Sleep in Heavenly Peace

I do not know when the events of last Friday, December 14th, 2012, will leave my mind.  If they ever will...  All I know is that children should never have to fear anything of that magnitude.  How are you to ever tell your children there are no monsters when clearly there are in this world? How do you explain their little questions, full of innocence and the black and white world of children?

For the first time since I came of age, I was glad not to be a parent yet on Friday... I feared answering those questions.  Questions I have seen on Facebook from their children like "Why didn't Jesus save them? That wasn't nice of Him" or "Where was Santa? Doesn't he like children? He has helpers everywhere..."  or the simple "Why didn't the police stop the bad man?"

Perhaps the world is to really end on Friday the 21st... what have we to show for it? What arguments could we make?  The only things that make the news anymore are bloody, violent, and pure evil.  I do not truly believe the world is meant to end... My calendar ends every year and I do not freak out... but my point is where is the good news? When will we learn? When will we learn that guns and mental illness need some serious rethinking and work in this country and around the world.  Norway has had problems too... in recent years... violence and the criminal mind is not limited to just America.  I just worry we stigmatize mental illness so much and hold guns so dear.  According to ABC news, there are more gun stores in the United States than there are McDonald's restaurants.  To me that is insane.

The second amendment to which so many cling to so dearly was written in a time and place vastly different than our own.  One where men were meant to defend themselves from a vulnerable position as a fledgling nation, provide for their families, and certainly a place where the accuracy of weapons, particularly handguns or pistols was not that great.  If the strictest of proponents want to own muskets and muzzle-loaders then great have at it.  The founding fathers could never have fathomed this sort of think... much less automatic weapons, assault rifles, sniper rifles, extend clips with quick release and reload.... on goes the list.  These were and would have been fairy tale type weapons and likely considered widely unnecessary...  Why on earth would they have needed a gun that could cut down trees?  What kind of people have we become to hold so dearly to such a antiquated, misunderstood, and taken vastly out of context law?

As a writer I believe in freedom of speech; the good come with the bad.  I can close my ears to what I do not want to hear.  I believe the quote goes "I may not agree with what you say but I will fight to the death for your right to say it."  I cannot apply this same sort of logic to the second amendment. So I ask you dear Belles, many of you I know grew up hunting and around guns, I did too... When will we learn? How many more Columbine's or now "Sandy Hooks" must there be before we realize the truth sitting in front of our face?  How many more benchmark events of tragic, unnecessary death and violence must we have before our eyes are opened?  A gun is meant for nothing more than to destroy living tissue.  That is what my Daddee always taught us kids.  As an object it is just a paperweight; when wielded by man it is a killing machine. That is the lesson we were given from the smallest memories.  My father eventually got rid of all weapons in the house, even my grandaddy's shotgun,  he no longer saw the need.  Especially with all the violence around us all the time.  So how much longer will we as a nation "sleep"?  How many more children is this nation willing to use as currency to pay for this amendment, this antique right?  How long must my heart and the hearts of so many be broken?

God bless y'all.... Happy Christmas.  And please no matter your opinions, think about what I have said.  Just give it a minute or two and think.

~a

PS: this video is so moving until the scream at the end.... highly unnecessary in my opinion but I warn you it is there.

Blue Jean Foodie Queen: Almost Famous Swedish Meatballs

Blue Jean Foodie Queen: Almost Famous Swedish Meatballs: This is a recipe shared by one of our readers Trish Thorsky! I have yet to try it but it looks delicious! Ingredients For the meatball...

Almost Famous Swedish Meatballs

This is a recipe shared by one of our readers Trish Thorsky! I have yet to try it but it looks delicious!

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup minced white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound lean ground pork
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
• Vegetable oil, for brushing

For the gravy:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Lingonberry jam, for serving (optional)

Directions

Make the meatballs: Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, allspice, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Pour the milk mixture over the breadcrumbs and stir to make a thick paste; let cool. Add the beef, pork, egg and egg white to the bowl and mix until combined.

Brush a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Roll the meat into 1-inch balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the meatballs until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Make the gravy: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth. Whisk in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and meatballs. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a serving dish; sprinkle with the parsley and serve with lingonberry jam, if desired

Blue Jean Foodie Queen: Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork

Blue Jean Foodie Queen: Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork: This recipe turned out so great I couldn't wait to share it. It was so easy and my pickiest eater loved it! It will now become a regular mea...

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork

This recipe turned out so great I couldn't wait to share it. It was so easy and my pickiest eater loved it! It will now become a regular meal in our home. I already have a few ideas to tweak it up a notch.


Pork Roast (2-3lbs)

1Tsp Sage or Poultry Seasoning will work as well

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 heaping Tbsp of  Garlic (crushed or minced)

1/2 Tsp Pepper (if using the Poultry Seasoning leave it out its already in the Seasoning)
1/2 -3/4 cup of water

Mix your Sage, Salt, Pepper and Garlic all together and rub all over the entire pork roast. Place it in your crock pot and water cook it on high for about 5hrs. Mix up the Glaze (recipe below) and add a nice amount 3-4 times over the top of the roast 3-4 times during the last hour of cooking. I simply kept it in a coffee cup next to my crock pot after I made it. Reserve a half cup or so to pour over before serving.

Glaze

1/2 cup of water

1Tbsp of  Cornstarch

1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup of Brown Sugar

3 Tbsps of Soy Sauce

Combine all ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and cook it at a medium temp until it becomes a little thick.


As I mentioned in the beginning I was thinking on tweaking this a little. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out and what it was going to taste like. After eating it I thought it would have been great to add a mixture of different vegetables with it and serve it over rice. I would want to use some veggies that would be a little crisp such as snow peas in the pod and perhaps some broccoli.You could even pull the pork then add the sauce and serve on sandwiches. I think the possibilities with this recipe are almost endless. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did!

Blue Jean Foodie Queen: Homemade Carnitas

Blue Jean Foodie Queen: Homemade Carnitas: I have tried out many a Carnita recipe and passed them along but this one is by far the best tasting yet! Try it if you like it fine if not ...

Homemade Carnitas

I have tried out many a Carnita recipe and passed them along but this one is by far the best tasting yet! Try it if you like it fine if not then drive to the local corner store on Sat or Sun morning!


1 Pork Roast (cut into chunks leaving the fat on)

EVOO

Chicken Bouillon (2 heaping tablespoons)

Sauzon (or Adobo)

Garlic Salt

Take the cut up Pork and rub the fat with some EVOO then season the fat with the Garlic Salt and season all of the Pork with the Sauzon. Place it all fat side  down in a greased baking pan. Add a spoonful of  the Chicken Bouillon to the front and to the back of the pan. Add in a few cups of water cover and bake for a few hours at 350 I let it go about 3hrs. You want the water to cook out so don't overfill it. Once the water cooks out and the Pork is tender you will notice that the fat has made a grease at the bottom of the pan. This is when I remove the cover and place the pan on the very bottom of the oven. It basically fries it up a bit without all the mess.

(Remember ALL my recipes are to make life EASY for you) Maybe a good 10 mins or so on the bottom like this. You want it to sizzle it up not to burn! After you make this a few times I promise it becomes so natural to you that you will just end up with the timer set in your head!

Serve this up with your tortillas and salsa whatever you choose to top it with! In our house we go all out some days others we just grab the tortillas and eat!

(Sorry pic was taken after my family attacked them! I try to move faster to get the pics for all of you sometimes the food is just to good)