Mexican Soup

I don't have many earth shattering recipes to share but since Snohomish Shepherdess inspires me daily with food from her kitchen, I thought I'd reciprocate and post one of my favorite recipes of all time, Mexican Soup.  I've shared it with just about everyone I know and it's a staple at family functions when my family gets together since it's healthy, easy and a 'build your own' type of soup ~ everyone can choose their own ingredients at the table.

Some of my husband's family used to winter in Baja California Sur in a house they built on the beach in a little place called Posada Concepcion on the Sea of Cortez, a few hours north of Loretto.  We took our first vacation as a married couple in 1996 and went to visit ~ it was my first trip to Mexico and we were treated to kayaking in the bay outside their front door, golfing (well, my husband golfed and I walked the course which was a great way to spend a day!), whale watching in Lopez Mateos, and a pig roast in Mulege.

 

One of the meals we cooked for ourselves was Mexican Soup.  We had the luxury of amazing farm fresh produce that periodically was sold from the back of an old pickup passing by.  It's basically chicken soup, with all the fixings for tacos, and it is Delicious!  I cooked a batch yesterday and we got the photo albums out after dinner and reminisced.  So, since one of the things about our journey down south that has stuck with me over the years is this soup, I'd love to share it with whoever comes across this blog post.  



 Baja Mexican Soup

Start with homemade chicken stock, or if you aren't lucky enough to have any on hand, here's what I did yesterday:

I used 4 quarts of chicken broth and boiled 5 lbs of bone-in skinned chicken thighs in the broth with a small handful of Mexican oregano until the meat was falling off the bone.  I removed all solids from the broth and set it aside to cool so I could skim the fat later on.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, debone and shred the meat.  I actually froze 1/2 the broth and 1/2 the meat to make Chicken and Dumplings later on.

For veggies for the soup, use whatever you like in a taco.  We use lettuce, tomato, green onions, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro and lime.  After washing everything well, shred the lettuce and cut the other veggies into bite size pieces (they will be flash cooked in the hot broth when you build your soup so you don't want the pieces too big!).  I squeeze lime on the cut avocado to keep it from browning, and also put a squeeze in my bowl of soup before eating.

Cook a pot of rice, enough for about 1/2 c cooked rice per person.  I've tried just about every type of rice and my favorite for this soup is Basmati.  I love the nutty flavor with the lime and cilantro.  Last night we tried this organic brown basmati ~ I prefer the flavor of the white stuff but I know, I know, the brown is better for you, blah, blah, blah....  It was alright but not my favorite.

 

Now the fun part ~ when you're ready to eat, start with a scoop of rice in the bottom of your bowl, followed by shredded chicken, and then your choice of the fresh uncooked veggies that you've prepared.  Ladle hot broth over the top ~ the veggies cook just enough that they're warm but still crunchy.  If you like it spicy, you can add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce but I prefer mine with a squeeze (or two!) of lime, and served with Cheddar Cilantro Quesadillas and a Mexican beer.

This is one of my favorite meals and I hope somebody that hasn't had it before gives it a try and loves it as much as I do.

Melissa

In the homestretch...

Day XXI



Day XX

 

Day XIX

Three more days left to go ~ I think I have just enough yarn but may have to skip day 23 anyway since the chart appears incorrect and I only downloaded the charts and not the written instructions for this kal.  I think Kelli and Karen both skipped the day but Morgan, if you did do day 23 and figured out what the errors are I would love to know!

I wasn't liking day 19 at all, until it was completed and then I decided it was lovely.  Day 20 took me quite a few hours over three days to do ~ the 3/9 stitches are slow going but I managed to get it done error free and love (LOVE!) this day!  I did find a few small mistakes in this batch of patterns which I'll list at the end of this post even though I think I'm the only person left doing this scarf!

If it will help anyone, here are the stitch counts at the end of each row for day 20~ Row 1 [104st], Row 3 [123st], Row 5 [86st], Row 7 [104st], Row 9 [123st] & Row 11 [86st]

It looks like I'll meet my goal of having this beauty finished and blocked so that I can wear her on Valentine's Day ;)

Errata Day 20:  In the spacer section it says to decrease 2 stitches on row 8 before starting the chart ~ DON'T!  You need 86 stitches for this day's chart so don't do any decreases before moving on!

Errata Day 21:  In the charted instructions it says on all wrong side rows to 'knit all knit stitches and purl all purl stitches' ~ there are no knit stitches to knit so you purl every stitch between your edge stitch markers.

