So...About My Biological Name

How I Think I Look Making Blog Posts

Who has been reading this blog for a long time? 

Well, you see the title.

So, That Means...

This is The End!

The End of Thoughts of an Outspoken Diva, The Blog.

Let's tell the truth...Not Many are Reading This Blog, Anymore. It's just me purging my brain into the ether. Folks like reading Salaciousness. I can't write that all day, every day, any day. 

I'll leave it up so you & I can come back & read anything that might be needed or wanted.

But like one of my favorite Muppet songs, "It's Time for Saying Goodbye" to this platform.

Hopefully, you paid attention to my many requests at the end of some posts. If you did not...

Subscribe to My YouTube Channel

What's going on over there? You have to subscribe to find out.

I had so much fun as a blogger. I met some nice & cool people because of it. I hope you had a good time seeing my introspections. 

~Chandra

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms! 

Yes, She Said 30 Minutes (OUTSPOKEN Diva's Favorite Recipes)

A Good Ol' Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon  paprika, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon  onion powder, or to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 pounds chuck roast
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 (10.5 ounces) can beef broth
• 1 (10.5 ounces) can condensed Golden Mushroom soup
• 1 cup water
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning (salt-free)
• 1/2 cup of red wine (prefer an inexpensive red blend)
• 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/4 onion, chopped, or to Taste 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Whisk flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper together in a bowl. Dredge roast in flour mixture to evenly coat.
3. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat; brown roast in oil, about 5-10 minutes per side. Transfer the roast to an oven bag and place into a 13x9-inch casserole dish.
4. Whisk broth, soup, water, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red wine together in a bowl; pour into the oven bag over the roast. Arrange vegetables around meat. Seal the bag and cut 6 small slits in the top of the oven bag for ventilation.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours 30 minutes. 
6. Remove from Oven and let the dish rest for 30 minutes before serving.
   
   
   

Low & Slow Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon paprika, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon  onion powder, or to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 pounds chuck roast
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 (10.5 ounces) can beef broth
• 1 (10.5 ounces) can condensed Golden Mushroom soup
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (salt-free)
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup of red wine (prefer an inexpensive red blend)
• 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/4 onion, chopped, or to taste

Cornstarch slurry (optional):

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup beef broth or water

Directions

1. Season the pot roast with seasoning
2. Place a large and heavy skillet over high heat and add canola oil.
3. Once hot, add the pot roast and brown it on all sides, 5 minutes on each side. Should be nicely browned. Set aside.
4. Whisk broth, soup, water, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red wine together in that pot; pour into the bowl of the slow cooker
5. Add the vegetables
6. Add the browned beef.
7. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours, or until fork-tender.In a small bowl mix two tablespoons of cornstarch with ¼ cup beef broth or red wine, and add the slurry to the slow cooker about the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Take Your Time!

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Talk About it Tuesday (Ready to Trigger My Bad Dating PTSD)

I really should have kept track of all the gross bosom comments. I really could give Sallie Mae a nice hefty for a dollar. Oh Well... Let Me Do So, Now

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

To the Airport & Back✈️

Three Facts About My Niece, Alura (Blog Name)

-Her Loves...God & People

-As a Preschooler She Thought I Lived at the Airport instead of Beaumont

-She is an Ancestor

Yes, the First reason I fell in love with being an aunt has left this world for the next. It took me a while to grasp celebrating this life in an Outspoken_Diva fashion. Every life is celebrated. But the pain of this young woman's passing was heavy on me. She is Forever 27 years old. 

Then we found out she was an organ donor. When I mentioned she loved God & People, Alura Loved God & People. Even passed her leaving this world gave such a selfless act for strangers in need to prolong their lives. When we heard the news I could be shocked. But this was something my niece believe in...Being Sweet to Others.

Her Belief System was in a Rhythm that Only She could know to play.

I remember when I found out she believed I lived at the airport. I was home from college for Winter Break & I had to punish her. I don't spank often. I'm a stand-in-the-corner/give-out-restrictions type of aunt. Well, while standing in a corner in the living room, she told me, "Well, You Can Go Back to the Airport Where You Live" and cried. I had to walk to the back of the house to silently laugh & report that to my sister. She found out where I lived when I graduated from Lamar University the next Summer in 2003. We have laughed & cherished that memory all of the time. To the point where on her birthday, my message always ended with, "To the Airport & Back".

I don't have children of my own because my niece & nephew took my love & refused to give it back. And well, my niece, Alura took her portion and put that eternal stamp in my heart where she belongs. 

To the Airport & Back

Fly High✈️ 

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Granny

At 99 years of age, the matriarch of our family, Granny passed away quietly recently.🕊️❤️

Please keep us in your comforting & strengthening prayers & positive thoughts.

The person who taught me about God picking flowers for his bouquet became the gladiola that he chose one day.

In our human experience, people are supposed to bury their grandparents. But it still feels sad & weird. They say Grief is Love Without the Happy Face. I believe that. I turned the light off in her bedroom. It hadn't turned off in 10+ years. Later into the night, I had to focus to see down the hall, upfront toward her room while I was up. *sigh* It was Dark. *sigh* The religious, prissy, rule-making & keeping, and shade-ready influence in my life is gone. And there is nothing anyone can do about it.

I had a complicated relationship with my grandmother. I didn't get to have the stereotypical "soft life" that some have with their grandmothers. Anyone who lived with grandparents full time will tell you it ain't for the weak. Especially when you're an adult. As a kid, I just thought Momma was my mother but Granny & Pau Pau were like dad. And that was my normal. But as an adult, it's like a roommate who demands her respect at all times. And she was due it. But she had to be taught to respect those younger than her also. Some days that was a challenge. But as one of her caregivers, it was a challenge worth the pain.

Let me share something simple she always shared. It is a song I remember her garden club sisters & she sang from as early as when I was a toddler. They opened up their meeting with it.

I can hear her soprano voice singing, now. And I see her belting out that final, "My God and I". As if it was only he & she there.

To a Life that walked with her God in the garden, in the home, in church, in ...in...In Life. God is Love ~ 1 John 4:6

Rest Well Granny, Rest Well!!!

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

First Date with a Dead Waste Collector

Questions! Questions!! Questions!!! Come & Get Your Answers!

Q: Would you rather be a Mortician vs Waste Collector as a Profession?

A: Mortician because I get chatter & peace & quiet from humans. I'm an ambivert. When the Talking & Emotions from the living become too much, I know the Silence from the non-living will give me the same moments to reset.

This Post's Video:

Don't forget, if you have any questions, email them to C.OUT.SPOKEN.DIVA@gmail.com or leave them in the comment section below or on the social media site where you see this post. I will answer them.

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel!!!

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Best of Restaurant Bias: The Dessert List

I'm not a major fan of most "Best of" lists, especially when it comes to restaurants. And what is a meal without a little dessert? Well, that is how this series will end, with a little something sweet.

In DFW, many of us think we can bake. Have you ever had my sweet potato pie, caramel nut cookies, & diabetic apple cinnamon cake? No? You have missed a treat. It's not a socioeconomic issue here. Well, maybe because even in the food desserts in the area, I can name a baker & sweet shop within it, but I digress. There are so many choices for bakeries & bakers in the area. And I have to force my favorites in the City of Dallas down to 3.

Cretias There are 30 Cake Flavors, 34 Different Pies, & 26 Cookies & other Goodies like Breakfast Rolls at this bakery & lunch spot. And if I am in the Bishop Arts area even if I am supposed to get a tasty salad only, a Scandinavian Almond Bar somehow comes home with me. LoL

Le Bon Temps Beignets and Coffee There is a little sugary slice of New Orleans in the Deep Ellum area. I suggest for your first visit start with the sugary Classique & the flaky Le Boneignet. If you're a coffee drinker, grab a fragrant one. And I promise you it is worth its wait.

Cake Bar  How does one become so favored that you have to create a vending machine for after Trinity Groves' hours of operation? And there are cookies & ice cream too. Oh, my go-to flavors are Old-Fashion Chocolate & Wedding Cake.

Well, that was Sweet!!! And if you put your favorite dessert places in the comment section would be even sweeter.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!