Thursday, August 12, 2010

A face only a mother could love


Happy Thursday everyone!

I've been busy since I got home from my little vacay so sorry about the absence! When I get home from being away for awhile, it seems like there is so much more house work to do than before I left. Even though I thought I took care of everything!! So is life:)

My vacation was good, not great. We did a lot of fun things but there was also some big miscommunications between Ry and I. Yes, I'm human and I get mad and have arguments with the hubby! Unfortunately it had to happen over the weekend! But we worked it out and we learned a lot about what we each were thinking and how to prevent that miscommunication in the future. Anyways, enough marital therapy for today, here are a few picts from the weekend!

Parade time! It was Peach Festival time (yes, my home town has a festival dedicated to that lovely fruit:) and so every year there is a great big parade. I haven't seen it in years so it was fun to be there again.


Gotta love the bagpipes!

The clan! My sister-in-law Sheena and her boyfriend Brad. I think you know that last two peeps:)

Ahh..my favorite place! The market was a bustling with the most amazing produce. It was unfortunate that I was going to be walking around so I couldn't buy more great eats. I did pick up some peaches (which I dropped on the beach later on because the bag broke:( and some AMAZING nectarines!

It's a cow...no, a horse!! HAHA Actually just a HUGE Newfoundland!

My mom gave Nemo some smoked trout and so he decided to wait on the table for more LOL!


This is yerba mate (you have have seen yerba in the tea aisle) but instead of steeping it like tea, we added lemonade.
It is SO amazing and quenches your thirst greater than any beer will ever do!
That straw is called a bombilla and its stainless steel with some other metal at the top which prevents bacteria from thriving. In my mom's country of Paraguay this tea was passed around in a circle and this was the time when the grown-ups got to socialize about their day.


I love how purple and yellow we both are!! Not planned by the way!


I've actually been busy in the kitchie this week too! I saw the video tutorials by Meredith and her hubby of The Raw Seed on using rejuvelec for making raw nut cheeses and raw cheesecake. I picked up some organic barley and it's sprouting as we speak!! I can't wait to try it out. More about this later when I have the goodness made! One thing I noticed was that Brigitte Mars in her book Rawsome said to not rinse the grains and just leave them to sprout, while Ani Phyo in her new book Raw Food Essentials, says to rinse them for the few days that they are sprouting. Any thoughts on this? I'm rinsing them just because I feel more comfortable with that method.



I also have some wheat that I'm soaking for starting my first batch of wheatgrass!!! Wahoo! I'm going to be planting them today and so hopefully all goes well.

I was reading Angela's blog, Oh She Glows, and I saw here recipe for black bean and summer squash enchiladas and I instantly knew what I was making for dinner!! I added in some kale to the mix but kept pretty much to her recipe. I ended up making Nikki's amazing sun-dried tomato hummus which I used to make Mae's humnut cheese sauce. For the enchilada sauce I made my own using the PPK's enchilada chile sauce. Again, as this was a last minute dinner decision and I was too stubborn to buy anything store bought, so this took awhile to get everything together. I made quite the mess during this process too!! I'm glad I don't do the dishes. WAIT??...I did do the dishes that night. Boo!


Ready to go in the oven!!

Ready to devour!! These were really good and worth the effort! I just wish there was more enchilada sauce to go around! I will double the batch next time. I looked everywhere for Ezekiel wraps and nobody had them where I went so I chose ancient grain wrappers which were the healthiest I could find. I finally found some Ezekiel wraps yesterday and I bought them so I'm ready for my next enchilada attack!!


I don't know if you remember what I found on Craigslist last week..but I picked it up yesterday!! Here are a few hints to trigger your memory. It involves the following pieces of equipment...


green tea plus big glass containers

Maybe some black tea for a little more flavor! Plus another jar


Some super wicked old-school Grolsch beer bottles


Aren't these awesome? And do you know what's going in them?


MY SCOBY!!! Well, more like fermented goodness my scobies are going to make! I'm doing the giddy dance wahoo!! I went to pick up my scoby children from the lady who emailed me last week. What a doll she was!! She let me taste her kombucha (my first taste ever!) and OMG so delicious:) She gave me a heap of scobies plus she sold me those cute beer bottles. She gave me lots of advice too which I really appreciated. I love people who take a little time to teach others how to do new things! As I have to say, I am a little intimidated by the whole process. But I really want to learn so I went with what she told me and some additional directions from Ani Phyo in Raw Food Essentials.





