Homemade Taquitos

When I was a kid, we lived in the mountains below Yosemite. As a child, I rarely went into the city. I can remember on one of those trips stopping at this little roadside place that sold taquitos. They had this green sauce that I later learned was guacamole. I was probably five or six. They were absolutely delicious. 

As an adult, I still love them. I have not found a restaurant that serves them. I found one obscure restaurant hundreds of miles away that serves Flautas. Flautas are flour tortillas, not corn, that are stuffed with various fillings. Good, but not the same. The ones that can be purchased in the grocery store cannot compare to fresh hot handmade taquitos. 

When I started making homemade corn tortillas, I decided to try making my own homemade taquitos. I have made green chili chicken and beef so far. Both were very good. As I continue to perfect my recipe and techniques, I will share what I have learned here on the blog. 

I made 19 corn tortillas and rolled them into beef taquitos. I froze
them on a tray and then bagged them up. 

I cooked five frozen taquitos.

They turned out beautifully. Now that I know that I can
batch freeze them, pull them out when I want and
cook them frozen I will be stocking up on them.

I made a green chili lime sauce to serve with the taquitos.

Delicious, absolutely delicious!

Making tamales is on my bucket list. I just picked up corn husks and masa. There is a lady and her daughter that makes them in the city. They used to go by businesses and sell them at lunch. That's how we discovered them. We would call when we were heading into the city, place an order and we would meet the daughter. I'm not sure if their business survived the pandemic or not. I sure hope so. They were the best tamales! I need to practice before my friend visits in the fall. She also loves tamales. I want to surprise her with homemade tamales.  

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

America, Happy 250th Birthday!

 Stay safe and have a great time...

This is my biggest knife, and it wasn't big enough to
cut through this huge watermelon. I had to turn it end
over end to get the job done.

The watermelon halves are in the 
refrigerator chilling. 

I picked up a small bottle of Tajin seasoning.
I heard that it's good on watermelon.

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Scriptures and Pictures - Rainbows

 

Genesis Chapter 9

(v) 8 God spoke to Noach and his sons with him; he said, 9 “As for me — I am herewith establishing my covenant with you, with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you — the birds, the livestock and every wild animal with you, all going out of the ark, every animal on earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you that never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God added, “Here is the sign of the covenant I am making between myself and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the cloud — it will be there as a sign of the covenant between myself and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth, and the rainbow is seen in the cloud; 15 I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you and every living creature of any kind; and the water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”

17 God said to Noach, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between myself and every living creature on the earth.”

Ezekiel 1:28

28 This brilliance around him looked like a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was how the appearance of the glory of Adonai looked. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking.

Revelation 4:3

3 The One sitting there gleamed like diamonds and rubies, and a rainbow shining like emerald encircled the throne.

Revelation 10:1

10 Next, I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was dressed in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, his legs like columns of fire;

Shalom, 

Mrs. Smith

Life Off Grid -Meal Prepping - DITL

I decided to try my hand at corn tortillas using Maseca instant corn masa flour. I tried regular corn flour a couple of times, but I just couldn't get the consistency right. Let's just say that the chickens really enjoyed the treat. 

This stuff is the bomb! It was so easy and fast that I had to ask for help from Number One Husband. He prepared the meat and toppings while I grilled the tortillas. Once he was finished, he was able to lend a hand pressing out the tortillas. 

I chose Maseca as one of our grocery items
on our No-Spend Challenge. I'm really glad 
that I did.

Yields up to 7.2 pounds of homemade tortillas for $3.98.

The results were perfect and much better than storebought corn tortillas. 
They were soft and supple with an outstanding fresh flavor. In addition,
there are no unwanted ingredients in them. 

My Central Coast Woodworks Tortilla press has been an indispensable
kitchen tool. Tortilla Press 

I topped mine with a few Pickled Mexican Carrots that I can up when 
I have extra carrots that I need to use up. Pickled Mexican Carrots

Yummy!

