Recipe: Mexican Lasagna

I'm in a dinner rut. I love cooking from scratch, but I don't have a lot of time or money, so I usually end up making the same things over and over again. I used to turn to Pinterest in times as these, but I've struck out far more times than I've scored, so I've become leery.

But instead of taking someone's word on a recipe for "The Best Mexican Lasagna EVER!!!!" I checked out several, and then came up with something on my own.

Before I go any further, let me assure you that the irony is not lost on me. Here I am bemoaning the poor quality of recipes found on Pinterest while writing up a recipe so that I can share it on Pinterest. I get it. It's either hypocritical, egotistical, or both. Be that as it may, I came up with something we loved, and this is my blog and I'll write what I want. So there.

OK, without further ado:

Another Mormon Mommy's Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1 package taco seasoning (or about 2 Tbs homemade seasoning)
1 can or small jar of red enchilada sauce (or about 1.5-2 cups homemade red sauce)
4 oz. diced green chiles
1 cup salsa
8 oz. diced olives
2 small Roma tomatoes, chopped
About 10 corn tortillas (one small package)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Taco fixings (shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, olives, sour cream, etc.)

Brown the meat; cook with taco seasoning. Drain the grease. Return to the stove on low heat and add green chiles and half of the salsa, olives, and enchilada sauce. Simmer until heated through.

Line the bottom of a greased casserole or baking dish with one layer of corn tortillas. Pour half the meat mixture on top and spread evenly. Top with a layer of cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, meat, and cheese.

Top with one last layer of tortillas, then pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the entire thing. Top with cheese, then bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven and garnish with olives and fresh cilantro for added flavor and texture.

Slice and serve with taco fixings to your liking.

Enjoy!

Makeover #1: Reclaimed wood wall

It has taken me almost a year, but I've actually completed three major(ish) DIY projects that I am stoked about! And when I say "I completed," I mean I coerced my husband into hours of manual labor ... and I love him for it.

I'll post these projects one at a time, beginning with the biggest: a reclaimed wood wall for the master bedroom. The inspiration began with a look at the Gramercy Park Hotel in NYC...

Everything about it is drama and contrast and texture and feeling. I love everything about it, absolutely every last moody, color-saturated inch.

And yet, this was my master bedroom:

Cue the sad trombone, folks; it was, indeed, sad. No drama. No spice. No excitement. 

But alas, I am a poor writer, a work-from-home mama with no budget and no time for the drama of Gramercy Park. 

Until I saw this little gem, from the blog Mom and Her Drill via Pinterest: 

She did it all out of pallets. Pallets! The same material that lies piled outside my husband's work. And so the coaxing began. 

Somehow or other I actually convinced my husband that this was what our bedroom wall needed. And so he dug through the pile of pallet wood, clear to the bottom to find the oldest and most weathered boards, some of which have been there for 12 years. He hauled it all home, pulled out the nails one by one, and set to work.

I give full and complete credit to Aaron for a job well done. He figured out not only how to mount the boards so that they could be easily removed without having to re-sheetrock the whole thing, but he mounted two lights and wired the electrical for these new bedside lamps.

Here's a peek at the work in progress:

And at the end of a long Saturday afternoon, the work was complete:

Yes, my husband is amazing. And so is this wall! I love both so, so much.

The room is nowhere near the splendor of the Gramercy Park Hotel, but I'm working on it. I'm trying out some new pillows...

And I'm working on a little gallery wall going on nearby, not to mention drooling over this fine specimen from White Faux Taxidermy to mount above the bed:

But really, it's hard to get anything done around here when I have this adorable little guy literally getting in the middle of it all:

The frustrations are worth it, though. He's awesome.

UPDATE!!

Fast forward to late 2013, and I finally finished the bedding, and now I have an "after" to be proud of:

(More details on the bed in THIS other post!)

UPDATE #2!!

I've been pining over tufted headboards for ages, and I finally convinced Aaron to help me make one. Now I know why those things cost so much. It was a beast to make! If you buy one, just know that your money is well spent. 

I stopped taking pictures at this point, because the upholstery is where it got hard. It wouldn't have been so difficult, but I just had to have this curvy, corner-y silhouette. It took both of us working together through a lot of trial and error, but we finally got a finished product that we love. 

I was going to do a full post on it, or at least on what not to do to save others from my mistakes, but ain't nobody got time for that. (Seriously, after spending a whole week working on this thing I DON'T have time for that.)

It's up now and I absolutely love it! It was worth all the struggle, and actually, it was a fun project in the end because it really stretched my skills (or lack thereof) and I loved working on it with Aaron. The guy can do anything! 

Here it is in the bedroom. We just need to tweak the placement a bit (you know, once we're not so sore from hauling this gigantic thing upstairs and hoisting it into place) and we are in business!

The only problem now is, the bed is so cozy I just want to lie in it all day. At least it makes for a comfy spot to hang with the kiddles :)  I call that a win-win.