Note: This recipe can be cut down in half if you want a smaller batch.
2 sticks (1 cup) of butter (I use salted), softened
4 Tablespoons of milk
Directions
Mix softened butter and milk in a deep bowl on medium speed with double paddles of an electric mixer until the butter is completely whipped. Serve immediately. You may store in the refrigerator; however, the butter will re-harden.
Use immediately or within two hours. Store unused butter in the refrigerator.
Pork Tenderloin (I prefer to use Smithfield brand. You can use any flavor for this)
Water (enough water to cover the tenderloin in the slow cooker)
Taco seasoning (your favorite brand)
Oil or grease (bacon grease works well for this) – 2-3 Tablespoons should work.
Flour or corn tortillas (whatever your preference)
Toppings: (choose your favorites, but suggestions include sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, chopped onion, fresh cilantro, diced tomato, salsa, guacamole, hot sauce, etc.)
Directions
Place the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker/crockpot and pour enough water in so that the meat is completely submerged in the water. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Do not cook longer or the meat runs the risk of being overcooked. Pork can become tough if it is overcooked. If you have less time to cook, cook on high for 3-4 hours. Note: The tenderloin DOES NOT need to be thawed if cooking on low for for 5-6 hours. I often throw my frozen, unthawed tenderloin right into the crockpot. I find it comes out even more tender than when I thaw it out first.
When the meat is done, use tongs to remove the meat from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using a fork and/or a knife, if necessary. I sometimes find that just pulling it apart with tongs works, too.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add your oil or bacon grease.
When the oil/grease is heated, dump your shredded meat in and sprinkle your favorite taco season onto the meat, so that it is heavily coated. Add 2-3 ladle-full of reserved water from the crockpot to the meat and stir. Cook over medium-high heat until the moisture has evaporated (5 minutes or so).
Remove the meat from the heat and build your tacos!
Fresh Mozzarella (either a log or a ball will work)
Fresh basil
Fresh chives
Truffle oil (black or white will work)
Baguette (French bread will work, too)
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Use a bread knife to slice the bread into 1/2-inch slices and set aside. Slice enough mozzarella slices for each slice of bread. Finely chop the basil and chives. Layer each slice of bread with a slice of mozzarella and then drizzle with the truffle oil. Sprinkle a mixture of the chopped herbs on top of the oiled cheese (the oil helps the herbs stick). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
The amount of oil you use is optional, however, I like to use enough oil that it runs off the cheese and down the bread. The underside of the bread will soak up the oil.
These can sit for a while before serving and will taste that much better.
6 cloves of garlic (you can reduce this amount to taste)
1 teaspoon whole grain/stone ground mustard
Juice of 1 small lemon or 1/2 a large lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper (or to taste)
Salad Ingredients
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as navy, great northern or cannellini (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
Directions
Blend the dressing ingredients until smooth and all ingredients are fully combined. Set aside.
Combine the beans, onion, and cheese.
Drizzle the dressing over the bean mixture and mix well. Chill for at least two hours before serving (overnight is best). Adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.
Sprinkle granulated sugar over the chopped strawberries and stir. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while you make the whipped cream portion.
Whip the heavy whipping cream using a medium-speed electric mixer with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla, powdered sugar and food coloring (if using) and give a final mix, making sure not to over-mix.
Fold the sugared strawberries into the whipped cream mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
If desired, thinly slice strawberries and decoratively line the inside of a clear juice glass or mason jar (or something cute). Cut the end off a piping bag and fill with the strawberry mixture and carefully fill, being careful not to disrupt the strawberries (see the image above and video below for reference). Top off with whipped cream. I use canned to make it simple, but you can also reserve some white (undyed) whipped cream from earlier if you choose to keep some and pipe it using a separate bag and decorative tip.
Yield 2 servings. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve. If using canned store-bought whipped cream, wait to apply the whipped cream until just before serving.
To taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin
Whisk everything together and set aside.
