Guacamole, Olé!

Throughout my growing-up years, I thought that the bulk of Mexican cuisine comprised tacos and burritos.  It wasn't my fault that I lived in a predominantly white community.  My parents weren't rich; they were just financially savvy, being savers and all.  Our neighborhood changed as I grew to adulthood, and I was eventually exposed to various cultures and made some great friendships with lots of different people.  In high school, I discovered Spanish.  I loved it.  I loved learning it, and I fell in love with the culture and its people--any person who spoke Spanish as a native tongue.

Eventually, I literally fell in love with its people--well, one, anyway.  His name is Fernando.  And I married him.  :)  Thus started my journey to learn about cooking Mexican food.  The funny thing was, whenever I visited his family in Los Angeles and spent time with his Spanish-speaking-only mom, she always wanted to make American food for me.  I spent extra effort raving over her tamales and pozole and Mexican rice, and she eventually figured out that I wanted to eat her native cuisine while I was there.  She used no measuring cups or spoons, and had no recipe book that I could tell.  That confounded me.  :)

Anyway, over the years I've tried my hand at various Mexican dishes.  I finally tried guacamole, though I had always turned my nose up at it.  Not any more.  Fernando says my guac is tops.  That is a huge compliment.  Here's my recipe.

Guacamole

two medium avocados
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice (I try to use fresh; you can also use lime juice)
1 small tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I crank the fresh pepper mill five or six times)
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning (I use Penzeys Spices brand; awesome stuff!)

Use a sharp knife to cut the avocado in half long-ways.  Work the seed (pit) out and set it aside.  (They say you can mix it in to your finished guacamole to help keep it from turning brown, which it does naturally.  Our guac doesn't usually end up in the fridge as leftovers.)

I'm not a fan of lots of gadgets, but I do have a Pampered Chef avocado peeler.  :)  I use it to first work out the seeds/pits, then to make horizontal and vertical slices in each avocado half (see second picture below).  If you don't have this tool, use a spoon to work out the seeds, then a butter knife (not sharp!) to make the criss-cross slices.  Then, I slide the peeler (use a spoon) around the edges and bottoms of each half to scoop the avocado out of the skin and into a bowl.  Now look at the pictures and keep reading below...

Once the chunks are scooped into the bowl (above), you can mash it up by mixing vigorously with a spoon.  I don't even bother.  As I mix the other ingredients in, the avocado gets mashed enough, but stays somewhat chunky, which I like.

Ready for the next step?  Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir.  That's it!  Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.  Trader Joe's has some awesome corn chip dippers that are perfect for scooping guacamole.  Some people add minced jalapeño or chopped cilantro to their guacamole.  I leave that stuff out; it's great on its own.

A bowl of awesomeness.

Back to life,
Christine

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A Smidgen of Tightwaddery

My mom taught me to scrape the bowl.  Not just with a spoon, either.  Use a bowl scraper!  And when you're done scraping, lick the scraper.  (That last part is my own homegrown wisdom.)

Squeeze as much as you can out of a bottle of ketchup.  If you add a splash of water to it and shake it up, you can get the final drops of ketchup out.  That goes for any bottle of anything, from ketchup and mustard to shampoo and conditioner.

The list goes on.  The summary:  If there's something left in the bottle, I must get it out.

Kitchen shears work great for this task.  I cut the bottoms (or sides) off of bottles and scrape out the _____ (fill in the blank).  In the case of body lotion, I didn't add water to thin it and get it out.  I purchased a little plastic container for the hard-to-get lotion.  See?

 That's my tightwad tip for you today!


Back to life,
Christine

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You Got Dough? I Got Sweet!

As a homeschool mom, I am taking a guess that if you're reading this blog, you're a mom.  You may probably be a homeschool mom.  You may also be a mom who makes a lot of things from scratch, even if you don't enjoy cooking or baking.  Finally, I'm guessing that you know how to make bread.

