Chipotle Tamale Pie & Leftovers

I forgot to do a post for last night's dinner; so here I am, playing catch up again!

We needed to go grocery shopping so we decided to throw this casserole-of-sorts together and head out to the store after dinner. It was an exciting Saturday night, let me tell you!
Then this morning, we took the boy to the park to feed the ducks and play on the playground. The weather has cooled down some here in AZ, so it was actually pleasant to be outside. There was even a nice breeze! We had lunch at our favorite pizza place and stopped at the mall to get the boy some necessities (i.e. socks, underwear, and the like). All in all, our activities were not that exciting...but it was really nice to spend time together as a family. It won't be too long before our family outings will need to include a lot more planning and lugging a double stroller around everywhere. I am really enjoying this last little bit of time with just my son and husband.

Since we need to reorganize my son's closet to make room for his new purchases, I think we will just have this Tamale Pie again, as dinner leftovers. After all, it's very yummy and there is a lot left to go around. Why cook again if I don't have to????

Here is the recipe link to this dish:

Chipotle Tamale Pie

This dish is pretty filling on it's own, so typically I just serve this meal with a side salad and call it good. This is one of those dinners that is often requested at my house. Put a dollop of low fat sour cream on top and you won't be sorry!

Chipotle Tamale Pie

I had a completely different meal slotted for tonight's dinner. However, when I went to go pull the protein item for the other dish from my freezer, I noticed that I had ground turkey that was on the brink of not being usable. Apparently, there was a mishap with the vacuum seal bag, because this turkey has succumbed to some freezer burn and the bag itself had a lot of air in it. Ugh. All of my other meat stores seemed to be okay, so I am hoping that this is just an isolated incident. Anyway, I need to use this turkey.

This dish is one of our favorites...certainly our favorite ground turkey recipe. I usually always have all the ingredients on hand, so it is pretty fast and cheap to put together. Since there are no surprises, I think I will just post the link to my original recipe. I think we will serve either some steamed green beans or broccoli with this dish...maybe, glazed carrots if I feel like putting forth the effort.


Chipotle Tamale Pie

Hopefully, the turkey will hold up, and this meal will be just as good as it normally is...wish me luck!!!

Chipotle Tamale Pie

I am really tired. Not 'run-around-all-day-chasing-after-the-kid-while-trying-to-do-errands' tired...but sleepy. Not-fully-functioning sleepy. My husband took my son to the in-laws Party Palace this morning, bright and early. Normally, I would be jazzed about having some alone time...but instead I am just sleepy. Messy-haired, cranky, pajama-clad, yawning, eye rubbing, just-out-of-bed, sleepy.
Normally, when I am this sleepy I just push a button on the coffee pot and coffee starts coming out. Then, I stand by the coffee pot in the kitchen until there is enough for me to pour a cup. Then, I drink said coffee until I regain a level of normal human consciousness, while the whole time shuttering with delight. I call that stage, "the golden time".
Hmmmm...I can hear your thoughts....why does she only have to push one little button for delicious, life saving coffee goodness????
Because the husband normally spoils her(which is me) and sets up her (my) coffee before he leaves in the morning, so all she has to do stumble to the kitchen and push a button for fresh-brewed. yummy. liquid pleasure! (My brain is so foggy I am not sure which tense/person I am even writing in...first person??? third person??? future???? present progressive???? past tense???? I don't know anymore).
This system works beautifully because I am usually out of it, and really, super-cranky until I get a cup of coffee in my system. Yes, I know I am lucky to have a husband that makes coffee for me every morning. Yes, I know he is a wonderful person for setting it up so I can push the button to ensure fresh coffee goodness, and not make me drink his leftovers from when he gets up (this means he makes coffee twice a day). He is a prince among men...I know this...that is why I married him. It has been so long since I have personally made my own coffee, I don't know how to do it anymore!!!

So why am I telling you all this?????

Because there is NO coffee.

I woke up to press the button, and the green light did not go on. What????? No green light. I pressed it again. No green light. HUH??????? Perplexing, isn't it???? I thought so. I tried a third time, and realized that he did not make me coffee today. I was actually sad....and a little mad. I am going to have to go it alone today. Sigh. I need to tell my husband how much I appreciate his coffee making. But first I need some coffee....


Okay, the coffee is brewing. Thankfully, the husband came home and saved the day.

Now, you are asking yourself, "What does all this have to do with her food blog?"

Nothing, really. I just wanted to over-share. Don't judge me.

So, I am a little behind with last night's dinner post. We had Chipotle Tamale Pie. Actually, I took Claire and family (who just had her baby; in case you didn't know) some for dinner as well. Don't worry...I made two batches. Sheesh. It was good. Here is the photo. That is all I have to say about that. Now I am caught up...and I can go enjoy my coffee.

