Grow Your Own Pineapples

Tags

Australia, Cara Reynolds, diy, diy pineapple, farming, Gardening, Happiness, homemade, How to Grow Mini Pineapples From Tops, how to grow pineapple, love, Maria Emilia Borja, Mark, Mushpa Y Mensa, organic, organic farming, pineapple, Self Sufficient Me

In this video, Mark lets us know to only buy pineapples with tops at the stores or farmer’s market, any others without tops he says those sellers can, “go stuff themselves!” :] Other truth bombs he drops on us are, no need to soak in water just cut the head off leaving an inch of the fruit to give them some extra energy, then “bang the head into the ground” and add some water.

He gives us some more knowledge in the video, but I will let you watch and learn the rest on your own if you so choose!

Free fruit! Pictures in the future here.

– Mushpa

Vegan Arepas con Curtido Fusion Recipe

Tags

arepa recipe, arepas, cabbage, coleslaw, colombia, corn meal, curtido, Food, fusion, harina de maiz, latin american food, latin american recipes, Latinas cooking, Mushpa + Mensa, pupusas, recipe, traditional food, Vegan, vegan cheese, venezuela

Arepas, Pupusas, Gorditas. Different maize (or corn meal) patties made slightly different in many Latin American countries. Delicious either way you eat them. A food that is economical, and so versatile it can be stuffed with literally anything you could imagine, from eggs and avocados, to meats and of course, the classic, cheese…ohh quesito!

I decided to make Arepas once we started reaching the back row products in our kitchen cabinet. Somehow, we always end up getting the most creative when we have less resources. But I cannot complain. Even when we are low on food in the cabinets we often feel like our life is full of richness. Cheesy, I know, but true. And Cheesy is always good… as the recipe below will show you.

These Arepas were a simple recipe. Basic. Paired with cabbage salad, usually accompanying Salvadorean Pupusas. Here is the recipe. Go make them. Delicious. I used corn meal called P.A.N. This is what my mother gave me, and it is what I have read, the most commonly used corn meal.

For the Arepas:

2 1/2 cups of water                                                                                                                                            2 cups of PAN – Harina de maiz (pre-cooked corn meal)                                                                   1 teaspoon of salt.                                                                                                                                             Oil                                                                                                                                                                         vegan cheese for stuffing

Pour water and salt into a container. Mix well. Start pouring the corn meal slowly, while mixing. Make sure you don’t get any lumps! When all is mixed, knead the dough until it is smooth, and let rest for a few minutes (3-5 minutes).

Oil your pan, or griddle  a little bit on medium to low heat. Place patties and fry them until they brown in one side, and then the next. About 5 minutes each side. The lower the heat, the better, as you want the water inside to dry out a bit. Ideally when you knock on one with a knife, it should sound hollow or like an echo. The lower the heat, the longer they will be on the pan.

Place them in an oven at 325 degrees and let them cook for about 10 more minutes.

Cut them open in half, and stuff with a small palm full of cheese. Veggies and Protein are also an option!

For the Curtido:

1/2 head cabbage, a carrot, and a yellow onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar/ maple syrup/ honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano, or Italian seasoning
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

You can use a bag of ready coleslaw as I did this time (excluded the onions). Mix all vegetables in a bowl. Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl, and then pour over cabbage mix. You can let it rest for a few minutes, while you season the arepas, but 2 hours or evnn the day after rest will absorb the flavors the best.

Serve along side the arepas and ENJOY!

Buen provecho,

Mensa

Avocado Egg Salad Recipe

Tags

avocado egg salad, Avocado Egg Salad on Homemade Vegan Wheat Bread, avocado salad, Cara Reynolds, egg salad, free range, health food, healthy living, Maria Emilia Borja, organic, organic recipe, recipe, smoked paprika, vegan wheat bread

Avocado Egg Salad on Homemade Vegan Wheat Bread

 

2 small organic avocados, peeled
6 hard boiled free range organic eggs
1/4 cup organic mayonnaise
6 chopped organic green onions
1 and 1/2 tablespoons organic lemon juice
6 to 8 shakes of smoked paprika, depends on how much you love it
sea salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

1. Place the eggs in a saucepan and fill with enough cold water to cover the eggs (they should sit in a single layer). I use my Le Creuset Cast-Iron 1-Quart Oval (Dutch) French Oven so the eggs can rest in said single layer with no drama! Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and cover the pan; let sit for 13 minutes (15 minutes if you’re cooking a dozen).
2. Drain the water and immediately run cold water over the eggs. Transfer eggs to an ice bath and allow eggs to chill for 10 minutes.
3. Peel and roughly chop the hard boiled eggs.
4. Add the avocado to a mixing bowl with the mayonnaise, green onions, lemon juice, smoked paprika, sea salt and pepper. Mash the avocados, leaving them slightly chunky if desired. Add the chopped hard boiled eggs and stir well to combine. I like to let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes so the flavors work themselves into each other, but it is not necessary. Eat on toasted bread with watercress or greens of choice. I also will put it on a romaine lettuce leaf and eat it like an egg salad lettuce taco!

It’s delicious!

Recipe by Mushpa (aka Cara)

Mushpa y Mensa Super Summer Update

Tags

art, artist, beauty, Cara Reynolds, clay bead necklace, clay beads, clothes, crafts, DAS, diy, eco-friendly, etsy, fashion, felt, gay, handmade, Happiness, home-made, homemade, inspiration, jewlery, kickstarter, lesbian, love, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, necklace, organic, plush animals, queer, quote, recycled, screen printing, stuffed aimals, stuffed animal, t shirt designs, t-shirts, tablet case, toys, yarn

Hello Mushpa y Mensa Super Fans!

Yes, you see right, it’s Mushpa y Mensa’s Super Summer update, after a few months of silence. We are happy to say that in the last three months, Mushpa y Mensa have begun their “Gypsy Market Life”. Already, on this journey, we have met quite a few amazing people, like the folks at Seaglass Salvage Market, Brooklyn Arts Center, Beacon House Inn, and Satellite Lounge to name a few. We have also danced and tasted many sweet wines at the Duplin Winery’s Main Squeeze Music and Wine Festival, as well as met dozens of new, fun people at the annual Azalea and Strawberry Festivals in North Carolina. ;] We even partnered up with Wilmington’s Earth Day Alliance and enjoyed a wonderful Earth Day Celebration at Hugh MaCrae Park.

It’s been surreal so far.

It’s amazing what faith, love, encouragement, and a little help from our friends can do. In terms of our little cottage industry, we are, as you say, busting a hump. We are constantly checking ourselves on how we can make things better from our art, to our business, to our life.

We have actually just updated the “Photos of Our Peeps” page on Mushpa y Mensa’s site. We added a photo uploading tool, so you can upload pictures of you in our organic tees, wearing our amazing jewelry, hugging our lavender filled plush pets, or even just keeping your hands cool with one of our coffee cozies. :]

And in terms of our Art? Well we keep on bringing to life tons of ideas in our head. For example, we recently created 3.5 new shirt designs. A cool Octopus Olivia with an Anchor Tattoo on her forehead,as well as R6: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replenish, Reflect, Reimagine inspired by Earth Day.

We also have new organic Pima cotton relaxed fit tops that are flying out of the truck. Here is an example of the Pima tops with one of our new designs, Argema Mittrei, a female moth. Lastly, we spruced up Robot Girl and added a cute heart. All these designs we print for the ladies, the gents, and of course the smallest people around.

Mushpa y Mensa have also been focusing on custom shirts that have been selling off Maya so fast we don’t even have time to list them on our Etsy shop!

Spread the art, spread the love.

A few questions answered…

Where can I find the Art Truck?

Follow us on Twitter @mushpamensa. We are constantly posting when and where we will be. There is also an events page on our site, www.mushpaymensa.com/events we keep updated, but Twitter is best for the most up to date information.

We are doing some art shows, markets and fleas, but are hunting to find good spots to park around town. We are partnering up with cool people like the folks at the Beacon House Inn on Carolina Beach and Satellite Bar and Lounge in Wilmington.

And for all the natives and people in the know, since we are new in town, feel free to hit us up at info@mushpamensa.com or our contact page with any ideas where to park, festivals to do or whether you’d like us to rock a party or event with you!

Are you going on the road anytime soon?

We want to explore the grounds of NC and the surrounding area, so we will keep the max to weekend trips. But worry not, we will definitely be making it into the mid-west and west-coast! Maybe even an occasional trip to NYC sooner than you think!

If you have any questions about anything, make sure to ask! We love to hear from you all.

Until the next super exciting Mushpa y Mensa’s and Maya, Magical Mobile Art Machine update we say good day!

With lots of love,

               Cara and Maria Emilia

                                                             a.k.a.

One Size (Doesn’t) Fits All

Tags

"One Size Fits All" On Different Body Types, Bodily Awareness, body image, Body Self Perception, body type, buzzfeed video, fat, medium, one size doesn't fit all, one size fits all, self esteem, short, tall, thin

Jersey has one job and that’s to get on everyone’s body. :]

Werd.

-Mushpa

Breakfast!

Tags

chipotle, fake sausage, made with love, omelette, smoked Gouda

Smoked-Gouda-fauxsage-chipotle-and-green-tomatillo-Omelette with sweet potato rounds….yum.

Happy Saturday!

-Mensa

Quote and 411

Tags

artist, Cara Reynolds, eco-friendly, etsy, gay, Happiness, homemade, lesbian, LIC Flea & Food, LIC Flea Market, love, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mohadesa Najumi, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, organic, plush animals, queer, screen printing

Truth.

Come see two women who roll like that @LIC Food and Flea today!!! We’ll be here till 6!

Check out our Kickstarter project!

– La Mushpa y la Mensa

Minty Lavender & Rose Body Scrub

Tags

art, artist, birthday gift ideas, birthday month, Cara Reynolds, eco-friendly, handmade, lavender body scrub, love, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, organic coconut oil, organic sugar body scrub, peppermint body scrub, rose hips body scrub

February is Mushpa’s Birthday Month!
She has a wonderful tradition of celebrating not only one day, but other days too! It makes you feel extra special, and your birthday lasts not only a day, not only a weekend, but a whole month! I’ve tried to get very creative and have hand-crafted many of her little gifts. Stamps made out of wine corks, soul-mate bracelets, and even a home-made potpourri!

A couple of days ago, I decided to whip up a really easy, but super delicious body scrub using all natural ingredients for her. Good for the body, and good for the soul!

All you need is:

-a clean glass jar, fabric, rubber band and ribbon

– organic sugar of your choice. The coarser, I think the better.

-organic coconut oil

-peppermint oil (or any other minty oil of your choice)

-lavender and dried rose hips

Heat some water in a sauce pan and place the coconut oil jar in the water. This will quickly soften up the oil without the need of a microwave! Measure about 1/3 cup of coconut oil and place in a bowl. Slowly add the sugar, until it starts absorbing most of the oil. I say it will be about a 1 cup. If you pour too much sugar and it becomes dry, add more oil!

After mixing the sugar and coconut oil, add the peppermint oil essence. I used about 20 drops of oil. Start with a little less, and keep adding until you find the perfect balance.

Add the Lavender! I suggest about 1 to 2 tablespoons, and mix it all up.

After you have the perfect scrub, line the bottom of your glass jar with rose hips. This is a nice little detail, and it looks beautiful at the bottom of the jar! Once the scrub is in, the roses will also absorb the oil and you can use them as part of the scrub too.

After the layer of rose hips, I added a layer of the scrub and filled it half way. Then I added a layer of lavender, placing the dried lavender on the outer edges of the glass so you could see it better. Then add the second layer of your scrub, and once again, one more layer of lavender. I placed three rose buds at the top so when Mushpa opened it, it looked oh-so-very-nice!

Close the jar. Cut a round piece of fabric, place it on the lid and hold it down with a rubber band. Then add the ribbon….. perfect!

Happy Birthday Month Mi Mushpa!

❤❤❤

-Mensa

Mushpa y Mensa’s Project Clean House 2014

Tags

art, artist, bon ami powder cleaner, Cara Reynolds, clean house 2014, diy labels, eco cleaning, environmentally friendly cleaning products, gay, good energy in the home, Happiness, happy new year, homemade, lesbian, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa, Mushpa Y Mensa, mushpa y mensa's clean house project, old jars, organic, organizing projects, queer

I begin this year starting fresh with my posts, as I know that in December I was not keeping up with my partner in crime Mushpa’s amazing WordPress posting skills and motivation. My bad Mushpa!

Here I will start by telling you that it was necessary for us to start the new year with an amazingly clean and organized home. For the past few days Mushpa y Mensa have re-energized our apartment, thrown out unnecessary trash, given away unused items, and said goodbye to old memories, to make space for the journeys of the new year!

———————————————–

My favorite project so far has been re-organizing the kitchen cabinets. We used old jars of pasta sauces and pickles. We cleaned and re-labeled them in order to super organize everything from baking soda and stevia, to oats and chia seeds.  We also bought spices sold in bulk, so we refilled empty spice jars, and re-labeled others for new spices! You don’t need anything fancy to make the labels…only card-stock, pen and tape…and voila!

 

Here are some good tips on what a good” New Year Cleaning” might be deserving of.

1. Kitchen: Clean all the cabinets inside and out, above and below…. and give away any unused cooking items. Our street-found iron pan, an old recipe book, a coffee grinder and random containers were among the items we left in a brown bag for people to pick and choose from at the entrance of our building.  Some people’s “trash”, other people’s treasures! Reduce, and someone else will most definitely reuse!

2. Bedroom and Studio: We cleaned and are almost finished reorganizing our studio and bedroom, yet one really important aspect of the process was to get rid of (and RECYCLE of course) all old paperwork that only took up space. Sometimes little mementos are nice to keep, and we do so in a small box in our bedroom where later on in they year they will probably be compiled into a scrapbook. Other papers/old pictures/brochures/receipts and such are in the “out” pile. It might seem crazy, but the house feels lighter without these items cluttering everywhere.

3. Clean clean clean: And I mean clean….everything. I even vacuumed inside the stove stop where my hand and sponge couldn’t work. The best part of this is that you DO NOT NEED any harsh chemical products to have a clean home. We used our trusted Vinegar + Water + Peppermint Oil concoction for every surface. Works like a charm, and it smells nice too.  For the very tough stains, grease grime and soap scum, we use our trusted Bon Ami cleaner. It only has 5 ingredients including limestone, feldspar and baking soda derived from sustainable resources that won’t harm our earth!

Now our home feels lighter with better energy to start a new year. A few good prayers with incense and candles burning will add the perfect touch to the amazing energy that circles our home….

From our clean home, we wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Much love,

Mushpa y Mensa

No Shipping??? Say What?

Tags

art, Cara Reynolds, christmas Onaments, eco felt holiday ornaments, eco-friendly, fashion, flea market, gay, gingerbread men eco felt ornaments, gingerbread people ornaments, handmade, home-made, lesbian, LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market, LIC Flea Market, Maria Emilia Borja, Mensa, Mushpa Y Mensa, music, nyc flea market, organic, ornaments, stuffed aimals, t-shirts

Yes, these cute, limited time only, eco-felt, naturally holiday scented (peppermint or cloves), so delicious that someone has already taken a bite off of their cute head and leg, Gingerbread Peeps tree ornaments, are coming to you free of any shipping charges from us here at Mushpa y Mensa. Not only are these little guys postage free, but everything in our shop is as well. Sadly, this fabulous sale ends December 31st, so get it while you can! :]

What you want another way to get free shipping? Come see us @LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market.  Not only do you get free shipping, but you can touch, see, smell, love everything before taking them home. You can feel the magic in person! :]

What? There’s more? Pictures with Santa? Yes. A fafillion artisans and culinary masters? Yes. Live jazz, DJs? Yes. The New York Cosmos soccer club (NASL Soccer Bowl Champions)? Again, yes. Bowling, Christmas trees, beer, wine and cocktails? Yes*5.

Just come!

– Mushpa y Mensa