Today is a fast day and after yesterday I need it. We were in Oakdale at a friend's house, and he made vegetarian enchiladas that were very rich.
This weekend Geri and I got a handle on the herb garden. We turned and augmented the old soil, with some new soil, and added some steer manure. I need to get more basil, thyme, oregano, chives, and a couple of tomato plants. We are ready, and this is a great week to get it all together because we are having record hot weather. Time to get the fan out of the shed.
I haven't got much else to blog about, and I don't feel like making things up.
I know I haven't turned out any new recipes lately so I have something coming up this weekend, blueberry muffins. I have a real sweet tooth for blueberry muffins, and I have a killed recipe.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast & lunch; Fast, orange juice
Dinner; 2 1/2 black bean and cheese tamales, asparagus
Exercise; 3 miles walking
Monday, April 29, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Westy
I've done all the gardening, and given the front porch a second coat of deck paint.
I decided to do a little blog on Westy, our little West Highland terrier mutt. He's not a purebred. I make fun of him quite a bit, but he's turned out to be a top notch house dog.
He's fiercely loyal, scrappy, would die for Geri, he's learned his commands, he's scared away every rat in this area, and quit chewing the couch pillows (they're history). He's just lovable, and downright handsome too. He still thinks he's in charge.
I had a pizza left over from last night that I pre-baked, and just finished off in the gas oven. I also has a walnut chip cookie today. On top of that Geri always brings home fried chicken from her book group.
Now I have to walk the dog. I think I can get in 5 miles today. I need to after all that food.
No stats today. That monkey never want to leave for good, and he starts taking over soon as you let him back in, kinda like Westy. The struggle continues, always.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
I decided to do a little blog on Westy, our little West Highland terrier mutt. He's not a purebred. I make fun of him quite a bit, but he's turned out to be a top notch house dog.
He's fiercely loyal, scrappy, would die for Geri, he's learned his commands, he's scared away every rat in this area, and quit chewing the couch pillows (they're history). He's just lovable, and downright handsome too. He still thinks he's in charge.
I had a pizza left over from last night that I pre-baked, and just finished off in the gas oven. I also has a walnut chip cookie today. On top of that Geri always brings home fried chicken from her book group.
Now I have to walk the dog. I think I can get in 5 miles today. I need to after all that food.
No stats today. That monkey never want to leave for good, and he starts taking over soon as you let him back in, kinda like Westy. The struggle continues, always.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
 |
Friday, April 26, 2013
Good Day, Pizza, Frida Breath
Today was a good day indeed. For some reason, possibly the full moon, things seem to be in line. I've been raised to believe when everything is going well it can only get worse. My peoples went through the depression, and two world wars, not to mention a few prison sentences. There people came from Europe. The wolf was always at the door. Where the hell else would he be? None of the old children's fables had good endings. It was always the same, the end. Remember the 5 Chinese brothers?
I put a first coat of paint on the front porch, fired up the oven, and made pizzas. I had at least a whole 11 inch pizza for myself, but 4 or 5 different types of pizza.
You've heard all this BS before, so on with the facts. I feel like completely mellowing out and drifting away.
Frida's mouth smells like puppy breath again. Nothing like clean teeth.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 2 poached eggs, 2 cups of coffee (I know, I'm jonesing w/the coffee), 1 potato pancake, orange juice
No lunch
Dinner; the whole pizza as described above and 5 yes, 5 beers. There's some calories there. Alice is always with us these days.
Exercise; 3 miles walking
ta ta
I put a first coat of paint on the front porch, fired up the oven, and made pizzas. I had at least a whole 11 inch pizza for myself, but 4 or 5 different types of pizza.
You've heard all this BS before, so on with the facts. I feel like completely mellowing out and drifting away.
Frida's mouth smells like puppy breath again. Nothing like clean teeth.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 2 poached eggs, 2 cups of coffee (I know, I'm jonesing w/the coffee), 1 potato pancake, orange juice
No lunch
Dinner; the whole pizza as described above and 5 yes, 5 beers. There's some calories there. Alice is always with us these days.
