Can you say Carnitas please... Yumm

 Yeppers, going to make a big old batch of carnitas...

I see Carnitas and beans, tacos, shredded sandwiches, burritos and breakfast in my near future. The most flavorful and yet affordable meals one can make... It starts with a 5 to 7 lb pork shoulder roast some spices and aromatics and a lot of patience. This is my kinda cooking.... 

Imagine the possibilities of a 7 lb pork shoulder for meal planing.... Grab a few when they are on sale and put them in your freezer and then grab the roaster plug it in outside during summer months and let the fun begin. I cook these years round.  

    
Lunch bowl    *****     tacos     


 and breakfast skillet

To Be Continued..... I will share as I cook these yummy morsels.

Happy Birthday to me...

 Oh, just another day, that adds up to another years... I am not sure I like the aging thing... I surely do miss my 20 yr old body... it did not feel like it was plowed down buy a steam roller every morning...LOL

On a positive note I have learned to love the sunsets and sun rises. They are such a beautiful gift to us all. I hope you to love looking up and seeing Gods handy work.

The sun rise shining on our trailer makes me sad we will be selling her, she is the most comfortable space I could of hoped for as we traveled the last few years. She has presented issues but we addressed them and made her whole again. She will be good for a new family who wants to enjoy some adventures.

Well I am off to see what this day brings... Hope your day is amazing.

Welcome Sunday....

 Sunday is family meal time... The day I spend cooking a good meal for Ken and his dad, now that Shayden is working Sunday night we have gone back to a menu I like to cook. To nights menu is Cheese tortellini with meat balls and homemade bread... 

I am getting messages from my cousin and his wife they are traveling thru Nevada, enjoying themselves... I miss traveling but until we figure out Kens heart issue we are staying put for the safety of other people on the road. This is why we are looking at getting a class C. That way I can help drive. 

As much as I want to get back out there. I am not sure when it will happen. Until then I search the perfect class C. 
 

Good Morning

 Lord let this day be good. 

Well today is a sunny day so it will be warm here in the desert. I am battle gophers, Japanese beetles and squirrels in my gardens. I am planning to only grow some ornaments and a few potatoes plants this year. I am hoping if i eliminate the food source these critters will move on. It is so hard to be a clean organic yard and not have pest, but they are winning so I must figure this out I can't afford to keep spending 100's of dollars to get little to no return.

So I will be forced to order produce from the local veggie market and let my ground sit fallow and see if this will help. 

I will be working on finishing a few quilts I have been working on as the summer progresses. There is not need to be outdoors at 100 degrees. I need to finish these I put them aside two years ago and never got back to them. 

We are also looking to seel out 29 foot trailer and buy an older used class C. To be continued....

Can you here that...

 You ever just sit and listen to the quiet.... for me it is the lack of electronics.... The birds songs and the humming of appliances which means they are working.... autos driving means people have places to go.. These things do not bother me what does is all the lies on the news channels, and the blatant entitlement cause by reality TV. 

I remember when I was a child TV taught wholesome values and respect. Today it is all about sex, drugs and  expectations. Sometime I wonder if I was born in the wrong era. I do enjoy the modern amenities but I do not like what it brought.

I often wonder if humanity can survive this great infusion of entitlement. Are we really entitled to just take from a person who has more just because we want it. I always found pride in earning what I needed or wanted... It gave me a reason to work hard and save... I would love to see the core values of life returned to schools, Home Economics, shop, and all similar classes. Reinstate history as it was not as it has been re-written. I am working with my grandson and yes I get frustrated with the beliefs these kids were taught to hold on to.  Life is hard but you have to live it as if someone is try to take it away.. True growth comes from challenges and failures... But they have to choose the path and walk it daily.  I tell my grandson daily I can't walk it for you, you have to get up and just do it. It is his life and it is his effort that will shape his future. God help his generation... 

May you all have a wonderful day.

Words to live by

This is a quote from Sam Calloway and inspirational writer who has lived some not so fun moments. He now shares his thoughts and wisdom with anyone who need a bit of reassurance. I know Sam typically writes for a different purpose, but our young endure loss as they fly from the nest... Their friends, daily routines, their safety net. They enter a new chapter of their lives and sink or swim they feel alone.  

"There is something no body tells you about the long road.


 It gets heavy.

