Look what DH made for me....

Garth made two hook thingies for the wall of my sewing room......to hang bags on.

  I have a glass pane door for light and as incentive to keep the sewing room from looking like a bomb went off.  I must say it works. 

Mexican Chicken, Chili and Grilled Corn soup

This soup has kick and is very satisfying on a rainy day (like today)   It makes a full pot so you will have plenty left over.  The heat of the peppers combined with the sweetness of the corn is fabulous.  A little bit of sour from the lime and it has everything.
note: we ate this for three days for both lunch and dinner and at the end of those three days my husband turned to me and asked- "Can we make this again within the week?".  it's that good. 

First you have to make your chicken broth
The Broth
Chicken Broth Ingredients:

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, smashed
2 large red onions, rough chopped
2 cups carrots, rough chopped
2 cups celery, rough chopped
Course salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 whole organic chicken
1 sprig thyme
1/3 cup Italian parsley
1 bay leaf
1 sprig tarragon
1/3 cup celery leaves
8 whole black peppercorns

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over med. heat.  Add the crushed garlic cloves and sauté for 2 minutes until the garlic is golden. Add the onions, carrots & celery to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 8 minutes. 

2. Cut up your chicken into pieces with a heavy cleaver- making sure to cut the bones to expose some marrow.  Add to pot and fill the pot with water until it covers the chicken, bring to a boil.

3.  Tie the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, tarragon and celery leaves into a bouquet using butchers twine.  Add to the pot.  Add the black peppercorns to pot, bring broth to a boil, turn down to med-low, partially cover and simmer for 3 hours.  (add more water if required 1/2 way through cooking)

4. Skim off any fat, strain the chicken broth through a mesh sieve, then strain again through cheese cloth a couple of times until your broth is nice and clear.  Leave to sit and separate a while so that you can skim off the fat.  (I have a special fat skimming container that I use)

5. Hand pick the the good chicken meat and set it aside for soup recipe.

The Soup!
Mexican Chicken, Chili and Grilled Corn Soup
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce) minced
1 hot Anaheim New Mexico chili, reconstituted and chopped
1 red onion, diced
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. paprika
course salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
5 cups chicken broth  (if you don't have enough, top it up with water)
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped coarse and smushed with the side of a knife
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken (hand picked from your broth earlier)
1 handful cilantro , chopped
1/2 cup wild rice
2 cobs of corn, grilled
canola oil for grilling
1 cup canned, strained black beans
1 tsp. sucanat (or brown sugar)
handful of cilantro, minced (and some  for garnish)
Fried corn tortillas for topping
Fresh lime to taste
Creme fraiche or sour cream for the dairy lovers

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over med. heat.  Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add chipotles, chilies, red onion, cumin, cayenne, paprika, salt and fresh ground pepper.  Sauté for 8 minutes.  

2. Add the chicken broth, the tomatoes, oregano, hand picked chicken meat and a handful of cilantro.  Partially cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

3. In a separate pot, boil some water, add wild rice and cook according to package, strain.

4. Heat some canola oil, brush some oil on the corn  and grill your corn either in a cast iron pan or on a grill.  You want each side to be grill marked (slightly brown).  Slice off the corn niblets.

5.  In a cast iron pan, heat some oil on medium and add corn tortillas slices, fry until golden, set aside on paper towels.

6.  Add the corn niblets, wild rice and black beans to the soup and stir to combine.  Season with salt, pepper, sucanat and cilantro.

7. Serve soup with crispy tortillas, a squirt of fresh lime, and some creme fraiche or sour cream if you eat dairy.

Here is another in the organic collection

Another bag in my new collection.  The organic fabrics, silk screens, and hand stamped are finally getting more and more available to us.  For a long time it Ink and Spindle in Australia and various artisans whose hemp, linen, bamboo and organic cotton fabrics were just too expensive.  Well, I did eventually find some of what I have been looking for at Birch and from several Etsy sellers.  Hand dyes...hand printed with eco-friendly dies.  For a bag it may sound frivolous, but to me it feels right.  This week I made two more bags for a total now of six.  Not much, but a start......here are the new ones....

In the spirit...I use post-consumer mailers (plastic-thank you for your cottage cheese container), and recycled tissue paper to wrap, bamboo fibre string to put the package together.  All these things are from Etsy sellers.  That says a lot.

It's week 6, no 5 is it 7??.

