Fiesta Time

                                It's Thursday and time for a Mexican fiesta 

What started out as a burrito skillet dinner ultimately segued into a Tostada Bowl Dinner.

I ended up making the burrito skillet filling but decided to use these corn bowls I found at the store. The box has four bowls.   

For the photo, I placed all the toppings on the side so you could see the filling better. An optional add-in would be avocado slices. The meal was quite tasty, and I would consider it kid-friendly. You can make the filling early in the day and reheat it later. Watermelon was a refreshing side. The recipe serves four with the filling divided among four bowls.  

Burrit0/Tostado Filling

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything 

You can adjust the heat by adding or subtracting the amount of taco seasoning mix and type of salsa.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3/4 cup diced sweet onions
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix 
• 3/4 cup water
• 1  cup of your favorite chunky salsa 
• 1-1/2 cups pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-1/2 cups Mexi-corn 
• 1 -1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided

Toppings

Shredded romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sour cream, diced avocados, 1/2 cup of cheese 

Directions:

• Brown meat with diced onions. Drain, crumble, and wipe the pan clean of grease. Add water, taco seasoning mix, salsa, beans, and corn to the skillet with the meat.
• On low heat, mix and heat uncovered for 10 minutes. Add in 1 cup of cheese. Heat until cheese melts. 
• Divide the meat mixture among the four bowls.   

Mexican Hot Fudge Pudding Cake adds cinnamon and a touch of Mexican chili powder to enhance the chocolate flavor in this warm, rich dessert. This photo shows the dessert plated for two servings. The recipe was adapted from afamilyfeast.com

Ingredients: 

• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Saigon Cinnamon (or regular cinnamon)
• 1/4 teaspoon Mexican Chili Powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1- 1/4 cups hot water
• Cinnamon Ice cream or vanilla 

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a pot of water on the stove to very hot (just under a simmer 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine ¾ cup of the granulated sugar, flour, ¼ cup of the cocoa, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and chili powder.
• Stir in milk, melted butter, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
• Pour the batter into an ungreased 2-quart dish (as shown in photo) or a 9-inch square baking pan and spread evenly.
• In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, remaining ¼ cup cocoa, and brown sugar, and mix well. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter in your dish or pan. Pour the hot water over the top – but do not stir!
• Bake 35-40 minutes if using a 2-quart dish (or 30-35 minutes if using the 9×9 pan) as shown in the photo or until the center is almost set. Remove the dish from the oven and let it stand for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, spoon the cake into individual serving bowls – making sure to spoon the fudgy sauce from the bottom of the pan over the top of the cake. Add a scoop of ice cream if desired and serve immediately.
  

1. An Added Note
2. Although regular cinnamon may be substituted for the Saigon Cinnamon listed in  the recipe ingredients, try, if possible, to use Mexican Chili Powder if you can. Mexican Chili Powder (found at a local supermarket) has a sweeter, mellower spice than the regular chili powder usually found in your spice cabinet and is best suited for this recipe. If not available, use regular chili powder.