Yummy Mexican Casserolle

Hi there, my name is Christine, I got added a bit back, but it was right before I went on a family vacation, and havent' had a chance to post yet! I am a mother of 4.5 kids (#5 due early Dec/Late NOv) and have been married for almost 10 years. I love to try new recipes and I am always in search of new things to try.

Here's one I came up with last night when I didn't have anything set for dinner and I just had various left over stuff I hadn't used in meals earlier in the week. It turned out so good and the kids loved it!!

Ingredients:
1 box Spanish Rice Rice a Roni (and the can of tomatoes needed to prepare it)
1 lb ground beef
1/2-3/4 of a bag of frozen corn
1 can sliced olives
1 pkg taco seasoning
abt 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 green onions, sliced (using both the green and white parts)

tortilla chips or make your own fried tortilla strips (I like the home made tortilla strips better, they are super easy to make! I'll inclued directions at the bottom of the post)
1.Preheat oven to 350
2. Prepare Rice a Roni as label instructs (though I usually use a little less butter to save on fat)
3. Brown ground beef and season either with Taco seasoning, or however you like your meat for tacos
4. When both of these ingredients are done you start to layer the ingredients in a casserolle dish (an oval shaped one is nice, as it usually gives you a little more horizontal space) in this order:
Rice
Corn
Ground Beef
olives
Green Onions
Cheese

Place in oven for 10-15 minutes (until cheese is melted and corn is warmed through)

When casserolle is done serve with the chips or tortilla strips on top.

Tortilla strips:

Fill bottom of a small frying pan with about 1/2 inch of oil (I use canola, but any vegi oil will work great). Place over medium heat. Cut Corn tortillas to desired size (I usually cut each tortilla in half then slice about 1/3 inch slices). Oil is ready when you put the end of a tortilla in oil and the oil bubbles up around the tortilla. Add a small handful of the strips to the oil and fry until they start to darken (but not too dark!, just a little golden), Remove from the oil and let drain on a paper towel, immediately salt. These are also perfect to serve with taco salads, taco soups, chili, etc!

Sorry, no photo this time. Next time I post I will try to have a photo of the food!