La Chica y La Tortilla Desperada

I declared that it is Pantry/Freezer Week for my family.  Being in America in the 21st century, we are so blessed to buy food and have excess to store for another day. After a few months of this, my cupboards are full and it's time to use what I've got. Normally during this week, I would plan our meals based on what I have and buy accent veggies or ingredients. But after last week's Migraine Day and Women's Retreat Weekend, there was no time for the store. Yesterday I stood saucer-eyed in front of the fridge/freezer/pantry wondering what the heck I was going to do. Desperate times call for desperate measures and this seriously uncreative person was somehow inspired to make her own tortillas. Otherwise, we would have eaten taco meat in a bowl.

Excited at actually making my own recipe, I thought I'd capture it for the blog.  Here it is, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

What I had was wheat flour (why did I buy this? I had to open it just to use it for the tortillas) so I used two cups and put it in the food processor with 1 tsp of salt (cause Giada says you always need salt to bring out the flavor of whatever your cooking.  Gotta enhance that wheat, right?).

Then I added three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and pulsed until it was mixed. I only used EVOO because that's what I had. If I had a choice, I would have used Canola or Vegetable Oil because they're cheaper and because they do better as dough oils than EVOO in my experience.  I only thought to use oil because I thought it would make the tortillas more doughy.  Just water and flour is paste, right? We're not supposed to eat that as glue in preschool or disguised as a tortilla as an adult.

This is what your flour should look like with the oil.  I took a spatula and knocked that side flour down.

While the food processor is on, slowly add water. I used 2/3 of a cup; I'm not sure if you'd need more or less water if you were using regular white flour, but this was the right amount for me.

The dough looks and feels like the sand at the beach that is still damp after the tide line has moved out. Kinda wet and kinda dry. I took the dough out and kneaded it into a disk, then covered it in plastic wrap and let it sit for 15 minutes so that the wheat flour would absorb more of the water. It's pretty hearty stuff.
Do you have to do this? I don't know. I once saw Ina Garten shape her pie dough into a disk and let it sit, so I did too.

I then divided the dough into 8 pieces and rolled them into balls.

Mommy's helper. Some of the dough balls broke in half, which was okay because those could be smaller tortillas for Pinkalicious. I let them sit for 10 minutes under plastic wrap, willing them to congeal.

Then I rolled them out. I don't know how to get them as thin as store tortillas, but I did my best!

My "lightly floured surface" made the most massive coating of flour!!!  I had to dust it off!  Cuidado with this wheat flour!  It is different than white, fo shizzle.

For reals, I have no idea how to get a tortilla into a circle shape, other than to trace a plate and cut along the line.  I fancy myself that this looks like Northern Ireland, and that I am the interpretor of a divine calling to the British Isles this summer.

After rolling out a tortilla, warm it up on the stove for a minute or two on each side and then keep it warm to use it.


These wheat tortillas were very hearty, both because they were wheat and because they were thicker.  Although they were not round, they were still very usable.  I think I'll be using the left over tortillas tonight for breakfast tacos - some egg and cheese filling. Oh! And the slices of bacon I have left!!

Que Bueno!

Road Musings

I love driving.  I think it's really in my blood, either as a Californian or a relative of The World's Happiest Truck Driver, Bill LaPlante.  Most of the time, Steve and I have a whole, "Do you want to drive? Cause I can drive if you don't want to drive" round about conversation that will only be stopped once we adopt driving responsibilities based on the day of the week.

Although I love driving I don't think I'm much of a car person.  I'm okay washing my car once every couple of months and I don't look at other people's cars with envy too often (except when I'm laying across half of the back seat with my butt crack exposed to the world and fire coming out of my ears because of the $#@%* seat belt on Pinky's booster seat that will NOT close. I'm getting upset just typing about it. At that point I do glare at the SUV moms with jealousy and contempt.).  But I have noticed that when I am thinking "Nice Car!!!" it's almost always a white BMW.

