Cinco De Mayo – Tacos Verde, Blanco y Rojo
Cinco de Mayo, 1862.
France demanded repayment from Mexico and was determined to beat it out of her. Mexico, bankrupt after an unsuccessful war against the United States, found it’s wages garnished by not one but three super-powers. By ganging up, Britain, Spain and France had effectively managed to seize customs at Vera Cruz. The French Army then marched on toward Mexico City.
The city of Puebla lay in their path.
With the swagger of an army undefeated for half a century, 6,000 French troops met with 4,000 Mexican troops at Puebla. French arrogance clashed with the skilled guerrilla warfare of Mexican farm workers and Puebla chalked up a mighty victory.
Well, kinda.
The French did move on to Mexico City. And they did manage to occupy Mexico for the next five years…but who’s counting?
In the United States, we celebrate the Battle of Puebla every May. We might not know what it is that we are celebrating, but we do enjoy any excuse to drink good, Mexican tequila.
In honor of the brave men at Puebla who gave their all in defending their beloved country, I’d like to introduce a thoroughly American celebration of the Mexican Flag:
Tacos Verde, Blanco y Rojo
This recipe is not from mis abuelitas but adapted from the pages of a Sunset Mexican Cookbook printed in the 1970s. It is fabled to sit in a cupboard in my Mama’s house, next to her Betty Crocker Cookbook. Here is the original recipe in all its beauty.
I will include the original ingredients in bold with my adaptations in parenthesis.
Ingredients:
1 small onion (white or yellow work best)
1 tbsp cooking oil for the onion
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (or 2 8 oz cans El Pato tomato sauce)
2 pickled jalapeños or serranos (or 2 fresh jalepenos or fresh serranos)
½ tsp crushed red pepper ( I omit this as the El Pato tomato sauce is already well
seasoned)
¼ tsp salt (I also omit this)
2 cups chopped chicken or pork (I have never actually measured. And I have never used pork. I use the leftover chicken I have available or I cook two chicken breasts for the occasion)
2 Tbsp cooking oil
12 six inch tortillas
2 cups guacamole (for this recipe, a simple guacamole is best. I will include a recipe for one at the end)
½ cup sour cream
Chop the small onion and fry it up in the hot oil. Cook them up until they are nice and translucent.
At that point add the tomato sauce, jalapeños and chopped chicken.
Now, stir it up, Little Darling.
Put a lid on that and let it simmer while you get some corn tortillas fried up and some guacamole put together.
Here’s my simple Guacamole recipe:
2 avocados, smashed
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
A squirt of lime (about 1 tsp for every Avocado used)
1 roma tomato
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
Notice that the guacamole in this photo is curiously devoid of Roma tomatoes and finely chopped onion. Hmmm…curious. Apparently those ingredients are optional when one is in a bind.
Now, fry up those tortillas! Fry them as you’d like. If you’d like to have some crunchy tacos, fry those puppies up nice and crispy. If not, do like I did and make them soft.
Another option is to not fry them at all and just use some warmed corn tortillas. Personally, I like them crunchy but these days it’s either a quick fry or a good smoke alarm fanning. There is also a third option. If you are fortunate enough to have a local Mexican market, pick up a bag of pre-made tostadas and forego the frying entirely.
Assemble the parts so they call to mind the colors of Mexico’s Flag and celebrate, my friends!
Happy Cinco De Mayo!
Linda is a stay-at-home mom with two little buggers (ages 2 and 1). Her hobbies include sewing, crocheting, and bass-playing. Or, more accurately, she owns crochet hooks and yarn, a sewing machine and fabric and a bass guitar and amplifier. The one hobby she consistently indulges in is cooking, due to the near-constant need of her family to eat.
Solid Lotion Bars by Bridget
Thank you so much for the tutorial, Bridget! I know I’ll be making many of these in the near future.
LOTION BARS
These are solid lotion bars I made for my family.