I have plenty of tortillas left over to make enchiladas or more tacos. I made a pot of pinto beans in my pressure cooker and rice in my Saratoga Jack's thermal cooker. Check out my posts here: Saratoga Jack's Thermal Cooker I like to use the thermal cooker for rice. Each grain is individual and not soggy. So, bean and cheese enchiladas with Spanish rice is on the menu. I make my own homemade enchilada sauce. This is the recipe that I like to use: The Best Enchilada Sauce

We have been enjoying breakfast cookies Ultimate Breakfast Cookies This time I used nuts, seeds and cacao nibs with just a few dark chocolate chips per Number One Husband's request. We have had a couple of cooler days, so I baked the last of the frozen cookie dough and a couple of loaves of bread. 

We had a few while they were still hot. Storing cookies in half gallon Mason jars are
a great way to keep them fresh. 

I bake bread late in the evening while the windows are open to keep the house cool. The bread takes several hours to cool off, so I have to wait to put up the loaves. The crust would dry out if I waited until morning. 

It's that time of the year when I have to keep one of the loaves I bake in the refrigerator. Last week, I lost half a loaf because it molded. It is also time to bake three loaves instead of two to reduce how much I need to use the oven. It's just too hot to bake. I will freeze the extra loaf. 

I have started using my solar ovens recently.  Sun Oven Unfortunately, the wind has been fierce for the last week, and it has been somewhat cloudy. If at all possible, I use my solar ovens. Using them helps to keep the house cool and reduces our propane bill. 

I meal prepped Mexican Pinto Bean soup this evening to cook in the sun oven tomorrow. I found the recipe here: Mexican Pinto Bean Soup I just love Calvin and Marie from Southern Country Living on YouTube. They are so sweet. This stuff is really good with cornbread. I think I will bake a small pan in my other sun oven while the soup is cooking. Tomorrow is not supposed to be windy or cloudy. I will put both of them on in the morning and let the sun do its thing. It is really cool to be able to use the sun for cooking and electricity. 

I used the dry beans that I cooked earlier. 

I also had some vegetables already chopped in the refrigerator, so I made some egg fried rice. I used the rice that I cooked earlier. I'm getting a jump start preparing for the Sabbath and the next few days of meals. 

I put together the ingredients for Number One Husband to cook his breakfast in the morning. I dislike cooking and eating and smelling breakfast. All he has to do is throw his hashbrowns and meat in pans and toast his bread. I usually clean-up afterwards, but it is a fair tradeoff. 

I froze the extra rice and beans to use at a later date. It is convenient to pull out a bag of this and that from the freezer and put together a quick meal. I know that I have the next four or five-days' worth of meals ready to go plus meals in the freezer. Meal prepping works great for me.  

I did my laundry a day early too. I had extra items to wash this week. They dried in record time due to the wind. I've done a bunch of dishes today. The chickens are happy campers when they have vegetable scraps. I have a nice bowl waiting for them for the morning. 

Well, it's getting late. I think I will veg for the rest of the evening. I slept in, so I had lots of extra energy to get things done. I took my time and did these things throughout the day. I'm sure that I accomplished other things too that I do out of habit, but I didn't share them. I enjoy doing things that help my family live this lifestyle that we have chosen to live. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

A Knocking at My Door - Scriptures and Pictures

I was awakened the other morning by a knocking at my door or rather a pecking at the door. I was catching up on some much-needed sleep when I realized that I wasn't dreaming and had inadvertently left the chicken gate open. They were ready for breakfast. Not only were the chickens ready, but so was the little ground squirrel that I have befriended. She was scratching at the side door. 

I had to stop feeding the chickens in their feeder because the ground squirrels steal most of it and stow it away for winter. I only have three old hens, and I was going through almost 40 pounds of feed plus scraps per month. 

We also have a raven named Blackie that watches the house in the mornings. As soon as I open the blinds, he starts flying around the house looking through the windows squawking as it goes. He is also waiting for the chickens to be fed. 

Almost every time I go outside the Blackie shows up to see what I am up to. If I go out to the barn, he lands on top of the metal roof creating a high-pitched fingernail scraping the chalkboard sound that makes me squeal every time. 

