tamale pie.

this was one of my favorite meals growing up... and i still love it! basically it's a mexican shepherds pie.

ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 can corn, drained
1-2 ripe olives, sliced {optional}
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2-3 tsp chili powder
dash pepper
6 oz cheese
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups cold water
1 tbsp butter

directions:
cook meat, onion, and green pepper in a large skillet until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. stir in tomato sauce, corn, olives, garlic, sugar, salt, chili powder and pepper. simmer 20-25 minutes, until thick. add cheese. remove from heat and stir until cheese is melted. put into a square, glass baking dish.

on stovetop, stir cornmeal & salt into cold water in a saucepan. cook, stirring constantly, until thick. add butter. mix well. spoon over meat mixture and spread evenly. bake at 375 for 40 minutes. {this usually boils over, so you might want to put a sheet of tin foil under it.} serve with sour cream and cheese.