Friday, August 31, 2012

Once in a Blue Moon....

I feel like making a cake! Luckily, this time they coincided!.


Happy Blue Moon Friday!
I will continue working on my fake fondant recipe, and when I get it right, I will share. Now, I have to go howl at the moon....


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

100 Bean Burritos On The Wall

Before I begin this post, I must say, if you are easily offended by fart jokes, you probably shouldn't be looking for burrito recipes. You definitely shouldn't read mine.


Hubby is the steering wheel holder, and I am the cook. I make sure to send him out each week with a cooler full of food. One of his favorite things to eat on the road is burritos. (Glad I am not trapped in that truck on burrito weeks!) We are originally from Southern California, so burritos are pretty much a staple at our house.  Anyway, the freezer is out of burritos, so this week, I am
Senora Burrito.




Square burritos. Because, sometimes it helps to think inside the box. In this case, the box is a cooler, and I need to fit an entire week's worth of food in there. The flat burritos are easier to stack.

So here is a recipe for

Casey's Magic Burritos. Farts from the heart.



Ingredients

1 Bag of dried black beans (I don't know what size, whatever size you would get for about $1.50-$3)
1 Bag of dried red kidney beans (Same size as above)
3 cans Refried Beans (I like the vegetarian ones)
2 Tbs. Butter
1 Head of garlic, minced (about 1/8 -1/4 cup minced garlic)
1 Onion, chopped
4 Tbs. Olive oil (Any adjustments here are fine, you be the judge)
3 Cups uncooked rice
4 cups corn (canned or frozen or cut off the cob, whatever you like)
3 Cans Diced Tomatoes with Green chilies, (or about 3 cups salsa, or chopped up tomatoes with onions and cilantro and lime juice) 3 more cans on hand just in case.
1-2 Pounds shredded sharp cheddar cheese
100 Pre-made 10" tortillas. (You can buy them, or make them yourself)
optional:
Guacamole
sour cream
diced zucchini
cans of bean soup you find in the back of your cabinet
Cooked chicken
Cooked ground beef
Tofu
Different beans
Peppers
Chili powder

Alternate ingredients for lazy bums.
4 Cans Black Beans (15 oz cans or something like that)
4 Cans Kidney Beans
6 cups cooked rice (Instant would work)
Skip steps 1-5

Directions:
1. Soak dried beans in a giant bowl full of water overnight.
2. Boil a large pot of water and put all the soaked beans in it.

3. Boil beans for at least an hour, til they are soft. The black beans might get all the way to mushy before the red beans are done. There is probably some rule about not boiling them together. I don't care. Boil until the red beans are soft. Sing a song about magical fruits.

4. While the beans are boiling, put butter in a large pan you will cook rice in. add rice, and cook on medium high until butter is melted and rice starts browning. Add enough water to cook rice. Bring to a boil, then simmer until rice is done. (About 25 min. maybe more. just check on it. if water level is getting to low as it simmers, stir it up and add some more. You want to end up with cooked rice that is not dry, or liquidy.)

5.When rice is almost done, add a can of salsa (Tomatoes with Green Chilies or your own tomato mix)and stir. Continue to simmer.

6. While rice is cooking, saute garlic and onions in olive oil until onions are clear. Remove from heat. (Add peppers to this saute if you like spicier burritos.)

7. In a ginormous bowl, (No, seriously, bigger than that big one you think I am talking about. Maybe 2 bowls) add black and red beans, one can of refried beans, rice, corn, garlic and onion mix, one can or cup of tomato salsa stuff and half of the cheese. Mix it up. How does it look? If it seems runny and wet, add another can of refried beans. Too dry and thick, add a can of tomato stuff. Is it cheesy enough? Add as much as you like. Add 10 pounds if you want.  Add all of the ingredients if it seems like that will make it the right wetness. Taste it. Add more spices. Add chili powder. Add salt or lemon juice. Add whatever you like in your burritos.

8. Now you have so much burrito guts. You are wondering if you have gotten in over your head. You can not believe you have to deal with this. What were you thinking?!! WHY DID YOU LISTEN TO CASEY!?!?

9. It's cool, don't sweat it, take out a tortilla, stick it in the microwave or heat it on the stove just long enough to get it warm and pliable. Take a 1/4 cup of burrito guts, plop it in the center of the tortilla. fold one side up just over the guts, about 1/3 of the way. Turn the tortilla, and fold up the side next to it the same way, turn it again, and do the same. Now you have a burrito with an open end. Put it on a plate, grab your favorite drink, and sit down for a break. Yum.

10. Break time is over.


Flex your muscles, it is time to make 99 burritos!

11.Now, heat 4-5 tortillas at a time in the microwave. I put mine in for 44 seconds. It makes them softer and easier to fold. When you fold the ones for storing, don't leave that 4th end open, fold all sides like before, and then close by folding the 4th side down the same way. After you have a few of those wrap them in plastic or tinfoil . (I use tinfoil, because Randy's little food heater in his truck requires some sort of tinfoil dealy. He can just throw them in there to heat them up easily.) put a bunch in a freezer bag, store them up to who knows how long. With a family of 6, ours have never lasted more than 3 or 4 weeks.