If I have something for Blackie to eat and he is not around I call for him and he usually shows up or starts calling back to me from a distance. If there are enough scraps to share, he calls his girlfriend. If there is an abundance of scraps, he calls all his friends to share in the bounty. I hear him outside right now. 

The hummingbirds are the same way. When I step out on the porch a little female shows up. If the feeder is empty, as soon as I open the kitchen blinds she is hovering in the window or buzzing around the bedroom window about 6 am. 

The bluebirds nest inside the chicken coop every year even though I walk in and out of the small structure daily. They sit on the fence close by while I am doing my chores. The parents teach their young to fly next to the porch.

Baby bluebirds

We have other friends too like rabbits, wild burros and 
many other bird species. There are a few unwelcomed
animals that show up, but we just keep an eye on them.

The pronghorn antelope have finally given birth. Two weeks later than last year. The mama's will lay their fawns down close to the fence that surrounds our house, so they can go get water. The fawns are nearly invisible to most untrained eyes. We seem to be their babysitters. The cows do the same with their calves. They consider our land a safety zone. During hunting season, the antelope stay close and will not leave until dusk and return before dawn. 

It is a gratifying experience to be in harmony with God's creations. They are a pleasure to watch. The Word says, "For ever since the creation of the universe His invisible qualities — both His eternal power and His divine nature — have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made"        Romans 1:20

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

The Things of This World...

What can I say? Nothing, absolutely nothing! I'm really struggling to understand the brutality of mankind. This is nothing new for me. I have always thought this. It's just been brought back to the forefront since the wars and the rumors of war, and the global chaos that are front and center yet again. 

Am I frightened? No, this is exactly what the Bible predicts over and over. God really knows us, doesn't He? Nothing is hidden from Him. He is not surprised at all by what is going on. This brings me shalom. The word "Shalom" has a deeper meaning than a greeting that most people do not understand. I didn't, but when I studied it, my eyes were opened to the meaning of "a peace that surpasses all understanding" from the Bible. I encourage you to search it out for yourselves. 

I read a post the other day from Rise One Fire Ministries on YouTube. You can find the post here This really spoke truth into my heart. 

"We should look towards world events for the signs of the Second Coming. But we should also watch out for the teachers who often make false prophetic declarations, setting dates of the very end. Your fear becomes their currency for popularity. Some children are forced to ride the never-ending End of the World narrative, live in fear without hope, and do not prepare for their future. I have seen this since being a child myself.

When their date-setting does not come true, will the false prophets be held accountable? Many come and go with prophecy, and we tend to forget their lies, and the cycle repeats. If prophecy is true, praise God! But test and mark false prophets, disregard their ministries - for the people enable them."

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Shabbat Shalom

I am desperately trying to stay awake until the Sabbath begins. I worked out in the sun today and it drained me. I am having a cup of full-strength hot tea. Number One Husband is still recovering so he hit the sack a bit early. 

I baked some giant loaves of bread for the Sabbath. Last week I divided the dough between three bread pans and ended up with squat loaves of bread. We went into town for fuel and a few supplies. I found rotisserie chickens on sale for $2.60 a piece and bought two. I divided them up for sandwiches, stock or soup and roast chicken breast. Easy Sabbath meals and what a deal!

I started mowing the grass today with a non-motorized push mower. Mosquito season is just a few weeks away. What a workout! We have had some nice rain lately, so the grass is actually growing this year. We keep the grass cut around the house to limit our exposure to mosquito bites. At least mosquito season is only a few weeks long. 

The hummingbirds showed up in full force earlier this week. They are a little camera shy, so no pictures until they get used to us. The pronghorns have not given birth yet. They are two weeks later than the last few years so far. The first few years they gave birth around the first of June, and we had lots of snow. I am speculating that it is going to be a rough winter. There are six baby buffalo calves so far. They are so sweet, but their mamas are ferocious this time of the year.  

What else? Oh yeah, the world has gone mad and it's in total chaos...

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith