Chicken Flautas

A flauta is a filled flour tortilla that is rolled into a flute-like tube.  It is then fried.  I decided to pan fry my version in a small amount of oil.

Chicken Flautas

1 pound chicken breast  You can substitute the cooked chicken from the deli.
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup diced onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 8-inch flour tortillas
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 cup shredded cheese  I used a mix of Jack and Cheddar
1/2 cup minced cilantro

 

Toppings

sour cream
avocado
salsa or pico de gallo

 

Thinly slice the chicken breast and place it in a hot pan with a tablespoon of EVOO.  Add the spices and the onions. 

 

Cook until the diced onions are translucent and the chicken is no longer pink.  This will only take a few minutes, then add the garlic and cook one more minute.

 

Divide the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Top it with the cheese, green onions, some salsa and most of the cilantro.  Save the rest of the cilantro for topping the flautas.

 

I made a few tortillas with everything except for the chicken for my visiting vegetarian daughter

Roll each tortilla into a tight tube and secure with a toothpick. 

 

Wipe out the pan you used to cook the chicken with a paper towel and heat about 2 Tablespoons of EVOO.  Vegetable oil works, too, but that is what I used.

Cook on all side for just a few minutes, until golden brown.  You may have to push the toothpick in a bit to get all sides flat on the pan.

 

Remove from the heat and serve hot with a variety of toppings.

These were quite good and fast to make.  Next time I may put less filling in each flauta and then have more of them, but smaller ones.  Then you could eat them by hand.  These were definitely a fork item.  And one I will make again.

 

Sleepytime Extra

I have a hard time getting to sleep. If I manage to get to sleep, I wake up in the middle of the night and only fall back to sleep when most people start getting up for the day.

I started taking an over the counter sleep aid.  It is the same medication as in Benadryl, so in addition to helping me sleep, I can breathe!  Win-win.

Or at least it was until I started to read stories that taking sleep aids can affect short term memory in older people.  I don't know how old you have to be to be considered old.  But I am pretty sure I am there...or at least rapidly approaching old.  I'm racing down the back side of THAT mountain.

When I don't take a sleep aid, I do take Melatonin.  I have no idea if it works, but psychologically, if I TAKE something to sleep, I figure my body might cooperate.

 

But it hasn't been working, so I bought some Sleepytime Tea.  Oh, not just the REGULAR Sleepytime Tea.  But the Sleepytime EXTRA Tea. And it has valerian in it.  That's good, right?

 

I made a cup and drank it around 8:30.   It was a nice cup of tea and I felt very relaxed. Then I got nervous that it would be insufficient, so I got up and took TWO Melatonin tablets about 10:00.

 

I felt sleepy and turned off the light around 11:00.

Ahhh.  This is great, I thought.

 

And I woke up at 4:30 and have been up ever since.

On the bright side, the night before last I woke up at 3:45, so I am heading in the right direction.

And now I'm wondering how important short term memory is, because I know sleep is important and I'm not getting enough.

So what to do you do?  And does it work ALL NIGHT??

UPDATE:

Did the whole routine one more night.  Woke once, fell back to sleep and slept until 7:30. I'm liking this trend!

A Tisket

I have made several baskets out of scraps from quilts I have made. 

 

I decided to see how a basket from a single type of fabric would turn out.

 

I cut the strips about 1/2 inch.  I followed the instructions from the previous baskets for zig zagging the wrapped clothesline.

 

This time I sewed the top of the basket with a doubled length of fabric from the outside.  That worked better, even though it was harder to see that the fabric was in the right place. 

 

Then I tucked it into a folded edge and hand stitched it on the inside.
 
 

I wrapped a length of clothesline with some more of the fabric, and used a zig zag stitch down the center.  

 

I hand stitched it in place and added a few beads and other embellishments.

 

I like how it turned out and plan on making some more.  Don't know what I will do with them all, but I'm enjoying the process.

Small Embellished Basket

   

I still had strips left over, so I made one more small basket.

