Valentine’s Day and My Absence

This time of year sort of depresses me. Usually it’s gloomy out, and the fact that my valentines are my kiddos only. 😔. I’ve been struggling lately with all of that. It’s not that I am not completely grateful for everything that I have and everyone that is in my life. It’s just hard knowing that there is so much living for you to do, and except for God, you’ll be doing it alone. Well, really, He is the only One who matters, but sometimes I long for someone to chat over the day’s events and snuggle with on the couch.

We’ll be your Valentines, mommy!

Ok, so enough of the pity party (and on to the pizza party!) Every year we make pizza for Valentine’s day. Since I cook on Tuesdays, Valentine’s day dinner fell to me this year. Fine. I’d pick up some pizza from our local take and bake and load it with a few extra toppings and we’d be all set. Right…just one thing…they weren’t open today! What??!!!

What now? Luckily I had been pondering pizza for a few weeks and thinking about a place I used to stop into before I knew I had celiac disease, called Sgt. Pepperoni’s. Oh such good pizza bread! So… pizza bread.

That got me thinking about garlic bread. Wouldn’t it be awesome to combine the two? Absolutely! It was heavenly! Just don’t do it if you’re single and dating, unless you both eat it! Otherwise, the garlic will kill you!

Disclaimer: Totally not our pizza bread, but it disappeared so fast, I didn’t get a picture!

I started with four packages of Schar Gluten free sandwich rolls, which I cut in half, though you could use a baguette, etc.

For the sandwich rolls I used the following to make the garlic bread:

1 1/2 sticks salted butter

3 Tbsp. minced garlic

On a large jellyroll pan, sprayed with your favorite gf nonstick cooking spray place your halved sandwich rolls (or baguette, etc.) Melt the butter in the microwave and then add the garlic. With a spoon drizzle/spread the garlic-butter mixture on the halved sandwich rolls. Bake in the oven at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until toasty and lightly browned.

Top with your favorite pizza sauce (I used Classico Four Cheese – Yum!) Next add your toppings. For two of the kiddos, that means just pepperoni. For Child #4, it means scallions (green onions) and pepperoni. For me, drained tomatoes, green peppers, pepperoni, scallions, and black olives (which I left off this time, as I was exhausted and couldn’t see the point!)

Top with your favorite cheese (I prefer whole milk mozzarella!) and return to the oven for 20 – 25 minutes. Be careful, because it will be really nice and hot when it’s done!

Get ready to enjoy an awesome pizza bread supper!

Just a Note: This is super delicious, but does take a bit of time to prepare and bake. Make sure to leave about an hour and a half for prep and cook time. Of course, if you don’t want all the sliceable toppings, that will save a lot of time, but for me, a pizza isn’t really a pizza unless it has green peppers, tomatoes, pepperoni, and scallions! All told, it took about an hour and a half for our dinner, but so worth it!

Cheater Beef Hash

Dinner is served!

I love beef hash! It is so tasty and the fact that it all cooks in one big frying pan is another bonus! I was tired of all the work that beef hash entails, so I went for a shortcut. Here is what I used:

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1, 28 oz. bag of potatoes O’Brien

3/4 cup shredded carrots (I used baby carrots)

1 tsp. granulated onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. mustard

Place your beef and potatoes O’Brien in your large frying pan and turn on the heat to high-medium. Stir occasionally, as the beef browns and the potatoes, onions, and peppers defrost and cook. Add carrots and stir in.

Almost done!

When beef, potatoes, and carrots are cooked through, add the granulated onion, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir well and serve immediately. Enjoy!

An Apology and a Stir Fry

Yummy 😋!

Ok. First, I want to apologize for not posting last Tuesday. I had received my COVID booster shot and it hit me like a load of bricks. Not fun, and you probably wouldn’t have wanted to hear any post that I would have posted anyway. It most likely would have been whining, so count yourself lucky that I didn’t lay that all on you! Also, I was preparing for a colonoscopy and the prep work isn’t for the faint of heart. Yuck! Stinks to get older!

Anyway…I digress! I made a delicious chop suey/stir fry last week and wanted to share it with you! You will need the following:

About 1.5 lbs of beef stew meat (or tofu if you want to make it vegan!)

1 large, sweet onion, peeled and chopped/sliced

1 medium head of bok choy, rinsed well and chopped

3/4 cup of diced celery

2, 14 oz. cans of bean sprouts, drained

2, 5 oz. cans of bamboo shoots, drained

1, 5 oz. can of sliced water chestnuts, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 Tbsp. granulated onion

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

1/4 – 1/2 cup gf soy sauce to taste

Large frying pan or wok

Start by placing the onion in your large frying pan or wok. Cook over medium heat. Add the beef and cook until just barely still pink. Add bok choy and celery.

When the vegetables are soft, add bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Stir. Add salt and pepper, ginger, granulated onion and garlic. Stir well. Add gf soy sauce to taste. Stir until combined. Enjoy!

One

How insignificant we.

How high the mountains sweep to the sky…

But how low the valleys are to the eye.

Swift wind

Oh my, how it all flies.

And finds me alone,

Finds me alone.

Finds me alone.

