October 24, 2006

A QUICK BUT DELICIOUS MEXICAN DINNER !

I would like to thank EACH ONE OF YOU who visited my blog home and wished my family on Diwali with all my heart.You have really made this year's Diwali a memorable one for us indeed!!Hope all of you had a great Diwali or weekend and our muslim friends a great Eid celebration as well!
I don't have much energy left to cook this week but looking forward to Halloween for kids' sake this weekend...

Alrighty then, let's do this...here is a delicious,easy meal I made the other day when my husband was at a meeting and was not expected to come home for supper!! Every time that happens, my kids would say "Yay!! dad's not coming home for dinner today, we get to eat junk food!!" :D..When I am too lazy to cook, canned food or frozen , or anything quick to prepare would be very handy :)

A Plate of Quesadillas, Taquitos, Spanish Rice, Texas Beans and Salsa!!


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Here is the menu for quick Mexican dinner, some home made and some store-bought to make life easier!! I made Spanish rice from scratch,cheese and Salsa Quesadillas, ground chicken and cheese Taquitos and few re-fried beans and cheese Taquitos , canned Texas style beans and served with some salsa. For dessert, I made some quick and easy version of Mexican Sopapillas.(soft pillows)

For Quesadillas:

You Need:


Take 6"-8" flour tortillas,heat on a pan for a minute. Place on a plate , sprinkle 3 tbsp any Mexican blend cheese,sprinkle salsa and cover with another warmed tortilla.You can add re-fried beans, any meat filling ,jalapenos ,vegs , any sauce at this stage.



Pat down firmly to seal,spray or smear some oil and cook both sides until golden brown and crisp on a non-stick pan on a medium heat. Take it out on a wooden board or metal sheet and cut into fours to get triangles. Serve warm...





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To make
Taquitos;take few 6" flour tortillas.Usually Taquitos are made with corn tortillas but I find them harder to roll.Warm flour tortillas, put in cooked ground chicken or re-fried beans,any cheese you like ,some salsa and roll to a tube. Cook seam down first to seal and roll them to cook on non-stick pan with little oil to a golden color on all sides.


To Make Spanish Rice:

You Need:

1 Cup uncle Ben's easy cook rice, 1/4 cup (sauteed in 1 tsp oil) vermicelli(optional),salt,1/2 cup Tomato sauce,chilli flakes or pd ,1 tsp cumin pd,1/4 cup minced onion, minced 1 garlic or garlic pd, lemon-pepper pd,1/4 tsp Oregano , dry parsley and some cilantro.




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Mix everything together in a bowl with 2 cups of water, put it in the microwave and cook until rice is soft.It should still be little thin not very dry ,it thickens as it cools. Sprinkle hot sauce and cilantro if you like before serving.




Posted by PicasaOpen a can of Texas style beans or any beans you like, heat in the microwave and serve!! Did I have to explain that to you!!:D





Cinnamon-Sugar Sopapillas:


Mexican 'Sopapillas' (Pronounced as 'sopapiyas') literally means 'soft pillows'.They are made of flour dough ,rolled out, cut into squares like little pillows, deep fried and sprinkled with sugar pd. I added cinnamon pd to make it more flavorful dessert for kids!!

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TO MAKE THEM:


I used 1 cup store bought Sopaplilla mix,mixed with water to a firm dough.Rest for about 5 mins. To make them from scratch : Mix 2 c. flour,1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt,1 tbsp butter or margerine,some warm water, make a firm dough.Rest for 5 mins.



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Roll the dough to a circle to 1/8th thickness, cut them across into squares and seperate them slightly. Heat oil to 350F, gently lower the squares ,fry them to a golden color and all puffed up. Drain on paper towel.




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This is how they look before and after you sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar!! While they are still hot on the peper towel, sprinkle cinnamon-sugar quickly and generously on them.Delicious Sopapillas are ready to eat! :))




NOTE: Sopapillas I have made with store-bought mix although tasty ,did not puff up well as you can see. But you are better off with the 'from scratch' recipe I have given you which is very easy to mix in a jiffy and you will a get a pillow like dessert.