I have tend to have dry skin (mostly from washing often, but I am really prone to eczema too) so I need to use a really good lotion, A LOT. But what really lit a fire under me to make these were little Georgie’s hands.
She has dry skin and hates lotion-y lotion or cream. So I thought, maybe if it smelled good and had glitter, she might agree to use it.
The ingredients are:
2 oz Coconut Oil
2 oz Beeswax
1 oz Shea Butter
(optional)
skin safe fragrance oil or essential oils
glitter
Melt the coconut oil and beeswax. Coconut oil is fine to melt in the microwave, but because beeswax needs to be hotter to melt, if you choose the microwave, be very careful (and probably google for safe-ish methods.) **It has been known to explode pyrex-type cups.** A better bet is a double boiler
Once the coconut oil and beeswax are melted, add the shea butter. (It can get grainy if overheated, so it best to stir into the warm oil/wax to melt.)
After the shea is melted into the mix, add your fragrances and/or glitter. I have 3 girls, so glitter is a must!
Stir to blend, and you are ready to pour
I am using a silicone cupcake pan, but if you use something rigid, you need to line it for easy removal.
It will harden quite soon and as soon as they are solid can be popped out.
And the test:
Georgie Approved!
Bridget is a social worker who is currently a SAHM with 3 lovely daughters who fill her life with a touch of drama, lots of dancing and a sprinkling of glitter! Bridget sews, knits, spins, dyes and creates soap as the whims strike. Socially conscious, Bridget is an advocate for special needs kids, breastfeeding moms, and the underdogs of the world. Bridget recently moved to Wisconsin and is discovering the Midwest, one cheese at a time.
Weekly Meal Planner – by Jenn
The cutest crochet owl hat EVER! (size 6-12 mos, and adjustable for larger sizes) – by Jillian
6-12 month size Owl Hat
Finished hat will measure approximately 18 inches around and 7 inches in height.
Materials
Small amounts of worsted weight yarn in main color (top of hat), secondary color (bottom of hat and ear flaps), white, black and orange. I like to use cotton, but any worsted weight yarn would work.
H hook or size to obtain gauge
Tapestry needle to weave in ends and attach pieces
Gauge
3 hdc and 3 rows = 1 inch
Beginning with Main Color
1. Make a magic adjustable ring (see pictures below). Ch2 + 5 hdc in the ring. Join w/slip stitch to the top of ch2 and tighten to close hole (6 hdc)
2. Ch 2 turn (counts as 1st hdc throughout), hdc in same stitch. 2 hdc in rem st around. Join with sl stitch in top of beg ch 3. (12 hdc)
3. Ch 2 turn, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next stitch. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next st) 5 times. Join with sl stitch in top of beg ch 3. (18 hdc)
4. Ch 2 turn, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next stitch. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 2 st) 5 times. Join with sl stitch in top of beg ch 3. (24 hdc)
5. Ch 2 turn, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next stitch. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 3 st) 5 times. Join with sl stitch in top of beg ch 3. (30 hdc)
6. Ch 2 turn, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next stitch. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 4 st) 5 times. Join with sl stitch in top of beg ch 3. (36 hdc)
7. Ch 2 turn, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next stitch. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 5 st) 5 times. Join with sl stitch in top of beg ch 3. (42 hdc)
8. Ch 2 turn, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next stitch. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 6 st) 5 times. Join with sl stitch in top of beg ch 3. (48 hdc)
9. Ch 2 turn, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next stitch. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 7 st) 5 times. Join with sl stitch in top of beg ch 3. (54 hdc)
10. Ch 2 turn, hdc in each stitch around. (54 hdc)
Repeat row 10 until hat measures 5 inches from top. Switch to secondary color and continue repeating row 10 for another 2 inches. Fasten off.
