Baskets on Display

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If you follow my blog, you will know that I have been making baskets to sell at Mountain Magic in Fall in the Town of Buchanan.  I got the first book of instructions on making coiled fabric baskets from the library.  I wanted to keep it, but libraries frown on that, so I found one on Amazon and bought it.  There are a few more books on making my new favorite type of baskets on Amazon, so I recently bought them as well.  Once I finish making baskets to sell I will try some of the different techniques in the new books.  I can't sell baskets I am learning on.  No one wants those. 

 

The library in Fincastle has a display case and various people or organizations show what they are working on for a month at a time.  I have the month of September.

 

I placed the book that I am using there, too.  It is my copy of the one the library consortium owns.  I also placed the books I will use next, in case people want to encourage the library to get those, too.  Libraries are good about that.  Tell them what you want and you have a good chance that they will get it for you.

 

This year Mountain Magic will be held October 1st.  I have reserved a space and am excited about it.  If I don't sell any baskets, I will be less excited.  I'm hoping my friends will at least stop by and visit me.

 

Naturally, I forgot to take pictures when I finished setting up the display.  The children's librarian sent me these, so I didn't have to make another trip.  It helps to have friends in high places. 

I hope to have about 50 baskets by the time Mountain Magic in Fall rolls around.  I am also hoping I don't have 50 baskets to take home at the end of the day.  My friends and family share this hope.  If I don't sell any, they have a pretty good idea what gifts they will be getting for every birthday and Christmas for a very long time....

Barter

Flint knapping is a technique almost as old as humans.  Flint can be heated and then struck to break off the edges to make many tools.  They have been made into hide scrapers, knives and arrowheads, among others  If you aren't familiar, go read Valley of the Horses by Jean Auel.  It is my favorite of her series about early humans.  It starts with Clan of the Cave Bear.  You can read about the history and techniques here, if you are interested.

One of our recent guests is an avid flint knapper.  He makes many objects, but he particularly likes the challenge of making arrowhead earrings.  It is very difficult to make two mostly identical arrowheads out of stone.  It may break a different way or the stones may not match in color or many other obstacles. 

I showed these guests some of my baskets that I make and we decided to work out a trade.  Ray sat down outside with a deer hide on his lap and Julie and I went up to my workroom.  She picked out the fabrics she liked and we decided on a shape.   We each began the process of making a unique piece of art.

 

This is the basket I came up with.  I left the embellishment off as we had decided that Ray wanted to wire wrap an arrowhead to attach to the basket and he didn't have any wire with him.

 

This is the arrowhead that I received in exchange.

 

Barter is also as old as humans, so I liked the whole concept.

Piedmont Virginian

I received an email a month or so ago.  It seems that a recipe I had posted on this blog had popped up on an Internet search for an apple butter recipe to include in the September/October issue of The Piedmont Virginian Magazine. 

 

I remember that recipe.  A friend and fellow blogger had given me a jar of apple butter and I wanted to make something with it.  I couldn't find a recipe I liked, so using the amounts of flour, leavening and moist ingredients form other recipes, I came up with my own.  Mine uses some delicious spices and it was so moist and flavorful, especially the next day.

I gave permission for the magazine to publish the recipe, then I panicked.  What if I had written something down incorrectly?  That could happen!  I re-read the recipe and was sure I had done a good job of transcribing my semi readable notes.

When I was told that the recipe was definitely going in the magazine, I panicked again!  Then again, that is my usual fall back position for many life situations.  Did I lock the door?  Make sure all the animals were in? Bring my passport?

I was assured that the recipe had been reproduced for the photo in the magazine and that it was delicious, as advertised.  Whew!

 

You can access the recipe on my blog, but please purchase the magazine, if it is available in your area, or go to their site.  You have to honor such perspicacity and taste! 

Baked Chimichangas

A chimichangas is a deep fried burrito.  They are delicious.  But I found a recipe for baked ones and liked the lower fat version.  I fiddled with the recipe and made these.  They weren't as crispy as a deep fried chimi, but they were still good.  How do people who deep fry things deal with all that used oil?  With this recipe, I didn't have to worry about that.

 

Baked Chimichangas

2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup purchased salsa
1/4 cup green onions
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided use
1 cup shredded cheese, I used a four cheese Mexican blend
4 flour tortillas, I used 5 because I could fit 5 into my baking dish
1/4 cup melted butter

optional:
shredded lettuce
sour cream
additional salsa
sliced avocado or guacamole

 

Heat the oven to 350°.  

 

Place the salsa, green onions, cumin, oregano and 1/2 of the cilantro in a medium bowl and mix.  Add the chicken and shredded cheese and mix again.

 

Lay out the tortillas and distribute equal amounts of the chicken mixture in the middle of each one.  Fold the ends over the mixture and then roll up tightly. 

 

Place them seam side down in a baking dish.

 

Pour the melted butter over the burritos.  If they aren't covered, either brush the butter over the surface of the burritos, or melt more butter.  It is hard to go wrong with more butter.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the burritos are golden brown and then are magically turning into chimichangas!

 

Serve over shredded lettuce with as many of the optional ingredients as you can find.  More is better!

 

Bikers in Buchanan

Our most recent guests in our B&B were so much fun.  It was a young woman and her uncle.  They were biking across the United States.  Biking, not motorcycling.  She had started in San Francisco and was almost to her goal.  Her uncle had been accompanying her on this last leg.

 

Their stories were fascinating and meeting them is one of the best reasons for having a B&B.

   

The people you meet are so much fun.

Among The Wicked

I just got Linda Castillo's latest book in the Kate Burkholder series.

What is it about getting the latest book in a series by a favorite author? 

It's sort of like falling in love again.  There's the love of familiar characters that you have missed, you're impressed by the author's skill in carrying you along in their story and maybe a bit of jealousy at the skill that you wish you had.

There are times you put the book down because you can't stand the thought of finishing the book so soon.  And then you snatch it up and rush through to the end.

Kate Burkholder is a Police Chief in a small town in Ohio.  She used to be Amish and this helps her and hurts her in her dealings with this private group of people.  She has ambivalent feelings of her time with the Amish and she tries to navigate her role as a police officer and a woman in today's world.  She is a truly interesting and complex character that you will grow to care about, too.  Start with the first book, Sworn To Silence.

Fall in love.

Mexican Naan Pizza

 
I like it when I find easy recipes that are a bit different.  So when I found one for making pizza on naan bread, I decided to try it.  Indian and Mexican in one meal!  This can be made on a grill, but we don't have one, so I used the oven.  Some people like to cook outside when it is hot, but in my opinion, when it is hot, crank up the A/C and stay in where it is cool!  Lee doesn't like to use the grill, so I used an oven, but if you like to grill, use that!

 

Mexican Naan Pizza

2 pieces naan (found in the bakery/deli section of most grocery stores)
1/3 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup shredded, roasted chicken  also from the deli, cooked whole, or a hunk of chicken breast
1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 ear of cooked corn, with the kernels cut off  This can also be grilled.  See above, no grill.
 thinly sliced onion

1/3 cup black beans, if you have them  I didn't.

diced avocado
chopped fresh cilantro

 

Heat the oven to 400°.  Warm the naan for about 3 minutes.  While it is warming, drain the salsa.

 

Remove the naan and spread the salsa on each piece.  Distribute the chicken, cheese, onions, corn and black beans, if you were smart enough to have them.

Return the naan to the oven.  Cook for about 7 minutes, or until the cheese is all melted. 

 

Remove and garnish with the avocado and cilantro.