I was so excited to get out of my regular routine and head to AOCC today. I took an update class on ethics, and waffled away realizing how much I miss being in regular client care. I also realized that I should look at new opportunities and ways to support my community and school counseling peers. For me, today felt like an aha moment. The next step is trying to see how to organize and help build community around a few ideas. Looking forward to another day of AOCC tomorrow.
Today, I went to vote. When my grandmother was young, women were fighting for the right to vote.
I don’t care how people vote, nor do I care if they feel guilt tripped when I say, ‘you owe your ancestors’. It is a privilege to vote. It is an opportunity to make a difference in your community and state by voting in the local elections.
Hopefully, you joined me in exercising your right to vote today. We can be a great only when we go together.
Last night, I engaged in one of my favorite food pastimes…. Breakfast for Dinner. I absolutely love breakfast food. Although some people would say my love borders on obsession, particularly where waffles are concerned.
This got me thinking about other areas of my life where I feel like steps in my dance are far different than the ones in the video.
I admit, I have never been a hard and fast rule follower. I am, however, a high principles follower. You might not like what I do because it isn’t the way you would do it, but observe my preservation and integrity to the moral principles of our relationship, the truth, and others dignity.
I think this may be one reason why so much of the energy online feels unnecessarily overwhelming to me.
Can we not agree to the principles of tell the truth, have respect and exhibit self-control? I hold out hope that we can, and yet it seems like there is always someone standing in line hoping to pee on the parade.
I may not fit into the expected box. I may not do what people want, when they want. I may eat too many waffles for dinner. But I won’t quit being a good person who shares kindness in the world whenever and wherever I can.
I have been sitting here at this time, every day, for four days. Why? I am looking for the motivation to write and to accept a 60 day writing challenge. The problem is two-fold: one, I am out of practice; and, two….the questions. You know, the questions of can I maintain this? Will they like me? What if I have nothing to write about?
In the beginning, blogging seems easy and fun. But, behind the scenes….it can be terrifying. It is a little like the waiting until the night before a major school paper is due and then trying to write. The only difference is that blogging has no official deadline and it is easy to get locked into panic.
I think my biggest gift in the process of a 60 day challenge will be the courage to look foolish. You can’t win if you don’t play, right?
This year for my birthday, I decided to cook for a family party to celebrate my parents 45th wedding anniversary.
The menu included shredded chicken and pork with multiple option bbq sauces. I will include those in a later post.
The Belle of the Ball was my Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake with Mascapone frosting.
I took the original recipe off of the diva baker, Alanna Lipson at One Tough Cookie. I made a few tweaks, but the end result was well worth it.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake
1 cup of water
2 tabs of Abuelita
2 1/4 cup of flour
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 cup of cocoa
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
1. In a saucepan, place water and Abuelita. Whisk until Abuelita is full dissolved and incorporated with water. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.
3. In an electric mixer, combine buttermilk, eggs, butter, and cool Abuelita mix.
4. Add dry mix from #2 into wet mixture. Blend for 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Pour into two 9-inch round cake pans. Bake in a 350°F oven for 23 to 25 minutes.
6. Let cool for 15 minutes.
The second half of this cake gets a little complicated. I made the frosting in stages, and it still worked well.
Mascapone frosting
2 – 8 Oz packages of mascape
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups of powdered sugar
1-2 shakes of salt
1 1/2 cups of heavy whiping cream
1. In an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream and one cup of powdered sugar into stiff peaks. Set aside.
2. In the electric mixer, whip both tubs of mascapone, vanilla, and 1 cup of sugar.
3. Fold whip cream into the mascapone mix 2 tablespoops at a time. Blend well. Should work until either all cream is incorporated or the mascapone is thin enough to be piped through an icing bag sleeve.
4. Ice the cake and dust with cocoa powder.
It’s been gray and dreary here for nearly two weeks.
I have been cooking again in an effort to break up the post-holiday bleh.
Tonight, I boiled up six chicken breasts and split them out for use.
Use #1 chicken noodle soup
When I boil chicken, I season it with salt, pepper, parsley, and a little garlic powder. I boil it in 2 to 3 cups of water.
Once the boil is done, I save the liquid. I use the liquid as a starter for soup. Chopping a quarter pound of carrots, one half of an onion and 4 to 6 stalks of celery, then adding it to the stock.
I season the stock and shred the chicken. Adding the chicken and an entire can of additional stock.
I boil the stock to marry the flavors and then add noodles. Bring back to a boil and then cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
Serve solo or with your favorite sandwich.
So, it is no secret that I LOVE the old-fashioned pressure cooker. I hear a lot of talk around the instapot. While I am not as technology driven as friends, I am pretty gifted with stainless steel and fire.
