Fiesta!

Many years ago my mom hosted a Pampered Chef party after attending one herself. She purchased a few things, including my first chef's knife and a pizza stone. Over the course of time, she upgraded to a better stone and I inherited her old one, as well as a random PC cookbook. The only thing I've ever made out of that little 30 page booklet is the Fiesta Tortilla Stack, known more commonly at our house as just Tortilla Stack. (I mean really, how many different variations could I have that warrant different names?) I probably first made it 7 or 8 years ago when I first got the stone and it is in fairly regular rotation in my kitchen.

This thing feeds us for days, is gooey on the outside and crunchy on the inside, and is a nice change of pace for dinner. It is also heavy as a bag of bricks and a bit labor intensive to put together, but honestly it's worth it. My husband loves this meal and was so excited when I told him I was making it. We hadn't had it in ages and it totally hit the spot. With all the great ingredients though, how can you go wrong!


Fiesta Tortilla Stack
From Pampered Chef, 'Season's Best Recipe Collection 1999 Fall/ Winter'

• 5-6 Large Burrito Sized Tortillas (I always buy flour and don’t know if corn would be good.)
  
• 2/3 Can Refried Beans (I use fat-free or vegetarian style.)
  
• 1/2 C. to 3/4 C. Sour Cream (Again, I use fat free.)
  
• 1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
  
• 2 tsp. Cumin Powder
  
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  
• 1 C. Cooked Chicken, chopped
  
• 1 Medium Onion or 3-4 Stalks Green Onion, chopped
  
• 1 Red/ Orange / Yellow Pepper, chopped
  
• 1 Small Can Sliced Black Olives, drained
  
• 1/2 C. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
  
• 1-2 C. Shredded Cheddar or Mexican Blend Cheese
  
• 1 Large Tomato, chopped
  
• Olive Oil

1. I always start by cooking the chicken. I will cut up 2 chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and then cook them in water in the microwave. About 3-5 minutes in the zapper and my chicken is ready.
   
2. Pre-heat oven to 375.
   
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, refried beans, and spices and beat manually until smooth.
   
4. In a large bowl, mix together all the veggies and chicken and cilantro and cheese.
   
5. On a pizza stone or large baking sheet, place a single tortilla in the middle.
   
6. Here is where I can never decide which I like to do first- bean mixture or veggie mixture. It can go either way, so I'm just going to flip a coin... heads- bean spread!
   
7. Ok, so slather on a quarter of the bean dip and spread it all over the bottom tortilla, getting it very close to the edges.
   
8. Pile on a quarter of the veggie/ chicken mix on top of the bean spread. Again, try to push the goodies as close to the edges as possible. On the bottom layers it is most important to get everything out to the edges so the top layers don't slouch down.
   
9. Top bottom layer with a tortilla.
   
10. Repeat the process- bean spread, veggies, tortilla- for another 3 layers. On the very top layer, you may want to save a nice heaping tablespoon of bean dip stuff to use as "glue" underneath the top tortilla.
    
11. Drizzle a little olive oil (just a little!) and use your fingers to spread it out across the top and along the edges.
    
12. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tortilla is golden brown and the mixture is lightly bubbling along the edges.
    
13. Remove and use a sharp, large knife to cut slices. Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.