Rest for the Weary

Hello on this beau-ti-ful sunny day! At least it is here. Our weather has been up and down here lately, but warmer than normal. Brings thoughts of a beautiful spring. I have the day off today, but I have to work the weekend.

I would love to be a homemaker and be at home every day, cooking, cleaning, sewing, crafting. But at this point in my life, that is not what God would have my life to be. Having been a single mother for many, many years, I HAD to work. Along with working came bills - student loans, car loans, etc. So now, I have a few bills to pay off before I could ever think of reducing my work hours.

Believe you me, I cherish the days when I do not have to be in the workplace or tied to my computer! Those are the days I live for. Some people live to work - I work to live.



Rest. God gives us such sweet rest in Him. His is the rest which causeth the weary to rest. "But ye, brethern, be not weary in well-doing". His is the rest that is so complete that it feels like you can just step off of a high cliff and rest assured that he will catch you before you even start to fall. Rest so complete that you are refreshed every day, going forward into each new day with purpose and zeal to conquer whatever tasks may come to you that day. Rest so complete that, while your worries have not disappeared, they no longer cause you ulcers - because you are resting in Him! Rest so precious that not all of the jewels and gold in this world would cause you to leave it. Rest uplifting - knowing that He is your soon-coming King. Rest so wonderful that it becomes hard to leave off communing with Him to go back to mundane life here on Earth.

I pray that everyone who reads this post will know that rest.

Speaking of rest, here is a recipe that will let you rest - while the Crockpot does the rest! (Tee Hee - sorry, could not resist that pun!)

Cranberry Pork Roast

2-3 pound boneless pork roast (I buy a whole pork loin and have it cut into about 4 roasts)
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
A big spoonful of honey
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 large onion, diced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bung all of the above in a crockpot big enough to hold it all and cook on high for about 6 hours, or low for 10 or what have you. I usually turn it on high for about an hour or so, then on low for the rest of the day. Can add a splash of worcestershire sauce. Serve with peas and home-made mashed potatoes.

Apology Chops

I am supremely sorry that I have been MIA for a few days. We have had a lot of company, very busy, and I have not been feeling well. I have a migraine today, in fact. We have had rain, rain and more rain. Yickky weather. Humid as all get out. In fact, since last night, we have gotten 2-1/4 inches of rain. On top of whatever we got last week, which I know was in excess of 3 inches. Ah well, enough of my grousing.

My mother and I have a running arguement. She says that fruit does not belong in the same bite with meat. I disagree. I love trying new tastes. I like chutney. I like ham with cherry sauce. Or raisin sauce. In fact, chicken and pork both seem to have a special affinity for fruit sauces.

Today, therefore, I am giving you a recipe for orange pork chops!

I promise that I will have pics up later, just too bleh feeling right now.

Orange Pork Chops

4 bone-in pork chops
paprika
black pepper
3/4 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons sugar
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup water

Sprinkle chops on each side with paprika and pepper. Brown on both sides in non-stick skillet. Combine juice, sugar, cloves and zest and pour over chops. Simmer over low heat for 18-22 minutes. Remove chops from skillet. Remove cloves. Mix flour and water and stir into juice mixture in skillet. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. It will thicken a bit, but not a lot.

Serve sauce over chops. This is very nice with long-grain and wild rice and broccoli. Or with some snow peas sauteed with mushrooms.

A Lazy Saturday Afternoon

Hello there readers! I know I am rather late getting this out today, but I have had a lazy Saturday today. I slept in this morning a bit and then after making some pulled pork and broccoli salad, I took a walk with my Mom.

Living in an extended family situation can sometimes be frustrating, but it can also be very rewarding. I was the youngest of 4 children and the only girl. I was pretty spoiled, I'll admit. I had some pretty rocky teenage and young adult years. But since living with my parents, I have come to appreciate them much more. (I still pay my own bills and I help out with expenses) We have a much closer relationship than ever before. Mom and I have some good conversations about different things and Dad and I get along quite well.

I know that an extended family arrangement is not for everyone. I often feel the need to have my own house. If things work out, by the end of the year, I may do just that. But I will treasure the times that I have spent here with Mom and Dad.

It also helps them out, as I do a big portion of the inside housework and the cooking. Mom is then free to do her gardening outside. So it works all the way around.

Alas, dear readers, I have no pictures for you today. I do, however, have a recipe for you.

Pulled Pork
Serves a bunch of people

2 approximately 3-4 lb. pork shoulder roasts, bone in
Worchestershire sauce
Garlic powder
Liquid smoke
Fresh ground black pepper
Seasoning salt - We use Morton's All Seasons
1 cup water

Use a big crock-pot. I use my oval 6-quart. Throw the roasts in and liberally sprinkle with next 5 ingredients. Pour over 1 cup of water. Let it cook on low for at least 12 hours. Take the meat out and let it cool. Dump the juices out and wash the crock-pot out.

Now comes the icky part. Take your hands and shred the roasts, discarding all of the fat, gristle and bones. Put the meat, which should be very tender, back in the crock pot.

The meat is pretty flavorful on its own, but you can do many things with it. We usually dress it with Bulls-Eye Barbecue Sauce and throw a little Tabasco Chipotle in there for spice and serve it on hamburger buns. Or you can dress it with an au jus or gravy and serve it on a bun or over mashed potatoes or noodles. Or spice it up with taco seasoning and use it for burritos. You can spice it asian style with some peanut or stir-fry sauce and make asian tacos.

In other words, there are probably about 101 uses for this recipe and it is dead easy. The only icky part is shredding the meat and if you must, I suppose you can do it with a couple of forks.

This meat is also great to freeze and then reheat later. I usually freeze it before putting any sauce with it. Just throw it in a quart-sized freezer bag and flatten it out before freezing.

I shall be seeing you again on Monday, as I will not be posting here on Sundays. Sundays are usually a very busy day around here and so, even though it was hard, that is my decision. I promise I will be on here bright and early Monday, though!

Have a great weekend everyone!