Veggie Fajitas

I tried out a new recipe last week and then of course I had to make a bunch of changes as it was way to mild and I wanted to try some different veggies than were in the recipe and now I think I have come up with the perfect veggie fajitas for us.

1/2 of a small Sugar Pumpkin or Butternut Squash peeled and cut into narrow strips
1 small Zucchinni thinly sliced the long way
2 - Onions - thinly sliced
2 - Sweet Bell Peppers thinly sliced
5 - cloves of Garlic sliced into thin strips.
1 can Low Sodium Black Beans, rinsed, or if you prefer to cook your own, 2 cups of cooked Black Beans
1 - 2 TBSP Olive or Coconut Oil (liquified)

Home-made salsa, recipe of your choice we like the following one:
1/2 Onion
1/2 Sweet Bell Pepper
4 Roma Tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 Jalepeno (The amount will vary according to your taste.)
chopped and well mixed.

In a large baggie mix the following ingredients:
2 Tsp garlic powder
2 Tsp onion powder
2 Tsp oregano
1/4 Tsp Cumin
2 Tsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Ancho Chili Powder
1 Tsp Hot Shot or Black Pepper
and for an extra kick at 1/8+ Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Toss the veggies in oil to coat, then put in the baggie with the spices and shake to coat before cooking.

Layered in a mesh grilling basket. I always put the onions on the bottom as they take the longest to cook, but things get stirred up when cooking. I am thinking this will also work well to bake them in the oven when winter sets in and it is way to cold to grill, but then we have two grills. One gas for summer and one charcoal for when it is too cold for gas.

Cook on grill in mesh basket until the veggies are soft (10 +/- minutes)  and then add the black beans and cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes until the beans are heated.

If you prefer to eat them with tortillas, you may use whatever kind you prefer, heated. You could also do them as lettuce wraps. We prefer to just eat the veggies as we do not eat many grains.

Serve the veggie mix topped with the salsa and shredded cheese and enjoy!

Next time I think I may try adding Sweet Potatoes in the mix.

Locked Out

You all will laugh at me today. I decided to shred and freeze a bunch of zucchini I bought at the farmer's market and thus said well, I should clean out the freezer. So I took things out that were unidentified, or well past their dates so were freezer burned and headed out to the compost pile after defrosting them so they would slide out of containers. I slid the screen door closed and headed off to the the compost pile behind the large pine tree. Dumped everything and came back to the house, only to discover that the screen had latched and I was locked out. You will laugh and I wish I had a video of me trying to get the door open. I stuck my arm between the screen door and the glass door trying to reach the latch. Of course my arm was not long enough. So I looked around to see if there was anything I could use to lengthen my arm. On the grill sat a long handled spatula, AH HA! I stuck my arm back in between the two doors and spent about 10 minutes waving the spatula around beating on the inside of handle and first succeeded in pushing the latch further in, so I was really locked out. I tried wiggling the blade or flat part between the door and the wall to move the latch, no luck, then I went back to putting my arm inside with the spatula in hand and beating on the door, running it up and down trying to catch the latch and finally after another 10 minutes or so got the latch to release so I could get back in the house.

I am still trying to figure out how the door managed to lock.
My phone of course was in the house, the front door was locked, Bryce is who knows where in the state delivering and picking up luggage, and Tom was teaching. The neighbor with the spare key was teaching, and everyone else who could possibly help by giving me a ride to Central to get the key from Tom, was at work. That spatula is going to live on the grill table forever because I am not taking that chance again. I guess I should also take my keys out to the compost pile next time so I can get in the front door. Good thing it was a beautiful sunny day.

It's Back to School Time

     My favorite part of going back to school was setting up my classroom and the smell of new supplies.  The anticipation of new students and getting to know them and what made them tick.  This of course was before all this common core stuff. When you could teach what was required but at your own pace and in your own way. Everyone did not need to be on the same page in every classroom across the district.  I could spend more time on the Civil War and less on the War of 1812. More time on Women's Suffrage and less on the Era of Good Feelings and the Monroe Doctrine. I could use my knowledge to judge when it was time to move one and when it was time to delve deeper into topics based on student interaction and reactions to what we were studying.

