Lady's Brunch at Country Cat

Last Sunday my friends Amanda, Liby and I went to brunch at Country Cat (a great restaurant in the Montavilla area).   I'd never been to brunch there and was impressed!  I got the grilled cheese and smoky tomato soup.  Amanda got (I think) the corned beef hash and Liby got the hazelnut pancakes. 

Liby brought her beautiful little darling, Hazel.  What a cutie pie!  I just realized that hazelnuts should be Liby's favorite!!

After brunch Amanda had to take off, and our friend Thea joined up with us.

We all walked up to the antique mall on Stark.  I ended up buying my Mom a really cool succulent arrangement in a vintage white planter and a set of moose antlers that Julian will paint for our baby's room.  These both turned out to be big hits - I gave my Mom the planter yesterday for Mother's Day and she loved it!  I knew she would since we both love succulents and I wanted to keep it for myself.  Good sign.  The antlers turned out to be perfect too - they're a perfect size for a space above one of the windows.  I can't wait to see what Julian does with them!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!! Recipe - Mexican casserole

Here's a recipe for the casserole we made last night.  I didn't even think about the fact that it was Cinco De Mayo today. 

It goes a long way, tastes great and is actually somewhat low in fat.  We ate this with a green salad of diced mango and avocado.  I made a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon and lime juice, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cumin.

1 package corn tortillas
1 can of beans (we used pintos)
1 diced onion
salsa verde (probably 1 cup total)
1 diced chipotle pepper (I scaped out most of the seeds, but you can leave them in for more heat)
2 cups pepper jack cheese
1 can of diced tomatoes (undrained) - preferably with chiles
1 pint light sour cream
1/2 cup milk
cilantro (I just chopped up what we had left, probably 1/4 cup)
smoked paprika (1 tsp)
cumin (1.5 tsp)
chili powder (1 tsp)
salt
1/2 lime

Saute the diced onions in oil w/some salt.  Add about half of the spices, the drained & rinsed beans, salsa, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and cilantro. Squeeze the 1/2 lime into mixture.  I meant to add corn to this too and just forgot.  Then make your sour cream mixture in a smallish bowl - wisk sour cream with the milk and other half of the spices.  Spray a 13x9 pyrex and start layering with the corn tortillas, then the bean mixture, sour cream and finally the cheese (but any combo works just as well).  I made I think 3 layers, ending with the corn tortillas and I topped it with some more salsa and the rest of the cheese.  Cover with tin foil and bake in 375 degree oven until bubbly.  Enjoy!