The marigold (cempasúchil) is the Flower of the Dead, and it is found everywhere in cemeteries and altars in this celebration. Fields and fields were planted with this flower three months ago to be ready to harvest this week to honor our dead.
Having some leftovers in the fridge, I decided to make some crepes. While I’m not completely inventing the recipe —as this kind of preparation is done in similar recipes— the quantities and the ingredients (or lack thereof) are my invention because I didn’t follow a recipe, and I just added ingredients as I prepared and without measuring. And I also invented the name ;)
CREPES CHOLULA
For this recipe I used the following ingredients. Feel free to substitute. Check comments at the end.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
For filling:Preparation
For the filling, in a large skillet on high flame, add oil and butter. Immediately after butter is melted, add the onion and garlic stirring for about a minute. Add the poblano and stir well. Add a little chicken broth or water here and there just to create steam to cook the poblano and onion. Stir for a couple minutes and lower the heat to medium. When the mix is about 3/4 done, add the mushrooms, the zucchini flowers, and the cuitlacoche stirring well. Add the epazote, and add salt to taste. Lower the flame to med-low, and let simmer for a few minutes until the mix is cooked. Take out the epazote leaves.
For the crepes, in a small bowl, mix well the pancake flour with water and the eggs. The quantity of water is a bit greater than that of the flour. The consistency is more fluid than for pancakes. On medium heat, grease a medium skillet with a little butter (applying the butter with a paper napkin gives a very even surface). Pour enough batter and tilt the skillet in a circular way to cover all its surface evenly and thinly with the batter. When the batter is cooked, flip and let cook. Put crepes aside.
For the bechamel sauce, in a medium pan or pot in med-low heat, melt the butter. Add the flour until both ingredients are completely mixed into a thick clump or clumps. Begin adding the milk little by little stirring constantly to dilute the clump until the consistency is of a thick sauce. Grind a little nutmeg on top and add salt to taste.
Presentation
Pour some filling on top of half a crepe. Fold in half and then again in half to obtain a quarter circle. Place in oven pan. Repeat with the rest of the crepes. Cover all with the bechamel sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil in oven at 250ºC until cheese browns a little. Serve while still hot.
Cook’s comments
The next time I cook this recipe, I’d incorporate a glass of white wine to the filling (like in a risotto), and I’d add another poblano. If fresh cuitlacoche is not available, you can use the canned variety. Epazote brings out particularly well the taste of zucchini flowers and cuitlacoche, but if it’s not available, I would try thyme, even though it’s a very different taste.
The batter recipe might call for butter, but the flour box didn’t bring a crepe recipe, so I had to make up my own. I probably should’ve used milk instead of water. Better to follow the recipe that comes in your box if it does.
Enjoy!
"Bon appétit!"
How I did it:
Lessons & tips: Check out my invented recipe: Crepes Cholula
Resources: The market produce is always a source of inspiration.
It took me 1 day.
It made me an adventurous cook
"It's the little things, the little details, the ones that build a strong bond and connection between you and your pet :)"
How I did it: Ingredients to spoil my dog:
Lessons & tips: While you're doing stuff around the house, your dog is the happiest next to you, feeling your presence. Provide the necessary so she'll feel even more secure, plus pampered.
Resources: A couple of eyes that say "I trust you".
It took me 1 day.
It made me a good mom
While I was sewing right indoors, I spoiled Uma furnishing her with a comfy blanket under an extended shade:
When Uma sees me grab her collar, she gets all super excited as always as she knows her imminent daily walk is about to happen. But once I open the door to go walking, she’ll sit and stay put and let me go ahead by myself! This is a problem even when there are no firecrackers going on —when there are firecrackers, we don’t go out. She won’t obey my command to come. So I actually have to leash her to drag her to walk with me. It is like I’m forcing her. Yesterday was particularly bad as she was trembling for a good four or five blocks :( The trembling stopped when another dog joined us in the walk, so she got distracted.
I have found that she feels better when we both walk —instead of me going on my bike. But I feel terrible for her; it seems that she feels I’m imposing a punishment, that it has ceased being the joyful experience it once was. It has become hard to walk her even once a day :(
This morning my hair ended its phase of long-neglect. Instead, it indulged in a little pampering: thorough washing, rinsing, and conditioning, plus I completely untangled it with my extra-wide-tooth comb. It feels so nice… I must now schedule a haircut appointment.
Today I actually remembered that I have beautiful hair :)
So this Sunday morning I woke up very late. Turns out not so much, as we were supposed to turn our clocks back last night! I thought it was supposed to be next week, along with Canada and the US.
I strongly dislike this Daylight-Saving Time BS. It really messes me, and I believe I’m not alone. I feel like in a perpetual summer jet lag… We should get rid of it.
/rant
Twenty years ago, when I embarked in a failed-before-it-started entrepreneurship of making bags, I bought these button-makers and buttons by the thousands.
They have managed to move with me at least ten times, even to the Yucatan Peninsula. But there’s no way they’re crossing the pond, so they’ll have to go as soon as I’m done with all my fabrics.
retake Early to bed, Early to rise
No longer being in Daylight-Saving Time will help.