     Do I miss the start of school? Sometimes. I miss setting up the classroom and the greeting of students on the first day, but I do not miss the meetings, the paperwork, the daily hassles that teachers have to deal with when they have severe behavior problem students who have never learned manners and appropriate behavior in prior years of schooling or from their parents. I also do not miss the parents who do not accept responsibility for their children and blame everything on the teachers, who are not at fault.

     Last year I was at school for the first student day and I really did enjoy that. I was filling in for a new math teacher who was hired the day before classes started and had to have time to move to Anchorage and get all his stuff in order with the district. I spent two weeks in his room and enjoyed starting the year off with a group of seventh graders.

     This year I am not subbing on the first day of school, but I already have a job lined up before the end of the month. I will be teaching English for a week.  I look forward to it.

     Today when I was out shopping I heard a mother tell her son that they needed to start shopping for school supplies. I would certainly hope so since school starts for students next Wednesday.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

     It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood was my thought this morning as I looked out the kitchen window this morning. The trees are green and the birds are singing and today teacher's are back at work.

     Even after three years of retirement, this being the fourth year my husband went back to work and I did not it feels good to be off today. Yes, I still was up or at least awake before he left the house, but I did not have to hurry off to sit through a day of boring inservices listening to people drone on about ethics, infectious diseases or as we often referred to it the hand washing lesson, child find, and the newer ones on suicide awareness and gender and race equity which are so boring and never really change.

    Today my plan includes sewing, and a haircut. I may run to Joann Fabrics for some shape flex and fleece, but beyond that my day is mine. The only other thing on the agenda is cooking dinner and I am thinking of trying a new recipe for baked cauliflower to go along with some baked sweet potatoes.

     In past years this was always the day I caught up on letter writing, and did applique work, or hand stitched down bindings to stay awake.  I also would work on lesson plans and pass notes like most students use to do back in the days before cell phones and email. <:>/ 

     If the sun comes out or the rain holds off I may even decide to take a short bike ride, but  for now I am sitting sipping my tea and enjoying watching the birds play in the trees out my back window.

    

Baked Asparagus, Leek and Goat Cheese Bites

I made this recipe tonight for dinner and though it was good it needs some work. I found it on the Williams and Sonoma website.

Choose a soft, crumbly, fresh goat cheese with a hint of citrus to highlight the onion-like leeks and earthy asparagus in this dish. The freshest whole-milk ricotta available will provide these eggy mouthfuls with the creamiest, lightest texture.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 6 asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
• 1 leek, halved lengthwise and rinsed well, white and light green portions finely chopped
• 2 oz. fresh goat cheese
• 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 egg

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 300°F. Generously coat the cups of a 12-cup miniature muffin pan with butter.

Thinly slice the asparagus spears crosswise, keeping the tips whole. Set the asparagus tips aside.

In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt 2 tsp. of the butter. Add the sliced asparagus and the leek and cook gently, stirring often, until just softened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Crumble the goat cheese into another bowl. Add the ricotta cheese and egg and mash together with a fork until well combined, then mix in the cooled vegetables. Divide the filling evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the “bites” until puffed and lightly golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut each asparagus tip in half lengthwise. In a small nonstick fry pan over low heat, melt the remaining 1/2 tsp. butter. Add the asparagus tips and sauté until just tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl.

When the bites are done, transfer the pan to a wire rack. Run a table knife around the inside of each cup to loosen the edges and let cool slightly. Invert a large plate or tray over the muffin pan, invert the pan and plate together and lift off the pan.

Arrange the bites on a platter or individual plates and top each with an asparagus-tip half. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 bites; serves 6 to 12.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Appetizers, by Amy Sherman (Oxmoor House, 2008).

It needs more spice so I plan to add some hotshot pepper and garlic and instead of using a muffin tin, use little baking dishes and simply divide it into two servings and then adjust the cooking time. I might also add in some basil or thyme as it needs a little more flavor.  We shall see. I am thinking I will try it again this weekend with my modifications.

They were not bad, just bland.

