my new garden knife

My Beloved made me a new knife and I call it my garden knife.  It is actually a utility knife but it got its name because I needed a knife that was a bit bigger for my apron pocket when I wandered around the garden.  Something that could handle a broccoli head easier or an eggplant stem or maybe a small bit of pruning.

But it also has worked well on surfing and kayaking trips.  We bring our own food and it cored our apples and cut our cantelope.  I did have to be careful not to break the apple sections but I could peel a potato with this.  

That is the litmus test in my life for knives.  How do they core apples and peel potatoes.  I know if they peel potatoes well I will have no problem skinning fish or my Beloved using it to butcher.  Core apples well means that I do not break the apple quarter.  The blade is not too wide or I have become better with the knife.

Is it not beautiful?  The handle is bocote.  It has a nice weight in my hand.  My Beloved has made another that is lighter and just as beautiful.  It is for sale at Serenity Knives if you wish to go look.  Or you could as nicely to buy this one and he will make me another (evil grin).

beans, squished or not squished (sometimes referred to as lady beans)

I realized yesterday when I was posting about tostadas, I appeared not to have written my bean recipe down.  What I mean by bean recipe is my go to recipe when we wish to eat beans.  We could eat beans in some form everyday.  I squish them and they become refried.  Whole, they are a good filling.  I know when I have not had enough beans!

My stove top looks like the picture a lot!  Most days actually.  

Lady Beans

Note:  You can use any type of bean in this recipe.  I usually head for the a dark bean but I have used cannelli.  Or half cannelli, half black or rio zape.  I like good beans so I usually order from  Rancho Gordo and cook them myself in my slow cooker.

16 ounces cooked beans

olive oil (a couple tablespoons)

1/2 onion, diced

4 clove garlic minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

double finger pinch of smoked sweet paprika

double finger pinch of ground anch

doulbe finger pinch of ground chipolte

In a skillet, over medium heat, put the oil.  Heat for a few minutes and add the onion.  When turning golden, add the garlic.  When the garlic starts to turn brown, add the salt, pepper, ancho, chipolte, and paprika.  Mix well.  Add the beans.  Heat through.  Squish them if you want refried beans.

Totally addictive!

craving Mexican food

I have been craving Mexican food.  I have actually had food made by people from different regions of Mexico so going for Mexican food in the US is just not the same.  My area of the world is very TexMex, heavy on the meeat and cheese.  Going out for Mexican just does not really fit the bill.  I decided to make tostadas like I had made them for me by a lovely lady from Nothern Mexico.  

Tostada

oil for frying (I used olive oil.  It is what I had on hand)

corn tortillas (I used five for two people)

your favorite refried beans (I realized my recipe is not on my blog so I will post it tomorrow) My recipe

shredded lettuce

diced tomato

grated cheese, optional (we were out).  Cotija or chihuahua are excellent but a good cheddar works.

cooked meat, diced or shredded, optional

other fruits and vegetables you may wish, raw or grilled, optional

your favorite salsa

Put your oil in a small pan.  I put about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil in a cast iron skillet.  Heat over medium high heat until it sizzles when a crumb of tortilla is put in the oil.  Place a corn tortilla in the oil and let cook for 10-30 seconds per side.  You want a bit of golden.  Remove and place on a plate.

Heat your refried beans.

Smear on the fried tortilla.  My refried beans still had whole beans in it so it was not as thin a smear as I was taught.

Add a sprinkle of meat, if you are using.

Top with shredded lettuce.

Top with tomatoes, cheese, and salsa.  Munch to your hearts content.

The tostadas were very simple today.  We were out of most cheese and we rarely have meat bits leftover.  I only every really cook meat in little bits so we eat it all up at the time I make it.  These really fulfilled my craving and my Beloved said we could definitely have them again.  All is good.  Much better then going out.

quiet day

It has been a quiet week so far.  I have spent time working on big projects and this is one of them.  I am making an afghan for our truck.  I grew up with blankets in the automoblies and I always think there should be one.  The last one I made was just a tad too small.  Our best friend has it.  It will probably end up in a movie at some point.  A director has asked for Miss N's security blanket to be moved from the scene.

This will reside in the big red truck.  I usually work on it while we watch DVD's from the library.  Tonight, it was BBC's Pie in the Sky.  It does mean I will be making stead and something pie soon.  I probably will not wait for it to cool down even.

black bottom shortbread

I thought I was not going to have anything to blog about tonight but then my Beloved asked for cookies.  I had been reading about black bottom shortbread earlier today and thought, why not?  Shortbread are a standard in this house so easy peasy.

Black Bottom Shortbread

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

4 ounces melted semi sweet or dark chocolate

Dredging sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together.  Mix in the vanilla.  Mix in the flour.  The dough may be a bit crumbly but it will all come together with a bit of hand mashing.  Remove half the dough and set aside.  To the remaining half of dough, mix in the melted chocolate.

On a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silpat, take small balls (about a half a teaspoon) of the chocolate dough and flatten.

Place a similar small ball of vanilla on top of the flattened chocolate dough.

Flatten the vanlla dough and then pick the cookie up and dredge in sugar.  Back for 15 minutes or lightly golden.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes before trying to take off the cookie sheet.  They have a tendency to break if you do not wait.  Guess how I know (grin)!

Enjoy.  

I do not know if these even resemble the recipe I heard about today but I know they are sure yummy and easy.