Easiest. Dinner. Ever.

Greetings and Salutations!!!!

Congrats to Lord Brignon - 10th Place out of 150 chilis this past Saturday at Texas Mens State! And Tom Dozier, my chili child/Mild Bill's poster child got 8th....hell yeah!!! Mark Sanders got 14th and Dave Lefler placed 5th....that rounded out the Ellis County Crew. I believe Mike Rider from Garland placed 9th - not bad for North Texas, huh?? A BIG congrats to Bucky Seelig (and Mild Bill's customer) for his 1st Place Coup. I think it's so cool - his wife Caroline won Ladies State in 2011 and he's the 2012 Men's State Champ. Pretty awesome :)

I really enjoyed my weekend. Paige went to Gammy's Friday after school since her BFF was over at her Yi-Y's next door to my mom's house. I picked her up Sunday for Bluebonnet pictures. Friday, Courtney and I went to Sugar Ridge Winery and then to Bristol to get sushi. The winery was closing as we got there, so I ran in and bought two bottles of wine. The Green Apple White Wine is really good. The Tempranillo....not my favorite. It seemed a little too heavy and sweet. I almost think I got the wrong bottle of wine, so I want to go back and try it again. They also had a great Blackberry Merlot and the winery also offers a pretty decent Sangria. Like I said, I'd like to go back; especially when I've got some time to really taste the wines and ask questions. After sushi, we came back to the house and chilled. We're kind of boring. I got up Saturday morning and drove to Star Nails in Waxahachie for the most wonderful pedicure! It was sooooo relaxing. Then I came home and cleaned my house, scrubbed the floors and did laundry :) I didn't mind though....I have turned into such a homebody and I liked getting some laundry done as it has begun to reproduce. Gary got home late Sunday, so his celebration dinner waited until last night. I seared scallops with a lemon butter caper sauce. It was good...but a little too salty...those capers add some serious salt. It's a Rachel Ray recipe out of her latest magazine and it's really delicious. I'm going to make them again, but I'm going to really dial back on the capers. It was almost too salty. And that's a lot coming from saltaholic moi!!

Fred is going to have to go back to the vet. His Cushings disease is really flaring up again. Last night he ate a roll of paper towels and assaulted a bottle of wine. Poor thing...I guess he'll have to go back on his chemo pills. Waylon just loves him...he's always cleaning his ears :)

DWTS is on. William Levy is next. That is one hot m*therf*cker. Seriously. HAWT.

I've got to get jars ordered so I can start canning in anticipation of Polka Fest. We are going to be open and I'm running low on a lot of of stuff...and I'm out of a few things as well. I guess I'll be canning Friday and Saturday. I'm getting my hair straightened Friday morning. It's been since November and I've had enough of this thick wavy mess. Plus, with the humidity already getting high, I have GOT to do something with this crap. I think I'm going to get a few more highlights, too. I'd also like to get a facial or massage....something to help me RELAX!!!!

Okay, let's talk about the easiest dinner ever. I bought a 5 pack of HEB Green Chile Tamales. I used them for dinner tonight and it was easy, delicious and quick. Here's what you do:

1 Package HEB (or other brand) Green Chile Tamales (I bought the 5 pack, but a 1/2 dozen or dozen pack will work just fine)
1 15 oz Can Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
1 Package Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend (I used the Philadelphia Mexican Blend and loved it!!)
Sour Cream, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a baking dish large enough for the amount of tamales you have, place the tamales seam side down and pour the enchilada sauce over the them. Top with 1/2 of the grated cheese, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, top with the remaining grated cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Garnish with sour cream and serve with refried beans. I had a can of Central Market Refried Black Beans and they were delicious. Dinner was ready in 30 minutes and it was super, super easy! There is enough sauce to cover a dozen tamales, so you don't need to buy an extra can unless you buy a couple of packages of tamales. Enjoy!

Paige gets out early Thursday and is out Friday and Monday for Easter. We've got a science project to work on, too. Paige's project is about tigers. Fabulous.

Paige sat in the backseat eating a cheeseburger and taking pictures of wall clouds on our way home this afternoon. She's such a redneck in training.

Paige: Mommy, can we get something to eat from Whataburger before we go back to Ennis? There might be a twister later when I'm hungry and maybe I won't be able to eat.

Me: Sure.

So there we are, leaving Whataburger and snapping pics on our phones. Then, while we are driving AWAY from the scary clouds, Paige was turned around in her seat, cheeseburger in one hand, chewing and telling me she's getting some really good pictures out of the back window. I love it.

I guess I better sign off for now. I hope everyone stays safe and dry and that no one suffers from any tornadic damage. Have a great evening!

Spreading my own special brand of kindness and joy....and the unmistakable aroma of cumin (fresh from the walk in cooler kind, of course).......

The Spice Mistress