this is another recipe! didn't really think this was the direction my creativity was headed but i'll take it. i don't have time this weekend to write or work on an "art" piece with so much going on and i was feeling kind of bummed about that. so, i decided to get creative in the kitchen again since i could. i'd been thinking about it all day and it ended up being pretty late before i got started cooking.
so, i call this burrito quesadillas. naming recipes is not easy but since is seemed like a burrito type filling, i named it accordingly. this is what you'll need (and please bear with me):
butter
8 whole wheat soft taco or medium sized tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1 can bush's chili beans, undrained
1/2 8oz container garden vegetable cream cheese
12 oz pkg. shredded cheese (i used mexican 4 cheese)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder
in a skillet, brown beef- season liberally with spices. drain the fat and add more of the spices. stir in the beans with the sauce and the cream cheese. the cream cheese does so many things! of course, it makes the filling creamy, it's another layer of cheese flavor, and even though it's not much, hey- it's adding in some veggies that won't be seen. :)
push the skillet to the back burner and heat another skillet or grill pan. use the grill pan if you have it- the grill marks on the quesadilla are so appealing! run a stick of butter over the surface of the pan or skillet and lay a tortilla on top. sprinkle with just enough cheese to cover the bottom. spoon 1/4 of the meat/bean mixture on top of the cheese. then, add another layer of cheese just like the one on the bottom. finally, run your stick of butter all over another tortilla and place it butter side up on top.
as soon as the top tortilla is sticking to the cheese, use a wide spatula and flip it! be careful, you don't want the filling to come flying out! let it cook for another couple minutes to get crispy and golden on the bottom and then transfer to a cutting board. let it set a minute while you prepare the next quesadilla. then, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into 6 wedges. repeat 3 times- makes 4 total.
you can serve with salsa or sour cream but honestly they are so flavorful, you don't really need it. if you have them, try it, but don't make an extra trip to the store.
i wanted to mention also, that i found software to make mp3s out of my videos. see, when i sing, i play the track on my laptop hooked up to the surround sound and i sing. i record it on my iphone. none of this is any type of quality equipment but it's all i have and i don't need anything else at this point. so, the songs are in video form- and not of my face, but of the carpet since i face it away and down to get the most from the microphone (if you can even all it that). anyway, they are too large to email and who wants to watch my shaky video of carpet?? so i found free software that extracts the sound and converts it to an mp3- or something like that. whatever, it makes me happy.
19 February 2011
18 February 2011
#6- art journal love
to celebrate the anniversary of launching her first online workshop, connie hozvicka at dirty footprints studio created
her challenge was to create an art journal page about love. there are prizes and you have until tomorrow night to submit your page if you want to join the love! connie is inspirational to me. her attitude about art is one i admire- be fearless. so, today i was.
i've never really done any art journaling but it's something i've always wanted to try... i've been thinking about it since her post on monday and today was the day. i did things i've never done and am happy i did it! here is my love page.
i know it looks a bit messy but it's the first time i have really embraced my handwriting and drawing on something permanent. it's mine so i will love it. all i used was a bic mark-it ultra fine point marker and a few sharpies for the little bit of color. the background was really fun to do. i took a fading red, a light purple, and a silver ink pad for stamping and inked the heck out of the paper. i like how the red turned out pink since it was running out of ink. if you want a closer look, click on the picture and when it opens, click on it again to zoom in. anyway, my very first art journal page is complete and that's that.
i've never really done any art journaling but it's something i've always wanted to try... i've been thinking about it since her post on monday and today was the day. i did things i've never done and am happy i did it! here is my love page.
i know it looks a bit messy but it's the first time i have really embraced my handwriting and drawing on something permanent. it's mine so i will love it. all i used was a bic mark-it ultra fine point marker and a few sharpies for the little bit of color. the background was really fun to do. i took a fading red, a light purple, and a silver ink pad for stamping and inked the heck out of the paper. i like how the red turned out pink since it was running out of ink. if you want a closer look, click on the picture and when it opens, click on it again to zoom in. anyway, my very first art journal page is complete and that's that.
