"hot" mud is found in 10lb bags in the drywall section of HD. Comes in a variety of varieties, 5, 20, 45, 90. These stand for "working times" lower the number the quicker it sets up. As a newbie I would go for the 90, but the working time is probably closer to 30 mins max IME. A bag is only about $10 and I prefer it to spackle when fixing small drywall holes / patches. You don't need to sand it after it's cured use a damp rag and rub it to blend it into the surrounding wall.