About Me

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I'm a 45 year old mother of 3 boys. I live in a beautiful old house that needs a lot of TLC with my youngest son and 2 dogs. I am working hard at keeping myself healthy and fit by working out and doing a spot of running. I'm a creative person and am passionate about keeping traditional skills alive. I cook, knit, bake, garden, preserve, read, write and am now learning to spin and quilt. Oh and I sometimes swear.....

Monday, December 13, 2010

Tex Mex Extravaganza

I love tex mex style food.  I've just spent the whole weekend filling my freezer with such goodies as slow cooked beef chilli with chocolate, chicken chimichangas, spicy pork and black bean empanadas and taco spiced minced beef.  Like Chinese food, if prepared freshly from scratch it is healthy and economical as you can make a little meat go a long way.  By adding lots of veggies and using beans you can healthily feed growing boys and runners (as long as you don't mind the accompanying wind!!)

Take the above plate, a chicken chimichanga and 3 wee empanadas with lettuce, tomato salsa and guacamole.  Cost to make was well under £2 (most expensive item was probably the guacamole) but you would pay much more if you were eating out in a restaurant.

I have recently been accused of living extravagantly.  I'm not quite sure how that adds up as I only shop at supermarkets.  I don't buy clothes/shoes/champagne.  I haven't been out for a meal in a restaurant since my wedding anniversary in July.  I haven't been to the cinema or theatre or a concert all year.  My one indulgence is food.  I buy organic where I can, I buy ethically reared meat and I use Fair Trade and environmentally aware products wherever I have a choice.  If that's extravagant then I make no apology for it.  I will compromise in other areas to make up for it.

Food and eating has been difficult for me over the last 3 months.  I'm so pleased that I have found my cooking mojo again and I have 2 delighted sons who look forward to something other than the dreaded pasta every night!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm still drooling over the thought of slow-cooked chilli with chocolate - mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! My cooking mojo is missing, presumed dead, but that sounds like a tonic to restore it - can you share the recipe?

Anonymous said...

I guess this may not be very relevant to this posting; but why have you changed the blog background from distinctive lurid pink to a kind of guacamole green?

I think I prefer the pink; but please don't change back just 'cos of me!

And, bit more relevant to the post, I reckon it would be great to have some healthy recipes spelled out. (Keep it simple!)

Murdo

Debs M-C said...

Lovin' the "new" blog xx

Anonymous said...

Recipe for slow cooked chilli with chocolate would be great, sounds fab. I done a spanish beef with chocolate once as and strange as it sounded it was lovely.
Ker x