**** It’s really easy to size this hat up by continuing the increases in pattern until you reach the desired size. Then add length as needed****
Ear flaps
Still working in secondary color
1. Count over 8 stitches to the left of the back seam, join with slip stitch. Ch1, hdc in same stitch and next 9 stitches. (10 hdc)
2. Ch1 turn, hdc in same stitch and next 9 stitches (10 hdc)
3. Repeat row 2
4. Ch1 turn, hdc dec in first 2 stitches, hdc in next 4 stitches, hdc dec in last 2 stitches (8 hdc)
5. Ch1 turn, hdc dec in first 2 stitches, hdc in next 4 stitches, hdc dec in last 2 stitches (6 stitches)
6. Ch1 turn, hdc dec in first 2 stitches, hdc in next 2 stitches, hdc dec in last 2 stitches (4 stitches)
7. Ch1 turn, hdc dec in first 2 stitches, hdc dec in last 2 stitches, finish off (2 hdc)
Count over 18 from back seam on other side. Join yarn and repeat steps for first ear flap.
Eyes (make 2)
1. With black yarn make 8 sc in a magic adjustable ring, join with slip stitch and finish off.
2. Join white yarn, make 2 sc in each stitch around, Join with sl st. (16 sc)
3. ch2, turn, hdc in same stitch as turning chain, hdc in next stitch, (2 hdc in next stitch, 1 hdc in next stitch), repeat around. Join with sl st and fasten off leaving a long tail. (24 hdc)
Beak
1. With orange yarn, chain 2, turn
2. Make 2 sc in 2nd chain from hook.
3. ch1, turn. 2 sc in each sc (4 sc)
4. ch1, turn. 2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in last sc (6 sc)
5. ch 1, turn. Sc in each stitch across. Fasten off leaving a long tail (6 sc)
Owl Ears (make 2)
1. Using main color, chain 14, leaving a long tail of yarn to use when sewing on the ears. Join with slip stitch.
2. ch1, turn, sc in each chain across. Join with slip stitch to beginning of round. (14 sc)
3. repeat row 2.
4. ch1, turn, *sc dec in first 2 stitches, sc in next 3 sc, sc dec in next 2 stitches. Repeat from * once. Join with slip stitch to beginning of round.(10 sc)
5. ch1, turn, *sc dec in first 2 stitches, sc in next sc, sc dec in next 2 stitches. Repeat from * once Join with slip stitch to beginning of round(6 sc)
6. ch1, turn, scdec around. Join with slip stitch to beginning of round. Fasten off and weave in this end. (3 sc).
Cut 3 tassels of main color and 3 tassels of second color, about 3 inches long each. Fold in half and pull through tip of the ear using a crochet hook. Slide the loops over the loose ends, then pull to secure (see picture).
To assemble:
I find it easiest to sew the beak on first centering it on the front of the hat, then the eyes. For the ears, fold the hat in half so that you can place them evenly along the sides. Braided tassels are made by cutting 4-6 pieces of yarn in each color, measuring twice as long as you’d like the final tassel to be. Thread through the earflaps and secure with a slip knot, then braid (see picture).
Magic adjustable ring
A number of tutorials can be found online, but here’s how I do it. I had to take the pictures one-handed so I hope they’re clear enough.
Create a loop. The working yarn is on top and the loose end is on the bottom
Insert hook and pull up working yarn
Make a slip knot then chain 2. Continue working in the loop and over the loose end of the yarn. Tighten by pulling the loose end of the yarn that’s hanging loose.
How to thread the tassels for the owl ears and ear flaps
Insert hook from back to front
Fold strands of yarn in half and use hook to pull through, creating a big loop
Pull loose ends of yarn through the loop and tighten by pulling loose ends. Braid for the ear flaps and leave loose for the owl ears. Trim ends to even them up.
- Jill
Dryer Balls from Recycled Materials – by Becca
How to make a dryer ball from recycled materials.
(Revamped from the first version posted December 3, 2008 on Night Owl’s Menagerie blog.)
Here is another version on how to make your own dryer balls instead of using those loud and environment unfriendly PVC filled plastic ones from the store or stinky tennis balls. This version offers a solution to what to do with your scraps and it uses less yarn than the other wool dryer balls you can make. Plus you can make these scented and you can refresh the scent very easily if you leave an opening in the panels.
