22 February 2010

Giveaway Giveaway Giveaway!!






Hey, friends! I am giving away this awesome set of homemade washcloths.
I am promoting my scarf fundraiser and need your help!








Scarf information: Scarves are pink and white and about 2.5 inches wide and 70 inches long. To recieve a scarf, simply donate a minimum of $15 to my Avon Walk fund (www.avonwalk.org/goto/kellydawnreckas)



What do you have to do for an entry?

1 entry, tweet this giveaway! Make sure you put @kellycrochets and this blog post somewhere in your tweet, or retweet my tweet about the giveaway twitter.com/kellycrochets (comment once on this post)

2 entries, blog about this giveaway. (comment twice about this post)

5 entries, donate to my Avon Walk (www.avonwalk.org/goto/kellydawnreckas) comment five times on this post with your first name and last initial so I know who you are (and a $15 donation gets you a scarf!)

I will draw a name on March 9th using the random number generator. Good luck!

08 February 2010

Scarves!

I have completed four scarves so far and I love them all. If you're interested in one, go to my walk site and, for a $15 minimum donation, I will send you one - just put "scarf" in the message to me!

Please let me know which you would like to see more of!

 
Pink with white


White with Pink


Light Pink


Pink Center

04 February 2010

Tax Return Time

Ahhh... Taxes.

I just got my return yesterday afternoon (perfect timing, as my gas tank was empty and my cupboards were nearly empty)

I have been dreaming of wonderful things to spend the extra money on. The top of the list? Yarn. Soft, handspun, gorgeous yarn.



These yarns can be found here (left to right) MustSpinFasterLunabudKnitsBlumzieluxuryyarnsSyrendelllaikaknitsFJCruiserTerraBellaSpunSpinningWheelStudio, and, KISDesigns


Next on the list? A Blendtec blender.
*Drool*

Seriously, this thing is amazing. Its a 3qt jar with a 4 (YES FOUR) inch blade. It has a 13Amp motor, is faster blending than the Vitamix, has ten speeds, and comes with two jars (one with a three inch blade and one with a four inch blade).


Lets just take a moment to admire its beauty.




Up next, a case of cherimoya AND a case of white sapote. At $50/case, this is something I've never splurged on.
Cherimoya are a tropical fruit that is sweet, delicate, and has flavour reminiscent of pineapple, banana, pear, papaya, strawberry/'berry', dragon fruit, and/or apple depending on the particular variety. The outside is green and almost scaly looking:

White Sapote is a tropical fruit related to citrus. Its flavour ranges from vanilla-y to peachy.



Last, but certainly not least, a juicer. Ideally, I'd get something really high-end, but I've got my eye on the L'equip Juicer. Basic, affordable, and functional. Most importantly, Mary (who doesn't have a fun webpage for me to share with you) says it juices greens quite well.




In reality, I will be putting this money toward:
Student loans
New wheel bearings for the new car
An implant, bridge, or braces - I just had a baby tooth pulled, and my mouth is a mess. Gross.

Most likely, I will be buying new wheel bearings. Any leftover money will go toward more fun things - CSA and a heartrate monitor (or running shoes)

29 January 2010

New blog, up and running!

My new blog for recipes is up and running. You can find it here at www.kohlrabiandquince.blogspot.com

It is for talking about my favourite thing - food.


Let me know what you think!

26 January 2010

Just a few updates

1. I know its really cool to hate FresNo, but, there is this great blog about LOVING Fresno. Weird? Go read it and let me know if you change your mind. www.31daysoffresno.blogspot.com

2. I'm working on some really pretty pink skinny scarves to raise funds for the Avon Walk. I will be selling them via this site for a minimum donation. I'm nearly finished with the first and will post photos as soon as I am finished.

3. I am working on a new blog for my recipes. I figure its about time I separate recipes and Etsy. And thank you to my faithful Etsy followers for sifting through the food to get to the features (which will start again soon, I promise!)

4. My Etsy shop is in vacation mode for now. I still have some stock, and will get the store up and running again as soon as I have the time to make some more - thank you all so much for understanding - and thank you all for the lovely complements on my work - I really appreciate it.

