CONTEMPLATION SUNDAY~Castle Rock-WA

BRRR! 6 AM; Castle Rock-WA I-5 Corridor

Not very encouraging.

7:15 AM;  Cold, foggy morning; Castle Rock-WA

Easy Peasy Supper.

Val's Slowcooker Fireball Stew:  (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/03/vals-slowcooker-fireball-stew-recipe.html)

Your story - all that you’ve gone and lived through: all the struggles, the victories, the losses, every part of it; someone is where you once were and is waiting desperately to hear your story of how God brought you out of the darkness and into His marvelous light! Every day, when you wake up, pray this prayer: “God, give me a chance to tell my story today.” And when that opportunity comes along, take it! Tell them what Jesus did for you, and how He’s still working in your life and still writing your story. Your story matters!

VAL'S SLOWCOOKER FIREBALL STEW RECIPE; Castle Rock-WA

Val's Slowcooker Fireball Stew, over mashed potatoes - is delish! 

BRRR! It was freaking c.o.l.d., this morning 🥶

BRRR! 6 AM; Castle Rock-WA I-5 Corridor

7:15 AM; Looking out my Livingroom window while preparing Supper - I glimpsed fog so thick, the Space Age Truck Stop across the busy freeway was barely discernable.

When I woke up this cold morning, I decided to make a beef stew 🤔: since it is March, I opted for an adaptation 👨‍🍳 of a hearty Irish 🍀 beef stew to warm the bones 🦴, tantalize the senses 👃, and make our taste buds happy 😋

I pulled the beef 🐮🥩 from the freezer, grabbed the veggies from the 'fridge in passing -  and reached for the Fireball Whiskey for the warmth it would add to the meal, all the way around 😊

Cooking a beef stew with whiskey can enhance the flavor - using a cinnamon flavored whiskey will add a savory depth as well as fill your kitchen with a delicious aroma. The alcohol content acts as a natural tenderizer, breaking down tough fibers and enhancing the meat’s texture. When crafting a whiskey-infused beef stew 🍲, it is important to use whiskey in moderation to avoid overpowering the other ingredients. Simmering a meal with alcohol for two hours can still leave about 10% alcohol behind … so, the longer you cook, the more alcohol cooks off: after 4 to 6 hours of slow cooking, there will be barely a trace of alcohol at all - so, it's unlikely to impair your faculties.

I am also trying something new: stew with mashed potatoes - kinda reminiscent of a tipsy-turvy shepherd's pie 😉

VAL'S SLOWCOOKER FIREBALL BEEF STEW ~4 hearty servings

2–½ lb. Beef steak, cubed * 1/2 tsp Olive Oil * 2 tsp. Bacon Grease * 1 lrg White Onion, sliced * 3 Garlic cloves, pressed * 4 carrots, sliced * 2 Celery stalks, sliced * 1 c. Frozen Peas (thawed - or not) * 3 TBSP Flour, all-purpose * ½ c Fireball Whiskey * 1-½ c Beef Broth * 2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce * 3 TBSP Ketchup * ½ tsp Thyme, dried * 2 Bay leaves * Salt Substitute & Black Pepper, to taste * 1 4-oz. Pkt. Instant Mashed Potatoes (I used Baby Reds) *  2 c. Water

1 Lrg. Skillet * 8-Qt. Slowcooker Crockpot * 1 Tea Ball (optional) * 1 Sauce Pan w-lid * Paper Towels * 1 Cutting Board * 1 Lrg. Kitchen Knife * 1 garlic Press * Measuring Spoons * 1 Lrg. Pyrex Measuring Cup * 1 small Whisk * 1 Lrg. Cooking Spoon, slotted * 1 Soup Ladle * Soup Bowls & Spoons

Ingredients; veggies, liquids, & spices.

1) Prepare veggies; set aside.

2) Cut meat into bite-sized cubes - with paper towels, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil & bacon grease in a skillet, over medium-high heat. Add beef & and brown well all over; remove from skillet & place in the slowcooker crock - along with juices & browned bits.

Olive Oil, bacon grease, & beef cubes.

Browning the beef.

Beef, juices, & Browned bits placed in slowcooker crock.

3) Add remaining ingredients (the liquid should just cover the beef and vegetables; if you need to add a bit more water to reach that level, do so).

Sliced onion & Garlic added.

Sliced carrot, sliced celery, & peas added to crock.

Stir veggies & beef to incorporate evenly.

4) Place all liquids into Pyrex cup; add flour 1 TBSP at a time = blend thoroughly after each addition:

Whisk until mixture is smooth.

Pour over meat & veggies in crock:

Pour liquid mixture over blended veggies & meat.

Add spices (crushed Bay Leaf in tea ball) + additional water, if needed = I added 2 c more.

5) Cover, set temperature to HIGH for about 2 hours; then lower heat to LOW & continue cooking for an additional 4 hours … or until carrot is fork-tender.

Place lid over 8-Qt. Slowcooker Crockpot; set to HIGH for 2 hours = reduce heat to LOW, for 4 hours more.

6) When stew is done, remove bay leaves & turn temp dial down to WARM while you prepare the potatoes according to the packet directions:

The Instant potatoes I chose for tonight's meal.

Then, spoon a serving of prepared potatoes into a bowl, ladling stew atop. YUM!

