shawl for a friend

I finished a shaw for a friend this week.  It is the project I had at work.  I have a tendency to have lunch of a book, a crochet hook, and a peanut butter sandwich.  Life is pretty good.

I get to deliver this a week from tomorrow.  I hope she likes it!

quiet afternoon

I came home to a quiet afternoon.  We were not caring for Small Mister today.  And I came home to my early birthday present hung on the wall.  I had asked my Beloved for a print of this flower picture he took and edited.  I came home to it printed, framed, and hung.  There is also one of just the petal but the reflection was such that it would capture well.  I love these.  They are hung above my work table so I get to see them when I am working.

This quiet afternoon meant I got some time to bind quilts.  Almost halfway there!

And without Small Mister helping, I finished all the nine squares for Baby Nacho's quilt.  This pleases me.  I have started on the back squares.  There was not enough time before or after dinner to lay them out.

It was a nice afternoon.

smokey roasted beef strips with goat cheese queso salad

I bought myself a new kitchen tool.  A mortar and pestle.  I had to wait because the one I wanted most was back ordered.  I could have ordered it from the UK but that did not make much since so I worked on patience.  I have been using a dying burr grinder to grind spices.  The problem is 1) it is dying 2) I use both spice and sweet spices and not always together, and 3) what am I supposed to use when I do not have 110W power.  This is my answer.  I will have to say, after its first use, I am quite pleased.  The surfaces on this one are much rougher then my last one.  It means it works.  

I found a recipe yesterday that I felt would be a first good test.  I also have been craving mexican flavors.  I did not want to go out but I wanted something different.  This was a good change.  I saw a recipe for smokey roasted chicken and spicy goat cheese queso tacos that I thought sounded interesting.  I would not get my Beloved to eat chicken (unless he raised them himself) so I decided to try it with beef and on a salad.  That way I got a better balance of protein and carbs (less pain tomorrow).  This I will do again.  It was also much faster the the chicken version!

smokey roasted beef strips with goat cheese queso salad

about 1 pound tender beef (I used a New York strip steak), cut into thin strips and bite size

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon new mexico chile pepper

salad greens (I used a mix of romaine, micro greens, and arugula sprouts)

1 tablespoon butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pinch ancho chili

1 pinch chipolte chili

1 tablespoon sorghum flour

1/2 cup goats milk

about 1/3 pound of a soft goat's cheese (soft like brie)

Italian dressing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put olive oil on the baking sheet or pizza pan.  Grind the paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili pepper together.  Coat the meat (I put the meat in a bowl and tossed it with the spices).  Place on the pan and roast for about ten minutes or the donesss you wish.

Place the greens on two plates (or as many people as you wish to feed).

In a skillet, melt the butter.  Add the garlic, ancho, and chipolte.  Mix well and let the garlic start to brown.  Give it an occasional stir.  Add the goat's milk.  When bubbling, add the cheese and melt in.  If you want, leave some lumps.

Put the meat on top of the greens.  Sprinkle with the Italian dressing if you wish.  Drizzle with the goat's cheese queso.

Enjoy.

Small Mister ate the greens, queso, and meat juices.  I think that says it all.

some calm

I needed to find some calm after the garden mishap.  I realized I had not spun in awhile.  I actually had realized this earlier this week but had not gotten there before Saturday evening.  I decided to spin some yarn I wish to use in making gifts for my best friend.  I thought this yarn was much more white then it was but that is okay.  I hope she can use the shawl I make here for meditations or Tantric.  Hopefully, silver works.

Small Mister has been liking to help me to card.  I can put him in the sling and card.  Or he sits at my feet and plays.  You should see what becomes toys at the base of my workspace.

He sits in my lap when I spin.  He actually is much easier to spin with then he used to be.  But he brings me calm.  Sometimes he "reads."  Sometimes he listens to music on my phone.  Sometimes he gets down and helps me treadle.  I just wonder what skills he is learning.

Small Mister and the spinning helped to bring me some calm.  I cannot ask for more then that.

garden mishaps

Do you like Veronica?  I have seen it called both a broccoli and a cauliflower.  It looks similar to both when I fix it to roast but I have to admit that I like the fractal pattern best.  One of the best in nature.   I am excited that I am able to grow it, because if you can find it at the grocery store or farmer's market, it is pricey.  How hard is it to grow?  I threw the seeds into the garden.  It is about as hard as broccoli.  The only difficult part is not growing enough.  Need kale?  It just keeps multiplying.  

My vegetable garden had a small problem with a truck on Saturday.  One of my most beloved family members was not paying attention and took out the most beautiful broccoli plant while backing out of the driveway.  Some kale and chard were also maimed.  In the grand scheme of things, it is not a big deal.  But I am still having some problems dealing with the cleanup.  I was devastated.  A friend who understands about gardens said betrayal would be a good word.  He is right.  It also made me realize how tired I was.  I started crying and could not stop.  I went back to bed and fell asleep.  I woke up a bit a couple times and found I was still crying.  My body finally stopped reacting like that after about five hours.  A huge hint that I need to take better care of myself.  I am not the best about slowing down and taking care.

Small Mister and I will probably get back out in the garden again tomorrow.  I will dig a bit and he will help.  We will spread a few seeds.  He shows off to everyone the areas he has helped dig.  There is always more digging to be done. And he is a great cob dancer.  Maybe some cob dancing we go on too.