Chipotle Tamale Pie

This is one of our favorite recipes. I actually saw this recipe demonstrated, a couple years ago, on a cooking show that I normally do not watch called Simply Delisioso. I go back and forth with my like/dislike for this cooking show. The host, Ingrid Hoffman, seems to be hit or miss with her recipes. Sometimes, her food makes me salivate (a good thing). The other times, her food makes me shake my head (a not-so-good thing). Also, I find her personality and her cleavage a bit annoying. Not Sandra Lee or the Neelys uber-annoying...but annoying, none the less. I have noticed in the more recent episodes she has toned down her "chica, chica, boom, boom" act and her hookeresque wardrobe. The show is now more tolerable, but her food is still unpredictable.

The good news is that this dish was one of the salivate recipes. When we tried it we all loved it. Totally spicy and fabulous. It was so good, it has become a staple in our dinner rotation ever since. It is fairly substantial, so I will probably just serve this with a green salad. Yum. I cannot wait for dinner tonight!!!

Chipotle Tamale Pie

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound, lean ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 chipotle chiles, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, from can chipotle in adobo (use 2 for extra spicy)
1 cup grated Cheddar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

For Topping: (See Jen's Notes)
1 (8.5-ounce) package cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch baking dish with the butter and set it aside.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, the onions, green peppers, and garlic and cook until the turkey is no longer pink and is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat and sprinkle the meat mixture with the cumin.

Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles and adobo sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the cheese and cilantro.

Spread the turkey mixture in the prepared baking dish, pressing down on it with the back of a spoon to make an even, compact layer.

Combine the cornbread mix with milk and egg and make according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spread the cornbread batter over the turkey mixture and bake until the cornbread is golden-brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let the tamale pie stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Jen’s Notes:
I always use 2 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix for the topping. I find that 1 box is never enough. Also, the Jiffy brand is totally cheap and turns out perfectly, every time. It is my favorite!!!!



The Result:
This was better than I remembered it. The husband said that it was "the best I have made it", then accompanied the word "Delicious". Sigh. I could get used to hearing that kind of praise at dinner time. We served it with a simple green salad. If you notice in the photo, the top slid a little, exposing the filling. It was not as pretty as it usually is, but it was still totally yummy!!! Oh, and I forgot to mention...remember to top this baby with sour cream...you will not be sorry.

Limon Chicken

I am compelled to try this recipe, even though there were very mixed reviews on foodnetwork.com. This recipe comes from Ingrid Hoffman, who seems to be either loved or hated...judging by the comments left about her and her show. Now, I have made a couple of her dishes in the past that were really great. I am less confident about this one, since the reviews range from saying that "this dish isn't fit for a dog" to the opposite of "it is the best thing since sliced bread". Nevertheless, I am feeling adventurous and I have everything on hand. Really how bad could it be???? Okay...it could be bad. BUT, it could be good. I am pinning my hopes on the good reviews. The people that liked it, REALLY liked it. Although, they could be paid Food Network marketing employees. If it is terrible I will send the husband out for a $5 pizza.

Based on several reviewer comments I am going to change her original recipe, to what makes sense to me. I think part of the problem that people had with this dish may have been that the recipe was poorly written. Some of the ingredient quantities sound way off to me. I will just tweak the quantities to what I think they should be...and that is what I will post.

Here is a tangent: I think the people who followed the written recipe to the letter, were the ones that were disappointed. Seriously, the original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of oil to saute the chicken. Then, people complain that it was too greasy. Well, duh. Anyone who cooks can see that 1/3 cup of oil would be way to much to saute some chicken breasts. Okay...granted if you don't cook that much, of course you would follow the recipe exactly...I get that...AND the recipe is (like I said before) obviously badly written. But these people start their reviews by saying, "I am an experienced cook...". Uh, no your not. If you were "an experienced cook", you would use common sense. Ugh. My opinion is that a recipe is a guide, not an end-all-be-all rule. Following a recipe should not entail shutting off your brain. If something seems a little iffy, then fix it to how you like it or leave it out or do a substitution. Okay, lecture over. Sheesh.

Sorry, I think I am overly cranky today. If this recipe still stinks after I play with it, then I will have to admit that I am wrong. Hopefully, it will not stink. I will let you know. I think I will serve this with either potatoes or rice, and maybe a spinach salad. Are you excited???? I know I am.


Limon Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil to coat pan and saute chicken
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 pounds yellow onions, halved and sliced
3 tablespoons diced green chiles
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Season both sides of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan, add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
Remove the chicken and add the onions and garlic and cook at medium-low heat until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, stir in the yellow chile and return the chicken to the pan.
Spoon some of the onions over the chicken, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until chile sauce has completely infused the mixture and the chicken is cooked through.
Add the lemon juice and cook another 10 minutes, to allow flavors to meld.