I have SO many things I want/need to do, if I’m not organized, at the end of the day all there is to show for my busyness is dither, squiggles and chaos… or nothing. Back in the day I was – really, this is true – excellent at multitasking. Once upon a time I could keep several metaphorical balls in the air without dropping a one.
No more
If what I want/need to do isn’t on a “to do” list, carefully hand written on my honest-to-goodness PAPER calendar, it doesn’t get done, or I don’t remember that I did it. Okay, joking (a little) about that last one.
Perhaps it’s a consequence of getting older (and wiser) that I feel the call to keep a diary of daily activities. I mean, think about it, if you can’t recall from one day to the next what you’ve been doing – or need to do – you find yourself sitting around playing Candy Crunch, Gummy Drop, or some other silly and addictive computer game for hours on end. Or am I the only one who does that? I should say used to do that. I’m a reformed computer game addict. Can I have a hallelujah!
Since this is still the first of the year, you might think this is about making a New Year’s resolution to be more organized, but that’s not it at all. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. If I’m going to be about the business of improving my life, it can start any day of the year. That’s why I’m a List Maker. There is a certain satisfaction at the end of the day when I have ticked off all the items on The List.
A caution here, be wise in how many tasks you line up for yourself on any day. Remember, you really can only do one thing at a time no matter how good you are at multitasking. A lasting lesson from my time as a Mary Kay Consultant was her advice to, “Deal with it, file it, or throw it away.” She was talking about paper clutter and how to keep it to a minimum. You can also apply that to setting priorities (making lists 🙂 ). You declutter your life by prioritizing those tasks and activities you decide are important and meaningful.
In our home, we have a glassed-in patio where our greenery flourishes to the point I practically need a machete to get through it – when I forget to prune. Or I go in after a couple of weeks of forgetting to water, and find the plants gasping and shriveling. Since we rarely use the patio – especially in winter – if I don’t have weekly watering on my list, I forget. The consequence is more work or the death of a plant or two. Pruning doesn’t end up on the list simply because it’s evident when that’s gotten out of hand, but watering is on the list, every Saturday without fail… except when I forget. No, The List is not infallible. It is up to me, that one-thing-at-a-time reality.
Over the holidays, I missed watering for three weeks. I know, I know, why have The List if you don’t pay attention to it? One plant thrived under my neglect. The orchid. The darned thing loved not being watered to death! Fortunately, I didn’t lose any plants, although for a couple it was iffy for a while.
I note this incident to say, spontaneity and the unexpected are the salt of life. Lists are well and good for prioritizing, but sometimes straying from or forgetting The List leads to something beautiful. You can do only one thing at a time. Leave room in your life for that one thing to be joyful no matter what it is.
Please Follow, Like, Comment and Share this article. Your feedback is important to me. Thanks for reading One Roof Publishing Magazine. One Roof Publishing may be reached by e-mail at fsharon@msn.com. Publisher and primary writer, Sharon Vander Meer. Guest posts are welcome.
Pressure cooking will never replace roasting, but it definitely has its uses.
I cooked a 5.85 pound whole chicken in the Instant Pot in two 15-minute ‘poultry’ sessions. If I’d been more ambitious I’d have added vegetables and continued on the ‘slow cook’ option. Two-thirds cup of water made ample steam.
If you’d like to know: The secret to safe pressure cooking is to limit or avoid the foods that can clog the vent: beans, rice, barley, other cereals and pasta. If the small particles rise high enough a blockage can occur. It’s good to have a healthy respect for the limits.
The instructions and recipes cover safe use of these foods, but generally never fill the cooker more than 1/2 full of foods that froth when expanding. And check the timing chart to avoid overcooking (and fragmenting) the cereals.
I’ve previously learned to cook grains in a smaller vessel set on a trivet inside the pressure cooker. This works quite well. Add measured water to the grains and more water to the cooker itself. The recipe book has charts giving measures and cooking times for each type of grain or bean.
The whole business becomes easier after a few runs. Most of the grains are safely used in soups. You can saute in the cooker, but not fry food. The gasket won’t like the oil. Non-frothy contents, such as soups and sauces, can fill the cooker up to 2/3.
