by Dian 3 Comments

Mexican Pile On

So, I thought I would start with something very simple this week.  I spoke about my family’s Fantasy Football Draft Party in my last post and that we would be having a Mexican Pile-On.  If you are from Texas, you know what that is, more than likely.  But, my friend from Arizona had no idea.  This is something that our family does frequently because it is so simple to prepare…..you can stay on a diet….it requires little cooking….and it can be as cheap as you want it to be.  That is a winner in my book! The idea is to bring everything to the table in a separate dish and everyone builds their own “pile-on” by putting whichever ingredients they like in a “pile” on their plate.  Everyone’s plate will look different.  Everything on this list is optional so if you don’t have it all, no worries.  Use what you have.  Clean out the refrigerator. Ground beef browned and drained.  As far as how much to cook, I would say about 3 people per pound, though with children, more than that.

Taco Seasoning Packets—McCormick’s is Gluten-free—follow directions on the back except that it will stretch more than noted.  If you buy this by the bulk, 1 tablespoon per 1.5 pounds.  If not, 1 packet per 1.5 pounds.  Really, use the amount that tastes good to you Pinto or Black Beans—I cook a pot of pinto’s all day but you can just use canned if that is what you have on hand.  How to cook a pot of beans from dried beans is another recipe for another day.

Grated Cheese or Rotel My daughter makes her Rotel Dip with 1 box of Velveeta, 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup and 1 can of Rotel tomatoes and she adds about a pound of taco meat.  This is so yummy that it could be a meal by itself

Lettuce

Chopped Tomatoes

Chopped Onions

Black Olives

Sour Cream

Salsa Guacamole—Well, this is all there was left by the time I shot the photo!  Nothing!

Other vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots etc.  These are optional.  Raisins or Craisins…..

Chopped Nuts or seeds (Sunflower is the best)  Again, optional. Tortilla chips and/or Fritos Flour tortillas or corn tortillas Ranch Dressing and/or Catalina Dressing So, start piling. I was dilly dallying around and didn’t take pictures when the food was first put out on the counter.  With all my kids and gkids, before I knew it, it was half eaten so my photos are a mess.  But who cares right?  You will get the idea!