LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BE SAD

Hello my friends,

It has been a few weeks since my last blog.  Nothing too interesting has happened since my last blog, but I have continued to recover well.  I am still trying to cook tasty meals for my family.  Today is a special day, my daughter Liliana is turning 22 years old.  I can't believe how fast time passes by.  Last night we were talking about how things will happen in the order in which God wants them to occur and how they will not happen before or after.  If I did not have my children when I did,  because of my autoimmune disease, I probably would not have had any children.  An even though I lost my kidneys and have had many health problems, God has blessed our family with love, unity and had given us a comfortable life.  Had it not been for my kidney disease I would not have become a realtor and would probably still be working for some one else an d living in the valley.   So rather than sitting here feeling sorry for my self, I choose to sit here and thank God for all his blessings and invite all of you who may bee feeling down or stressed to do the same.   Life is too short to be sad.   God bless all of you on this most joyful day.

 So since today is going to be a long day and Brenda my youngest does not get home till after 7pm, we decided to celebrate a pre-birthday yesterday.  I cooked for Liliana her favorite meal,  Pozole.

Here is the recipe.

1 large can of Hominy  (Make sure you strain out water from can and rinse off your hominy before adding to soup pot)

7 pounds of pork   (neck bones and pork stew meat combo).
1 large white onion
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoons Knorr chicken base (crumbled)
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp.  menudo mix
1 tsp.  ground clove
1 fresh bay leaf
1 small can Las Palmas mild enchilada sauce

Place all the above in a large soup pot and bring to a boil.  Once it is boiling lower heat and cook for approximately 3-4 hours until meat and hominy are soft and tender.    Serve warn with some Pozole toppings.


Toppings for Pozole:

Shredded cabbage
chopped onion
lemon
thin slices of radish

 Hello again;

Since my last blog, I have continued to do my daily dialysis with fairly no problems.  But about a week ago, we began to notice high venous and arterial pressures when doing the treatment.   What this means is that there is some sort of restriction or blockage in the fistula.   This can cause blood clots or just not being able to clear out the toxins from my blood properly.   We contacted Dr. Shook my nephrologist and he suggested I call the vascular specialist.  I called Dr. Rafidi and he scheduled a Fistula gram.

 This is a procedure that is performed under local anesthetic and twilight anesthesia.   What this means is they numb the incision site and usually give you some medication to make you lightly sleepy and relaxed.  They insert a needle and inject a dye that allows the surgeon to view your veins under x-ray.   Once they see how the dye runs,  they can view if there is any scaring, stenosi(narrowing) or blockage.  They can use a balloon to clear it out.   My procedure only took about 20 minutes and another 20 for recovery.   I did have some bruising, and swelling, but for the most part I am recovering nicely.

I took a break from cooking until yesterday when I made my apricot rum BBQ pork ribs.  My husband insisted I share the recipe with you.

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 small can tomato sauce
2 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp dried onions
1 tsp garlic powder
1tbsp hot wing sauce
1tsp chili powder
1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for 20 minutes.

Rib preparation

Marinade Ingredients:

1/2 cup orange juice
1 tbs. Montreal steak seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dehydrated onion
2 tsp. chili powder.
1 tsp salt
juice 1 line
1 tbsp mustard.

1 rack of baby back pork ribs cut in half.
Grilling aluminum foil.


Mix all ingredients and place in a marinating bag,  Add rack of ribs and marinade for at least 1 hour.

Turn your BBQ on if you have a gas grill to medium heat.   Place your ribs in aluminum foil and place on your BBQ on medium heat.  Cook for about 20 minutes and then flip over.  Cook for another 10 minutes. After about 30 minutes unwrap your ribs and check to see if they are cooked.  You can tell if they are if they start pulling back away from the bone.   Baste with any left over liquid in the foil and place directly on the grill to get the outside toasty.  This is when you can baste your ribs with the BBQ sauce on both sides.  I usually baste two or three times till the sauce looks like it is caramelizing.   Remove from grill, cut and serve with your favorite BBQ sides.