Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Hi to all!  This is how I make my green chile chicken enchiladas.  The recipe here assumes you know about green chiles, and you know how to make casseroles and perhaps even dishes like lasagna.  If not, you can search for a similar recipe online that shows you more details.  But, here is my method!

1. I like using our electric pressure cooker to pre-cook the chicken, it takes about 35 min from start to finish, and it makes the chicken shreddable.  Put all of the next ingredients into the pressure cooker and then let it cool bit when it's all done.

** 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
** large onion, sectioned
** cloves of garlic
** 3-4 pieces of cellery, cut into sections
** spices you like, I use pepper, salt, garden herb mixture, but anything you like on your chicken
** water in the pressure cooker, for 3 breasts I use 2-3 cups of water

2. Once the chicken is all cooked up, then use a fork or other utensil and shred the chicken and mash or shred the onions, celery and garlic into the chicken.  Add sour cream to the mixture and combine.

** add in 1 or 1 1/2 cups of sour cream

3. Put about a cup of the sauce from the cooked chicken into the bottom of the large baking dish or pan.  Layer the following ingredients, just as you would do with a lasagne.  In this dish, I used a whole pkg of corn tortillas, making 6 layers, ending with cheese on the top.

** pkg of corn tortillas (about 36 in a pkg)
** the chicken mixture from above
** Hatch green chiles, chopped (spread as thickly or sparsely as you think you would want your dish to be hot or mild)
** shredded mixture of cheese, I like the Mexican cheese combo

4. Once done layering, and ending with cheese, bake in an oven that is 350 deg F. for about 30 min, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown on the top.

5. Serve with what you like best, we prefer:

** shredded iceburg lettuce
** chopped tomatoes
** chopped cilantro
** sour cream

YUM!

Note:  Some recipes call for you to cook the corn tortillas in oil before layering them into the enchiladas.  We have both fried them up, as well as used them "as is" from the package.  They are good either way.

All About the Tie Dye -- The Things You Need To Know

Hello, fellow tie dyer!  If you are looking for how to do your craft, well here you go!  This tutorial and info base is meant for newbies, as well as anyone who is seasoned...good luck to you!

Multi-Hearts, for the advanced tie dyer, and one of my favorites!

About us:

We learned to do tie dye out of a desire to...learn how to do tie dye.  It was on my list, but when I tried it and then convinced Mike to join in...we kept getting it "wrong".  We did it with our own family, and extended family.  Once we "got it right", the kids proudly wore their creations everywhere.  From that, folks started asking them where they got their shirts from, and all signs pointed back to us.  In turn, we started getting asked, can you show us, can you help us do a class, will you come do it in my classroom, etc.  Since 2009, we have dyed or helped others dye over 5,000 shirts or other items.

The Southern Maryland King && Queen of Tie Dye:

Yes, we claim these titles, and it's just for fun!  Yes, we know the awesome Ron Lord, as well as some other locals who are very good at tie dye!  We love and respect their work, and our well-earned titles are no reflection on them, or meant as any slight, in any way!

The Southern Maryland Queen & King of Tie Dye -- and Photo Booths!

For our main business, we now run a premier, social photo booth company, Southern Maryland Entertainment -- Photo Booth Rentals.

We are proud of the high standard photo booth business we have created and we would love to see you there sometime!  For anyone wondering, there are many flavors of photo booths that you may see in your lifetime.  We are the Cadillac version of the photo booth, and worth every penny and second!  Come check us out, see for yourselves!

We chose "Entertainment" so we could put other things we like to do, such as Tie Dye, Sea Glass Art, Parties, and more, under our Entertainment Umbrella.  But, back to Tie Dye!

The Supplies - The Dyes:

Keep it simple, buy the BEST DYES!
Go to Dharma Trading.com and from this link choose the types of dyes you want. For most tie dyeing, you will go to the link for Dyes for Tie-Dyeing, and then get busy trying to narrow down your choices!  It is a problem, to try to only pick a few.

Yes, we originally did the typical and bought the kits from the local stores, such as JoAnn's, Michael's, WalMart.  Don't event bother, those kits are CRAP!  The dyes are not good, they do not produce as much as the packages indicate, and the colors fade or wash out!  Trust us on this one, and don't even waste your time on the store kits.  You will NOT like your results if you do buy the kits!  THAT we can promise you.

