Homemaking

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Productive Days Are Good

I was blessed once again today with a super easy long file that meant decent income with minimal time at the keyboard. So I set Laundry as being my chore to accomplish. I’ve just gotten really behind because of the grey weather. I got it all done except some bedding by early afternoon.

Then, it was time to sort out my closet. In rebuilding my wardrobe, I’ve found myself with way more clothes than I can fit in Miranda and too many special pieces to want to winnow it all down. I have a pretty good idea of what I need at various points of the year now, so I packed up two or three tubs worth of colder weather gear and stuck it all in a grainery, leaving room in the wardrobe for summer dresses, tops, skirts, and pants. I made a list of the contents of each tub so if it winds up being a cool crappy summer like last year, I won’t have to dig far for the fleece.

My work was done by a dinnertime, so I had a quick bite to eat and then headed outside. I love these long lovely evenings! My first stop was the shed to assess the floor. To my surprise, there wasn’t nearly as much scraping left to do as I thought. I got it all done and will shop vac the next time I run extension cords that way. Next step is to find the absolute cheapest thing I can find to seal the wood, be it paint or varnish or whatever. I’m going to slap as many coats as possible on the walls and floor and call the shed usable after that. I have a plan for a workbench in one corner, shelves along one short wall, and room at the back for storing the mower and other garden implements.

Once I get the shed sorted out, I’ll be able to set up a really good laundry room. I think that will be it for Haven projects this year, unless the funds materialize to get some trenching done (ie. bring in a backhoe). If that happens, it’ll mean I’ll have what I need to get rudimentary plumbing in as well as bring power to each of the outbuildings. So needless to say, it’s not a likely event!

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I’ve Missed the Thrift Store

I got in from a quick trip to the Willow Bunch thrift store. I wanted to drop off a bag of stuff and see the changes. I really don’t need any clothes except for rain gear so all I was actively shopping for was some household and kitchen stuff.

The ground floor was a lot neater than it was the last time I was in, but not much had really changed in terms of where items were located. The upstairs had changed a bit and was less of a jumble of stuff, but, really, the updates weren’t as dramatic as I would have expected based on the Facebook updates. It was very comforting for the place to still be familiar. 🙂

Since I keep hoping to stumble onto lawn furniture, I went out to the sheds to see what sort of furniture was in stock and hit the jackpot. No, not on lawn furniture, but on something else I’ve wanted for Haven since I sort of got running water: a slop sink. They are about $40 at Home Hardware new. I asked about the price, was told that they are $150 new (WHAT?!), so I could have it for $15. Rather than argue that they’re nowhere near $100, much less $150, I commented that the sink was quite stained and covered in paint, I was told $10, which was just about right. 🙂

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(Inside is a little basin the perfect size for washing feet, something I wanted for my Isla casita).

I want to improve my laundry set up this summer and this slop sink fits in with those plans. It’ll be a good place to soak things, hold part of the wash load while the other spins, clean paint brushes, wash produce, etc. I just need to find a big stopper for it and it can drain into a bucket. What a find! The little basin was just $1.50, so it was really worth my time to go out today!

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Making Tortillas

My neighbour Caroline sent me home with her barely used tortilla press the other day. Today, she came by with a giant container of corn flour and a recipe, so I decided to try my hand at making tortillas!

The recipe for 16 to 20 tortillas is super simple:
2 cups corn flour
2 cups boiling water
1/2 tsp salt

Mix in a big bowl until you get a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for an hour. Then divide into 1 1/2 inch balls that you press and then cook on a hot griddle/cast iron pan/comal.

So here is her press:

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It has a hinge on the side. You open up the two halves, put a ball of dough in the middle between plastic (to prevent sticking — she uses two halves of a Ziploc bag), press firmly to flatten the ball, peel the resulting raw tortilla off the plastic and plop it into a very hot frying pan (I use well seasoned cast iron, so I don’t add any grease) to get this:

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Rather impressive looking for a first attempt, no?

This was nothing like the tortillas I get at the tortilleria in Maz. Neither is better or worse, they are just different. The main difference is that these are cooked in a cast iron pan, so they are crunchier and have brown spots (the best part). But I usually heat up my tortillas anyway and get close to this result.

