The Simple Things in Life

Happy Mother's Day! I hope all the mommas out there had a fantabulous day! We had a divine lunch at Pappadeaux with Gammy and Pawpaw, Courtney and my in laws, Bryan and Carolyn. We went to the one in Cedar Hill and it was packed! Unknown to us, they opened at 10 am. So, our plan to get there at 11 am didn't work out as expected. Still, we didn't have much of a wait. Paige really didn't care that it was Mother's day. She made sure I realized that no matter the day, she still needs to eat. She also requested that I serve her in bed while she watched a movie! WTH?!?!? It was awesome. That kid never misses a beat.

I had a productive day. Got the treadmill moved, Gary moved a table into the bathroom and I did some laundry. Paige and I also cleaned the guinea habitats. "Mommy, why does Gilbert like to sniff Lollipop's behind and put his front paws on her back?". I like to just pretend like I don't hear these questions. Fortunately, I was able to change the subject!! We stopped at HEB on the way home to get stuff for dinner and lunch stuff for Paige's lunches this week. I was involved in a not so passive aggressive exchange with my child's lunch lady. I've never been a fan of the lunch program at her school. For a private school, the lunch offerings SUCK and while I understand the difficulty of feeding kids, albeit picky kids, I just feel the food is really unhealthy and includes way too many processed foods. I just think its best to make her lunches from now on. That lunch lady really pissed me off!

I had Tilapia Lafeyette for lunch. It had crab meat, tomatoes, capers, basil and shrimp in a light white wine sauce. I loved it!! All of us had fish and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Soooo....I figured simple and easy for dinner. I present to you my supper offering:

CC Black Eyes Peas

1 lb dried black eyed peas
1 small onion, diced
1/2 lb salt pork, sliced
2 Tbsp Beef granules
10 cups water

Soak peas for a few hours; drain water through colander and set peas aside. In a large Dutch oven, brown the salt pork over medium heat. Add the diced onion and continue to cook for about five minutes or until onion starts to soften. Add the peas back to the pot, the beef granules and 10 cups of water; stir to combine. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and turn the heat to medium. Simmer covered for an hour. After an hour, check the peas. If they aren't tender yet, add a cup of water and continue to cook on medium heat for another 30 - 45 minutes. They should be tender and you should have a nice gravy. Adjust the liquid to your preference by cooking them a little longer to thicken it, or add a little water to thin it out. Salt to taste and serve with cornbread. Enjoy!!

I thought about floating a Serrano for a little kick, but opted not to. It can certainly be done, though and you'd have a nice pot of peas with a little spice ;)

Have a great evening! I'm going to call it a night! Keep it Spicy!!

The Cadillac Cowgirl