I am literally limping to the finish line, folks.  Current score: Vacation Bible School, 3 – Me, 0! I basically did it for the Little Little One.  You see, in the land of VBS, if you want your pre-schooler to attend, then you are required to volunteer.  And what self respecting 4 year old is going to let her sisters traipse off to a week of fun without putting up a protest and wanting to attend also.  So I caved and filled out the volunteer form.

With just a click of the mouse, off it went and I was committed.  The first reply I got had me assigned to the kitchen.  “Cool,” I thought,  “I’ll be bagging pretzels and washing grapes.  Not a bad gig.”  Well, that apple cart was soon upset when I got another e-mail telling me that they would be putting me in the craft tent after all.  The craft tent!

After just three days in the craft tent, let me tell you – – – it’s grueling work!  Day 1 = Modge Podge.  Day 2= beaded crosses  Day 3= beaded crosses.  And guess what I have to look forward to tomorrow . . . more beaded crosses.  See days 2 – 5 work on a rotational schedule.  The kids move to a different station each day, but it’s like I’m stuck in the beaded cross version of Groundhog Day. I know it sounds silly, but directing the beading of 45 crosses a morning with no chance to sit down from 8:30 – 12:30 is kicking my butt.  On day 2 I was suggesting different patterns for the beading of the crosses and marveling at each child’s unique talent and abilities expressed through their positioning of the beads.  Tomorrow, I think if any child even starts to diddle around with an idiotic pattern which takes 28 times longer than just slappin’ those beads on that cross, that I just take may have to personally remove the kid from the craft tent.

As I figure it, I either have a special place in heaven for having led the beading of so many crosses, or . . .  this little blog post (really a result of extreme fatigue and  nothing more), has just swiped that special place right out of my reach.  So as my VBS enthusiasm has declined  as the week has progressed, so too has the family fare at the dinner table.  We kicked off Monday with a great little Almond, Lemon & Basil Crusted Salmon.  Yesterday we had a favorite go-to of Black Bean Tortilla Pie.  Tonight, I chucked some Trader Joe’s frozen mini tacos in the oven and then tossed paper plates around the table frisbee style.  If you were lucky enough to catch a plate then you could serve yourself a taco.  So I figure before we sink any further, I had better get my post for the week up.  Who knows, if I wait any longer, you might get the “recipe” for how to microwave a hotdog!

So this Black Bean Tortilla Pie is a great, easy meal.  The added bonus is that you probably have everything you need to make it  in your pantry and fridge right now.

I started things off by sautéeing up a little onion and jalapeno pepper along with some garlic and cumin.

I rinsed and drained a couple cans of black beans, and then added those, along with a 12 oz. bottle of beer,  to the skillet with the onion mixture.

I brought that mixture to a boil and then reduced the heat and let simmer until almost all of the liquid had evaporated.  I stirred in a package of frozen corn and some scallions.  Then I removed the  skillet from the heat and seasoned  with some salt and pepper.

In a spring form pan, I fit 1 – 2 whole wheat tortillas into the bottom.  You may have to trim the 2nd tortilla down so that you have one even layer of tortilla covering the pan bottom.  On top of that, I spooned a quarter of the bean mixture and then some cheddar cheese.   I repeated  this same layering another three times, and finished things off with a double dose of cheddar.

I baked the pie in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes.  I unmolded the pie from the springform pan and sprinklde with more scallions for garnish. I like to serve with fresh salsa, sour cream, tortilla chips and rice.

Here is the complete recipe for Black Bean Tortilla Pie.