WIENERS, RICE AND BEANS

Being retired means you try and make everything as easy as possible, without sacrificing good taste!

Judy and wanted something quick, delicious, and we promised to eat only one serving. It's our way of trying to cut back - put a normal portion on the plate and put anything left over up for next time! Seems more logical than doing without the foods you really like...doesn't it?

Anyway, as Baylee girl looked on, hoping I dropped something, I prepared wieners and onions for cooking.

Judy busied herself in measuring and cooking the right amount of brown rice, and opened a can of black beans.

I chopped a small onion into slivers and set them aside.

I cut the wieners in half length wise, then each half into quarters. I cooked the sliced wieners in a little EVOO, then poured my famous half Heinz 57/honey sauce over them. At the same time, I added the onions over the top and mixed it all up.

After adding the onions, I watched for them to start to get translucent, and then supper was ready!

You can tell the difference in our eating habits by looking at the different servings. Judy likes to compartmentalize, while I pile everything on! After all, it wall winds up in the same place...as my dad used to say!

Now if we weren't trying to cut back a little, we would have served this meal with some cornbread on the side! Man, that would have been great too!

Sorry Baylee...Daddy Dog was just too hungry!

CHICKEN TORTILLAS SMOOTHERED IN BLACK BEANS AND SALSA

Judy had me cook up some chicken tenderloin (about 8 pieces) my usual way – in EVOO, garlic, and hot sauce, salt and pepper them, and then cut them up into cubes.

She stuffed about 6 large whole-wheat tortillas, some onion, some chunky salsa, some Mexican mixed cheese, and rolled them up. She then placed them in the bottom of a 9x12 glass casserole dish.

She then put two cans of frijoles Negros (that’s black beans for you 'Mericans) into a bowl, dumped in more chunky salsa, and mashed it all up together. She then spread the mixture over the tortillas and covered the whole thing with a thick layer of Mexican mixed cheese.

Then she popped it all into the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees – just long enough forever everything to heat through and the cheese all melt. We got two very good meals out of this dish.

We did not eat anything on the side, but you could add a salad if you like.