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Cook Aubriauna Diaz wears a lot of hats


Aubriauna Diaz, who likes to refer to herself with tongue in cheek as “Aubsome,” is the newest addition to the Selby Volunteer Ambulance team. Although she ran with them in training, this is her first official assignment since completing the National Registry test in 2018.
Aubriauna wears a lot of hats, but currently she is a nanny in Selby and works the weekends as a server for Sixteen 03 Events, a popular venue in Bismarck, N.D.
When asked if Aubriauna has a significant other she replied, “not that I’m aware…he’s probably a professor though.”
Aubriauna has what she lovingly refers to as “a little old man of a hamster named Rex,” She said. “I named him Rex because of his tiny arms.”
Currently living with her grandmother in Selby, her forever home is with her parents, her 14-year-old brother, Jose, and her sister, Alie, in Mound City.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Aubriauna moved to Selby when she was 13. After four years, she moved with her parents to Mound City. During this time Aubriauna held a total of seven jobs, including office professional and a home organizer for several people who still seek her assistance now that she’s back. Aubriauna moved to Bismarck in February of 2018 for a change of scenery. She moved back in January.
Aubriauna recounts what it was like coming from Houston to Selby.
“The nerd that I am, I managed to gather nine whole pages of current information on the small town of Selby,” she laughed. “After seeing the massive amounts of corn fields and snow, I was positive we were about to drive to the end of the earth!”
After some time, she admits nothing could be farther from the truth.
“It turned out to be one of the best decisions my family could have made,” she said.
Aubriauna was homeschooled but took two years of choir in Herreid High School. In 2017 she was a member of the final year of The Midwest Ambassador of Music choir group (the name has since been changed to the South Dakota Ambassadors of Music) where she had the opportunity to perform at several European platforms including St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, Italy.
“It was absolutely awe inspiring.” Aubriauna said “As soon as you step in everyone is just moved to silence. Once we started singing, it was automatic goose bumps.”
In Switzerland Aubriauna recalled singing in a tent.
“It was a beautiful and solemn song called “Requiem” and as we began singing the clouds opened and the rain fell. When we finished, it stopped,” she recalled.
Aubriauna said she doesn’t usually have a lot of spare time, but on the off chance that she does, she likes exercising, reading, spending time with friends and just getting stuff done that doesn’t get done when she works. Aubriauna also enjoys belly dancing and is a member of the Bismarck Middle Eastern Dance Group.
When asked if she likes to garden, Aubriauna laughs.
“I have killed every plant I have ever attempted to own. It’s a good thing I don’t have kids!” she said.
Her mom is a good gardener and skilled in homeopathy.
When it comes to cooking, Aubriauna credits both of her parents with teaching her to cook.
“My dad taught me how to grill like a boss!” she said. Her dad also likes to cook alfredo and crawfish etouffee. Her grandmother taught her how to make tamales.
“My mom always cooked healthy for us growing up. I followed in her footsteps after I moved out, with the exception of donuts, they are my weakness,” she laughed.
One of her favorite foods is soup.
“When I lived in Bismarck, I would come home every weekend and my mom would make soup for me out of the vegetables she didn’t use that week,” said Aubriauna “It was a win-win for both of us; I would get soup every weekend and she would get her fridge cleaned out!”
She said a lot of her cooking has been about trial and error.
“I didn’t start cooking for myself until I moved out,” said Aubriauna. “Living alone and working all the time, I became very good at ‘what can I make with these five ingredients in my fridge?’”
Strangely enough Aubriauna cannot cook mac and cheese.
“I can grill a steak but I cannot make mac and cheese!” She said “I have tried so many times and it fails! I don’t care if its homemade, boxed, even microwaveable! It always comes out bad,” she said.
Aubriauna graduated from high school in 2016. In 2017 she completed the EMT course through Mobridge Regional Hospital. Obsessed with learning new things, Aubriauna is currently taking online classes from MIT and getting her certification in Event Planning and Management.

Aubriauna Diaz’ Recipes

Grain Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Crust
1 cup almonds
2 Tbsp coconut oil or butter
1 egg
cinnamon to taste
honey or stevia to taste
Filling
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
3 eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or 1 tsp cinnamon and a sprinkle each of nutmeg and cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
stevia or honey to taste
Preheat oven to 375°F.
For crust, finely powder the nuts in a food processor or blender.
Mix powdered nuts with coconut oil, egg, cinnamon, and honey or stevia, and use hands to press into bottom of pie pan.
Put in oven for 10-15 minutes or until crust is slightly toasted.
For filling, use a blender or immersion blender to mix together the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, cream cheese, eggs, spices, vanilla, and sweetener.
Pour filling into toasted crust.
Return to oven and cook for 35-45 minutes or until top doesn’t wiggle in center and starts to slightly crack on sides.
Remove and let cool.
Chill at least two hours or overnight before serving.

Easy Crock-Pot Chili
3-4 lbs. meat such as beef or sausage
2 onions finely diced
3-4 cans diced tomatoes
15 ounces tomato sauce
¼ cup homemade chili seasoning or cumin, chili powder, black pepper, salt, garlic and cilantro to taste
Dump raw meat and all other ingredients in Crock-Pot.
Cook on low 5 to 6 hours or high 2 to 3 hours until meat is done and flavors are blended, or make in 30 minutes on stove.

Homemade Detergent
3 cups borax
3 cups baking soda
3 cups washing soda
2 bars of soap, grated
45 drops of orange essential oil
15 drops of lemon essential oil
1. Grate the soap with a cheese grater
2. In a large bowl, mix the borax, washing soda and baking soda.
3. Toss the soap in a food processor, then add a cup of powdered mixture.    Continue to add the powdered mixture in slowly so the soap doesn’t stick to the blades.
4. While the food processor is on, drop the essential oil into the mixture.
5. Store in a sealed container.
TO USE: use 1-2 Tbsp depending on size of load in warm water.
NOTE: You don’t have to use lemon and orange essential oils only!

Grapefruit Sugar Body Scrub
1 medium sized grapefruit
2 cups coarse sugar
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1. Remove the insides of the grapefruit and blend for 30 seconds.
2. Mix in the coconut oil, blend again
3. Pour the mixture into a small bowl.
4. Add sugar to the mixture
5. Use or store in a lidded jar.
Note: Only keeps for 2 weeks

Easy Lip Balm
1 Tbsp beeswax pellets
1 Tbsp coconut oil
Essential oils
small containers or tubes
1. Microwave beeswax pellets in a small bowl for 45 seconds.
2. Add coconut oil and microwave another 45 seconds twice.
3. Drop in 15- 20 drops of essential oils and pour into tubes.

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