A Dinner to Keep the Cold Away

Many of us in this household are feeling not as well as we'd like. Maybe not sick but on the verge. This feeling always makes me crave hot, spicy food which my children generally refuse to eat. I came up with a good compromise dinner tonight which everyone enjoyed though I prepared things on the mild side and added liberal splashes of my beloved Crystal hot sauce to my food.

I was introduced to Cowboy Caviar by a certain homeschooling mother of three who lasted a couple of years in the damp Northwest before having the nerve to up and move her family back to Texas. I miss her a great deal, but at least she left me this tasty recipe to remember her by. My children are always delighted to eat a meal served on tortilla chips so I try not to ruin the fun by pointing out how very nutritious this is.

I am crazy for roasted green chiles. I regularly hit the farmers' market in late September, to stock up on my winter supply of chiles for the freezer. One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is in Creamy Green Chile Soup, which is basically a potato soup taken south. I make it on the mild side for The Picky Ones, but feel free to give it as much heat as you like.

The Dark Lord promises to top off this tasty meal with a Banana Chocolate Chip Cake which is extremely simple but always makes a good ending to dinner. Not a bad breakfast either.

MonkeyBoy later decided that he, too, would get in on the act and decided to make up a mess of Buckeyes, a delicious confection that hits the same spot as a peanut butter cup only much,much better because the ingredients are of far better quality. The kids love to make and eat them. Cleaning up afterwards, not so much but they're worth the mess.