Really it is week six of the Sew Spoiled Weekender Tote Sew Along (or SSSA) ...but I went ahead and finished.  The project is blogged here .   Go take a look at what the others in the group are doing.  Also, we post our progress on Flikr.  Click the link to see those too.  Here are some pics of what I have done.

The magnetic closure is in now.... and here you can see the huge pocket.

 And here, turned right side out and top stitched.  Now for an accessory:

...how about a wristlet/clutch/keyfob?  

There they are...big bag and little bag.

My linen experiment...

My linen experiment...,
originally uploaded by SquareBag.

I am sending photo of this bag to a lot of the  groups I belong to on Flickr. I would appreciate feedback on size, shape and using natural fibres.

Frankly, it came out looking utilitarian when I made the first one. So on the second try, I added the quilting. There is a beaded zipper pull too.

Now...have I overdone it? The idea is natural and organic, and I want to start a line of linen, hemp, bamboo, etc. bags in my etsy shop....think they might be what folks would like?

This is a trial balloon and I appreciate your input, so please be honest.  The easiest way to comment would be to click on the bag photo in the upper right.  That takes you directly to Flickr where there is a section to leave your comment.

Where is everybody???

I am ooking through my blogroll this week and it is very quiet!  Where did everybody go? 

Quilt Market!!  New fabrics are on the way to my fave shops and the older ones are on sale?  Stand back PayPal, here I come.

Look at all these wonderful creations...there is a ton more, but I think I have exceeded my limit of photo heavy posts.  All this is over at Hawthorne Threads

I STILL don't get it..

I just ordered Twitter For Dummies.....I  simply cannot figure out how to twitter effectively.   I don't want to spam, but that seems to be what it is all about. I do want to promote this blog for those who are interested and the same for my Etsy shop.  Why do I need to use # and @ and what is FF?

The Gathered Clutch....and a few more..

Love it...here it is finished.  The pattern that Noodlehead shared.

Also....since I am trending toward a bit of organic, natural and sustainable in my shop, I have ordered some lovely linens and hemp.  I already have bamboo fabrics, so I guess I just have to get sewing.  The other day I put this one together for my shop.  It is hand printed (stamped) linen from Australia.

This little one, I will probably

keep for myself,  but not sure....

This fabric is from Japan.  A lovely, medium-weight linen.    It was along one of the selvages, just little phrases that were so charming, I used it for the strap.

Also, in the clutch department

....this one was just listed on SquareBag.   Pattern from Keyka Lou .  I would suggest you check out her blog if you are into making bags. Lots of great patterns that you can use to make bags to sell. 

Nutrient Density Score Chart

Find the link here-
 Dr. Fuhrman's nutrient density scoring chart
This little chart is pretty much all you need to figure out what is good to eat, what is better and what is best.

If you choose foods from the green and yellow charts first and then add some foods from the gold chart on the far right in moderation- you will be eating healthy.  So easy.

now- go buy some Kale!

Karine Swenson's Art

I have just discovered Karine Swenson's blog, where she talks about her life as an artist living in the High Desert then her Etsy shop where she sells her art.   I am working on a new group of bags for my shop that will feature organic fabrics and style.  Lots of linen, some hemp and bamboo.  Some will be stamped by me using leaves and flowers from our property. 


Karine sells transfers in her shop....and I had a lightbulb moment.  How would this little guy look on the front of a linen or hemp bag?  Dunno.  I ordered a couple and will post the results of the first experiment right here.  Stay tuned.

I'm Hanging Out at Noodlehead....

Lemme tell you...for those of you that adore tutorials and love new ideas or ideas that will ignite your creativity I have found the place.  Noodlehead ;)  <- that's a link there....click on it and go over and check out what Anna has to offer (go ahead, I'll wait.)  Back?  Was that cool or what...bookmark it, add it to your blog roll, whatever.  This is the source!   They are perfect, picture heavy and easy to understand and make up.  Here is a peek at some of the wonders you will find.

I am making the gathered clutch right now.  I will post a pic when I have it done. 

