Heather Marie Adkins's Blog, page 20

Kinda long absence…

Been awhile.  My blog thinks I'm neglectful.

I went to DC May 10-16.  Came home long enough to get some gardening done, as well as some homework, before leaving for a weekend in Nashville at the Renaissance festival.  Then, spent the first part of this week doing all the homework for my last class so that I have nothing else to do but write.

The Temple is done.  It is as done as it is going to get without the resources to hire a killer editor.  Tonight, I uploaded the final file for safekeeping, where it will sit and wait until my lil sis finishes the cover.  When the cover is done, it will go live.

Short blog, for now.  I've a killer headache.  Ready for bed.  Wish I wasn't sitting at work.

What's in the Kitchen? Bean Quesadillas

I'm trying to move away from meat.  Not that I want to be a vegetarian - on the contrary, I rather enjoy poultry and the occasional burger or hot dog.  But, on the sustainability platform, meat is one of the "villains."  Think of all the resources wasted to raise the livestock for the pound of meat from the grocery.  Think of the impact it has on the environment, not only because of how they are cared for but for the factories who process it and the transportation it takes to get it to your door.  Not everyone is lucky enough to have an organic farmer nearby selling fresh, free roaming, grass fed meat.

So, cutting back on meat intake.  Saturday night, I was looking to have dinner ready for when Andrew came home from working the Derby.  We had soft taco shells.  We had a variety of ingredients.  So, this is what I concocted.

1 can hot chili beans

1 can refried beans

1 can of corn

half of a fresh jalapeno pepper (you could certainly use peppers from a jar)

a whole fresh serrano pepper

some onion

some fresh cilantro

Put the chili beans in your skillet first.  Let them get warm and then mash them up with a fork!  You can leave some semi-whole; I did.  When they are smooshed to your liking, add the refried beans, corn, onion, and cilantro.  Stir it well, letting it cook a bit, then add your peppers.  I didn't let it cook for long after adding the peppers because nothing beats the taste of fresh peppers.

While cooking the bean mixture, boil some rice (white or brown, whatever you like.  I used brown.)

When rice is ready, place three soft taco shells on a cookie sheet.  Slather in bean mixture.  Throw on some rice.  Add shredded cheese to your liking (I used a "Mexican" mix), and put in a 350F oven for several minutes until cheese has melted and its warm.

Serve with sour cream and salsa (we had homemade salsa…always the better bet!) and enjoy!