Val's' Slowcooker Fireball Stew

Husband says this is a definite repeat 👍 

SPIRIT RISING & Shabbat Eve 2026; Castle Rock-WA

March 21st: I had been planning to visit Calvary Chapel fellowship in Centralia … but this morning I woke up with thoughts running through my head that convinced me Elohim had checked me in that. My feet hit the floor knowing that He wanted me to stay local - so, I shared what was revealed to me with Holland 🔑 and he had some revealing of his own, to share with me; the Ruach HaKo'desh is rising & renewing our spirits.

It is all good ✌️, with both of us 💕

Holland brought up getting a gym subscription 🏋️‍♀️ - I readily agreed 👏 He called 📱 and got the price of a Day Pass 💰 to the Planet Fitness workout gym, at the Mall. If we like it, we'll purchase a Pass that is interchangeable in other States 🗺️ This is a win-win 🤝: home routines are fine and good … but we really need to be walking more, so the treadmill will be a major plus: I've been wanting a fold-up treadmill I can use/store in Independence, but using one at the gym makes more sense to Holland. I like that we will be working out together to get healthier and more fit 👌

Planet Fitness.

He also brought up checking out a Couple's Wednesday Bible Study ⛪️📖  at the Community Church in Castle Rock - we aren't interested in separate studies, staggered throughout the week; so, if they have such an archaic thing anymore, this will be the better choice for us. We can study/be on the same vibe together & if one of my asthmatic coughs starts … or Holland's pain level spikes; and we have to leave the meet early, we won't be disturbing a Sunday gathering - and one of us can drive us back home, if one of us is not able to do so. Wednesday's are low-key gatherings that work better for our needs.

The Ruach HaKo'desh is renewing our spirits; and our spirits are rising to the Call.

Castle Rock Christian Church; Holland has attended here, in the past. This will be a new experience for me - I've fellowshipped for 3 decades with Messianic Believers … to Sunday people, it seems I speak a foreign language. And to an extent, I do. Holland is a Sunday person - I will have to relearn things I've gotten a little rusty on.

We both agreed that we need to get it together in focusing on building  US up 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Grace began our story … grace sustains it … and grace will bring it all to completion - we heard each other out, and came to an agreeable middle ground. I shared my concerns & was heard - he shared his overviews & was heard. WE are more important than anyone or anything pressing on our time & nerves. Time is short, we are no longer spring chickens, & our remaining time on Earth needs to be redeemed ⏳🪔. Holland has medical needs that need immediate attention ⚕️: this is my major concern 🧐 & the main reason I agreed to come back to WA State 🤨 Also, we understand that we (together & individually), have tasks to do - personal tasks that we have been called to attend to, that have been entrusted to us to uphold & fulfil ☝️ ✝️ = these things need to be front & center in our life; everyone, & everything else, can take a number and wait until we can get to them 🤞

The air cleared 😘, and understandings clearly clarified 📣, Holland suggested we get out of the house, do a little light grocery shopping 🛒 & go for a short drive 🚘, when the wash cycle ended.

I was game 😊

Spring was in full swing …

Clear, blue skies - pink flowering trees & Evergreens; Toutle River RV Park-WA

White blossoming Weeping Cherry Blossom Tree.

An abundance of flowering trees line the entire Park boundary …

Cascade Select Market, Castle Rock-WA from Toutle River RV Park, Castle Rock-WA; (4 mi) 8 mins via I-5 S

Red Twig Dogwood; Castle Rock-WA

A personal Spring 'thing' & not available in any State of the lower portion of the USA

Camelot, Castle Rock-WA; the Cook Ferry Park, is directly behind & runs along the Cowlitz River, tying into Westside Hwy, CR-WA

2 houses showing across the way, on clear-cut properties; we're thinking in t he vicinity if Headquarters Road-WA

The sturdy, sunny, daffodils, the serene duck couple, the tranquil setting of the fishing shack - and the surprise ashy sand extraction refueled our drained spirits.

The sunny drive was just what was needed to lift our spirits.

Sunny daffodils showing brightly in the midst of weedy deadfall.

A Mallard & his Hen swimming a ditch across the street from the daffodil cluster.

I never knew this road existed; & Bob & I had driven up & down Cook Ferry Road for decades.

Of course, Holland has lived in this region of WA for 3/4 of his life; off-on 40 years, between Vader & Kelso.

Cook Ferry Road, Castle Rock-WA

A bench in the middle of nowhere … fishermen don't sit anywhere but on river banks.

A Robin - we saw several; this 1 stood still long enough to show it's photogenic side.

A Killdeer

Horses! And Holland is right - it's a 'she' - not a 'he' - guiding them forward.

The Sand Pit was something new to both of us; it's actually ash residue from the 1981 eruption of Mt. St. Helens.

The ash created & washed down from Mt. St. Helens,  changed the depth, width, and course of the Cowlitz River. He hadn't been down that end of the road in about 10 years, so the ashy sand pit was a surprised to him, too.

That was a fun excursion - I didn't know that road existed, so I was happy Holland drove out there to show me the fishing shack he always talks about - he was a fishing junkie ,🐟⚓️ and has fished wherever he could; all over the place: Vader, Castle Rock, Kelso, Longview, the Elochoman, Kalama, Woodland, Ridgefield, Vancouver & Rainier-OR … wherever there was water and fish. 

Holland talked so much about CA, that I always assumed that was his hometown; but I have learned over the past 6 months, that though he has worked in nearly every State in the Union … he has actually spent half of his life living in WA (32 yo) … and has lived in the Vader-Castle Rock-Kelso region of WA permanently, since 1994. He's pretty tethered to WA State.

It was a good Day 😁

Our flagging spirits are rising: the Day ended well 👍

Battery operated Taper Candle for Shabbat.