Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I know you don't need "stuff," so I typed up a recipe I've been experimenting with. If you'd like, we can make this when you visit. I'm so looking forward to seeing you! Hopefully it won't be too hot in Alabama yet. It's been in the 70's this week, I've got my windows open. ======================= I just put my "tamale pie casserole" into the Instant Pot to cook. That's going to be shift food for tomorrow and Tuesday. I've made it a few times, getting ideas from some recipes I've found here and there. But it's my own original creation, more or less. Nutritious and filling, heats up great in the office microwave. Easy to eat at my desk with a spoon while I'm working. ------ The masa is pretty easy. Dump this into the KitchenAid mixer bowl ------ 2 c. masa 2 c. chicken broth (use "Better than Broth" and strain the Ro-Tel for 2 cups liquid) 1.5 tsp baking powder About 1/4-1/3 cup oil Mix until fluffy, a few minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. It should look like really thick hummus. Rest covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for an hour. ------ Black bean filling ------ About 1 cup dried black beans 3 c water Cook beans in the Instant Pot for about 35 minutes, natural release. I like to do "pot in pot" so I don't have to clean the inner pot. Strain beans, reserving liquid. Let cool a bit. Mash most of the beans (probably reserve about 1/2 c or so, whatever looks right for the size of your casserole) with some salt and most of the can of the drained Ro-Tel. Throw in some chopped onions if you have them on hand. Pour in a bit of the reserved liquid if it doesn't look "right" (as in, smooshy enough). ------ Assembly ------ In a casserole that fits in the Instant Pot, use a spatula and/or your fingers to spread 2/3 of the masa on the bottom and sides. Spread about half of the bean mixture on the bottom. Layer cheese (Velveeta if you're feeling naughty). Top cheese with rest of Ro-Tel (with Velveeta, that makes a middle layer of queso). Spread the rest of the black bean mixture on top of that. Cover with the rest of the masa, making sure the top "crust" is sealed. A wet spatula smooths it out nicely. Cover with foil, making sure to crimp foil over the edge so that water can't get in and pool on top. Pour a bit more than a cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot, to the top of the trivet. Set in the casserole dish. High pressure for 55 minutes. Natural release. It'd be easy to make this vegan, just substitute broth & cheese with vegan nonsense as you see fit. You could very well bake this in the oven, but then the masa won't get the steamed tamale texture. ======================= So, there's my recipe! Nate joked that this isn't a "Jim" recipe since there's the vagary that's typical in our Southern Woman recipes. You can certainly use canned black beans, I just happened to have time to make black beans in the Instant Pot. Or substitute anything you happen to have on hand, since this is just a guideline. I've done this with red enchilada sauce, too. Talking with Mom a few minutes ago on the phone, she mentioned needing a recipe to take to a Boy Scouts thing, to feed about 10. You could certainly make this in a big casserole in the oven, scaling up the ingredients. I'd suggest making sure to grease the casserole dish so that the masa doesn't stick if you bake it in the oven. And then covering it for most of the baking time, probably about 350-375 for about 45 mins then uncovering for an additional 10 minutes if you want a crisp crust on the top of the masa. Happy Mother's Day! Love, Anna