Exercise; 3 miles walking
ta ta
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Another Fast Day
 |
| On the bed at home |
 |
| Frida in the high desert |
I dind't have any problems fasting today. It was a breeze really. Tomorrow I'm firing up the pizza oven. Now that I'm kicking ass on this diet I can go have pizza twice a month. Maybe I'll fast tomorrow too.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 2 cups black tea 1 tsp. agave each
Lunch; none
Dinner; Chicken sandwich w/mayo on walnut bread, large kale salad, eggplant, red bell pepper, cooked barley, cranberries
Exercise; 5 miles walking
Tree House
There is little or nothing to blog about today.
I have a short story about a friend of ours that we walk with every morning on the dog trail. He's 73 years old and very active. His new girlfriend is 83 years old and apparently very active also. She came over to his place for the first time last night, and when he found out she was allergic to cats they went and slept in his grandkids tree house for the night.
Ain't it wonderful to be young at heart?
That's it
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 2 poached eggs, 1 piece of toast w/butter, coffee, 1 sugar
Lunch; big kale salad w/black olives, red bell peppers, onion, olive oil, fresh lemon
Dinner; roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, kale salad /all the above
Exercise; 3.5 miles
I have a short story about a friend of ours that we walk with every morning on the dog trail. He's 73 years old and very active. His new girlfriend is 83 years old and apparently very active also. She came over to his place for the first time last night, and when he found out she was allergic to cats they went and slept in his grandkids tree house for the night.
Ain't it wonderful to be young at heart?
That's it
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 2 poached eggs, 1 piece of toast w/butter, coffee, 1 sugar
Lunch; big kale salad w/black olives, red bell peppers, onion, olive oil, fresh lemon
Dinner; roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, kale salad /all the above
Exercise; 3.5 miles
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Just the Stats
It's Tuesday again. Time ain't just flying by, it's gone baby. Sometimes I feel like an old Indian when I'm out back with a blanket wrapped around me, and I'll start a fire in the old camp stove. Maybe a little splash of Scotch on the rocks, and a pipeful of mother nature's finest.
I can't remember what flick it was where the old Indian is sitting by the fire, and he has a wife or two with him in the teepee when he says, "I like to sit by the fire more these days." I'm not trying to be morbid. Time sure has a way of getting past you.
Speaking of flicks. I saw a movie on next called Snow In The Bluff, which is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. If you want to see the real deal, there it is.
School night tonight, so just the facts.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast: 2 eggs and bowl of home-fried potatoes, 2 pieces of toast, 1 cup coffee
Lunch: The last pulled pork sandwich for a while, on rustic baguette w/sheep's cheese
Dinner; Pulled pork sandwich 2 pieces of sour dough bread
I need some veggies
Exercise; 4 miles walking
I can't remember what flick it was where the old Indian is sitting by the fire, and he has a wife or two with him in the teepee when he says, "I like to sit by the fire more these days." I'm not trying to be morbid. Time sure has a way of getting past you.
Speaking of flicks. I saw a movie on next called Snow In The Bluff, which is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. If you want to see the real deal, there it is.
School night tonight, so just the facts.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast: 2 eggs and bowl of home-fried potatoes, 2 pieces of toast, 1 cup coffee
Lunch: The last pulled pork sandwich for a while, on rustic baguette w/sheep's cheese
Dinner; Pulled pork sandwich 2 pieces of sour dough bread
I need some veggies
Exercise; 4 miles walking
Monday, April 22, 2013
Nice Weekend
It was a glorious weekend for sure. The weather was wonderful. We took our good friend Guy to
Half Moon Bay and stopped at Barbara's Fish Trap where we had bad experience with the woman that was running the place.
Our friend Guy brought Spot his service dog with him into the restaurant. Spot was a good boy the whole time, but this woman kept coming in complaining about Spot not laying down under the table, don't feed the dog, and some other damn thing. I was ready to go off on her and tell her to keep her mediocur food and oh by the way, "Last time I was in here one of your workers from the kitchen didn't wash his hands after he went to the bathroom." Spot is a real registered service dog and she either just doesn't like dogs, didn't want them in her restaurant, or didn't believe Spot was actually a service dog. It made for a very unpleasant experience. I've seen restaurants refuse people with seeing eye dogs.
We took a nice long walk along the beach and drove through the tunnel twice, going down and coming back. I use to live on the coast in El Granada and yesterday I got to stop and see some good old friends from days gone by. The Coast was lovely.