Chicken Enchiladas & Red Chili Sauce

 Ken has been holding on to this recipe from his fav site (Cooks Illustrated) to try for several years.  We finally made it and wowzers!  it was good.  I made mine completely dairy free and he used dairy.  Either way we loved it and highly recommend this easy Mexican inspired dish

Ingredients:
Sauce & Filling-

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 med. onion, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, pressed (about a Tbsp)
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sucanat (sugar)
4 chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/4" strips
2 -8 ounce cans of crushed tomato's
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 -4 ounce can pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped
(2 cups sharp cheddar cheese for those of you who eat dairy)*

Tortillas & toppings

10 -6" corn tortilla's
vegetable oil
1/2 head romaine lettuce, washed and shredded
2 limes, quartered
salsa or chopped tomato
(cheese and sour cream if you eat dairy)*
Guacamole-  ( I made mine with 3 avocados, pitted and diced, juice of 1 lime, 1 jalapeno pepper diced, some red pepper flakes, a bit of salt, a bit of olive oil, chopped cilantro and 1/2 small onion chopped)

Directions:

1. Start on the sauce and filling-  Heat oil in med saucepan over med/high heat until shimmering, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown (5 minutes).  Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt & sucanat, cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.  Add chicken, stir to coat for another 30 seconds. Add crushed tomato's & 1/4 cup water, stir to separate chicken pieces.  Bring to a roll, reduce heat to med. low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through (8 minutes).

2. Pour the mixture through a med. mesh strainer into a medium size bowl.  Use the backside of a ladle to press the chicken and onion mixture and the liquid sauce will extract.  Set the chili sauce aside.

3.  Transfer the chicken onion mixture to a plate and place in freezer to cool (10 minutes).

4.  Once cool, combine the chicken onion mixture with cilantro, jalapeno, (cheese)* in a med. bowl and set aside.

5.  Preheat oven to 300° F with rack on lower middle position.

6.  Smear a 13x9 inch baking dish with 3/4 cup chili sauce.  Set aside.

7.  Lightly spray tortillas with oil and place on baking sheet, bake for 3 minutes until soft and pliable.  Remove from oven and increase the temp. to 400° F  for the next step.

8.  Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup filling.  Roll each tortilla by hand and place in baking dish, side by side and seam side down. 

9.  Pour remaining chili sauce over the enchiladas.  (and sprinkle with cheese)*

10.  Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes.  uncover and serve with guacamole, lettuce, lime wedges, salsa or tomato (cheese and sour cream)*

*- dairy or soy products for those of you who eat that.

It's Week 3

This is week 3 of the "Sew Spoiled Weekender Tote Sew Along"... how about SSSA for short?  There are 57 of us in a Flickr Group  started by Leah over at Sew Spoiled (how did you guess).

Ok,  I put together my outer pieces and all, so here are some photos of my progress:

Sewing the front pieces together and topstitched.  Pressing on a ton of interfacing....Ok....front pleat opened up . Then the scariest part of all...cutting away so much of the bag using the pleat template.  Here is where a lot of us just stopped.  I zoomed over to the Flickr group and found I was not the only one.  Leah posted in and said  all was well and to go for it. 

                                              

             

I did, and now I am ready for Week 4......

Spinach Tortelloni Filling for Halibut: 05.14.10

6 cups blanched spinach
2 cups caramelized onions
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup mascarpone
1 Tbsp salt

- combine all in food processor (in batches)

Orange Dressing for Cheeks: 05.14.10

1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 cup olive oil

whisk the first five ingredients to combine; whisk in oil

Arugula Chimichurri for Beef Cheeks: 05.14.10

2 cups olive oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
8 cups tightly packed baby arugula
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp togarashi

- thoroughly blend all ingredients

Gordita Dough for Soft Shells: 05.14.10

16 cups maseca
1 1/2 cups salty butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp pimenton
8 cups hot water

- crumb butter and maseca with salt and pimenton
- work in water until smooth
- form small balls of dough and press with a fork of textured meat pounder to desired thickness
- deep-fry until done

Horseradish Cream for Salmon Salad: 05.14.10

4 cups sourcream
1 1/4 cup water
5 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup horseradish
1/2 cup minced dill
5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

- combine all thoroughly

Mushroom Stew for Scallops: 05.14.10

12 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 cup olive oil
6 lbs hen o' the woods, cleaned and torn into bite-size pieces
8 cups dried morels reconstituted in hot mushroom juice 20 minutes
2 tbsp salt
3/4 tsp white pepper

- saute the garlic in the olive oil until it just begins to brown
- add hen of the woods mushrooms and saute, stirring often 8 minutes
- remove morels from liquid and rouch chop; add to pan
- strain morel liquid and add to pan
- season with salt and white pepper
- to serve, mount with butter to sauce consistency, add minced chervil and chives and fresh favas

Seasoned Cream for Halibut Nutmeg Sauce: 05.14.10

5 oz oil
4 cups sliced shallots
8 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 bn thyme
2 Tbsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 btl white wine
2 qts chicken stock
6 qts cream

