Carson Village, Birmingham, Alabama
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ~ Matthew 1:18
Today was a gorgeous day, even though temperatures only made it into the upper 50s.
I needed over two hours to make dinner, so the three of us drove a short distance to Turkey Creek, where Blaine was the other day. It was a good little hike that took us several miles to the waterfalls of Turkey Creek.
It was there that the first Big Event of the day occurred.
We were enjoying the water, and walking around on the rocks. I went out, across some small streams to get to the rock I’m standing on in this picture. Nice, huh?!
We wandered around, we talked, we took pictures. All part of a normal day in the full-time life of the Pecks, and David’s when he joins us. Then we decided it was time to move on. And that’s when it happened.
I searched around for a narrow place to cross over, because the way ‘in’ was a bit slippery in places, so I didn’t want to go back the way I’d come. I was planning on making a short hop from one dry rock to another.
Big mistake!
Unfortunately, the narrow place I decided on was much more slippery than I anticipated.
You can’t tell, but the left side was a dry rock as well.
Short little hop.
David was no longer standing there when I made the leap.
I landed chest first right in that chilly little stream! My knights came running to my aid, but by the time they got to me, I had already slipped and slided my way to my feet. Laughing all the way (at least once the shock was over 😊). So now, my hair’s wet from falling over my face into the water, plus whatever sloshed up; half my sweater and sleeves are wet (which we took off right away); the water soaked through my sweater and onto my shirt; and somehow, while the thighs of my jeans remained dry, from the knees down they were soaked. And of course, so were my boots. As were the sleeves of my hoody, because it was tied around my waist.
Not too many dull moments when you’re hiking with me! LOL!
Blaine gave me the shirt off his back and just wore a t-shirt back to the Jeep, while David stuffed my wet sweater and hoody into his backpack – after wringing them out the best he could. The return was uneventful, and I was surprised to note that I wasn’t cold. Probably because we were hiking mostly uphill. 😊
David took my wet clothes home with him, while Blaine and I returned home so I could take a quick shower and change. Then we packed up my wet cloths and some towels and went to David’s so I could start dinner. He’d already washed my wet stuff! What a guy!
Our next big event today came when David got the word that he was about to become a new home owner! He’s been looking for about four months (at a lot of places!) and every time he found one, it was already claimed – sometimes before he even left the house! Things are selling really quickly around here right now! Definitely a seller’s market! Here’s a couple of pictures:
And finally, because things tend to happen in threes, right?, I set off the smoke detector in David’s apartment and he had to open his patio door and set up a fan.
And I didn’t even do anything!
For some reason, the flour that was on the roast burned really badly in the pan, but it was weird, because, as you can see, the roast itself wasn’t burned!
By the way. Dinner was quite yummy, as I knew it would be. I made it for one of our November Birthday Parties a few years ago. Recipes are below.
PORK POT ROAST (Louisiana Style)
2 ½ – 3# pork shoulder roast
4 T. vegetable oil
1-2 T. yellow mustard
Salt and RED pepper to taste
¼ C. flour
2 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
ONE – TWO HOURS PRIOR TO COOKING:
Season roast generously with salt and red pepper. Cut small slits all over the roast with a sharp knife and insert garlic slivers into each cut. Rub roast generously with mustard. Wrap well in foil and place in refrigerator until ready to cook.
When ready to cook, cover meat liberally on all sides with flour.
Heat oil in a large pot and brown all sides of the roast to a golden brown. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, turn the heat to low and cook for 2 HOURS.
If heat is low enough you shouldn’t have to add any water, but turn meat frequently, being careful not to prick with a sharp object so you don’t lose extra juice.
MAQUE CHOUX (Louisiana corn)
1 stick butter
6 ears of fresh corn, cut off the cob (or 16 oz. frozen)
1 ½ C. onion, chopped
1 ½ C. tomato, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ C. milk
Salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste
Sauté onions, green pepper and garlic in a pot with butter for 6 minutes or until vegetables start to soften. Add corn (if using fresh, include it’s ‘milk’). Stir. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, then add tomatoes, milk and seasoning.
Simmer for 1 hour COVERED over LOW heat. Stir occasionally and if mixture becomes dry, add a little water.
Check seasoning prior to serving. Add additional black and or red pepper if desired.
SPICED YELLOW RICE
2 T. olive oil
1 C. onion, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ C. long-grain white rice
1 t. turmeric
1 t. cumin
2 C. chicken broth
1 C. water
¼ t. pepper
¼ C. parsley, chopped (optional)
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. add onion, red pepper and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in rice, turmeric and cumin. Cook 1 minute. Add broth, water and pepper.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed (17-20 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in parsley if using.
HINT: If you make the full recipe, you can use the leftovers for stuffed peppers. Just add browned hamburger and additional green and/or green peppers. Or serve it with refried beans on taco night.