Upside-Down Taco Bake and Mexican Layered Dip

I'm going to try out a few recipes from Best Recipes Ever this week - I love this show because the recipes are "tested till perfect" and they really do turn out perfectly! (Nothing irks me more than when you follow a recipe to the letter, and it's a total flop.)

Tonight's recipe was featured on an episode called "One Pot Wonders". I must have smaller pots than Kary Osmond does, because I had to do this in two batches, but it was still delicious and simple to make. Even my son said, "Wow!" when I brought it to the table. (Of course, that's because he saw nachos on top of his plate, but still it's better than his usual groan when I put supper on the table.)

UPSIDE-DOWN NACHO BAKE (click link for original recipe)
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1-2 tsp. Tex-Mex seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1 - 19 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/3 c. tomato paste
1 c. frozen corn
tortilla chips
cheddar cheese, grated
1 green onion, sliced

Brown beef and drain the fat. Transfer to a casserole dish. Sauté onions, garlic, and peppers along with seasonings for about 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add corn to the ground beef, then pour tomato mixture overtop and combine everything together. Top with tortilla chips and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes, then garnish with green onion before serving.

This was super tasty, and everyone enjoyed it. It's basically a quick chili topped with nachos - how can that be bad? The only problem will be with the leftovers - the tortilla chips will likely get all soggy overnight, but I'm sure it'll still be delicious!

Later tonight we're having a few friends over, so I made some Mexican-inspired appetizers using my new verrines.

MEXICAN LAYERED DIP VERRINES

6 tbsp. refried beans

2 tsp. Pueblo Bean Dip Mix

1/4 c. cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. mayo

1 tbsp. sour cream

1 tsp. Cheese & Jalapeno Dip Mix

6 tbsp. salsa

cheddar cheese, grated

green onion, sliced

Combine refried beans and Pueblo Bean Dip Mix. Put 1 tbsp. of beans into each verrine. (I used a little ziploc bag and cut a corner off so I could use it as a piping bag.) Combine cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and Cheese & Jalapeno Dip Mix. Put 1 tbsp. of this mixture overtop of the beans. Top with 1 tbsp. salsa, and then a little cheese and green onion. Serve with tortilla chips.

This dip (or any variation thereof) is always a huge hit at parties, and I think the little individual glasses make it so cute! I can't wait to try out more verrine recipes.