Look! I planted my basil indoors on the first day of spring and today I got the first sign of life! This makes me so happy on a very dull Monday. I feel like I'm gardening lol!
We had an ice storm overnight. This kind of weather makes me uneasy because we often lose power when things get very icy and heavy like this. But so far the power lines are holding strong; and the lilac tree is holding its own too. The ice on the little twigs look almost silver.
The bird feeder is frozen solid! I tried to break it up a little for the birds today but I kept slipping on the ice below so I figure I'll wait a day then fill it up again!
Some critter found their way to the feeder though, likely one of the hundreds of feral cats in this area. We saw some prints coming out of our shed too. The shed is a useless structure but we knew that when we signed the lease a few years back. The landlord was honest and said he had no intention of fixing it or replacing it when the times comes. We never use it, though it would come in handy. The door is kind of stuck ajar and the feral cats use it, which I'm thankful for, because I have so much pity for them when the -30 C weather hits. So let's go to my favourite subject: FOOD!
I don't know why but we've been so into Mexican-style food lately. I was watching a video on how to make a homemade version of Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme. It looked rather easy and really delicious so we gave it a try. Alex did most of the cooking and preparing since my energy was still a little low by the time we started to get hungry. Oh my gosh! This meal was SO GOOD. We had fun garnishing them for the pictures too :) Here's the play by play:
These Crunchwraps were really delicious! When I saw the video a few months ago, I noted to myself that I should try to find extra-large tortillas. But I couldn't find them, so we made a few mini ones. I've never been to Taco Bell, we didn't have them here in Quebec until recently I believe, but from what I've seen, the wraps are supposed to be the size of the inside of my dinner plate when they're all bundled up and ready for the frying pan. I'll have to keep an eye out for larger tortillas because we will be making this again! Another thing is that we broke apart some taco shells in lieu of the round corn "tostada" that the original recipe called for. It seems that corn tostadas don't exist around here at all, same concept as the taco shell though, just not as pretty! :)
Look at the innards of this thing! :) And we have plenty of leftovers for a lunch or another dinner. Yum yum yum! Because the crunchwrap was browned and warm to eat, it didn't bother me so much that my "freshly" bought crappy head of $3.49 lettuce was wilted a little...it came that way to begin with, but I pretended it was just due to the cooking. :)
I'm sure your wraps are MUCH better than Taco Bell's!
ReplyDeleteThanks Debra! At least we know what's in them, including wilted lettuce lol.
Deletecan you please just STOP with pics of melting, ooey-gooey cheese?!?!>?!? i am dying here! giving up the cheese is the hardest thing i have ever done in my life. and that's after giving up coffee....says the person who drank upwards of 2 pots a day for 15 years. no - cheese kills me because i love it so much!
ReplyDeletethose tacos look so deeelishous i am actually tearing up in my eyes!
i am soo proud of your basil...we set up our seed-starting contraption in the house today and tomorrow i will plant 40-some odd tomatoes and 30-some odd peppers - woohoo! i'll have a post up later about our crazy set-up.
again - i love your tacos! sending love! your friend,
kymber
Oh Kymber, I'm sorry :)) I know how hard it was giving up dairy for a year, the vegan cheese just doesn't cut it! I don't know what I'd do if I had to give up cheese or wine, those are my two big ones! Coffee...I could give up, it's not a do or die for me, but 2 pots a day, wow! You must have been wound up!!!
DeleteThanks, the basil is my little pride and joy, the first gardening of 2017!!! :) I can't wait to read about your set up!!!
my basil is up too! i am so happy! those crunch wraps look good!
ReplyDeleteThat's great Joyce :)) Having something grow right now is really lifting my spirits!
DeleteYou sure have lots of good food to be living at the north pole!
ReplyDeleteLOL...Gill...I still wish I had access to more fresh food though!
DeleteThere is nothing more satisfying than seeing seeds sprout.
ReplyDeleteHI Toirdhealbheach :) I agree, it helps remind me that spring is right around the corner.
DeleteYay basil !!! Congratulations :)
ReplyDeleteHope the ice will be melted by tomorrow.
Hmmm the food looks delicious like always.
Thanks sis, yay for basil! :) The ice is all melted because it's still raining! I just hope the snow melts along with it soon.
DeleteMUST try the crunchwraps! We're Mexican food lovers too and frequently eat tortillas, but folding and crisping them up makes them look super yummy.