Failure to seal is more of an inefficiency issue. Replace the gasket and plug if they seem to be aging, stiff and cracking. The parts, including the regulator, are sold at hardware and home stores. A supple plug is the part you want to blow in the unlikely case of a blocked vent. The cooker shouldn’t explode.
Susan Ammerman and her husband Bart Ellison moved to northern New Mexico from New Orleans in 1999 to retire and raise a few sheep. Ammerman set out to raise easy care sheep as a quieter alternative to power lawn equipment. The project evolved into preserving the Navajo-Churro sheep breed and raising flavorful meat lambs for the local market. Ammerman is a Houston, Texas, native who is a University of Houston journalism graduate. She studies sheep and chicken genetics, social cognition and horticulture.
Photos: Courtesy S.K. Ammerman
Please Follow, Like, Comment and Share this article. Your feedback is important to me. Thanks for reading One Roof Publishing Magazine. One Roof Publishing may be reached by e-mail at fsharon@msn.com. Publisher and primary writer, Sharon Vander Meer. Guest posts are welcome.
Here sit my good intentions. In most years, by the first week in December, all of my baking and candy making has been done, wrapped and ready for delivery. Not this year. I kept thinking tomorrow, I’ll get to it tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is here, and I have the ingredients. Time to get to work.
Christmas time in my home growing up always involved lots of food prep. So I associate family and fun with food. Mom and my dad’s mom were amazing cooks. They had distinct favorites and passed them on to us. They also had weaknesses. My grandmother didn’t think it was fit to put on the table if it wasn’t fried. She more than gladly let Mom prepare Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys. Mom didn’t like – or maybe didn’t know how to make – cranberry sauce. She purchased the canned jellied kind. Ugh. However, in all fairness, everyone in my family but me, loves the stuff!
Here are recipes from me to you, personal favorites I hope you enjoy.
FANTASY FUDGE
(A Kraft recipe, commentary mine)
3 cups white sugar 3/4 cup margarine (It’s better with butter) 2/3 cup evaporated milk (I prefer Carnation brand) 1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme (Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme) 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I prefer real vanilla)
Here is the result of a five-hour marathon of baking. You would think there’d be more product, wouldn’t you? Anyway, these are some of my favorites. Recipes follow.
Butter a 9×13-inch pan.
Mix sugar, margarine, and evaporated milk in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a full boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. (You want it to reach soft ball stage. Sometimes 5 minutes is not enough.)
Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and thoroughly combined. Beat in marshmallow creme, walnuts, and vanilla extract. Transfer fudge to the prepared pan and let cool before cutting into squares.
CRANBERRY FUDGE
(A variation on Fantasy Fudge)
3 cups white sugar 3/4 cup butter 2/3 cup Carnation evaporated milk 1 (12 ounce) package white chocolate morsels (Nestle is good) 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme (Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme) 1 cup Craisins 1 teaspoon vanilla
Butter a 9×13-inch pan.
Mix sugar, margarine, and evaporated milk in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a full boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. (You want it to reach soft ball stage. Sometime 5 minutes isn’t enough.)
Remove from heat and stir in white chocolate morsels until melted and thoroughly combined. Beat in marshmallow creme, Craisins, and vanilla extract. Transfer fudge to the prepared pan and let cool before cutting into squares.
APPLESAUCE DATE NUT BREAD
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons Crisco shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
Mix walnuts, dates, soda and salt. Add shortening and applesauce. Let stand for 20 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9″ loaf pan.
Beat eggs and blend in vanilla, sugar and flour until combined.
Mix with date mixture until well blended. Pour into pan and bake 2 hour 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Remove to wire rack to complete cooling.
Wrap in foil and store in refrigerator overnight before slicing. (Freezes well)
Serve plain or with cream cheese or butter.
Variation: Substitute dried candied fruit for the dates. Tasty at Christmas.
You can make mini-cakes with this recipe but be careful of the timing. It usually takes about 30 minutes baking time.
Apricot balls, Fantasy Fudge and Cranberry Fudge
NO COOK APRICOT BALLS (Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1978)
1 package (8 ounces) dried apricots ground finely or cut up
3 1/2 cups flaked coconut
3/4 cup Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cups finely chopped nuts (you may need more)
Mix apricots, coconut and evaporated milk.
