A long time ago, our city press (The Grand Rapids Press)put on a city wide cooking contest called the Grand Cook-off. You had to enter a recipe by category, of which there was about six...I got picked from a thousand entries to compete in main dish category! I had entered a casserole, Tex-Mex in flavor, and it had to be prepared on site in a certified commercial kitchen, with a 1 hour time limit. It was a simple, straight-forward recipe, and the time constraints were of no concern to me. 10 people in my category..3 people who copied a recipe out of Bon Appetite magazine, but had obviously never made it..3 more, who were bushas(grammas) who were good cooks(in their own kitchens!) and about four of us that had a clue! I took a third with this simple dish, and won a knife and fork set, along with a cooking class on pizza put on by a local chef!
1. 1lb. seasoned (Mexican flavors) and browned ground beef
2. 8oz of favorite salsa
3. four flour tortillas torn into quarters
4. 1 medium onion
5. 6 oz of sour cream, or Ricotta
6. 2 eggs
7. 12 oz cheese- 6oz Monterey Jack, 6oz Colby- in srips
Place layer of browned ground beef with minced onion in baking dish
cover with layer of tortillas.
Place sour cream and whipped egg on tortilla layer, with more ground beef
Repeat layer, topping with white and yellow cheese,in alternate strips
Heat and bake for 30 minutes..it ain't too bad!
30 comments:
Love fusion food!
Congrats on 3rd place! Your prizes sound very nice.
This sounds good.
Thanks again!
Michele- This stuff is just Tex-Mex casserole, but in Michigan- they attacked it!
Momster- I know the audience around here! If it tastes good, they are with you!
This sounds great! I am going to try this one for sure.
That sounds delicious!!!! Congrats on winning a prize for it!
I'm assuming bushas is short for babushkas... worn by female geezers.
Interesting group in the competition. Remind me never to wear my old babushka in a cooking contest.
very nice...congrats on the award! might just have to give this prize winner a try...
I love these kind of casseroles. Way to go on third place!
Christie- simple, flexible, and good!
BlueV- It was a while ago, but made the local press..
Barb- Right on! Busha is an endearing form of Gramma on the Polish west side of Grand Rapids..
Brian- You can make this with your eyes closed...
Pam- I took third the following year also... my Wicked White Chili!
That rocks! 3rd place is great even if it happened awhile ago. You also made the local press even better!
It might be an oldie, but still sounds like a goody to me.
Did you have fun laughing at the 3 people who submitted someone else's work?
Oh Yeah my kind of meal! I had an idea for a Tex-Italian dish I am doing for a wine tasting, and hoping it works... You get a mention in my next post, not sure when it will go up though...not feeling well...
This sounds like a fun recipe - possible use for leftover taco meat besides nachos. Cool that you won third prize!
I'm a busha - but I still like to read what serious cooks do. :)
pretty neat idea - sounds like enchilada but heck why not call it a lasagna - I think there is something like this in every culture Pastitsio in Greece there is also Eggplant Moussaka if I tried I bet I could come up with a couple more .... congrats on pulling out a "show" good job!
I also make a mexican lasagna. And I add beans and corn to it. This sounds very simple and good.
It sounds different and tasty!
3rd place is good, and a pizza tutorial is a great prize!
Velva- they published all the people who placed in a special sectional insert in the press- with their photo and their recipe!
Chris- To watch them run back and forth reading the next step, was highly entertaining!
ChefE- Hope you feel better soon..
Vickie- In competitions, you can't putter at you own pace! Those gammas could cook, but never had real time deadlines in their life..
DogB- It used the culinary arts kitchen at the local community college...really nice!
Kate- I had to look up my own recipe from a newspaper clipping!
Ake- Can be made ahead !
Marjie- The following year I took third again, and got another class to take! Pizza class was really fun- a dozen people all making a different pizza- Instructor liked mine best! I got a signed copy of his winery cookbook...
Very straighforward dish with all the right flavors. Congrats on placing. I've never entered a cooking competition in my life.
Must have been a hoot watching the people who cooked from Bon Apetit!
Damn, just realise I missed some of your recipes! I need to try this one on the italian folk, they love spice!!!
Katherine- The media interviews were funnier! Here you are in a timed contest, and this news lady type is shoving a mike in your face while you're trying to cook! I have a copy of it, and I come across as a rumpled professor- complete with misquotes!
Ruth- Simple stuff- easy to make!
That sounds really good! I've got an enchilada lasagna, so this is right up my alley!
BlondeD- I had some flour tortillas getting a little stiff, and knew the liquid in this would work fine with them!
Tex-Mex has my heart. This sounds crazy good.
All the favorite flavors, only not as messy as some!
Mmmm, sounds delicious!
Marty- Does anyone call you that? It's easy and quick!
Tex-Mex lan...? Damn, Buff! I am packing my $h!+ and moving to your neighborhood!
How cool. I love creating recipes! I have one (mine, mine, mine) for artichoke spinach dip that is always a favorite.
Post a Comment