My Favorite Recipes: Meet Theresa Adams

Theresa Adams has lived on the Palouse since 2003, when she started attending WSU. She always dreamt of being an artist when she grew up, but then she learned the term, "starving artist." Theresa still loves art and dabbles in it whenever she can with painting and sketching, but pursued a degree in science instead of art. In 2006 she graduated with a BS in microbiology, Cum Laude. After graduation she worked as a lab tech during the summer for the FDIU of the WSU vet school, and then was hired by VMRD as a lab tech. This is where she met her future husband, Ethan Adams. The couple were married in 2007. They are now so thankful to be the parents to three sons, ages 8 years, 6 years and 2 months old.

Theresa is a full-time mother who home-schools her children and tends to a hobby farm consisting of cattle and sheep. The Adams family raises Katahdin sheep, which is a particularly mild-tasting, lean breed that sheds in the spring, so no sheering is necessary.

When Theresa isn't tending to the demands of motherhood and farming, she enjoys reading riveting biographies, thrillers, mysteries and science books. Her favorite biography is Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, by Eric Metaxas. She recommends that everyone 13 and older reads that book because there are so many valuable lessons taught in it, including how to love your neighbor as yourself. Theresa proclaims this book brought her strength and that she is so passionate about the lessons learned from it that she has listened to the audio version (22 hours long) three times. She continued, "What I love about biographies of great people is the continual lesson about a ferocious need to do right, to fight evil and that they're just humans. Maybe gifted with speech, but they were just people who persevered. They did their best to follow God and were blessed for it."

Theresa and her husband, Ethan, were both home-schooled and look forward to carrying on that tradition with their children. Theresa's dad was a science teacher who passed his passion for science on to her. She loved studying microbiology at WSU and stated that her studies of science have increased her faith in a great Creator.

Theresa started a home-school co-op that is held in Colfax where she shares her love for reading, art and science on a regular basis. For those who would like to get more information about the co-op, she can be contacted at theresajulie@live.com.

Recipes

Cuban-Style Pork and Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into half-inch cubes

1 pound pork, cut into one-inch squares

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

1/4 cup orange juice

1-1/2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste

Mix sweet potatoes, pork, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and black pepper together in a slow cooker.

Cook on low for six hours. Garnish with cilantro.

Nutrition Per Serving: 266 calories, 9.7g fat, 27.3g carbohydrates, 17.4g protein, 48mg cholesterol, 483mg sodium.

New-Style Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding

Serves four. Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 Tbsp. cornstarch, packed

1 tsp. all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

2 cups low-fat (one percent) milk

1 tsp. unsalted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. almond extract

Mix first five ingredients in heavy, medium size saucepan. Add one cup milk and whisk to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in remaining milk. Whisk mixture over medium heat until thickened and beginning to simmer, about five minutes. Simmer one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla and almond extracts.

Divide pudding among four custard cups. Chill until cold, about two hours. Can be made one day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.