Shape mixture into 1-inch balls.
Roll balls in chopped nuts.
Let stand until firm. (About 2 hours.)
Variation: Mix nuts into apricot-coconut mixture then roll in powered sugar.
_____________ Thanks for reading! Please share with your network. It’s how I build readership.
Fans of The Skillet, get ready to chow down on old favorites and new menu items. The food truck with an attitude and funky decor is now a 90-seat restaurant and bar. The new digs will be open soon in the old wool warehouse on 12th Street. Radical decor and a trendy ambiance invite diners to sit awhile. Part of the renovation included the installation of an all new kitchen and overhaul of the electrical wiring. Through the construction and revitalization of the building, owner/operators Isaac and Shawna Sandoval oversaw the process and put their unique stamp on the eatery. As talented artists the Sandovals have created an experiential dining space in a fast-casual setting. They expect the restaurant will be open by the end of the month. In this Q&A, the couple talks about bringing their vision to life.
ORP: How did the ambiance and décor of The Skillet develop? Isaac: We approached the design of The Skillet as an art installation. We used the time we had during construction to make works of art for the restaurant. Shawna and I are both artists. We have different approaches to making art. A lot of how things turned out were a product of us working together. We also had a great crew of assistants and other artist working with us to execute our vision. We worked together to create an immersive art environment. We wanted to create a space that was different, a place where people could sit and interact with artworks without being in a high-pressure situation that I think sometimes happens when visiting a museum or gallery. Some of the art was built with specific intent to the space, and some was made, and then the space was built around it. The tile work on the bar, for instance, was an idea Shawna had to take some of the design from the food truck into the restaurant. Meanwhile, the eight-foot donkey bust that I made over the course of a couple of weeks, had no specific place in the building until we finally put it up. Really, the whole processes of making the art was quite fluid. One project would influence another, and it seems to have become a new body of artwork itself. Shawna: Our background in the arts informs much of what we were able to create in the business. The overall design is a total collaboration between us. We tend to make decisions as we go, coming up with design solutions on the fly, or in other instances, taking time to plan out larger components. The goal for the overall feel of the place was to create something aesthetically pleasing with an enjoyable ambiance, but also something with a bit of an edge that makes looking around at the artwork part of the experience.
Isaac and Shawna Sandoval
OPR: Your food from The Skillet Rolling Kitchen was along the lines of fusion cuisine rather than typical Northern New Mexico foods. Talk about how you developed the menu in the new restaurant. Isaac:Northern New Mexican food is – in itself – a fusion food. Chile sauce often contains a roux, which is a French technique, and dishes that we call “Spanish” are Mexican. There was a time not too long ago, that we were part of Mexico. Northern New Mexican food was very much influenced by Mexican food but it is a different cuisine than American-Mexican (Tex Mex), and to paint the cuisine of Mexico with a broad brush would be like saying all American food is a cheese burger. There is something specific and special about the type of food that is prepared in the area.
My background in cooking is Northern New Mexican food. I love to eat and try new foods/ingredients. Because of my background, I know that you can put pretty much anything in a tortilla and it has the potential to be awesome. When planning our menu, we wanted something different, but relatable. Shawna and I really wanted a fun menu, that wasn’t too fussy or would take too long. Most of the items from our food truck menu will still be available, along with new burritos and an appetizer menu. Our menu has items guests will be able to share over a beer or get a fast bite. Shawna: We wanted to stick with many of the same menu items offered at our food truck because it is the food that helped us develop our customer base to begin with. We are keeping the fast-casual aspect of the menu knowing our customers appreciated that they could get in and out quickly at lunch with a satisfying meal. We are expanding the menu quite a bit to include more appetizers, salads, and burrito creations with new flavor combinations.
ORP: Will it change seasonally or as you are inspired as chef? Isaac:As a food truck, we tried to keep our regular menu items while integrating new or different items throughout the year. Once we get settled with the restaurant we plan on doing regular daily specials, and offer something different. For instance, every Friday we might have a chicken fried steak with coleslaw and Mac and cheese special but it might be wrapped into a burrito. At this point it’s hard to say, I am too excited. I think with having a bigger kitchen than the food truck kitchen, the possibilities really grow.
