My Favorite Recipe — Helm's Bakery Enchilada Pie

You must be a certain age to know about the Helm's Bakery truck. As a child I remember hearing the bell that would notify us that the Helm's truck was on our street.

Mom would grab her change purse while I went out to the curb to wave to the driver to indicate we wanted him to stop. We would step into the street behind the truck and wait for the Helm's man to open the truck doors and pull out the drawers of fabulous baked goods. Oh, the fragrance was unforgettable.

Rarely did Mom just get bread. She always had something wonderful in mind for the family. Cream puffs, chocolate eclairs, or other goodies. Mom usually baked her own very special dessert, but when it was too hot to bake, she would get us a special treat.

When you bought from the Helm's man, you would be given a recipe. One recipe was Enchilada Pie. Mom would fix it on occasion, along with her awesome lemon meringue pie.

Time moved on and I would make it on special occasions, especially in the 80s when I would have women's ministry luncheons. It was an easy recipe to make and could be made ahead of time. And it was always a big family hit. Michael and Jason have made their own version of Enchilada Pie.

Helm's Bakery Enchilada Pie Recipe

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef — brown, drain; add other ingredients:

- 1/2 onion, chopped (I used dehydrated onion)

- garlic salt to taste

- 2 small cans of Hunt's tomato sauce

- 1 small can of chopped black olives

- 1 small can of chopped mild jalapeño peppers

- Grate Colby cheese, one large brick (melts nicely), or cheese of preference — and set aside

- Corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

You will need long glass baking dishes or 3 round glass baking dishes. Take 3 corn tortillas and butter the bottom before placing them onto the glass pans. The corn tortillas are the base for the "pies."

Add a heaping spoonful of meat mixture on top of the three tortillas. Add cheese to taste. Place next tortilla on top of cheese until you have a stack 3 tortillas high.

After completing the Enchilada Pie, you can cover the "pies" with foil and put them into the refrigerator to bake the next day. Or, you can sprinkle about a tablespoon of water on the bottom of the glass pans to prevent sticking while baking.

Cook a half an hour, or until hot. Let stand about 15 minutes before cutting into serving-size helpings. Can serve 6–12 people. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and extra warmed tortillas on the side.