Black Bean Enchiladas.

Of course I would have a cookbook from my most favorite TV show. Ever. Don't you?

We made Black Bean Enchiladas tonight. The recipe called for ground caribou but since we didn't exactly have any of that in our freezer we opted for ground beef. Being our first time making enchiladas, we were very happy with the results. They tasted great and we only had one minor hitch, some parts of the tortillas got stuck to the bottom of the dish. I was pretty nervous about cooking with a jalapeno since I don't really care for super spicy food and I wasn't sure how hot it was going to turn out. It was perfect. Or at least it was for me. I think this will end up being made in our kitchen again. 

This is what Mrs. Noanuk cooked for Dr. Fleischman when he finished his fast before being inducted into our tribe. It's Mexican, except for the caribou. You can use ground chuck instead and, you know, it might even be better. Caribou is like all wild meat - almost too lean. Tasty, though. 

Dr. Fleischman doesn't really do anything with the tribe. But I feel good knowing he's an honorary member. 

(From the Northern Exposure Cookbook.)

Local Natives - Take Away Show.

I've been obsessed with this band again lately. I need more of them in my life. Another album please?

(This recording is perfect for the headphones.)

From the closet.

I got a lot of compliments on my color palette today. 

(EDIT: I just found out about Jen's Charity Shop Challenge and since I do a lot of my shopping at second hand stores I thought I would participate. Conveniently, the blouse in the photo above is from a resale shop (it cost me a whole $3!) so it will be my first submission. The Flickr group can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/charityshopchallenge/)

Google submarine.

I love that the Google homepage is a working submarine today. Complete with narwhals and jellyfish. Perfect. 

Bowie in a bowtie.

I think he liked it. 

Currently reading, just read.

A while ago a good friend of mine recommended that I read Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller. I remember that being during my 5th year of college when I was completing my thesis. I was working in my studio from 8am to 2am so, needless to say, I wasn't doing much reading at that time. Fast forward to just before Christmas, I find the book in the picked over remains of a bookstore's going out of business sale and I'm pleasantly surprised. I accumulated several other books around the same time, but Through Painted Deserts was the book I decided to start off the new year with. I'm so glad I did. 

"The seasons remind me that I must keep changing, and I want to change because it is God's way."

There are several times in the year that I feel the urge to reinvent myself. The beginning of the year, the spring, the fall. There's something about the seasons that bring that out in me, especially the spring. This sentence really called out to me when I read it. 

"I want to keep my soul fertile for the changes, so things keep getting born in me, so things keep dying when it is time for things to die. I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, because a mind was made to figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently."

The book is a memoir about Donald Miller's road trip from Texas to Oregon in an old Volkswagen Van. He and his friend Paul experience the country without the distractions of everyday life, with barely enough money to reach their destination, and Donald continues to question "why?". They discover what's really important in life, and what it's like to desire only the simple things. It made me crave a life without anything holding me down. Sometimes I really feel like if I had the opportunity to just get up and leave I would. Working odd jobs anywhere just to experience all this life has to offer. I have a love/hate relationship with books like this for that very reason. I loved this book. There isn't much else to say. 

"You're a pretty good person, you know. God made a whole beautiful earth and decided to put you in it, to experience all of this beauty. You can't do that watching television all the time." 

---

This week I started Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. I read about half of one of her books last year but lost interest in it for various reasons. I'm only a few chapters in, but finding myself much more interested in this one. A story about buying an abandoned home in Tuscany...sigh. 

(The books are sitting on the bench we are working on...consider it a little sneak peak.)

At home with the ice and snow.

Dear future bathroom in the house we will own,

Be prepared to get tiled in fish scales. 

Sincerely, Cheryl

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/3221469811)