15 February 2011
#5
so, i hadn't considered counting this, but my mom said, "why not? creating is creating!" ok, maybe not those exact words... anyway, here is a new recipe i came up with. and hey- this time it will be written down so i can make it again! i made a quiche once (the only time i've ever made one) and i have no idea now how i even made it. sucks, cuz i'd really like to have it again sometime.
here's the deal with me and cooking. i don't really like following recipes. here's what i usually do when i think of something i want to make. first, i look up recipes so i get the basic idea of what i need. for example, with the quiche, i had no idea how many eggs i needed or how much other stuff, how long to bake it, or at what temp. i THINK i did sausage, mushroom and asparagus... that combo sounds yummy to me. i don't even know what cheese i used. anyway, after i get the basic idea, i get to work and i do what looks, smells, and tastes right to me. i add or subtract or substitute and eventually, i have a delicious meal but the "recipe" is often lost forever in the cobwebby part of my crazy brain.
anyway, a few nights ago i decided i wanted white chicken chili. but again, i had no idea how to make it. my aunt had written a recipe for it in our family cookbook, but when i read it (and i read it over and over), i just couldn't get my head around it. so i got online and looked it up and most of the recipes i found were pretty much the same. apparently, there's a few basic ingredients in chicken chili and that's really all anyone puts in it- chicken, white beans, green chilis, and chicken broth. some people start with onion and garlic and some add some spices. that's it. it didn't seem like what i wanted but i started with the 4 basic things. i knew i wanted it spicy so i added chili powder. then i thought it needed "brightening" so i added lime juice and cilantro. then i added corn cuz i add corn to everything- i love the slight crunch it gives. that all helped but it still wasn't right... then it hit me! i wanted it creamier! i only had 1/2% milk so i thought for a minute and then proceeded to dig out a can of cream of chicken soup from the pantry. ahhh! perfect! the only thing i would have done differently is, for the amount of soup i made, i'd have added another can of green chilis. here is the recipe:
3 cans (undrained!) of white beans
1 1/2 cans chicken broth
1/2 (or so) rotisserie chicken- already cooked
2 tiny cans chopped green chilis
juice from 1/2 lime
handful minced cilantro
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
as much chili powder as you want
just get it all in a big pot on the stove and let it cook for a little while. it doesn't need to be on the heat too long. that's it! so yummy. i melted some cheese on top in the bowls and dropped a dollop of sour cream on top. i like both those things on regular chili. what do you think? did i create a recipe??
here's the deal with me and cooking. i don't really like following recipes. here's what i usually do when i think of something i want to make. first, i look up recipes so i get the basic idea of what i need. for example, with the quiche, i had no idea how many eggs i needed or how much other stuff, how long to bake it, or at what temp. i THINK i did sausage, mushroom and asparagus... that combo sounds yummy to me. i don't even know what cheese i used. anyway, after i get the basic idea, i get to work and i do what looks, smells, and tastes right to me. i add or subtract or substitute and eventually, i have a delicious meal but the "recipe" is often lost forever in the cobwebby part of my crazy brain.
anyway, a few nights ago i decided i wanted white chicken chili. but again, i had no idea how to make it. my aunt had written a recipe for it in our family cookbook, but when i read it (and i read it over and over), i just couldn't get my head around it. so i got online and looked it up and most of the recipes i found were pretty much the same. apparently, there's a few basic ingredients in chicken chili and that's really all anyone puts in it- chicken, white beans, green chilis, and chicken broth. some people start with onion and garlic and some add some spices. that's it. it didn't seem like what i wanted but i started with the 4 basic things. i knew i wanted it spicy so i added chili powder. then i thought it needed "brightening" so i added lime juice and cilantro. then i added corn cuz i add corn to everything- i love the slight crunch it gives. that all helped but it still wasn't right... then it hit me! i wanted it creamier! i only had 1/2% milk so i thought for a minute and then proceeded to dig out a can of cream of chicken soup from the pantry. ahhh! perfect! the only thing i would have done differently is, for the amount of soup i made, i'd have added another can of green chilis. here is the recipe:
3 cans (undrained!) of white beans
1 1/2 cans chicken broth
1/2 (or so) rotisserie chicken- already cooked
2 tiny cans chopped green chilis
juice from 1/2 lime
handful minced cilantro
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
as much chili powder as you want
just get it all in a big pot on the stove and let it cook for a little while. it doesn't need to be on the heat too long. that's it! so yummy. i melted some cheese on top in the bowls and dropped a dollop of sour cream on top. i like both those things on regular chili. what do you think? did i create a recipe??