5. In the last two days, I have walked 7 miles. I need to accomplish 8 more this week. Think sweaty thoughts for me. ^_^

18 January 2010

Beautiful Purple Miso Soup

Two posts in one day! I can't believe it.

For lunch today I made an awesome, super-simple miso soup.

1/4 head purple cabbage
2 medium sized leeks
mushrooms (I used up a package of dried shirataki)
2.5 - 3 TBL miso (of your choice, I used a mellow white/yellow), add more to taste
water or broth - about 3.5C

Put a few tsp EVOO in bottom of medium sized pot. cook leeks until soft. add cabbage, cook down. (just a few minutes)

Add water/broth and mushrooms. Bring to boil. turn down heat, cover, and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. Add miso paste, dissolve in broth mixture. Cover and simmer for 10-15 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Tamales

Tamales!


The original recipe is courtesy of my mom. "Hi mom!" I veganized it this year.

Filling:
Portbella mushrooms (a lot - If you can buy them in bulk at your grocer, this would be ideal - try to get 10% off for buying bulk!)
Garlic
Onion
3 Bay Leaves
Salt
Oregano
Water or Broth (I used vegetable stock)
A can or two of olives

and/or

Frozen Corn
a very large can or two of green chilis
a can or two of olives

To make mushroom filling: Use food processor to shred mushrooms. Dehydrate at around 150* until dry. Throw in crock-pot. Add about a head of garlic (to taste), an onion, 3 bay leaves, 1tsp oregano. Fill with enough water or broth to cover. heat on low overnight.

The Next Morning:

Take your package of cornhusks and separate them. put in large bucket, bowl, or dish pan. Cover with water. Place something heavy (like a glass lid) on top to keep submerged. Let soak.

Drain mushrooms. SAVE broth. Separate and throw out the garlic, onion, bay leaves.

Make mole:
¾ Cup flour        
½ tsp. salt
½ Cup shortening or vegetable oil    
 ¼ tsp cloves
7 Cups liquid (mushroom broth and water if necessary)  

¼ tsp. cumin
½ to 1 Cup chili powder (more if you like it really spicy)
 ½ tsp ground garlic
Brown the flour in fat.  Add broth a little at a time, stirring and cooking over low heat until sauce becomes thick.  Add chili powder and other spices.  Mix well. 


Place cornhusks in colander to drain

Make masa. I buy a wet package of unprepared - I found it in the meat section of the grocery store.
5 pounds Masa (unprepared)     
1 Cup vegetable oil
1 TBL baking powder      
1 ½ cups of broth
1 TBL salt

Mix masa.  Add ingredients in very small amounts to masa.  Mix well after each addition until masa is creamy texture.  Too much liquid will ruin the consistency, so add with caution.  Add a couple large spoonfuls of your mole sauce for color.

Open and drain cans of olives and green chilis (if you are making chili/corn filled tamales)
Chop green chilis, rinse well

Fill bottom of tamale pot with water. Place a ball of foil on bottom of pot "shelf"

Okay, the fun part. Assembly.

You will find your cornhusks have a very smooth side and a slightly rough or bumpy side. You always put your filling on the smooth side.

Take a cornhusk, and wipe any excess moisture off with a towel. Spread some masa on the smooth side of the husk edge to edge. It should look something like this:


Now, fill it up!:
These tamales have (left) mushrooms, one olive, mole and (right) (still frozen) corn, chopped green chilis, one olive, mole.

Once you put your filling in it, wrap it and fold the narrow part of the corn husk up. It should look like this:




In tamale pot place tamale, open side up, in center against ball of foil. As you make your tamales, put them in the pot around the center ball. The first few you make will probably not stand up, don't worry about it, just make sure they're standing when you steam them.




Fill the pot with tamales. Steam for approx. 1 ½  to 2 hours.  Check water level after about an hour and a quarter.  Add more if needed.

You will know tamales are finished when the masa no longer has white spots AND no longer sticks to the corn husk.

Enjoy!