For a while, I had considered growing long, beautiful dreadlocks, but I decided not to, since I found that they actually take a lot of work and care, and I certainly do not meet that profile now like I did twenty years ago when I really devoted myself to my hair. I have come to a point where I basically only wash my hair, air-dry it, and put it in a bun or ponytail. Some would consider it neglect, but I just call it “simple and uncomplicated”.
Turns out that I may have gone too far in simple and uncomplicated and, with downright neglect, I have managed to unintentionally grow two dreadlocks and a hint of a third one. I really didn’t notice —that’s how bad I am— until I began to feel some pull by my hair’s weight a couple days ago.
I decided that that would be as far as my dreadlocks’ experience would go, so today I brushed the dreadlocks out, and I’m unto taking better care of my hair from now on.
This goal is 2 in 1:
Comb out my dreadlocks and take better care of my hair
Well, not this year. It got cloudy at 6am, after clear skies just three hours before. At least then I got to see the beautiful Orion, Sirius, and Aldebaran.
Until next year…
No napping today really. Today I was content with setting the hammock up and to just lie there looking at my garden and at the sky enjoying the warmth of the late-afternoon sun…
Starting is the hardest step to make. I have made some serious attempts in the past —and some not-so-serious— of dedicating myself to photography. Being a constant nomad and never lingering in a place too long, an established photography business is not a possibility. Having photography as a side-career makes full sense. I’ve been struggling with myself as to what path I should take. While I make these decisions, I’m just going to take whatever opportunity I find to practice and to promote myself.
I recently took a set of photos of my neighbor’s dogs. They’re breeders, and they’ll use the photos in their site. I’m not sure if I made the best decision of giving the photos away as a way to promote myself in exchange of letting me take their photos and sell those photos on my account. They were low res, but still. I know this will be a path of learning through mistakes and successes. Maybe this wasn’t a mistake and may turn into good recommendations. At least I have started.
The peak is over, but tonight will still be at 75% of peak. It’s not really great at about 16 meteors/hour. I missed it last night due to a technicality of incorrectly setting my alarm clock at “pm” :P
The sky looks clear, but I can see some light pollution coming from nearby Puebla to the east. It’s so much more darker towards the volcanoes to the west, but the shower won’t be coming that way. It’s a good reflection now to maybe plan a night trip in that area for a much-more-promising Geminid shower next December.
Some of them will be easier to dump as I have moved on and have no more interest in them. But I know myself, and I know I’ll still browse through them instead of just directly recycling them.
Yet some will be harder to get rid of as they have practical info I need or are beautiful works of art.
Early in the morning, I make myself a cup of coffee, and some days I walk around my garden assessing it while relaxing and taking in the morning fragrances.
This poor bug landed in my recently-done coffee and found an ill fate:
...and yummy…
Voilà the culprit of the unfortunate fate of my plagued broccolis, cauliflowers, and cabbages:
Her green eyes gave her up… and also the eggs I found under the leaves, which I immediately washed away. Hopefully my one and only broccoli left will have a future… in my plate ;)
The first “sifting” of prints and negatives resulted in 11 kilos of unfocused, uninteresting, duplicated, moved photos, or give-aways.
After 6 months of wanting to shop for produce at the local market, finally today I decided to go, and I got a brief glimpse of the local culture and the fabulous experience.
I found really fresh produce at incredible prices that there’s no need to haggle. Plus I help the local economy instead of a huge conglomerate.
I now intend to come once a week or every two weeks tops.
I woke up at 4 and then again at 6:30 this morning only to find a cloudy sky :( Tonight seems to have cleared up a bit, and it’s the last chance to see the shower at its peak. Crossing fingers…
This is my full pile of items to repair, sew, and cut & sew. This is not nearly a quarter of what I used to have —although I must admit I have some others back in Seattle.
Some of these fabrics are 20 years old!! And a few are so out of style. And all of them are at least 11-12 years old :P So this is my last chance: anything that doesn’t get sewn before spring, will be given away, as I won’t be lugging fabrics that won’t be turned into garments for another 20 years!
As I recently adopted this goal and having a major move early in the Spring, I’ll be stretching this goal until then. Of course, the sooner I accomplish it the better. Some items will take me longer than others.
Today, at first glance, I spotted 12 items of überclutter! Today was a big de-cluttering day, and ahhh… feels so good :)
...and tomorrow as well. It will really be in the morning, pre-dawn, so I’ve set my alarm clock hoping that tonight’s haze clears up.
A few goals were checked, a few goals were given up (temporarily), and a few goals were added. My 43 things are updated.
I started my dress this past weekend, and I almost got it done. It’s just missing the buttonholes, the buttons, the hem, and ironing, which will be done next weekend. I would’ve probably gotten more done if I didn’t work in such a mess:
Good thing it’s all clear now ready for my next session.
I’m planning on wearing this dress for my birthday party :)
Many factors have contributed to my poor posture, and most of the time I’m not aware of it until “something hurts”.
