chicken enchiladas and coffee.

I've realized my blog has taken a turn for the foodie road.

I must be I'm trying to prove (to myself, etc) that I know how to cook, and that there are a variety of things I can make well.

 This morning....wow, what a brunchish rush. Toast with honey-butter, and omelets. No joke. ;)

(laugh)

A few years ago, as in, when I graduated from 8th grade, I wasn't into anything in the kitchen.

I kind of was pushed off the edge of Comfortably Reading/Knitting/Existing into the waters of Exploring Culinary & Domestic Skills. hehe.

 Yes, peppers --again! This seems like a main vegetable lately....but once the tomatoes get ripe out in the garden, we'll be spilling those out our ears with 70% of our meals. ;)

I'd say it's a wonderful thing, even though sometimes it's a wee bit stressful because I'm learning to (ahem) manage my time and schedule things out in a list of priorities so that the family can eat something more than omelets and/or French toast. 

Saute those peppers. I diced up 6 of them

Two packages of mushrooms....sliced.
Man, I wish we could grow our own. That'd be awesome.
Maybe someday!

These, I believe, were portabellas.

I didn't use all that sour cream. About half of it. :) But I used more tomatoes than just that big can.....

I minced a whole (albeit smallish) bulb of fresh garlic. Fresh, as in, just pulled from the garden. (big smile)

More tomatoes.

Toss that all in with the sauteed stuff, and mix it up....

There's just something about Monterey Jack cheese........ :)
Any kind of cheese will do. I love cheese. 

I may or may not have taken a boiling pot off the stove to get it shot with natural light.

Mmmmm, coffee. And sour cream. And mangos!
[No, none of the former line goes into the chicken enchiladas. :) ]

. . . . . There's nothing like a mango. I heart those things.

This is the oil painting Anna bought yesterday. It reminds of Italy. She loves it. (so do I, but not with the same level of attachment to this certain painting; personal preference)
We were walking the streets a bit after going through the farmer's market, and found this shop that sells oil paintings. In all sizes. From a little taller than my hand, to huge-- 2/3 my height. 
It was amazing, this place. And they were all stacked in front of each other on the floor, leaning on the walls. Some were hung.
Surrounded by these beauties --1/3 of which were eh, so-so, but the rest positively lovely-- I felt like a kid with crayons and finger paints when I thought of my canvases.


The one I saw was hanging by the register, up in the corner, and it looked like a cozy, dark, rainy night in Paris.
It was $200. It was one of the huger ones. I kinda fell in love. (sniff, sniff)
But dangit, I'm already in the hole. Just lately, I've borrowed money from the parents to get those two really pretty can't-find-'em-just-anywhere dresses the other day...and those really cute shirts at Kohls...So I'm not that far down, but really? $200? 
Can't do it right now. :(
So, I left my love in the shop.

Now, put this stuff in. 
For the size of pot I was making, I ended up using both of these, and even then it might've used just a tad more and a few more good dashes of cayenne.

Yep, I put half of that big tub in.

Yes, once again by the backdoor. ;) I've gotten good at gripping it with one hand to my hip, and the other hand training the camera with ever-practicing steadiness. 

That, my dears, is what it should look like. Well, after you've added the rice. ;)


So, today is one of my kitchen duty days.
Want to see some before/after? (laughing hysterically)

Lovely, eh?

Well.
Why did I forget the coconut pudding until now? I mean, the coconut cream pie....is just plain unforgettable. (thanks, Anna dear!!!!)

Yes, crispy coconut. We sprinkled a tiny bit of fructose over it and placed that under the broiler for a few short, surveillanced moments. Stir, and repeat so it's nice and golden.
Ohhhh, yes, homemade whipped cream. Also with a dash of fructose and vanilla extract.

Mmmmm. You know what? Something that's really good is dipping your finger into the whipped cream (while everyone else is waiting for their bowls to get served up with pie), then rolling that in the crispy coconut. 
Not saying I know anything about that, but I've heard it's good...ahem. :)

Yeah, baby. I took it outside. 
See the chocolate layer on the crust? Or maybe you can't...maybe this piece got halfway turned upside-down... 
Creamy, sweet, flavorful. Crunchy, chocolatey... there's little else you could ask for in a dessert. Well, if you don't hate coconut or chocolate, that is. ;)
Sorry. I didn't promise I wasn't going to torture you guys. 

I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. 
Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. 
Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. 
But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force! 
Jesus Christ founded His Empire on love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.
[Napoleon Bonaparte]