Today I Almost Shot the Locate Man

I came home from a nice relaxing massage and was  in the kitchen getting myself a snack before going on an errand to find a background fabric to match an odd color background of my main fabric. While looking out the back window over the sink I noticed something or someone moving  around in the backyard behind the shed and in the area of the tall pine tree.
It made me very nervous. I checked that the alarm was set to STAY and grabbed my 9 mm, and made sure it was loaded.

I walked out on the deck and yelled, "Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my back yard?" By this time the guy was up along the side of the addition and between it and the deck. That made me even more nervous.

His back was to me and when he heard me he quickly turned around. He took a couple of steps back when he saw my gun, and said "Please don't shoot me, ma'm. I am here doing a locate for GCI, so they can dig up your yard to put in new cables." I actually think it was for ACS, since that is our internet service that we have been having troubles with.

I apologized to him and explained that he had scared me.

He told me that a neighbor woman of his had someone break into her house and she shot at them with her gun and missed. He recommended she get a different gun, a 9 mm like mine.  He also told me there were no hard feelings. Women need to protect themselves. He was glad I did not shoot first and ask questions after.

Vegetarian Lasagna

Tom and I love this dish.  I have been playing with several different recipes and think I finally hit on the one that works best for us. It makes about four to six servings, so we have dinner and lunch out of it.

Ingredients:

1 small to medium spaghetti squash = roughly 3 cups of shredded spaghetti squash.

1 - 2 small to medium or medium to large zucchini = roughly 3 cups of shredded zucchini.

15 ounces of ricotta cheese. I buy organic.

2 cups of shredded mozzarella. I like to shred my own and buy organic.
You can also save some to sprinkle on top after cooking or during the last few minutes of cooking.

1 tsp to 1 TBsp of hotshot  or black pepper (We like it spicy, so I add more.)

You will need a baking dish that is 9 X 5 and about 2-3" deep.

Before putting this dish together you need to have prepared the following in advance:

Clean and bake one small to medium spaghetti squash.  After letting it cool, scrape out the insides and set aside to use in the lasagna.  To bake I cut mine in half, scrape out the seeds and then set cut side down on a wire rack over a cookie sheet with water in it.  After baking at 350° for roughly 30-45 minutes, until you can pierce the outside with a fork, I let it cool, cut side down, until I can easily pick it up and scrape the inside out. I then let it drain for a bit so that it is not too watery. It really works great if we have spaghetti the night before and I cook a large spaghetti squash and use the left over for lasagna. You need roughly 3 cups of shredded spaghetti squash.

I shred one to two small to medium or medium to large zucchini, and let it drain in a strainer for awhile.  I also pat it with paper towels to remove some of  moisture. (I am thinking I may bake it for a few minutes next time to see if I can get more water to drain before putting it in the lasagna. You need roughly 3 cups of shredded zucchini.

I also make my own sauce, another reason I like to have spaghetti the night before.  I will share my recipe in another  post, but you need roughly 2-3 cups of sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Directions:

Smear some sauce in the bottom of the dish, just enough to coat it lightly.

Sprinkle one third of the shredded zucchini in a layer in the bottom of the dish.

(Here you have a choice. I prefer to layer the spaghetti squash and then the ricotta, but you could do it in reverse.)

Sprinkle one third of the shredded spaghetti squash in a layer over the zucchini.

Using one third of the ricotta cheese dab it over the squash and then smear it around lightly so that it is pretty evenly layered.

Sprinkle some of the hot shot or black pepper on the ricotta cheese.

Sprinkle with one third of mozzarella cheese.

Layer one third of the sauce over this

Repeat twice.

Bake 45 minutes, sprinkling the saved mozzarella over the top during the last five minutes of cooking or after removing it from the oven. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Because there are no noodles to absorb the excess liquid due to using squash, it is helpful to have bulb syringe to remove some of the excess juice before cutting and serving, if you do not have one you can use a spoon to remove some and then once cut and served, tip the plates slightly to let the excess liquid run off before serving.

The extras keep well over night in the refrigerator and make a great lunch when reheated the next day. We never have any left over for freezing so I am not sure how it does at freezing, but please let me know how it works out if you try freezing it and reheating.

Sorry there are no pictures but I forgot to take any when I made this a couple nights ago. I will try to remember to update with a picture next time I make it.