Deep Dish Taco Pie

I don't know where this recipe originated, but my Mom made it a lot when I was little and it's requested a lot in my house these days. It's not an exact science, I change things up every time I make it, but this is how I made it tonight. BTW, this recipe makes two pies, but the leftovers are AWESOME! We'll eat on this for days and days and days...

Heat oven to 350, once heated pre-cook deep dish pie shells until lightly browned.

Make rice. (I used Knorr's Sides Mexican Rice. I prefer their Taco Rice version, but it's difficult for me to find)

Make 1 lb of taco meat, mix in 1 can refried beans. (I used the fat free variety) Heat through.

Layer into each pie shell (Use your judgment on amount):
Meat/bean mixture, handful of crumbled tortilla chips, rice, shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, meat/bean mixture, handful of crumbled tortilla chips.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until crust is done. Sprinkle with cheese and stick back in oven for a couple more minutes to melt cheese.

Let stand several minutes before cutting.

Muy Bueno!

Banana Ice Cream

I read this recipe somewhere, I cannot remember where, but I committed it to memory because I knew it was something we needed to try. Although, the recipe I read did not mention adding milk, it seemed like a good addition to me and really made it come together and be "creamy."

I peeled and chopped up 1 bunch of bananas, stuck them in a Ziploc freezer bag and there they sat for a couple days. I actually think it would have turned out better if I wouldn't have left them sit in the freezer so long.

I then slowly added them to my food processor and let it mix for a few minutes, basically until it became so thick I knew I needed to add a little milk. I added 2 ounces of milk and let it mix a bit more until it was the consistency of creamy ice cream.

Ours turned out a little bitter. Again, I think it was due to the bananas possibly being a bit freezer burnt. Next time I will try using freshly frozen bananas and I have a sneaking suspicion it will be even better. It was still yummy. We topped ours with a little chocolate syrup.

What a yummy, healthy way to give your kids ice cream!