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Low and Slow

     I am trying a new pot roast recipe with a surprising ingredient: dill pickle juice. Garlic is one of the not so surprising elements. Aw garlic...extra garlic, onion, and herbs have always found their way into dishes I have prepared. Recently I upgraded from minced garlic to fresh garlic that I roast myself. Yum!

    Today, I am especially grateful for my friend of busy days, the crock pot. A long list of demands and errands will fill my day but I still would like a nice dinner, and pot roast is one of my favorites that does not require constant attention.  All I had to do was get everything in the pot so it could cook low and slow.  Once all the tasks of the day are done, the aromas will welcome us to enjoy a juicy and tender roast with veggies.  Double Yum!!

    Peeling the garlic cloves out of the bulb proved tedious and I was starting to go through the ever-present "list of things to do" in my head. Suddenly, I remembered just how much I enjoyed learning about garlic confit, the succulently textured and spreadable form of garlic.  My first batch was a big one and I extracted many cloves with joy for the excitement of something new.

    Moments like these are inclined to remind me of a counterintuitive detail of the gospels: Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry yet He had a lot of crucial tasks to perform. No exaggeration in the word “crucial” because many of His tasks were to tend to life-or-death situations. His last charge was the most crucial job of all time!

    Despite it all, He went through life humbly and slowly. He bewildered His disciples then as He does today. We still want to hurry things along and get more done. We would be wise to humble ourselves more often and live slower lives. Maybe the slower pace would allow more joy to creep in and less passion to leak out.

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