Soups On!

In this corner, we have Legumes...


...and in this corner, we have the defending champion, Chicken Stock!

I start work tomorrow. In preparation for work-life, I am making stock and legumes tonight. I am making a chicken stock, white beans, lentils, and garbanzos. The chicken soup will give me a base for other soups that I can make during the week and the legumes will keep in my refrigerator or freezer until I need them. This way, after a hard day's work, I can whip up a soup or make something with the legumes like, 3 bean salad or whatever, cook up a protein and veggies and dinner is served in no time.

For the chicken stock, I am combining my mom's chicken soup and Nadia G's liquid gold chicken broth recipes:
2 TBS grape seed oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1/2 to 1 whole chicken, cut up
1 sprig epazote
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh oregano
1 sprig fresh thyme
1. sprig tarragon
celery leaves from 1 stalk
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat grape seed oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Add onion and saute for another 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery and saute for another minute or so. Add the chicken pieces and pour water over it until it covers the chicken (about 8 cups).
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Tie the epazote, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, tarragon, and celery leaves and add to the stock.
4. Partially cover and simmer on low for about 2 hours.
5. When the stalk has been simmering for about 2 hours add salt and pepper, remove from heat. 6. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside.
7.. Strain the stalk into another pot over a strainer lined with a cheese cloth.
8. You can use this stalk as a base for soups.


The legumes are basically done the same way:
1. Rinse legumes in strainer and pick out any foreign bits or broken or shriveled pieces.
2. Place them in a pot and cover with water.
3. Soak for at least 2 hours.
4. Drain and rinse again and place back in pot
5. Add 4 to 6 water in each pot.
6. Add about 3 whole garlic cloves (no need to peel them because you are going to take these out later) and about 1/2 an onion.
7. Add a large pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Bring to a boil.
9. Add a bouquet of whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. I used thyme, oregano, epazote, and a bay leaf.
10. Simmer on low, partially covered for about 2 hours.

Note 1: You can drain the garbanzo beans and refrigerate to be used in other dishes or salads.
Note 2: I like to leave the beans in their soup form and eat them as a soup the day I make them. Then refrigerate and use a drained portion in salads.
Note 3: To re-fry the white beans I put some of the beans and their soup in a large skillet. Add a tablespoon of grape seed oil and cook over medium to low heat. Once they are bubbling, I mash them and let them cook down some more.

Enjoy!

XOXO
sc

Another Catch Up Entry

Hi there. I know I said that I would not do this again but here we are. November is just about over and I think I only did one entry the entire month! Not that there have not been any exciting happenings to blog about. I guess I just needed a little break. So let's catch up.

Weekday visit by Nico and Ethan

Nico (our godson) and his brother, Ethan, visited us the other night because their mommy, Julissa, had to attend parent-teacher conferences. We were so glad to have them over since, lately, it has been really hard for us to get together. Nico and I baked chocolate chip cookies (from a package). He was really excited to wear one of Mateo's aprons and help out. However, he and Ethan waited until the cookies were done to inform us that they didn't like chocolate chip cookies. Say what? I thought every kid liked them. Not these kids. Well, more for us. They snacked on Goldfish instead.

Scouting for Food


Mateo's Boy Scout troop participated in the annual Scouting For Food. All of the food that is collected by our district scouts was delivered to a site and our troop was in charge of sorting it and boxing it up before it got delivered to a charity. Way to go Boy Scouts!

Nutella Crescent Rolls




Yummy! I saw this recipe on a blog the other day and had to try it. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the blog that I saw it in to give proper credit, sorry! Anyway, these treats are so easy and yummy, you have to try them:
Unroll dough
Spread with Nutella, crushed hazelnuts (I used pecans) & raw sugar
Roll back into crescent shapes
Place on cookie sheet & bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes
Enjoy!
*Note: the first batch (pictured) came out a little pale so I brushed a little evaporated milk to the tops of the second batch before baking and those came out golden & much prettier.

Thanksgiving Day! Yay!

There's H, hamming it up (he's serving the ham)

For Thanksgiving, we went to Lorena's and Ricky's house. We had a wonderful time and the food was delicious. We are so blessed to have so many great cooks in our family! I am still getting my feet wet with the cooking but I am really enjoying it.

Piro, Mia and Mateo

I cooked (warmed) a ham and made Ina's pumpkin cupcakes with maple-cream cheese frosting! Delicioso!

The ham was a ready-made ham that just needed to be warmed up. Usually, I will add a twist to the glaze but this year, I just made it straight out of the packet. So no need to carry on with the details.

The cupcakes, on the other hand, were so moist and delicious and the frosting was just the right amount of mapley cream cheesy goodness. My sister-in-law, Iliana, shared this recipe with me that she got from House Beautiful Magazine. It is an Ina Garten recipe, so you know it's going to be good:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 extra large eggs, room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Maple Frosting (recipe follows)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with paper liners.

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

3. Divide the batter among prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

4. Spread the cupcakes with Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped Heath bar bits.

Maple Frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 Tbsp. Boyajian Natural Maple Flavor
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Note 1: I did not use the Heath bar topping because I didn't have any but found them to be just the right amount of sweet.
Note2: Since I was short on time, I did not look for the maple flavoring mentioned but I used whatever I could find at my grocery store which happened to be imitation maple flavoring. Although the frosting was yummy, I'm sure it would have been better with the one mentioned. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

Black Friday Football


The Friday after Thanksgiving is usually reserved for shopping and football. This year, we drove out to Murrieta to visit our friend, George. George also happens to be my sister-in-law, Jeanette's brother. George is an avid deep sea fisherman, and that is how he and Horacio became friends. Anyway George is a USC alumnus and a huge fan. If you don't get this within the first 30 seconds of walking into his house, you need to have your eyes examined. So all they (the boys) did on Friday was watch a marathon of football games. Fortunately, we (the girls) snuck out to do a little shopping.


