Enchantment Learning & Living Blog

Welcome to Enchantment Learning & Living, the inspirational space where I write about the simple pleasures, radical self-care, and everyday magic that make life delicious.

Happy New Year's Eve!

December 31, 2014

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! I hope your evening is full of bubbly, celebrations, and all the good things that help say goodbye to last year and ring in the new one!

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

On Looking Forward to the New Year

December 30, 2014

Although I love the winter holiday season and have thoroughly enjoyed my time resting and celebrating with my family, I find there is something equally delicious about looking forward to another new year--so much promise, so many new adventures on the horizon!

The new year is ripe with possibility, the perfect blank slate. As you prepare for your own new year, your own blossoming adventures, I leave you with last year's musing on the glory of a clean slate.

Best Hits: Kitchen Conjuring

December 29, 2014

As I wind down my year of daily blogging, I find myself reflecting on these moments of everyday magic and simple pleasures, of delicious experiences, feelings, or life lessons distilled through words into living memories. Today, as I find myself once again tinkering in the kitchen, I realize how much I turn to the stove, the fridge, the pantry for inspiration. In honor of this, I am sharing some of the most memorable posts on the magic we conjure in the kitchen:

1. On Eggs & Ham

2. Under the Influence of M. F. K. Fisher

3. On Making Limoncello

4. On Kitchen Sinking-It

5. On Grocery Shopping

6. On Pasta Making

Best Hits: Reading & Writing

December 28, 2014

I am a woman of words as well as flesh and blood; I write because I have to. Too long away from the words and I turn as parched and fragile as old paper. The same with stories. I need novels and books to sooth me to sleep at night, to guide me during the day, to disappear into when I need a respite from this world--and when I need fresh eyes to look at my life and then dive in and enjoy it!

All that's missing is a fat mug of tea to drink as you read through these short essays on the divine power of reading, writing, and a good story:

1. On Writing in the Second Person

2. On Thunderstorms & Gothic Novels

3. On Being the Heroine of Your Own Life

4. On the Hunt for a New Read

5. 5 Things I've Learned from Miss Phryne Fisher, Lady Detective

Best Hits: Self-Care

December 27, 2014

Self-care is an art form--something I've learned in this past year of daily blogging. It requires your full devotion and attention as you listen to your body, your heart, your mind, your soul to understand what practices make you the happiest and healthiest person you can be.

These five posts honor the various ways we take care of ourselves, from an indulgent bubble bath to a much-needed yoga, to simply tuning into ourselves and how we are feeling at the moment:

5. On Things You Do to Unwind

6. On Early Morning Yoga

Best Hits: Everyday Magic

December 26, 2014

Over the course of my year of regular blogging, I have come to discover (or perhaps re-learn) that real magic--the kind that is felt deep in your bones, courses through your blood, and fills your soul--is in the everyday. It's in the thoughts we nourish and the ones we don't; in the things we choose to enjoy and the things we choose to let go of; it's in the synchronous moments that cross our paths and the dreams that guide us. Everyday magic is, ultimately, about learning to live and love as our most authentic selves.

Here are some of the most popular posts this year that highlight this--enjoy!

1. On Belief

2. On Burning Old Man Gloom

3. On the Blood Moon Eclipse

4. On Letting Go of Past Lives

5. 5 Things I've Learned About Everyday Magic from Blogging

Have an Enchanting Holiday!

December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas Eve!

December 24, 2014

Today finds me cooking a traditional New Mexican Christmas Eve dinner of tamales, posole, and biscochitos with my mom, sister, and baby niece while watching old movies--then on to feasting and celebrating with family tonight. I hope your evening is just as wondrous!

Biscochitos

December 23, 2014

Christmas in New Mexico is nothing without biscochitos, shortbread-like cookies laced with anise seeds and spices. I've been making these treats for my family for as long as I can remember; my trusty guide was always a slim bound cookbook called Cocinas de New Mexico, published by our local electrical company (the recipes are written by the employees and the proceeds go to paying the utility bills for struggling families).

