The Taste of Tomatillo Success

Guess what......

My hard work has finally paid off because last weekend I made the most delicious enchiladas with tomatillo salsa ever.  Like seriously, I got mad at Nick because he pretty much inhaled them, and I wanted him to savor them since I have been growing the damn things since the beginning of the year!  How delicious do they look though... 

Ok a little messy I'll admit but I think I could eat homemade enchiladas every day of my life.

Here's the recipe I concocted for the Enchilada Sauce : 

Ingredients

• 1 can of crushed tomatoes.
• Diced fresh tomatoes, (equal to about a cans worth)
• I'm sure you could use two cans instead, but I had fresh on hand.
• 1/4 cup of diced onion
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil 
• Chipotle powder
• onion and garlic spice blend

Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, and oil to a wide skillet, and simmer until the water has boiled off and it's begun to thicken, about a half hour.  Let it cool a bit and pour into a blender, puree until smooth and season with Chipotle powder, salt, pepper, and extra onion and garlic spice blends.  The chipotle powder really adds an amazing smokiness to the sauce.  I highly recommend not skipping that step!

Meanwhile while my enchilada sauce was simmering away, I made this simple tomatillo salsa:

Ingredients : 

• 1 pound of tomatillos
• 1 onion diced
• salt

I boiled my tomatillos for about 10 minutes, then popped them in the blender to puree with the onion and salt to taste.  This recipe was definitely simple and effective, which I think is good for tasting your produce, but I think with my next harvest (which is currently waiting for me in the fridge) I will roast the tomatillos rather than boiling.  But either way the salsa was still delicious!

Next I sauteed a bunch of mushrooms and peppers to fill my generic Old El Paso corn tortillas with (hey I can't make everything from scratch!).  I smothered these with my smokey enchilada sauce and grated a heart attack inducing amount of cheddar cheese on the top, and popped in a hot oven to melt and get nice and crusty while I made a simple guacamole.  (2 ripe avacados, some lime juice and salt.).  And before I knew it I had this in front of me...

It was absolute perfection.  

Best meal of the year.  

Go make these for yourself.  

You'll thank me later.  

I love gardening.

Do you love gardening?

Are my garden posts the most boring ever?

Actually I love gardening so much I have been thinking a lot about screwing vet school and starting an Organic Farm / Vegetarian cooking school.  

Where fabulous people could come and cook for a week at a time.  

Like a relaxing cooking vacation.  We could do yoga and ride horses in the morning and then pick our food and then cook.  Would you come?

Dear Friends,

I would just like you to know that we're having fun exploring the Peak District.

Especially with all the heather in full bloom.

It looks like a purple blanket is covering the hills.

And sometimes I wonder why I'd ever want to leave this place.

But then it usually rains so I remember.

Dear August, (Yes the entire month.)


Could you please be over already?  You totally suck.  I really have not appreciated what you have thrown at me this month AT ALL... Including but not limited to...

• Studying for a Life in the UK citizenship test
• Taking a Life in the UK citizenship test.
• Dealing with massive amounts of Visa drama.
• Paying £1,500 pounds to swiftly end visa drama... but then having financial drama as a result.
• Spending the whole day at the immigration offices (I've never been to the ER but I imagine it was a similiar vibe.)
• My childhood dog dying
• Knowing that that means it is time to grow up a little.
• Getting two job interviews....and not getting either of the jobs.
• Note:  When can I be grown up enough to consider feedback "constructive criticism" and not negative/you suck at life and are a complete failure criticism?

Sincerely,

Kelly Leigh who is insanely busy

ps.  Yes, I am throwing myself a pity party. You're invited.

pss. I know it is ironic that the busier I get the less I post on Kelly Leigh Gets Busy.   

You know you've had a bad week at work when....

.... you not only decide to totally blow your diet (I HAD lost 2 pounds this week) and bust open your very last bag of nestle toll house chocolate chips (they don't sell them in England) to make cookies....

But you also decide it might be a good idea to stuff half a dozen of them with Nutella.  

Yeahhhhhhh.... fat girl decisions.

I need a new job before I become morbidly obese.

Also in an interesting twist of hormonal imbalances and a moment of enlightenment I burst into tears last night because I decided my job must be punishment because I was a very bad, horrible, judgmental person.  (most notably between the ages of 12-17).  I have since seen the light and am no longer super duper judgemental, but I have recently decided that my karma is bad from my being so awful previously.  I'm on a mission to restore my karmatic  balance, but I'm not sure where to start.  

Do you believe in karma?  Any tips for setting it right? 

PS.

If I have ever been a snooty bitch to you I'm sorry.

Can I get you a cookie?  I have a lot and I'll share.  

The Class Dunce

We've been training Heidi for awhile, but she is still super giddy around other dogs....

And then she forgets we exist and totally ignores us.

However, lately she seemed to have turned a new leaf.  We went for a 7 mile run yesterday and she heeled fairly well, and when I let her off lead on the trails she would come back to me on the first call without harassing the local fishermen or other dogs at all.  

(This is success for us.)  

So I was hoping today at her first day of school... ahem obedience classes, 

she wouldn't make a total fool out of us.

Key Word : HOPING

Before the class even started she broke NOT just one, but TWO leashes.  

The second being that of the burly looking training instructor who lent it to me as a replacement, 

And who was not at all impressed with the Doodle's shenanigans.  

(which I think is unfair really - 

like why would I be at obedience if my dog was already obedient... amiright?)

Can I also add that she decided to run laps around the field both of these times while barking and being a nuisance and EVERYONE was staring at me while I was shouting...

HEIDI COME!  

COME HERE RIGHT NOW!  

COME!!!!!

I imagine it must be like being a parent feels like when your kid throws themselves on the floor of the supermarket and has a tantrum because you won't let them have a toy or icecream or something.

Like all the other parents are watching and thinking 

"Thank God my kid isn't so awful."

Yeahhhhhhhhhh.....

So here we are... after all our hard work training... the class dunces.

Wish us luck for next Monday.

God knows we'll need it.

ps.  For those of you who are fashion bloggers, or are just nice people in general, my bestie, The Queen City Girl, Garenday has entered the My Career My Way Challenge from Lucky Magazine.  I know it would mean the world to her if you could take a little time out of your busy schedules to vote.   She is super duper fashionable and is also a good person and she is my friend.  So just vote for her!  Dooooooo it!  Doooooooooooo it!    Look how fantastically chic she is..

She deserves it!

Click here to Vote!!!