Archives: Shawn Connally
Recipe: Enchiladas Verdes de Jocoque
My mother turned the entire family onto this particular flavor of green chile enchiladas several years ago. Being from New Mexico, we'll try anything that has real green chile or red chile sauce in, on, or around it. The sour cream (Jocoque is a sour-cream-ish product in Mexico) and sharp cheddar combined with the fiery green chile (if you're lucky), make for some dang good eatin' in this particular dish. These enchiladas have quickly become a favorite in our households; my mom's husband asks for them on a weekly basis, and the smell of the sauce cooking on the oven draws everyone into the kitchen whenever I make them.
For my immediate family, I've cut the sour cream in half, and was recently thinking I'd experiment with using crème fraîche instead of straight sour cream. To make my own version of crème fraîche quickly, I use equal parts sour cream and whipping cream, shake them up in a jar, and let this mixture sit out until it reaches room temperature. Recipes I've found online use buttermilk and whipping cream, but I rarely have any buttermilk in my fridge.
I'll let you know how my experimentation goes, and please let me know in the Comments how you like these enchiladas if you make them!
Enchiladas Verdes de Jocoque
(Green Chile Sour Cream Enchiladas)
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 9 corn tortillas
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1.5 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cooked chicken
- 1 cup chopped green chile
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- Vegetable oil for briefly frying tortillas
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Directions
- Combine 1 cup cheese and the sour cream in a medium-sized mixing bowl. If you like your onions mostly raw, stir them in as well. Set aside.
- Whisk 1 cup of broth with the flour in a medium-sized saucepan.
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- Add the remaining broth and cook on medium heat until thickened. If you like the onions slightly cooked, add them now and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Stir the chicken, green chile, garlic powder, and salt into the broth and set aside.
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- Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy pan on medium-high heat. Dip each tortilla briefly into the oil until softened, about 5-10 seconds or less per side, then drain the tortillas on paper towels.
- Assemble the enchiladas by placing 1/4 cup of sauce on each dinner plate, followed by a tortilla, 1/4 cup of sauce, and 1/3 cup of sour cream mixture.
- Top with the remaining sauce and more grated cheese.
- Place in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
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NOTE: Enchiladas in New Mexico and in nearby environs are often topped with a fried egg as the pièce de résistance. I prefer the egg with red chile enchiladas only, but knock yourself out if you'd like an egg with your green chile.
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Posted by Shawn Connally |
Mar 13, 2010 11:00 AM
CRAFT Projects, Food, Recipe |
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Scientific Cookie Round-Ups
I didn't know such a thing as scientific cookies existed, or even that a round up (or two) were needed to show off all the flavors and possibilities that creative people have come up with. But now I realize I was living in the plain white flour and possibly moldy pantries of mundane cookiedom. Why make a star sugar cookie when you can make a sugar cookie atom?
Luckily, Ms. Humble of Not So Humble Pie is blogging about all the geeky baked goodies she can find, and she's gathered them up in two (so far) round-ups. Of course our inspired cooking pals over at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories are included!
More:
Posted by Shawn Connally |
Mar 4, 2010 11:00 AM
Arts & Design, Food, Homemade, Roundups |
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Crafting with Kids Wind Chime -- Free PDF!
To me, the real signs of spring are blooming bulb flowers and wind (there's a lot of wind in New Mexico in March, let me tell you!). So when I was sent a copy of the kid crafts book What Shall We Do Today? by Catherine Woram, I was particularly interested in the homemade wind chime as a spring break project with my 7-year-old son.
Happily for me, after looking through the book my sweet boy chose about 5 projects he was interested in, including the wind chime. Yay! A couple of weeks later as I made Pasta Rustica for dinner, a big, 48 oz. can of tomatoes called out to me as the perfect vessel for our creativity.
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We gathered the other materials from around the house, or close facsimiles, picked up a few jingle bells at the Five & Dime, and we were ready.