This week, I have caught myself in poor posture and corrected it immediately, particularly when sewing and on the computer. So my first intention is a step towards improving my posture, which is: be conscious of my posture and correct it if necessary.
Hurricane’s Rick furiousness made up for some spectacular views of the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl.
“Don Goyo” (the Popo’s nickname) was exhaling fumes that looked quite venomous with the sunset rays.
“La Mujer Dormida” (the Sleeping Woman, the Izta’s nickname) was ethereally resting in a bed of clouds and surrounded by strokes of clouds “painted” by the hurricane.
Breathtaking.
I’m a little worried about the windy and chilly night my plants are going to spend after an extremely-windy day. It was so windy that I didn’t really tend my garden today except for arranging a couple of plants that were knocked down.
The winds were so strong today that I thought they were a bit short from being hurricane winds. Well, turns out they were! What would my surprise be that when I turned on the evening news, there’s a hurricane cat. 5 in the Pacific heading to the peninsula of Baja California. The satellite picture shows the hurricane spanning a good part of Mexico, including us here in the high plateau. I can just imagine how the people in the Pacific Coast are doing if it was this bad 600km inland at 2,000m high! This hurricane looks furious :(
watch the orionid meteor shower that will be at its peak the nights of the 20th and 21st, according to the fluxtimator
Sew a dress for myself for my b-day party
Having sewn a few dresses in the past, I could check this goal as done, but I want to finish a dress to wear for my birthday party, so I’ll leave this open until it’s done.
I’ve wanted to check as done this goal before, but every time I think of it, I find myself in a new city…
Both weeding and brassicas’ pests have been difficult to control in this garden of mine. I gave up on my broccoli and cauliflower a couple months ago. Somehow, I had faith that my cabbage would make it, yet I have let myself witness its slow “slaughtering” —if there’s such a thing for veggies.
I guess I was just saving it to make an interesting photo, because saving it for a pottage is out of the question :S
I’ve had this goal for the longest time —most likely since I joined 43T—, and I have only practiced yoga maybe 2 or 3 times since then. I have a good DVD, which I finally unearthed it to have it at hand in the mornings. My body is aching, I can hear my knees every time I climb the stairs, and I plainly just need to move. I want to feel fit; I want to feel graceful.
They say it's never too late for yoga, and it’s never too late for learning. So I better get moving before another birthday is upon me.
...I need to go through all my audio cassettes. I’m already throwing out all the ones that were recordings of my CDs, which I taped in order to be able to listen to them in the car and elsewhere —funny how things change and completely flip in less than a decade; now even CDs are becoming obsolete!
Sub-steps:Walking Uma twice a day has proven harder than I had anticipated. With the almost-daily festivities here in Cholula, fire crackers are omnipresent especially in the early morning and late afternoon —exactly the times I habitually walk her.
All street dogs here are fairly accustomed to this, but she —being a foreigner to this “explosive” land— freaks out and wants nothing but to look for shelter under a table in our house.
We’ll have to find a way around this…
...I’m relaxing in my garden as I’m typing this :)
And, of course, Uma is next to me enjoying the shade and the slight breeze while she’s attentive to the neighbor’s dogs.
The date is set: Saturday, November 7th.
I called a few friends and family that will be driving from Mexico City and from Cuernavaca, so I wanted to make sure that this date would suit them well. The 14th was the other option, but everyone agreed for the first saturday.
Sub-things to do:Uma wasn’t too happy that I “abandoned her” for a couple hours at the vet’s office this morning. Her itchy skin required not one but two baths that the vet recommended: one for fleas (!) and one medicinal to target her dry skin.
I was shocked about the fleas since she didn’t have them the day before —I regularly check her when I pet her. I used to be on top of fleas, ticks, and heart worm back when we were living in the Caribbean, both her and Gala. However, I haven’t treated Uma for them since I moved here to Cholula, as my vet from Tulum (sea level) told me that those parasites are not a problem in these very-high altitudes (2,100m).
Well, my Cholula vet just smiled and said it wasn’t a problem if I lived in a big city. But here in Cholula where there are goats, cows, horses, lambs, turkeys, etc., in our backyards and roaming the streets, it is a problem.
So that’s done. She also had her nails clipped (which is the worst torture for her) and was given the quintuple vaccine and a couple pills for her inner parasites, so she got a “full service” today, and she is good as new :o)
This sweater has been the result of many, many hours of loving work. I just need to redo a minor detail of the binding-off of the neck, which didn’t come out to my liking. I did a regular binding-off, but I already looked up how to specifically bind off a ribbed neck, so I’ll follow those directions.
"The best book I've read. Fascinating!"
How I did it: Step 1: I bought the book —along with "Amor en Los Tiempos de Cólera" (Love in the Time of Cholera), still pending to read...
Lessons & tips: If you have a good grasp of Spanish, I highly recommend reading it in its original language.
Resources: Word of mouth: Every person that has read this book has recommended it highly.
It took me 1 week.
It made me fly!