ReplyDeleteAnd huzzah for your basil! So exciting to see that new growth, especially after looking out your window, LOL
Thanks Leigh :)) The view from the window is challenging me....but it can't be too much longer before I see the ground again! Oh gosh, those crunchwraps really are delicious, we're having the leftovers for dinner tonight.
DeleteMay basil is up too. I think I may plant a few more just for indoors.
ReplyDeleteHi Kristina :) The reason I planted basil is because you said that you grow it indoors year-round, so thanks for the inspiration :)
DeleteLook at your green thumb!!!! :) Lovely to see things come to fruition isn't it? I need to get on my plants...this weekend for sure!
ReplyDeleteThose crunch wraps look good! I have never had one but I think I will need to make. The recipe looks fairly easy too. I can find large tortilla wraps here - if you can't find I would be happy to mail you out a bunch. I do have a recipe to make your own, but I can never be bothered. I have a really good recipe for bang bang shrimp tacos and the tortilla recipe comes with it. I am getting lazier the older I get!
I did finally come around to making a weekly menu again. This settles me somewhat knowing I have things sorted in the kitchen.
Your ice storm hopefully will be the last one of the season! We are heading into about 12 degrees starting tomorrow so you should be finally seeing a break if our weather follows the right pattern and reaches you soon.
Have a good day!!
Dianna
Hi Dianna :)) My thumb has turned from slightly pale green to green - finally! :) I'm so tempted to start some tomatoes indoors...but you know, I have that space issue and realistically, we both have to wait for Victoria day to put them outside.
DeleteThanks for the offer :) I know I can find those big tortillas in the city where I do my once a 6-week grocery shopping. I found them at one of the grocery stores last Halloween when I made some "boo-ritos" lol...I just didn't feel like driving 90 minutes for a bag of big tortillas, but I'll keep your offer in mind! Mail-order tortillas, I love it! :)
I'm envious of your 12 degrees...we can't seem to get over zeroish at the moment. Last night we had such a thick fog coming off the snow...it was quite beautiful. I'll have to see if I can get some photos of it tonight because we have the same weather.
Not to make you feel bad but it's good to see someone who has more snow left on the ground than we do! However, YOU have a little sprout started inside while I have nothing yet. About two more weeks before I start any of mine.
ReplyDeleteHi Mama Pea :) I'm glad my snow makes you feel better lol... :) We just got so much of it in January, then at the beginning of March, it hasn't had a chance to melt yet. Actually this area of the Laurentians is where I've had the most snow of all the areas where I've lived. Ask me in November if I'm looking forward to winter, I'm guessing an ironic "yes, I can't wait for it to snow" will come from my lips lol...
DeleteSo glad the feral cats have somewhere to go! I always feel for the animals when weather turns severe. Your crunchwraps look delish! I'll have to look them up. I have a Pinterest board (lots actually) but one is recipes I have tried and liked....this one is a big favorite and so healthy for you! This is from an Australian gal and capsicums are peppers.
ReplyDeleteCorn, Cucumber and Capsicum Salsa
2 corn cobs
1 red capsicum finely diced
1 cucumber skin on, finely diced
1 red or brown onion finely diced
Juice of 1 lemon
Good slug of lemon infused olive oil ( I use Cobram Estate)
Good handful of Danish feta ( I use Mayer Brand)
Herb of your choice say coriander, parsley or chives.
Boil a small pot of water and cook corn for about 8 minutes. Use a knife to remove the kernels.
Combine all the vegetables in a bowl
Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.
Mix herb/s through the salsa
Sprinkle Danish feta over the top.
Eat as much of this as you like and serve with lean protein for a yummy dinner.
Actually, this gal lost a bunch of weight on this salad too. I always put 2 containers of feta cheese and since we have no lemon infused olive oil I just use olive oil and squeeze fresh lemon in it. My whole family couldn't get enough of this salad when they were here last summer. I had to make another batch that's how good it is! I hope you like it and no lettuce!
Congrats on your basil!
Nice, thanks Sam! I was going to look up capsicums, never heard that before. That salad sounds so good...I love the mix of sweet corn with salty Feta!! Yum! I'm going to keep that recipe, though we can't use peppers (Alex's intolerance) or raw onions (me)...but I can substitute maybe with tomatoes and my chives...makes me hungry!
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