What is the purpose of dryer balls? Mainly to help separate the laundry as it’s drying so it can dry faster instead of rolling around in one big wad. I never have experienced a complete disappearance of static from using these, even from the store bought plastic ones. But I do think there is a decreased amount of static than without using any dryer balls. This is also a great way to recycle. Because this is about saving money and having greener or more environment friendly homes, you can use recycled felted wool sweaters and cheap wool yarn or if you are allergic to wool, you can use 90-100% cotton sweaters, or any type of 100% cotton fabric that is stretchy – Like cotton sweatshirt fleece. The goal is to use natural fibers though or at least in this tutorial. Of course you can experiment with whatever you choose. One more thing before I get to the instructions. You can use this tutorial to make dryer balls for sale, however, I would prefer you make them as gifts or charge a very low cost for them. Because the idea here is to help make greener homes not greener wallets. I’m a realist though and I know that just saying don’t make these for profit doesn’t do very much. So instead, I give you a motherly guilt trip, to keep your prices low and focus on the bigger picture not the bigger amount in your PayPal balance. I would also appreciate a credit link back to me.
Now for the instructions and pictures. First a materials list.
You will need:
•1-2 recycled wool sweaters. If you have medium to thin sweaters, I would recommend you lightly felting them first. Which would be a short, warm wash and a medium/high dry. If the sweater is already thick, you can wash it after you have finished. If it is a large sweater you can usually make 6 to 8 dryer balls. If avoiding wool; cotton sweaters, thick cotton T-shirts or mid weight stretchy cotton fabric.
• 1 skein of 100% wool yarn if using all wool. (not superwash) Or 1-2 skeins of 100% cotton yarn if using all cotton or non wool fibers.
• scissors or a rotary blade
• cutting mat, sewing machine, needle and thread.
Step 1. Print your pattern
The pattern I made is for about a 10 inch in diameter ball. For size reference, it is approximately the same size as the plastic dryer balls you can buy at the store. It is 4 inches from tip to tip and 1.5 inches at the widest point. If you are using non stretch fabric, you need to add a seam allowance of 1/4 an inch all around. (note that this can be a messy process with some wool sweaters so make sure you use a well covered surface or an area you don’t mind getting messy.)
Step 2. Cut out the pieces
Take your sweater or recycled fabric and cut out six pieces. I try to make sure the stretch is going from side to side but I have squeezed a few pieces out of fabric with the stretch going up and down and haven’t had much trouble sewing it. Just remember, these are going to live in your dryer, so they don’t have to be fancy, just functional. And save all of your scraps! You will need those later.
Step 3. Sew the pieces together. Take two pieces and put them right sides together. Pin them if your fabric looks like it’s going to slide around while you sew. For simplicity’s sake in this tutorial, I’m sewing all pieces except the last one, from one tip to the other. There are other ways to sew a ball, but I think this is the easiest. You don’t need to be perfect. Sew from tip to tip, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. you can do a straight stitch or stretch stitch. Make sure you backstitch your first and last stitch so the seams do not come undone.
Next, take your third piece and put it right sides together to one of the wedges. Sew from point to point. Now you have three wedges sewn together. Do the same for the remaining three pieces. You will end up with two sets of three wedges.
Pin your two pieces right sides together. You will sew them together starting at the lower right, about a ¼ of an inch to the right of the lower middle point of the wedges and sew clock-wise all the way to about ¼ an inch past and to the right of the top center point.
You are finished with the machine sewing part. Now grab your yarn and leftover scraps to make the center core of the dryer ball.
Step 4. Making the core of the dryer ball.
So remember those scraps you saved? Now it’s time to use them. You want to cut any big pieces into strips about an inch or two wide and about 4 inches long. You can have smaller pieces than that. You want to make it easy to wad into a ball so you can start wrapping yarn around it.
Get out your yarn and gather as much of the scraps that you can in your hand and start wrapping the yarn around the wad of scraps.