A few days ago, I was driving to pick Pinky up from preK (say that 10 times fast) and in front of me was a sparkling white BMW Z4 Roadster. Beautiful!

As I stopped behind it at the light, I read the blinged-out license plate frame, "I'm THAT Barbie.  The Bitch that has everything."  So I went to check her out in her mirrors and started to giggle because it was her husband driving the car.  That always gets me!!  Either I see girls driving cars that are decked out in skulls and half-naked women or guys with Tinkerbell and Winnie the Pooh all over the place.  Way to make a statement.

A few miles later I ended up passing the car as it slowed down to turn right. And as I did, I looked over only to discover that the driver was indeed a woman! [Gasp!]  She had a baseball cap over her crew cut, was about 68 years old, and, I'll tell ya, give that lady a saxophone and she could be the fourth California Raisin.

I was shocked and all I could think as I drove past her was "I'm sorry, but they don't make that kind of Barbie."

Bust

Toddling out in my migraine stupor to make lunch for Pinkalicious yesterday, I happened upon a mess of glass and rocks on my floor. It was then that I recalled The Hubs saying something about it earlier when he was leaving for work, but at the time that he was telling me, my inner voice was screaming obscenities at him for bringing noise into my world and I didn't pay attention.

Pieces of glass have been collected from the four corners of my house (thank you, tiled floors) and all the remnants have been deposited into our trash can.

Thanks to one beloved feline, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, my vase was destroyed in her lust for silk leaves.

The Culprit-- One adorable kitty with a death wish.

As I walk into our entryway and look at the lone branch laying on the table, I tell myself, "It's all gonna burn anyway." And this is true. It won't last, so I don't have to be sad. I just need to start my Christmas list.

Wanted: one huge-ass vase and some rocks

Ocean Blue to Burnished Brown

I would have to say that of all the women I know, my friend, Becka, has the best eye for home decorating. She really knows how to make her house into a home, but while doing it, she keeps her style current and uncluttered.

About a month before I moved to Vtown, she and I went to a Pottery Barn class about decorating for summer. It was my first time in a PB and I totally loved it. I always knew how to decorate for Christmas, but most of that kind is pulling big things into the house and adding tons of stuff for celebrating. What I learned that day was the idea of having some basic accent pieces that I can tweak to change the room. This system totally works for me because I'm not a furniture rearrange-er or painting party person or Showcase Showdown winner so these small things are enough for fun without hassle! The only things I change are vase fillers and pillowcases.

Well it is officially fall, which means that I need to change up the decor. Farewell seashells and hello leaves! Most everything has stayed the same this year, meaning that I'm not acquiring new things to use, except for two.

The first new thing I have for fall is this pillowcase I made. Jaime shared a tutorial she found on Cluck. Cluck. Sew and when I saw it, I had to make one too.  The difference between a beginner and professional is that I took 5 hours to make my pillow and Allison, of Cluck.Cluck.Sew, took 30 minutes to make hers.  haha  AH!!!  I'm sure if you tried it, you'd be somewhere in between.  I will slip in a quick note that I believe I have substantially more petals than she does.  I am anal retentive.  But I'm excited that this pillowcase can last me from September to March!

Can you see my toes in this picture?  [I'm about to brag, so grab your vomit bag.]  I have the BEST luck with pedicures!!  On my toes is my french manicure (french pedicure?) paint from 4.5 weeks ago.  My toenails grow super slow and the paint clings like a mother. If only my callouses would require less attention... TMI?



Okay, so my other excitement is this tree branch.  Scoff if you will, but I've been wanting something fall and tall for this large vase for almost two years.  I've been on the hunt and although you can find silk flowers in lots of stores, I just wasn't as happy with the quality of the others as I was for the Pottery Barn one.  So for Christmas last year, I asked for a Pottery Barn gift card from the in-laws and I've been saving it for this very thing!!  Just got it yesterday and I'm really happy with it.  Although as I look at it, I think I need some more rocks in that vase...?  What do you think? Something's kinda missing on the table when I see it in the picture, even though it looks fine in person. Hmm...