If you want to make own cinnamon-sugar, mix 1 tbsp sweet cinnamon pd with 3-4 tbsp fine sugar and sprinkle evenly on the Sopapillas!

Have a great Mexican meal and remember, this is not an authentic Mexican food but my quick ,delicious version. Kids will love them!:) Enjoy!!

Halloween is on Tuesday this year which is really weird and inconvenient. Lot of kids have school next day.I am hoping they would change it to this weekend instead of a school day...

See you all on Friday for Halloween party! Be scared, Be VERY scared!:))

74 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha!
Love mexican. I usually make fajitas and burritos at home. Will try Quesadillas next time and will probably put in some mushrooms/spinach with the cheese (I'm veg). Love the sopapillas. the only mexican sweet I have had is the flan. this is new and looks yummy. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Really an easy mexican delight...Thanks..Never tried mexican at home ..always store brought..next time will cook at home..

Anonymous said...

There, you've done it again...I'm craving Mexican now....

Btw, which part of this meal is junk food???! Beans, rice and cheese - sound healthy to me...complete with dessert and all!

Anonymous said...

Yumm! Now you have made me even more hungry. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Asha your recipes are authentic! In fact it seems straight out of the menu of some of the good mexican restaurants that I have visited. I love sopapillas a lot! Thanks for these recipes, I will surely try sopapillas. By the way, your jalebis were a hit at our home. Made them for diwali.

Deepa

Anonymous said...

That is a nice meal. I make the quesellidas in the oven. I love mexican rice, but have never tried it at home, now that I know how to make it, will give it a try!

Anonymous said...

Hey Ash.. considering you cooking skills, the kids should be looking forward to more than just candies :D

Winter is around the corner!!

Priyamvada_K said...

What a lovely site, with pictures. Thank you for visiting my blogsite and commenting. Now the diehard foodie side of me has a place to drop in for recipes.

Btw, the jalebi recipe was very simply done. I always used to wonder about how to pipe the flour through - thanks for the mustard bottle idea!

Priya.

UJ said...

Hi,

Yummy mexican food. Do you live in Texas? My husband loves Sopapillas very much. When we lived in Austin, we would frequent lot of Mexican places which served great food, but cannot find such great food in CA. It has been a long time since i heard the dish Sopaillas. I will give it a try sometime.

Thanks for the recipe.

Have a fun Halloween.

sra said...

Hola! Nice platter you have there! It seems like a lot of work even though it wasn't all made from scratch!

Nee said...

Ooh, I love Mexican and I love easy! :-)

Meena Kandlakuti said...

nice quick food for children..when my starts going to school..i don'nt know how many varieties i have to cook..i think one need lots of patience with children..thanks for sharing asha:-)

Anonymous said...

wow asha mexican food.... i just lov
but little lazy to do it frm the start:D.

FH said...

Hi Hema, love the veg idea. I make Burritos and enchiladas too for kids,they love anything Mexican.They can work for food in Taco Bell!:))Enjoy..

Maheshwari, mexican food is the easiest to make at home, hope you will try with diff combos too!Thanks!

HI Sanjay, thank God you came back! I confused you for a while,didn't I?:D Mexican food is our fav, enjoy!

@! *junk* :D:D
You are right.Whenever I want my kids to eat Indian food ,I tell them 'this is better than the other junk food you crave",so anything other than Indian is 'junk' which they LOVE!:D Mexican food is healthy really if you skip the lard they use!

Radhika said...

Hi!
I'm not a big fan of Mexican food but after seeing the picture on ur blog ,i'm really craving for Mexican food.

FH said...

Deepa, I am glad Jalebis came out well.They are easy.
American style Mexican food is like this,easy. But the real Mexican food from the cook books I have is even more delicious and authentic,like home-cooked and in restaurant Indian food.You know what I mean.This works for speedy lunch..try at home.

Nee beta! Make it veggie. You know you get those yummy Heinz baked beans there,you can use that with little spice, we used to love it.
But they call it 'beans and toast', eat 24/7 those idiots like it's gourmet, for lunch and dinner,just that nothing else!:D

Shankari, when I making a lot of Quesadillas at the same time I put them in the oven,for 1 or 2 I use pancake griddle,faster.Spanish rice easy like pulao with diff flavors..hope you try.:)

Hola sra!:D Hey I should have put that in there! See the diff. betn a foodie and journ..!!You think ,I cook!:))Yummy Mexican,isn't it?

