mole!

a quick photo essay to show some of the work that went into mole-making!  full disclosure: elizabeth and anne followed a recipe!!  this is truly an exceptional sauce, and it should be noted that it does not take as much time as we had feared--now that we've conquered the master recipe, i think we can freestyle it from here!

three different types of chiles....they all look the same

beautiful, fragrant and ready to be toasted

pumpkin seeds toasting, get ground up with almonds, cinnamon,  

chiles, after being shredded,  toasting

tomatillos toasting/browning

in pot with broth, tomatoes, simmer

blend to a smooth creamy texture in batches

and the chocolate!!! YUM.

Pita nachos

I shouldn't have been hungry. It was Sunday, and what was meant to be a brunch, between wine and strolling to neighborhood open houses, became a late afternoon meal of home made cheese enchiladas. And apple hand pies. And salad. That is a whole other post. But that is not what this is. This was a mere three hours later,(ok, two)- guests departed, a need to eat just a little something else. Thus, some pita chips from Trader Joes, cheddar cheese, scallions, jalapenos from a jar, broiled quickly with a side of hummus. I felt guilty, but it was really, really, good.