unwinding

I am in the final days of summer, and luckily it has been a gradual transition to my full schedule of work and school.  For the past two weeks I have been at work 3-4 days a week in meetings, planning, organizing, making copies, prepping, and getting my room ready.  This past week my graduate classes started up.  Next step, my little kinders come!  And that day, my friends, is TUESDAY!!!  Eeks!

Even though work isn't in full swing yet, I was there from 9-4 each day and then headed straight to class. My ultimate goal this year is to stay relaxed.  I can quickly become consumed with everything there is to do that I forget who I am, the joys in life, and savoring each moment.  This week my focus has been on leaving work at work so that my time with the husband is in tact.  

Of course, I need to unwind and leave all of the mess of work and school.  Call me crazy (you wouldn't be the first), but coming home and doing the dishes and making dinner is one of my favorite ways to unwind.  Cooking is a delight to me, not a chore (most of the time).  The husband certainly thinks I'm crazy but he doesn't complain one bit because his tummy is happy!  Now, even though I love doing dishes, I hate doing dishes after dinner.  I can do them in the morning, afternoon, and before dinner...but once my belly is full I am done.  

So...I have been trying to cook recipes that bake in the oven.  I love these because I can clean the kitchen and do all of the dishes while it bakes!  This week I tried out another Mamma Pea recipe and it is most definitely going to stay around in our kitchen. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Tamale Pie!

{p.s. you should go get this recipe right now and then salivate over these pictures!}

Now the recipe calls for tempeh as it is a vegetarian dish, but we used lean ground beef instead.  The husband was so nice and started the recipe for me so I don't have any pictures of the filling.  But, it is super simper: onions, ground beef, maple syrup, tomato sauce, pinto beans, seasonings, etc.  

After the husband made the filling it went into a baking dish.  (We ended up moving it to another dish once we noticed the topping wouldn't cover everything.)

The dry and wet ingredients are mixed together.  (Cornmeal, whole wheat flour, baking powder, apple sauce, almond milk, and maple syrup).

Our defrosted corn was then added...

And on went the top!

I sprinkled the top with cheese and olives, put it in the oven, and did dishes!!!

Oh. My. Goodness!!! The smell, the texture, the flavor, the everything was just SO good!

Ta-da!

I ensure that your tummies will thank me when you make this!  And the best part was having a clean kitchen when dinner was done!