Haunts and Spice

Oh me oh my – is it really nearly the end of October? It’s been one very crazy month – just an extension of one very upside down year. The farm sits empty now. No animals, no orchards and no family. It breaks my heart on so many levels.

Enough of that. Let’s talk fun things and fun times. When I was a girl my Dad went into the meat business briefly. He partnered with a man who was taking over a butcher shop from his father. First time customers who bought a side of beef received a free freezer to keep it in. We delivered all up and down the small towns in the area, including Ione.

As a kid, we all knew Ione – or rather the Castle. The first time I saw Preston’s Castle was on a wet, rainy day. Dark clouds encircled the tower as lighting flashed and the thunder boomed. It made the castle seem far more ominous than it actually was.

Preston’s Castle was a reform school for wayward boys that opened in 1894. The first seven wards of the state were transferred to Preston from San Quentin State Prison. In 1960 new buildings became the home of the Preston Youth Correctional Facility, abandoning the Castle. The entire complex and grounds belonged to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The state let the castle continue to decay once new buildings had opened. Finally, in 2011 the entire facility was closed. In 2014 the Preston Castle Foundation purchased the castle from the state for a dollar. Since then, they have given guided tours and hosted an annual Haunted House at the Castle to raise the money necessary to repair and restore the castle, an estimated cost of 45 million.

This year we decided to visit the Castle’s Haunted House. It was a blast. For me, it was especially eerie because I remember when the Castle was that terrible reform school haunted by some criminally insane evil spirits.

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One sure way to chase away the chills of a Haunted House would be a spicy dish served straight from a skillet. Like wet burritos, only in a skillet. Enjoy!

Spicy Skillet Burritos
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Chorizo (optional)
1 (15 oz) can Whole Black Beans
4 (8-inch) Flour Tortillas
1 Green Onion
1 cup Hot Salsa
2/3 cup Beef Stock
3 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 cup shredded Mexican Cheese
Sour Cream to taste
Sliced Pickled Jalapeño Peppers as desired

Line a large place with paper towels to soak up the grease from the cooked meat. Set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook ground beef with chorizo, breaking meat into small pieces as it browns, about 8 minutes. Spread meat out on the prepared plate to drain, dap with more paper towels. Discard any grease remaining in the skillet.

While the meat cooks, partially drain the black beans, leaving just a small amount of liquid in the can to moisten the burrito and for flavor. Stack tortillas, cut into strips. Clean and trim green onion. Snip and set aside.

Return the meat mixture to the skillet. Add black beans, salsa, beef stock and taco seasoning. Mix well over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Lay tortilla strips over the mixture, then top with cheese. Cover and let Skillet Burritos simmer until the cheese is meted, about 6 minutes.

Remove from heat, top with a dollop of Sour Cream, a scattering of Green Onions and Jalapeño Peppers.

Serve straight from the skillet and enjoy with a few margaritas.

Often when we dine out at our favorite Mexican spot, Hubby and Kiddo share a deep fried ice cream, while I get cheesecake. With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it might be fun to share a “spooky” idea for a store bought Cheesecake. Enjoy!

Spider Web Cheesecake
1 full pre-sliced New York Cheesecake
1 jar Raspberry Preserves
8 oz White Chocolate
2 tablespoons Shortening
1 large Plastic Spider

Place cheesecake on a serving platter. Spoon half the jar of raspberry Preserves into a plastic squeeze bottle with a thin pointed tip. Drizzle Raspberry Preserve around the outer edge of the cake, letting preserve run down the sides.

Place white chocolate into a microwave proof bowl. Melt in 30-second intervals at 50% power until melted, stirring between each 30-seconds. Add remaining raspberry preserves and shortening to the melted chocolate. Continue to microwave in 30-second intervals at the reduced power until the mixture is easy to pipe

Place melted raspberry chocolate into a clean plastic squeeze bottle with a think pointed tip. Pipe circles around the top of the cheesecake, beginning in the center and working outward. Then pipe lines along the pre-sliced lines. Drag a cocktail skewer through the melted mixture to create webbing. Place a spider in the center. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

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As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church
and handed himself over for her
Ephesians 5:24-25