She began to hope with joy.
Six Word Story #39
Crockpot Mexican Pork Tacos Mishap and Not Finding Pedro
The other day I was trying to make pork street tacos in my crockpot. I thought this would be an awesome dinner to have pretty much done when I got home. I started with my Mexican street taco base of about three tablespoons of your choice of oil (I used avocado) in the bottom of the crockpot. Next I added about a teaspoon of cumin (it should have been a tablespoon!) and a couple of teaspoons of dried oregano. I sliced up a large onion and placed my pork loin on top of that. I lightly salted and peppered the loin (it should have been more vigorously seasoned!) and dumped about three tablespoons of oregano on top. What can I say? I was trying to use up my jar of oregano! Then I squeezed about two lines worth of juice on it from fresh limes.
It smelled fabulous while it was cooking. There were two issues when we went to eat it on some soft tortillas. First, it was dry because you should use pork shoulder, not pork loin. Oops! Also, it didn’t have the flavor because I had not realizing skimped on the cumin and salt. Oops again! Well… nobody’s perfect. We all fail once in a while. It was a good try and I learned a few things. So, all in all, not a complete failure.
Now, the story. As some of you know, my car’s name is Hector. I did not name him this, he came named. In fact I had never had a named car until Hector. Hector has been a pretty decent car, with a few quirks, but then no one (and no car) is perfect. He has quite the personality. I’m pretty sure he’s a cranky old man at this point.
I was parallel parking today (something that I am actually amazingly good at – who would have guessed that?!) and Hector was groaning in his usual cranky way. Child #2 was scrunching down in the passenger seat, horrendously embarrassed by Hector’s noises. I told her that she had no reason to be embarrassed. Embarrassing is being dropped off at high school in a big, 1970’s orange farm truck with a homemade “cab” on the back with a bright blue tarp over said box-cab because, of course, the box-cab leaked! She said that would be fine as long as it didn’t make noises like Hector. Oh yes, I assured her, that truck did that too!!!! Yikes! Mortifying.
Anyhow…I digress. I was looking to replace trusty Hector because he is getting older and less and less things are working as they should. Mmmmhmmmm…just think what fun that is!!! So, I found a vehicle that I absolutely wanted. Pedro (what I have decided to name the next vehicle (Hey! I have to be able to yell at him when things go wrong, don’t I?!!!) The price seemed reasonable and I was having the best time thinking about trips we would take in the new-to-us (since who can afford a new vehicle? I work at a shelter, remember people!) car.
I talked to the credit union with whom I have been working on a loan for the purchase of Pedro. I waited and waited for what seemed like forever, but was in reality about three hours to find out if I was approved. The entire time I was praying. I didn’t ask for the car, well not much anyway. Instead I asked God to do His will. If it was His will that this car was indeed a good vehicle that would serve us well into the future and everything worked out, then fine. However, if it was not His will, I asked for the loan not to be approved, so that I would know for sure.
The loan was not approved. I was so upset. I ranted and raved to my kiddos. I cried. I tried to call the loan officer to ask why. I even wrote her an email! Yikes. Poor woman!
When she returned my call she was very calm and went over the reasons that the loan had been denied. I was still upset, but then something clicked. I had asked Him to do His will and to deny the loan if it wasn’t the right vehicle. And then, here I am so upset. Why?
So I took a deep breath, finished up my phone call with the loan officer and thanked God that He had done exactly as I asked. It was not the right car for us. It would have really stretched my budget (and I’m terrified of not being able to pay my bills!) and who knows but God? Maybe it would have broken down quickly. He has a reason and I’ve got to trust that He has a perfect vehicle in mind just for us!
What do you think? Do you name your vehicles, and if so, what do you name them? Do you want male, female, or what for your car names? Leave your answers in the comments! Happy driving!
Am I?
That little girl
Hurt
Sad
Never understood
What do they see
Not me
Never me
Assumptions
Theories
Imaginings
None truly me
Those that should
Don’t
Those who shouldn’t
Do
Take advantage
Use for evil
Leave far more broken
Leave far more than me broken
Pick up the pieces
Of all of us
Be the glue
Find the strength
Find the plan
The planner
The acceptance
The love
The healing
How Goes the Journey and a Chicken Recipe
At the beginning of June I decided to cut out all refined sugar. How is it going? Well…I feel pretty darn amazing! I’ve lost some weight, though that wasn’t really the reason I did it (though awesome “side effect!!!”) I wanted to not feel like I was slogging through molasses. I was tired of being tired. I could not function. My brain felt like cottage cheese. I could not remember much of anything! Sounds dire, right? It was. Drastic times call for drastic measures! So, goodbye refined sugar!
What am I eating now? Avocados are a favorite, as they are great brain food! Also hard boiled eggs and lots of fresh fruit. I made a small veggie dish the other day with a few yellow squash that was amazing (I’ll have to get the recipe on the blog!) I do have a bread that I like that’s made with cane sugar. It’s Canyon Bakery’s Hawaiian bread. I don’t eat a lot of it, but if I want bread, that’s my go-to. Also, Child #2 is working on finding recipes that I can eat. Yay for the kiddos! I like almond butter, though I like to add a little salt (which if I’m adding it, you know it needs it, as I don’t much care for salt!) I also like to add a package of stevia to the salted almond butter and eat it with Glutino pretzels (which are made with cane sugar.) Yum! A great lunch or snack!
Simple and fresh are the mottos of our home these days and I love it! I am not eating processed meats because they all seem to contain dextrose or maltodextrin, other sweeteners I’m avoiding. High fructose corn syrup is another no-no. I’ve discovered (as I’m sure many have before me, but we rarely listen until it gets personal!!!) that food these days is absolutely loaded with extra sweeteners. It’s horrendous!
I have found, dear readers, that if you’re looking for sugar free canned goods like kidney beans, diced tomatoes, or tomato sauce, you’re better off looking in the ethnic foods aisle, because certain brands don’t put the same amount of crap that Americans do in their canned goods! Looking for beans to make chili? You might be getting a side of high fructose corn syrup with those beans!
Read your labels! They will tell you if there is sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, or maltodextrin! However, you have to read them! I promise you I was horrified and shocked (as I think many of you will be too!) to see how many products use sugar, dextrose, maltodextrin, or high fructose corn syrup!
I found my soy sauce had high fructose corn syrup. I found my mayonnaise had sugar. I found my kidney beans had high fructose corn syrup. I found my spaghetti sauce had sugar. I found my chips had maltodextrin. I found my pepperoni had sugar. I found my bacon also had sugar. The list is seemingly neverending! Don’t be fooled! Read those labels!
So, what do I eat? Tonight I made chicken legs. I wasn’t sure with what I wanted to season them, but decided to use a jalapeno mustard we had in the fridge. Just a side note: most mustards are sugar free!!! Woohoo! Anyway, I digress…the chicken legs. I prepared my pan with an oversized piece of foil, which I sprayed with my favorite gf cooking spray. I squirted a bit of the mustard on each leg, while preheating my oven to 400° F.
Next, I rubbed in said mustard.
I wrapped the whole thing up into a packet and baked it for 45 minutes. This is what it looked like when it was done.
I served it with coleslaw (of which I forgot to take a pic!) and low-salt potato chips. Ok, so I phoned it in on the starch, but the coleslaw I had to mix with a sugar-free dressing and the chicken…well, you know what I did with that! Add to that the fact that I had a minor oral surgery yesterday, and you get the picture…too much dahling… too much!
Simple chicken? Yes! Simple supper? Hmmm…not in my current state! Hope you enjoy!
Being Catholic: A Little Thing about Divorce
If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I am Roman Catholic. This is not a judgement on anyone (because, after all, who am I to judge?!!!) Just a statement of fact.
As a Catholic, you may wonder how I reconcile the fact of being divorced with my Catholic faith. Well, here’s the thing: Marriage is a not just a ceremony, but a Sacrament and not to be entered into lightly , which is why there are prep classes, etc. before you actually get married. This is why, as a general rule, divorce is not allowed. However, when there is abuse, that is not the same story. In actuality, my monsignor (that’s a step above priest) advised me to do just that! Shocked? Surprised?
Why this tangent today? Well…last week at Mass our regular priest had a well-deserved vacation. We had a lovely neighboring town priest with us and he brought his deacon (a step below the priesthood, where participants can be married if they came into the diaconate as married.) This was fine. At least we’d get Mass, which isn’t always guaranteed in our tiny parish!
However, once the deacon started his homily on the wonders of marriage (it was Father’s Day, after all!) and then about how children really need both parents, I about lost it. I was completely shaken, near tears, and then really angry when he poo-pooed single mothers! Excuse me?
Yes. I realize he did not know my story, but I was gobsmacked. So, I had a little chat with him after Mass and let him know that some single mothers are single because our husbands (who are supposed to love and care for us as we do them!) beat us! I didn’t get into the child abuse he perpetrated on our children. I just thought that I had said enough.
He said “I know.” and worked to console me, but I’m still struggling to forgive him. I know he’s happily married and I’m sure his marriage is strong and wonderful. I wanted that too. I wanted to raise my children with two loving, caring parents. I chose wrong, I guess. However, if not for the ex, I wouldn’t have these children, and I love them with all my heart.
I was so glad to have our regular priest and our deacon back this week. Father assured me that he has counseled many abused women to seek divorce too and that I hadn’t sinned in that regard. Yay! Whew! I wasn’t really worried that I had, as I had gotten divorced at monsignor’s insistence, but it’s nice to have it confirmed!
What is my point? Please don’t judge all of us Roman Catholics on the actions of a few. Remember that everyone is human and we all make mistakes (sometimes small ones like forgetting the melody to a hymn you’re supposed to lead. Woops! And sometimes much bigger ones.) You know, as followers of my blog, exactly how much I love and try to help all people. Everyone is welcome here. We are all sinners. Not one of us is better than another. We all have pain. We all have secrets. We all have sins. But God loves us all. We are His children. As much as I love my kids (though they tend to drive me crazier – I’m already crazy!) imagine how much more the Father loves us! Bask in that love and extend it to others.
La Estrella, Delavan, Wisconsin: A Review
About a week ago, the kiddos and I were out and it got to be late for lunch. We were extremely hungry, and since our beloved Annie’s Burger Town burned (see post here) we were looking for somewhere else to eat that was affordable, gluten-free, and, of course, tasty!
I remembered how La Estrella had catered a Christmas party for a company where I worked. The food was wonderful and my boss’ mother knew the family and we were assured it was all gluten-free.
So, I pulled into the parking lot and the kiddos were surprised. They had never had authentic Mexican food. They were in for a treat.
We ordered the special: 20 tacos for $35.00, which I felt was the best deal for us, since it would afford everyone five tacos and we were all so very hungry.
The food was exceptional! Truly a delicious experience! Our steak tacos (we ordered the steak, though they have chicken, pork, and chorizo, as well!) We’re served on doubled up corn tortillas with sides of chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, some flavorful roasted peppers, and lime wedges. There were also three sauces in which to dip the complimentary homemade tortilla chips and add to the tacos. There was a green, quite spicy avocado sauce, a spicy, creamy red sauce, and a thin, mild salsa.
I am not a connoisseur of the spicey. Child #2 is my spice child. Even Child #4 likes hot things more than I do. However, flavorful, is a different story.
So I asked for some sour cream to mitigate the hotness of the green and red sauces and a happy medium was achieved.
My only caveat to the trip is that I would recommend pick-up or carry-out. Though La Estrella has tables and booths, the dining room is more rudimentary than comfortable. The place was not exactly five stars, and the bathroom needed a good scrub, but the food made up for all of that. Do yourself a favor and give it a shot!
La Estrella (The Star) is located at 1256 Racine Street in Delavan, Wisconsin. Their phone number is 262-725-7100.
What’s the New Coke Flavor?
You may or may not be aware of my love for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Yes. It’s undoubtedly unhealthy, but it’s my one vice, so yeah…not ready to give it up!
Lately Coke has been coming out with some new flavors. The latest of these is the Ultimate. It is directed to gamers, from what I can glean, but no one would let the actual flavor slip.
I bought two yesterday, a regular for the kiddos to try and a zero sugar for me. These I refrigerated so that we could enjoy them cold.
My first sip of the zero sugar tasted like banana. The next revealed some apple-cinnamon flavor. Strange combination, especially after the other great flavors like orange vanilla, etc. The kiddos felt about the same, but said the regular one was better (I let them try my zero sugar first!) We were glad we tried it, but wouldn’t buy it again.
However, if you love bananas and apples and cinnamon, have at it. You do you! It’s just not for us.
All-In Pico de Gallo
Our family loves pico de gallo! What is that? Well, for the uninitiated, it’s a type of fresh salsa. It’s delicious! Only trouble is that it’s expensive. Especially when you have four people who absolutely love it eating it out of the tiny containers that are sometimes clearanced at our local Woodman’s for 99¢!
The good news is that it’s easy to make, especially when it’s all hands on deck! Each of us did a little bit and we got a huge bowl of pico! Yum! Here is what we used:
Five large, ripe tomatoes
1 large jalapeno pepper
2 large onions
1 bunch of cilantro (doing this again, I’d use 1/2!)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 lime
Here’s what we did:
I chopped the tomatoes into a small dice and added them to our big, red bowl. (Your bowl does not have to be red, but it could be! 😜)
Next, Child #4 took the onion quarters that I had prepared for her and put them in our nut chopper to get a fine dice. I couldn’t find our mini chopper machine to do this quicker, so the nut chopper worked and she and her twin had fun pushing the handle down (over and over again!) to get the small dice we needed! She also added it to the red bowl in increments, as it was done.
Child #2 handled the jalapeno, as she loves spicy food and isn’t freaked out that she’s going to put her hand near her eye and irritate the broken blood vessel in it. (Nope. That would be me!) She cut out the seeds and ribs (as we don’t all love spice as much as she does!) and finely diced the pepper, adding it to the red bowl.
Child #3 juiced the lime I had cut in half for him into our small, juicing cup with a tip on it for fitting into said lime.
Children #’s 3 & 4 chopped the cilantro finely and added it to the bowl. As I said above, if I were to make this again, I would use about half of the bundle of cilantro, as it was a bit much, but since we like the herb, it was fine.
I added the minced garlic (out of the jar I keep in the fridge, since Sam’s does a great job of mincing, and then I don’t have to!) and salt. I stirred and then added the lime juice with a final stir, making sure to do a thorough job!
We served it with tortilla chips. I prefer a lower-salt variety than the kiddos, but use whichever you prefer. You may also adjust the salt in the recipe if you are in need of something with lower/no salt. Maybe try using a salt substitute.
What gave us a hankering for such delicious Pico de gallo besides not getting enough from the store? That, my friends, is a blog for another day, namely Thursday! See you then!
How Sweet It Is…or Was
Hello, everyone! I have come to the conclusion that I need to give up refined sugar. Shocker, I know. A diabetic giving up sugar? No way!
I’m not talking about just cake, cookies, etc. I’m talking about ALL refined sugar. Yeah. That’s right
Why would I want to do such a thing? There’s a simple explanation. For a long, long time now, I have not been feeling well. It’s nothing that I can say “That’s it! That’s why I feel as if I’m swimming in molasses everyday. My brain feels like cottage cheese, I can’t remember anything, and I’m anxious all the time. Something is clearly wrong.
So, I decided to make the drastic decision to cut all processed sugar. Honey, agave, and other natural sweeteners I’m keeping! I’m not superhuman, you know!!! I mean, I’m great, but not miraculous!
The first few days were a challenge, to say the least! Sugar withdrawal is no joke!!! But, I made it! Whew! My brain may not be completely on tap when it comes to quitting, but it’s working! Yay.
The Remains of the Freezer Recipe – Beef Stew
Hello, my beautiful followers! Thank you for taking this journey with me. I haven’t posted a recipe in a while, and thought I’d share what’s been going on in our little piece of the world!
I have discovered that I do not like to run low on food…like ever. This led to stockpiles of ingredients in our old house because I had a large freezer. I rarely let it run low. I liked to have choices.
Now that we have a much reduced freezer space in our apartment, I have had to figure this out. It’s painful for me because, I never realized how much it stressed me out not to have those choices.
You see, as a child, my family was very poor. My mom rarely planned meals and, though the freezer was somewhat full, I still was afraid we wouldn’t have enough to eat. She never seemed to make enough to fill me up (or I didn’t like it enough to take seconds, not to mention the dirty looks and comments made if I did!) and I was encouraged to fill up with bread and butter. I had no idea that I had celiac disease and that the bread was making me so sick.
So, when I grew up and had my own household, I made sure there was enough and we even had leftovers sometimes. It was pretty novel for me. I was free to eat the good stuff.
What we are doing this week and until I visit the food pantry next weekend, is use whatever we have in the apartment. This has brought up all kinds of long-buried trauma that I am working through, but it has also been good knowing that no food is going to waste. I made my dinner schedule and we are not buying any extras, except possibly baking powder and xanthan gum, which we realized we were pretty much out of recently.
One of the things in the freezer was about a pound and a half of thin-sliced chuck steak. I threw it in the gf cooking sprayed crockpot mostly frozen (only defrosted enough to get the paper piece on the back that is used to suck up the juices!) To this I added a 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/4 tsp. of ground black pepper, and 2 tsp. granulated onion. Next, I diced a medium onion and added that. After that it was the 1/4 lb. bag of baby carrots (I would have used more, but we didn’t have any! At least that’s what I thought until I found them the day after the stew!) Next I added five scrubbed medium red potatoes, cut in half. A 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes with the juice went in next and then 1/2 cup of water. I covered and cooked it for 9 hours. Delicious! And all from the remains of the freezer.
I just love it when I can come home from work and be greeted with the smell of a home cooked meal that I can serve without any extra work! I mean, honestly! Home many of you want to stand at a hot stove and cook? No me! I’ll take easy any day! I can also rest easy qqknowing that I have prepared a healthy meal for my family.
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