Naturally this means I've developed my own spin on this cookie over the years, swapping out the traditional brandy for local Silver Coyote Whiskey (a magical twist discovered when I was making cookies last year and found myself out of brandy but with plenty of my favorite tipple from Santa Fe Spirits--they also have a wickedly good gin).

I like to use whole wheat flour and quality organic ingredients--they make all the difference for flavor and health--and I mix more anise than the traditional recipe calls for. But you know me, I'm a spice whore and like it that way, so much so that I put in cinnamon and ginger in my batter--also my own twist.

Ingredients:

For cookies:

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons anise seeds

1 egg

1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 & 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup Silver Coyote Whiskey or brandy of your choice

1/4 cup water (if needed)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

For cinnamon-sugar dusting:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening, sugar, anise, cinnamon, and ginger in mixing bowl. Add egg until combined. Mix together remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Alternate adding dry ingredients and whiskey to your mix until everything is combined. You might need to add a little water for the dough to complete take shape after that. If that is the case, add a few tablespoons of water at a time until you get desired consistency, a semi-firm dough that you can easy roll on a floured surface.

On a floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut dough into festive shapes and placed on unlined cookie sheet. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. While they cook, combine remaining cinnamon and sugar and set aside in a shallow bowl. Let cool for about two minutes before dipping into cinnamon-sugar mix. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen. Keep for up to one week. Enjoy!

A Cocktail Lover's Gift Basket

December 22, 2014

I love cocktails. Like a lot. And I know confessing that makes me sound like a lush. In reality, it's not about trying to drink as many as possible, but to enjoy the ritual of crafting a unique cocktail and savoring its liquid beauty.

This basket is dedicated to those amateur bartenders like me who relish quality cocktails and tinkering with new recipes. You can even include a few recipes to whet their appetite or a funky shaker to concoct the perfect drink!

1. Small Batch Limoncello

2. Ginger Simply Syrup

3. Cranberry & Lime Vodka

4. Orange & Rosemary Gin

On Winter Solstice

December 21, 2014

It is the darkness that brings light. Even on the darkest night of the year, the longest, we have the stars to cast their brightness on this earth, reminding us that we cannot fully understand the light without shadows.

And these shadows, on this day, are not harbingers of gloom but messengers of the underworld, that deep cave where rest and contemplation and dreams call to us. As we reach into those depths, we cast off the debris of the year and recharge our souls in the spring of imagination and intuition, that private place unique to each individual, forever found among the stars and in the shadows.

And when the dawn breaks the day after solstice, we find ourselves once again turning towards the sun, each day progressively longer, each strand of light reaching us all the way down in the underworld, where we rest and recharge and dream.

Kitchen Lovin' Gift Basket

December 20, 2014

This basket of treats is perfect for the hobbit in your life who likes nothing better than to tinker in the kitchen. It's packed with fun things like fancy salt, special olive oil, and a few other goodies to spice up their kitchen conjurings.

I like to add a little extra oomph to these gift baskets by throwing in a fun dish towel or a few recipes that use the ingredients I've included. I will even add hard-to-find indulgences like caper berries (I'm addicted to them!) which you can track down online or at your local specialty foods store. The big thing is to create a gift that inspires tinkering!

Best of all, your favorite cook will probably invite you over to try some of the dishes he or she whips up from this gift basket. It's a win-win situation. Keep in mind some of the things I list here need refrigeration, so don't package this until right before you want your receiver to open it.

1. Chile Olive Oil

2. 3 Citrus Himalayan Salt

3. Ghee

4. Homemade Pickles

5. Basil-Nutritional Yeast Pesto

Orange & Rosemary Infused Gin

December 19, 2014

It's no secret that I love a good cocktail--and crafting my own. There's no better way to add your own special touch to a drink than to infuse your own liquor. It is seriously so easy that I can't believe I haven't been doing this sooner!

