Kathiey's World

 Travel North Carolina-Discovering New Places Tacos Number Juan in Durham, NC Taco Number Juan's is a fairly new Taco Bar in Durham, NC.  After hearing about this new Taco Bar, I felt I had just had to visit.   Juan's had a nice, welcoming atmosphere, and there was plenty of seating throughout. We chose to sit in the booths near the kitchen.  I was so glad they had drink options, including wine, beer, and margaritas! I usually order wine, but this day, I had a strawberry/watermelon margarita, and it was delicious. It made me feel like I was on a lovely beach in the Caribbean. We ordered chips and guacamole. I love guacamole, and it was yummy. You could see the jalapeno peppers in the guac, giving it just the right amount of heat.  I would order again for sure. We had the Gringo Tacos, the beef, and the chicken, and they were yummy! If you get a chance, pay them a visit.  Great food and atmosphere and friendly people.  I will definitely visit them again...

  I have found journaling to be an invaluable tool. Journaling is not only a way to relieve stress and help us process things; it is also a way to tell our story. I am a daughter, an ex-wife, a Christian, a nurse, a mom, and a grandmother.  Life is busy, and even though it is mostly good, it can also be challenging.  I see my kids and grandkids regularly, but they still don't know most of my story.  I don't think they really know who I am. I began to think about how I could share a bit of who I am with others. One way is through journaling. My family may not, because life is hectic, have the time to sit down and discover who I am, my thoughts, my hopes, my dreams, my joys, and my pain, but if I write a journal, maybe one day they will sit down and read it. I wish my mom had a journal so I could hear her story. My plan is to answer journal questions and then produce a book with the answers.  I may be gone from this world, but they may want to know who I am one da...

 I love to try new recipes. If I don't sit down and make a list of new recipes to try or old recipes to re-explore, I will not make an effort to try the foods that sound delicious to me. So that is what I decided to do. I am going to make a list and try to accomplish everything on it during February.  (The photos below are as close as I could get to the actual recipe.  I found them on Canva) On my February Recipe Challenge, I have recipes ranging from breakfast to dessert and everything in between.  Breakfast- Muffin Breakfast Pizza Soups/chili- Corn Chowder Soup Pizza/Sandwiches- Monte Cristo Sandwich Appetizer- Cheesy Parmesan Mozzarella Cheese Bites Salad- Olive Garden Salad Entree- Creamy Spinach Mushroom Lasagna Veggies- Honey Roasted Carrots With Thyme Breads/Rolls/Muffins- Cheese and Herb Monkey Bread Seafood- Stuffed Lobster Crock-Pot- CrockPot Potato Soup Grill- Dijon Mustard Pork Chops Dessert- Baileys No Bake Cheesecake Yummy Drink- Coconut Rum Cocktail Wi...

Inspirational Quote...  Whether you find yourself on a steady path or in a difficult life situation, you may new to be brave enough to try something new.  You may be afraid that you will not be adequately prepared for this new adventure, but that should not hold us back because it is ok to try something new, and sometimes, it is necessary. Trying something new in our lives may be an opportunity for growth. We may be forced to try something new due to our life situation or simply want to experience something new for fun or adventure. This "something new" could range from a job change to a travel adventure. Regardless of our situation, we have to be brave enough to be bad at something new to experience something new. In my opinion, this does not mean we will "be bad," but there is always a risk of imperfection in trying. There is no guarantee that what we venture to do will be an ultimate success. Sometimes, to be successful, you have to have some failure along the wa...

There was nothing like coming home from school on a cool fall afternoon to the aroma of Mom's Sloppy Joes simmering in a large pot on the stove. It was one of my favorite meals. I don't have my Mom's secret recipe, but I did find one that is nearly as good as Mom's in Taste of Home Magazine. With a chill in the air, I decided it was time to make a batch. I studied the recipe.....(Makes 20-25 servings, so I halved it)..... Ingredients 4 pounds of  ground beef 1 cup  chopped onion 1 cup  finely chopped green pepper 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces  each ) of condensed tomato soup, undiluted 1 can  (15 ounces) thick and zesty tomato sauce (I used ketchup instead) 1 can  (8 ounces) tomato sauce 3/4 cup  packed brown sugar 1/4 cup  ketchup 3 tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon  prepared mustard 1 tablespoon  ground mustard 1 teaspoon  chili powder 1 teaspoon  garlic salt 20 to 25 hamburger buns Directions In a l...

What is Port Wine? Recently, I bought a white port at a local vineyard.  It was super sweet and rather tasty.  I found I needed to sip it rather than drink it the way I enjoy my white wines. This wine lasted me a long time because it takes a while to sip a bottle of port. I later read that if an opened bottle of port is kept in a cool, dark place, it can last 4-6 weeks.  Fast forward many months, and I decided to open another bottle of Port.  Much to my dismay, I did not like it, and it is going down the drain.  My untrained palate could only recognize the overwhelming flavor of almonds, and I did not like it. Port is a fortified wine. It is sweeter and higher in alcohol content than standard wines because of the added Brandy. Below is a definition of port wine I found on Leaf TV. "During fermentation, the producer adds brandy to the wine. The brandy's high alcohol content stops the sugars in the wine from fermenting into alcohol, leaving port with a much higher...