Salad
1 English Cucumber
1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Handful of halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2-4 Tablespoons of Kalamata olives
1/4 cup of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup of feta cheese (or more if you like more)
Mix everything together, but the feta cheese. Pour the prepared dressing over the top and stir. Add the feta cheese. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Note: This recipe makes a small salad, but can be doubled if serving a large group.
“This is spicy. You can serve it as a filling for pita bread and with aloo chat, yogurt, date chutney, onions and tomatoes. You can also toss the curried chickpeas with a leafy salad to give it a different taste.” —– (excerpt from the book)
I personally do not find this recipe to be spicy at all. Although the directions say to serve it at room temperature, this is a salad I make and keep for a few days, so I store it in the refrigerator. My kitchen tends to have little ants in it and we don’t leave any food out on the counter or table. We make sure all dishes are washed and put away and we don’t leave anything lying around. The little buggers still waltz around the counter like they own the place (even with traps). I think this salad has a fantastic taste and although I’m not able to eat it at room temperature, I love it cold too.
I recommend that you chop your onions and tomatoes ahead of time and measure out your spices so that you can throw everything in the pan as you make your way through the recipe.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons soy oil
3 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
6 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
2 cups finely minced onion
1 cup finely chopped tomato
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon amchoor (mango powder)
3 cups boiled chickpeas (you can use canned)
1 medium-sized tomato, sliced for garnish (I leave this out in the video)
1 medium-sized onion, sliced for garnish (I leave this out in the video)
Directions
In a heavy-bottomed pan (I used a frying pan), heat the oil and add the cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add the onions and stir until the onions are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and continue to fry for 10 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes are all mashed together and the oil separates from them.
Add the garam masala, salt, and amchoor to the onions and tomatoes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and stir-fry for 5 more minutes, mashing the chickpeas with the spoon as you stir. When the chickpeas are coated with the spices, remove from the stove. Garnish and serve at room temperature. Serves 4.
Garam Masala
Note: You can buy this premade. You will be able to find it in an Indian or Asian market or you can order it on Amazon. If you’d like to make it yourself, here are directions:
This recipe makes 3/4 of a cup.
Ingredients
3 pieces of cinnamon stick
1/2 cup green cardamom pods
1/4 cup whole cloves
1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup black peppercorns
Directions
Roast the ingredients in skillet separately, one at a time, for a few minutes. When they begin to get slightly brown, remove from heat. Break open the cardamom pods and grind everything in a blender or grinder. If you want a masala that is milder, use 1/2 cup of coriander and 1/2 cup of cumin instead of 1/4 cup.
If stored in an airtight container at room temperature, this will last 6-7 months without losing its flavor.
I love a good breakfast burrito or taco. Usually they’re stuffed full of scrambled eggs, cheese and some sort of breakfast meat, like bacon or sausage (or both). There are times I don’t have time to cook up a bunch of meat. Meat isn’t the cheapest these days either. I also find myself looking for a filling and satisfying meal I can make for one during the middle of a busy work day (I work from home). A few years ago I started creating an easy meal from ingredients I generally have on hand:
Tortilla
Onion
Pepper
Mushrooms
Fresh Spinach
Eggs
Butter
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Lime (juice)
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Avocado
Hot Sauce
You can likely think of more ingredients, but the above is what I like to use. I start by frying up the vegetables in butter. Once done, I add the spinach for about 30 seconds (until just cooked). Next, I add the eggs right into the same pan, along with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir/scramble everything together over medium heat until the eggs are just about completely cooked. I like to remove it from the heat and allow it to finish cooking in the hot pan while I finish everything else.
Heat tortillas up in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Spread sour cream in the middle of the tortilla, add chopped cilantro, more hot sauce (I have an onion peach hot sauce I love to use on this), cheddar cheese, your egg mixture, lime juice, avocado (more cheese and sour cream on top, if you’re like me) and either roll it up like a burrito or eat it like a soft-shelled taco.
