored, lava-hot syrup. Keep it warm, over low heat until the bread comes out of the oven. 

After 30 minutes, take your bread out of the oven. It should be really, really close to being done. Carefully, pour your marshmallow glaze over the top. Make sure you get the whole thing covered, top and sides, edges, peaks and valleys. Every bit of it. Especially around the sides, so it sinks in and coats the whole thing. I put some marshmallows on top too, so I could get that toasted marshmallow taste with the marshmallow glaze. If you have any pecans or walnuts hanging around, now it the time to add those too. 

Put it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes, until the bread is completely cooked.  

Try to refrain from eating it before it cools at least a little. It is covered in molten sugar glaze, which is as dangerous as it is delicious.
I definitely waited until it was completely cool before I started eating it with my bare hands. Not even a taste, because I am Mrs. Foodie Willpower. A model in self-control and self-discipline. That's me. 

See all that deliciousness bubbling up? That's why you want to make sure you cover the entire perimeter. That's also why you don't want to dive into this straight out of the oven.  

If you haven't made a side to take to your Thanksgiving festivities, this a great choice. It is delicious hot or at room temperature. And you can make the dough a day ahead of time then just have to bake it and glaze it the day of. 

Ingredients:
For Sweet Potato Pull-Apart Bread
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for tossing sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour, divided
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon allspice
1 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)

For Marshmallow Glaze
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1/2 bag mini marshmallows
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400F.
Cut sweet potato into 1'' cubes. Toss in vegetable oil. Roast until fork-tender and golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, mash and let cool.
Set oven to 375F.
While sweet potatoes are roasting, heat milk, oil, and sugar until almost (but not) boiling. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, to warm.
When milk is warm, not hot, add yeast. Stir until all yeast is wet. Let sit 1-2 minutes.
Add 4 cups of flour and mix completely. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 hour.
Add last 1/2 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sweet potato. Mix completely using a stand mixer with bread hook or by kneading by hand.
Roll to 1/2 inch on a lightly floured surface. Cover with melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice.
Cut into strips, 3/4 the height and width of loaf pan.
Place strips in greased loaf pan (see above photo). Bake 30 minutes.
For marshmallow glaze - melt 2 sticks of butter, mini marshmallows, and vanilla in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously. Keep warm over low heat until bread is done.
Carefully pour marshmallow glaze over entire surface of bread, making sure to get all the way around the edge. Top with mini marshmallows, pecans, or walnuts (optional).
Bake 5-10 minutes longer, until marshmallows are toasted and bread is done.

Life-Changing Coffee Tip

I just wanted to quickly post a little foodie tip that I got from a friend that has rocked my coffee world.
I've made no effort to hide that fact that I live a caffeine-fueled life. As I speak, err type, I am holding my 2nd cup of the day.
And by cup I mean pot.
So if something changes my coffee world, you can take that coffee to the bank. You can take it anywhere, really. Actually I'd recommend not leaving home without it.
So here it is -
Sprinkle a teaspoon to a tablespoon (depending on how strong you want it and how big your coffee pot is) of ground cinnamon over coffee grounds before you brew them. Then brew coffee as normal.
Holy yum. The brewing process really brings out the cinnamon flavor and it's a great complement to a mild coffee, because it's not coyingly sweet or overpowering. 
Make sure you give it a little try before you add cream or sugar. Usually my coffee is about 25% cream and sugar, but since I started this I've just been adding a couple tablespoons of milk and no sugar.
I should probably thank that friend for the tip...
Thanks, Bay!
...I don't think she heard me....
Well, I hope you like it!

Apple Cake

Apples and I have a love hate relationship. I love them, but they do not love me back. I can't get enough of that fresh flavor of a Honeycrisp or Gala, but the acidy tartness sends shivers through my teeth, so it's hard for me to eat them raw. It's a truly heartbreaking scenario, I know. The real problem is that they always look so good in the store, all snuggled in their apple crates, just begging me to buy them. And, like a fool, I buy them every time. This weekend I found myself with 3 bags of apples just hanging around! There were apple treats galore in the foodie household: baked apples, Roasted Acorn Squash and Apples, and Layered Apple Cake. 

To make the cake I just used a standard yellow cake recipe, like this one from Smitten Kitchen. It would also be really delightful with a spice cake, then you could probably nix the spices on the apples. Maybe cover them in caramel sauce instead. Or throw on some rum-soaked raisins? Yes, please. 

