Pierre Rooyen, a real horse whisperer

Riding Tornado

(Tornado and the Kalahari Horse Whisperer)  another movie I found that bring a different style/story of the redemption of our Savior.  Based on true events and the life of Pierre Rooyen, Riding Tornado is about  a depressed and broken young man, and Tornado, an emotionally tormented horse. As the Director, Regardt van den Bergh said: "This film is about broken people, I believe we are all broken and we could all do with some healing." 

 But read more here and then see the movie yourself. 

It's a Gumbo kind of Holiday

 Today is Presidents Day - 10:47 am and 36 years ago today I was sitting in my North Norwich living room waiting and praying for my labor contractions to intensify.  They didn't and 24 hours later after way too much drama John Edward Benson was born at 12:38 pm  a full 3 weeks early weighing 7 lbs 5 oz and 21" long.  Happy early birthday to my number 1 son.  
Since today is a holiday - yea, no work I have endeavored to make three meals for the week. Along with Spanish Rice and Beans,  Chicken Curry and Rice I am adding Chicken Gumbo.  
So - along with the show. 


Chopping board - check 
Knifes - check 
Refrigerator emptied of vegetables - peppers, mushrooms, celery, onions, potatoes. 
Lap Top with a new tv series I found --- Off the Map --- cool.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil for frying
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 dashes hot sauce

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until mixture is the color of a copper penny. Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper and onion. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add chicken, tomatoes with green chile peppers, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes

Spring is Coming for sure

Last nights Spanish Rice and Beans was soooooo good.  Well - 60% of the people around the table thought so.  Not to be discouraged by them tonight we switched to India and had a curried chicken and rice "stew"

This is usually how we prepare dinner around here.
Look in freezer --- hmmmm  ok take out some meat.  today it was a piece of chicken and a piece of pork.
Cut into bite size pieces and cook in some olive oil until browned.

Look in refrigerator ----hmmm ok take out some vegies.
onion, three small potatoes, a hand full of carrots, couple cloves of garlic

Pantry ----
can of stewed tomatoes
1 cup of brown rice
box of chicken broth
1/2 cup of raisins

ok that should do the trick

after meat browns add onions and cook until translucent
add the rest of the ingredients
PLUS
1 T. lemon juice
3 t. curry powder
1/2 cinnamon
1/4 t. salt

Cover and simmer until broth is absorbed.

Success - 100% approval.
We had fresh brussel sprouts and they were delicious too.

ENJOY..

Spring must be just around the corner

I say that spring must be just the corner because I got bitten - by the cooking bug.  Usually Doug is the one who does the evening cooking -- for many reasons, most of which I shouldn't post here.  Tonight we are having Spanish rice and beans.  Tried following a recipe from the web but it needed some tweeking cause I just didn't think it had enough water to cook the rice.  This is really the kind of cooking I love to do and I am so glad my darling man of the house enjoys it too.

Bring to a boil in a saucepan 1 quart chicken broth and 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce.
Cook in a dutch oven.
6 pieces of bacon - remove and set aside.
Saute 2 onions in bacon pan until soft.
Add 1 cup of rice and broth sauce mixture
Add 1 chopped green pepper and bacon cut up into pieces.
Add 2 tomatoes chopped ( I used 1/2 can fire roasted tomatoes)
Add seasoning if desired - chili powder, salt pepper)
simmer until liquid is absorbed.
Add 1 can of beans ( i love black beans best)

Wish I had some greek yogurt.

The color of "Skin"

Growing up I remember wanting to go to Africa as young as 5th grade when a young women came to speak to our school about her experiences in Kenya and then again when I met a women who spent several years in Sierra Leone.  So, that being said,  I am always watching movies about Africa.  This weekend I came across "Skin".  I have to admit, I lead a very sheltered life when it came to the reality of what was happening in South Africa back when I was a child.  This film riveted me, angered me, made me cry.  I find it hard to believe that people can be so racist and yet they do.  This true story of a family divided by "race", a word I strongly say doesn't exist simply because there is only one race and that is the human one.  I hope you get a chance to see this movie - you will find it worth it. 

“SKIN”

DVD widescreen, 2008, PG-13 for thematic material, some violence and sexuality 

WHEN TWO WHITE parents in South Africa give birth to a brown baby with nappy hair during the apartheid era, neighbors and the government turn a critical eye. Is the baby white or black? Has the mother cheated? How will the child be classified?

After a battle that goes to the country's highest court, Sandra Laing is eventually classified white. Her parents had enough black ancestry in their genealogy to produce their daughter’s mixed-race appearance. Still, Sandra’s dark-colored skin makes racism part of her daily life. She's kicked out of school for disrupting other students, harassed on dates by white suitors and made to stand outside a shop as her mother picks out a dress.

This is a true story about a young girl struggling to belong when caught between races. Although movies that explore racism are common, few involve such nuanced complexity.

Eventually Sandra takes her life into her own hands, betraying her parents’ demands as she runs away to live with Petrus, a black farmer she has fallen for. It's enough to lead her father to hate his own daughter, tearing the family apart for decades.

Learn  more about Sandra Laing here.

Halt that cough the natural way.

I am always looking for natural remedies.  This one, while I haven't yet tried it, sounds like it might actually work.  I remember having a violent sore throat one day and tried using garden sage.  I inhaled in a steam tent and did a deep in my throat gargle.  It worked wonderfully so I am anxious to make some of this for the next time my allergies send my coughing - like black locust flower season.

Healthy Cough Syrup by Sophie Uliano, a passionate environmentalist and chef, and best selling author of “Gorgeously Green,” is a Healthy Child Healthy World Parent Ambassador. Sophie sent us a video of her making a cough remedy recipe that is so yummy that you’ll want to brew it even if you don’t have a cough!
taken from Healthy Child Healthy World website.

Speechless

Darling Daughter sent me this and said = make me one of those.  hmmmm. 

what would she need one of those for I asked. 

Do you thing...... naaaaawwwwww