Facelift

I just needed to do SOMETHING to the blog. So there's my solution. Notice all the links on the sidebar... a couple "real life friends" and a couple 'e-friends' PLUS some other random blogs I frequent occasionally. Have a peeksy huh? These are all much more polished than this little blog here. I've not the inclination or patience to photograph steps to a recipe I made or steps we took when crafting something. It makes for a more interesting read I agree... but I'm trying to get out of the mindset of "Ooh! That would make a good blog post, I better get the camera" ... into the mindset of just enjoying the moment and perhaps sharing it with you all as an afterthought. If you'd like some jolly recipes, I do have to recommend one lovely bit... pumpkin bread (I made muffins... my quickbreads never seem to turn out right). Not just any pumpkin bread... friends, the QUEEN of all pumpkin breads. And please please please know that the KEY to any muffin is the gentlest mixing possible of wet and dry ingredients! Do it by hand, slowly and just barely enough to introduce the wets to the dry! This makes for a delish muffin! So I made this Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread and loved it as is... but my mouth began to quiver with delight when I imagined adding a streusel topping to it (just copy the streusel recipe from something else on that site: type in "streusel". Oh the glory that beckons!!!

So that has been my gastronomic delight of the month, along with making a batch of Tinga up last month. Tinga, you may or may not know, is one of the BEST authentic Mexican foods out there. When I stayed in Cuernavaca oh so long ago, it was hands down my favorite dish. You can't find it here in the US, insofar as I've searched restaurants and such. I used to be a literacy tutor for a Mexican woman back in Cali and she once made a batch up for me and that was the last time I'd had it until recently when I found a recipe for it online. So I'll share that with you if you appreciate GOOD, AUTHENTIC Mexican food. Be sure to follow all the recommendations in my review (my name on that site is "gimmedatcheesecake"... don't ask) That picture on the site is mine too! Enjoy!

Finally, I'm trying my hand at the slide show thing... it takes a million years to load onto blogger apparently so I'm just going to link you to it. These are pictures including Leo's 4th birthday (his cake was a disaster, try not to look at it closely), Halloween, All Saint's Day and the beach... enjoy!