Some people find my bad pronunciation charming

Honestly. Ask my roommate. I'm just really white, and from a small town. My Spanish pronunciation is pretty bad. I can say things correctly in my head, but when I try to speak, I just sound like Whitey McCrackerhead. It's something I've come to accept.

Which is why you will most likely not hear me say 'empanada' out loud ever again. But my pronunciation of the word isn't really the point here.

The other day I went with Sean to the grocery store (Cermack Produce) up the block because we were out of 'shit tickets' (use your imagination here). The grocery store also happened to have eggs on sale for $0.99 (probably because most of the cartons had at least one broken egg). Well, the egg sale was enough to draw Sean's interest, and there he was rifling through every container of eggs trying to find one without a broken egg in it.

Boredom got the better of me, and I started looking at the freezer cases. It was then that I found the empanada 'discos' and decided I was going to make some.

So, last night after Luz and I had a 'business meeting' over beer, it was empanada time. Here's the recipe, and for fun, more things I can't pronounce.

Black Bean and Corn Empanadas

1 package Goya 'Discos Grandes', thawed (yeah, I'm not saying that out loud either)
1 large can black beans, mashed (frijoles negros)
1 can corn (maiz)
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. finely shredded cheddar.

In medium mixing bowl, mix last five ingredients. Place a few tablespoons of the mixture in the middle of each round of dough. Fold over and crimp to seal. In a large skillet, or pot, heat a few inches of oil. Fry each empanada until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side.

The results were nice. The crust was crispy and flaky. The filling had just the right amount of heat from the jalapeño, and there was enough filling leftover for me to make a burrito for lunch.

I've got another package of the dough, and am probably going to try to come up with a dessert filling for them.

Insatiable Cravings for Frito Pie

If anyone has ever been to a county fair, they most likely know what Frito Pie is.

Unfortunatley, no one I know knows what Frito Pie is, and that, my friends, is sad.

It's one of those glorious food items that you should probably only eat at the fair, along with funnel cakes, and hot dogs that are a foot and a half long.

But, I'm short on funds, and Frito Pie is cheap and easy to make. The dish is merely Fritos corn chips (which I will refuse to eat plain), chili (the thick and chunky kind), shredded cheddar, and onions. Since I am an obese woman trapped in the body of a moderately sized woman, I also put sour cream on mine.

I know it's not a lot to look at, but it is pretty filling. Also, if you're broke, you don't complain a lot. Hence, I have eaten this three times in the past week.

Ain't no shame.

The hot dogs have conquered me

I'm thinking that I need to take a long, well-deserved break from my attempts at eating 80 different hot dogs. I managed to get two down about a week and half ago, but it was a struggle. Just the thought of ingesting another one right now makes me feel a bit physically ill. But, someday, I will finish all 80 of them.

For now, these are the last hot dogs in a very LONNNNGGG time:

On the left you have a buffalo wing dog. This is a hot dog cooked in wing sauce, then topped with carrot, and blue cheese. I suppose you could put celery on there if you like celery, but I don't. Whatever.

On the right, you have my take on the Sumo Dog, from Tubby Dogs in Calgary. This dog originally calls for wasabi, Japanese mayo, pickled ginger, and toasted sesame seeds. I switched it up a bit and did wasabi mayo, pickled ginger, and black sesame seeds.

So long hot dogs. Nice knowing you.