Chili today and hot tamale

LOL! That's the punch line from an old joke. I don't remember the joke itself, but I often think of the line when someone comments about chilly weather. For some reason the line comes to mind as I am thinking about the wonderful visit that I recently had with #2MIL.

After several months of one thing and another keeping me away, I finally had a functioning car and time away from elder care to make a quick run out to see My Prince's stepmom. "Quick" turned into three days and two nights of fun conversations, fun shopping, and fun eating. #2MIL, I should explain, is only "#2" because we both still honor #1, My Prince's late mother; both moms are very much in the center of our hearts.

While #2 MIL is a fantastic cook with whom we've enjoyed many wonderful meals, she's not as interested in spending quality time over a hot stove these days. She prepared fine, low-carb breakfasts for me, but lunch and dinner were eaten out (or involved certain happy leftovers).

Our first dining adventure took us to Tamale King near Buchanan Dam. Other folks have reviewed Tamale King quite highly, and I have to join in the praise.

This painting by J. McElwaine shows the old pickup truck that used to be filled with the most wonderful bounty of bougainvillea. It was parked in front of the restaurant and lifted your spirits immediately. #2MIL says a freeze finally got to the plants, and the truck was just hauled off. I'm glad that the artist managed to capture this memory before it disappeared.

I'm also glad to report that nothing has happened to the quality of food at Tamale King despite the loss of the truck with the bougainvillea. #2MIL ordered 3 dozen tamales to go for My Prince's Christmas present. (We froze them so that I could take them home later.) Then we settled down to take care of ourselves. The Tamale King platter came with 3 tamales (I chose beef), covered with chili sauce, and accompanied by rice, borracho beans, guacamole, and a generous supply of flour tortillas. Then we added a side order of a dozen beef tamales. A side order of tamales to go with the tamale plate you ask? Well, it made sense to me! This allowed me to have an extra tamale for dinner (yes, they are that good); it allowed #2 MIL to have her favorite bowl of boracho beans and still nibble on some tamales from the side dish; it allowed me to take some home for extra bites when needed. Besides, it's so tacky to eat someone else's Christmas present before they even get it, doncha know.

The next day, we went on a road trip to preview the activities for a planned excursion for #2MIL's neighborhood group. This took us to Lampasas and Eve's Cafe on the Square. A German cafe, Eve's serves various schnitzels and hearty sandwiches in a biergarten cum ranch atmosphere. The service was friendly and helpful. I ordered a Reuben. Bypassing the chips offered on the side, I tried to see what else might take their place. No joy there. #2MIL had a chef salad with dressing on the side. Both of us found our meals tasty, filling, and reasonably priced. Here's a shot of beer mats on the ceiling of Eve's.

Every other chance that I had to eat involved those wonderful leftover tamales. A friendly neighbor had brought over a small bowl of spicy chili. She warned us that it would be quite hot. I didn't find it so hot, but it was delicious and just the thing to spoon over a couple of tamales. #2MIL never had to touch the stove after breakfast! Indeed, if she had allowed it, I probably would have had those wonderful tamales for breakfast.