It is super fun to play around with tastes--spices, fruits, even chile peppers!--to get the right kiss of flavor for your next bar concoction. Naturally, DIY-infused liquor also makes a great gift for the cocktail buff(s) in your life. Start with a good quality alcohol and always use organic ingredients.

I love this infusion of orange peels and rosemary here because these ingredients play off the herbaceousness of the gin. They are likewise a distinctly festive flavor perfect for the gin and tonic or martini lover. These infused alcohols can also be enjoyed neat or with a splash of club soda so that you can enjoy the full depth of their flavor. I typically make enough to fill a 160z mason jar (enough to enjoy, but small enough that I can try new infusions) but if you want more, simply double the recipe!

Ingredients:

Peel of one organic orange

2 springs organic rosemary

15 oz quality gin such as Hendrick's or, for a less herby taste, Amsterdam

Scrape off any of the white pith on the orange peel--this minimizes bitterness. Then combine ingredients in a 16 oz mason jar. Let sit for at least three days and up to two weeks, making sure that you shake it periodically. The longer you let it sit, the stronger the infusion will be. Strain mixture through cheesecloth or strainer to remove peels and rosemary. Store in your mason jar in a cool, dry place or the fridge if you want to keep it chilled. Makes about 15 oz. Enjoy!

Chile Olive Oil

December 18, 2014

Chile. It's a way of life here in New Mexico. We put it in pretty much anything--so why not use it as a base for a spicy olive oil? I love the idea of infusing your own olive oils for the same reason I love to infuse my own alcohol: you can make it just the way you like it!

This recipe is a riff off of "chili" olive oil (yes, there is a difference between chil-i and chil-e, but don't get me started!). I simply add dried red chile pods and a few teaspoons of dried red pepper flakes to the olive oil, and I get a nice finishing oil filled with multiple layers of spice. The heat comes from the chili seeds while a smokey sweetness is added from the chile pods. I like to use red chile from Sichler's Farm, but feel free to use and dried chile you can find at your local store.

This is an ideal gift for the spice lover in your life. It goes great drizzled over pizza or salad, or even as a quick appetizer with crusty bread and a sharp cheddar cheese. Use your imagination!

Ingredients:

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

3 red chile pods

4 heaping teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

Heat ingredients on stove on medium-low heat until little bubbles start to form around the chile pods (this lets you know it's getting hot), about 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Using a cheese cloth draped over a strainer, strain oil, and its contents into a clean, dry container. Store in fridge for up to a year. Makes about 2 cups. Enjoy!

Add first three ingredients in a food processor until roughly chopped and blended. Then add oil and mix until combined. Finally, add in nutritional yeast (and salt if using) and combine. Transfer to bowl or mason jar. Store in fridge for 2-3 days or up to three months in freezer using ice cube trays. Enjoy!

Cranberry & Lime Infused Vodka

December 17, 2014

Cranberries are right up there with pumpkin pie or chestnuts (or piñon, if you're a New Mexican!) when it comes to signaling Yuletide fun. And if you love a good Cosmo or any vodka-based cocktail, then this cranberry and lime infused alcohol is the perfect treat.

I use Organic Prairie Vodka as my base but feel free to use your favorite vodka brand so long as it is good quality. I also poke holes into the cranberries because their wax-like exterior can make it harder to infuse in your alcohol. A pinch of sugar draws out their flavors even more. As always, make sure your produce is organic so you maximize the flavor without the chemicals. Don't be surprised if it slowly starts turning a rich red in color--that just ups the festive quotient! And don't throw away the cranberries after their soak--freeze them to drop into champagne cocktails or use them for a tasty and boozy cranberry sauce.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups organic cranberries

peels of 3 organic limes

pinch of sugar

15 oz vodka

Make sure the white pith is removed from lime peels to avoid bitterness. Poke holes in the cranberries (this will help vodka absorb their flavor). Combine all Ingredients in a mason jar or other airtight container. Let sit for at least three days and up to two weeks, making sure to shake it periodically. The longer you let it sit, the stronger the flavor will be. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove berries and peels and return to mason jar. Store in fridge or liquor cabinet. Makes about 16 oz. Enjoy!