This is what you need to start with, if you want to keep your costs low, but want to get busy dyeing:

Go with the basic, primary colors.  In tie dyeing, it will be:
1. #13 -- Fuschia Red (which is a hot pink)
2. #1 -- Lemon Yellow
3. #25 -- Turquoise

You can mix these colors and get the secondary colors, and even your tertiary colors, and then some!  We used to do this, but found that we couldn't shake the bottles of dye hard enough to prevent a blue edging on the shirts from the mixed color for purple, or the red tinge for the color orange, and so on.  Now we buy each color to use "as is" and then mix colors for fun if we want different shades or tones, etc.  For example, it is fun to lighten some of the blue colors, if you want an end result of 4 blues on a shirt but only have 2 colors of dye.

The Process of Getting Started -- All the Supplies

Here is a list of what we use, of what we found to work best, to do all of the tie dye that we like to do.  We like to do tie dye with groups, so this list reflects that setup.  You may find you work better with a different setup.  See pictures below for more info on some of the items.

• Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes
• Dust Masks -- when mixing dyes, ALWAYS use a dust mask, and do it in a well-ventilated area!!!
• Measuring spoons or cups.  We use tsp and 1/8 and 1/4 and 1 cup sizes the most.
• "Just Orange" (or other flavors) juice bottles, or other sized bottles that work for you.  We mix a half gallon of almost each color of dye each time we do tye dye, and two of the more commonly used colors, such as yellow and turquoise.
• Hair dressing bottles for applying the dyes to your shirts (we will use "shirts" from here forward, but meaning ANY item you want to tie dye)
• Plumbers tape, to wrap around the threads of the hair dressing bottles 
• #16 and #19 rubber bands, but you can use any size, these work best
• Cotton string, for tying (we only use a little, mostly use rubber bands)
• Packing paper, to wrap your shirts in once they are colored
• Recycled grocery bags, to haul your paper-wrapped shirts home
• If doing shirts at home, we use a piece of chicken wire on top of a scrap piece of wood on the ends, put the shirts on top of that, and cover with a tarp or cut up contractor sized plastic bags -- saves on the paper for wrapping
• Plastic wrap, for those intricate designs that need the extra support
• WASHABLE magic markers -- for making designs
• Disposable gloves!  pick your sizes, you will need a lot
• Kitchen gloves -- if you are doing the tie dyeing by yourself, I prefer to get sturdier gloves and re-wash them until they fall apart on me
• Dedicated long sleeve kitchen gloves, for squeezing out the shirts from the pre-soaking
• pHup -- technically, it is Sodium Carbonate, you can get this from the pool section in Walmart or elsewhere, when it is in season.  Go to a jacuzzi store if you are out of season.
• Urea -- fertilizer you can get from Dharma Trading, or you can find at a local Southern States type store.  Be prepared to give them your ID and explain why you are buying it.  We get a large bag and it lasts us a long time, well over a year.  If you only do a little, then buy from Dharma
• 5 gallon bucket to mix water and the PhUp powder
• Long whisk or a plastic spoon, for mixing the PhUp powder in the bucket of warm water
• Dish pan(s)
• Racks to put your shirt on, over the dish pan.  2 racks per dishpan
• Larger bin that fits the racks in, for washing between shirts, in soapy water
• Plastic or glass top table to do your tying on -- don't use wood for tying! -- this is the COLOR FREE ZONE TABLE!
• Plastic table to do your coloring on
• Chairs to use while folding shirts
• Cooler to store leftover mixed dyes in -- they last up to 2 weeks if kept cool
• Or a refrigerator with no food in it, for the leftover mixed dyes.
• Permanent marker, to label bags with names, if there is more than one of you.  The bags all look the same in the end.
• HAND LOTION -- we prefer Cetafil.  The pHup will dry out your hands, the lotion keeps them happier. We use it the entire time we are tying shirts.
• Detergent to wash your shirt when it is ready.  We recommend using Synthrapol detergent, available from Dharma, but regular detergent will also work. Synthrapol is an industrial grade, and best to use if you are doing a lot of tie dye, and is what we use.
• Music to play while working/playing
• Bug spray, if you are working outside 
• Tarp, if you are brave enough to work inside of your your house, or in a garage, etc.
• Paper towels, or an old towel, for cleanup purposes
• Large trash bag for keeping your area clean.

Urea is used in tie dyeing and other forms of direct application of dyes. ... Urea has two purposes: it can make it possible to dissolve more dye in a given volume, for the strongest of colors, and it serves as a humectant, or water-attractor, to help keep fabric damp long enough for the reaction to occur.  (www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/urea.shtml)

How to wash out the dye in tie dye:

• after letting the shirts sit in bags overnight (at least 70 degrees or higher) (pref closer to 24 hrs, at this temperature), they can be washed out 

•  if you have a top loading machine, you can pre-fill the washing machine full and just drop in the t-shirt (out of the bag, of course, AND after removing the rubber bands or strings) and run through a regular or light cycle, OR you can do the following: (Note:  you can wash up to 10 shirts at one time, but if you do this, you should also wash them out before putting in the washing machine):

• wear protective gloves (or, if you don't have gloves, improvise with plastic wrap or a small grocery bag, anything to protect your hands from the color)

• can wash in the kitchen sink, just try not to splash the dye

• can also wash outside with a garden hose and bucket, and let the dye water wash away, it won't hurt the grass or driveway

• take out of the bag, run under water that is initially cold to cool, until it runs clearer; it will be VERY dark at first, even if there are lighter colors in the shirt

• take out of the rubber bands or strings.   

• keep under running water and squeezing, or you can use a bucket and try dipping and squeezing, with the water running in the bucket the while time, you can also add a couple drops of dish or laundry detergent to the water towards the end, to help with the rinsing

• once it runs clearer, put aside where it won't touch any other dyed shirts (lay out on the grass). Do not hang up to drip dry, the colors are still active and will run downwards.

• if you have a top loader, pre-fill washer with warm water -- run through light wash and rinse cycle

• immediately after washing, dry in a hot dryer – the dryer heat is REQUIRED to finish the dying process

The next wash "might" bleed a little bit, but won't bleed after that.  (UV rays will fade the colors over time).

THIS IS NOT COMPLETE YET, working on it!  Come back soon for all the goodness of tie dyeing!

 

Dementia, Damned Dementia

Dementia has stolen my Grandma!  Despite attempts by some to hide this fact, or to live in denial...she's got dementia.  Perhaps it is Alzheimer's, perhaps something else, it is impossible to know since Alzheimer's cannot be tested until the victim is deceased, from an autopsy. 

So, my awesome Aunt Winnie has selflessly given her time and days and weeks and months to the care of her mother, my grandmother.  Grandma has 11 surviving children, 9 of whom speak to her.  And over 2 dozen grandchildren (approx 34, in real numbers), plus others, all of whom can help take care of her.  She has said she does not want to go to a nursing home, because "I have a big enough family, I shouldn't have to do that."  I would have to agree, that she is correct.  Now, not all the kids or grandkids live in the area, which is a normal occurrence.  Folks grow up and move away.  I was gone for many years, and it turns out we are here for now. 

For me, spending the day with Grandma is a nice blessing, and I appreciate the opportunity!  The reason I am sharing this about the Damned Dementia, is for this very reason.  We spend our lives wondering "what if" and all the other unknown wonderings about how our lives will be down the road.  Here is an opportunity for some, and I sure appreciate the opportunity to get to help Grandma in ways we never could for my own Mom, rest her soul.  Winnie has made Grandma's days go as smoothly as possible.  She fields the things that she knows irritates her, sets up her clothes and any other daily things she needs in places that are logical and easy to find, in her bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, and so on.  Her shoes are always in the same place, for example.  Consistency is key for folks with Dementia, or for anyone going through changes. 

When I fill in, depending on if Grandma is up when I arrive or not, we get her settled and comfortable.  Shoes tied, breakfast served, coffee brewed, meds served, and other routines.  She is cooperative and full of conversation each and every time.  If she asks questions, I have to decide how to answer them, which depends on her mood.  If she is in a good mood, that is bonus.  If she is agitated, then things can go differently.  We try to keep things fun and interesting.  Last weekend, she started the day asking if I saw "Nelson when he left this morning"; Nelson is her late husband, my Gramps.  I answer honestly, and leave it at that.  She has agreed to finally use her walker, which makes us happy.  This is proof that you can make changes in a routine of a dementia patient, and make things work.  She is typically very stubborn and not open to changes she doesn't figure out on her own. 

About a year ago, she finally quit insisting that I leave the dishes in the sink for her to do when I leave.  I have never left her dishes to do, so when necessary, I'd wait till she went to the bathroom, then I'd do them quickly.  Usually, the dishes are from the day, for I would usually cook when I went by.  I think her favorite thing for me to cook is to make and bake homemade bread, specifically "Virginia's Rolls" as someone put in her personalized cookbook.  Through the day, we do a lot of talking and laughing, when she is alert and engaged.  Lately, this is how it's been, mostly alert.  Sometimes she is tired and will nap at the kitchen table intermittently. 

She remembers more than one would imagine, which is likely why some individuals were slow to accepting that she really does have dementia.  Saying she has dementia does not make it so, just like denying it doesn't take it away.  It is what is it.  She just doesn't remember.  The last two times I was there, she was getting really frustrated at not being able to remember names so much anymore.  So I asked her if she knew what dementia was.  She said no, so I gently explained it to her, and told her we were all here to help her out.  She looked at me, said ok, and calmed down.  Goes to show...truth is a GOOD thing.  Of course, the next time, it was a repeat conversation, but again, she calmed down afterwards.

The last time, she knew my name during the day, without being prompted or asking me.  The time before, she asked several times, and still did not make the connection while I was there, or when I left.  I used to feel like crying when this happened, but have accepted the truth for what it is.  And, I have accepted and come to appreciate that I can be an active helper in her schedule, one she doesn't mind, and one that she trusts.  Because, trust me, if she remembers someone's "Story" and she doesn't like you in that story, there is no way you will get in!  Not as a caregiver!  I refrain from adding to her conversations when she is venting about someone, especially since the person is often from way back in her memory, and try to find some way to shift it to being positive.  Usually she will agree and then we move on. 

Often, she blurts out with random thoughts.  Some are funny, some are sad, and some are just not the truth, but they are the truth in her memory.  For instance, two weeks ago, she kept talking about her mother, most of the time as though she was still around.  She also insisted she had just moved to her current house, when in fact, she has lived there over 65 years.  She will be okay, if all who do her caregiving can work together.  That is always the rub, folks having to work together when they don't normally have to do so. 

I could say much about that, and really, I don't care if others are offended or are otherwise upset.  Why?  It comes down to TWO things.  (1) Take care of Grandma, and (2) Take care of her caregiver.  She is taken care of, as best as those who are there can manage.  When I say that, I don't mean that they don't do a good job.  What I mean is that Grandma can be difficult at times.  Sometimes many times.  She whispers on the phone to tell secrets, secrets, as she has done for many years.  Usually that means she is talking about the person(s) who are in the house at the moment.  And it usually means she it talking to the woman who calls her every day.  We don't think that person knows that things have even shifted for her, as sometimes she doesn't even remember her name.  Or even feel like talking on the phone, but then she does, and she puts on her smiley face.  Then, back to the same when off the phone.  Reality Check!  Why would anyone be mean to the person(s) who takes care of you?  Dementia patients sure do, because they don't know what they are doing all the time. 

The #2 part:  Take Care of the Caregiver!!!!  Now, this is a NO BRAINER!!!!  I don't know when folks thought it was okay to put responsibility on one person to live 24/7 taking care of another person, to the degree that they cannot have even half a day to take care of their own needs, to go for a ride, to go to the store, to go on a date, to go visit a friend, to TAKE A BREAK!  Sheesh!  A No Brainer!  Take. Care. Of. The. Caregiver!!!!!!!

No one knows when it's our last day on this earth.  Any of us could check out at any time.  But, when you know someone is ill, needs assistance, and cannot fend for themselves....well, then.  It is time to do the right thing.  She spent her entire lifetime taking care of everyone else.  She does NOT want to go to a nursing home, she has said so on many occasions, including to me several times.  Putting her in a nursing home for any reason that can be avoided is tantamount to speeding up her exit of this world.  Yes, it would kill her.  And, No, she was not perfect, but she did what she knew, and did what she tried as her best.  The least that some of her 159 can do is to take care of her now when she needs it.  Without the EGO, without the DRAMA, and TAKING CARE OF THE CAREGIVER(S).  Come on, folks.  This makes you angry?  Fine, play juvenile and don't ever speak to me again, but get the acts together in the meantime. 

And, one last note, this one just to vent...why on earth would folks do things the difficult way, rather than working together as a team?  Let's just say that all of those involved Quit with the childhood dramas, Quit with the control issues, Quit with the lies and secrets, and so on and so on....imagine the Fantastic teamwork!  Oh, the secrets, secrets, secrets.... those damned ridiculous secrets!  Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!

RIP, Mrs. Annie Stauffer

Annie G. Stauffer, 89, of Leonardtown, MD passed away on September 6, 2015 in her home. Born on October 6, 1925 in Selingsgrove, PA, she was the daughter of the late Katie H. Gehman Brubacher and Henry M. Brubacher. Annie was the loving wife of the late David M. Stauffer...
Her family:  10 boys, 1 girl, plus 4 infant boys and 2 infant girls who did not survive; 119 grandchildren, and 223 great grandchildren.  Counting spouses, these number increase to approx. 17 + 6 + 200 + 223 = ~450!  One family, in our neighborhood. One Mennonite Family.

I finally got to meet Mrs. Stauffer about 2 years ago, but I have been hearing nice things about her since we were children.  My grandmother was good friends with her since they were both young mothers.  Grandma is currently 88, a mere 9 months younger than Mrs. Stauffer.  They always called each other by Mrs.: Mrs. Stauffer, Mrs. Dean.  Maybe they called each other by first names when no one was looking, but when we heard about her, it was always Mrs.  They all met, including Mr. Stauffer and Gramps, at the Tobacco Auctions in Hughsville, many decades ago, when the tobacco was harvested and sent to market.  Over they years, these ladies met up and then started visiting each other at their homes.  Usually, Grandma would need to go get Mrs. Stauffer to drive her to the Scotland Farm, as the Stauffers lived a Mennonite lifestyle in Loveville, Maryland.  Now, I say "usually", but I believe it was only once or twice, but it was enough to last a lifetime of storytelling, it left that strong of an impression on her.  One part in particular, was Grandma said Mrs. Stauffer asked her to stop at a market, where she could purchase some sausages and other items.  Then, after all their running around, and they took the Stauffer's home, Mrs. Stauffer and all the ladies in her home heated up the big pans of water, so they could process and can preserve the meats.  That night.  After running around all day and surely being tired, they had their work cut out for them that night!  I remember both Grandma and Mom canning things into the nights in my childhood, and sometimes, especially as we got older, we had to stay up and help.  Long days, being farmer folks!  The difference with the Stauffer's is that they lived the Mennonite lifestyle.  No running water in the house, no electricity, no modern conveniences. No indoor plumbing.

And, when we grew up, Mrs. Stauffer was always the "nice Amish lady, she's such a nice lady" when we see here in her obituary that she was in fact Mennonite, not Amish.  Yes, there is a difference, many differences, in fact.  I finally did the research about the differences a few years ago, because I found myself embarrassed that we grew up around both, and I didn't know a soul who could explain the differences to me, much less myself.  So, now I know.  The biggest differences are the Mennonites are a bit more progressive than the Amish, but there really are many other differences.  I was surprised to learn that both cultures have the latitude to make changes in their "life rules" as they desire, even though most do not choose to do so.

The passing of Mrs. Stauffer brings many things to mind.  First, and saddest of all, is how my Grandmother will not know of her passing.  Even if we told her, she would not remember we told her, for that is one of the nasties of Dementia, the brain disease that strips you of what and who you know.  The what part doesn't seem as glaring, but the Who part is so frustrating.  Yes, she remembers Mrs. Stauffer!  And I feel so fortunate to have been able to help take her to visit Mrs. Stauffer on her son's farm not so long ago.  It was a great day, regardless of the reason we wanted to get her out of the house that day.  She had been wanting to go see her friend for a long time at that point.  She has gone to visit her again since that time, and said she had a great visit.  I love how they laughed, side by side, like little girls.  We left them to have privacy, not that they asked for it, or that they demanded it.  One of my aunts told Grandma 2 weeks ago that Mrs. Stauffer was sick, and that she was at a different son's house.  I think it registered to Grandma that she was sick, but then it triggered her fond memories, and the conversation shifted.  She has not asked about her again, so she does not remember that she was told about Mrs. Stauffer being sick.  Telling her that she passed would almost be a cruel conversation.

Mrs. Stauffer was lovingly taken care of by her children and more.  Their community automatically does this, without the drama that affects so many other families.  THIS, I would wish on ALL OF US!  Especially now, in Grandma's time of need.  Her days of Damned Dementia!  But, I digress.

Grandma lived a parallel farmer's wife life to the likes of Mrs. Stauffer, the same but also very different.  Grandma had 5 boys and 8 girls.  She says she never had a miscarriage or lost a baby, so I have to go with that information at this point.  Of those children, she has 34 grandchildren, about 57 great grandchildren, and 5 great great grandchildren, if you count the 3 steps, for a total 96.  Counting spouses, this increases to 26 + 68 + 60 + 5 = ~159!  Dementia or no dementia...who can possibly remember all those names at the age of 88?!

In comparison, I have one child, who we got at the age of 40.  We will be lucky if he has 2 children by the time we are in our 80s, which gives my husband and I a legacy of 4 or maybe 6, if our son had kids young and they marry young.

These are the numbers and concepts I have had dancing in my head since the day I met Mrs. Stauffer and she shared how many grands and great-grands she had at the time.  The numbers:  450 of hers to 159 of Grandma's to 4 or 6 of my own!