Mangos

One day years ago I was in a creperia in Coyocoacan and they served me a crepe with mango jelly. It was delicious. I was surprised when it occurred to me that I had never seen or heard of mango jelly before. It just seemed like a given that it would be available. I mean mango jelly, just think about it. Then I started seeking mango jelly out. Telling anyone who would listen. All the while craving it. After looking in several dozen grocery stores and a few specialty stores I finally found some. It was good but halfway across the state and not cheap. Then the epiphany. I can make it.

Mango Jam

1 lbs ripe mango
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Put water and sugar in a sauce pan and boil until it thickens. Mash mango and puree into the thickened boiling sugar water. Boil for five or so more minutes. Pour into a jar.

I didn't let enough water boil off on mine but next time I'll know.

Soapy cakes

Before I forget, again...

Pancakes:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 corn flour
1/2 white flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg
1 1/4 milk/soy milk
3 tablespoons butter/olive oil
1 pear diced or blueberries or both


I had to go digging for my soap recipe the other day too. While I'm in a documenting kind of mood,

12 oz olive oil (non-virgin)
10 oz vegetable oil
12 oz coconut oil
5.2 oz lye
2 cups water

Mix lye and water and let cool to 120F
Heat oils to 120F

Combine and stir until the mixture traces. If you haven't made soap before do some research, lye is dangerous and knowing what is happening makes the process more fun. I tried using a hand mixer for the first time and it went great. Well, other than having some not yet saponified soap slash up and hit my eyelid. It only took about 15 minutes to trace than the normal 75-90.



For some reason I only made a half batch. It is time to set up some more molds so that I can do a double batch and my procrastinating will have less effect.

huerta

Peas, zucchini, green beans, carrots, dill and spinach have been harvested so far. There is something very satisfying about walking out to the garden to gather some veggies as the start of making dinner. In case you are wondering about the title it is Spanish for 'kitchen garden'. The other morning I had a zucchini and carrot omelet with a tsatsiki like sauce. This place is about more than just remodeling houses, it is about making things and breakfast is a thing. So here is the tsatsiki-ish sauce recipe.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
1 branch of fresh dill, tsp or so dry.

Garlic, lemon, olive oil and salt can also be added. It's good with hummus too.

In other news the yard is just barely looking better if you glance at it sideways. Some of the cabinet staining actually worked, some has to be redone. More kitchen tile has been laid. The front window is being replaced after all. The swamp cooler keeps coming up with creative ways to get attention. I might have solved the garage ceiling problem, more on that later. The garden sprinklers were completed with the addition of a pressure regulator.