Flour tortillas

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp vegetable shortening
3/4 cup hot water

In a large bowl mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Work the shortening into the dry mix until little pea-sized balls form (you fingers tip work well). Slowly add the hot water while using your other hand to mix with a wooden spoon. When the dough is too stiff to mix, gently knead with your hands for about two minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for a least one hour.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper, sprinkle with flour and set aside. Uncover the dough and pinch off golf ball size pieces (about 1 1/2 oz) Roll the dough in your palms to form smooth spheres. Dust lightly with flour, place on parchment lined tray and cover with loosely cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough. Set the tray aside, covered, to rest for another hour.

Sprinkle flour on the counter or rolling mat.  Set a ball of dough in the center, pressing lightly to flatten. Roll out with a floured rolling pin, working from the center outwards to form an 8″ round.  Place on a plate and cover with a sheet of wax paper. Repeat with remaining balls of dough.

Heat a cast iron frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush lightly with oil. Cook tortillas until you see bubbles forming underneath. Flip and cook until lightly golden. Wrap in foil and keep in a warm oven until all the tortillas are cooked. ENJOY!

I purchased a tortilla warmer years ago at a restaurant close out sale for $1.00.  Very useful when making this recipe.

Can you say tortillas?

Stop buying processed food.    Check out the food packages you now have in your home.  Most of them have travelled more than you have this year.  Do you really want to eat chicken strips that began their journey in Thailand?  That chicken has to be chemically enchanced to it’s little peak to travel that distance.   Read the labels. Like I said before  ”If you can not pronounce what is in it, then don’t put it in your mouth. ”

There are few recipes out there that you can not duplicate in the comfort of your own kitchen.   Start looking for recipes on the internet or buy cookbooks.

Isn’t this a happy looking cookbook!

I received it as a Christmas gift from Julia and Paul.  And what an incredible cookbook.   The recipes are for made from scratch predominantly vegetarian dishes from the menu served at the Rebar Restaurant in Victoria, B.C.   The instructions are well written, and many recipes include helpful hints.

My favourite recipe by far is the hand-rolled flour tortillas.   I had no idea they were so easy to make.  They take over 2 hours to complete due to the resting time, but are well worth the wait.    I’ve served the tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, chopped red peppers, shredded cheddar and salsa for breakfast.   For an easy supper I used them as a base for  chicken club house wraps.  

 

Slowly but surely

I thought I would have a storm day today to work on my sewing room, but despite the 30 cm of snow and blowing winds, I went to work.    Actually I don’t mind being at work on a stormy day, as most people are nestled home. The phones don’t ring and I manage to accomplish quite a bit.

Putting my sewing room back together however  is not coming along as quickly as I wish.   I spent the weekend cleaning out the room.   Our house has original hardwood floors, which are beautiful, but dust collectors. 

So far I’ve only managed to bring in the rocking chair and a few quilts.  I pinned a length of batting  to the wall to use as a design board.  My talented daughter Andrea made the cover on the ironing board.

I was so sure I would be home today, I put a pot of peas and one of beans to soak last night.   This evening there is a pot of split pea soup boiling on the stove and a crock of bean baking in the oven.

Dreaming of warmer days

What do you do

…………….when it is minus 30 with a wind chill factor of minus 42?

When the delivery truck has just dumped $900.00 of fuel into your furnace? 

When you have to boost the car in the morning to get the engine to turn over?

When the weatherman is predicting 25 cm of snow for tomorrow evening?

You get out the seed catalogue of course!

My husband and our 91 year old neighbour have been pouring through the Vesey’s seed catalogue since it arrived last week.   After checking the price of iris bulbs and hollyhocks ($5.00), Winnie decided she had a vitual gold mine in her backyard .  They have a running gag about her selling flowers and vegetables door to door.  After all, who would say no to a little old lady?

Last spring my husband introduced Winnie to organic gardening, composting, growing your own vegetables and collecting rain water.  If a 91 year old can be taught new ways, so can others, it is never too late.

Saving the planet, one kitchen at a time

I believe the first step towards being green and surviving this economical whirlwind, is learning to cook.  I’m not suggesting you become a renowned chef.  If you learn to boil water you can at least make yourself a pot of rice.  Stop eating junk food, take away and processed food.

If you need help getting started,  talk to someone you consider a good cook - a parent, grandmother, aunt or next door neighbour.   Cooking is relaxing.  Cooking with someone you love, brings you closer to that person.  Cooking with a family member, connects you with the past. 

