Running on Empty

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Deborah

Almost running on empty….It has been a very busy week here at the Southern Homestead, hmmm… maybe I will call it the Southern Plantation…seeing as the house here is about double the size of the Northern Homestead….anyway, it has been very busy with work, house, knitting, sewing, weaving and cooking.

So busy that I haven’t had time to get into regular posts, but I figured I would toss out a quickie for Friday while my ginormous batch of meatballs is cooking in the oven after having pulled out a small dish of yellow beets that were finished roasting.

I have … Read more...

DIY Knitting Needle Carrying Case

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Deborah

Necessity breeds…too many ideas and not enough time.

Last year I made a knitting needle case for myself to travel back and forth with between the Northern and Southern Homestead’s.

I hate it.

The tutorial I found on-line *looked* nice enough, and my chosen fabric was perfectly suited for me (horses of course), but the end result was that it lacked enough room for my needle and accessory collection as well all the pockets were not deep enough. If you didn’t pick it up the right way, everything would fall out the top. Major PITA.

So before Christmas I did … Read more...

It’s Spring!

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Deborah

Ok…maybe it isn’t ACTUALLY Spring….

But my grapefruit tree thinks it is. It is FULL of flowers and smells so lovely. Think orange blossoms, it has the same beautiful scent.

Which has got me to thinking….

IT IS ALMOST TIME FOR PLANTING MY VEGETABLE SEEDS!!!

Can you tell I am excited?

How To Make Enchilada Sauce

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Deborah

Yup…You guessed it. I am still on my Gotta-Have-Mexican-Flavour-Fetish, and today we are making Authentic Enchilada Sauce. Not the stuff you buy in the grocery store or the ‘Americanized’ recipe versions I have seen on-line, but real, authentic enchilada sauce made by many a Mexican Abuela (grandma) using only 4 main ingredients. The flavour can’t be beat and it is really simple to make.

Start off with 4 dried guajillo (gwah-hee-yo) peppers and 2 dried ancho pasilla (pa-see-ya) peppers. These can be purchased in the Mexican aisle of your local grocery store.

Step 1 ~ Toast the peppers in a … Read more...

Tropical Breezes

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Deborah

Polar Vortex is so far removed from Tropical Breezes that it seems incongruous to use the two in the same sentence. But when you arrive back from vacation and are promptly greeted by a cold snap cold enough for Jack Frost to lose an appendage, you really begin to appreciate (even if you mildly did while away) just exactly where you were a few short hours ago.

This was going to be our 6th trip down to Mexico in about the last 10 yrs and is one of those places where you begin to feel like it is a second … Read more...

Happy Experiments

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Deborah

Ever have one of those ‘AHA!’ moments out of the blue? I had one this past Monday.

After coming home from our trip to an empty fridge, I headed out to load up on produce and other staples, all the while, mentally planning what I was going to be making for dinners this week. Seeing as I was still immersed in the sabores (flavours) of Mexican cuisine, I was itching to keep my tastebuds south of the border(s) and trying to figure out what to make for dinner that night.

I ended up making nothing to do with Mexican cuisine. … Read more...

A Little Bit Of Everything

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Deborah

I know I said I would be *back* here Monday, but between mountains of laundry and work/house catchup, it took me longer to get some time available for writing.

This morning’s quickie post has me whining just how !@#%&!! cold it is outside here in the land of the Great White North as all it does is have me pining for the place I left behind on the weekend. I guess it really makes you appreciate, no covet, the days spent frolicking in the sun and the sand. I am still putting together a post about the trip, so your … Read more...

Simply Beautiful

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Deborah

My week long fun in the sun in the Riviera Mayan region of Mexico was just what the Doctor ordered.

I am refreshed, rested and probably more than a little brain drained.

BUT….It is time to get back into work mode with a New Year that just now ‘officially’ starts for me.

I will have a run-down vacation post in the coming days but for now, I need to concentrate on my actual job and start things rolling. Meanwhile….a few pictures for you to warm you to your toes on this cold, cold forecast of a week we are heading … Read more...

Vamos a Mexico

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Deborah

It’s that time of year. Time to be the typical Canadian that flees the frigid arctic air mass that has settled over Southern Ontario (and much of North America actually) and head south for some sun, sand, surf…and cervezas!

This has to be the perfect timing for getting away, this past week has been frightfully cold and I am thankful we have a wood stove for alternate heat. As well as warming up the basement, it helps to shut the furnace up for a while.

We are headed to sunny Mexico for a week, therefore there will be no posts … Read more...

Mexican Spiced Lentil Soup

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Deborah

I am on a mission this week. A mission to use up all perishable food items before Saturday. What is Saturday you ask? You will have to tune in tomorrow to see what Saturday is all about.

Meanwhile, the weather this week has been as balmy as an Antarctic Summer Day and soup is always on the menu during frigid winter weather. I have eaten all my squirreled away soups from the freezer, so I pulled out the soup pot and surveyed what veggies I had to use up.

2 roma tomatoes, 1 jalapeño pepper, some green onions, garlic cloves … Read more...