Cooking at Ingredients - South of the Border!

I'm sad.

Tuesday night was my last class - at least for a while - at Ingredients.

For our final night we did Mexican. Lana shared a few extra recipes with us. She demonstrated her salsa, Enchilada Pie, Mexican Brides cookies, Candied Orange Peel, and Pan De Elote. Plus she shared how to make taco seasoning and homemade tortilla chips.

If you'd like all the recipes, visit:
http://ingredientsclarksville.blogspot.com/2010/03/mexican-cookingdemonstration-class.html

Lana and Nick

Her fantastic salsa. Nick said he could pretty much take care of that bowl himself!

Enchilada Pie.

Mexican Brides cookies. They are so tender.

Candied orange peels... one of my favorite sweets.

Wouldn't this make your guests and family feel special?

Pan De Elote

16 oz can creamed corn
1 c bisquick
1 egg, beaten
2 TBL melted margarine
2 TBL sugar
1/2 c milk
4 oz can chopped green chilies, drained
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, grease 9 x 9 square or round cake pan, combine corn, bisquick, egg, margarine, sugar and milk. Mix well, spoon 1/2 mixture into greased pan, cover with chopped green chilies, cover with 1/2 of the cheese, spoon remain batter on top and add remaining cheese.

Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Out of Africa - a photo safari

I'm going thru some of my photos from my trip to Kenya in 2006. I took over 3000 photos during the month we spent there. I need to cull out a bunch and get them in a photo book.

And while I'm culling, I thought I'd share a few of the 'keepers' with you.

What is most precious?

I found this little story on another blog and I've been thinking about it for many days.

Which would you rather have?


********************
A wise, but poor, woman who was crossing the mountains on foot came upon a precious stone and placed it in her pack. The next day she met another traveler who begged her for something to eat.

The wise woman opened her bag to reach for some bread, and as she did so, the sun's rays caught the gemstone, and the hungry traveler gasped with delight, saying, "I'm very poor. Won't you give me that stone?

The wise women did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the jewel could provide him security for the rest of his life. But after a few days in the mountains, he reversed his trail, and went back in search of the wise woman.

Finally, he found her. He handed her back the stone. "I know this gemstone is terribly valuable," he said. "But I return it in the hope that you can give me something much more precious. Let me have whatever it is within you that enabled you to give me that stone."

Double Vision

Well, I am typing this with... bifocals.

It was just too hard for my almost 48 year old eyes to read any more. A couple years ago I broke down and bought a small "business card" magnifier to keep in the truck so I could read the road atlas. If the light wasn't bright I just couldn't make out the towns with light grey ink. When it got so that reading a book was difficult I finally broke down and got the bifocals.

I hate them.

First thing I noticed was it feels like I have smudgy fingerprints on the bottom of my glasses. Ugh! Then I realized I could no longer look clearly at my feet or anything else in about a 3 foot circle around me. If I drop something, I have to step backwards to get it in the "far viewing" portion of the lens. As I move forward to reach for it, it goes out of focus. And I'm having a very hard time navigating stairs - especially going down.

And to read, I can only see a quarter of a page at a time thru the bottom part!! I have to move my head up and down to read a page or view a photograph. I feel like a bobble head doll as I read. And that stupid line cuts right across my normal reading plane leaving me with "double vision" images until I raise my chin to bring it into the near viewing range.

Seriously?? This is how these things are supposed to work??

I have a 60 day "try it" return guarantee... if there isn't some major adjusting of myself to these things, I'll be going back for single vision glasses and a pair of reading glasses! Bifocals were supposed to improve my quality of life -- not decrease it.

We'll see how this goes... (No pun intended!)

Cooking at Ingredients - Viva La Italia!

My second demonstration cooking class at Ingredients in downtown Clarksville was on the theme of "Italian". Lana presented four recipes again. The recipes were "Italian Stuffed Bread", "Marinated Mushrooms", "Fried Italian Ricotta Balls", and "Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta". You can check them out at the shop's blog: http://ingredientsclarksville.blogspot.com/2010/03/italian-cooking-classdemonstration.html

Marinated Mushrooms

Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta

OH MY!! They were all good but the Stuffed Bread and the Ricotta Balls were WONDERFUL!!! These will be making regular appearances to my table. MMmmmmmm...

Preparing the Stuffed Bread

Italian Stuffed Bread

Just look at that melted cheese!

And now the Ricotta Balls are being prepared.

Perfectly golden brown

Oh my...

Fried Italian Ricotta Balls

2 1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix these 2 ingredients together

Crisco or vegetable shortening, heat for frying.

Mix first 5 ingredients together thoroughly.

Drop 1 TBLS of dough into oil. Watch because balls go from golden brown to burned in seconds. Roll hot balls into cinnamon and sugar blend.

Serve warm.

Another Taste of Spring - The Amish Way

North of us in Kentucky there are many Amish folk. It's not unusual to see buggys on the road or farmwork being done with teams of huge Belgians.

When you see the plowing being done, you know that soon there will be farm stands selling flowers, veggies and crafts. It's so much fun to spend a day out driving and getting produce from different farms.

A Taste of Spring

I have truly enjoyed having a snowy winter this year. I've made snow men, thrown snow balls, and taken tons of beautiful photos. But now I am done with winter weather.

Because it's March and that means Spring. The crocuses are blooming and the daffodil leaves are 5 inches high. Tulips are peeking out. And I'm seeing some mystery bulbs coming up too. Don't you just love flowering surprises!?

Yesterday really gave me a case of "Spring Fever". I spent the day at the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show. Oh my! I am so ready to dig in the dirt. The show is held at the State Fairgrounds (which I heard yesterday has been sold for development!! How sad it that!!!). There was building after building of landscaper displays, flower shows, garden clubs, and booths selling yard pretties and gardening equipment.

Some of the landscaping displays had ideas that I will modify and use in my yard.

I have several display stones in my yard and I love this presentation. I know just how I'm going to use the idea.


This rustic pergola is perfect for our fire pit area. And I shouldn't have too much trouble finding the cedar logs in areas they are bulldozing for building on. Have chainsaw... will cut!

This idea with the logs will work for up there too. When they eventually rot, it's cheap (free) and easy to replace.

Isn't this the cutest little display idea? I'm seeing something like this in front of my shed.

I just love this sweet little sitting area. I have several places where I could use this idea.

This fountain garden is a bit European formal for my home but isn't it elegant?

This checker board of ground cover mosses is such a neat idea. It can be modified to so many different designs.

There was a lovely orchid display and 4 or 5 booths selling them. I love orchids but don't think I could keep them alive. I have to settle for silk orchids and photos.

Another display was of beautiful and unusual floral arrangements.

This one was different!

This tropical arrangement made me want to book a cruise to Hawai'i!

Now this feels like SPRING! I could do something like this. The base is a wide clear bowl. Then the blooming branches and tulips are in individual clear glasses set in the bowl. I think the flowers were held in place with clear glass stones.

Pretty as a picture!

Traditional. Love the orange and purple.

This one makes me think of an old abandoned farm house.

Love the orchids and feathers!

This one caught my eye.

And I just couldn't resist snapping this photo! No one was going to tell him what not to do!!!