Wrap the yarn around the scraps until you can’t see them anymore.
Tie a knot in the yarn and then push it into the sewn ball. Then grab your needle and thread and sew the opening closed.
Your ball should weigh approximately the same as a tennis ball if you used enough scraps and yarn. If your yarn ball fits in snugly with just enough room to sew the opening closed, you should have the right weight of a dryer ball.
You are finished! To firmly felt the dryer balls, wash in warm or hot water and dry on high heat. I suggest using about 5-6 dryer balls at a time. However you can experiment with different amounts to see what works for you. If you like scented dryer balls, you can put a small sachet of potpourri in the core of your yarn ball. Leave a small opening when you hand stitch the dryer ball closed and you can use a dropper full of essential oil and stick it into the core to re-scent the dryer ball when the fragrance fades.
This dryer ball was made from a recycled 100% cotton heavyweight T-shirt and 100% cotton yarn.
Happy Sewing!
Becca (Beccamom) is a SAHM who lives on the wild, windy prairie with her loving husband and two creative children. She owns Night Owl’s Menagerie on Etsy and Zazzle.
Pattern & Instructions are for personal use only.
DIY Scratch Ticket – by JoDee
Hey everyone! I recently found out that I was expecting my fifth child, and wanted a fun way to surprise my husband and kids with the news. The idea I came up with was a DIY scratch ticket, and I’m here to show you how you can create one too! This technique could work for many other occasions too—a “Save the Date” card for an upcoming wedding, surprising your family with a special trip somewhere, promotional business items, stocking stuffers; really the possibilities are endless! It’s also easy and cheap, which are two great components to any craft in my opinion!
So let’s get started.
Grab your supplies:
• Printer and cardstock
• Clear contact paper
• Silver acrylic paint (or any color you prefer)
• Dish soap
The first thing I did was lay out my designs in a photo editing program (I used photoshop). The lucky numbers I chose are my estimated due date, and then I added a little ‘horoscope’ at the bottom. For the kids card I just went with simple and straightforward.
I printed them out on cardstock, cut, and glued them to a piece of colored cardstock just for a little more color, and added durability.
Next, using the contact paper, cover the sections on the card that you want to be scratch-off; in my case it was the hearts, and the horoscope on one card, and the stork and wording on the other.
Now, mix up your scratch-off solution using 2 parts paint to 1 part liquid dish soap (like Dawn), and paint over the contact paper. It will probably take a few coats to cover, so just paint, let dry, and then re-coat. The nice thing about acrylics is that they dry fairly fast. This is what my cards looked like after one coat:
It took about 4 coats to get the coverage that wanted.
Voila! DIY Scratch-cards!
When my husband got home, I handed him a quarter, and the card, and watched him scratch away—I was so excited, I neglected to get any pictures of him scratching, but I did take one of the scratched off card, just to show that it really worked!
Enjoy!
JoDee (JoDee is a SAHM who lives in South Dakota with her husband and four kiddos. She enjoys all things crafty and DIY, and loves to dabble in new things. You can find her sporadically blogging at www.sewmuchcrafting.blogspot.com.)
Inspired by diy scratch tickets seen on Pinterest and MarthaStewart.com
Whiskey Maple Pecans – by Carisa
Whiskey Maple Pecans
Gather your ingredients
16oz Pecan halves
2 cups brown sugar (separated)
½ c Pure maple syrup
2-4 tbs Whiskey
**If you prefer to leave out the whiskey you can use 2tbs water and 1 tsp vanilla extract instead
Whisk together maple syrup and 1 cup of your brown sugar in a sauce pan. Add anywhere from 2 -4 Tbs of whiskey to the mix, depending on how much you like whiskey.
Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly.
Add the pecans or whatever kind of nuts you prefer. I decided at the last minute to toss in some almonds as well.
Keep stirring over med heat until the pecans are coated in your sugar whiskey mixture. Simmer another 5 minutes or so until the liquid becomes thick and syrupy. You’ll know its done when it starts to solidify slightly on your spoon.
