If You Feed Them, They Will Come

This time of year, unexpected visitors seem to happen more frequently and they need to be fed. I thought I'd share some of my "impromptu entertaining" with you. (Maybe you'll share yours with me, too?)

I had planned on studying Saturday afternoon and hadn't really got into planning dinner (or even thinking of it) when our guests arrived at about noon.

So I immediately thought of this Black Bean Dip I make that is really quite tasty and could work well in a pinch.

Just cook about a pound of black beans until soft. Then mash the beans with a potato masher or fork until they resemble more of a paste. Add a can of Rotel, a can of tomato sauce, a can of green chilies and mix in some monterey jack and cheddar. Add your own hot sauce to season. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

I photographed it several times,
and each time it looked more like dirt
(good dirt, though--look at the color).

Well, time passed.

After the dip wore off,
JB's friend's fiancee was kind enough to help by
slicing up some sharp cheddar and summer sausage.

More time passed.

When the summer sausage and cheese wore off,
I scrounged around in the freezer and found some
Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells. I put them in the oven for dinner.

When dinner wore off, I whipped up some
Hershey Cocoa brownies with walnuts and threw them in the oven.

We ate them still warm from the oven 30 minutes later.
This is all that's left...


...and I'm thinking seriously about having it for breakfast.