tablecloths and tamales

My husband had a strange craving recently for tamales. Not that tamales are strange but it is rather strange for the man who lives with me to want to eat tamales. This casserole is not tamales, but has the same flavor of tamales and it has cheese. I love cheese. Here's the recipe which is adapted from another recipe from someone else that I cannot remember ... that one had lots of cilantro (which tastes like metal to me) and a rotisserie chicken in it instead of the ground beef. That would not taste like tamales at all.

Tortilla chip casserole

1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 chipotle chile’ from a can
1 pound of ground sirloin
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 cups of shredded Colby Jack cheese
1 cup of sour cream
8 cups of small corn chips - the bite sized ones or break up some big ones

Heat oven to 375. Grease 2-quart casserole dish. Puree tomatoes, onion, garlic, and the chile in the blender until smooth, about 1 minute.

Brown ground beef over medium heat and season with cumin, salt, pepper and thyme, remove and set aside. Add pureed tomato sauce to pan and bring to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add beef back in and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place one third of the chips in prepared dish; top with a third of sauce and meat mixture and a third of the cheese. Repeat with second and third layers ending with cheese. Using your fingers, expose several chips on the top layer so they can crisp in the oven. Bake until bubbly and the cheese begins to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream and guacamole. Makes great leftovers, which I always want on Sundays.

Awhile back, I posted that I was changing a square tablecloth into an oval tablecloth. I live in the middle of nowhere and it has taken me more time than I thought to get to the nearest fabric store (45 minutes away) for the correct color bias tape. The original square tablecloth wasn't really large enough to hem the tablecloth and have a substantial enough drop, so binding tape was a necessity. I am pleased with the results. It is a less than perfect oval and has a shorter than normal drop but considering it was a $60 tablecloth from Williams Sonoma that was probably never going to be used again, I can deal with it being less than perfect. I am very happy to use it again.


I once was square...

but now I'm round! (ish) There is Mr. Huck my precious boy beagle laying on his dog bed in the background. I was going to crop him out but he is too cute to be cropped out!