ORP: What advice did you get from your entrepreneurial parents that gives you confidence about opening your own place? Isaac: My parents have been our biggest guidance throughout this whole project. They have years of experience in the industry and are very knowledgeable about restaurants. I have grown up watching them work day in and out, dealing with customers and see how they handle employees in a professional manner. I have worked for my parents for many years now; everything I know, I know because of them. Shawna:Hard work equals success. It’s a tough business at times, but with owner dedication, the restaurant business can really be rewarding.
ORP: What influenced your decision to expand from the rolling kitchen concept to a brick and mortar restaurant? Isaac: The major influence was the support we had. We were a food truck for three summers before we decided to fully commit to a restaurant. Every year we were open we grew a larger following and grew slowly, adding new art to the environment, and integrating live music. At the end of the day, we were really at the mercy of Mother Nature. During the monsoon, we would get rained out. In fall, winter could be five minutes away and last until the first week of June. It created an inconsistent schedule that was bad for business. When the opportunity to purchase a liquor license came up, we knew a brick and mortar restaurant and bar would be a good undertaking. Shawna: We learned a lot about the food business with the food truck and we were ready to scale to something bigger. The new location is the manifestation of our need to see our dreams for our business fulfilled.
ORP: How many do you expect to employ? Isaac:We will employ bartenders, kitchen staff, cocktail servers, security, and dishwashers, 20-30 in all.
ORP: What is your food philosophy in terms of fresh and locally sourced when possible? Isaac: In a perfect world everyone would be buying direct from local farmers. In that world, we would be eating green chile, squash, onions, some peppers and beef or lamb. In that same world, we wouldn’t be eating guacamole or sushi. When the food truck was open, we used locally raised eggs, which I loved, but near the end of the summer the chickens had a hard time producing enough eggs for the truck. I try to go to the farmers’ market on a weekly basis and buy what I can, but at the volume our food truck produced we had to outsource. That said, we do prepare most of our dishes from scratch or make them as fresh as possible.
ORP: What appeals to you about being a culinary entrepreneur? Isaac:I love working with my hands. I love that cutting a case of tomatoes can become a meditation. I love that the situation in a kitchen can go from 0-100 in a matter of minutes. I love the rush of getting long tickets coming out of the printer. I love taking an ingredient and changing it into something completely different. Shawna: We grew up in the business, Isaac with his family here in Las Vegas. My very first of many restaurant jobs was washing dishes. After graduating college, there was something about the business that kept pulling us back in. We love the challenges and being our own boss. Seeing our vision make people happy, creates a lot of satisfaction for us.
OPR: What are your hours of operation? Isaac:We will be opening at 11 a.m. ’til close, Monday through Saturday.
ORP: Will reservations be recommended? Isaac: Our restaurant is a fast-casual environment. We can seat about 90 people in the restaurant and 25 of those seats are at the bar. Outside, our two patios can seat another 50 plus a standing bar. We will be a different dining experience than what some might be used to. Customers order at the counter; we will not have servers. We will have cocktail servers to take drink orders and bring food out. We will also take call-in orders to go. We want The Skillet to be a place where people can get something delicious fast and easy.
ORP: What are examples of specialty drinks you will serve? Isaac:We have a wide variety of really refreshing margaritas and cocktails. One example of a cocktail we offer is the Red Dawn, made with hibiscus tea, tequila, and grapefruit juice.
ORP: Do you plan to have live music/entertainment? Isaac: Last year we had a band or musician playing once a week for most of the summer. We are reaching out to local talent, and traveling bands to play throughout the year. If anyone is interested in playing or performing they can email us a sample of their work at Giantskillet@gmail.com or contact us on our website www.giantskillet.com
ORP: What is your anticipated opening day. Isaac: If everything goes as expected, we will open by the end of the month.
It takes unique talent and passion to create something people like to look at that also satisfies a yearning for a delicious treat to cap off special occasions. Amanda Medina of SugarBomb Bake Shoppe nails it every time. Her Facebook reviews are numerous and enthusiastic.