Not because you're weak. Not because you made the wrong choice. Not because the thing you're working toward isn't worth it. But simply because carrying something meaningful for a long time. Without guarantees, without a finish line you can see, it will tire even the strongest person out.
And that's okay.

Being tired is not a sign that you should stop. It's a sign that you've been showing up. It's a sign that you've been carrying something real. People who never get tired are usually people who never tried hard enough to feel the weight of something worth having.

So if you're exhausted right now, I want you to hear this clearly. Tired is not the same thing as finished.

The person who rests and comes back is not a quitter. The person who slows down to catch their breath is not falling behind. The person who sits quietly with their struggle instead of running from it is doing some of the bravest work there is.

What breaks people is not the weight. It's the belief that feeling the weight means something is wrong. It doesn't. It means you're human. It means you care. It means the thing you're carrying actually matters to you.

Rest if you need to. Take the day. Take the week if that's what your body and your spirit are asking for. You are allowed to pause without it meaning you gave up.

But don't let the tiredness convince you that you're finished. Because you're not.

The chapter you're in right now, the hard one, the slow one, the one that doesn't seem to be moving fast enough, it is not a detour. It is the road. And every step you take through it, tired or not, is building something in you that easier seasons never could.

Keep going. Not because it's easy. But because you've already come too far to stop now."

You can grab his here.   Peace On The Other Side

I hope Sam's words help you, Have a great day.

Ok back at it

 In the smoker goes 4 turkey breast for lunch meat. This is my kinda day. Not sure what dinner will be last night was shredded beef enchiladas.. I love cooking meals the keep giving. Last Sunday was a big ole Chuck roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. I made enough to send some home with Kens dad, make a lunch for ken and have a left over. Well we ate the left over and still had enough to have shredded beef enchiladas. My restaurant  past has taught me to annualize food cost and make exact cost budget.  

Tonight will be Taco Bell Knock off Pizza's. I have always loved them but since they brought them back they just aren't the same... So I learned to make them for my family. It is like the enchirito..not sure if you remembered that it was basically an ground beef enchilada and they used to be good when they brought them back they were not the same at all. so I learned to make enchiladas and I make my own sauce that taste like what that yummy red goodness used to taste like. I have fond that the world has added so much crap to our foods and changed the flavors of what we used to love but no one complains they just eat the crap. 

OK, I am off to play in my garden and have a bowl of frosted flakes... Lets get this day started.

Have a Good Day!

Missed a day of the story of my life...

 Today I am busy, it helps to keep the mind busy. My husband is facing some health issues and we are in the testing part. I am ready to meet with his doc's and put a game plan together. But I must be patient. God has this though we do not know his plan I must trust him. 

Ok on to better stuff... I am out to water the garden. I think I saw life in my new potato tower, yea us. The rest is doing well my peppers are growing and producing, my onions ans tomato plant are coming along as spring progresses.  

lost in thought

 Not sure what each day will bring, days like this I have to lean on the lord pretty hard and beg for understanding. Typically I am pretty good under pressure, but right now that pressure is very heavy... I do understand there is a time for every season under heaven, and we are in the late seasons of our lives, but it does not make the what if of day to day any easier to digest. 

My advice on days like today... Love your spouse, hug your kids and find solace for yourself... life gets hard, we must remember it is all about the lord.. Trust in his guidance. 

My life is fixing to change in a big way weather it be in 5 minutes or 5 years I do not know.. I would prefer the 5 years... 

Sorry for the vagueness of this post... I just needed to vent.

This is a cooking kinda day...

 With the temp down in the 70's today I decided to freeze dry a full load of sliced strawberries.. They are so good for snacks, to add to baked good or just throw a handful in your frosted flakes... :) 

But the fun part was using up the last of the holiday Ham. I decided to can a batch of 9 bean and ham soup. I had ham broth left from cooking down last years bone with a few ham hocks so it will have a great smokey flavor. I chopped and sauteed some carrots with some onion and a bit of garlic to give the soup a rich flavor... I will serve it with corn bread... I made 12 jars that will last all year. Funny how during the holidays when the meat is cheap more people do not do a little prep and make some cheap meals... I but two hams at .85 a lb. We had a wonderful dinner, two left over meals. leaving us with two beautiful bones for ham and beans dinner, 6 packages for breakfast or dinners. I made a large batch of ham salad and shared some and now I am canning 12 jars of soup. That is 23 meals for just over 17.00 for the meat. The freeze dried strawberries are so good I sent my grandson to pick me up another flat that is 8 lbs for $4.00. To buy freeze dried berries they are about 35.00 for a #10 can on amazon. I am making them for 2.00 a can... I ended up freeze drying 10 lbs of strawberries for the cost of 5.00 (four lbs filled the jars in the photo), the best part is I donate my time... hahahaha.. I do love my freeze dryer it does all the work all I do is set it up and wait... Some loads are done in 17 hours some in 30 it just depends on the density of what is being processed.

