John Wayne Casserole Source: Adapted from Mississippi Magazine
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
1 (1.25-ounce) packet taco seasoning
4 ounces sour cream
4 ounces mayonnaise
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 cups biscuit mix 2 tomatoes, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 (4-ounce) can sliced jalapeno peppers
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325. Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning and water, according to packet instructions; set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, 4 ounces of cheddar cheese, and half of the onions; set aside.
3. Stir biscuit mix and water (directions on box) [MamaChallenge Tip: This is about one cup. I couldn't find any directions on my box of biscuit mix!] to form soft dough. Pat dough on the bottom and one-half-inch up the sides of an 9 x 13 in. greased casserole dish.
4. Saute remaining onions and bell peppers until slightly tender.
5. On top of biscuit mix, evenly distribute ingredients in the following order: ground beef, tomato slices, green peppers, onions, jalapeno peppers, sour cream mixture and end with remaining shredded cheese.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until edges of dough are lightly browned.
Texas Corn Nuggets
Ingredients:
1 (11 ounce) can creamed corn
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the creamed corn and drained whole kernel corn. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. [Mama Challenge Tip: Add about 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs to make the batter less runny.]
2. Drop spoonfuls of the corn mixture onto the sheet, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours. [Mama Challenge Tip: Don't use a cookie sheet, use a mini-muffin tin. Otherwise the batter will become a big sheet of corn instead of nuggets.]
3. Heat one inch of oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a large deep skillet, or fill a deep-fryer with oil as directed by the manufacturer.
4. Mix together the cornmeal, flour, egg white, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. [Mama Challenge Tip: Mix the cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper in one bowl to make a dry bath. In another bowl mix the egg white and milk together for a wet bath. Then dip the frozen nuggest in the dry bath, the wet bath and then the dry bath again.] Dip frozen corn nuggets in the batter, and quickly fry in hot oil until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain.
Serve with a chipotle ranch dressing like this recipe or pick up one at the store! Texas Caviar
Ingredients:
two cans of black beans, rinsed
one can of corn, drained
eight smaller roma tomatoes
half of one onion
half of a pepper
half cup of sour cream
fourth of a cup of mayo
two tablespoons of red wine vinegar
one teaspoon of cumin
one teaspoon of chili powder
half a teaspoon of salt
fourth teaspoon of garlic
black pepper to taste
hot sauce/jalepeño (optional)
Directions:
1. Chop the onions, peppers and tomatoes in tiny pieces. (think: the same size as the corn and beans.)
mix all the vegetables, beans and corn and place in the fridge.
2. In another bowl mix sour cream, mayo, vinegar, seasonings, and hot sauce until smooth and blended. get the salsa out of the fridge and add the sauce.
3. Stir until it's all blended.
4. Serve with tortilla chips or other munchies and enjoy!