The project is fairly simple and lots of fun -- you punch some holes in your tin can for the hanger at the top and the beads, chimes, and clapper at the bottom. Paint some stripes on the sides of the can, and then string some beads together with some jingle bells. Next, you tie the chimes onto some other pieces of string and thread everything through holes in the bottom of the can. Finally, tie everything together through another bead inside the can, wire on a hanger, and you're done. The attached PDF explains the steps in more detail.
Read full story »Posted by Shawn Connally |
Feb 26, 2010 10:10 AM
CRAFT Projects, General, Green, Home Decor, Home Sweet Home, Homemade, Kids, Metalwork, Recycle, Refashion, Super Crafty Kidz |
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Nerdy geeky love
It doesn't surprise me at all that these computer jargon, super geeky Valentines are sold out, but it does make me happy that there should be a new batch ready by Monday, just in time for you to get one to give to your nerd sweetie pie.
Here at CRAFT we were all trying to come up with some other, equally nerdy versions, mostly involving references to Star Wars, binary code, and HTML 5. What l33t <3 note can you come up with? [via BadderHomesandGardens]
Posted by Shawn Connally |
Feb 5, 2010 10:30 AM
Holiday projects, Paper Crafts, Printing |
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From Lego with Love
I can't believe it's been 5 years since my oldest son, Will Kindred, surprised me with this lovely Valentine's Day gift. It's still at the top of my list when I think of favorite Valentine's gifts, which tells me how important love and ingenuity are to the creative process, both for the giver and the receiver.
Go out and make something wonderful for the people you love! Then send in photos and tell us about it in the Comments, so we can all say "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh, that's so sweet!" together. Happy Valentine's Day!
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Posted by Shawn Connally |
Feb 4, 2010 11:00 AM
Holiday projects, Homemade, Kids |
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Mixed Media Valentine Applique
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With Valentine's Day upon us I thought I'd make a project that would be a fun gift for your valentine. This mixed media appliqué project was inspired by the "I Love You" fabric used for the man's face. I found it on Etsy and almost immediately knew what I wanted to do with it. He has "I Love You" written all over his face, as he blushes with emotion — his mood perfectly fits the holiday. The end result looks a little like David Duchovney, doesn't it?
Materials
Photograph or drawing you like You can also download a PDF template of the image I used.Marker layout or tracing paper
Red, pink, or orange fabric with a Valentine's-themed print
Off-white silk organza
Wool felt in pink, brown, black, and blue
White cotton canvas
Black thread
White silk thread
Medium brown thread
Dritz Stitch Witchery
Tools
PencilComputer
Scanner
Printer
Tracing wheel
White tracing paper
White wax pencil
Scissors
Sewing machine
Needle
Iron
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Posted by Shawn Connally |
Feb 3, 2010 12:00 PM
CRAFT Projects, Design, Fiber Art, Holiday projects, Homemade, My Paper Heart, Sewing |
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Keep Calm and Carry Yarn
Earlier this week, our friends over at BoingBoing pointed to this new variant of the Keep Calm and Carry On meme. It's a no-brainer for the newly organized crafty space of you knitters, crocheters, and other yarn lovers.
The BB post caused the item to quickly sell out, but there's a poster now available in navy. And luckily, JennieGee, who's selling her hand-pulled screen prints on Etsy, promises to have a bunch of new colors printed over the weekend. Enjoy!
Posted by Shawn Connally |
Jan 28, 2010 11:00 AM
Home Decor, Organizing, Paper Crafts, Yarn |
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Recipe: Vegetarian French Onion Soup
My teenage son recently demanded that he be taken to the French restaurant down the street because everyone in the family and *all* of his friends had eaten there ... everyone we knew, in fact, except him. He wanted an authentic French meal, whatever that means, but he didn't go for the mussels and pommes frites that I suggested.
His choice was French Onion Soup and butter lettuce salad. I warned him that the beef stock in the soup might be too strong for his mostly vegetarian palate, but he insisted. Not surprisingly, he ate the cheese and bread off the top, finished the salad, and then said he didn't really like the soup part.
