Spicy Tamale Pie

This is a very popular casserole at my house.  I just discovered a cool ingredient to make it even better - spicy olives!  Of course regular olives are the usual in this recipe, but if you can find these in your grocery store give them a try to make this dish a little more unique.  (Sorry about the picture quality - I'm still having to depend on my cell phone for photos until I can save up enough money for a real camera).

This is dish is yummy served with sour cream.

SPICY TAMALE PIE

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 chopped bell peppers (I like to use one green and one red)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
1 12-oz can corn
1 small can sliced olives
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold water

• Cook ground beef, onion, peppers and garlic until the meat is browned.  Stir in the tomatoes, corn, olives, sugar and spices and simmer until thickened (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Add the cheese and stir until it is melted.
• While meat mixture simmers, stir the cornmeal and 1/2 teaspoon salt into the cold water in a saucepan.  Heat to boiling, cook and stir until thickened (about 1 minute).  
• Pour the hot meat mixture into a two quart casserole and top with the cornmeal mixture.  
• Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.