We Have Spring Today

We have Spring today. 

I stripped out the old tomato plants in the raised veggie beds that were still producing at Christmas. 

Hub trimmed back our fig trees that were sagging too low to the ground and disturbing the lawn guy (aka Hub). 

He cut back the hummingbird bushes so that I can get to the weeds in the front flower bed. 

And we found a three foot long dead snake entangled in our grape net in the barn.

Then the wind picked up! Hate it when my hat blows off my head! But almost four hours in the yard is enough for today. 

I have lots of tomorrows!

My Quilt Blog

My new hobby blog is called Quilts Made from Scratch http://quiltsmadefromscratch.blogspot.com/2016/01/quilt-top-gone-wrong.html

Original nine patch.

Disappearing nine patch.

Another version of disappearing nine patch.

I just started a new blog (Quilts Made from Scratch) for my quilting hobby. In case you might want to follow along my quilting journey, check it out.

Goodbye, David Jones/David Bowie

I know this video is completely out of character for me, but it wasn't for legend David Bowie.

Goodbye, David Jones/ David Bowie. 

Rest in Peace.

https://youtu.be/y-JqH1M4Ya8

CREAMY SPINACH/KALE AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS--EASY AND VEGETARIAN

Original Recipe Source

Sunday dinner was served ( and eaten).

CREAMY SPINACH/KALE AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS

Love these easy and cheesy vegetarian enchiladas! They freeze well too!

yield: serves 4

prep time: 20 MINUTES

 

cook time: 25 MINUTES

 

total time: 45 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow or white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups fresh spinach leaves and chopped kale
1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (had none!)
1 can (4.5 ounces) Old El Paso chopped green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon ground chili powder
1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Salt and black pepper, to taste ( only added a pinch of salt)
2 cans (10 oz each) Old El Paso Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce ( I had only1 can red)
8 Old El Paso Flour Tortillas (taco size)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Toppings:

Sour cream
Green onions, chopped
Fresh cilantro, chopped (had none)
Diced avocado (had none)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the spinach leaves ( I added about 2 cups of chopped curly kale) and cook until they are wilted and shrinks down. Stir in the lemon juice, cilantro, green chiles, cumin, and chile powder. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

2. To assemble, spread about 1/2 can of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the spinach mixture. In a medium bowl, combine both kinds of shredded cheese. Sprinkle cheese over spinach mixture, about 3 tablespoons per enchilada. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. When all enchiladas have been rolled and placed in the pan, top with the other 1/2 can of enchilada sauce and about 1/2 of the other can. ( I didn't have enough sauce, so I used red salsa.) Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top of enchiladas. Bake 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted, and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

3. Garnish enchiladas with green onion, cilantro, and avocado, if desired. Serve warm.

Note-these enchiladas freeze well. Cool completely, without toppings, and place in a tupperware container. Reheat individual servings in the microwave when ready to eat! You can also freeze an entire pan and reheat in the oven!

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Oh, Yes! I Made it to the top of Mont Blanc!

I am still walking (and climbing), as you can see from my new badge below. 

In 15 months time, I have climbed the elevation of 15,780 feet (the distance to the top of Mont Blanc). And Monday I had my best Monday since I broke my right foot on September 27, 2015.

On to my old goal of 10,000 steps per day!

My Mammaw, the Carpenter

Recently my two younger brothers, one sister-in-law, my hub, several nieces, my son, and I have spent a few hours ( and muscle power) getting my mom's manufactured home ready to find a new resting place. 

We followed Mom's instructions that I found in a green spiral notebook behind her red recliner. "All gifts were to be returned to the giver" was the main rule of order. My gifts were usually easy to recognize, since most came from my almost 30 years of living in The Netherlands. 

But as we sorted, culled, and threw away, I was on the lookout for "memories." Luckily my memories were different from my two brothers, so we didn't have much discussion on what we took.  

One of the last items I brought home was the primitive table made by my maternal grandmother in 1928. And Mammaw was kind enough to leave her provenance tucked away in the drawer of the table.

Provenance on the back of an old envelope stashed in the drawer of this little table.

Fits perfectly in front of the window in my laundry nook.

Lighting wasn't the best for this shot, but you get the idea.

Mammaw had an eye for detail.

There is the drawer with the hidden provenance.

And the drawer pull was made from a wooden thread spool and bent nail/screw.

My grandmother wrote this 60 years after she made the table in 1928. And as I can figure, Mammaw was in her mid-nineties when she wrote this message about her proud little handiwork.

TMI-Do You Know Me?

Who is the real Linda@Wetcreek Blog?

Have no fear, I am not going to reveal that I am a middle-aged dude with red hair, 24 tattoos, and a fetish for bare feet (yuck!). 

In fact, I am the same "girl" you see in my little Wetcreek blog icon (not Google+ or Instagram). Just 40 years older and a number of pounds thicker.

What I liked back in the 70's is basically what I like now:

1.  Eating Mexican food.

2.  Crocheting.

3.  Wearing and making Boho clothes.

4.  Reading magazines.

5.  Being open-minded and liberal in my thoughts.

6.  Getting up early.

7.  Going to bed before eleven.

8.  Walking instead of driving.

9.  Caring for others.

10. And, foremost, Loving my husband and family!

On the Other Side of 1000

Well, without any conscious planning, I made it to the other side of 1000 blogposts today. 

And to top that off, my Wetcreek blog passed the 75,000 viewers mark sometime on the last day of 2015.

Flip, Nismo, and I shivered through the fireworks at midnight. We didn't see a thing huddled on the small couch in our bedroom. (TV full blast with hiphop music and bright lights does not work!) The two pups heard every pop of the firecrackers! Neither dog jumped upon my lap, thank goodness! (35 pound Flip and 72 pound Nismo) Today they just wanted to sniff at the fireworks remains in the front yard.

Are you having greens (we're having cabbage or kale), black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, and cornbread for our dinner tonight?  Greens are for the "moola"/money, peas are for the good luck, sweet potatoes are for the healthy life, and cornbread is just because. 

Because who eats those other foods without cornbread down here in the Deep South?

With this cooler weather this week, I'll be making more of an effort to hit that 10,000 step goal every single day. (Real reason: Too many oliebollen yesterday! :(

Hurrah for a new year! 

A new start! Happy New Year 2016!