I purchased an eighth of a cow from a local farm friend who raises market cattle when I moved out of the city last year. My main thought was not, yeah red meat; but, truthfully I do enjoy a good roast periodically.
Before heading out to Winterfair on Saturday, I put a 6 pound roast out in the sink to thaw. When I got back home, it was still very frozen. I put the wrapped roast in the microwave in 1.30 minute intervals and rotated for three rounds totaling 5 minutes.
Then, I put 2.5 cups of water, .5 cup of olive oil, one package of Liptons Onion Soup Mix, and the roast into the pressure cooker. Bring the pressure cooker up to a boil and pressure point, regulate, and cook for 35 minutes.
At the end of 35 minutes, I added 1 cup of water, another pouch of soup mix, and raw chopped potatoes (3 cups) and carrots (1.5 cups). Close the pressure and cook for another 15 minutes.
Saturday and Sunday we ate roast and potatoes/carrots.. I then put the entire remainder in the deep freeeze.
Tonight… I used it to make stew
Stew
Using the remainder of the roast…
Remove the roast and chop into small pieces. Add 2-3 cups of green beans, corn or any other vegetables. Cook on Hugh and bring to a boil. Using cornstarch or tapioca flour, mix the powder with lukewarm to warm water. Be certain the powder is completely dissolved before adding mix to stew. Begin by mixing two teaspoons of tapioca flour with approximately 3 oz. of water. Mix very well. Add to slow boiling soup or stew to thicken. Stir for 2-3 minutes to see improved thickness. Add more as necessary.
Tonight, I served stew with hot biscuits… not luxury dining, but definitely a meal of comfort food status.
Oh the joys of the kitchen garden in late season. I mean it, I have an overload of tomatoes and squash and need to process them somehow… dinner sounds like a great plan.
Tonite, I am making a twist on a southern classic… Tomato Pie.
Tomato and Squash Pie
I cheat. I use pre-made pie crust… so sue me, y’all. Here is what you’ll need for two pies.
1 can of chicken
2 pre-made pie crusts
1 large squash
2 dozen plum tomatoes
4 large leaves of kale
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, fresh basil, olive oil, one clove of garlic minced.
Tomato sauce
Mozarella
1. Chop up the veg.
2. I make one in a cast iron pan. Lay the pie crust in the bottom and coat the bottom with the squash.
3. Drizzle with olive oil, pepper, and a little basil/oil combo.
4. Top with your sliced plum tomatoes.
5. I like to throw in chopped kale (2 leaves per pie).
6. Toss minced garlic on top of the kale, along with the pureed basil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese or Mozarella.
7. Top with spicy tomato sauce and shredded chicken.
8. Top with cheese and bake 350°F for ro minutes. Then 400°F for 15 minutes.
9. Pull from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Basil is a beautiful plant and an easy to grow herb. This summer, the basil has gone crazy. While I do save and dry some, I freeze most of it. But, first let’s talk about what basil is good for.
This is today’s pick. I pick it once a week.
Uses
Basil is frequently used in Mediterranean cuisine, but can be used in a variety of ways. I like to sneak a little into salads, brew it in teas, and even use it in soaps. While basil can be used for kidney and stomach aches, head colds, etc. basil is best as an herb for seasoning dishes.
Freezing
Today, I am busy pulling leaves, washing them, adding them and 1/2 cup of olive oil to the food processor to prep for freezing.
Once everything is blended together, I pour it into a muffin tin and freeze overnight. The next day, I take the frozen discs out of the muffin pan and wrap them in wax paper and store in a ziploc in the freezer.
This basil will find it’s way into my cooking and bring a fresh burst of summer to a fall or winter dish.
Y’all… I have decided to get rid of the white crack in day-to-day diet, and so I am supplementing with natural fruit sugars.
Here on the farm, we have apples in season and our first fruits are overripe. I prefer them this way, since they are perfect for making applesauce and apple butter.
It always intersets me how people see natural food versus what they pick up at the grocery. Natural, untreated apples have spots and are frequently smaller than the bioengineered bits youfind at the market. I am not getting on an anti-gmo kick, I am just saying that there is a particular je ne sais quoi to the untainted natural ones.
But, back to today’s food…..
When you have overripe fruit, particularly apples, you need to peel them. Be cretain to cut away damaged, or blemished, or rotten areas. Wash them well and toss them in the crock until full. Then, fill the crock 3/4 full of water. Turn the crock on high and set a timer for 20 minutes. At the timer, stir and mash. Set another 20 minute timer. Do this 20 minute cycle for 2 hours. At the end of two hours, turn the crock to low and let cook overnight.
You’ll wake up to this….
Once you get the appleasure made, consider adding cinnamon or pureed berries for an extra treat. I promise you that nothing tastes quite like homemade.
dearabbyd 