I made Argentinian empanadas to take to George's. These are little hand-held meat-filled pies. They are not as laborious as I anticipated but I am still not as skilled at making pie crusts or dough. Try as I might, I just can't get it right. So these empanadas turned out a bit dry. The filling was tasty but the crust or dough was too dry. Mateo quickly reminded me of my chicken potpie with a similar fate. These, I have to say, are not worth the effort. It is much better to buy them. I won't even bore you with the recipe. If you are daring enough or have the desire to one up me, you can find plenty of recipes online.

My mom made sopes (a small fried bowl made of corn dough) for us at George's.
Of course, she had to wear a USC apron.

Happy Birthday, Cari!

My sister, Cari, is a turkey baby. I mean, her birthday always falls around Thanksgiving. This year it landed right on that day. I made her a slouchy beanie from a pattern I got at Raverly. She looks cute in it! Instead of the cotton worsted weight yarn, I used a skein of Vanna's Glamour in platinum and a skein of Vanna's Choice in linen together. It gave it a more hefty feel which is better for the season and it made a bit slouchier.





Well folks, that is it for now. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I start a new job on Wednesday. Hooray! I will be working in the HR department at, none other than, USC. Go Trojans!

xoxo
sc

Happy Birthday, Mami Nacha and Gama!

So this weekend we celebrated my brother-in-law, Gamaliel's 40th birthday. Today is his actual birthday which he shares with his mom. We know her as Mami Nacha.

The Rock Star theme fete was held here at the Casillas Domum. I just learned that word. Domum is Latin for house or dwelling. So now I want to use it in every sentence.

My sister-in-law's did a fantasticfabulicious job of creating this event. All we did was provide the venue. They showed up in the afternoon of the event. Cars replete of boxes holding tons of food, beverage and party wonders. In a matter of a couple of hours they turned our home into a space worthy of the most famous rock stars. And yes, a few of them showed up. Take a looky:

Slash and his daughter, Alyssa.

Tina Turner and Madonna. They were so kind as to provide a little impromptu performance for the guests.

Here is Tina Turner and Madonna again with Joan Jett, Thalia, and the girl from the Raspberry Beret video.

Bret Michaels. No, we didn't ask if the rumors about he and Miley Cyrus' mom were true! Stop that!

Clint Black


Kurt Cobain. Oh yeah, we aint afraid of no ghost.

Cindi Lauper? Er, Punky Brewter? Oh yeah, Ms. Britany!!

Groupies

And for the props and decorations:

Audrey found this fabulous wall decal of Morrison. Beautiful!

Lizard King Bobble Head Cake

A well stocked bar

A Seating area

The VIP Lounge. Xochitl's co-worker made these amazing props out of cardboard!

Candles along the fence for ambiance. Oh darn, I forgot to crop out the beer keg!

This is still on our door today.

It was a fun party. Thanks for turning 40, Gama!

Update on Ederlen:
Thank you to all for your prayers for Ederlen. After 12 hours in surgery yesterday she spent the night in the ICU. I believe that she will still be there through today. Her surgeries went well, praise God. We just have to wait and see now. Please pray for a speedy and uncomplicated recovery for her. God bless you!

BTW: Yesterday morning I was surprised by a delivery of a beautiful flower arrangement from Gama as a token of his appreciation for his party. How sweet!

Blessings,
SC
xoxo

I thank you, Lord!

I made this wreath for our front door. Inspiration was found here.

Isn't it great that this month we have a day on the calendar dedicated to thankfulness?

Yes, I have so much to be thankful for. So rather than bore you, I will only list my top 21.

Yes 21.

I am thankful:

1. for our loving and merciful God.
2. that at this very moment, my sister-in-law, Ederlen, is undergoing surgery (masectomy, reconstruction, and partial removal of liver). This surgery is major and although I wish she would never had needed it, I believe that this will be a defining moment in her journey to becoming cancer-free.
3. for my husband and child. They make me crazy sometimes but I am happy to be crazy for them! Horacio, my love, my rock. Mateo, God's gift. I will never know a greater love than the love I feel for them.
   
4. I am NOT thankful that I got laid-off from my job in January, but I am thankful that in being at home I was able to be here for my parents and brother when they needed me most.
5. for drug treatment centers and the people who work in them. With their help and God's divine intervention, my little brother has a second chance.
6. for my sister, Cari. Although she is the baby, she is such an inspiration to me in so many ways.
7. for my brother, David and his wife Jeanette for their hospitality and willingness to share the burdens of life.
8. for my nieces and nephews. They fill that little empty space in my heart and they quench my longing for more children. I am thankful for their naughtiness because then they make me feel better that I only have one!
9. for my parents and the balance and stability they provide in my life. Especially my mom, my friend, my confidant.
   
10. for my mother-in-law, "Mami Nacha." She is the essence of dignity, humility, and elegance.
11. for my cousins. God's merciful way of providing extended family so that we never have to feel alone.
12. for my aunts, Felipa and Concha for always making me feel like a daughter.
13. for the joy that knitting, crocheting, sewing and crafting bring to my life.
14. for my friends for accepting me and laughing at my silliness.
    
15. for prayer.
16. for God's Word.
17. for nature. There is nothing that makes me feel closer to God than when I am admiring nature and its beauty.
18. for mornings. I love mornings. No matter how bad yesterday was, each morning brings renewal.
19. for forgiveness.
    
20. for unconditional love. There is nothing we can do to merit love. If it not be for unconditional love, we would not know true love.
21. for my faith. Without out, I would not be able to sit here now and be thankful for all of the difficult valleys that I have gone through.

Halloween 2010

Halloween at Scott and Yaret's house: