Project cooking, and not bowing to pressure

(waves)

Hey.

It's been a bit.  I'm still here! 

When I decided to return to blogging, I promised myself that I wouldn't succumb to the 'gotta post every single day!' pressure I felt back in The Old Days.

That self-imposed sense of obligation is one of the (many) reasons I backed away from Dispensing Happiness. 

Posting started to feel like a job, not an expression of who I am, or the desire to be part of a community.

So when I was seriously considering returning, I told myself it was ok if I didn't publish daily. Or weekly.
That it was ok to only show up when I really felt like I had something to say, or share.

It's not as if I wasn't cooking and baking. I just didn't feel the need to talk about it.

(But obviously that first-born, Virgo, former-Catholic guilt is in play, or I wouldn't be explaining my absence!)

ANYWAY.

Something I started doing about 20 years ago (!) was making the red mole from Rick Bayless.

It's not an everyday recipe: this baby is work.

But oh, my gosh; it is so worth it.

It's kind of a once a year or so undertaking, but fortunately, the mole freezes well.

I was in the mood for a 'project', and my last batch was nearly gone. so it was sauce-making time.

This year, I made a double-batch, figuring if I'm putting in the effort, I'm going to make it worth my time.

Lots of chilies. Lots of other ingredients. 

Lots of frying. 

Everything gets blitzed (I ran them first through the food processor, then the food mill).

That gets cooked down (first, the chile paste, then the everything else paste gets added in), then stock and Mexican chocolate are mixed in.

                                            (not a great photo - the light is directly above)

But, after much prep, and even more cooking, you're rewarded with an amazing sauce.

(Just try not to think about all the clean up after!)

If you're interested in giving this a try, the recipe can be found in Rick Bayless Mexican Kitchen.


And as a head's up: :I've got another Blog Party in the works, so stay tuned!