She always does an amazing job! My graduation cake was perfect and tasted so good! AE
Absolutely love SugarBomb. Everything that I have ever ordered has exceeded my expectations. Wouldn’t order from anywhere else. LT
SugarBomb is the BOMB! I’ve never been disappointed! Always been satisfied! FP
Amanda Medina
This culinary entrepreneur defines what it means to create a business from nothing and make it into a stellar success.
ORP: Briefly talk about why you started SugarBomb Bake Shoppe.
Amanda: SugarBomb was started out of combination of curiosity, passion for the craft and the desire to create something my way, from the ground up. Throughout my childhood, my mom owned her own flower shop, The Awesome Blossom, and it really resonated with me. I saw the struggles of owning your own small business, but it was the successes that really made the impression. I wanted to be my own boss and create something that was a representation of me. Baking has always been a hobby of mine, so it seemed a natural fit. It was a craft that I could hone and really make my own.
ORP: How did you become interested in baking?
Amanda: It started in high school. I’d taken a few culinary arts classes and fell in love with it. It was also at that time that cupcakeries were trendy and cake-related TV shows were becoming popular. I would make cakes from mixes and try to decorate them with fondant to replicate what I’d see on those shows.
Bookish
ORP: You started out as a home-based operation. What are the challenges to doing that?
Amanda: I think having a home based business has a bit of a negative connotation. People are a little more wary because they can’t just come in and browse. I feel like I’ve really had to prove myself and my product. I’ve definitely earned every one of my customers!
ORP: What is the biggest challenge you faced in the beginning and how did you overcome it?
Amanda: The biggest challenge in the beginning was getting the word out there in ways that would be beneficial to the business, but also fiscally responsible for me. I came into this very naive. That may have been a blessing in disguise because the things I did then were done out of sheer gumption and hunger to make it work. From day one I had the desire to succeed at this. Everyday, every cake I make, I still strive to be better, learn more about my craft and to improve. I think having that mindset has helped me to overcome a lot of the struggles involved in having a home-based business.
ORP: What gives you the greatest joy as a professional baker?
Amanda: The reactions, for sure! Nothing compares to seeing a bride and groom see their cake for the first time or a three-year-old excitedly shrieking about their cake. And as much as I love the initial visual reactions, I love the texts or calls that often come later telling me how it tasted “…even better than it looked,” even more! Those make all the sleepless nights and hours of work more than worth it!
The Wild One
ORP: What is the most important trait for someone who wants to be a culinary entrepreneur?
Amanda: A bit of stubbornness. There are going to be so many hurdles to overcome that you have to be a little stubborn. You have to be willing to stick to your guns, believe wholeheartedly in your product and be willing to sacrifice to make it work. Also, I think there’s a balance of being confident in your product and having the humility to always want to learn more.
ORP: You are now the kitchen manager at La Cocina Commercial Kitchen at Luna Community College. Talk about that and what it means to you to have access to a commercial kitchen for your business.
Amanda: A commercial kitchen is a game changer! Right now, I am only allowed to sell direct to consumers. Producing in the commercial kitchen would enable me to wholesale (my products) and potentially get my items in restaurants or even grocery stores. It completely broadens the market and allows for faster and more efficient production. La Cocina Commercial Kitchen is a great resource for up and coming, and established business owners in our community. I definitely have plans to utilize it to grow SugarBomb.
ORP: You are also teaching a baking basics class at Luna Community College this fall. What prompted you to do that and what are you most looking forward to as an instructor?
Amanda: Initially, I wanted to teach the class as a challenge for myself. I haven’t always been super comfortable with public speaking so I thought it would help me break that. Talking about baking and the tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way comes natural so it’s been nice to be able to share that with a group of people who are equally interested in baking. There’s such a range of students in the class, all the way from beginners to people who already work as professional bakers. I tell my class all the time that we are all learning new things from each other. It’s the only the third week but it’s been such an enriching experience already.
ORP: Any advice for beginning culinary entrepreneurs?
Amanda: Go for it! Even if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, if you have a passion, go for it. Put your heart and soul into it and don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are some amazing people in the food industry here in Las Vegas that are willing to share their expertise. SugarBomb is a custom cake Shoppe. I strive to make everything from flavor to decor completely custom and one of a kind.
