Strikes my fancy

While working on The Pullman I was trying to come up with meals that we could enjoy without having to cook (because of course we had a full commercial kitchen we couldn't use!) This fit the bill perfectly. Slow Cooker Enchiladas 1/2 yellow onion, diced small 1/2 bell pepper, diced small 1 16oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup frozen corn 2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided 2 16oz jars of your favorite salsa 12 6"-8" tortillas, flour or corn Optional: 1 cup leftover meat In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, spices, meat (if using), and just 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour about a cup of salsa into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it around evenly. Scoop about 1/3 cup into one of the tortillas, roll it up, and nestle it inot the bottom of the crock pot. Repeat with the half of the remaining filling, rolling tortillas until the entire bottom of the crock pot is filled. Spread anoth...

So in the hustle and bustle of the season, I forgot to write this blog post! This is a book I read about, put on my library request list and forgot about! The story begins with Connor's grandfather, Finn's, passing. After the funeral Connor's grandmother tells him that his grandfather wanted his ashes to be taken back to Ireland and spread there. Connor goes to Ireland and the adventure begins! A crazy story-telling Irish actor, a bad dude, a badder dude, a girl with red hair, and a leprechaun...? Connor travels along the southern coast of Ireland trying to figure out where to spread his grandfather's ashes. I enjoyed the narrative of the story - maybe it helped that I had been places in the book (both in Ireland and Atlanta where Connor lives). I liked the story. Actually - I'm gonna have a fine at the library because I kept this book 3 days longer than I should have!!

A good mixture of fall and Christmas-y taste for me is apples & cranberries! Apple-Cranberry Crisp 2 pounds Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced 3/4 cup cranberries 1/4 cup white sugar 3 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces 1/2 cup chopped pecans Preheat oven to 375F. Butter an 8" square baking dish. In a large bowl, mix together apples, cranberries, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place evenly into baking dish. In the same bowl, combine oats, flour and brown sugar. With a fork, mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over apples. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. Only made better with a bit of vanilla ice cream! :-D

Please feel free to listen (or watch!) this song while reading this post. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyEf1Lp7Byk I have always thought silhouettes were such lovely and understated works of art. I would be fascinated by the people who did it at Disney World, Kings Island, or Central Park. They could cut your silhouette out in minutes! I decided I thought it would be fun art to hang in our humble bedroom. Our bedroom is a work in progress. These silhouettes are only the second thing I have hung on the wall, so I am taking my time with it. We did get around to painting in over the summer. It went from drab and boring, to vibrant and living. It was amazing to me how the paint actually made the room look much bigger! In a house cursed with small rooms, that is indeed a blessing. I started out with some frames and material. The frames were fine as they were, but several accent things in our bedroom are white, so I opted to paint them. The material...well, I want to use it behin...

This is the story of a woman who has suffered an accident and every morning wakes up not remembering the day(s) before. She begins keeping a journal - at the recommendation of a doctor, who she does not remember - and reads and writes in it every day. The doctor says that writing the journal might help her remember things. It does. Some of those things are sad, some are scary/mysterious. I really got into the character - wanting her to remember things. Wondering, like her, if they were things she remembered or made up. The author did a great job of making me suspicious of more than one character in the book. I guessed a key part of the ending before reading it, but didn't guess the ending! This book had me staying up late and waking up early to finish it at the end.

Today we get to the "non-veggie" side and DESSERT! Cranberry, Apricot and Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf (Gluten Free AND Vegan!) (from one of my favorite web-sites Oh She Glows 1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 cups chopped celery + 1/2 cup, divided 1 heaping cup chopped sweet onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 cups uncooked wild rice 2 cups vegetable broth (be sure to use gluten-free if you want the dish to be) 1 1/2 cups water 1 bay leaf 3/4 - 1 tsp kosher salt + black pepper 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped 1/4 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, thinly sliced -Preheat oven to 325F and toast the pecans for about 7-8 minutes. Remove and set aside. -Saute onion, oil and garlic in a skillet over miedum-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add 1.5 cups chopped celery and cook for another 5-7 minutes. -Add wild rice, broth, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low-medium and then cover with lid. ...

There is nothing for getting into the holiday spirit like a little Christmas-y DIY project. I was on the lookout for something fun, since I had just painted our door. I went to craft stores and hardware stores and other stores looking for a wreath. Those things are expensive! I was not about to shell out $60. So I opted to make one. If you were to buy all these supplies, they would be around $20. But, with the ever present coupon and some sales, I scored all this for around $10. I got an 18in wreath form, brown yarn, red polka dot ribbon, three 81/2 x 11 sheets of white felt and one of green. I trimmed down the form till it was the softer shape I wanted. I cut the pieces off with a knife, then pushed the foam down. I wanted rounded edges for the front of the wreath, not squared. But, I did want the back to stay squared so it would lay flat. I put a drop of glue on and started winding. (If you choose to do this project, I suggest balling your yarn first. Its not easy putting the whole t...

Every weekday morning I eat the exact same thing for breakfast. Some may say I'm a creature of habit, but I like to say it's because I don't have to think about what to make every morning! But the weekends allow me time to bake a breakfast and enjoy with a cup of coffee...mmm. Recently I tried 2 scone recipies. One I liked, the other I didn't. Easy Scones (from Woman's Day November 1, 2011) 3 cups self-rising flour 3/4 cup lemon-lime soda 3/4 cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 & 1/2) -Heat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. -Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. With a fork, gently stir in the soda and cream, mixing untl incorporated (do not overmix). -Drop 8 large spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with raw or granulated sugar, if desired, and bake until golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Serve warm with butter and honey or jam. I was skeptical when I started. So few ingredients and it woul...

Man, I really like to cook for other people. Something I've known for awhile, but I'm reminded when a group of people are going to get together. This week will be the bread and vegetables I made for Pullman Thanksgiving. Irish Soda Bread 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 cup all purpose flour 2 Tbls brown sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup golden raisins 1 3/4 cups milk - In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Stir in raisins. Make well in dry ingredients. - Add the milk; stir till moistened. - Turn into a greased 9x 1 1/2" baking pan. Bake in a 350 oven for 30-35 minutes or till the top is browned. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool thoroughly. - Wrap bread in foil and clear plastic wrap and store overnight before servings. Makes 1 loaf, 12 servings. My changes: No raisins. I wanted this to be more of a bread then a sweet loaf. Used 1/2 ...

My house is one of many on the block. Built in the 50s, its a cookie cutter, built for the new families that needed homes after the WWII. There is not much to make it stand out. Honestly, that is OK. I do not want it to stand out TOO much. But, a little zest is always good, right? I wanted to come home to something special. Something different from what everyone else is coming home to. So I opted to paint my door. The color was the difficulty. There are so many good ones! I went for blue. And no, its not just a college basketball statement. I love blue! And my husband happens to like it to. When you agree, you just have to go with it! We took the door down, washed it and let it dry. Make sure you pick a time when you are going to be home for a solid 6-8 hrs. :-) Then, I sanded it to get the rough spots out. After that came the painting. I tried it first with a brush. I knew it would take several coats if I went that route. So, I switched to a roller for the flat parts, brush for the gr...