 

Just so you know, these projects are not without some sacrifice on my part.  You get a lot of glue and fibers stuck on you and I was forced to stop and wash my hands many times.

 

I decided to do a smaller basket with some embellishments. 

 

I cut a length of fabric that would fit around the top without wrapping it around the project. 

 

I wanted a solid strip on the top.

 

I pinned and hand stitched it.

 

I like this one, too.

Baked Cream Cheese Wontons

My theory is that  BAKED cream cheese won tons are lower in fat.  I have no knowledge that this is so.  But it made me think I could make some and eat them without any guilt.  Well, maybe a bit of guilt.

 

Baked Cream Cheese Won Tons

Won Ton wrappers
These are frequently found in the produce section but our Kroger's had them in the vegetarian section.
About 5 oz. cream cheese or 3/4 of a block
1 Tablespoon minced green onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Heat oven to 400°.  Oil a baking sheet generously.  Set aside.

Take half of the won ton wrappers, tightly wrap the rest and freeze for a later date.

 

Mix the cream cheese, onion, garlic and salt in a small bowl.  Put some water in another small bowl and assemble the won ton.

 

I put about a teaspoonful of the cream cheese mixture in the center of one wrapper.    Wet your finger in the bowl of water and wipe all around the edge of the wrapper. 

 

Fold it over and press the air out to make a triangle.  You may leave it this way or wrap it up any fancy way you wish. The wrapper of the won ton wrapper (say that three times, fast) has a diagram, if you are interested.

 

Place the finished wontons on the oiled baking sheet and when you are finished, spray them with Pam or brush more oil on top.  I tried both ways and the tops still did not get sufficiently brown and crispy for my taste, but the tops and sides were plenty crispy.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  Serve warm.

 

These weren't as crispy as the deep fried version, but I didn't have to figure out how to dispose of half a pan of used oil and I considered them lower in fat.  They were delicious, however!

Another basket

I'm really enjoying the clothesline basket making.  I am not ready to make enough for a site on Etsy, but it is fun and I like the creativity of it.  I'm enjoying playing with the colors and sizes and shapes.

 

I had a basket of fabric strips I had left over from my large purse project.  I thought it would be enough to make another small basket.

 

I wrapped the strips around some clothesline and zig zagged them together as I have done since I learned it for my first basket.

 

This time I went to Jo-Ann fabrics and bought some beads and findings to decorate the baskets.  I wrapped a short length of clothesline with a single strip of fabric and did a zig zag stitch down the middle.  I attached it by hand to the basket as a sort of handle.  I added a few beards of a matching color and decided I liked it. 

 

Now I want to make MORE!!!

Angel-Berry Trifle

A trifle is a traditional English dessert with rum soaked sponge cake, custard and fruit.  I found this lighter version and it was the perfect way to end a hearty meal.

 

Angel-Berry Trifle

1/2 angel food cake... from the market, easy peasy
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
2 cups Cool Whip
2 Tablespoons sugar or equivalent sugar substitute
3 Tablespoons rum, optional

 

I was making this for 4 people, so these are the amounts I used. 

 

Wash and dice the strawberries and place in a bowl.  Gently stir in the sugar or sugar substitute and set aside.

 

Slice the angel food cake and cut the slices into cubes.  I made this ahead of time and placed the cubes in a sealed container.

 

Gently fold the rum into the Cool Whip.  I returned the Cool Whip to the refrigerator until we were ready for dessert.

 

Layer the dessert by placing a large dollop of the Cool Whip on the bottom of the bowl.  Add the sliced strawberries and then the cubes of cake.  Spread another small mound of the Cool whip and then add the blackberries and another layer of the small cubes of cake.

Finish with another mound of the rum topping and the last of the strawberries.

 

I don't like the traditional trifle because the cake is soggy.  This version is light and satisfying. It was not too sweet and didn't make me feel stuffed or guilty for having a refreshing dessert.