Happy Fall, everyone!

I wish you beautiful leaves and pumpkin spice lattes!

The LBC, part 2

For the last 40 years, my family has been going for Chinese food at Le-Yen. My great grandparents first discovered it, and our whole extended family loved it. Once my parents and I moved to Orange County, our visits were only for special occasions. And since my immediate family moved to Vtown three years ago, we haven't been at all. So while the aquarium was loads of fun, I think it was a secret excuse to go to Le-Yen. =) If you find yourself in the LBC with a hankering for some egg flour soup, consider Le-Yen's. It's at 4140 N. Atlantic Ave.

I don't think they've replaced their serving ware at all in the last 40 years.  This may be off-putting to new comers, but it was like a "welcome home" to me.

Pinkalicious loved her chicken nuggets and shrimp.  Not such a fan of the fried rice, though. =)

I forgot to take a picture of the fortune cookies and almond cookies before we each had one.  It's a tradition to open the fortune cookies first and to take turns reading them aloud.  You may be scoffing that I would call it a tradition, but there are so few things my family does repetively that don't include recliners and Jeopardy, that I call it a tradition.
Here are our fortunes:

Dad: "Your good nature will bring you much happiness." This was especially funny because he was kinda pissed at that particular moment.

Mom: "Business and health matters will improve around you." We all felt glad to be around her, and bummed for her that her situation was apparently going to continue to suck.

The Hubs: "You will be surrounded by things of luxury." I'm holding him to that.

Me: "Continue to use your talents in art and music."  Since then I have only been speaking through song.

Pinkalicious: "You are a leader in your own way."  We're not sure if that backs up her benevolent dictatorship, or if it's like saying that an ugly person has alot of character in their face.

Wasn't sure if the statue's handful of coins was an offering, or some sort of Asian "Need a penny, take a penny."  I figured I wouldn't find out by taking a quarter and ending up with Mushu rallying my ancestors against me.  We were happy enough to be taking the leftovers home! =)

The LBC, part 1

On Friday, my parents took us to the Long Beach Aquarium! I was especially excited for this venture because when I was little, my dad's parents would take us to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and it was my favorite. It was there that I fell in love with ocean life, especially sea otters, and the opportunity to continue that with my parents and my kids was extra specially special.

The Hubs' expression is fabulous in this picture!

(That's our yacht in the background, btw.)

Aquarium + Sea Otters + Dana = Happiness

Fam and Fish!  Pinkalicious is sporting her fish face. =)

Petting a shark!!  This was a big step for our cautious girl!

Sea Anemones.  I thought they stung, but these did not.

Our little trooper!  He had a meltdown after 1.5 hours in the Ergo.  He and I were both sweaty messes, but he quickly recovered with sweet smiles and squeals.  I entered a wet t-shirt contest and the day camp kids voted me the winner.

Daughter and Daddy

Jellyfish abounding

The white in the middle is several hundred fish eggs laid in a sea anemone!

Pinkalicious found pink fish!!

5(Nemo + Dori)

Sea Dragon and Sea Horse

Both the sets of pictures of my parents and the sea otter exhibit turned out awful.  (I used it as a plug with The Hubs to get myself a Nikkon D5000... maybe if Santa comes in the form of the Lotto.)  But Pinky loved it, which of course delighted me!!  I am so thankful to my parents for a great trip and fun memories for all of us!!! 

If you are going for something new for your kids, I would definitely recommend the aquarium for ages 4+.  I think if the kids are any younger, they'd be more focused on the other people than the exhibits.  But of course, if you're going for your own fun, there's nothing wrong in bringing them.  Bring your AAA card for ticket discounts and plan to dress for both inside and outside weather - if you do this on a rainy day, you'll be missing alot. 

Flowers for Fall

It's September!! And with a change in the month and weather (albeit, we're back in the 100s now), I wanted to get a little crafty to celebrate. Craftiness is something I have gleaned from my Vtown friends. It is not a natural character trait, so it's always a gamble when I take on a new project.