When I bake bread, I make four loaves at a time, and every now and then (not often enough, according to my young men), I turn a loaf (or two) of the dough into cinnamon rolls.  Once the dough is made, it's only a matter of minutes to roll up some cinnamon-y sweet goodness to rise along with the bread.  Never fear--if you aren't into baking bread, you can purchase bread dough at the store.

As you read the recipe below, you'll find that I don't measure much when I make these.  I just go with what looks good.  Once the dough is ready, you really can't go wrong!

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

One recipe bread dough
butter (about half a stick), softened
cinnamon and sugar (maybe half a cup or more)
confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar), about one cup
milk (just a tablespoon or two)

Once your bread dough is made (or bought), oil your counter.  Don't use flour; too much flour will dry out your dough.  I spread the oil around with my hand, then handle the dough with my oily hands.

On the oily surface, roll out dough to measure about 15" wide by 8" long.  With an icing spreader, spread softened butter all over the surface of the dough.  Spread it as thin (or thick!) as you want.  Then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar (one cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon) over the butter.  Sprinkle as much or as little as you want.

Starting at the back edge, roll up the roll toward you, keeping it as tight as you can.  Once it's completely rolled up, pinch the edge all along the roll to seal it up.  With a sharp knife (I use a serrated knife), carefully cut the roll into 12 equal portions.  Place each of the portions into a 13x9 pan.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour or more.  Once they're risen, heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the rolls for 20-30 minutes, until the tops are golden and the dough looks done.

Remove from the oven and let cool.  Once they are completely cooled, in a measuring cup with a spout mix about one cup of confectioner's sugar with a tablespoon of milk (add more milk if it's too thick, or more sugar if it's too thin).  Drizzle this mixture over the rolls.  You can leave the rolls in the pan to serve, or you can separate them and place them on a serving dish.

Cinnamon rolls are a hit at my home!

Back to life,
Christine

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One Man's Dirt...

Our veggie garden beds needed dirt.  My parents had some extra dirt.  Hmm, that was convenient!  :)

Part of my mom's front yard garden

We drove up to their house and the boys worked hard removing their extra dirt.  From the back yard, into the wheelbarrow, around to the front yard, and into the bed of the truck.

 

Oh, wait!  Look at the pretty daffodils blooming everywhere!  I must take a picture or five...

That worked out well!  One man's unwanted dirt is another man's garden soil!  Not only did my parents have unwanted dirt; they had unwanted rhubarb plants!   Yay!

After we got the dirt home, we unloaded it right away, bringing it to our backyard garden beds.  One clap of thunder was enough for us to work double-time getting the last of the dirt in the beds and the rhubarb planted before the skies opened up!

 Okay, here's one more daffodil shot (I took a ton!).

Back to life,
Christine

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Tea Talk -- Surely I Will

Welcome to my home for Ruth's Tea Talk!
Click on Ruth's button above to participate with me.

Sit and share a cup of tea with me as we encourage each other in the Lord.

I'm having...Irish breakfast tea in my Polish pottery mug, as I do every morning.

I'm feeling...fine, healthy, no cold, no sickness, for which I'm thankful.  :)

On my mind...is my sweet Joseph, who is 23 years old today.  Despite the challenge of autism and the struggles and roadblocks he faces every day, he is a sweet, thoughtful young man who is happy to be sheltered in love at his dad's and mom's house.  I can't believe I have a 23-year-old!  Many twisty-turny roads lie ahead for Joseph as he (and we) contemplate his future, but for right now I'm resting firmly in the Lord's hand for the future of the amazing gift He gave us so many years ago.  Joseph has made our lives rich beyond comprehension.

I leave you with...two passages of Scripture.  This first one is a claim as a promise for our son.

 Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NASB

This second one is a reminder to those of us without disabilities.

Now we who are strong ought to bear

the weaknesses of those without strength

and not just please ourselves.

Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good,

to his edification.

Romans 15:1-2 NASB

Joseph and a sunrise in Florida (May 2011)

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

Proverbs 4:18 NASB

Back to life,
Christine

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A-B-Chili!

