Winners!

October has long been one of my favorite months - even before Thatbaby's arrival.  I love the clean, crispness to the air.  Even here in Southern California where there are only 2 seasons (dry and wet) it's beginning to get a little cooler.

And we started preparing for my favorite holiday - Halloween!

Thatbaby helped Thatboy put up the outside decor.

Now all we have to do is carve pumpkins and get costumes and we're all set!

In other YAY news - a couple weeks back I found out that I won a new set of pans from Sarah's Cucina Bella. 

And these couldn't have come at a better time.  Since I was desperately in need of a new set of pans.  Desperately. 

And so far, I'm loving these.  They're Teflon's Technique Enamel Light Weight Cast Iron Frypan Set.   First off, I adore the fact they're red.  When we got married, I let Thatboy control the registry, and he picked out everything in our kitchen to be silver and black.  Bleh.  Reds and oranges are my kitchen colors of choice.

Second, I they combine the benefits of cast iron (my favorite way to cook, least favorite thing to clean) with the benefits of non-stick cookwear (my favorite thing to clean)!  Needless to say, they're getting lots of use in my kitchen.

I decided to break them in with an easy taco recipe.  Look how little oil I'm using and still getting a nice, crispy taco shell!  These are a great vegetarian taco recipe, combining black beans with salty feta.  Thatbaby, as usual, loved these since they're filled with beans.  Thatboy and I enjoyed a change from our typical tacos since we usually use meat and don't typically fry our shells.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw (From Bon Apetit)

• 1 can black beans, drained (I actually used the leftover beans from the tamales)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 cups coleslaw mix
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 white or yellow corn tortillas
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• hot sauce

1.   Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. 

2.   Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl.

3.   Add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper. 

4.  Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. 

5.  Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute.

6.  Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. 

7.  Fill tacos with feta and slaw. 

8.  Serve with hot sauce.