Nectarines and Plain Yogurt are the Jam

And that's all I have to say about that.

Grape Crush is My Favorite...

... But I've got some other major crushes developing at the moment. Care to read about em?

1. the Clothesline. One of the big selling points of this house was the fact that it came with built-in poles for a clothesline in the backyard. A few weeks ago, Patrick helped me put together the line part, and I believe it to be very cute indeed.

 

2. Our ever-growing VHS collection. Lately there has been a resurgence of VHS tape collecting in my house. I always see so many amazing movies at the local thrift stores and finally decided to give in and start buying the ones I am dying to see/see again. Here are some of the more recent gems.

Kentucky Fried Movie
Popeye
Field of Dreams
Dark city
My Dinner With Andre
Freaky Friday
Legend
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
SNL Best of Eddie Murphy
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Housesitter (total guilty pleasure. don't knock it til you try it.)
Back to the Future II
Foul Play
Cocoon
Krush Groove
The Jerk
Tikki Tikki Tavi
Cher Fitness [A New Attitude]

Airplane!
Annie Hall
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
the Dark Crystal
Desperately Seeking Susan
Romancing the Stone
Goldfinger
The Spy Who Loved Me
The Man With the Golden Gun
Live and Let Die
The Little Prince
Son of Godzilla
The Secret of Nimh
Labrynth
Raiders of the Lost Arc
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
The Wall
Strange Brew

3. The Avocado Seeds - After preparing the delicious avocado enchiladas I gushed over the other day, I decided to try an experiment I saw in Plant Parenthood where you stick a few toothpicks into an avocado seed, set it in a cup of water, and wait for it to sprout. Reminds me of the time we germinated lima beans in the 2nd grade. If you play your cards right, you might just be the recipient of one of these little babies when they are big enough to pot. :D

4. Leucocoprinus birnbaumii (aka the mushrooms growing in one of my house plants.) I noticed these popped up after the move. Google tells me they are harmless and nearly impossible to get rid of, so I'm just going to let them grow for now. Aren't they weird? 

Close...

Closer....

Don't get too close! RAWR!!

5.  Last but not least: The Little Family Patrick, Sam and Prince are the sweetest.

Sam Loves the Jerk

Clean All the Things?

I am feeling all too much the things illustrated in many of the posts on Hyperbole and a Half, and I think I have found my new favorite place to visit on the interwebs. I won't go into too much detail as to why this blog is the shit, because you don't have to take my word for it...

New Dietary Staple

I have been trying to use my cookbooks more (and the interwebs less) when looking for dinner-time inspiration lately, and was intrigued last night when coming across this recipe for Avocado Enchiladas. Not only did it seem unusual, but it was also the only enchilada recipe in the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, so we went for it. I believe these to be the best enchiladas ever made by my hands (with Paul McCartney's vegan enchiladas coming in a close 2nd.)

In a pinch, I substituted chili powder for the ancho chile concoction, vegetable stock, an Epic Wheat Ale for the white wine, and used only 1 1/2 cups of veg oil for frying the tortillas. You could easily cut the recipe in half and use an 8x8 pan to serve six, but I would recommend still using 1 1/2 lb. of cheese. Ha! Enjoy!

Avocado Enchiladas

Serves 12 to 14

• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 4 cups plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 can crushed plum tomatoes, 28 ounces
• 2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
• 8 Hass avocados
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 25 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 pounds Monterey jack cheese, grated

Directions

1. Place chiles in saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Cool slightly, remove stems, and puree chiles and liquid in food processor.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, brown sugar, cumin, and oregano; saute until onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add wine, chile puree, tomatoes, and stock; simmer about 20 minutes, until thickened to stew consistency.
3. Peel, pit, and roughly chop avocados. Toss with cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat remaining 4 cups oil in a wide, heavy saucepan over medium heat until very hot but not smoking, 7 to 10 minutes. Using tongs, fry 6 tortillas, one at a time, for 2 to 3 seconds. Drain on paper towel-lined sheet.
5. Dip fried tortillas in chile sauce to lightly coat both sides. Spoon 2 tablespoons avocado filling on each tortilla; roll up. Spread 1/2 cup chile sauce into large, deep casserole. Arrange rolled tortillas seam-side down in casserole so they fit snugly; repeat entire process, covering bottom of casserole; pour 1 cup sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half the cheese. Make a second layer using remaining ingredients. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
6. Bake enchiladas until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.