What was I saying? 

Oh, right. Start with a yellow cake batter. Once you have that prepared, cover and refrigerate it while you ready the other ingredients. 

Take about 5 or 6 apples, any kind you want or have lying around. Peel 'em and slice 'em into nice, thin wedges (about 1/4-1/8 inch). If you have a mandolin slicer, now is the time to get that out. I don't, so I sliced them by hand like a pilgrim. Set those aside too. They'll probably turn a little brown while you are not looking. Don't worry about it. A little enzymatic browning never hurt anyone. 

Mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and brown sugar. What the heck, melt some butter and throw that in there too. I mean, you already put a cup in the cake, no need to skimp now. 

Now grease a 9"x13" cake pan. Pour in half of your yellow cake batter. Layer on half of your apple slices, about 2 slices thick. Drizzle half of your melted butter/spice/delicious mixture over the top. 

Top that with the other half of the batter, then your apples, then the rest of your butter mixture. 

Bake it for about an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. 

You could drizzle on some caramel sauce or dust it with powdered sugar or both, if you have those kinds of things lying around. 

Stand in awe of your culinary prowess. You just made a layer cake.

You are awesome. 

(Side note: You can see in this picture that I didn't put enough apples in the layers, so I have modified this recipe from the version I did to save you from a similar fate. You are so welcome.)

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

Prepared yellow cake batter for one 9"x13" cake

5-6 apples, any variety

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Suggested Toppings: 

Caramel Sauce

Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Clean, peel, and slice apples into thin wedges, about 1/4-1/8" thick. 

3. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and brown sugar. 

4. Melt butter and add it to spice/sugar blend. Mix well. 

5. Pour half of the cake batter in a greased 9"x13" pan. Layer half of the apple slices about 2 slices thick, to cover the entire surface of the cake batter. Drizzle half of the butter mixture evenly over the apples. 

6. Pour on remaining half  of cake batter, top with another layer of apples and a drizzle of butter mixture. 

7. Bake 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Top as desired. 

Roasted Acorn Squash and Apples

I had a serious case of foodie fever this weekend. Probably because there were so many other things I should have been doing, but a girl's got to eat. I made apple cake, cayenne honey glazed pork loin, two-tone mashed potatoes, and this, the epitome of delicious fall foods, baked acorn squash with apples. Holy yum. Everything about this dish is so fall I want to put a scarf on it and throw it in a pile of leaves (but I won't).

Not Pictured: Vegetable Oil, because I forgot about him. Oops

Start by cutting your acorn squash in half. This is really hard, so a really sharp knife is helpful. I didn't have one, so I just hacked at this until it felt sorry for me and broke in half. 

Scoop out all the seed and ligaments and whatever else is in there. 

Much better. 

Now cut it into wedges and throw them, skin side down, into a baking dish you have had for 100 years and never used.

Isn't it precious?

Now toss them in vegetable oil and put them in the oven while you prep the rest, about 15 minutes.

While the squash is in the oven, core your apples and cut them into wedges. Don't be fooled by the knife sitting there looking like I did these beautiful wedges by hand. There is an apple slicer just out of the camera's view.

Now, combine the butter and brown sugar. I originally started with less butter and sugar, then realized I was kidding myself and added more butter and sugar. It's fall, no need to try to lighten things up now. Leave that for spring.

'Tis the season for hearty foods.

Much better. Now toss in some cinnamon and ginger and mix it some more.

Take the squash out of the oven and bring the apples to the party.

Now just cover everything in butter. Don't be afraid. You've made it this far; it's too late to turn back now.

Put it back in the oven and let it cook until it's fork-tender and your apartment smells like heaven, about 20-25 minutes.

Shamelessly eat it straight out of the pan.

You can tell yourself you are checking for doneness, if that makes you feel better about it.

Roasted Acorn Squash and Apples

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

2 apples

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 c butter

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cut acorn squash in half and remove the seeds. Toss in vegetable oil in an 8x8 baking dish. Place in oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, core and slice apples into wedges. Set aside.

Combine butter and brown sugar, until thoroughly mixed. Add cinnamon and ginger to butter/sugar mixture. Mix well.

Remove squash from oven. Add apples. Coat apples and squash with butter/sugar mixture.

Return to oven. Bake until fork tender, 20-25 minutes.