Tackle It Tuesday

"5 minutes for Mom"

Today at 5 minutes for mom, she spoke to my heart. It has been a tough time at the "life Uncommon". I have been battling Depression/Anxiety disorder brought on by the intense stress of the journey. My Brain Chemical balance has suffered just too many a blows. So I have been a bit off my normal self.
I have been getting my medications balanced and it has been so very difficult. Lethargy being a side effect is one that just plain goes against my own personality. Embarrassed over it I have sorta pulled back.
This morning I was aware that by accident I took my Medication twice last light. That left me somewhat incapacitated until well after 11 a.m..
I have been doing research to make sure I am an the right type of medication and am pleased to find that I am.
I found a helpful web sight www.amenclinics.com
This was on the local PBS station the other night and I have been reading. I hope to find the book when I can budget it. I think it may be very helpful to get my brain health in order. This information can really take away the stigma from folks who suffer alone. We can help ourselves to get better. It is a real informative study.

So this was my tackle today.
To fix a meal and love on the children.
Clean the kitchen and do some little laundry

I may do some more beading tonight.

Garlic bread My way.
This will produce a crunchy crust and moist salty tender center.

French bread sliced on the deep diagonal.

REAL BUTTER!
Yes, it must be done right to be done well. :)
Melt the butter, I find this works best.
It allows the butter to absorb into the bread.
You actually use less then when you spread it.
Shake the garlic salt over the buttered bread.
The butter makes the garlic salt melt into the fibers.

Re-stack you loaf.
This keeps in the moisture and then the foil shinny side in makes the crust crunchy!
Oh Man! This is desert!

Wrap the bread and set aside until 15 minutes before you serve your supper.
I have a convection micro-wave oven.
I use it to keep the house cooler.

Beef Stew
This is not Denty Moore:)

Dash Hawk wants to have a cooking lesson. This goes right along with my tackle for the day. One on one with the kids. So...
I thought I would turn it into a post.

Dicing carrots.
If you do as illustrated... you will have a carrot with a flat surface this helps keep you safe as you first slice then cube into smile pieces.

See how if you slice it first in half and place the flat side down... Now you can thin the slice again.
Now cut each half in long slices. Then by cutting across the length you create cube. Diced carrots.:) Mine are organic. These can be purchased frozen but have little comparison to the real thing.

Dash thinks this is cool!
I dice all ingredients very fine.
Dove got braces yesterday, and My Uncommon a new crown today.
Dental Mercy :)

Standing rib roast left overs from steaks broiled the other night. The standing rib roast was purchased and frozen at Easter. It was a $60 roast for $12. due to a seasonal add. I got a few of them and froze them. As I use the roast I cut them down as steaks in the summer as to not run the oven for hours roasting a large roast.

De fat now, dice and set aside.

Hot pan...cold Olive oil just to cover bottom of pan.
Diced carrots and white onions.

Dash knows this and is now adding the veggies when the oil is hot.

Now My kids DO NOT eat potatoes.
While you may wonder (in Russia the orphanage gave them potato water when they ran out of milk for them.)
The thickening of the stew is one that is not just empty flour or corn starch. I use powdered potato flakes
( I do not use the store bought due to the preservatives).

Sweat the carrots and onions in oil.
Now add diced meat to sweat out the marble in the meat.
No one likes to bite into fat!
This will melt anything you may have missed when you de-fatted the steak.

Other ingredients
Next add the broth, and barley ( a wonderfully nutritious grain).
I use my motor and pestle at this point.
I added basil, oregano and garlic salt into motor.
The salt in the garlic salt will be the abrasive to power the herbs into a dust.
That dust is one, to go through all the pot and season evenly.
Add corn, peas and a can of diced tomatoes...
Now add some Braggs, and some browning.
Thicken with the potato flakes when they are not watching :)

Stew and French bread
Life accomplished.

Lay out of necklace set and 2 bracelets for later tonight.

Oh ya!
I pulled up hard and pushed through too.
The family was so grateful for the supper.
It was a nice accomplishment.