If you can't stand the heat, you should probably get out of my kitchen (with all due respect)

I experienced one of the greatest successes in my married life to date this last week.

Here's the story. . . I love Mexican food. One would think that this works out nicely for the bride who married a man who lived most of his life in Mexico who also LOVES Mexican food. The problem is, I have grown up with American "Mexican" which is a completely different category of food than authentic "Mexican" food from south of the border. **though we do both lovelovelove Chipotle** Thus, while I love having taco night - it's not actually a taco to Philip. It's more like confusing - why do I put all of the vegetables on my tortilla? Why do I use meat that would actually be used for a burrito in a taco (our ground beef version is actually not what a real taco is made out of). The spices Philip grew up with in Mexican food are impossible to replicate.

Well, the other night I wanted enchilladas. . . I decided that I didn't feel like making two separate dinners (which usually is what happens at our house since we are each so picky). He got really excited when he started eating. He liked it. I was elated. He asked if it was possible to make it hotter the next time (understandably, I fed him my "mild" version). I told him it absolutely was.

Well, a couple of nights later I was at the comissary and picked up a habenaro pepper and some habenaro tobasco sauce to try a hot version. I made Philip a dish so hot that he was sweating and peeling his clothes off. He was SO SO SO excited, "this is just like the old days!!!!" He started listing people that he felt that I needed to be cooking for (including his parents - also Mexican food conissuers).

I had to laugh. It's silly, but it felt really good. I like him getting to have a "taste of home" b/c he really misses Mexico. Making him some "home *Mexican* cooking" that he really really likes is a major accomplishment.

Not too shabby for a white girl from Minnesota. . .