For dinner we will have our go to ground beef tacos followed by a fresh strawberry pie... Yep this is my kinda day... give me a kitchen and let me do what I do.... 

Update, 4/15 Wow the soup is so good we had it with corn Bread.  

Busy Day

 Started to day on the run... took care of the garden. harvested a bit of veggie.. not a lot but a nice little haul. I then went to visit Jennifer, she is a fairly new friend met her when I was giving away a bunch of organic rosemary from my yard. She has been fun, we have a lot in common. So we trade canned foods seed and some time left overs.... Like to day she made a big ole chicken pot pie but her husband can't eat it he is at the end stage for prostate cancer. So he list of palatable foods is very limited.

I did how ever make some pineapple ice cream topping. I can't find any at the stores I frequent. So I grabbed 2 pineapples on sale and made my own with the help of Youtube. It is so yummy. I want a banana split and it has to have pineapple topping. Guess what I am having for dessert. 

I ended the day with putting 4 lbs Strawberries in the freeze dryer... I love to snack on freeze dried fruits.

Pineapple Topping

5 cups crushed pineapple fresh or canned
4 cups sugar

Mix in a 3 quart pan cook on med high heat till the sugar dissolves.
Once the sugar is dissolved turn heat to medium high and bring to a rolling boil.
Cook for 30 minutes and 220 degrees on the candy thermometer.

Fill 1/2 pint (1 cup) Jars to 1/2 inch head space. wipe rims with a clean wet cloth. Put on warm lids and rings to hand tight.

Water bath can for 15 minutes... when finished let the jars sit in the water 5 min then remove to a towel and let cool over night. Remove the rings, check to make sure they sealed then wash jars the store in a dark place up to 1 year.

Note: 
You must sterilize the jars for the syrup... fill the water bath pan with about 4 inches of water. Then fill each jar and place then in the canner heat the water to a boil and leave the jars in the canner and reduce the heat to medium to maintain the heat. remove the jars as you fill them. 

The water needs to be 1 inch minimum below the water line when water bath canning. 

This totally satisfied my craving....

Have a wonderful day!!

Somedays are better than others....

 Well in some ways but for the most part all days are good, it is our outlook and expectations that change. My day will ebb and flow will moments that make me think this is not the reality I live in... hahaha

But for the most part we all make decisions that take us away from our path and we find ourselves stumbling... then we work our ways back to where we should of stayed and life is so much more comfortable, or is it? Are we living way to comfortable with the constrains of the modern world  are we bending our will for comfort... I have figured out comfort is not always the right choice. Sometime we need to crawl thru that quagmire to get back on the right path.

Well today I hope is my day to stay on the right path... I hope and pray... 

OK, off to the garden then have a few errands to run and Sunday dinner.... I will leave you with a funny 

T-shirt front I ran across this morning... 

A chapter a day will help you better understand the truth.. Have a great day everyone.

Amazing way to start the day

 Woke up to a rainbow in the west, sun setting in the east and a gentle rain shower,  I love days like this it means the temperatures will be a bit cooler, and my plants will love the charged water dropped from the clouds. 

It is going to be a good day. I am going to make some pineapple topping for ice cream and other desserts. Work in my back yard, This will be a relaxing day for me. Hope it is the same for you all.

Seasons Change

 We are looking to sell our 29 foot travel trailer and down size into a Class C motor home so I can drive as well... I just have to many reservations to tow our big ole trailer... and then try to park it somewhere... that 50 foot package is to much for this girl. With Ken's health scare this year I am looking for something I can safe get home if I need to drive for us. I am not saying we will be more comfortable.. we will be going from basically a 1 bed rood apartment to a studio... I will miss the Tango but it is time... 

    

To move into one of these... Well maybe not this new, but something on these lines... 

OK. I am off to start to sort and pack up our trailer contents... I may be back later with a report on my findings...LOL

Hello April 9th.. What a beautiful sunny day in Arizona.

 Crawled out of bed at 4:49 am... do not ask me why... But I am up and running. I have canned chocolate syrup for Kens coffee. This is so good, with no chemicals and no fake food.

Homemade Chocolate Sauce 

Ingredients
   1 1/2 Cup Water
    3 cups sugar
    1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa 
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
    1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
    2 tablespoons light maple syrup
    Instructions
     
        In a small pot, on medium heat bring water and sugar to a boil and whisk in cocoa, vanilla, salt, and maple syrup.
        Whisk until all of the solids have dissolved. Reduce sauce for another 15 minutes until slightly thickened.
    Filling the jars:
        On a dishtowel place your hot jars. Using your funnel in each jar ladle the mixture into the jars leaving 1/4” head space. Remove air bubbles and refill to the proper head space if necessary. Taking a clean paper towel wet it with warm water and wipe the rims of the jars. Add warm lids to jars, add your rings to just finger tight.
    Processing:
        Place jar back into water bath canner and make sure the water is at least 1 inch above the jar. cover water bath canner turn up heat until it comes to a full boil reduce heat  just a bit you want the water to slowly boil. Once the water returns to a boil set time for 20 minutes for 1/2 pints 30 for pints. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars sit for another few minutes.
        Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. once cooled remove the rings check the seal buy lifting the just by the lid just about an inch off the towel. 
        Makes 2- 3 half pints depending on how much you reduce the recipe. I make 4 time the recipe per batch it give me 10 - 1/2 pints and a bit to fill the bottle in the fridge.

*************

Made one of our favorites Nova Scotia Oatcakes.. They are so yummy you can find the recipe by clicking on the picture . You know you have the right page when you see this image... 

The Travel Bite

Here are my Oatcakes keen loves then crumbled into his yogurt.  They are kind of like the Nature valley granola bars but less sugar, organic ingredients and better flavor

I am also working on ham salad my guys love my recipe.... 

Grind about 1 lb ham, (I use a meat grinder, best investment ever)
1/4 to 1/2 onion depending on size (you want just want a hint of onion) 
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
enough best food mayo to make it smooth nit mushy. 

mix well chill for about 1 hour then enjoy on crackers or as a sandwich.

Since we eat as clean as possible I do my refilling my pantry in the mornings. I am typically done buy 10:30 to 11:00 am so I have my day to play in my garden, or run to the veggie mart. 



Today I will just dink around the house and maybe even do a little sewing I have a few projects that need to be finished.

Have a good day 

A new day a new list of todo's

 Played in my garden today, trimmed the rosemary add some more soil to my potatoes. Everything that I am growing is doing well except for my Vinca plant.. it is very sorry looking I am thinking something got in the pot and is eating the roots. I put some grub and bug killer in the pot with it but it is still suffering... I will have to pull it up wash the roots and put new dirt in the pot... I have had this for about 4 years. It was a mothers day free plant from home depot. it was about 3 inches tall when I got it and it has maintained a tall thick plant until the last week. I did how ever propagate 5 new babies from it last fall and they are happy in a different pot. 

 

There are two other plants I really like in my garden they both have names one is bailey, I use this basil for my salads and cooking it is about three years old, then there is Minty minty was a gift from a neighbor she was trying to grow it and gave me some cuttings to dry I put them in water and now I have a happy mint community. I use most of it to keep the critters out of my RV they hate mint. 

If you look past minty you can see all the pink spots in my yard compliments of my cousin... We tend to see who can gift the most birds every year... it all started with Felicia then came Darren, Now we each have a whole flock... and the fun just keeps getting better I even have a flamingo clock with feet the sway back and forth...LOL I am on the hunt for something to top my clock... I was thinking a 6 foot flamingo sentinel to guard their yard gate.... Mmmmhahahahahahaha....

Felica is on the left Darren on the right and all there baby's...LOL and it has grown from here...

 Well it is time to make some dinner and I wanted to share a recipe I found on line, it is from little sunny kitchen click the picture to follow the link and was it is sooo good. I love it cause I can stretch a pound of hamburger to go a little further. 

Little Sunny Kitchen 



Give this a try you will love it. 

Wow April 7th already...

 

Woke up ready to tackle this day. I will need to of course water my down sized gardens, run and get my puppies meds and some tortilla shells for dinner. Other than that the day is mine to plan.

 I think I will work on emptying our RV to get ready to sell it. I will also stop in on the way to the pharmacy and look at a Class C RV we are interested in... Just like everything else it has to fill the items on our list, which are comfort, practicality, walk around bed, and extended season with a good heater and AC. We have learned from the first RV what we do not want and I will apply that knowledge to this new/used RV. 

after all my fun I am hope time will allow a cat nap before dinner... Have a wonderful day!

Good morning

Just sitting here reflecting on the holiday that just flew by in a whirl wind of cooking and planning... I am convinced that the holidays are being consumed with consumerism. I often wondered what would happen if I just blew off the shopping and just ordered a pizza and took the time to just reflect the day and the meaning of the holiday. Would the world as I know it just stop... 

Today will be scrub all the rinsed pans that did not fit in the dishwasher, play in my garden and relax a bit... My garden is a mess right now I am treating for the Japanese beetle larvae, so I will not have a big garden this year.. I will keep watering to allow the granules to do there just then leach out of my ground. I tried to use a natural alternative called Milky Spores that only attack the Japanese beetle but Arizona will not allow it so poison it is. I am also hope full that once I get the beetle under control the gopher will move on to better feeding grounds. 


Then I will get to work on a quilt I have been working on for quite a while but never had the time to revisit... I am going to make that time today. 



We are looking to sell our 29 foot Travel trailer and Get an older Class C that is about 29 foot. This will make it so I can drive as well and who know I may sneak away once in a while just to unwind. I love a good road trip some times unplanned making it just an adventure. I may even join a glamping group of ladies who just like to visit and watch the sun go down.

OK enough dreaming time to get something on my daily list done...Have a wonderful day!

 I hope you all have a beautiful day with your friends and family. Celebrate the lord our God and the gift of Jesus from his birth to his death and the morning he rose from the grave was the greatest gift God could bestow on his people. Now I pray all the world can believe and accept Jesus as their savior. 

 

 Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, a time with family to Celebrate the Rise from the death our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Today I will be preparing a large meal to celebrate. I love to cook, but one day I will just make a simple dinner for me and my husband and just enjoy the sentiment of the day, But today it will be a full on family dinner. 

Ham
turkey
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Stuffing
Baked yams
Corn
Honey Roasted Carrots
Deviled Eggs
Cranberry sauce

This day shall start early... I am off to cook.

Went out to water the gardens and there are a few thing that make me happy. My favorite this year is my pot of Black Eyed Susan's... My mother grew these and her name was Susan, not Suzie she did not like being called Suzie. But she loved these flowers

 

Along with my flowers I planted some pretty apricot colored hot peppers, I can't wait to try a different hot sauce recipe. They are a prolific fruiting plant.

Then there is what I call my volunteers. They pop up where ever a bird drops a seed and I let them grow. In my way of thinking if it fought that hard to grow where they are they have the right to live. I never know where a plant will just appear in my yard, And of course it is free food... Yummy 

Then there is my volunteer potatoes... I will get to harvest this box many time and there is always tiny potatoes left behind these are German Butterball Indeterminate potatoes. I bought this variety because you can keep adding dirt and they make more at the upper part of the plant. These are the ones you would grow in a stack of tires and keep adding more dirt. Then when they are ready pull the bottom tire and leave the rest of the plant to allow the upper potatoes to mature. But, I have never had enough tires to do this type of gardening. I know there is a way to do this with out tires I have just not found it yet. 

OK I am off to take a nap... My Easter meal is prepped and I am so glad I did this today I still have a lot to do tomorrow... but this will cut down on a lot of dishes and clean up.

God Bless and have an amazing day.

 Day one off Facebook and I feel good, not stressed from the propaganda... I do miss friends and the fun groups but since I can't participate and interact with people, it is the best thing to do. I will no longer be apart of those who fund Zuckerberge or his share holders. Thank you to the AI Meta installed and the person who reported me for Fraud and deception... I am free of the life sucking platform. I love being busy in my kitchen and getting ready for the holiday... Thank you for listening to me. I am moving on to better things. 

 

 I have officially left Social Media you can find my daily information here. It is funny how I abandoned my blog for social media. But Now I find Social Media is a trap consuming many hours of mindless scrolling.  Most the people will not know I left but if you are one who chose to stick around I hope I can post things that are entertaining enough to make this old adventure fun.

I did can some green beans yesterday. and made some pasta for tonight's dinner. I actually am finding I have a lot more time with out social media. So lets see what kind of neglected projects I can finish this summer. Hope everyone has a great day.