Life Is Good

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
--Kalidasa

Organic Inspiration

We had the pleasure of visiting a local organic farm today. It felt great to get my hands into the ground and touch dirt. I was instantly calmed by the feeling of the soil between my fingers and the aromas of all of the luscious greens that surrounded me.
A bouquet of wild chive flower, fennel, lavender, lemon sorrel and thyme filled my mouth and serenaded me to return again and again to receive it's blessings.
I felt a spectator in Nature, whose children, my children- in fact all children- were like wild kittens romping through Eden and realizing all of the pleasures that the unaffected world has to offer.
Tasting and seeing all of the herbs, edible flowers and greens inspired me to want to prepare a pallette of fresh, organic uncooked meals to share a little bit of paradise with you.

Holy Enchilada!

The following is a recipe for a Layered Enchilada that my Aunt Marie has perfected. I hope you appreciate the lengths I've gone to to convince her to let me share it with you. It has the perfect combination of spiciness and creaminess that always leaves me begging for more. You're friends will marvel at your deftness with white sauce and jalapenos!
I know you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

Layered Enchilada

375o
20 minutes baking
Lots of prep time!
6-8 Soft Tortillas (if using lasagna pan, I use 2 large packages-1½ per layer)
1 lb. Ground beef (or turkey)
3 peppers diced (green, red, yellow)
4-6 jalepenos
1 onion (finely diced)
½ c. chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic (minced or pressed)
1 sm can Old El Paso enchilada sauce (Mild)
1 can Black Beans (well-rinsed!!)
few drops of hot sauce (tobasco, or louisiana)
1 - 1 ½ t. chili powder
dash of Worcestershire
couple drops of Tabasco (a little goes a long way)
sm. Can sliced black olives (drained)
Cheddar cheese (shredded) (Can buy pre-shredded cheddar-jack)
Lots of chopping!! I use the food processor. Chop onions separately or with jalepenos. The bell peppers can all go together.
Before cooking:
• Open the cans of: enchilada sauce, black beans and olives.
• Shred cheese.
On medium-low heat, brown meat with diced onions. Add: diced peppers, jalepenos and minced garlic.
I add the cilantro last, so I don’t overcook it.
Keep meat sauce warm while preparing white sauce.
White sauce:
1 c. milk
1 tsp butter
1 - 2 Tbsp flour
1 c. sour cream (can use low fat)
Melt butter, add flour, then add milk until sauce thickens. (I usually microwave the milk for two minutes while I melt the butter, to speed up process.)
Remove from heat. You can wire whisk the sauce to cool it a little before adding sour cream. This will keep mixture from separating.
In baking dish Layer:
white sauce - tortilla - meat sauce - white sauce - cheese – tortilla –etc.
Top: Tortilla - thin layer of white sauce – topped with cheese

Goce!