Hotdogs and Cornbread

   Monday was my little man's fourth birthday. Like many people, we let our children pick what they want for dinner on their birthday. Now keep in mind, my now four year old is the pickiest eater out of all three kids. We asked him what he wanted and he said hotdogs in cornbread.

   I wasn't too excited since we had just had it for dinner and I'm not a hotdog fan. I wasn't able to talk him out of it, so that's what I made. At least it was quick and I knew we wouldn't have the fight we have many nights about him eating what is given to him.

   It's rather easy to make. All you need is some cornbread mix and hot dogs.

   Mix your cornbread according to the directions on the box. If you are making it from scratch, make it how you normally would.

   Slice up your hotdogs however you need to according to how old your kids are. Remember, hotdogs can be a choking hazard.

   Mix the hotdogs into your cornbread mix. You only need to mix it enough to get the hotdogs covered in the mix.

   Pour it into a prepared pan and cook according to the cornbread directions. You could also make it in a muffin pan for easier serving.

   You now have some cornbread with hotdogs in it. If your picky eater is anything like mine, they won't be going to bed hungry!

   This meal is super cheap. You can get the ingredients for about three dollars. The kids all love it, especially if you give them a little ketchup. It tastes pretty close to a corn dog but it's cheaper. It's ready in about half an hour and, if you are shopping on a budget, this is a great meal!

Enchilada Casserole

   The other night I made a family favorite. I've had a couple people ask for the recipe, so here it is!

   Keep in mind, I always make a lot of food. I never know how much my growing  boys will eat, and I like left overs for lunch. I don't really have exact measurements and you can change the amounts to how much your family will eat.

   I like putting tortillas, meat, rice, corn, refried beans and cheese in my casserole. Here's how I do it.

   I start the rice first since it takes the longest. I used 4 cups water, 2 cups of rice. I add chicken tomato bullion (1 tsp per cup of water) instead of salt and I add a little garlic. I think this gives the rice a nice flavor.

   Next I cook the meat. I usually use hamburger but you can use what you like. This time I used a pound of hamburger, half of an onion, a can of green chilies, pepper, season salt, and cumin. I don't measure any of it. Just add however much you like. Cook it all together and drain it if needed.

 

   Warm up the refried beans if you are using them. It makes it a lot easier to spread. Plus this way it doesn't take as long to warm it all up at the end. I used a big can of refried beans, it was 31oz.

   Cook/warm up the corn. I used a pound of frozen corn.

   Get your tortillas and cut them into squares. I'm sure you can do strips or just cut them to fit in the pan. I like squares because it's easier to scoop it out.

   Take your casserole dish and pour in just enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom. I had a 21oz can of green sauce.

   Lay out the tortillas to cover the bottom.

   Spread out the meat over the tortillas

 

   Carefully add the beans. They will stick to the spoon and take the meat with it.

   Spread out the rice.

 

   Spread the corn.

   Add another layer of tortilla

   Pour the rest of the sauce carefully over the top

   Sprinkle cheese on top.

   Put in a 350* oven. Since everything is already cooked, you are mostly just heating it through and melting the cheese. I believe it took about 20-30 minutes since it was a lot of food. Once it's heated through, take it out of the oven and enjoy! You can top with sour cream, salsa or whatever you like on your enchiladas.

   This is one of the few meals that everyone (besides my picky 3 year old that reminds me every night that he "hates dinner" and doesn't want it) will eat a lot of. Most things there is someone that doesn't like it. I know when I make this, I won't be hearing complaints about not wanting it for dinner. They also like helping me make it. They lay out the tortillas while I'm cooking everything up. They enjoy helping out in the kitchen and dinner time is a great time to teach them how to cook.

   I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! What is your family favorite?