12. if you have leftover guts, and no more tortillas, you can just serve them as a side dish for dinner, or you can freeze the guts in serving size portions, and have it for lunch on days you don't feel like cooking. :)
Enjoy!



Monday, August 27, 2012

Lulu Grasshopper


    

     "Every day in every way, I get better and better." As a teen, this was something my grandmother, Lulu, asked me to say to myself in the mirror every day. She loved me, and wanted me to learn to love myself. I did say it, and I began to reflect on my daily attitudes. I still say it, it allows me to forgive myself for my human errors of the day in hopes that I can learn from them, and will be a better person tomorrow. It is a good practice of forward thinking.

     Last month, Lulu told me she was dying. She told me that after she died, she would sit on the tip of the crescent moon and sprinkle stars down on my family and I. She was not the kind of person who believed that, but it was still a nice sentiment. I know I will find comfort in the waxing and waning moon for the rest of my life.

     She died last Friday. I have spent the last few days looking back, longing for my childhood days with Lulu. Alternating between laughing at joyous memories and bawling over moments forever gone. Last night, we had an outdoor dinner to honor Lulu's life. She had requested everyone eat a hamburger for her. While sitting with my husband and children, toasting her, a grasshopper jumped on my knee. I brushed it away, and it sat on the ground next to me long enough for me to ponder it's presence. I got to thinking. Maybe it's a sign from Lulu!  I tried to brush the thought away. I am not the type of person to look for hidden meanings. But, what if? So, I looked up grasshopper symbolism online. Here is what I found:

     "As a cultural symbol, this insect is a prominent feature in Asian traditions. For instance, the Japanese connect its molting phases with the wax and wane of the moon. Further still, the Japanese cherished the song of this creature (particularly the long-horned grasshopper), and believed the moon coaxed the music from them." (Quoted from http://www.whats-your-sign.com/grasshopper-totem-and-symbolism.html)

     "Grasshopper Symbolism — The grasshopper is associated with astral travel. They have the ability to leap through time and into space where the true mysteries of life exist.....When the grasshopper appears to us we are being asked to take a leap of faith and jump forward into a specific area of life without fear......
Grasshoppers can only jump forward….not backward, or sideways. So, when grasshopper shows up he could be reaffirming to you that you are taking the right steps to move forward in your current situation. Or it could be that he is telling you to go ahead and move forward, getting past what is hindering you. This is why grasshopper is the symbol of good luck all over the world. Grasshopper’s ability to connect and understand sound vibrations is why he is also a symbol of your inner voice. he could be telling you to trust yours." (Quoted from http://concentricclothing.com/blog-post/the-grasshopper-spiritual-meaning)

     I am going to accept this grasshopper visit as a sign from the universe that Lulu will be sprinkling stars down on my family and me. A sign that I should find joy in each day I can spend cherishing her memory and sharing her traditions with my children. I will accept this sign that I should look ahead, that every day will be better than the last. A sign from Lulu that she has given me all the guidance I need, and now it is my turn to lead. I can't help but laugh though, when I think Lulu would probably say that it is a sign I need to mow the lawn.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Applique, a story

A while back, I did a custom order for a nice lady. Her friend was from Hawaii, and she had recently visited there, and wanted to send one of my handmade purses as a gift. She wanted it to have Birds of Paradise on it. Often, I am bored with custom orders. I have so many images of things I want to make, that putting them aside to make what somebody else invisions seems traitorous to my own well being.

However, this custom order came to me much the way a good idea does, in the night. While I lay in bed waiting to sleep, I frequently dream up some wild and intricate imagery of appliques and designs I would love to create. One night, while falling asleep, I heard my phone buzz away. It was alerting me to the email requesting I make this bag. I read,  "custom order" and sighed... I do not mean to sound ungrateful for business, but it is hard to turn away money when you need it, so it is easy to commit to jobs you are not thrilled about.

Anyway, I read the entire email, and started thinking about Birds of Paradise. I knew immediately I would enjoy this custom.. I was glad this was a job I could be thrilled about! My mind began to take me back to warm shady days in the side yard of my mother's house. The birds of paradise poking their heads out over the pathway. The ferns and the caterpillar bush brushing against my tan skin as I run by. My mom smiling, standing next to the birds of paradise, with a hose in her hand. Pointed directly at me. I run. She chases. That is one of my fondest memories.

San Diego seems a lifetime away from the snowy winter of New York where I lived while making this bag. (Still do) and, if I had not had so much childhood inspiration, I do not know if I could have agreed to this. It is difficult for me to create well when I am not connected to what I am making. And it is hard to imagine a world of tropical plants when everything is covered in a blank sheet of white outside the window.  But, drawing on my memory, and the help of tropical images online, I was able to bring a little sunshine into my studio, and dream of lazy beachside days with warm sand and a good book.  Here it is:
Step 1
The Drawing
I start with a simple drawing that I can easily view as individual section of color. I have a large sketchbook that I use for this purpose.