Luckily for him, I got this recipe from my aunt a couple of decades ago, and whipped some up last week when the rains hit Northern California with a vengeance. Cooking sherry or brandy adds a nice bit of flavor to the vegie stock, butter, and onions. Even my finicky 7-year-old ate part of a bowl, because, come on, who doesn't like melted cheese on toast infused with the essence of onions? And the teenager ate 2 bowls for dinner and another bowl for lunch the next day. Maybe he'll try mussels someday, too.
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Posted by Shawn Connally |
Jan 21, 2010 11:00 AM
CRAFT Projects, Food, Recipe |
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Sweet and Easy Handkerchief Bunting
In my quest to find a pretty bandanna for my family's new female puppy (pink! pink! I finally get to dress someone or something in pink!), I stumbled upon a bag of vintage cloth handkerchiefs I'd picked up at estate sales over the years.
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As I was tying the very pinkest hanky onto my pup's neck, I realized I could tie them together and create a bunting. I'd been saving them for some inspired project that wouldn't be too feminine in my mostly male household, but over the years all my ideas had been shot down -- "No, dear, you cannot frame them and hang them all over the living room and bedroom." "Well, honey, they don't really work as pillows on the dinosaur and rocket quilts." "Sweetums, I just don't think they'll work as napkins, especially when all the kids really eat are mac'n'cheese and caesar salad."
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So obviously, I was thrilled by my "discovery," and decided to take it one step further by ironing the kerchiefs into triangles and then neatly tying them together. I think the results are terrific, and I may even be able to convince my husband to let me hang them in our bedroom. If not, then I'll at least bring them out for birthdays and other special occasions. Finally, something easy to do with one of my stashes of pretty vintage things! Now I just need about 30 more ideas for my other collections.
Posted by Shawn Connally |
Jan 14, 2010 11:00 AM
CRAFT Projects, Fabric, Home Decor, Vintage |
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Winter Olympian Does It with Yarn
Freestyle skier (moguls) Hannah Kearney enjoys knitting as a "soothing pastime." (Photo by NBC Sports / USOC)
With just over a month until the Winter Olympics begin in Vancouver, it was neat to find out that some of the Olympians are crafters as well as world class athletes. Take skier Hannah Kearney (pictured above), for instance.
A skier since the age of 2, Hannah was introduced to knitting in the 3rd grade. She's hooked on it now, pardon the pun, and carries knitting supplies with her on the road, along with photos of family and friends.
Here's a short interview I did with her as she prepares for what will hopefully be her second Olympic appearance. You can learn more about Hannah Kearney and other Winter Olympics athletes at NBCOlympics.com and the Team USA site. Be sure to look for the skier in the hand knit hats!
Olympian Hannah Kearney knit this sweater for her dog. (Photo by Hannah Kearney)
How long have you been knitting?
Hannah Kearney: I have officially been knitting since 2003, but I learned the basics when a 3rd grade project required me to carve my own knitting needles out of the twigs on an apple tree.
How did you learn to knit?
I learned to knit when a friend -- who is like an aunt to me -- was just learning herself and encouraged me to take a class at the yarn shop in my hometown of Norwich, VT.
What do you get out of knitting, why do you like doing it?
I love the fact that knitting is a productive, yet soothing pastime. I can be making gifts for my family while stuck on an airplane or knitting a hat for a charity while watching a baseball game on television.
What's the best thing you've made, the biggest, the worst, your favorite?
The first thing I ever knit was a terrible baby blanket that was supposed to be a perfect square, but I managed to add several dozen stitches while I was knitting and it ended up looking a lot like a trapezoid. Next, I knit a red wool sweater that took me 76 hours. It has since been donated to an orphanage in Russia. Some of my favorite items to knit are hats because they are quick, satisfying and useful in the New England winters. I really enjoy hats with cables in them.
Do you do any other crafts?
I own a sewing machine and would love to develop my skills, but for now, I mostly use it for hemming.
Has knitting helped you with your skiing, or vice versa?
Knitting has a rhythmic, calming effect and I clearly remember finishing an elaborate sweater-vest before my final run at the 2005 World Championships. I won, so maybe it was a result of my knitting.
Posted by Shawn Connally |
Jan 7, 2010 11:00 AM
Interviews, Knitting |
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