FH said...

Hi Priya K, welcome, glad I found you and you get to try all these goodies!Mustard bottle is a great idea,cut off how big a hole you want.They are very inexpensive and diposable too.Enjoy the recipes.

Hi Meena! Kids need lot of diff, food indeed!Start collecting:)Moms have to be geniuses too to come up with dishes they like everyday, not an easy task..
Did you look at my Diwali post btw,don't miss it.Hope you are having a great time there,have fun!

Thanks CM! We are in NC but our last vacation was in San Antonio,we ate lot of tex mex food there,loved it,went to New Orleans too on the way. NC is famous Lexinton BBQ which was on last week.I am sure CA has some good place,don't they have lot of Spanish folk there.Keep an eye for'em..or u can cook yourself now:))

Back to normal, eh John?
Ciggie layeho kya mere kitchen me phirse? Jhaadoo se maar maarke kachchra kardoongi!!:D
When are you going give that up,tell me and then you can talk!!I will call BORAT if not!
What else for Halloween but ...!Check out on Friday! Be good and take it easy sir!Stay away from lightening!

Bong Mom said...

Hey Asha,
Nice spread. Though I like Mexican never really tried them at home. Shall try them now.
--sandeepa

Anonymous said...

Another array of dishes that look absolutely delicious...I haven't had sopapillos before...but you make it sound so easy and good I've got to try it now.

starry said...

Another fast, tasty, scrumptious meal. something everyone likes.thanks for sharing these recipes.I love sopapillos.

Anonymous said...

i have never tried mexican dishes at home...u r inspiring me to try :).food looks fabulous!

FH said...

AF! A pot of soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, my kids would flip for those too! But keep the dessert for your sweetie.:D:D
Yes, Mexican food is very flavorful and balanced food indeed! Kids here love Taco Bell and La Hacienda..

Hope you do Sandeepa! Very easy with all those canned re-fried beans etc.Let me know..:)

Try at home, Jaya! It's almost like Shakarpara but with cinnamon-sugar sprikled on them.Don't you think? Similar anyway..hope you do..thanks..

Anonymous said...

hmm, i am hungry now.. u make it sound easy .. i make quesadillas often, but haven't tried the taquitos, thanks!!!

Gattina Cheung said...

Asha,
you are so knowledgable!! I have no idea what Mexican food will be look like... Yep, I expect a lot of kids dressed up to school this Friday.

Jaya M said...

oh My ,Asha what wonderful recipes you prepare your family is such lucky one , and Mexican is one of my fav cuisine too ,I liked the desert Sopaipillas a lot .and the way you post with step by step pics make it more attractive ...it was pleasure to visit here ,from now on will visit more in future.keep up the good work ...

Shionge said...

Hey Asha....your family members are so lucky, you cooked up such an elaborate meal, hats off to you SISTAH :D

Anonymous said...

you are fantastic!!

;-))

Anonymous said...

Great looking Mexican 'Sopapillas' ,I am really gonna try this asap.Asha, Thanks for this lovely recipe,wishing you and your kids a great halloween Time with loads of scary fun....;)Look fwd to hearing all about Halloween.

Menu Today said...

Hi Asha,
Another Good Mexican Treat. I never tried mexican food. Now I like to try spanish rice.Thanks Asha.

vasilisa said...

Asha! You’re so versatile! At home with Mexican food too! I love the quesadillas. Never tried to make then, but you make it seem so easy… And you know how keen I am on quick and easy meals :-)

Deepak Gopi said...

Hi :)
Hope you had an excellent Diwali.
All the best.
Good day.
Happy Halloween

Mahek said...

hi
asha
thanks for visiting my blog regularly!!!!!
thats a great mexican meal i dont know whether the ingredients are avaliable in india or i would have definetly made it.
tell me is a quesadilla and taquitos not almost similar ?

Nee said...