Add a bit of flair and color to the table with a bright centerpiece
Potluck Pleaser:
Enchilada Casserole Serves 12
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees1 Lb Lean ground beef
1 Small onion diced
1 Small can diced Ortega green chile
Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbls Olive oil
2 Cans Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (mild, medium or hot)
1 C Beef Broth
1 C Carnation Evaporated Milk
4 C Grated Colby-Jack cheese
24 Corn tortillas
Sauté diced onion in olive oil. Add ground beef and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add diced green chile and cook through. In a large pot bring enchilada sauce to a boil. Add cooked ground beef, beef broth and milk. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and add 2 C of cheese. Stir to prevent sticking until cheese in incorporated through the mixture. Remove from heat.
Spray a 6 x 9 oven-safe dish with Pam or similar spray oil. Dip six tortillas in the meat mixture and line the bottom of the pan. Spread about 1 cup of the meat mixture over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat the layers until all the meat mixture and cheese is used up. Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
For a Green Chile Enchilada casserole variation:
Replace beef with 2 to 3 C of chopped chicken
Substitute El Paso Green Chile Enchilada Sauce for red.
Use chicken broth instead of beef.
I made my first quilt. Not that I haven’t made quilts, I have, but always the tie kind. I’ve never actually made an honest to goodness quilted quilt. I’m proud of the finished product, not so much because of the perfection of the end result (it is FAR from perfect), but because I didn’t give up when I made one mistake after another. In fact, within a week of finishing it, I all but threw up my hands and said, “I’m done!”
My final setback (after countless other setbacks that will go unnamed), came when I realized I’d attached the binding in such a way that I couldn’t finish off the corners in a neat and tidy fashion. When it didn’t seem to be working the way I thought it should, I made a major mistake and trimmed one corner thinking that would solve the problem. Uh… no! I’d made it WORSE. Imagine my surprise when I found, after checking out instructions on the Internet and two days of pulling my hair, I’d done it right all along. My mistake was how I attached the binding. I should have sewn it to the back and pulled the binding to the front. I was frustrated and began to think it was so incredibly WRONG! The temptation to give up was intense, in fact I told my husband I was going to go out and buy a baby quilt for my soon-to-be-born great niece.
Ah, right, the reason I took on this project was to make something with my own hands and heart that would reflect my love for this precious child. I couldn’t give up. No matter what, I wanted to finish it and I’m proud to say I did, and in time for the baby’s shower on Saturday.
I will go out and buy some things for my great-niece, but I hope she will grow up knowing this handmade quilt was made with love interwoven with prayers for her to be healthy, happy and passionate about life. The quirky secrets hidden within the mistakes are my prayers for her to find plenty to laugh about, even when things don’t go her way. She is coming into a family who will cherish her, and give loving support to her mom and dad.
I have SO many things I want/need to do, if I’m not organized, at the end of the day all there is to show for my busyness is dither, squiggles and chaos… or nothing. Back in the day I was – really, this is true – excellent at multitasking. Once upon a time I could keep several metaphorical balls in the air without dropping a one.
Over the holidays, I missed watering for three weeks. I know, I know, why have The List if you don’t pay attention to it? One plant thrived under my neglect. The orchid. The darned thing loved not being watered to death! Fortunately, I didn’t lose any plants, although for a couple it was iffy for a while.
Pressure cooking will never replace roasting, but it definitely has its uses.
Susan Ammerman and her husband Bart Ellison moved to northern New Mexico from New Orleans in 1999 to retire and raise a few sheep. Ammerman set out to raise easy care sheep as a quieter alternative to power lawn equipment. The project evolved into preserving the Navajo-Churro sheep breed and raising flavorful meat lambs for the local market. Ammerman is a Houston, Texas, native who is a University of Houston journalism graduate. She studies sheep and chicken genetics, social cognition and horticulture.
For foodies on the go
I made my first quilt. Not that I haven’t made quilts, I have, but always the tie kind. I’ve never actually made an honest to goodness quilted quilt. I’m proud of the finished product, not so much because of the perfection of the end result (it is FAR from perfect), but because I didn’t give up when I made one mistake after another. In fact, within a week of finishing it, I all but threw up my hands and said, “I’m done!”
Sharon Vander Meer 