Recipe / Tacos de Carnitas
Do you love carnitas tacos? do you?
Then you should make this carnitas recipe from Serious Eats. They figured out the best way to make them (you can check their work here) and produced a simple but flawless recipe.
We made it this weekend and were very excited with the results. The only suggestion I would add would be to substitute their salsa verde with my mom’s own salsa (recipe here) which can be made after you put the pork to roast in the oven- it will be perfectly cooled in the fridge and ready to go by the time the carnitas are done.
Go forth and make delicious tacos.
Recipe / Summer Jugo
It’s summer, it’s hot, fruits are in season- no better time than now to make some fresh juice!
Growing up my Abuela would make fresh jugo (juice) everyday at lunch from whatever was in season at Abuelo’s farm, be it mangos, papayas, or my favorite- passion fruit. As an adult I discovered aguas frescas- a mexican version of juice that’s less concentrated and low in sugar-which was perfect for me since I would always have to cut store-bought juice with water because of how sweet it was.
This season I’ve been playing with my own mashup of Abuela’s jugo and Mexican aguas. It’s actually surprisingly simple to make your own juice (no fancy juicer needed!), and to customize it exactly the way you like it.
Work / The Awards Show
I was recently asked to participate in a group show titled The Awards Show here in Portland curated by the wonderful Jen Davison. I humbly accepted and took the opportunity to work off the computer and make some fun one-of-a-kind stitchings.
I’ve always been inspired by Native American prints and patterns, so I decided to draw from the Navajo weaving traditions as a base for my medals, adding adding a more contemporaty color palette. I was very happy with how these turned out, and excited that one of my little ones found a home after show (Chester, who can be seen here).
Now the remaining three are up and available in my shop, ready for any kind of awarding situation, or just to remind someone of how great they are.
Friday Fun
So many treasures to be discovered, there’s nothing better than a thrifting excursion.
iPhone wallpaper available here
Project / Natural Cleaning
This weekend I washed my first load of laundry with a homemade liquid detergent. What started as a bit of research into natural cleaning products for a possible project for my Mom’s cleaning business, turned into a push to make my own natural blends at home.
My research revealed that most detergents are now petroleum based, rather than plant based as soap once was. This means I’ve been making my own little oil spill every time I wash dishes or take a shower. Castile soaps- which are the base for the majority of the natural cleaning blends- are plant based, made from coconut or olive oil, are biodegradable and made of renewable resources.
It turns out that most of the ingredients to make cleaners are easily found at the grocery store if not already in your pantry (as shown above from left to right- borax, baking soda, castile soap, white vinegar, and various essential oils). You can make batches as large or small as you want in your own containers, and get to choose what scents to add to your mixes, rather than getting stuck with some weird concoction companies think smells like clean (thyme + lemongrass, really?).
I found a great little book that has blends for every cleaning need possible, from detergents to wood floors to serious tub cleaning formulas. It’s small and portable, well designed and super informative. If you have any inclination to clean naturally, I highly recommend grabbing The Naturally Clean Home, by Karyn Siegel-Maier.
I look forward to making more blends, as well as working on some fun label designs for the bottle. YAY for natural cleaning, I feel less toxic already!
Resources:
The Naturally Clean Home, by Karyn Siegel-Maier
If it’s not available at a local bookstore, you can always find it on Amazon.
Real Simple Room-by room cleaning naturally guide
A nice interactive slideshow with some good suggestions.
How to Make a non-toxic cleaning kit
A good starter with a shopping list and a few useful blends.
Hi Elsa Shop now open!
I’m excited to announce the launch of the shop- featuring some of my handmade projects. Everything in the shop will be either original one of a kind work, or part of a very limited run. I’m launching with a pair of my embroidered totes, and am working on another fun project that will be up soon. If anyone would like to be put on a mailing list for shop announcements, just send me a note at hello[at]hielsa[dot]com.
Featured Tutorial / Lanolyn / Fabric Painting
Today I’m excited to share an exclusive tutorial on fabric printing from my friend and master crafter Ayelen of Lanolyn, where she features her beautiful aprons and other sewed/embroidered goods.
Ayelen was kind enough to give us a peek at her latest fabric painting project- it looks like a super fun and simple process that yields great results.
Project / Stitched Tote Bags
Recently I have been trying to find more practical applications of my cross-stitching, and since I’m a bit of a tote-hog, I decided to give tote-stitching a try. Using tear away mesh, which is basically a removable grid you can stitch on and then remove- I was able to stitch directly on my recycled cotton eco-bag.
The process was a bit frustrating because the grid by its nature is flexible and can lead to some wonky stitches- but overall they turned out well. This tote will soon be filled with camping gear for our first Oregon camping trip this spring. I might even be able to fit Zoe in there…
More photos here
Recipe / Flor’s Salsa Verde
Today I was making a batch of my favorite salsa, and thought it might be a nice recipe to share. It’s very simple to prepare, but yields delicious results. My mother loves cooking Mexican food, and this is a staple for any meal or as a snack with some chips or warm corn tortillas.
Flor’s Salsa Verde
Makes about 1½ cups of Salsa
(This version has about a ‘medium’ amount of spice, use more or less jalapeño to adjust)
Ingredients
5-6 fresh tomatillos, outer leaves removed and washed
1 fresh jalapeño
¼ medium sweet onion, diced
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
(Cilantro is also an option, if you’re into it, throw a bit in)
Prep
Set about 1½ cups of water to boil (enough to partially submerge the tomatillos)
Once boiling, place the tomatillos and jalapeño in the water for 2 mins.
Remove and reserve some of the water.
In a food processor or blender, throw in the tomatillos, jalapeño, garlic and a bit of the water. Blend to desired texture, adding more water if necessary (add cilantro if desired).
If you think you over blended the salsa or its too watery, no worries- the salsa will thicken up a bit.
After the salsa has cooled down a bit, add in the diced onions and salt and pepper to your liking.
Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours or preferably overnight- grab some chips and enjoy!
Inspiration / Handmade stamps
Our good friends Heidi & Jose (also known as Threefold Collective) have been doing some beautiful experimentation with stamps and fabric printing. I was very inspried by the wonderful patterns they were making with their handmade stamps, a process I’ve been curious about for a while. I bugged them and they were kind enough to share their stamping secrets with me- going as far a posting a process video as well as a shopping list.
They are making their custom initial stamps (seen above) available at their shop, which also features some of their great stationary design. Thanks again guys!