 Maybe the cook wants to be the boss and do all the cooking.  That’s okay.   Sitting next to that person, watching how she or he prepares the food, is all part of the learning process.    If your entire family consist of eaters and not cookers, then find a class.  Many grocery chains offer classes on nutrition and cooking.   If that doesn’t work, then check out the internet, buy a copy of cooking for dummies, do something.  Buy one of Martha’s books. I have several cookbooks on hand, and refer to them regularly.

If all you master is a fried egg sandwich, then make it the tastiest fried egg sandwich known to man kind.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  I’ve burnt potatoes, undercooked meat, and screwed up rice, all in the past week………..and my family lived to laugh about it.

Cooking does take a bit of planning.  I keep a meal planner on my refrigerator door which I update each Sunday with meal ideas for the upcoming week.  Each morning I check the planner and decide what I’ll prepare for supper.

Save the environment and your cash, start cooking.

Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music.”
Julia Child

Get that out of your mouth

 If you have a  loaf of store made bread in your cupboard, take a few minutes to read the ingredients. There are words on the label that I can’t pronounce, let alone spell.

I started making my own bread about five years ago when I purchased a brand new bread maker at a yard sale for $5.00.   The price was low as the recipe book was missing.    I solved that by locating the manufacturer on line and requesting a booklet by email.  After mastering the basic recipes, I purchased the Bread Machine Gourmet on sale for $6.99. 

But my favourite (and the easiest bread recipe ever) is Easy Health Bread from the Lactose-Free Family Cookbook.   No bread machine required.

Another easy bread recipe is the New York Time’s No Knead Bread recipe.

Whatever recipe you use, do yourself and your family a favour, learn to bake a loaf of bread.  Not only will it be delicious, you will also be able to pronounce all of the ingredients.

It’s a balancing act

Life is such a balancing act.   Work has been busy lately, we are anticipating job promotions and transfers in the new few months.  I’ve been cross training my unit so that if I have an opportunity to advance or move to a new location, they will be prepared. 

Carl and I have been spending every spare moment preparing for the sale of our home this spring.  The painters are scheduled to paint every inch inside the house, then the trim and doors on the outside.   We live in a two storey, brick house with 26 windows, so that is a lot of trim.

And we are trying to settle on a style for our new house.   We go back and forth, debating the merits of each style and how it will fit our property and our lives.

Thank God I have quilting to distract me.

Porsche however has no problem finding balance in her life.  She simply finds a spot with a warm blanket to cover her eyes while she sun bathes her belly.

Happy, happy, happy

I enjoy having a separate sewing room.   A place I can leave my projects laid out to cut or sew whenever I have a few extra moments.   For the past six months I had to drag everything out and put everything back when I was finished.  I gave up my sewing room when my brother moved in with us.  I didn’t mind as he was recovering from Chron’s and needed to be near family.    This is what I had to contend with

 

My projects were tucked away in nooks and crannies, my sewing machine and cabinets squished into one side of my bedroom.

Even my idea board was no longer inspiring…..

But tomorrow I’ll have my sewing room back.

Employee Evaluations

For everyone who has ever received or given an evaluation, just remember, it could have been worse. These are actual quotes taken from Federal Government employee performance evaluations…

1. “Since my last report, this employee has reached rock-bottom and has started to dig.”
2. “I would not allow this employee to breed.”
3. “This employee is really not so much of a has-been, but more of a definite won’t be.”
4. “Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap.”
5. “When she opens her mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet.”
6. “This young lady has delusions of adequacy.”
7. “He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.”
8. “This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.”
9. “This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts, the better.”
10. “Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thingy to hold it all together.”
11. “A gross ignoramus — 144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus.”
12. “He doesn’t have ulcers, but he’s a carrier.”
13. “He’s been working with glue too much.”
14. “He would argue with a signpost.”
15. “He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room.”
16. “When his IQ reaches 50, he should sell.”
17. “If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he’s the other one.”
18. “A photographic memory but with the lens cover glued on.”
19. “A prime candidate for natural de-selection.”
20. “Donated his brain to science before he was done using it.”
21. “Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn’t coming.”
22. “He’s got two brains cells, one is lost and the other is out looking for it.”
23. “If he were any more stupid, he’d have to be watered twice a week.”
24. “If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you’d get change.”
25. “If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean.”
26. “It’s hard to believe he beat out 1,000,000 other sperm.”
27. “One neuron short of a synapse.”
28. “Some drink from the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled.”
29. “Takes him 2 hours to watch ‘60-minutes’.”
30. “The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead

Snowflake

A handful of snowflakes creates an interesting picture. My husband shot this incredible close up today on our clothes pin box.

Snowflakes aren’t so pretty piled in the yard.   The snowbanks are now higher than the car. Thank heavens I drive the truck!