mellow afghan

Today was a cruddy Monday.  I will never understand people and I am at the point I do not wish to.  I have been finding a lot of comfort working with these:

They are Fisherman Wool yarn from Lion's Brand.  I have been working on this afghan:

with them.  It is turning out surprisingly soft.  And I find, just like nine squares or spinning, it brings me a lot of peace to work on them.  Peace is a good thing.

flour tortillas

I have a tendency of making my own flour tortillas.  We buy them but when we run out I just pull out the supplies.  I also buy flour in twenty five pound bags and the ladies at the grocery store always ask if I am making tortillas.  Sometimes they are right!

Flour Tortillas

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons olive oil

2/3 cup water

(by the way, if you wish pie crust, switch the water and oil measurements - 2/3 cup olive oil and 6 tablespoons water.  It is how I remember the recipe)

Preheat a griddle over medium low heat.

In a bowl, mix the flour and salt together.  Add the olive oil and mix in.  Add the water and mix.  You will have a sticky messy dough.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface.  Scrape all the bits out of the bowl as well.  You are going to knead this a few times, like twelve.  So I pulled a random number but I am trying to say not much kneading is needed.

 

It should look like this when you are done kneading.

Divide the dough into eight balls.

Roll it out.  It will be about five to six inches across.  Mine are never round.

Place on the griddle and bake until brown spots appear.  Turn over and do the same to the other side.

Serve the yumminess with roasted sweet potato and three bean soup.  Or what ever you normally eat flour tortillas with.  They make fabulous wraps too!  Snacks, breakfast.... Okay, okay.  So I like homemade tortillas!  They make my tummy happy and me smile.  Life is good.

vanilla frozen treat

I have been on the campaign to find something that tastes like vanilla ice cream.  My tummy and eggs are not always a happy duo.  I think this is a keeper

Vanilla Frozen Treat

1 cup hempmilk

1 cup soaked rawcashews and the water they are soaked in (to make a cup)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

The night before, put your raw cashews in a jar and bowl and cover with twice as much water.  Let soak.

Measure out a cup and the water they were soaked in.  Blend in a blender.

Warm the hempmilk, sugar, and vanilla together in a pan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.

 

Put the hempmilk mixture in the blender with the blended cashews.  Blend.  Freeze in a ice cream maker or put in a bowl in the freezer and stir every two hours over a four to six hour period. 

Let freeze.

It will freeze very hard.  Let it sit out about 15 minutes before trying to scoop.

This is so yummy!  I am thinking about trying to change it a bit.  Maybe add a little bit of vodka, champagne, or rum to make it softer.  Maybe leave out the soaking water.  More experimentation!  (evil laugh!)

green chile enchiladas

Going out for Mexican food can be difficult.  Especially when  you have been spoiled and I have been spoiled for a long time.  I knew someone from Mexico who would cook for me in grad school.  We travel to Arizona and New Mexico.  I try to make what we eat and like.  Sometimes Russell regrets it.  This recipe came out of that.

Green Chile Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 2 cup roasted hatch chiles or green chiles, chopped

2 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander.

In a skillet over medium heat, pour the oil.  Let heat a bit and then add the onion.  Let brown and then add the chiles and garlic.  Cook this done for a bit and then add the vegetable broth, salt, and coriander.  

Let cook about 15 minutes.  Blend with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.  To thicken, cook a little longer.  The original recipe called for beef or chicken stock and flour to thicken and I chose to make it gluten free and vegetarian.

Green Chile Enchiladas

1 recipe green chile sauce (above)

1 pound dry beans

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground ancho chile

1/4 teaspoon ground chipolte chile

1 package corn tortillas

In a pot, place the beans.  Rinse.  Cover and let soak over night.  Drain and recover with water.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Cook until the beans are soft.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a cast iron pan or oven proof pan, put the sweet potato, onion, and garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Put in oven.  Roast ten minutes.  Stir.  Roast ten minutes.  Stir.  Roast ten minutes.  Stir.  Roast ten minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Turn the oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Add the sweet potatoes, onion, and garlic to the beans.  Blend them up a bit but not completely.

In the baking dish size of your choice, put some green chile sauce.  Then lay down a corn tortilla.  Then layer the bean mixture.  

The last layer should be a corn tortilla and green chile sauce on top.

Bake about a half hour at 350 degrees or until bubbly.

There is a bit of fire in this dish so you may wish to calm it down with flour tortillas or new mexican sopapillas.

I like it!

new lunch bag

I bring my lunch to work.  We take snacks on day trips.  Lots of food for road trips.  One of the things I have really liked was a lunch bag I put together for work.  It has a pocket for if I decide to sit in the park and wish my phone and wallet with me.  Or other bits.  It also allows me to bring a cloth napkin and silverware with me. 

But, I only had one and it occasionally needs washing.  

I definitely needed another.

I decided to make it from nine squares.

I stitched six together.

 

I stitched a pocket into the muslin lining.  I then folded both the squares and lining in half and stitched one side and bottom.

 

I stitched some of the squares together to make a strap.  These are the same squares I use to make for nine squares.

I pinned.  And then I stitched.

And I have a fabulous new lunch bag.  It made me smile SO much today!