But they call it 'beans and toast', eat 24/7 those idiots like it's gourmet, for lunch and dinner,just that nothing else!:D

LOL! You always make me smile! I know what you mean, they're ready for it anytime! Though I have to shamefacedly admit, there have been some late nights when that's been our dinner.
The regular veggie refried beans is also available here! I had once made tacos using that. But it never struck me that making quesadillas was so easy - I always thought I needed some sort of tortilla warmer or something for that! This is so cool! Never tried sopapillas either...

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Great meal Asha! We love quick n easy mexican dinners too. Full of taste and easy on the cooks!

mommyof2 said...

you are very creative:-)

Susan in Italy said...

I'm so glad you make a Mexican dinner. Mexican food is the thing I miss most about the U.S. I just made some poblano rice after having to grow the poblano peppers myself.

And I don't know what you mean about "quick"! With the quesadillas, taquitos, rice 'n beans, and finally the sopapillas. Whew! That seems like a lot to me.

Krithika said...

I can eat Tex-Mex and not authentic Mexican food... if you know what I mean. I love Sopapillas. Other than cinnamon sugar, honey (or is it syrup) is also drizzled. You mexican spread looks delicious !

Rachna said...

Hi Asha,

totally love your blog, recipes are so good, best of all is the effort you put in to put all the pictures of the ingredients, and the method in detail, am a regular visitor, commenting first time :-) blog on diwali was superb

sopapillas - never had them; will definitely try them and let u kno

Vani said...

You didn't feel like cooking after Diwali and u come up with this spread! I know I know, they are easy enough to make but with all the varieties, I'm sure it adds up. U're amazing, girl!

Anonymous said...

Asha, Quesadillas are what I pack for lunch for my daughter, she just loves them, I add only the cheese. In fact the adults in the house love it too.
Cinnamon-Sugar Sopapillas look great, makes me want to pop one into my mouth

wheresmymind said...

I'd like a definition of what the word 'quick' means to you ;)

Anonymous said...

I love Mexican food! And it's so easy to convert to gluten free [which I must be]. Very nice.

FH said...

Thanks Radhika, hope you try. Now you know how easy it is!;)

Try and do it one day,Jaya K!! I bet you will love it all!:)

Starry! Thanks.We love mexican or tex mex anytime..

Kalpana! Thanks girl ,save moola by cooking at home,tastes better:D:D

Shaheen,Taquitos are easy, rolling takes a little more time than Quesadilas but delicious.They deep fry them usually to a crisp but on the griddle works too.Ground beef is great too.

Hey Deepak,had a great Diwali.Have a good day too..:)Thank you.

FH said...

Thanks Gattina, no fan of Mexican food ? Most popular in my house may be after Chinese.Hope you give it a try..It's bitter cold here, all those poor kids have to freeze in their costumes..not fair..:(

Hi Mantu,welcome to my blog home.I am glad you liked it all,and try some recipes too.Thanks for visiting.:))

Thank you too Shinoge sistah!Enjoy all that and come back for more..:D:D

Aw..SouthPaw, I wish I could send you some,instead you going home,start making them:))

DeepSat!!thank you, thank you very much.(Elvis style):))

FH said...

Lera, enjoy the Sopapillas! Halloween will be fun,I am getting back to normal,beware and get ready to be VERY scared:D:D

MT, you can skip vermicelli if you want and make it just with rice,tastes good.Thanks girl..

Lisa,don't I know that?:D Just slap anything betn Tortillas with cheese,there is ur Quesadillas!Nothing is easier..

Hi Mehak,enjoyed Goa?I don't think you get Mex.things in India,not sure.Que..are meat or veg stuffed inside flat Tortillas,grilled,cut in traingles,Taquitos means 'little Tacos',which are one smaller Torilla,stuffed rolled,deep fried to a crisp.Tacos are open half moon shaped hard shell stuffed with mest,cheese and salad etc with sauce.May be I will do that one day.I don't realize that lot Indians donot know abt unfamiliar food..I will..:)

Thanks MO2, kids favorite,try my best to bring more kiddie food around here..:)

FH said...

