Rough Week

I was looking for a definition of a 'rough week' and I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. I think a rough week for one person could a horrific week for another that would make them take drugs or start drinking or just stick their head under the covers and hide.

My rough week wasn't like that. But I found it hard some days to find anything positive about the day except that I still believed in God and I knew God still believed in me.

Everyone has bad weeks, days, hours, and minutes. It can be anything from breaking something, breaking up with someone, to just feeling like you are breaking in two from the stress.

This week brought a whole lot of sorrow to our family with the loss of a very close friend of our sons who was also a large part of our family.

Every day I try to be positive and think positive so I can live life positive in the Glory of God. I always ask WWJD and try to follow my heart. I know there is some reason I have had to go through this week but until I can see the reason, I will continue on. Maybe a little bit slower but I will continue on.

Recipe Thursday - Seafood Gumbo

Seafood Gumbo

8 ounces kielbasa or Cajun sausage, cut into 1-inch slices

1/3 cup olive oil

1 pound okra (we use frozen)

2 cups diced onions

1 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper

1 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

5 cups chicken stock or canned broth

3 cups drained canned plum tomatoes, slightly crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

12 ounces sea scallops

12 ounces cooked lobster meat

8 ounces lump crabmeat, cartilage removed

2 T chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley (optional)

In a large pot or dutch oven, saute the sausage over medium heat until brown, about 15 minutes.  Remove it from the pot and set aside.

Add half the oil to the pot.  Then add the okra and cook over medium heat until slightly soft, about 15 minutes.  

Add the remaining oil, onions, bell peppers, and garlic.  Stir, and cook another 10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, cumin, cayenne, salt, black pepper and bay leaf.  Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Add the shrimp and scallops to the gumbo and simmer another 5 minutes. Then add the lobster, crabmeat and parsley, adjust the seasonings and heat through, 2 to 3 minutes.  

Serve immediately over hot rice.  I serve warm corn bread on the side.

This is a wildly expensive but unbelievably tasty gumbo!

Inspirational Sunday - Sudden Loss of a Friend

Yesterday, my son lost one of his friends. B was just 32. He was just beginning his life with a new girlfriend who he introduced a mere 2 weeks ago at another friend's wedding. It was during that wedding that he tore his Achilles Tendon and underwent surgical repair. He has been at home recuperating. He called his parents and stated that he didn't feel good. His father was to his house within 30 minutes but B was already gone. Autopsy is still out. Cause undermined. But this does not help my son or his friends. B didn't drink or party. He was a responsible young man who found his niche in life as a concrete construction worker. He loved his job. He purchased a house a year ago and had just started dating a really nice girl that he was really crazy about.

My son is asking why this happened. As a mother you want to help your children but in this case, there are no answers. This is life. Sometimes it makes sense. And sometimes it just doesn't. All we can do is have faith in God that this is His plan. All anyone can do is just be there. My son and his friends are forced into something that shattered their sense of order and thrust them into a world forever changed. They feel vulnerable and might even feel anxiety. Their safe world no longer exists.

All of B's friends have gathered around his parents. They know this is especially hard on them because B lost his sister when she was 18 to a drunk driver. B was the only child left. Now his parents have no one. As a parent, we do not ever expect to bury our children. It is the wrong order of things. The boys though have gathered B's parents into their arms and are helping them make sense of it all. One of the boys is a lawyer and was able to obtain an independent autopsy. The boys have been over at his parent's house daily, taking shifts, and assisting his parents in making memory posters. Since sports was a large part of B's life, everyone is encouraged to wear a sports jersey to the wake. The entire group of his friends will be in some way involved as pallbearers or doing readings.

While this is a very sad day for our son and us, I am so proud of him and the group of boys my son calls his friends.

Recipe Thursday - Borscht

Borscht

Fill a soup pot with about 8 or 10 cups of water.  Add one piece of pork with a bone in it (any cut is okay, it is just for flavor), a celery stalk or two, a couple chunks of onion, a couple bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Boil for a while to create a base for the borscht.  Take all pieces out, reserving only the liquid.

At the same time, in a separate pan, boil about 6 beets (skins on, stalks cut off) until fork tender but not soft.  Remove from water and cool.

When cool, remove skin from beets.  Grate beets into hash-brown kind of pieces.  Return grated beets to reserved water from above.  Bring to boil on stove and simmer.  Season with salt, pepper and vinegar to taste. Serve over a mound of mashed potatoes in a bowl. Just before serving, add a dollop of sour cream and throw a sprig of dill frond on top.

NOTE** - This was the Christmas eve traditional meal for my husband's German maternal grandparents. I have no idea if above measurements are exact or not, I have just learned to make it from watching and it goes something like that above.   I do sometimes take some of the pork, which shreds easily because it is boiled very tender, and add it back to the soup for a little flavor, but if you want to go meatless, which I think is the traditional German/Polish way, you obviously wouldn’t do this!

Inspirational Sunday - Blood Moon Tetrad vs Belief

As always I bet you are wondering why of all things I would post or talk about the Blood Moon Tetrad today of all days: Inspirational Sunday. There is a reason for my maddness.

If you believe the rumors, Blood Moon Prophecy is an apocalyptic belief promoted by 2 Christian ministers: John Hagee and Mark Blitz. If it is to be believed, the end of the world and the coming of the angels will happen today. According to these two people, today is the Beaming Aray of Glory. The sky will become as light as day and the moon will come the morning and evening star. The sun will then be the new gate which leads the believers of Christ to his kingdom.

I do not happen to believe in the above.

The Pope just left the United States. I watched him as much as I could.

I believe in God,

the Father almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried;

he descended into hell;

on the third day he rose again from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;

from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and life everlasting. Amen. 

The above Apostle's Creed is what I believe in. Actually I am ready to return to my God whenever he wants me.

Recipe Thursday - Butternut Squash Pumpkin Soup

I love love love butternut squash and found this gluten free soup recipe. Perfect fall soup!

Ingredients:
1 extra large butternut squash
1 15ounce can of Libby's Pumpkin
1 large Honeycrisp apple, peeled and cored and cubed or you can use 1 and 1/2 cups of apple juice
1/4 cup of diced yellow onion
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
1 and 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 and 1/2 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper to taste
few dashes to 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg although I use the dashes and add more if needed
1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the squash and remove the seeds then cut into chunks. Place the squash chunks in a baking dish or cookie sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 defrees for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.

In a large stock pot, saute the diced apple and onion until soft then add the squash. Mash the squash with a potato masher right in that pot. Add the pumpkin, almond milk, and vegetable broth. Mix well.

Transfer this mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy then transfer back to the stock pot. Add the honey, curry, cinnamon, and salt and pepper. Heat to boiling then reduce to a low simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.

Serve in bowls and garnish with the roasted pumpkin seeds. I usually serve this with crusty gluten free bread.

Side note: If you use a really big butternut squash you might need to adjust the apple or juice, vegetable broth, and/or almond milk. Vice versa if the squash is on the smaller side the you decrease the amounts of liquids used.

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Inspirational Sunday - Dali Lama

I could add some words of wisdom here but I don't have any. I love the Dali Lama and I believe his words stand on their own. The following has been my mantra........

"One does not know how to live unless they know how to die."