What do you call a day that doesn't belong to you? Nacho day!

Life-long dream fulfilled in a pan of baked nachos

Monday was not a good day.  Have you ever had one of those days when everything seems to have compounded into one giant thing and suddenly it's all turned into that boulder from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, thinking, "Whoa, that's crazy!" only to realize that you are Henry Jones, Jr., and not only is it crazy, but your life is on the line.  Or, as was the case Monday, my outlook on life was on the line.

For the first time in my life, you see, I realized that I'm proud.  And my pride is a complete and utter weakness.  I don't know how I, with my self-esteem issues, have allowed pride to fester, but I have, evidently.  I started feeling a sense of guilt and shame that made me feel awful.

I went to the grocery store to get a few staples: eggs and syrup, having already bought bacon at a meat shop.

The egg selecting went splendidly,  but the syrup selection was overwhelming.  I mean, really, why do we as a people, need to have half of an aisle dedicated to mixtures of faux maple flavoring and corn syrup?  Is there any reason that my eyes need to be bombarded with so many variations of brown?  After finally having picked one, I proceeded to the checkout area, only to find at least seven older couples in each of the open lines.  In the smallish store I was in, I assure you, that's a lot of people.  Because of my recent crisis, I stopped dead in my tracks, said, "This is not going to happen," put my syrup back on the shelf, and the eggs back on theirs.  I proceeded to drive to Aldi, which has become my favorite grocery store now more than ever.  There, I discovered all the fixings for a quick, easy, and delicious end to my bad day.  Nachos were just the ticket, seeing as I had ground beef in the freezer, a lot of extra pico de gallo, and almost as much guacamole.  Chips, taco seasoning, and a can of refried beans.  TADA!

If you're just here for how the delicious things at the top were made:
When I came back home, I sulked for a while, but eventually made my nachos.  I browned the beef with 1/2 a packet of seasoning, heated the beans, and sliced a fresh jalapeno.  Layers upon layers of chips, cheese, beans, and meat.  I baked each layer separately at 450 degrees for about 3 minutes each, until the cheese (a mix of cheddar and mozzarella) melted.  It smelled fantastic.  I put the fresh jalapeno slices on the top layer before baking it.  Then I dumped a lot of pico de gallo atop it all!  They were fantastic.

This is not really a recipe, I suppose.  But then, I don't want this blog to be all about food.  I'm not just about food!

I feel like my way of thinking has been slipping lately.  I need to fix things again and stop being so hard on myself.  I'm not perfect, but sometimes even imperfect, unplanned, un-reciped, made up along the way, messy meals eaten on the living room floor are flavorful and worth it if you have some good conversation and someone to hold you when you cry about the day before the nachos.

I have problems, but so does everyone else.  So the next time it's not your day, remember it's nacho day!