As a young girl, I never liked chili.  Even as a teenager.  But then I got married to a Mexican guy who loves spicy things, and I grew to love spicy things, too.  Including chili.  I got my mom's original recipe for this yummy meal, and I'm sharing it here.  It is a basic chili recipe, and you can add so many things to it--just use your imagination and your taste buds!  Chili freezes well, too, so when you end up with an eight-quart pot full because you added so many different ingredients, feel free to freeze the leftovers for a quick meal another day.

Oh, and I said easy--but the healthier way is to use dry beans, so it's a little more time-consuming but oh, so worth it!

Here are the ABCs of chili.

Easy Chili

2 cups dry beans (any kind, one or a variety)
2 large onions, chopped
2 green peppers, diced
2 pounds ground beef
32-oz. diced tomatoes (or 3 14-oz. cans)
16-oz. tomato sauce
3 tablespoons (or more to taste) chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 bay leaves

Place dry beans in a large pot; cover with cold water and let sit overnight.  The next day, drain the beans and rinse.  Re-cover with cold water, bring to boil on stovetop, then simmer until tender, 1-3 hours depending on the type of beans.  Drain the beans, reserving the liquid.

Important:  If you are using different kinds of beans (black, pinto, kidney), I suggest you use a separate pot to soak/simmer each kind.  I find that while pintos and kidneys will become tender after an hour or so of simmering, black beans can take up to two or three hours.  I use all three kinds in this recipe, so I have three pots going on the stove.  :)

Brown the onion, green pepper, and meat in a large stock pot; drain when the meat is cooked.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer one to two hours, adding reserved bean liquid if needed.  Don't add the liquid in the beginning of the simmer time; wait until the veggies check after 45 minutes or an hour.  The veggies cook down nicely and I usually don't have to add extra liquid.  You can also adjust the seasoning at this time--add more chili powder, or some pepper, if you like.  Taste it first, though!

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, olives, etc.  Cottage cheese makes a great topping, too!

Now comes the fun part!  When you add all the ingredients to the meat mixture, consider adding:

• corn
• mushrooms
• black olives
• jalapenos
• shredded carrot (or chunks!)

Most any veggie can be added to this chili.  Don't want meat?  Leave it out!  Don't like onion or green pepper?  Leave it out!  Want chicken instead of beef?   Use ground chicken, or cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into chunks, and cook it up with the veggies.  Simple!

Back to life,
Christine

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I Did It Myself!

Sometimes I tickle myself to death.  You know what I mean--I'm just so tickled when I do something well that I don't normally do well.

When Fernando's company's awards banquet showed up on the calendar, I knew what I'd be wearing--the only black dress I own with the only black shoes I own, with the only jewelry I own.  Plus, I'd get to wear the new bolero-style jacket I bought for a song from Kohl's.  (The dress is sleeveless, and I don't do sleeveless.)  The "What do I wear?" syndrome is nothing for me.  The huge looming issue is always:  What do I do with my hair????

I knew I was going to "put it up."  That's the fancy thing to do.  But, how?  And how many bobby pins would it take this time?  And almost more importantly, how long would it take me?  For those who don't know, I have four sons.  I grew up with two brothers.  I just don't know how to do hair, especially my own.  Aaack!

For some reason, however, once I started randomly pinning pieces of hair to the back of my head, everything came together, seamlessly and on the first attempt!  Wow.  I think the Holy Spirit guided my fingers.  And the bobby pins.  Can you tell I was tickled?  :)

My hair is pinned up just in the back.  I do not like wearing my hair up, so I left a section down on each side, then curled those sections.  When I saw the below photos, I saw those bobby pins, but I didn't care what they looked like.  I got all my hair up and it wasn't flying all over the place.  Of course I used lots of hairspray, too.

Ooh, can you see the silver strands??  Yay for wisdom!!  (The Bible calls gray hair the crown of the wise older folks.  I'm excited about my silver hair--don't tease.)

Fernando came along and tried to kiss me, but I was too tickled with myself and he missed.

Back to life,
Christine

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