Maria Valdez and Matthew Darrow and children.
Maria Valdez lives in Schleswig but works in Buena Vista and Woodbury counties, assisting families as a support caseworker with Lutheran Services of Iowa, and is licensed as a Spanish-speaking family member. .
“I specialize in minority families and Spanish-speaking families,” Maria explained. “I cover the western side of Iowa. I also help people obtain permission to foster or adopt children, which could be a kinship case, such as a grandchild being adopted by a grandparent. .”
“It’s a stressful job with a lot of paperwork, but it’s also rewarding,” she said.
Maria moved to Iowa from Reseda, California. After her internship in August 2022, she graduated with a degree in social work from Briar Cliff College in December 2022 and was hired in January 2023.
Maria got engaged to Carol’s Matthew Darrow the day after Christmas last year. She has two children of her own, Christine, 9, who is in third grade, and Andres, 5, who is in kindergarten. Matthew also has two children, Luna, 4, and Kamdyn, 3.
“We met through mutual friends who worked together. Now Matthew is working with them. It took a while to get together. He asked me to go for coffee. I asked her out, but the email remained in spam for two months until I saw it.” She smiled. “I saw the message at the perfect time.”
Maria likes being outside.
“I like running and walking,” she said. “I did track and field and cross country in high school. My mom wanted us to live healthier lives. I also take kettlebell kickboxing classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
She also keeps busy with her children’s events. Her son Andres is taking taekwondo lessons and plans to play soccer in the spring. Christine has been playing soccer since she was 4 years old, and last year she took piano lessons.
These are some of their favorite recipes inspired by Maria’s grandmother.
Green salsa (spicy)
Boil about 8 to 10 tomatillos with about 4 to 7 serrano peppers or jalapenos until soft. Mix the tomatillos and peppers with about half a cup of water (the less water, the thicker it will be) and add:
1 garlic clove or 1 tsp.garlic powder
Thickly sliced onion or 1 tbsp. Onion power, about 1/4-1/2 c.coriander without stems
1 teaspoon of salt.
If it’s not spicy, use the same ingredients except for the chili pepper.
green enchilada
(not baked)
Boil 5-6 chicken breasts in 2 tbsp. Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon 2 tsp garlic or 2 garlic cloves, half an onion or 2-3 tbsp. of onion powder.
Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, cut it into thin strips.
Heat a medium-sized saucepan to about 2°C. of vegetable oil. Once hot, fry the corn tortillas and remove them before they get crispy. You want these tortillas to be very soft.
Prepare a bowl of green salsa for dipping the fried tortillas.
Lay the fried tortillas flat, add shredded chicken and roll into taco shapes.
Enchiladas can be topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and your favorite cheese.
Cacique Ranchero Queso Fresco (“fresh cheese”/partly skim milk cheese) is perfect for this.
Serve with orange rice: Heat pan to medium/high heat and add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. When the oil is slightly hot, add 1c. of dried raw rice. Stir until the rice is golden/toasted. This adds a unique flavor. Add 2 1/4 c. water and 1 tbsp. Knorr tomato bouillon chicken flavor. Bring the water to a boil, switch to low heat and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the power and leave the rice in the pot to cool to finish cooking.