Check out this tea I bought from my local health food store! I was told not to buy tea that had beramot (not sure if that's the right spelling) oils in it. I found this ONE package that said it didn't have it listed so hopefully it's not in there. Check out their packaging and their moto!! I love that quote and am thinking about getting it as a tattoo:)

I boiled 4 liters of water and then turned the heat off. Placed the loose leaf tea in the pot and added a cup of sugar.

I got this honkin' bag of sugar from a friend and I didn't know how I would ever use it up because I don't use cane sugar anymore. Now, I'm hooked up for many a kombucha-making sessions!

I let the tea cool down overnight and then I placed my scobies into tea/sugar in my huge jars. I was scared to seperated the scobies so I just put all of them in there. Hopefully it will be okay! My little kombucha maker is happily resting in my pantry! Can't wait to taste it in a week or so!!


MY scoby is smiling at me..I think it likes it's new mom:)

I also wanted to share with you guys and gals a site that I think is really awesome! It's called G Living. They talk about all things green including fashion, architecture, food, and celebrities! Some of your favorite people are over there including Sarma Melngailis, Brendan Brazier, Heathy, and so many more! You can sigh up for their newsletter (called Monkey Mail) which is always filled with amazing info and you can also sign up for their forums. If you take me word for it and sign up for the amazing forums, you have to become a member of my group dark, cool, and green blogging so that you can talk about your blog and share it with the other members! Just a suggestion anyways:)

Alright you awesome people, I'm outta here!! Have a great rest of your day and what kitchen adventures are you up to these days? Have you seen Russell's new video for spicy BBQ kale chips? Oh yum!

14 comments:

HiHoRosie said...

Those enchis look goooood! And a peach festival? Fun! I heart peaches AND nectarines. Nemo, funny kitty - ha ha! That stainless steel straw looks cool! I want one. ;) I'm excited about your tea jugs and bottles for kombucha! Love seeing so many people are making it. We are too I just don't blog about it. Probably b/c it's not me making it. My hubby does. :) Cute and fun pics girlie!

bitt said...

Looks like a fun time. Yes we all do argue from time to time. I just got in a little one with my beloved too. But then you can make up, right?

On rejuvelec: I do rinse it once through, but I use quinoa so not sure if the directions are different for that. The book I have in front of me "Wild Fermentation" says to sprout and rinse. I have noticed there are many different recipes for fermentation. I tend to look at a variety of sources then go with my gut. Then, try something and try again if it doesn't work.

Love that you are brewing booch! You have a megaHUGE one there, pull it apart and get a few more batches going! Enjoy.

Nelly said...

i love thee!!! hehe! first and foremost john and i have also been arguing this past week...it seems like we're always in a boxing match, just taking punches...UGH!!! but we seemed to work it out...meh!!!

you are soooooooooo beautiful and DARK!! love your tan!

i really need to make kombucha too! soon! and perhaps you can be my mentor?

love the enchiladas...the dish looked super yummy!

and i actually am part of GLiving...will definitely join your group!

love you girlie, have a beautiful weekend!

Kris | iheartwellness.com said...

Girl you are a lovely golden brown! I am so jealous ;) It sounds like you had a nice little vacay!!

Why do these scobi things scare me? They are freaky looking!

Love the Branden!! I can't wait to head over to this site :) Thanks!
xxoo

Melissa said...

Hey Heidi - Yes, my hometown is giddie for peaches!! I miss them already..thank goodness my mom is coming today to refill my stock! I should totally have a giveaway for a bombilla and some yarba!! You would love it!
YAY for kombucha!! Love that you guys are making it..even better that the hubs is doing it te he:)

Hey Aimee - I think arguments or disagreements whatever you want to call them are healthy (sometimes!) because it really gets to the core of what's bothering you...and then you can move on!
I never thought on using quinoa for rejuvelec! Thanks for the insight and yes, trial and error is necessary for all these crazy fermented goodness!
I don't know if I can pull it apart now that I have it fermenting in the jar? oh well, next batch I will seperate them all out! I'm so excited!!!