3 Citrus Himalayan Salt

December 16, 2014

I've given up on straight up table salt after reading about all the scary chemicals and additives they put into good ol' Morton and similar brands to prevent the salt from clumping and to keep it nice and white...I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons for this. In fact, most traditional table salts have zero nutritional value. Yuck!

That's why I only use natural sea salt, or my family's personal favorite, Himalayan salt, a pink coarse grain renowned for its health properties. It's naturally mined and is chock-full minerals like magnesium. In fact, the only way to make it better is to add your own flavorings to it to create a nice finishing salt for your meals.

I like to use a combination of organic citrus zest to pop out the taste of the salt. This blend works well on salads, fish, and other light dishes that need a little burst of bright flavor. This pink of the salt adds a fun dose of color that compliments the zest nicely.

Ingredients:

1 cup coarse Himalayan salt (or good quality sea salt)

Zest of 1 organic orange

Zest of 1 organic lime

Zest of 1 organic grapefruit

Combine all ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Spread salt and zest on a pan lined with parchment paper. Bake until zest dries completely, around one hour. Makes 1 cup. Store in a small mason jar and use within three months. Enjoy!

Sugar Rum Cherries

December 15, 2014

No, I didn't really mean to write "Sugar Plum Fairy," the title of the well-known ditty that makes up part of the Nutcracker Suite. I'm actually referencing Duke Ellington's spin on this classic tune, which he titled, "Sugar Rum Cherry." It's soft. It's sweet. It's smooth...and a little cheeky. If you haven't heard it, you simply haven't lived!

This song, along with the cherry and liquor stuffed chocolates that appear this time of year, inspired this dessert. I marinate frozen dark cherries in rum or brandy, and amaretto then dip them in both white and dark chocolate. What's not to like? They are full of more flavor and less sugar (and other suspicious ingredients) than their store-bought cousins. You can keep the liquor, too. The cherry flavor gets infused into the mix, making a perfect after dinner digestif--it's even better with a splash of lime juice.

Ingredients:

1 10 oz bag frozen organic dark cherries

2/3 cup rum or brandy

1/3 cup amaretto

1 cup melted white chocolate

1/2 cup melted dark chocolate.

Soak cherries in liquor mixture for at least one hour or up to overnight--the longer the soak, the boozier they will taste. Remove cherries from liquid and pat dry with a paper towel. Using a toothpick, dip each cherry into melted white chocolate and set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then drizzle dark chocolate across your rows of white chocolate dipped cherries. Place baking sheet in fridge and allow cherries to harden about 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and store in a single layer in a flat dish. Eat within one week. Enjoy!

5 Holiday Movies You Should Be Watching (But Probably Aren't)

December 14, 2014

Confession: I'm not much of a sentimentalist when it comes to the holidays. Sure, I love cheesy Christmas mugs and socks with glittery reindeer on them just as much as I enjoy trimming the tree and gazing at twinkle lights, but I don't tear up at the end of It's a Wonderful Life or other such films. My enjoyment of the holiday tends to be a little more hedonistic than pious (pagan hippy that I am!), as do my tastes in holiday films.

Every holiday season, I look forward to watching these festive films that are less about Christmas and more about plots that just happen to take place this time of year. They are delicious stories and perfect for a cozy night in!

1. Christmas in Connecticut. There is no resisting Barbara Stanwyck, especially in this romantic-comedy about a woman who poses as a Martha-Stewart-like homemaker to write a column on all things domestic and culinary. Plot twist: her publisher decides she should host a war hero at her fictional family farm. Armed with a fake husband, a borrowed baby, and her trusty cook and friend, Stanwyck attempts to save the day, even as she begins to fall in love with the war hero. Shenanigans ensue!

