Yummy way to use Roast Beef leftovers...CHIMICHANGAS!!

I love, love, love to cook, actually scratch that I love it when things are so good my hottie husband oohs and ahs over my food.  I am always looking for a good way to reuse my roast beef that is left over from Sunday dinner and though I keep trying to make myself like stroganaff, it is not on my list of good eats!  Chimichangas on the other hand make my mouth water, and on top of that they are so easy it makes me want to do a happy dance.  DISCLAIMER:  If you are ever looking at the recipes I post, know this......I love bacon and use it constantly in my cooking.  I am not opposed to butter, sour cream and cream cheese as they are some of my best friends in the kitchen.  If healthy is what you are looking for please don't read on, because counting the calories I cook with just ruins my fun.  Anyway...........all you need is a can of rotel (drained and I chop them) , some cummin, onion, roast beef (cooked and shredded), flour tortillas, and some oil to fry with (hence the disclaimer).

 1.  Dice about 1/2 cup onion add that and your rotel to a pan at medium heat. (I chop my rotel, because getting my kids to eat chunks of tomato is like asking them to eat their own feet....not happening.)

2.  Saute onions and Rotel in a little bit of oil then add your shredded beef and heat through.  

3.  Add about 1/4 t cumin and salt and pepper to taste

4.  Roll the beef mixture into tortillas soft taco style

5.  Heat enough oil to cover about half of your chimichanga over medium heat to 325 degrees.

6.  Fry chimichangas until golden brown, turning once (this takes about 3 min unless your oil is really hot).  BE CAREFUL....the liquid from your tomatoes does sometimes leak out and cause your oil to pop.

7.  Place on paper towel and serve hot with sour cream, shredded cheese, and lettuce.

8.  I usually fry mine and then put them in the oven while I finish up everything else.

I love Mexican food but have a hard time doing sides for them.  Tonight I tried something new and did a "chilied corn" recipe I found on About.com under mexican food.

The recipe called for

• 16 oz bag of frozen corn -or- 2 cans, drained
• 1 small can of roasted red chiles, finely diced
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• 1 teaspoon serrano chile, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt to taste

I used 1 can corn, 1 can fiesta corn, cumin, chile powder, jalapeno pepper (finely chopped)....just used what I had or could find at the tiny grocery store down the street.

so easy, so good!
1.  pour corn and a bit of oil in a skillet and heat through
2.  add peppers, cumin, chile powder and salt.  ( I only used about 3/4 t chile powder because I didn't want it to be to hot.)
3.  Saute until heated through, serve.

AND THE VERDICT IS IN:
My kids loved it (the chimichangas), minus #3 who doesn't really like much of anything!  As for the corn, Hottie and I liked it but the search is still on for an all around crowd pleasing side.  Any recommendations?  Try this and you may then join me in a happy dance when everyone at your table is telling you how amazing your food is.  YIPPY!!

And it begins!

So....a week or so ago I couldn't sleep.   I have a lot of big ideas but I will be the first to admit, I talk about them but bringing those ideas to fruition......let's just say its not my strong point.  To give an example, when shopping for a bigger home for my family my hubby and I looked at a house that with its hat racks and cow hide hanging on the wall it could easily have passed for a cowboy theme room in any theme hotel.  In the end it was the perfect home for us, though I swore when we moved in that the border in our bedroom with the cabin and deer would be the first thing to go.  Sadly two years later I still look at that border every night before I go to bed.  So I had a plan.  In the next year I would make a list, all the things I think about doing but somehow never seem to get around to.  Each day I will do something off my list and write about it sending it off into cyber space.  I will make time for things I forgot I loved and I will do the things I have never done.  And so bit by bit layer by layer I will become better.  So here we go, let the games begin.