Today is a fast day. I didn't anything outrageous this weekend. I did do a pulled pork video, and there's a bunch of leftover pork from that. I don't have a overwhelming desire to eat all the time. Food is not always on my mind, and I really think I'm actually going to be able to accomplish this goal I set for myself in the timeframe that I set.
The jasmine in the front of the house is intoxicating when I step out the door. I've got to get my herbs and do my work in the garden this week, especially the basil.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
1 banana, 1 1/2 cups strawberries, large handful of nuts, 1 cup black tea w/agave
Dinner: Pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw
Exercise: 4 1/2 miles walking
Half Moon Bay and stopped at Barbara's Fish Trap where we had bad experience with the woman that was running the place.
Our friend Guy brought Spot his service dog with him into the restaurant. Spot was a good boy the whole time, but this woman kept coming in complaining about Spot not laying down under the table, don't feed the dog, and some other damn thing. I was ready to go off on her and tell her to keep her mediocur food and oh by the way, "Last time I was in here one of your workers from the kitchen didn't wash his hands after he went to the bathroom." Spot is a real registered service dog and she either just doesn't like dogs, didn't want them in her restaurant, or didn't believe Spot was actually a service dog. It made for a very unpleasant experience. I've seen restaurants refuse people with seeing eye dogs.
We took a nice long walk along the beach and drove through the tunnel twice, going down and coming back. I use to live on the coast in El Granada and yesterday I got to stop and see some good old friends from days gone by. The Coast was lovely.
Today is a fast day. I didn't anything outrageous this weekend. I did do a pulled pork video, and there's a bunch of leftover pork from that. I don't have a overwhelming desire to eat all the time. Food is not always on my mind, and I really think I'm actually going to be able to accomplish this goal I set for myself in the timeframe that I set.
The jasmine in the front of the house is intoxicating when I step out the door. I've got to get my herbs and do my work in the garden this week, especially the basil.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
1 banana, 1 1/2 cups strawberries, large handful of nuts, 1 cup black tea w/agave
Dinner: Pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw
Exercise: 4 1/2 miles walking
Friday, April 19, 2013
420 Again, TGIF, Hot Weekend, Other Crap
Tomorrow is 420 and I'll start with that today, much like I did the day before and so on. Like Charlie Watts said in 64' "I don't know what all the fuss is about? " I feel the same way about Justin Bieber.
I think we should celebrate everyday.
This weekend coming up I actually don't have any work other than what I put on myself, plus the usual house work that's piled up over the week. I am a pet sitter and I take care of other people's animals besides the 5 critters Geri and I have. Pet sitting is the best job I've ever had. It might not be my dream job, but it's pretty damn cool to get paid to watch other people's animals, and go for walk in the hills.
People go away on the weekend and that's where I come in. I have one client who works Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so I help her out with her dog on Saturdays. It's like the restaurant business, no days off, but the customers don't talk back so much. If I had a restaurant I would take every Sunday and Mon. off, maybe Thursday too. I don't think I'd every want to retire, just take more vacations. I am lucky to have time off during the day every day.
I'm thanking the gods it's Friday because Geri gets two days off. Geri works like crazy, too damn hard.
I started filming a pulled pork video today, and tomorrow Geri and I will rap it up. It's much easier when two people are doing it. Geri's the lead photographer.
It's amazing outside. I'm wearing a tank top and sun glasses today. I just finished pan frying some asparagus for dinner, along with leftover Bussel sprout, red snapper and brown rice. I'm fasting today, and it's going very well.
I'm always surprised at just how little food we actually need to sustain ourselves. My 4 readers have seen my pulled pork recipes before so there's nothing new to report. I'm looking forward to a beautiful California weekend. There will not be any blogging and no more fasting till Mon. Fasting today I didn't need the agave drink and I'm glad. A 1/2 cup of has to pack a few calories.
I'm feeling better about our dog Che today. The whole time I was grieving I had this insidious Led Zepplin song in my head. I'm very glad it's gone. I felt like a rat on a wheel in a cage.
We're thinking about checking out the Tunnel down in Montara. I lived in El Granada and Devil's slide was brutal during the winters of 85' and 86'. Maybe get a bowl of chowder, some fries and a nice IPA at Barbara's fish trap. I must remember to take the camera.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
No Breakfast, no Lunch...fasting
Dinner; Brussel sprouts, asparagus, spinach, brown rice, red snapper w/lime and butter...2 beers,
6 slim ginger snaps
Exercise; 5 miles walking
I think we should celebrate everyday.
This weekend coming up I actually don't have any work other than what I put on myself, plus the usual house work that's piled up over the week. I am a pet sitter and I take care of other people's animals besides the 5 critters Geri and I have. Pet sitting is the best job I've ever had. It might not be my dream job, but it's pretty damn cool to get paid to watch other people's animals, and go for walk in the hills.
People go away on the weekend and that's where I come in. I have one client who works Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so I help her out with her dog on Saturdays. It's like the restaurant business, no days off, but the customers don't talk back so much. If I had a restaurant I would take every Sunday and Mon. off, maybe Thursday too. I don't think I'd every want to retire, just take more vacations. I am lucky to have time off during the day every day.
I'm thanking the gods it's Friday because Geri gets two days off. Geri works like crazy, too damn hard.
I started filming a pulled pork video today, and tomorrow Geri and I will rap it up. It's much easier when two people are doing it. Geri's the lead photographer.
It's amazing outside. I'm wearing a tank top and sun glasses today. I just finished pan frying some asparagus for dinner, along with leftover Bussel sprout, red snapper and brown rice. I'm fasting today, and it's going very well.
I'm always surprised at just how little food we actually need to sustain ourselves. My 4 readers have seen my pulled pork recipes before so there's nothing new to report. I'm looking forward to a beautiful California weekend. There will not be any blogging and no more fasting till Mon. Fasting today I didn't need the agave drink and I'm glad. A 1/2 cup of has to pack a few calories.
I'm feeling better about our dog Che today. The whole time I was grieving I had this insidious Led Zepplin song in my head. I'm very glad it's gone. I felt like a rat on a wheel in a cage.
We're thinking about checking out the Tunnel down in Montara. I lived in El Granada and Devil's slide was brutal during the winters of 85' and 86'. Maybe get a bowl of chowder, some fries and a nice IPA at Barbara's fish trap. I must remember to take the camera.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
No Breakfast, no Lunch...fasting
Dinner; Brussel sprouts, asparagus, spinach, brown rice, red snapper w/lime and butter...2 beers,
6 slim ginger snaps
Exercise; 5 miles walking
Thursday, April 18, 2013
No title
I think Geri and I are going to shoot a video on slow cooked pork this weekend. This will eat up a good part of our Saturday this weekend and some of our Sunday.
No blog this wk. end and maybe not even the stats.
Friday is a fast day. Short and sweet today.
That's it.
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
Breakfast; black tea 1 sugar, potato pancake, 2 eggs w/1/2 chicken sausage
Lunch; None
DInner: Big bowl of leftover pasta, salad with Kale, bell peppers, black olives of Provence, onion, salt and pepper, lemon and olive oil.
Exercise: 4 miles walking
No blog this wk. end and maybe not even the stats.
Friday is a fast day. Short and sweet today.
That's it.
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
Breakfast; black tea 1 sugar, potato pancake, 2 eggs w/1/2 chicken sausage
Lunch; None
DInner: Big bowl of leftover pasta, salad with Kale, bell peppers, black olives of Provence, onion, salt and pepper, lemon and olive oil.
Exercise: 4 miles walking
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Coming Out Of The Funk
I am coming out of the shock of loosing my dog Che. He was Geri's dog too, but he was really mine. He had a hard life before we got him. It's much too long a detailed a story to tell, and this is a food blog, so let's stick with the food.
That quesadilla I had last night after class really kicked my ass. I mean it tasted great, the beans, and the rice, the salsa, but if I had my car running on natural if I could have stuck a hose up my ass and into the vehicle I could have run it all day on the fumes I was emitting.
Today is a fasting day. It was supposed to be Tuesday but I was too far into my funk to muster through a day without food. I can eat dinner tonight, and I will be sucking down my blue agave
drink throughout the day.
I'm thinking about a nice feta past tonight with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, & Brussel sprouts with a nice petit salad of frisee and black olives, cucumbers, and radishes. That's the plan and a good way to end a fast. I have to fast again Friday.
Diane M. Thanks for the dog poems. I will read them. Hello to Arthur.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
No breakfast or lunch
Dinner: pasta and Brussel sprout, no salad
Exercise: 5 miles walking
That quesadilla I had last night after class really kicked my ass. I mean it tasted great, the beans, and the rice, the salsa, but if I had my car running on natural if I could have stuck a hose up my ass and into the vehicle I could have run it all day on the fumes I was emitting.