Step 2
Puzzle pieces
Next, I place card stock under my original drawing, and trace over the lines of the page so that an imprint will be left in the cardstock. Then, I cut the shapes out so that I have a template to cut the fabric from.

Step 3
Cutting the shapes out of the appropriate fabric pieces
Before I cut the pieces of fabric, I apply a product to the back called "Wonder Under."
It is a fusible web that allows me to iron down all of the pieces onto the background fabric so that I can stitch it down without displacement. After the web is attached (It comes with instructions, you need an iron) I trace the pattern pieces onto the coordinating fabrics. I have to flip the pieces over before I trace, because I am tracing to the backside, and I dn't want to parts going the wrong way! I have done it wrong many times, and allowed myseelf to make a mirror image applique instead of my original vision!

Step 4:
Fabric placement
All of the individual pieces neep to be placed in their final spots. It takes some time to get this right, and there is alot of room for slight changes at this stage. Once it is all lined up, I double check every piece, because it is hard to fix after ironing! After I double checked, I TRIPLE check. Especially when working with small pieces. Then I iron it to the backing.


Step 5:
Begin Stitching
At this point, I look at the applique and find wich pieces are the furthest back. I like a continuity in my stitches, so if I have 2 lines of stitchhing that will overlap, I like to have the one that should naturally be behind, actually be behind! The two photos below show where my stitching begins, and how I will start and stop at every point so that the applique looks more fluid.


In the photo below, you can see where I am pointing with the pencil. This section will be stitched next, all by itself. Every time I begin and end a stitch, I pull the top thread through to the back (Or sew it through with a hand needle) and then tie it off, and further secure it with a dot of glue. (I do the tieing as I go along, and save all of the glueing for the end)

Step 6:
Finished! Once the applique is all sewn and glued, you can do what you like with it. I finished this one off as a large zippered pouch. That is a 12" zipper, so you can get an idea of the size of this bag. I did the image on both sides, so it can be shown off in whichever hand she is holding it. You can see from the front to the back there are slight variations in the design.



Up close of the stitching:

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Gratitude

I am a very lucky person. I have always been one, but did not know it until maybe 2 minutes ago. I have been becoming more and more aware of it over the last several years, but only today did I fully realize how wonderful my life is.

I am thankful for my husband, Randy. He sacrifices most of his time to provide for his family. He loves me completely, every day, no matter what. Even when I didn't deserve it. I am thankful that I get to smell his bad breath in the morning, and that he always makes coffee and cleans the cat box when he is home.

I am thankful for my son Riley. He is dependable when I really need help, and he is funny too. He is strong and healthy. His new-found attitude of success is infectious, and I am inspired to do my best along side him.

Mason is another of my oldest 2 boys. He is a great student. He is learning to become a fantastic baker, and seems to have been born with the skill of taking cookies out of the oven at the exact right moment. He calls it a "timer" but I think it is more than that. He is the best cookie maker I know. He can always be counted on for a hug, and he will do sit ups with me all night long. He is a great motivator, and a future karate black belt!

My only daughter, Mirra is another black belt to be. She has the grace of a ballerina while she does her Katas, and her spirit is strong! She is an amazing artist and author as well. She and I can paint together for hours. She also is a great sister, always getting everyones water for school ready in the mornings when I am running behind. Our cat loves to sleep with this kid, as she is so kind and gentle, and always shows him lots of love.

Damien is the youngest, and his smile could light up the sky. He is funny, and kind, and a great friend to all of his family and school mates. Everywhere we go, he carries a book (Usually Dr. Suess). He loves to read and learn. Origami is one of his passions as well, and he can often be found in the living room, folding up a swan, or busting out the scissors for some crazy paper art!

My family is only a small part of this wonderful life I have been given, and have reasons to be thankful. I am thankful for:
Everyone
All the things I learned from all of my friends in life.
My shoes. My house. This chair and keyboard.
Everything, everything.
Thank you Universe!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Granola Bars and Alpacas

In the children's lunch today:

I followed the recipe exactly (First time for everything), I even watched the video while I made it. It was fun, and they are delicious, and believe her when she says to wait before you cut them....
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-granola-bars-recipe/index.html

I took the kids to an Alpaca fiber mill this past weekend. Well, half of the kids. We had a good time, and they offered to give us a tour of the processing machines. Wendy, the owner of East Valley Alpacas, told us to go through the back of the shop and find Jen, who was giving tours. We went in, and an alpaca ran up to greet us! It was a little disconcerting, because I was not really sure how to behave around him. He was not shy. Eventually, Jen saved us and introduced him. He is Jack. He is only 1 year old, and is small for his age because he has digestive problems. He was very gentle, and unbelievable soft. Mirra and Mason were glad to meet him too!