What I love about this recipe is that you can modify how much you make depending on how many people you’re serving (and how hungry you are). You can certainly add meat too, if you like, but I find this is inexpensive to make and pretty fast. You can always throw in just a few mushrooms, chop up a portion of an onion and pepper and you can even chop things up ahead of time and store it in the fridge to make things faster. It’s filling and very customizable.
“Are you ready to come with me?” I asked. “Now is the perfect time. You want to come back, don’t you?” I held my breath, and everything felt eerily silent while I waited for his answer.
“Yes.” His answer was simple, and it came quick. I wondered if I’d heard him correctly. I started breathing again. My heart began to beat wildly as I turned away from him. I had work to do. I looked to the ground where a golden path appeared beneath our feet. Its warm glow would lead him home, back to where my physical body waited for me. I felt the pull of the physical world as I saw the path anchor onto his soul. I knew it wasn’t enough.
This was something new. Something that hadn’t been done before, not by me, at least. Still, my soul worked as if it had done this a thousand times before. It worked with an urgency, knowing we had little time to spare. I needed more than just me, I realized.
We weren’t alone anymore. Visitors began appearing all around us. One held out a glowing thread. I felt relief as I gratefully took the thread from the giver. My old friends were with us now. My black horse stood in front of him, waiting to take him down the golden path to home. She was there too. I can never remember her name, but our souls know each other and last March she came to me in a dream and reminded me that I could always count on her. I’ve been asking her to bring him home. I knew she wouldn’t let me down.
I don’t give it a second thought. I attach the glowing string to the horse’s tail. Others follow suit and now there are many glowing strings. I’m starting to see the faces of souls I recognize and stop short when I come upon my mother. She hesitates and I think for a second she may not give me her string. This is important, I know. I’m holding my breath back in my physical body. I know I need her approval for this. She does it. I can breathe again. More strings. I come to his father and again, there is a hesitation. I wonder why those who brought us into this world are hesitating, but I need that string and I stand stubbornly in front of him and wait, as I did with my own mother. He gives it. It’s the last string from the large group of souls waiting here for us.
“Wait! I need one more.” I tell the group. I disappear into an invisible door and I’m talking to someone I can’t see. “I need yours. I have to have it. It’s important.” I feel pushback and I don’t know how much time passes. I know I leave with the requested string. I hear a gasp from the crowd as I emerge from the hidden space, string in hand. I attach it to the horse’s tail.
He is on my black horse now. My friend is on her white horse. She promises to lead him down the golden path. I remember the box of “chocolates” from my dream a few nights before. They’re not really chocolates. I don’t know what they are. They remind me of chocolates. They fit into this box like a Tetris game or a puzzle. They’re important somehow. I tuck them into a saddlebag. I tell him he’ll need them when he gets to the end to pierce the veil. She knows what to do with them. She’ll help him. Edith is in the crowd. I think back to a few nights before when I bought them from Edith in a dream world and tricked Greg into telling me Edith’s name. This is another story for another entry, but Edith was not too happy about this. She steps forward angrily out of the crowd when I put the package in the saddlebag. Greg pulls her back. Not everyone is happy about what is happening here.
They begin riding. I walk with them for a while to make sure that he is okay. We leave the crowd of anxious souls behind us.
“He’s got to stay on the path.” She tells me. “He can’t get off the horse.” I tell her it’s okay. He won’t, but she warns me that the path will get worse; harder. Things will make him sick as he transitions. It will fight him. It will try to trick him into staying where he is and to turn back. We walk for a while until I notice that he’s starting to struggle. I get on the horse behind him to try and comfort him, but I can feel the sickness and the pain that this part of the journey is causing him.
I check periodically throughout the day. They continue to ride the path. I have no idea how long it will take. I can only conclude that he will end up back in the place where he first left us and so I wait. I wait here in the physical world to see where that golden path is going to lead him. In my mind’s eye I see the path leading to my home. I see it light up into the night like a lighthouse leading a ship to safety. After all this, who knows where my dreams will take me tonight.