Hey Nelly - Is it full moon for couples this week? LOL! It's like the Notebook then, right? You can't live with them, can't live without them lol!
Oh hun you make me blush...geesh! Thank you for your sweet comment! Ya, I tan super fast and beside all my white in-laws (HAHA) I must look really, really dark!
I would love to be your mentor! Just make sure I don't end up killing my scoby firsy lol! I wish I could send you a scoby baby! Love you too gorgeous and have a super fantastic weekend!

Laury @The FitnessDish said...

Nemo is SOOOO Cute!!! You know I'm a sucker for kitties ;-)


That's very interesting how you're steeping the yerba mate as lemonade! I would of never thought of that!

I think I am going to a make your own Komuucha class a friend of mine is hosting in a few weeks!! Yey for Kombucha!! Happy Friday!!!

shesarunner said...

I always get so excited when you post pics of Nemo! He is adorable. You look gorgeous in these pictures too (as always) and the last one of you kissing your kombucha-in-the-making is too cute.

Speaking of, I'm excited to see how your kombucha turns out! I know that Averie has had a lot of success with it, and I'm sure you will too...but for some reason I'm still a little intimidated by the whole process. (mother mushroom and baby mushroom and lots of complicated bacteria growth! I have a tendency to mess things up in the kitchen!)

The parade/festival looks like fun! I love peaches! The fuzz is my favourite part. I'm sorry you dropped yours :(

And thanks for the G Living tip...I hadn't heard of it, so I'm going to check it out now. Have a great weekend! xoxo

Maggie said...

Ahh I'm commenting a couple days late, since i'm behind on my blog reading!

Awesome stuff girl! I'll have to check out yerba mate, especially if it's thrist quenching on these hot days. The bombilla is beautiful! I've never seen anything like it. It reminds me of the talking stick that First Nation's cultures would use in a talking circle :)

That is so cool your making Kombucha! I've never made it so I'm totally learning through you :)

The enchiladas look delicious, makes me hungry!

Have a lovely weekend!
~maggie

kelli said...

so much wonderfullness in this post!

yes, we all argue, and what matters is that we learn from those tiffs!

i looove peaches. i think i'm making peach jam this week!

yerba tea looks very interesting, and congrats on your kombucha! love that so many of us our drinking the goodness.=)

mmm...enchiladas...those photos made me so hungry! off to go eat!=)

xoxoxo

kelli said...

oh my goodness, i can make those enchiladas - i have most of the ingredients! woohoo!!!

Kris | iheartwellness.com said...

Hey Doll!

How was your weekend?? I was just checking in ;)

xxoo

Melissa said...

Hey Laury - Isn't Nemo so handsome? te he. I think all the love on here is going to his head haha! That's awesome your friend is teaching a class! Have fun:)

Hey Lauren - Awee!! Thanks for the Nemo love! I love posting pictures of him because he has such character :) I am so intimidated still..I check up on her a lot haha! It's a crazy experiment but so far so good! You would love it..it's pretty safe just as love as you have clean hands! Hope to see you on G living hun!!

Hey Maggie - Thanks for commenting..I'm just happy to have you reading!! yerba mate..oh baby I need it right now in this heat! Hope you are coping well!! Have a great week lady!


Hey Kelli - YAY!! You will love those enchiladas.Oh peach jam! Mmmm!! Thanks for the kombucha love..it's very exciting!!

Hey Kris - my weekend was pretty great! went to Cultus for a wedding and spent the night there. Then got together with friends for dinner on Sunday! Sorry for the lack of commenting..tis summer:) We need to get together in September once my weekends are less booked up!!

evergreen said...

Just realized I missed this awesome post somehow!

Your weekend looks like so much fun. Thanks for sharing all the photos:)

I love your bombilla straw, it is so beautiful. I have always wanted to get one, and a pretty gourd cup for drinking yerba mate:)

Your booch making supplies are great. Love your smiling scoby...lol!

Meghan (Making Love In The Kitchen) said...

Look how much fun you're having. I need to get a bunch of those glass beer bottles. Actually- can I just come over for lunch and some kombucha fun?