Family Outing

Sunday actually had some sun in it.  It was raining when I got up 10 am!  I was in bed and asleep by 10pm the night before, must have been tired.  Then the sun came out.  Went for a short walk, made me feel better but I'm still not breathing quite like I should. I had to stop a couple of times.  Came home, made coffee, read the lame funny papers, there used to be some entertaining (to me) funnies.  I'm guessing since our paper is small in a small town that there is a limited selection for their budget?  Does it work that way?  I don't know.

Went to one of those paint and wine places with my Grand girl Natty and my son Chris.  They had an open paint this Sunday.  We chose to do something of our own instead of selecting from the offerings.  I had some moments of high anxiety before we got there.  I haven't painted for so long, kept reminding myself this was for fun not a competition.  Nat and I brought sketches.  Chris brought his colorful cartoonist brain.  I had a glass of white wine.  My companions had exotic orange carbonated stuff.  Clearly we like color. Three generations of painters.

I especially love the little critter with the blue critter,

Nat's central figure reminds me of how joyful she is and how she can bring that with her into dark places.

Then, just an aside, Walla Walla's Holiday Inn Express got a FedEx delivery it wasn't expecting!  No injuries to people or pets fortunately.  Took awhile to extract it since it came into the pool through a load bearing wall.  Not my picture, Got it from a FB friend who got it from a friend etc.  And yes, I went down to look at it.  Sigh, I must get out more.

Sweet Potato?Yam stews

Here's my recipe for my pork stew approximately, I tend to fling herbs in and not exactly follow a recipe.  I cook for 16-18 people on Tuesday so when my turn comes up (once a month) for the main meat dish it's usually a two-day production in my tiny one-person kitchen.  Sometimes I cook more and freeze a couple of little dishes for my future one-person dinners.


The pork stew was a variation on the chicken stew I make.  I liked the chicken better.  I think the pork kind of overwhelmed some of the other flavors in the stew.  I like lots of onion and garlic.  Do the sweet potato last it can get mushy unless you want it to be gravy-like.


Sweet Potato Pork Stew

2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

2-3 bay leaves depending on size   

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

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6 pounds boneless pork spare ribs simmered/cooked it the day before to cut the fat

3 cups chopped onion (I use red onions)

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1 1/2 teaspoons powdered ginger   

6 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups of reconstituted salt-free powdered chicken broth

4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato/yams the orange ones        

1 1/2 tsp Garam Marsala (an Indian mixed herb I like a lot)   

Sweet Potato Chicken Stew

4 teaspoons curry powder   

2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

2-3 bay leaves depending on size   

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

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7 pounds chicken - I cleaned all the frozen chicken out of my freezer, some boneless some not, and cooked it the day before and removed any bones. 

3 cups chopped onion (I use red onions)

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1 1/2 teaspoons powdered ginger   

6 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups of reconstituted salt-free powdered chicken broth

4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato

2 cups canned hominy rinsed and drained  (you can use rice or pasta as a side dish instead of adding hominy, not everyone likes it I found !!? 

1 1/2 tsp Garam Marsala (an Indian herb I like a lot)

Basically I do the meat first, the day before. Then I sauté the onions and garlic, add the meat, add all the herbs, cook about five minutes then add the chicken broth and everything else.  Don't overcook.  Simmer over low heat.

I doubled a recipe I had, at least the meat and potatoes.  I did not double most of the herbs except for onions and garlic (did I mention I love those?).   

Yum

Tuesday is family dinner night, the oldies but goodies, the young kids and the in-betweeners in their 40's gather to have dinner, yak, celebrate birthdays and the like.  It's a potluck with a loose rotation of dishes, meat, starch, dessert and so on.  It's my night for the main dish.  Last night I cooked up the meat for a pork sweet potato stew.  Then I grocery shopped for the corn and other ingredients.

It's a birthday celebration for Ella's 3rd birthday,  She's the newest adopted grandkid.  She came at 2 days old from the hospital into foster care at youngest son's house.  It took nearly three years.  There are two more lined up behind her ready to be eternally attached to us as soon as the paperwork is done.  The last two are little boys 3 and 4.  Youngest son's newest fishing partners.

Isabel stayed last night.  She and I will make cookies today, do homework (like pulling teeth) and for shopping for a birthday gift and Christmas gifts for the toddlers.  I am a little behind.  Happy New Year everyone.