02 February 2011
achievement #4
i have these coloring books. some of the pictures are kind of difficult to color and some not so much. i chose this one the other day in order to practice coloring inside the lines. yes, i'm 30 years old and i have a hard time coloring in the lines. i'm not really sure why. i go slow. i outline. i do everything i can think of but i still color outside of the lines. if you look at the picture, you can see i did an ok job but not great. especially if you click on it and zoom in... and i really tried hard because i knew i'd be posting this.
i'm a little disappointed in my scanner because the dark blue and purple look almost the same. i assure you this is not the case. and i'm not sure why i colored the messy yellow background. i was freaked out by all the white space and then i got worried that there wasn't enough brightness. and by that time i'd worked so hard trying to stay in the lines that i just scribbled it. i can always crop it out. as far as the design goes, i tried to use some colors that i'm not totally comfortable with. my kids were proud of themselves for recognizing the pattern fairly quickly. not too long ago they were talking about patterns in school.
back to where i started... the more i think about it, i wonder if i'm really supposed to be right handed. my handwriting is messy, i can't color in the lines, and i CAN write legibly with my left hand. i'd thought before that maybe i was ambidextrous, but maybe i'm supposed to be a "lefty."
ok, obviously the name on top was written with my right hand and the one on the bottom was written with my left hand. and yes, the one using my right hand is better, but i've been writing with my right hand for what, 26 years now. it seems to me that my left handed writing (that i've only done a very few times) is almost as good, and with 26 years of practice could end up being better. is it worth it to try to change now? i don't know. holding things (pencil, fork, etc.) in my left hand does not feel weird or awkward. but, putting my arm on the paper to write does. i don't know how to place myself to write the best that i can with my left hand. i guess it's something for me to ponder. i could even keep my right hand as my dominant but still work at my left hand and be truly ambidextrous. or, maybe this is all just crazy and maybe just being creative and artsy gives me the ability to use both hands in case of an emergency. i don't know. my toes can easily pick up anything and i've used it to my advantage my whole life. i've found (through pinching with them, heehee) that they are rather strong. so maybe it's just a similar thing with my left hand. uh, i think i'm thinking on this way too much and need to stop. :)
i'm a little disappointed in my scanner because the dark blue and purple look almost the same. i assure you this is not the case. and i'm not sure why i colored the messy yellow background. i was freaked out by all the white space and then i got worried that there wasn't enough brightness. and by that time i'd worked so hard trying to stay in the lines that i just scribbled it. i can always crop it out. as far as the design goes, i tried to use some colors that i'm not totally comfortable with. my kids were proud of themselves for recognizing the pattern fairly quickly. not too long ago they were talking about patterns in school.
back to where i started... the more i think about it, i wonder if i'm really supposed to be right handed. my handwriting is messy, i can't color in the lines, and i CAN write legibly with my left hand. i'd thought before that maybe i was ambidextrous, but maybe i'm supposed to be a "lefty."
ok, obviously the name on top was written with my right hand and the one on the bottom was written with my left hand. and yes, the one using my right hand is better, but i've been writing with my right hand for what, 26 years now. it seems to me that my left handed writing (that i've only done a very few times) is almost as good, and with 26 years of practice could end up being better. is it worth it to try to change now? i don't know. holding things (pencil, fork, etc.) in my left hand does not feel weird or awkward. but, putting my arm on the paper to write does. i don't know how to place myself to write the best that i can with my left hand. i guess it's something for me to ponder. i could even keep my right hand as my dominant but still work at my left hand and be truly ambidextrous. or, maybe this is all just crazy and maybe just being creative and artsy gives me the ability to use both hands in case of an emergency. i don't know. my toes can easily pick up anything and i've used it to my advantage my whole life. i've found (through pinching with them, heehee) that they are rather strong. so maybe it's just a similar thing with my left hand. uh, i think i'm thinking on this way too much and need to stop. :)
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