Stuffed. . . but not to the brim

I've been here in my sister's house for nearly 2 months already, and I've barely eaten the same thing twice. Though I'm at work most of the day, I come home and put on my sous-chef hat. Literally.

As my sister whips up dinner for her family, I chop garlic, cry my way through piles of onions, and "taste test" soups and cake batters. Taste testing is the best part of sous-cheffery, by the way. My sister's daily challenge is to come up with a menu that will tempt her young children but still satiate her husband's and our own more "grown-up" palates. My favorite (so far) of her creations has been cinnamon-laced refried beans and brown rice for Mexican fiesta night. With a little sangria (*ahem*) grown-up grape juice, I'm transported to Mexico for a night worth writing home about.