Pupusas at Home!

On Memorial Day we had family over for us to practice making our own pupusas on! We used the recipes form our pupusa making class that we participated in this past February.

We discovered that the 'secret' ingredient that makes the pulled pork filling is a Mexican spice called epazote, also know as Mexican Tea Herb.  It has a very distinctive flavor.

The vegetable filling is made from fresh corn cut from the cob, zucchini, peppers, onion and a tad of epazote in it as well.  Very colorful and tasty.

There are several ways of actually making them into pupusas.  We found the easiest is to sandwich the fillings between two uncooked corn tortillas (made from Maseca) and pinch them together. 

This is the pickled cabbage that is eaten along side the pulled pork pupusas.  Even I, who does not care for pickled foods nor cold slaw, like this with the pupusas!

The Salsa Roja                                                                    

The Spicy Pepita Salsa

We also made the queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese) pupusas as well as the Manzana (Apple) dessert ones.  Here is the dinner plate: pupusas sprinkled with queso cotija, pickled cabbage and rice and beans.  Totally delicious, all of it!

Fruit Crepes

Darrell made these strawberry dessert crepes a bit ago.  Just use any basic crepe recipe, pull some fruit out of the freezer or use fresh fruit, roll the heated fruit (with or without a bit of sugar) up in the cooked crepe, dust with powdered sugar and there you have it :-}

Signs of Spring

This is the first year our flowering tree gave us more than a few blooms! It greeted us with hundreds of beautiful white blossoms when we came home from Mexico on Cinco de Mayo!

This sprig is from a bush or tree in Ryan's yard.  A prize for the first one who successfully identifies it for me!  We are not sure what it is, though we have a couple of ideas. I would love to buy one for my yard!

My geraniums overwinter in a slightly heated green house, so when I finally pull them out for the back deck, they are in full bloom.  Instant spring color :-)

Funny!

Just had to post this!

Easter Meal

I didn't post any blogs for awhile towards the end of April and end of May, so you may have noticed that I am backtracking for a bit of catching up.  We had almost all of our family here for Easter this year.  Missing were daughter Bethany Jean and grandson Zach.  We had a great time with those present, including an egg hunt for a few of us who wished to search (I was among those this time....... it's been over 40 years since I hunted eggs).  Easter was a warm, bright and sunny day for once, and with little Emerson's arrival this year, we all had a grand time!

For a salad we had a Wilted Spinach and Apple Salad from the Celebrate the Rain cookbook. Please notice the beautiful colored eggs adorning it, compliments of DIL Nancy.

Besides roasted asparagus, the main course was Rosemary Walnut Chicken, from the Simply Classic cookbook.   Really, quite delicious!

Also from Simply Classics I made this Sparkling Pineapple Sangria.  Yum!

I did not snap any pictures of the wonderful  Orange and Lemon Sour Cream Cake!  Can you believe it?!?!  It hailed from the Celebrate the Rain cookbook, and was one of the most moist cakes I have every had, as well as scrumptious all the way around!

Flower Moon

On our way home from the airport from our Mexico trip, the Cinco de Mayo moon happened to be the Super Flower Moon, the full moon that was bigger and brighter than any other moon this year. 

Rhubarb Recipes

The Rhubarb is overflowing in my garden, and I am giving it away once again!

Here are a few recipes you might enjoy:

Rosy Red Rhubarb Cake

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

3/4 cups milk

6 cups finely diced rhubarb

1 -3 oz pkg strawberry or raspberry gelatin (jello)

6 Tbs butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1. Combine shortening into sifted flour, baking power, salt and brown sugar, the same as for pie crust.

2. Add milk and egg; milk thoroughly.

3. Spread mixture in bottom of greased 9x13 baking dish. Mixture will be moist and spongy.

4. Top with diced rhubarb. Sprinkle gelatin powder over all.

5. Mix butter with sugar and flour, as for pie crust. Sprinkle over rhubarb.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes, or until done.

7. Serve with dollop of whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Rhubarb Cobbler

Cobbler Dough:

1 cup flour

2 Tbs sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add butter and blend with a fork or pastry blender, until texture of cornmeal. Add milk and egg; stir just until moistened.

Filling:

1 cup sugar

t Tbs cornstarch

4 cups 1-inch sliced rhubarb

1 Tbs water

2 Tbs butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar and cornstarch; add rhubarb and water. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly until rhubarb is tender. Pour into 8-inch square baking dish. Dot with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon. Drop cobbler dough by spoonfuls onto hot fruit filling. Bake 20 minutes.

Rhubarb Crunch 

1 cup flour

3/4 cups oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

4 cups diced rhubarb

1 cup sugar

2 tbs cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon; place 1/2 in bottom of greased 9x9 pan. Add rhubarb. Combine sugar, cornstarch, 1 cup water and vanilla; microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir after 2 minutes. Pour over rhubarb. Cover with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, and dash of salt. Add to 3 beaten eggs, beat until smooth. Stir in 4 cups 1-inch sliced rhubarb. Prepare pastry for 9" lattice pie. Chill. Line 9" pie pan with pastry. Fill with rhubarb mixture. Dot with 2 Tbs butter. Adjust lattice top; seal edges of pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

El Dia de Madre

For Mother's Day this year Darrell, Bethany and I cooked up some of the dishes that we made at cooking school in Mexico this year. I forgot to take a picture of everything, so for the soup and dessert I used our photos from the class.

Lots of tomatillos, onions, corn, tomatoes, hot peppers and avocados.....

Putting together the Tamales de Frijoles 

Sopa de Poblano 

Roasted Chicken in a Chipotle-Piloncillo-Tomatillo Salsa and the Tamales 

Salsas (top to bottom): Salsa de Pepitas, Guacamole, Salsa Frita and Salsa de Habenero 

Tarte de Chocolate

It was all very tasty and great to have the 'kids' over to enjoy it!

A Spring Snow Fall

We always do have spring snow falls, but this was pretty because the sun came out afterwards.  That is when it is okay by me to have a bit of snow past winter.....

This picture was taken way back in February on my way home from the baby shower for yet-to-be-born, Emerson. So whenever the full moon was in February, it was up during daylight hours!

Spring Ducklings

I received a phone call from the post office at 5 am Wednesday morning to come pick up my ducklings! This year I only ordered 4 fawn-colored Indian Runners, though they sent me 6 of them. It was a warm, sunny day on Saturday so I took them outside for a field day :-)

They were content to just run around near me thankfully, since two of our dogs were keeping a close eye on them.  

They even took turns pecking at my lips!  Too cute.... 

Exploring the Forget-Me-Nots 

Afterwards, they enjoyed a little playtime in the sink :-)