Mexican Macaroni

DEAR SOS: Every so often The Times’ employee cafeteria will offer Mexican macaroni. It is flavorful, the kids love it, and it looks easy and cheap to make. Any chance the cafeteria will release the recipe?

--JIM

DEAR JIM: What a good idea for an easy, breezy dish for summertime cooking.

CAFETERIA MEXICAN MACARONI

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni

3/4 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 green or sweet red pepper, diced

3 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash white pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain. Set aside.

Saute beef, onion and green pepper until tender. Add tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne and white peppers to meat mixture. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, until liquid is shiny and smooth. Add drained macaroni.

To reheat, turn into 2-quart lightly greased casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

208 calories; 229 mg sodium; 24 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 1 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: I’ve lost my recipe for Jalapeno Corn Bread. I use the bread quite a bit for parties and I’m having another party soon, so please reprint the recipe.

--E.L.

DEAR E.L.: We have several versions, so party on.

JALAPENO CORN BREAD

1 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 (8 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

1 large onion, chopped

5 canned pickled jalapeno chiles, chopped

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 eggs, beaten

Combine cornmeal, salt and baking soda. Stir in corn, milk and oil. Add onion, chiles, cheese and eggs. Mix well. Turn into greased 9-inch-square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 9 servings.

Each serving contains about:

321 calories; 531 mg sodium; 76 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.91 gram fiber.