Nee! we ate that too occasionally,loved it.But day in and day out,NO!:D
I didn't know you get re-fried beans there,good.All you need is a non-stick pan,cheese,veg, Tortillas, you are 'good to go'as they say in Taco Bell ad!:))

Meeta, my fav sweetest girl on this Earth!! Welcome back:)) I bet your kid loves these as much as mine. They are easy,nutritious too if you balance the meal.Halloween is around the corner,hope to see lot of orange in ur blog:)Thanks..

I know Vani!:)) But no matter how we moms feel,still have to cook and feed the little monsters 24/7 until they get out to college, right? Might as well put my food on my blog !:D

FH said...

Susan,you have Poblano Rice?! I am there ASAP..We love Tex Mex too.Remember Mysore Pak and how looong it took for you to make it?:) Compared to that this is easy peasy,I am a multitasker too!:D

I know Krithika,Tex Mex is just messed up authentic Mexican food:D
I have cook books,looks so delicious and complicated,the REAL Mexican, I mean.I would love make those but need lot of patience,time.I think they drizzle some syrup on sugar pd,honey works well too.Sometimes they cheat and fry some tortilla pieces and give sprinkled with sugar pd..Grr..:)

Dumela, 'The Ghost Reader' leaving the paw prints for the first time! Hmm...:D
welcome and thank you for taking time.Hope you come back amd let me know how you liked..:)

FH said...

Indo! I bet your kid is the most popular in school with all delicious cheese Quesadillas in her lunch box,sounds good to me.:)Surprise her with Sopapillas one day,kids love the taste of cinnamon-sugar anytime..:D

Jeff! good question!Definition of quick..Hmm..:D:D
No!! That's easy, Indian cooking is a looong process which I do almost 4 days/week.It involves 'on the stove top' cooking on our feet for hrs,starts with washing,chopping,grating,soaking,cooking,toasting,squeezing the juice out lemons or tamarind frying,stirring..are you still here...okay..:))
Compared to all that, Mexican or any other meal is a like cake walk,really!!All these food took abt 30 mins at most which makes me very happy..
Are you British, Jeff? Just curious,Indian style:) Glad you are feeling better..take care..

Tee said...

Ooh I miss authentic Tex Mex.. good easy meal. Not just for kids :)

Funny, I moved here in 2004 after I got married and guess from where? no, not NC but Texas. I went to college there. Oh how I miss the weather!! oh and the food.
Do you visit Mn?

Hope you had an awesome diwali.

Anonymous said...

Wow asha, one treat after the other... wonder what will it be for Halloween ;)

Brilynn said...

It looks great! I love your presentations.

Rashmi said...

wow Asha,

This itself is a treat.
Has added it to my to-try list.

Happy Halloween.

Anonymous said...

I never tried mexican recipes before except mexican rice..thnx for the sharing..ur blog rocks ...Happy halloween!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,

What a great idea! Don't know why I never thought of homemade taquitos. I guess I never thought beyond deep frying. Definitely a kid-pleaser! Sopapillas look great too -- thanks :)

FH said...

Thanks Rashmi,hope you try at home and have fun!

I appreciate it,thank you Brilynn:)

A very scary Halloween post coming your way, Mandira. Watch out!:D

Tamanna, what a change for you sweetie. From sweltering Texas to freezing Mn! We were in Mn in 1995 and went through a blizzard!-60F windchill.Hope you don't have to go through it:)We visited Mn 2 yrs ago,no plans rt now!Thanks...:)

Seema said...

Asha...hope you had a great time at Deepawali...here's loads of wishes for a great year ahead !!

I am droolin over the dishes on yr page right now...

Can i invite myself for breakfast / lunch / dinner heheeee lemmme know which one i can invite myself...leave it to u heheeeee

Waiting for the Haloween thingie...khatarnaaak hai kyaaaaaaaa

Anonymous said...

Is Sopapillas name of the flour. Just confused. Is it like all purpose flour or something different.

Just wanna try this recipe.

FH said...

Priya,Sopapilla is a Spanish name of the dessert, made of just plain flour you get in any stores.Easy,let me know when you do:)

I did Seema, hope you had a good one too.Did you have blogger problem too.It's frustrating , isn't it? You are welcome to all my
food day in and day out!:D

Thanks Haripriya!! Hope you make some of those,I am sure you will like it:)
Haanji, very sweetishly ghoulishly katarnaak Halloween hai!:D Check it out yourself....

