Quick hit this morning. I have been consoling a four year old for the past thirty minutes, and I am running behind schedule. I don't know how it happened, but he is suddenly scared of the dark. We found a leftover glow stick from Halloween, told him we sprayed it with "bravery spray" that Daddy wears everyday to work, and that did the trick for tonight. I'm sure my parenting patience and creativity will be tested again tomorrow, but for now, I have to wrap up today, because my tomorrow is less than five hours away.

Today, I thought I would make a main dish that would feed a crowd. With Super Bowl weekend upon us, I was tempted to do finger foods, but some people may do Super Bowl parties like we do… with filling entrees and desserts. Dips and chips are nice, but with all the performances and commercials, the game lasts so long that those few Ruffles and French onion dip aren't going to take your guests all the way to the end of the fourth quarter. My Mexican lasagna is very filling, and it has a delicious, spicy kick. To cut down on the heat, use a mild cheese queso dip (this is found by the chips). My favorite is the Pace brand, but the others are tasty, too. For those that like a little less kick, have some fresh diced tomatoes, guacamole, and sour cream available as toppings. These will help bring the heat down. One other selling point to this delicious dish is that you can make it a day or two ahead of time, bake it off, cool, cover and chill. Just reheat it at 250 degrees until bubbling, and serve.

Sorry this is so short. I promise, nothing profound has happened in my life since you saw me through the screen on Tuesday. Really, I didn't even get out of my jammie pants today, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Happy Cooking, Enjoy the Game, and Go Saints!

Shannon