Worthy of a Second Post

Thank you, JR, for a brilliant idea!  Fantastic way to end a great weekend and a good use of some of our blackberry jam!  I never post twice in one day but I had to make an exception.  You rock, brother ;)

Girls in Sheep Clothing Blackberry Milkshakes

4 T Girls in Sheep Clothing Blackberry Jam

1/4 c 2% milk

2c Dreyers Slow Churned Light Vanilla Ice Cream

Blend together until well mixed and then share with a loved one ~ makes enough for two ;)

It's yummy!!!

Soaking as we speak!

Hooray! She's done and soaking. Now to run to SeaTac and see if they have a spare runway for blocking purposes!

The Knitting Attic ~ Part II

Primed and ready for paint!

Rice Paper

Remember the attic before I started?  I finished the primer last weekend and just finished painting the ceiling and the sloped part of the walls with Martha Stewart's 'Rice Paper' ~ it's a creamy, egg custard looking color ~ I love it!  Makes me hungry for a Chocolate Eclair...

Not sure if I'll need a second coat or not since the paint went on really thick.  I'll have to see once it's dry...

Went to IKEA yesterday to look for cabinets for the room.  I thought we had a great plan by showing up 10 minutes before they opened so that we could be in and out before it got crowded.  No such luck.  I have to say that although I did find what I needed for an exceptional price, that store is like hell on earth for me.  I know they give you a map but, dang, to try and find something a second time is ridiculously hard.  The crowds weren't sooo bad, other than the families who truly believe that it takes a village and let their little (and I mean preschool age little!) children run unattended through the maze with their little IKEA shopping carts and expect that you will not accidentally plow over them while you are wheeling a cart loaded with so much junk that you can't see in front of you.  We left there at noon, having found everything we needed but completely stressed and vowing never to return.  I rarely complain, but that was not a pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning.

Hate to end a post on a negative note, so I'll share what cabinets I picked out!  We bought 2 Alve Cabinets with Doors to place side by side, and they will almost fill up an entire wall, with room on top to put baskets or pictures or random knitting paraphernalia...

Who wants to come hang out and knit with me when my room is put together?  I can't wait ;)
Melissa

Morgen's Photo Update

Well, here they are in all their "glory." These photos are the best examples yet of why I could never have a successful blog. I am lazy when it comes to photographing my knits. I see other people who have documented their work in beautifully artistic ways that in-and-of-themselveves are works of art. Me? Not so much. You know those gorgeous photos some people are talented enough to take of their handknit laces??? (Melissa, Kelli?? I mean you as well as others...) I actually made myself giggle out loud the other day contemplating my own photographic skills, or lack thereof. Instead of sunsets, flowers, chocolates and pearls that comprise the setting of successful lace photographs, I mentally picture mine surrounded by empty Slim Jim wrappers, pork rinds and beer cans. Oh well, I claim to be a knitter not a photographer!

So here are the photos of Days 14-21. I have completed the spacer section for Day 22 and hope to have the whole thing wrapped up and blocked on Monday. We'll see!

I have learned several things: while I love the colors of the Alpaca Sox yarn, I really don't like knitting with it that much, at least not for lace. I can feel the nylon in it, and it just disappoints me somehow. There have been days' patterns that I have loved and some that I have hated with a passion. A few have spurred my brain on to some design ideas (yay!) Overall, I really enjoy the piecemeal approach to doing these scarves, and I have LOVED every minute of chatting with new friends near and far about the process. Thank you all for keeping my nose to the grindstone and making sure that I completed this one!

I have been toying with dyepots this week trying my hand (I have no clue what I am doing) at dyeing yarn for my next shawl project, "Shipwreck" from Knitty. The shawl is actually supposed to be dyed post-knitting for a more weathered look, but it calls for 5000 beads, and I am a little nervous about how successfully one can dye a shawl and not mar the surface of the beads. Good thing too, because while my dye trial turned out beautiful in its own right, it didn't turn out the color I want. I have tried three additional overdyes and still have a beautiful but wrong color. Have ordered more yarn and will try again. In the meantime...I shall finish the calendar knit which my son has dubbed a car cozy because we think we could wrap our Highlander (the car not the Celt) in it!

How goes it with all of you?

Nightmare!

I have been racing on this scarf/shawl/circus tent which, of course, is a mistake. The faster I try to go, the more mistakes I make and the more tinking/frogging I need to do to recover. I should know this by now. Methinks I've been working a bit too much on it. I bolted awake early this morning from a bad dream in which I was pinning out the shawl to take pictures of the days I haven't yet photographed and saw a dropped stitch about 2 feet down that I had some how made up by adding an extra stitch somewhere along the way. Day 20 just about killed me; that day when you make 9 stitches out of three...

I am currently 1/2 way through Day 21 and am determined to have this finished and on the blocking board on Tuesday.

Then will begin the difficult search for an elephant with a sense of style who is in need of a hand-knit scarf...