Best of the Week in the Blogroll

My computer was unusable for several days this week, due to some kind of ugly "hoodoo" that attacked it. Thanks (HUGE THANKS) to my husband Paul for his diligent effort in fixing it for me.

I took advantage of the enforced internet idleness brief cold snap to make up a year's worth of chili (about 15 pounds) and put into the freezer. By using our FoodSaver vacuum sealer to package it, it will keep, frozen, indefinitely. I an not an Amazon affiliate, but if you want to look on line for a vacuum sealer, stop in at SIGIS and use Pat's Amazon Search box - she'll get a small comission for the referral if one makes a purchase. It's an easy way to for us consumers to support our favorite bloggers and doesn't add to our costs. 

When Paul handed my machine back to me on Friday evening, I found it had been a rich week in the blogging world. Lots of people outdid themselves - here are a few of those:

Josh Painter (of Texas for Sarah Palin) has a new blog focused on Texas politics: Brazos Valley Pundit. In one post this week, he reported the excellent news that the Texas Senate has approved "The Ultrasound Bill" - a law that finally gives pregnant women the right of access to their own medical information by allowing them to see the ultrasound of their baby before they make a final decision to abort. The bill also "ensures that every woman has the right to speak with the abortion doctor at least 24 hours in advance about risks, complications, and alternatives, just as they would receive from a physician prior to virtually any other procedure."

Miss Fuzzy Slippers has a satirical tour-de-fource that is almost too close to possible reality for comfort. Read it and laugh: "Fuzzy's Faux News: Central Planning/Unintended Consequences Edition". This has generated a LOT of commentary. It's a brilliant post, with a long life ahead of it.  Be sure to read it!

In a story that just keeps climbing back up after being pushed off the fence, Political Junkie Mom tells us about the White House's latest attempt to "have a chilling effect" on freedom of the press.  The Obama Administration threatened Reporter Carla Marinucci and her newspaper for reporting the truth, then lied about their attempts to bully the San Francisco Chronicle ... Big events have the spotlight, but we all need to see this little tale of genuine, honest ethics by the San Francisco Chronicle's newsroom and editorial staff.

"Watts Up With That" is the best climate-science blog around. Whatever element of weather, atmosphere or climate I am interested in, there are great posts (with superior comments) about the topic. Want to understand Sun Spots? How about El Nino? Historical weather, like the middle ages' Maunder Minimum? Wattsupwiththat.com is the place to start. One of this week's posts, "Back to basics: “Green Electric” becomes “General Electric” again", spreads word of real science's ultimate triumph over pop-sci. It
seems the whole "Green" thing is just so yesterday, and the popular kids are ready to move on to something new.

Clifford at Red Stick Rant has his take on it at "Guess What Isn't Selling?".  Oh and while you are there, check out one very interesting post by a new Guest blogger "The Grey Man": "The Man Who Shot Osama Bin Laden" He proposes that this plot line is THE campaign strategy for Obama's last two years in office. It makes a lot of things make sense to know the narrative they are using as their hook....

What were women's lives like before Sharia law's body & soul-destroying tenets took hold of the Moslem countries of the Middle East? They were free, independent, and educated - virtually on a par with modern women in Western nations today. Alice @ Just Genesis has a great overview "The Status of Women in Ancient Egypt and Arabia".

And last, but oh most certainly not least, is Gagdad Bob's stream of uber-consciousness musings on the struggle "between conservative individualism and leftist collectivism" (as well as a commentary on Mr
Obama's Osama Bin Laden speech) in "Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Obama". Bob's posts are never easy but they are always accessible. This post is well  worth printing out and taking with you to read in quiet on your lunch hour. While you are there, be sure and take a look at another post from the week: "God Spends Most of His Timelessness Arranging Meetings and Marriages"....

Have a great week - and pray for Rain in Texas, please!


Photo: One of my favorite pictures of my three Mother's Day presents! :-)

How To Make Enchiladas Like Mom Made

Mom (Narcissa Padron etc.) taught me how to make enchaladas. They are not difficult but used to be time consuming. Not so any more, as we now have excellent quality corn tortillas available and can simply warm them on a comal instead of having to fry each for a couple of seconds in lard so they would soften up enough to eat. Alvina told me recently that her mother also used to fry the tortillas, but that she no longer does either. Those old packaged corn tortillas we used to
get were not nearly the quality that we have available now.