- sweat the shallots, garlic, thyme and salt in the oil until soft
- add wine and bay leaf; reduce dry
- add chicken stock; reduce by half
- add cream; reduce by third; strain

Berkshire Ham Hock & Shrimp Broth for Crabcake: 05.14.10

1 cup canola oil

8 cups thin sliced red onion
8 cups diced celery
8 cups clean button mushrooms
4 qts shrimp peelings
1/2 bunch thyme
2 Tbsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup amontillado sherry
12 smoked ham hocks

12 qts water

s/p as necessary

- sweat the vegetables in the canola oil, stirring often, for 15 minutes
- add shrimp, thyme, salt and bay leaf; continue to cook 10 minutes

- add sherry and cook 5 minutes

- add ham hocks and water; simmer 8 hours, skimming as necessary
- adjust seasoning
- when ham hocks cool, pick the meat and reserve for service

A Nice Little Salad Dressing for Greens that go with Goat Cheese 5.14.10

2 shallots, minced
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
12 ounces sherry vinegar
4 ounces agridulce cabernet vinegar
7 cups walnut oil

- whisk everything but oil to combine thoroughly
- whisk in oil (if you are a pansy you can do this in an electric machine)

Goan Coconut Curry Chicken & Cauliflower Keema

We bought  a new cookbook. Kris Dhillon's -The New Curry Secret.  Do not attempt these recipes if you are a novice cook or if you are in a hurry.  From scratch, these two dishes will take nearly 4 hours of cooking/prep time.  Is it worth it?  Oh yes.  This is fine dining Indian style.  I highly recommend the dishes.  Highly.

Be sure to read recipes through. Start by making the curry sauce, then the cauliflower (and brown basmati rice) and then cooking the chicken* and then making the Goan chicken dish itself.  This is much easier to do with two chefs. 


The first thing you will need to make is the curry sauce.  This curry sauce can be stored in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer for a month.  This recipe will make enough for around 4 main curry dishes.

Curry Sauce-
prep & cook time- 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 kg onions, sliced
1 tsp. salt
50g fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
50g garlic, coarsely chopped
1.5 L water
1 225 g can tomatoes
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. paprika

Directions-

1. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid, add sliced onions.  Stir on high heat for 1 minute, turn down heat to med/high.  Continue to cook onions, stirring frequently for 10 minutes, until onion is transparent and beginning to brown at edges.

2.  Add salt, stir well, turn down heat to lowest setting, cover pan and continue to cook onions for 20 minutes, stir occasionally. 

3. Add ginger & garlic to onions. Turn heat up to med. and cook for 1-2 minutes until aromatic.

4. Add water, bring to boil on high, turn heat down  and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

5.  Once cool, ladle half of onion mixture into a blender and blend until very smooth.  Pour blended onion mixture into a clean bowl and repeat with second batch.

6. Wash/dry your saucepan, [reserve 4  Tbsp of curry onion sauce at this point for cooking meat.]*° 

7. Place the canned tomato contents in clean blender and blend until smooth.

8.  In your cleaned saucepan, add 1 Tbsp oil and heat on med.  Add the tomato paste, tumeric & paprika & cook for 30 seconds.  Add blended tomatoes, bring to boil, turn down the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes, add the blended onion mixture and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 20-25 minutes, using spoon to skim off froth from time to time.

Goan Coconut Curry Chicken-
prep & cook time- 25 minutes
Ingredients-

Spice Mix-
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
4 green cardamons
4 cloves
1- 1 inch piece of cinnamon

Remaining Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. tumeric
325 ml curry sauce (that you have made earlier -see above)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
300 ml coconut cream
450 g precooked chicken fillets (recipe to follow this list)*
2 tsp. tamarind paste dissolved in 2 Tbsp warm water


*[Precooked Chicken fillets recipe-]
prep. & cooking time 25 min.
3 large chicken breasts with skin and bone removed
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. tumeric
4 Tbsp reserved curry onion sauce *°
 Remove fat and sinew, rinse and pat dry chicken fillets. Cut each fillet into 8 equal size pieces about 1 inch  wide.  Place the oil, tumeric and curry onion sauce*° into a large saucepan and mix well.  cook on med. heat, stirring continuously, until sauce starts to darken about 4-5 minutes.
 Add chicken and stir until all pieces are coated with sauce, turn heat down, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is tender, stirring frequently.  Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Goan Coconut Curry Chicken Directions:

1. Grind all the spices for the spice mix with a mortar and pestle (or electric grinder)

2. In a large, heavy frying fan, heat oil on med. & add spice mix.  Fry for 1 minutes until aromatic.

3. Stir in tumeric, curry sauce, salt, chili powder & paprika. Bring to a boil, cook on high for 3 minutes until thickened slightly.  Turn down heat.

