Taco Lasagna

-2 lbs. ground beef
-2 pkg. taco seasoning mix
-4 cloves pressed garlic
-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
-1 and 1/2 cups water
-1 tbsp. cornmeal
-2 pkg. corn tortillas (10-12 each)
-1 (24 oz.) jar salsa
-16 oz. sour cream mixed with 1 tbsp. chili powder
-3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In large saucepan, cook beef until brown and drain well. Add taco seasoning, garlic, cayenne pepper, and water. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Set aside. Sprinkle cornmeal in bottom of 9x13 pan. Place 6 tortillas in bottom of pan, overlapping and extending up edges slightly.

Layer in the following order:
-1 cup salsa
-1/2 meat mixture
-1 cup sour cream mixture
-2 cups combined cheeses
Repeat, starting again with 6 tortillas, salsa, meat, sour cream, and 2 cups of cheese. Place 6 tortillas and remaining salsa on top.

Cooking instructions: Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

**When I make this for my family, the 9x13 is nearly overflowing, so I gave each family 1/2 a recipe.

**I omitted the cayenne pepper.

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

I found this fabulous recipe at simply recipes and couldn't wait to try it! I thought it would be a great way to have a grill ready meal from the freezer with a change from the run-of-the mill fare (hot dogs and burgers, at our place!). Enjoy!

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Marinade Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Other ingredients
2 pounds flank steak
Spice Bag: Kosher salt and Freshly ground pepper

Cooking Day Directions:

1. Thaw the flank steak completely. Set aside spice bag for step 3.
2. Using olive oil soaked onto a paper towel, coat the grill rack of your grill with olive oil. Preheat the grill with high, direct heat. The grill is hot enough when you hold your hand about an inch over it and you can only hold it there for about a second.
3. Take the steak out of the marinade bag and sprinkle generously on all sides with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. The salt and pepper will help form a savory crust on the steak. Place steak on the hot grill. If you are using a gas grill, cover the grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. Half way through grilling on each side, turn the steak 90° so that you get more grill marks. How do you know if the steak is done? The best way to tell is to poke it with your finger tips. While the steak is still raw, test it with your fingers; it will be quite squishy. That's what a very rare steak feels like. As the steak cooks the muscles contract and firm up. Touch the tip of your nose and that's what a very well done steak feels like. Here's a visual guide from Men's Health magazine.
4. Flank steak is best eaten medium rare; well done will make it too tough. When the steak has cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil to hold in the heat and to keep the steak from drying out, and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Make very thin slices, against the grain, and at a slight diagonal so that the slices are wide.

If you want, you can take the excess marinade and bring it to a boil, simmer for several minutes, and serve with the flank steak.

Serves 6.

April Swap Details

Our April swap will be held on April 8th at 10:00 a.m. at Josie's. We've changed out the soup categories to Grill in hopes that the spring weather is going to stick around and our grills are gonna be busy, busy! :) The category assignments are:

Beef: Laura
Beef w/Pasta: Suzanne

Chicken: Elisha

Chicken w/pasta: Jo Nell

Breakfast: Melanie

Other: Josie

Grill: Elizabeth

Grill: Paula