Take your favorite brand of corn tortillas (pack of 20) and heat them each on both sides on a hot comal or griddle. Stack and wrap in a towel and set aside.

For beef enchaladas, crumble and thoroughly brown 1 pound of ground beef until it is fully cooked. Season only with salt and finely ground black pepper. Drain and set aside.

Grate colby, longhorn, or mild cheddar cheese. If you want cheese enchaladas, you will need about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cheese per enchalada. If you are making beef ones, the cheese is just for the topping, so grate the amount that suits you. Set aside.

Traditional enchaladas have chopped raw onion in them, both cheese and beef. If you like them this way, chop up some onion and set it aside.

To make the chili gravy (aka enchalada sauce), melt a couple of tablespoons of lard or shortening in a skillet. If you have cooked ground beef, you could use your beef drippings instead.

Add about 3 tablespoons flour to the hot grease and blend well. Get out your whisk and then add 3 cups of water, whisking constantly. You may need to add more water as it cooks to get the consistency right.

Add a little salt, maybe half a teaspoon.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and add your favorite brand of chili powder, again whisking constantly. This is another place where each person has to use their own taste, and amounts may vary depending on the brand you use, as well. I like a lot of chili powder in ours, some
may not want so much. Anywhere from a third to half a bottle of chili powder should be about right.

Gebhardt is the brand I use for this dish (but not for making chili - I use Morton's Chili Blend for that). Other brands are also excellent. I have been trying to remember what brand Mom used, and I can't. Need to ask some of the girls, they will know.

Cook and stir, adding a little more water a little at a time if needed to make a gravy of a thin consistency, then remove from heat.

I use a 9 x 13 baking pan for ours. Grease the pan, then spoon a little of the gravy into it and spread out across the bottom.


Take a corn tortilla in one hand, put a little chili gravy in it, and fill it with a small amount of either cheese or meat, add onions, fold the top over onto the bottom and roll it up. Lay it in the prepared pan.


Make the next one and lay it firmly against the first and so on. They should be packed closely together in the pan.When the pan is full, spoon the chili gravy over all the enchaladas, smoothing it around so that it covers all the tortillas. Sprinkle grated cheese over it all, and more onions if you wish.


Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and they are heated through.

Serve with frijoles refritos, spanish rice and ensalad.

Muy Bueno!

By the way, this same chili gravy is what she used to make Chicken In Red Sauce. Stew a chicken and remove the bones, then add to the chili gravy and heat through. Serve with tortillas!

Crops In Their Season* : Local Products

We've been oh-so-gradually moving toward "slow food" and eating more locally. As a cook, Paul has always been a big advocate of having things "in their season" because that is when quality is highest.

So we tend not to buy fresh tomatoes except locally grown during the summer, and we much prefer Texas citrus (although Florida citrus is very good in a pinch), which is available only during the winter.

Today, we are very concerned to support our local economy and conserve resources, and we favor those companies that are located within Texas and nearby states such as Oklahoma and Louisiana. Local companies use less fuel getting it to us, and small companies generally use more sustainable packaging.

I love the packages in the photo, don't you? So simple, so utilitarian - these companies are "green" by their nature and not because some marketing firm told them to be. Nothing is more true to vintage living than this.



There are some things we really need to have year round. My garden is helping provide staples such as onions and peppers. Friends have shared their fruit with us, and I have also bought from near-by "U-PIC" orchards and gardens.

Two great resources are:

PickYourOwn.Org is a wonderful directory of pick-your-own farms near you. It covers all the United States and some foreign countries, and lets you drill down to the local level very easily. The site is kept updated frequently, and welcomes suggestions and corrections.

The Texas Dept of Agriculture's "Go Texan" program is a great help when shopping. I don't even have to be consciously looking but the "Go Texan" Logo catches my eye as I scan the shelves in the grocery store. You can go to the website and search out products too, if you like to plan your shopping.

By the way, the "Morton's Chili Blend" in the picture is an old brand that my family has used all my life. Pawpaw's recipe for chili specifies using this (we'll make some this winter when it is cold out). Made by an Amarillo company, this bag was packaged by "Disability Resources" of Abilene.

*Title quote is from Acts 14:17