4. Add coconut cream & bring slowly to a simmer.  Add the chicken to the sauce & stir well.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in tamarind & serve.


Cauliflower Keema
Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 green chili, finely sliced
350 ml curry sauce
150 g frozen peas
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions for Cauliflower Keema-

1. Break cauliflower into florets, rinse and drain well. process in food processor on slow chop until coarsely minced.

2.  Heat oil in heavy based saucepan, add fennel seeds, tomato, salt & tumeric.  Cook on med. heat for 2 min. stir in green chili.  Cook 1 min., add cauliflower.  Stir for 3-4 min. on med. heat and add curry sauce.

3.  Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost evaporated and cauliflower is tender.

4. Stir in peas, cook for 5 min., stirring often.

5. Serve garnished with cilantro.

We served our meal with brown basmati rice and mango chutney.  Recipe for mango chutney on another day!


If you have any questions, pop me an email!
10 cent

Look What I Found.....

I shop from time to time at the HeyDay Shop for fabric. Today I found this fabric.  It is waterproof fabric...NOT laminated with vinyl.  I am ordering some to fool around with.  Maybe make a cosmetic bag to take traveling.  Or a snack bag for the kiddos.  Go on over and take a look;  if you get some,  let me know what you think.  I am going to convo and see if this is pretty oil cloth, or what.  You know, the kind we use for picnic table cloths......Maybe get a sample. I will keep you posted.                   

The other day I found some Heather Bailey 'Nicey Jane' laminated fabric.  It is very light and I am sure easy to sew with, look at these prints.....click the link and see what you think. 

Fiddleheads & Fried Egg

 Well I saw these baby fiddlehead's in my local market and I decided to try them.  I admit that up until about an hour ago I had NEVER tried a fiddlehead.  That said, I made sure to read up on the best way to cook them and pretty much every source I looked at claimed it was best to boil them like crazy until you are sure they are cooked.  Steaming apparently can leave behind a bitter taste.  So here is how I ate em-

(And yes, I liked them; though not in the same way I like,  say, chocolate or sweet potatoes or even spinach.  My guess is fiddleheads are a bit of an acquired taste.  So I intend to keep trying as they are very good for you!)

Ingredients:
a generous handful of fresh fiddleheads, hard stems removed and rinsed thoroughly in cold water
sesame oil
gluten free soy sauce
sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 egg, fried

Directions:

1. Boil your fiddleheads in a medium pot for 7-9 minutes.  (fry your egg just before they are done)
2. Drain, place in a clean bowl and toss with sesame oil and soy sauce.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with a fried egg.  Salt and pepper to taste.

P.S. and FYI on Quilter's Batting

 Quilters Batting

I am commenting on my own post...but thought I would share this. I received a flickr mail asking me what I did not like about fusibles and what I use instead when making my bags for Etsy. Here is my reply:

"I use quilters batting. I have an Etsy friend, Linda at AggieRay, who has uses flannel for an interlining. For me, that would be too light. FYI, i have found that the best combo is home dec weight fabric interfaced with quilter's batting. There is a repositional spray adhesive product called 'Spray Baste' that will hold the batting to the outer fabric. This project is kinda big, so I may use fusible interfacing on the lining plus the batting so it will have a decent shape.I don't like the fusibles since they shrink when heated and the fabric does not...guess what..wrinkles on our bags. "

Sew Spoiled Weekender Tote Sew Along- Week 2

.

Week 2  Cut out the pieces - - -May 2- May 8 

I have printed out the pattern and taped it together.  Decided what fab will be what part and cut out interfacing and decided to use quilters batting for body.I have made sure I had all the stuff I need to start sewing next week.  

Note to self: NO SNEAKING AHEAD!  Wait for everyone else.  We are supposed to share tips and what we are learning, so I don't want to leap ahead and find out later there was an easier way.

Sparrow's Nest

I don't knit, but was on the PurlBee site purchasing some fabric and saw this adorable project that Whitney created that would make a great last minute Mother's Day gift, or just a little something special for yourself: learn how at the Sparrow's Nest Project Journal.