The colour is also different. These came out very yellow, like tostadas. The tortillas I get at the tortilleria are beige.

Finally, these were a little bitter. I think the flour might be a little old, or it’s just not the same flour used in the tortillerias. It definitely has a much more pronounced corn flavour. They are going to make killer totopos (fried tortilla chips)! I want to repeat the experiment with proper Maseca brand flour to see if I get closer to the tortilleria tortillas.

But the final verdict is that making these was most definitely worth my time. I didn’t like them much on their own (bitter), but were really good slathered with a little leftover tomato sauce! They are a little fluffy in the middle and feel like wheat bread under tooth (!).

I scoffed at the idea of a tortilla press, but it really is labour saving. Imagine the work and space that would have been needed to roll out the dough into a semblance of a circle!

I only made three tonight and saved the rest of the ball of dough for tomorrow morning. Making tortillas is a lot less work than making flat bread with flour and I look forward to making mountains of them this summer. Considering the price of crappy corn tortillas at the grocery store, the time spent will be worth it!

So yay for Caroline for giving me a chance to try this out before buying Maseca!

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Cozy

It’s rather funny, but my quirky little Truth or Consequences apartment feels more like home to me than the Isla apartment ever did.

The Isla apartment is huge and so cold with all that beige tile and those white walls. There is also no comfortable place to sit.

What a luxury it was this evening to do what I do in Miranda — shut the computer, grab the iPad, and curl up in a comfy chair with a few episodes of something on the iPad while a door was left open to let in the cool evening air. And that was after making a fabulous dinner that included roasting the meat in the oven.

I also love the warm wood floor in here. It’s convinced me that even if I can’t save the cabin’s original floor, I want real wood planks as my permanent flooring, not laminate.

I didn’t put any money into the Isla apartment this winter because there simply wasn’t any until it was much too late in the winter to do so. For next winter, I firmly plan to have enough in the kitty to get a decent armchair if the landlady hasn’t provided something, and I’ll be sure to bring back down my two lovely blankets that added some much needed colour to the space.

It’s been four full days here and I only have two left. How fast time flies! I’m working hard again tomorrow, but hope to get out Monday afternoon to see a little of T or C. There’s a museum within walking distance, so I’ll definitely do that. The admission price of $6 will put me in the poor house, but I have to keep you blog readers entertained, so I’ll sacrifice (*tongue firmly in cheek*).

 

 

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Enchilaprovisation

I think it’s on record that I’m one of those annoying cooks so comfortable in the kitchen that she doesn’t need recipes or special equipment to make a satisfying meal from rather disparate ingredients. I’ve been cooking for so long that I don’t even remember learning to cook.

I’m trying to use up the odd bits and pieces that friends left me before departing for northern climes. One of the things was a small tin of green enchilada sauce. I needed a quick dinner tonight, have had green enchiladas on the brain for a while, and had the follow bits to use up in addition to the sauce:

-chicken, rice, and tortillas from lunch;

-two tortillas in the freezer that were about to go off;

-a small hunk of Chihuahua cheese;

-a spoonful of crema.

Even if I trusted my oven, I don’t have any ovenware here, so I made dinner in my cast iron skillet, layering tortillas and a chicken and rice mixture, then drenching the whole thing in green sauce, reserving a little. I reduced the heat, popped a lid on the pan, and let the whole thing simmer until the sauce reduced and the bottom tortilla went from soggy to crispy.

Then, I flipped the whole thing over, cut the heat, added more sauce, and put shredded cheese over top, replacing the lid to melt the cheese with the residual heat from the pan.

I plated half of the dish and served it with half of the crema.

Dang this was good! The green sauce is quite spicy, but very flavourful, and the cream and cheese cut through the heat. It will be even better tomorrow once all the flavours have melded together.

It’s really not pretty to look at, but here tis:

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I’ve been really curious about this sauce, but wasn’t willing to spend the few pesos to try it because I’m stupid that way (and was worried that it would be too spicy). But now I know I will be adding it to my pantry next winter. I may even bring a tin or two of it home!

Next, I have to try the red sauce by the same brand, of which I also have a tin.

I’d like to add to the mothers out there that I had a small head of broccoli as an appetizer. 😉