Now add the remaining cup of brown sugar to the pan and toss until all the nuts are coated with the sugar.
It will look kind of sandy, and sticky, and delicious.
Spread the pecans out on a cookies sheet to cool. You’ll want to break apart any big pieces that are clumped together.
Once they are cool they will be hard and crunchy. They should, in theory, keep for a few weeks. The ones I made, were gone a few hours later!
Carisa is a seamstress, pattern designer and the owner of Elysium on Etsy. She resides in Iowa with her 4 kids and a goldfish.
Letter to Santa PDF – by Beccamom
A printable letter to Santa that folds into an envelope. Print, then cut and fold per directions on the sheet. The letter is written on the back of the printed side, then fold up to mail to Santa! After folding the letter, use a touch of glue or a sticker on the flap of the envelope to keep it together.
Becca (Beccamom) is a SAHM who lives on the wild, windy prairie with her loving husband and two creative children. She owns Night Owl’s Menagerie on Etsy and Zazzle.
PDF is for personal use only.
Beer Can Chicken by Jerrica!
This looks SO good and I have always wanted to try cooking a chicken this way! Jerrica was so generous to share this recipe with us! She had the winning blog submission entry, and has won a custom banner from Webwurkz, AND a 3 month top banner ad slot!
Congratulations, and THANK YOU, Jerrica! I’m making this chicken TOMORROW!
Beer Can Chicken
You will need:
1 can of beer (12oz) *
1 whole chicken, completely thawed, approximately 3-5 lbs. depending on your family size
For the spice rub:
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested (Optional)
*In this tutorial, we use an empty Dr. Pepper can and pour the beer into the can.
1. Gather Ingredients and preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a small-medium bowl
3. Add olive oil to the dry spices and mix together until well
blended. (Add lemon zest if using)
4. Place your chicken in your cooking pan and rub the spice mix
all over the chicken; inside and out.
5. If you aren’t using a 12oz can of beer, you will need to pour
your beer into an empty soda can.
6. You will now sit your chicken up, place the can of beer in the
pan in front of the chicken.
7. Now take the chicken and place it over the can of beer.
8. Take any of the spice rub that went into the pan and
recover chicken.
9. Bake your chicken at 350 degrees. Depending on the size will
determine how long.
It takes approximately 20 minutes per pound of chicken.
3lbs= 1 hour; 4lbs=1 hour & 20 minutes; 5lbs= 1 hour & 40 minutes
The internal chicken temperature should be 165 degrees and the
juices will run clear.
10. Serve your chicken. It is best to leave the chicken
sitting on the can and carve the chicken out.
Holiday Printables
With December being just around the corner we are sure many of you are starting to feel the scramble of the holidays already setting it. Parties, parades, shopping, cooking…eating! There are so many things to do this month it can be downright exhausting! Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can thrive in this season of chaos. You can be organized and ready for every party Aunt Doris can throw a fruitcake at! Promise. We designed some great holiday printables that will help tie up all those loose ends and leave even Old St. Nick wondering how you pulled everything off!
Included in the PDF download are these great worksheets:
• December Calendar
• Meal Planner / Grocery List
• Master Holiday Card List
• Gift Idea & Budget Tracker
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLES!
Take this idea one step further: After printing all your worksheets, paste the calendar to the outside of a folder. Place your other sheets inside the folder pockets. This can now be your “holiday folder” and you should tuck things inside like envelopes from cards you receive, invitations to parties, receipts to gifts, grocery coupons and even recipes you may want to try.
Enjoy!
Jenn (Jenn01844)
(Jenn is a stay-at-home mom by day and a work-at-home graphic designer by night. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two-year old daughter and infamous cat, Johnny Cash. In her free time (yeah, right!) she likes to pretend she is Martha Stewart and dabble in every sort of craft she can get her hands on.)
*Like all Make Laugh Love content, this printable is for personal use only. We’ve included generous margins on all worksheets so you can print at 100%.*
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