Tamale Pie

This is adapted from a Pampered Chef recipe.  I made it last week and it went over well, and it was super-easy to do with ground turkey that I had cooked and frozen previously.  This could also be done with canned or homemade leftover chili.   

Tamale Pie

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey, cooked (about 2 1/2 - 3 cups)
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. salt
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained, optional
1 c. frozen (or canned) corn, optional
1 package of Jiffy corn bread mix, plus the egg and milk that it requires
cheddar cheese to taste (mix into bread mix)
olives, sour cream, taco sauce, all optional
Preheat the oven to 375.  Cook the turkey, if not already prepared.  Add to skillet, along with spices and salsa, beans, corn.  Stir together and warm.  While the meat is warming up, prepare the corn bread as directed on the box.  Stir in the cheddar cheese.  Transfer the meat mixture to a sprayed 9x13 pan, and then top with cheesy corn bread mix.  Spread the corn bread evenly over the top, and bake until lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Let stand for a couple of minutes before serving, and enjoy!

Granola

My wonderful neighbor made a batch of this granola, and I don't think I will buy pre-made granola ever again.  This is so easy and so delicious, and it doesn't have any of the preservatives or mystery ingredients in the commercial stuff.  She made hers plain, but you could add dried fruit, nuts, chocolate or whatever else.

Granola

1/2 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 C. Honey
4 C. Oats (Regular, not quick)
1 T. Vanilla (or a touch more)
1 T. Cinnamon (or a touch less)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and spray cookie sheet.  Mix all ingredients and spread out on a single layer on cookie sheet.  Cook for a total of 30 minutes, but VERY IMPORTANT, flip the granola around with a spatula every 10 minutes of cooking.  The edges will start to cook first, so move them to the middle, etc.  The granola she made was very fine and perfect for mixing in to greek yogurt but if you want it more clumpy, then drizzle some honey and stir it a little in the middle of cooking.  Yum.