Jaime (of John Mayer and The Baeza Blog) mentioned fabric flowers in one of her blog posts back in the spring, and I remembered her saying it was easy. She is a craft queen and I should have known that when she says it's easy, that is not equalvilant for a girl who is all thumbs (although, being all thumbs, I could probably kick her butt at the Hand Jive.). So I gave it a try and chronicled in pictures.

First I cut my fabric into 22" x 4" strips and sewed it together to make a ribbon-ish thing (that's the technical term).

I wove thread along the bottom and cinched up the fabric as I went.

Then I sewed it together.  If the thread didn't blend with the fabric you would see the world's largest spiderweb of thread on the back of this puppy.  This was truly the hardest part for me.  I could not keep the darn thing wound around and/or I couldn't keep it from looking like a fancy coaster.  I'm sure I let some expletives fly.  This should be easy. "Should."

A slightly tilted view of the front.  Once I finished sewing the flowers, I glued a broach pin on the back so that we can wear them - in case you're wondering what the heck someone is supposed to do with a fabirc flower.  As I look at it in this photo, I'm not all that impressed.  They look better in person.  No hard feelings if you click to another blog.

My pile of finished rosettes!

I used my Cricut and made these tags. 

"Happy as a lark to be doing MOPS with you this year!"

A pretty package!

My stash for my new MOPS table and Pinkalicious' preK teachers, Miss Leslie and Miss Diane.

Of course I have to have one for myself!!! 

By the end of making the pins, I felt pretty confident (and I streamed the whole series of "The Hills."  Train Wreck!!!).  I'm very happy with how they turned out! And I'm also happy that Heidi and Spencer did not have a baby.

Thanks to Jaime for sharing her cool idea, and to all you crafty gals for inspiring me to dust off my glue gun and go for it!

A Family Outing (No, I'm not gay)

The Hubs and I went with Mr. Monkey and Pinkalicious to Target (pronounced: tar-shay, if you're desperately clamoring for a shred of class) the other day and we had a great time in the toy section.  Lucky for me, I had my camera to capture the fun!

Look at this freaky-ass Barbie wannabe!!!  I literally backed away in revulsion.  It's too hard to see it in the picture, but this "girl" has golden, star-shaped nipples under her dress that you can totally see. 

1) What the hell?

2) Who would buy this for their kid?

3) Did Target receive a shipment intended for Spencer's Gifts?

4) Why is the clearance price $11.88?! 

This should be a Dundee, not a 4+ child's toy.

Here are modern Barbies.  I thought it was picture-worthy because someone came through and paired Barbie up with a Jacob doll.  Look out Ken; your competition comes in wolf form.

This made my heart skip a beat:  Peaches and Cream Barbie!!!!!!  This was the first Barbie I owned.  I was determined to win it at my school's jog-a-thon during my second year of preschool.  I can promise you there are no hidden stars on this Barbie doll!

Was anyone else a Rainbow Brite fan?  I had the doll and watched the cartoon.  It's weird to see trinkets from my childhood being resold to my daughter.  I wonder how many kids are into these 80s toys, and how many of the toys are actually purchased by parents who want to recreate their childhood for their children? 

I was not the only one reliving childhood memories.  I walked back and spotted The Hubs drooling over Nerf toys and plotting which ones we'll be buying for future Christmases.  Here he is, posing with the sleeping Monkey (pay no attention to that kid behind the blanket) and his favorite Nerf toy of all time - The Dart Gun.

In the end, nothing caught Pinkalicious' attention more than the keyboard.  She enjoyed playing for a while as we all enjoyed mooching off of Target's AC. 

Note:  This is Pinky when I say "Look at me and say 'broccoli!'"  My kid never smiles at the camera.  Whenever you see a picture where she is actually looking AND smiling, know that it took about five minutes to be captured. 


Oh Target, you are the land of red circles, free AC, and real Icees (another fond memory).  And your return policy sucks.