2. The Shop Around the Corner. This movie has the classic charm and wit of all Ernst Lubitsch films. James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan play fellow shop employees who are constantly at odds. Unbeknownst to each other, they are actually pen pals--and in love with one another via their letters. It's a treat to see how their true identities are unveiled just in time for Christmas Eve festitivites. It's perfect for an afternoon of gift wrapping.

3. Desk Set. This is one of those Katherine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy rom-coms about the office gossip mill, as Hepburn fears Tracy's latest invention will make her job obsolete. Add a complicated love triangle and you have the perfect recipe for a movie to craft by. One of the all-time best parts of this movie is the office Christmas party in which Hepburn gets more than a little tipsy (what can I say, the woman does fun-drunk so well!).

4. Holiday. This is another Hepburn movie, only this time with Cary Grant as her leading man. It features Grant as a hard working young man torn between his new rich fiancée’s conservative plans for his future and his own free-thinking dreams. Enter Hepburn, his fiancée’s sister and the black sheep of the family, equally resistant to the pomp of her surroundings and looking only for life, love, and adventure. Although a rom-com, this movie has surprisingly poignant moments that emphasize the strength it takes to be true to yourself--and it has another stellar scene of a happily drunk Hepburn!

5. The Thin Man. This movie, based off the book by Dashiell Hammett, kicks off one of the greatest film series of all time in my opinion, featuring the martini-swilling Nick and Nora Charles. It stars William Powell as the retired detective, Nick Charles, married to a rich Myrna Loy, Nora. While Nick keeps insisting that he's given up the practice, he finds himself solving yet another mystery between drinking martinis, throwing Christmas parties for the unsavory element he knew as a detective, and smooching with his wife. Warning: Side effects of watching this film include martini cravings.

Tea Lover Gift Basket Two Ways

December 13, 2014

Every time I think I have more tea than I can possibly finish, I get seduced by another blend to try, either my own or one I see in one of my favorite shops around Albuquerque--a classic tea lover's dilemma! Same goes for tea accouterments--strainers, teapots (especially my mom's!), tea cups...you name it. These two holiday gift baskets are perfect for quenching the thirst of your favorite tea lovers.

1. Tea Sampler: Samplers, or small jars of various teas, are a great way to try a bunch of different flavors before committing to a whole jar of tea. I like to use little 2 oz jam jars to share an array of my festive holiday blends like Winter Wellness Blend, Winter Solstice Tea, Holiday Chai, and Orange Spice Rooibos. As always, stick to a theme--in this case, winter or holiday teas. You can go the extra mile and provide the recipe for each tea should the receiver ever want to mix up a batch of his or her favorite!

2. Tea Treats: For the tea lover whose tastes are pretty set--or who you know absolutely loves a certain kind of tea--provide her with a jar of her favorite tea, a cheesy holiday tea mug, and maybe a funky strainer. Wrap in ribbon and wa-la! You have the perfect treat for your tea buddy.

Holiday Chai Tea Blend

December 12, 2014

Yesterday I shared my delicious chai tea blend, so today I thought it would only be fair to show another chai recipe that boosts the festive quotient of this rich brew. I added toasted almond slivers to add a creamy richness to the blend which pairs nicely with the grated nutmeg. The star anise adds a bright kick that plays well with the cardamom. Be careful with the nutmeg: like cloves, it can easily overtake the other flavors so I wouldn't add more than what's given below.

Ingredients:

1 cup Assam black tea

1/2 to 1 cup cinnamon chips

1/4 to 1/3 cup toasted almond slivers

1/4 to 1/3 cup pink peppercorns

1/4 cup star anise

1/4 cup dried ginger

1/4 cup cardamom

1/8 cup clove buds

1-2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

Blend ingredients and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Make about 2 cups. To brew, add 1 tablespoon to 8 oz boiling water (you need your tea this hot to open up the spices). Make sure to brew this loosely in a teapot or a big strainer--you want the hot water to circulate around the spices to really get maximum flavor. Add sugar and milk if desired. I also brew this in a pot on the stove using equal parts milk and water--absolutely wonderful! Enjoy!