I am not alone,

I am with the wind so swift, the mountains so high, the valleys so low.

I am the rain, the sun, the moon, the little lightening bug’s glow.

We are one, you and I,

All part of this great creation.

All alike, and yet all different,

Joining in this recreation.

When will we see

What we owe to the One

The great Creator?

Only at the end when all is lost?

I hope we will not have to wait for most.

Ah Yes, Blogging…

Do we have to talk about blogging? I just want some snuggle time! I’m an emotional support pup!

So, I started out wanting to do the extra post on Wednesday, but then failed to post on Thursday, my normal posting day. So, here it is, Friday, and yeah…no post.

Family time… obviously not ours. Psycho ex, remember?

I decided to do a family update. Child #1 is doing well, making her way in the world and no longer living at home. She has found a substitute family, and a job and is somewhat happy. As far as I know, she has not seeked (sucked? seeketh? No freaking clue!) help for her mental health issues. She is an adult and it is none of my business. I still pray for her mightily.

Child #2 is doing fine. She taught herself to knit over the Summer, and is now into knitting all sorts of projects. She still likes to latch hook as well as many other creative outlets. She is amazing, and I’m a tiny bit jealous that she is so proficient in so many arts and crafts. Could be that I never did her the disservice of telling her she couldn’t and that it wouldn’t work out.

Child #3 is doing so much better! He is figuring things out and just enjoying being with his friends and being accepted. Is he perfect? Absolutely not! But compared to where he was just a couple of years ago, the transformation is amazing! Thank you, Jesus!

Child #4 is struggling. She has a doctor’s appointment today to see if we can get to the bottom of her depression and anxiety. I am thinking of seeing if she’s interested in starting a trauma journal, like I did. It may help. I try to be supportive and loving, but she doesn’t want to be touched, to have to do anything, or to participate in family stuff. It’s frustrating and I miss her, as do her siblings.

I am doing better with my mental health. I have started a drawing trauma journal, and have found it extremely helpful and healing. I still have a long way to go, but for the first time in a long time I can see real progress and am even considering dating. We’ll see. God knows.

My Drawing Trauma Journal – No peeking!

I love where we are right now on our journey. There is hope and that is a beautiful thing. Praise Him Always; even and especially in the hard times, as He is preparing you for what you will need in life. He sees the big picture.

A Trauma Journal

Take some time for yourself…face the trauma.

I was recently intrigued by the thought of a trauma journal. It’s not that I haven’t heard of journaling for years and years, but this struck a different chord. It was a drawing journal. Ooh! Drawing! I love to draw. Ok, maybe I’m not professional at it, but I do love to draw, and even took an art therapy class in college. This was so up my avenue.

If you have been following me for any length of time, you know that I have suffered much trauma in my life. So, what better way to enhance healing with my lovely trauma releasing essential oils than to add a drawn trauma journal to the mix?

I got the idea when I read Tamara’s post about them. If you haven’t checked out her blog, you should! Here’s a link to it:

HTTPS://tamarakulish.com

Don’t let your doubt stop you!

So, yesterday, I drew two pictures. They both included trauma perpetrated by my dad. For some reason it released my mind enough to dream about more trauma concerning my ex-husband. I dreamed about him getting remarried and felt I had to warn his future wife and her family. I was able to in the dream, but have no idea if it stopped the wedding. I don’t much care if he gets remarried, my concern was for the fiance’s five children, three of which were girls of the right age, if you know what I mean.

Use color or stick with black and white!

It’s a hopeless feeling when you have trouble getting across life-changing information to someone who needs to hear it. On the other hand, I did manage to make the issue known so she could make an informed decision.

Did this dream have anything to do with my drawings? Most likely. I think, as a child, I was helpless to stop my father, but found, as an adult, I am no longer helpless. It has been a hard lesson to learn, and one I have to keep reminding myself of every day. But, I am stronger, and my children will have the benefit of that strength.

Just a Note: It is not required that you be a great artist for this journal. You are the only one who will see it, so break free and be creative. The important thing is to get the trauma out so that you have a release point, and it doesn’t build up inside you to one day explode!

Release your trauma! Let it take flight and free yourself!

Let me know if you decide to keep a trauma journal too. I find it easier than writing every little thing that happened. A picture is, as they say, worth a thousand words. Happy drawing!

A Bold Gem Found On My Flash Drive…a Repost that I have been meaning to post!

Hear me roar!

A Bold Gem I Found on My Flashdrive was written by a blogger I just discovered. Thought you might like his view!

https://wp.me/p8odBU-55

This blogger has an amazing view of God and His Kingdom! I’m excited to share it here at GF Recipes and Writings!!! Happy Thursday ☺️!

Citrus Pork Stew

Yum!

1, 2 lb. Pork roast

3 lemons, pierced

1 small orange, halved

1 lime, pierced

4 celery ribs, diced

1 lb. baby carrots

2 lbs. new potatoes

3/4 cup water

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Place citrus in the bottom of your greased, cast iron pot.  Add the pork roast, carrots, potatoes, celery, and water.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cover.

Bake at 300° F for 2.5 hours or until meat is falling apart.  Carrots and new potatoes should pierce easily.

Enjoy!