Like many of my dreams, this one started out one way and ended another way. Graywyn and I were searching for a candy store we’d heard about. The sun was setting as I parked my car on the side of the road in a sleepy little town I didn’t recognize, but also seemed familiar to me. I’m not a big candy eater, so we were on this mission for Graywyn. I prefer to get my calories through pasta.
We entered a quaint shop and began wandering around in search of the famous chocolate we’d heard so much about, but there didn’t seem to be any candy there. Instead there were interesting gifts and random things to look at and purchase and I realized I could spend hours there and probably a lot of money too.
I soon realized that the shopped seemed to be split into two areas. One area was managed by an older woman. She was selling beautifully made hand-embroidered pillows, tapestries and things of that nature. I’ve already forgotten what the other side had for sale, but there was a younger woman on that side. Older than me, but younger than the other shopkeeper. She had long dark brown or black hair; straight. Her face and appearance was a bit weathered; like she’d lived a long and maybe somewhat harder life. Her eyes sparkled, though, and a smile came easily to her face. She was more approachable than the older woman, so at some point I asked her about the candy shop. She explained to me that the place I was looking for was next door. I could see the sign for it out the window as she pointed. The name started with a B, but I have since forgotten it.
There are probably some details of this dream I have since forgotten. That happens a lot after I dream. I’m amazed I remember so many details so clearly still. I remember talking to this friendly woman for a little bit and before I turned to walk away from her, she said to me, “Let me know if you ever need a ride. You’ve given me a ride many times and I’ll never forget that.” I know I studied her for a moment, because there seemed to be hidden meaning in what she said. It gave me the good kind of chills and it still does when I think about it. The way she worded it was odd. I remember thinking that in the dream. I couldn’t quite place her, but when she said what she said, I knew I’d met her before in my life and maybe more than once. Perhaps she represented more than one person. Maybe the ride she spoke of wasn’t a car ride at all. Maybe it referred to good deeds I’ve done for others. At least, that was the message I got from what she said.
The other thing I noted in my encounter with the woman, who, I forgot to mention, stood behind a counter, was that there was a single discarded woman’s black boot in front of the counter. I also noted this and thought it was odd. I wondered as I first approached her if it was her boot and if so, why she’d thrown it down and where the other one was. I would later (in my waking hours) come to realize that this black boot was probably more of a symbol.
I walked away from her a bit perplexed and Graywyn was now replaced with my mother, who passed away in 2008. Now we were shopping for a family member, who I will not name. She was concerned about this person, saying that the person was not feeling well and so we needed to find a pillow with the color yellow in it, because that person would like that. I thought about it for a minute and said that yes, I had received cards with a lot of yellow from this person and agreed that a yellow pillow would be best. My mother said that the pillow would bring comfort. I then remembered back to a time last summer when I had broken my left foot and badly sprained my right and I was feeling very ill. As it turns out, I’d had several medical things going on that had caused me to fall. It’s still a bit of a mystery as to why I passed out in my backyard and injured myself, but the doctors did find that I had a blood clot on one of my pacemaker leads. I did have dreams prior to that possibly warning me of the incident too (I’ll hopefully talk about them later, if I get a chance). I have now been on blood thinners for months and the clot has been reduced, but is not gone. I feel a lot better, but this conversation between my mother and I made me think back to this time when life seemed so depressing and low, because I felt so low.
I found a pillow and wanted to grab it for myself, but saw a price tag of $250, so I did not. I had grabbed a hand bag for myself and saw my mother had one too, but we were struggling to find the right pillow. By the way, the boot theme continued here, because when I was thinking back to my broken foot, I remembered that I had to wear a boot on that foot while it healed.
I woke up never finding the yellow pillow, but I had a lot of symbolism from that dream and some most definite messages. Somebody is trying to tell me something in my dreams and I am finding them to be most interesting.
windedgypsy 