You Find You Can Always Lose a Little More

This is probably absolutely nothing but anyone who has a blog or writes, paints, sings, records, plays guitar, etc knows that a little recognition can go a long way.  Any little acknowledgement is a huge deal for us.  Again, I think this is just some weird anomaly or false search engine scheme but other than it not being real (insert laughing emoji here) , Hey look! I'm #71 on top 100 New York food RSS feeds!  Even if it has zero meaning, I got a bit of those old endorphin kicks that I remember getting when someone liked my picture on Instagram or funny musing on Facebook.  They are shameful needs and I am not proud but hey dude, we're in the middle of winter and although its been actually quite lovely, there ain't a lot of shaking going on over here.  

However, I did make my tried and true Mexican Pork Stew that I have perfected from a genius, right-up-my alley,  Woman's Day recipe and I couldn't be more happy with it.

I even made my own crispy chip strands, shucked the corn and most importantly made my own salsa. If you can't get down with this stew, you may be broken.  Unless you don't eat meat and then you're probably just fine. You could possibly replace the pork with black beans and this could be an incredible vegetarian stew but I'm not that girl.  Not right now.  But I mention it, because my sister and I talk about aging and how naturally we desire less meat.  We both live with carnivores but it works because you can always find ways to eat less just by serving yourself larger vegetable portions.  But if you took bacon away from me, real chicken broth or crispy skin, I would be so sad.  The broth made from the bones of these country ribs, along with the fat, well you see, that's my gold. It's my sunshine, my joy.  I eat it knowing its value and worth.  I don't take meat for granted, which may still sound disgusting to a meat eater but gratitude does matter, I believe.  I hope it does.  I think it does. 

I also have a brand spanking new little angel great niece who I hope to meet in person very soon. Peaceful sleeping babies, another worldly joy!  

A colorful pot of slow cooked anything, yet another joy.

We Americans have so many wonderful things to enjoy in our little messed up worlds, even if things aren't going great, you see how it could be SO much worse.  That has always been the case but I finally see it crystal clearly.  Lately I find myself feeling like my dang pot runneth over.  

Everybody I Know Needs Some Passion

This is where it gets a little embarrassing when speaking of my food passions.  We rarely eat pork but in fact sometimes they practically give it away with the prices so low that you're crazy not to buy it.  But what happens when you have a pack of country ribs and a huge pork shoulder to roast?  Most people would freeze one and cook the other but instead I declared it Pork Week.  I made a pre-pork shoulder Sweet potato pork stew with corn and cumin.  Excellent!  As always, if you have hot sauce then I'm telling you, you're nuts not to throw in a full cup.  Let's not even talk about considering El Paso okay, that is just embarrassing but this recipe is cool.  The extra that the real homemade hot sauce gives is promised!  The recipe

meanwhile the Nigella Lawson slow-roasted Aromatic pork begins its journey...

I come from Indiana with a blanket on my knees

Mexican Pork and Sweet Potato Stew. I found this great picture of a stew in Woman's Day Magazine. I tweaked the recipe because I had the time and I just fell in love with these ingredients together. They look like the fall leaves. The recipe is great for cooks in a rush to get dinner on the table. http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Mexican-Pork-Sweet-Potato-Stew

Me, I have nothing but time on the weeknights so I took that time, did it up right. Red and green peppers, sweet potatoes, pork, corn, garlic and onion - that's good stuff. Instead of a store bought salsa, I went ahead and made a homemade roasted tomato chipotle salsa that really made the difference. I wanted a thick hearty stew, so I also added about a 1/4 cup of fine corn meal and a bit of cornstarch to thicken. I kept the spices simple but upped the amount of cumin and also added a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. The cumin and cinnamon with the pork is a warm blanket. I like blankets. I like to be warm in the fall with a blanket on my knees.

I totally get the blanket over the knees reasoning. I ride my bike all week to work and back and when the cold weather hits, my knees are the first ones to need some nursing. The best thing is to be a little cold indoors and have a nice blanket on my lap and my legs propped up on a stool. That's livin'. I think part of me has always been an elderly woman. I have been able to relate since I can remember. Even as a little girl I loved sitting on the steps facing down the hill looking out over the creek and woods behind our house and just sittin', listening, and being calm. I'd stroll down to the corner and visit this old man and his little chihuahua Lana, named after Lana Turner. Then I'd sit some more and listen to his stories. My friends used to call me grandma in San Francisco. I still liked to tear it up and burn it down but there was that side. Now at work, my coworkers tell me I have a musk that attracts the old birds and I love it. I love the old folks. I'd take an aged couple over newlyweds any day of the week as customers. They have been kicking around a long time. That's to be respected. They know things we don't and you see it in their eyes. They aren't caught up in their egos and they aren't afraid of anything anymore. They are no longer working so there is a calm to them that is foreign to some. They're not uptight. They don't have to be somewhere in 20 minutes, like most people in NY. What's not to like? These are my people. They like calm and quiet. I like calm and quiet and to relax in a chair with a blanket on my knees.

This stew is that blanket.