By Sheri Hopkins
Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! Loving this weather in God’s country here in the River Valley. Thank you to everyone who came out to the circus, it was a big success and the Chamber of Commerce thanks you.
I almost loaded up my car and followed the circus to Hugo, OK. I could have done one of three acts, the fat lady, bearded lady or a clown. They sure acted like they enjoyed doing the circus.
If ya’ll haven’t drove by my house and seen the biker rabbit you sure need to. I ordered the mask from Amazon and thought he was cute. Obviously, I was wrong because I got several comments on Facebook, also known as funny book by Phil Lowe. Here are a few of the adjectives used to describe my rabbit: creepy, spooky, scary, terrifying, a few said cute, and some loved it. So that all being said, drive by my house and feel free to take your kid’s pictures with my Easter bunny.
I have to think of what I can do next. Jacob flat out told me my rabbit was creepy. Could he not just tell a small white lie to make me feel better?!! No, he can’t. Once, before he got his driver’s license, I tried to get him to run to CV’s for me and pick up something and he flat refused and said, “that’s illegal, mom.” Honey, back in 1981, I drove every road in this town without a license. My mom could have cared less, she just let me drive everywhere. I hope no police see this. Oh, I am sure the statute of limitations is in my favor.
One day my sister was coming from Waldron headed to Fort Smith and she was on 71 Highway, between Mansfield and Greenwood. She said traffic was backed up for miles. She said someone in front was going so slow. When they finally got on the four lane everyone was passing the car that was going so slow. When she looked over at them, it was Jacob leading the pack. She said she laughed so hard she about croaked. Let me tell ya he wasn’t going to go one mile over the speed limit. One time while he was still living at home, I had forgot to get his car tags renewed. I knew if I told him he wouldn’t drive the car. After he went to work up at the Heartland Pharmacy, I ran and got the new tags and I had to sneak up there and put the sticker on the car.
I guess what I’m trying to tell ya’ll is I have raised a law-abiding citizen. He wouldn’t break the law or tell a white lie to his momma. One more thing about my son. Don’t ever let him cut your hair. One day I came home from work and Jacob and his daddy were outside under the carport and Jacob had the clippers and Chuck was having him cut his hair. Why on Earth would Chuck Hopkins have Jacob cut his hair?! Needless to say, there was a big bald spot on the back and they ended up having to shave it.
Can I just tell ya’ll that Jacob did not take after his momma. Not that I break all the laws, but I do speed and I have went seven months without renewing my car tags. I guess I thought I had done it so I called over to the revenue office because I thought someone stole my sticker and she said, “no ma’am, you didn’t renew them.” Yes, penalty and all, I went and got my tags renewed. As I tell my kids, do as say, not as I do.
This week’s recipe used to be one of my favorites at Taco Bell back years ago, but this copycat is pretty close.
MEXICAN PIZZA
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
8 flour tortillas (taco size)
15 oz. can refried beans
10 oz. can of red enchilada sauce
2 cups of Mexican shredded cheese
Toppings: dices tomatoes, sliced green onions, sliced black olives
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, brown and crumble the ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add taco mix and water and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until thick. In a large skillet, heat up the oil over medium heat and add the tortillas one at a time and cook for 3-4 minutes, flipping frequently until crisp. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. Set aside. Heat up the refried beans. This makes them easier to spread (I use the microwave). On each tortilla, slather a generous layer of beans, then top with seasoned ground beef. Place another tortilla on top and slather with about two tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Then place some shredded cheese on top of the sauce. Continue to assembly the rest of the tortillas the same way. Place the pizzas on a nonstick baking sheet (I used parchment paper) and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite toppings. I like sour cream, also. Enjoy this Mexican pizza! I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!
