LAST PATIO MEAL FOR A WHILE...

I really love using my patio with all the college kids dinners and with Daylight Savings Time recently, it was so dark at 6:30 p.m. it was hard to eat out there!  The Hubs rigged up some lights in addition to what we already had out there.  Worked out great, but I'm sure with winter coming it is probably the last meal out there this year.

My goal with the college kids is to do one meal a month for them.  Sometimes it's hard to do with everyone's busy schedules!  We had a college meal recently but our college son couldn't come, so we turned right around and had another one when he could come, and of course he brought a crowd with him!  I hadn't made a Mexican meal in a long time since we are trying to eat healthier, but I went all out and made all the fattening stuff!

The Menu:

Chicken Enchiladas

Spanish Rice

Tamale Corn

Black Beans

Chips and Salsa

Green Salad

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Vanilla Ice Cream

Food prep tip I just learned from my sister-in-law:  For the chicken enchilada chicken.  She boils the breasts, lets them cool a little, takes off the goobers, then uses her big mixer to shred the meat.  I did this this time and it really saved so much hard work.  I also learned that beans can cook for 18 hours in a crock pot and still be okay!  I forgot about them...but they were still good.  You learn something new every day!!!