Today is a fasting day. It was supposed to be Tuesday but I was too far into my funk to muster through a day without food. I can eat dinner tonight, and I will be sucking down my blue agave
drink throughout the day.
I'm thinking about a nice feta past tonight with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, & Brussel sprouts with a nice petit salad of frisee and black olives, cucumbers, and radishes. That's the plan and a good way to end a fast. I have to fast again Friday.
Diane M. Thanks for the dog poems. I will read them. Hello to Arthur.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
No breakfast or lunch
Dinner: pasta and Brussel sprout, no salad
Exercise: 5 miles walking
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Tuesday....stats
It might be a while before I'm happy about living again. Of all the ups and downs I've had on this stupid roller coaster of a diet that I started almost 5 months ago losing my dog Che is the low point. I don't have much interest in anything right today. Going to school tonight has absolutely no appeal to me. This stupid blog has even less appeal, so I'll leave it here.
I fell off the food wagon today. I got drunk the other night, and today it's off the food wagon today. Tomorrow I quit feeling sorry my sorry ass and get back in the game. That's what Che would have done.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
Breakfast; 2 pieces of toasted brown bread w/apricot jelly
Lunch; Roasted asparagus, salad w/evoo & lemon, s & p
Dinner; chicken quesadilla souza, beans, rice, salsa..the whole 9 yeads + a snickers bar for dessert
I fell off the food wagon today. I got drunk the other night, and today it's off the food wagon today. Tomorrow I quit feeling sorry my sorry ass and get back in the game. That's what Che would have done.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
Breakfast; 2 pieces of toasted brown bread w/apricot jelly
Lunch; Roasted asparagus, salad w/evoo & lemon, s & p
Dinner; chicken quesadilla souza, beans, rice, salsa..the whole 9 yeads + a snickers bar for dessert
Monday, April 15, 2013
Half Way There, Che The Dog, Boston and Stats
I weighed myself Saturday just for the hell of it. My jeans were feeling especially baggy and I found that I had dropped another 10 lbs. in the last 4 weeks. That gets me down to 220 pounds, 34 pounds off my goal of 70 pounds. I did it in four months also, two months ahead of time. The most I have ever been able to loose through the years of trying other "diets", or life style changes if you will, has been 25 pounds. I think I found a plan that is sustainable.
The other interesting change is that I'm not obsessed with food or the lack of it. Everything else I've tried for the last 15 years I was hungry all the time and I was always thinking about eating. Then I would do the classic junkie thing, buy the candy bar, eat a piece and then go back to the hiding place and finish it off. It would take me a couple of trips but I'd get it all down.
I'm still obsessed with the wonder of food, growing, nurturing it, and cooking it. There's nothing better than feeding people, good, healthy, tasty food. It's very rewarding to me. I catered this wedding last summer in a stand of redwoods in the East Bay Regional Park and before we put out the entree the place was loud and buzzing. Then we served dinner, everyone got something to eat, and my buddy Pete who was helping me cook turned to me and said, "Listen man, it's quiet, we made the whole place silent."
But, I think I'm getting to a more mature relationship with food. My relationship with food was dysfunctional at best. I was a food junkie. I abused food, like I've abused drugs, sex, alcohol and rock & roll. When I started this turn in my life I really was like that photo I posted on the first blog. The one of me shooting up with a pepperoni stick. I'm getting to that sweet spot, the moderation spot. The same one my college nutrition teacher Mr Tracaro use to talk about and say, "You can eat anything you want. You just can't eat it all, all the time."
What I've essentially done is combine three elements of dieting together that work for me.
First, I upped me exercise routine. Some of it was via my pet sitting business and some of it was motivation to feel better. I tried jogging, but the old right hip let me know right away that this exercise was not acceptable. So, I stayed with my tried and true exercise du jour, walking and hiking.
Secondly, I changed my eating habits. I cut back on salt, sugar, and fat. I've cut out most red meat, but I'll have more in the future I'm sure. The thought of a porter house steak doesn't seem all that appealing to me. A burger on the other hand can wet my whistle. I increased my intake of fresh veggies, and fruits. I cut back on my intake of carbohydrates, especially bread, & pizza. The same is true for cheese, butter and other milk and fat related products. I'm being very careful about the layering of these food ingredients. I avoided places and situations that tempt me to eat more. I'm more careful not to snack in between meals.
Thirdly, I incorporated Intermittent fasting into the paradigm. The plan for this is to fast two 24 hour periods a week, Mon. and Thursday. These are non-party days, with very limited social obligations.
On Tues., Wed and Fri. I fast in between breakfast and dinner. If I get hungry I got my old hippie chef blue agave drink to get me through. On the weekends whatever happens happens. The truth is I don't have any desires to binge eat.
If I was to incorporate anything else it would be to watch my drinking. Alcohol is a lot of calories, but it's a great stress reliever. I still love the reefer of course, and that's just never going to change. I accept what I can't change, or in this case what I won't change.
Note that with my eating habits I haven't cut out any one food item or category completely. You don't have to, that's the great thing about this diet. I hate that word, but I might as well get use to using it. It's less syllables and less pretentious than lifestyle change. I'm not running to the cupboard or the fridge to eat something, just to eat something.
Best of all I feel pretty good. I know my liver feels better. I need to get the fat off that liver. I think I made it through the wall this time.
This is good news, but I'd rather be fat and have my dog.
My heart goes out to the city of Boston today.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 1/2 banana, black tea, 2 egg fried and one large potato pancake
No lunch
Dinner; Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, bread, salad
Exercise: 5 miles walking/hiking
The other interesting change is that I'm not obsessed with food or the lack of it. Everything else I've tried for the last 15 years I was hungry all the time and I was always thinking about eating. Then I would do the classic junkie thing, buy the candy bar, eat a piece and then go back to the hiding place and finish it off. It would take me a couple of trips but I'd get it all down.
I'm still obsessed with the wonder of food, growing, nurturing it, and cooking it. There's nothing better than feeding people, good, healthy, tasty food. It's very rewarding to me. I catered this wedding last summer in a stand of redwoods in the East Bay Regional Park and before we put out the entree the place was loud and buzzing. Then we served dinner, everyone got something to eat, and my buddy Pete who was helping me cook turned to me and said, "Listen man, it's quiet, we made the whole place silent."
But, I think I'm getting to a more mature relationship with food. My relationship with food was dysfunctional at best. I was a food junkie. I abused food, like I've abused drugs, sex, alcohol and rock & roll. When I started this turn in my life I really was like that photo I posted on the first blog. The one of me shooting up with a pepperoni stick. I'm getting to that sweet spot, the moderation spot. The same one my college nutrition teacher Mr Tracaro use to talk about and say, "You can eat anything you want. You just can't eat it all, all the time."
What I've essentially done is combine three elements of dieting together that work for me.
First, I upped me exercise routine. Some of it was via my pet sitting business and some of it was motivation to feel better. I tried jogging, but the old right hip let me know right away that this exercise was not acceptable. So, I stayed with my tried and true exercise du jour, walking and hiking.
Secondly, I changed my eating habits. I cut back on salt, sugar, and fat. I've cut out most red meat, but I'll have more in the future I'm sure. The thought of a porter house steak doesn't seem all that appealing to me. A burger on the other hand can wet my whistle. I increased my intake of fresh veggies, and fruits. I cut back on my intake of carbohydrates, especially bread, & pizza. The same is true for cheese, butter and other milk and fat related products. I'm being very careful about the layering of these food ingredients. I avoided places and situations that tempt me to eat more. I'm more careful not to snack in between meals.
Thirdly, I incorporated Intermittent fasting into the paradigm. The plan for this is to fast two 24 hour periods a week, Mon. and Thursday. These are non-party days, with very limited social obligations.
On Tues., Wed and Fri. I fast in between breakfast and dinner. If I get hungry I got my old hippie chef blue agave drink to get me through. On the weekends whatever happens happens. The truth is I don't have any desires to binge eat.
If I was to incorporate anything else it would be to watch my drinking. Alcohol is a lot of calories, but it's a great stress reliever. I still love the reefer of course, and that's just never going to change. I accept what I can't change, or in this case what I won't change.
Note that with my eating habits I haven't cut out any one food item or category completely. You don't have to, that's the great thing about this diet. I hate that word, but I might as well get use to using it. It's less syllables and less pretentious than lifestyle change. I'm not running to the cupboard or the fridge to eat something, just to eat something.
