Tex-Mex Casserole

I have the perfect dish for your next tailgate party or fall brunch that you may be planning.  Or maybe you just want a nice, basic fall-ish dinner this week.  I loved this recipe so much I gave a serving to my neighbor, Ginny, and she loved it, too.  It's a perfect fall dish that I made from Hannah Freese, RD.  We are still having a beautiful fall around here but the rain is suppose to start in two days and then we all go into hibernation... We were so lucky that our weather was gorgeous for our beloved Mariner baseball team who played their first home post season game in 21 years last weekend.  We only had one game at home because they were immediately eliminated from the playoffs after three loses to the Astros.  I can still hardly even talk about it after four days.  Below is the "before" photo. 

There is no "after" photo because we were in an incoherent daze.  I can assure you, we were not smiling, more like exhausted and haggard.  It was a crushing loss after one of the Astro got a home run in the top of the18 inning.  Yes, that's right.  18th inning.  This is baseball, not golf...it was The Game That Wouldn't End.  It was very emotionally draining, to say the least.  It broke the record for the longest postseason scoreless game through 17 innings 



and the most postseason strikeouts ever - 42 combined strikeouts.  Needless to say, the pitching on both sides was phenomenal. Bruce lost his voice and took two days to recover, as did many people there, I'm sure.  You just never knew when the big play was going to happen.   We got runners on base multiple times but they just couldn't score and vise versa for Houston.  

So, it just kept going...

We even had a 14th inning stretch.  By that time, the game was nearing the five-hour mark and we were on the verge of exhaustion and ready for finality.

But, it just kept going...

There were hardly any people in the concourse area because nobody could stop watching.  I had to go refill our water bottles quickly and get back to our seats so I saw how empty the concourse was which is totally unusual for a sell-out crowd of 47,690 people.  Usually, the concourse is packed, you can hardly walk.  Concession lines are super long at a sell-out game, bathroom lines are super long.  But the concessions were all closed.  They start closing down in the 8th inning of a game to get ready to close up.

But, it just kept going...

We were basically without food for 10 innings.  We shared our peanuts that we'd brought from home with the guy sitting next to us. It was like everyone was in desperation-mode.  We worried that if the Mariners actually did win, they would be too tired to play tomorrow.  Were they eating their dinner down in the dugout, I asked Bruce?  It was now after 7:00pm for the 1:07 pm start time.

But, it just kept going...

It was an agonizing swing of emotions and nerves for the better part of the 6 hours and 22 minute game.  But we had been there even longer than that because we were part of the pre-game festivities so we arrived at the game two hours before starting time.  It was definitely not your typical Saturday afternoon baseball game at the ballpark.  We had some local celebrities  keeping us pumped up like Macklemore who came out during pregame plus we sing his song "Can't Hold Us" at the 7th inning stretch after "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".  He would also show up on the big screen to give us us a pep talk to cheer our Mariners.  

And, it just kept going...

Other local celebrities that kept us pumped up were two retired Mariner stars Felix Hernandez, who threw out the first pitch, and Edgar Martinez.   Felix was sitting right above us and they kept showing him, too. 

But, it just kept going...

They did a good job keeping us going and the electricity in the air was off the charts.  We felt it two days prior when we went to the rehearsal for the pregame festivities.   The Mariners will often ask season ticket holders to participate in pre-game festivities and this time we got asked to hold the flag during the  national anthem.  As we were waiting, Felix walked by - probably on his way to throw out the first pitch - and I heard everyone say, "there's Felix, gasp!".  I turned to look and I said "Hi, Felix!" and he looked straight at me and said "Hi!".  OMG  I was star-struck!  He's such a stud.  He looked like Russell Wilson only taller, so sharp and put together. I was floating on Cloud 9. 

We could hear them announcing the players as we stood waiting in the tunnel to go out on the field and it felt like we were in that movie Gladiator.

                   

I have never heard such noise before, seriously!  Then we realized they were announcing the Astro players and everybody was boo-ing them (because they were cheaters, you know...actually only two players are still on that team who cheated but the fans always will let them know about it.)  Anyway, it was soooooo loud!  Then we walked out onto the field and it was truly amazing, all those people in the stadium, filled to the brim, just like in Gladiator.  It does sound more like a roar than a cheer.  



Mike McCready, of Pearl Jam, played the Star Spangled Banner like he does and we've heard him do it multiple times at previous games.  (Sounds like Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock... just so emotional.)  We had been instructed to wave the flag up and down during the part "...O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave..." and just then 2 military jets did a fly-by, fireworks were going off and I just lost it.  Tears immediately welled up in my eyes,  I couldn't contain myself anymore.  It was so overwhelming. I could never be a Gladiator.  Then everyone started cheering again and it got real loud as we walked off the field;  people were leaning over cheering at us, too, and we all cheered back at them. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.    

You can see why it has taken us days to come down from this.  All my friends keep texting and saying things like "so proud of our boys", or "can't wait to see us rise next year",  or "so excited for next year", and are so optimistic but I can't even think about the future at all, I am still processing what happened.  I'm still so disappointed and sad. People who were not there just can't fathom what it was like for us.  On Sunday, Bruce and I kept saying how wonderful it would have been to be going to game 4, our second home game for the playoffs.  We just can't comprehend what just happened.  As I was talking about the game to one of my friends who is very upbeat, optimistic and who I adore and love being around, I finally had to tell her that I just can’t think about next year right now or how great they played the 18innings.  I was just so upset and disappointed.  I told her to think of it as I'm mad at my boyfriend.  And then she suddenly got it and just let me vent and process my letdown. That's all I need to do, I just need to let myself be upset for awhile and then it will pass, like it always does.  And I'll go cook some good dinners like this recipe to drown my sorrows.  That's how I deal with it.  It’s what I do when life disappoints or...when life throws me a curve ball. 

Serves 8

1 cup cream cream, regular (8 oz)
5 eggs
1/2 tsp. sea salt, divided
12 oz. cheddar cheese, grated, divided
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup salsa
1/2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. and line an 8 X 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, or grease the dish with oil.

2.  Add the cream cheese, eggs, and half the salt to a bowl.  Using a mixer, beat over medium speed until well combined and smooth. 

3.  Pour the cream cheese and egg mixture into the baking dish and top with half the cheddar cheese.



3.  Bake for 20 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the beef to the pan, breaking it up as it cooks.  Once it is cooked through and no longer pink, drain any excessive drippings fro the pan.  Then add the salsa, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, and remaining salt.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for five minutes. 

5.  Add the beef to the baking dish after it is done baking.

6.  Top with the remaining cheese.

7.  Bake for ten minutes.   Let cool before slicing.  Serve with fresh cilantro on top and/or avocado on the side.