Deep frying puts everybody off certain didhes indeed! Spray some oil,pan fry and enjoy them. Ready for Halloween, Linda!!:)

Anonymous said...

Wow, Asha! I really enjoyed this post, and will spend some time this weekend reading over all of your other posts as I have just found your blog :)

Anonymous said...

I just LOOOVE Mexican food,and I am famous for my enchiladas and quesadillas...I will post those recipes for you on my blog too! your meal looks awesome!!

Cheers,Trupti

FH said...

Hi Payal, welcome and glad you found me!There are too many recipes I think to go through in a weekend:))Thanks for visiting and hope you had great Diwali!

Thanks Trupti, can't wait for your recipes,would love to know your version too! Don't take too long..

Anonymous said...

Asha, you're a wiz! It would take me a month of Sundays (ok, I exaggerate, but it would take me quite a while) to accomplish all that you've done at this one meal! Wish I lived closer - I would come and bug you for cooking shortcuts! ;)

Anonymous said...

i luv mexican food asha..have tried some recipes like Quesadillas and enchiladas but never heared of Taquitos before ...thanks for the recipes..

Seema said...

Heyy yaaa...we did have this bloggin bit blocked n all..now its fine...all's well that ends well heheee...so am bakkkkk !!!

Am gonna be here for all mah food breaks heheeeeee...virtual treat n someday gonna make it real tooooo...maha thrilled at the mere thought of it !!!

Neer said...

yummmmmmmmmmm

FH said...

Thanks Lotus! Hey, you are as close as to me as you are to your laptop!:)I have shortcuts galore and me the shortcut queen:D I am here to the rescueeee Kamalaji...

Hello Maneka, Taquitos are 'little Tacos' rolled up and fried.can pan fry too,delicious.Hope you give it a try.:)

Welcome back Seema!Hope one day you won't be able to grab all my 'virtual now, reality tomorrow' food from your Laptop!:D
Phirto police ko bhulana padegaji!! Foodie to befood hojaayegi aur bhaki log bina foodie's food , mujhe khajaayenge!To Seema Munnabahen! lage` raho vitual food pe for a long time!!Bless youji!:D:D
I am getting more poetic than you now..he..he..!!
Blanket laana katharnak Halloween post dhekhne ke liye aaj,kya jaane kya hojave`!!

Anonymous said...

Love hot and spicy Mexican food and your mexican dinner looks fabulous.
Do u have any good recipe for tortilla soup ?

Anonymous said...

BTW I have your blog's rss feed in my news reader. I again caught a post called "temp" and "h". :-)I guess they haven't been published yet or been taken off?

FH said...

Sanjay! Ignore all the temps ,I was editing.It's published now:D:D

Hi Priya, hot and spicy is good for this kind of weather,isn't it?
I already have Tortilla soup in my 'Soup Galore',check it out!!Thanks..btw I can't leave a comment in your blog,it says unknown and doesn't go through:(
I saw ur mushrooms and Uttappams but comment will not go through..

Thanks Neers!! Hopr you try:))

Me said...

You are quite the artist with your food. We don't get very authentic Mexican food here in Australia. I make a mean bowl of chili mince, thats about it.

Anonymous said...

Happy Halloween! Very nice blog...and very creative pictures. The tree in front of your house looks amazing. I m a new blogger, my blog address is http://cookingmadeasy.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

AWESOME!! What more can I describe you Asha. Seeing the pics the child in me is wanting to go out and roll in the fun and frolic of Halloween. Happy Halloween!!!
Divya

Anonymous said...

AWESOME!! What more can I describe you Asha. Seeing the pics the child in me is wanting to go out and roll in the fun and frolic of Halloween. Happy Halloween!!!
Divya

FH said...

Thanks Orhan, I love chili too, wish you could give me your recipe.I make one spicy chili too with cheesy fries and rice sometimes..

Hi Nidhi, welcome and thank you. I did visit your log and you have some good recipes too.enjoy blogging....

Divya thanks and you are in the wrong post I think!You girls are not blooging anymore,come on..bring us more..Have fun on Halloween day..:))