Best of all I feel pretty good. I know my liver feels better. I need to get the fat off that liver. I think I made it through the wall this time.
This is good news, but I'd rather be fat and have my dog.
My heart goes out to the city of Boston today.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 1/2 banana, black tea, 2 egg fried and one large potato pancake
No lunch
Dinner; Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, bread, salad
Exercise: 5 miles walking/hiking
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Sunday...more boring stats, + Che + Westy
Breakfast; 2 fried egg sandwich
Lunch; 1 samosa, chicken curry wrap w/rice
Dinner; Big salad w/hard boiled eggs
Exercise; 6 miles hiking
Below Che's photo is his pitiful replacement Westy as alpha male canine in the Haslett/DeGrosse home.
You work with what you got and he's what we've got. He's very photogenic. We are thankful we still have Che's sister Frida to take up the vanguard.
Che was a sad soul. He'd seen things on that mountain in Nevada. Things you don't want to see. One look into those eyes and you can read the pain. I told him everyday it was ok, but his heart was broken when his dad Rick was killed.
Lunch; 1 samosa, chicken curry wrap w/rice
Dinner; Big salad w/hard boiled eggs
Exercise; 6 miles hiking
Below Che's photo is his pitiful replacement Westy as alpha male canine in the Haslett/DeGrosse home.
You work with what you got and he's what we've got. He's very photogenic. We are thankful we still have Che's sister Frida to take up the vanguard.
Che was a sad soul. He'd seen things on that mountain in Nevada. Things you don't want to see. One look into those eyes and you can read the pain. I told him everyday it was ok, but his heart was broken when his dad Rick was killed.
 |
| Che Springer RIP |
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| Westy Haslett...reigning alpha male canine...long live the King |
Che 5-1-05 to 4-14-13
Today we took the dogs out to trail around 7:30 am just like everyday. Coming back we noticed our dog Che was moving very slowly, then he just laid down. Geri carried him to the truck, and we rushed him to the animal hospital in San Leandro. He was bleeding internally. We couldn't save him. He was almost 7 years old.
Besides my wife Geraldine he was my best friend in the world.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Saturday...just the facts/journal stats
Breakfast; 2 pieces of toast with butter.
Lunch: 1 piece of chicken
Snacks: Blue agave drink, 5 ginger cookies, a couple of pieces of Brie de Meaux cheese
fresh strawberries
Dinner: Out to dinner, tapas...there will be a Manhattan consumed, Alice was here all day
chips/salsa, beef empanadas, butter lettuce salad w/goat cheese, 2 Manhattans, 1
glass of wine, 1 beer....I had a good time.
Lunch: 1 piece of chicken
Snacks: Blue agave drink, 5 ginger cookies, a couple of pieces of Brie de Meaux cheese
fresh strawberries
Dinner: Out to dinner, tapas...there will be a Manhattan consumed, Alice was here all day
chips/salsa, beef empanadas, butter lettuce salad w/goat cheese, 2 Manhattans, 1
glass of wine, 1 beer....I had a good time.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Friday Blog Post....Fast Drink
As promised here is the recipe that I use for when I do the intermittent fasting.
There will be no blogs for the weekend just the boring journal of my gastronomic intake & exercise. Five days a week of this bullshit is enough. I'm sure agree. See ya all Monday.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 2 potato pancakes, 2 eggs over medium w/s, p, and basil, 1 piece of brown bread w/butter
No lunch
Dinner: 2 pesto ziti and a large salad, 3 pieces of fried chicken, salad w/escarole, kale, red bell peppers, black olives, cucumber, radishes, champagne vinegar, olives oil, s & p
I had a beer...couldn't wait...Alice visited also. She's here more often than not these days.
Exercise: 3 miles walking
Fasting Drink: (this recipe is good for 1/2 day)
Ingredients;
I 1/2 quarts of mint water
1/2 cup blue organic agave
1 teaspoon fresh or powdered ginger
Juice from 2 medium sized lemons
1 large fistdfuls of fresh mint leaves
Instructions:
1) Boil water and rough cut mint and let sit five minutes, then strain in a container. Let cool.
2) Add all the other good stuff, sake well.
There will be no blogs for the weekend just the boring journal of my gastronomic intake & exercise. Five days a week of this bullshit is enough. I'm sure agree. See ya all Monday.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today;
Breakfast; 2 potato pancakes, 2 eggs over medium w/s, p, and basil, 1 piece of brown bread w/butter
No lunch
Dinner: 2 pesto ziti and a large salad, 3 pieces of fried chicken, salad w/escarole, kale, red bell peppers, black olives, cucumber, radishes, champagne vinegar, olives oil, s & p
I had a beer...couldn't wait...Alice visited also. She's here more often than not these days.
Exercise: 3 miles walking
Fasting Drink: (this recipe is good for 1/2 day)
Ingredients;
I 1/2 quarts of mint water
1/2 cup blue organic agave
1 teaspoon fresh or powdered ginger
Juice from 2 medium sized lemons
1 large fistdfuls of fresh mint leaves
Instructions:
1) Boil water and rough cut mint and let sit five minutes, then strain in a container. Let cool.
2) Add all the other good stuff, sake well.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Fried Chicken Confessions & 38 Special
Failure is good for the soul. It builds character. I failed to create a great fried chicken yesterday, miserably I might add. There's a reason I don't have a signature fried chicken dish, and it's because I don't know how to cook one. Crispy on the outside, and raw as a catfish on the inside is what it was. I couldn't get the temperature of the oil right. It was a fucking mess.
I'm going to need some help with this one, expert help. My sister-in-law is going to have to take me through this step by step. Also, I'm heading down to Mississippi in early Nov. and I'm positive my friend Chris knows how to cook some bad ass fried chicken. So, this one will have to sit on the shelf till I can get some expert help.. I have a lot of great chicken dishes, but fried isn't one of them, cest la vie.
All the oil and the breading, the buttermilk, it's all carbos and fat. It actually made me a little ill. This comfort food is out of my comfort zone. My love of food generally runs in the Mediterranean diet of food, Italy, Spain, Greece, Mid Eastern and Indian cuisine to be exact. I've only had French fries twice in almost five months, and my body has adjusted to a much lighter diet, and I think the results of that change will pay off big time in the future. It already has in terms of weight loss.
Bottom line, there is no fried chicken recipe. I did manage to salvage the chicken, and I'm going to make a nice light chicken salad out of that tomorrow. Right now I got a ton of pasta to move. I included in this blog a shot of the 2 pesto baked ziti, which along with the kale salad made a great meal last night. The recipe for the ziti is on yesterday's blog.
The other ground-breaking news that I have to report on this dumb ass blog is that my waist line is now a 38 " waist line. When I started I had a 44" waistline.
I bought 2 pairs of Dickie jeans probably 6 years ago when I was on another "diet". I got down to a 40 waistline but could never quite get to that 38" mark. The jeans have sat in my clothes closet since that time, until today. They're a little tight, but I can breath just fine. I was a 28" in 78', and 34" in 90'.
Today is a fast day, as apposed to a slow day.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food, Not War
What I ate today; Dinner, a bowl of pasta and salad w/kale, lemon, evoo, cucumbers, black oloves,
s & p
Exercise: 5 miles walking
I'm going to need some help with this one, expert help. My sister-in-law is going to have to take me through this step by step. Also, I'm heading down to Mississippi in early Nov. and I'm positive my friend Chris knows how to cook some bad ass fried chicken. So, this one will have to sit on the shelf till I can get some expert help.. I have a lot of great chicken dishes, but fried isn't one of them, cest la vie.
All the oil and the breading, the buttermilk, it's all carbos and fat. It actually made me a little ill. This comfort food is out of my comfort zone. My love of food generally runs in the Mediterranean diet of food, Italy, Spain, Greece, Mid Eastern and Indian cuisine to be exact. I've only had French fries twice in almost five months, and my body has adjusted to a much lighter diet, and I think the results of that change will pay off big time in the future. It already has in terms of weight loss.
Bottom line, there is no fried chicken recipe. I did manage to salvage the chicken, and I'm going to make a nice light chicken salad out of that tomorrow. Right now I got a ton of pasta to move. I included in this blog a shot of the 2 pesto baked ziti, which along with the kale salad made a great meal last night. The recipe for the ziti is on yesterday's blog.
The other ground-breaking news that I have to report on this dumb ass blog is that my waist line is now a 38 " waist line. When I started I had a 44" waistline.
I bought 2 pairs of Dickie jeans probably 6 years ago when I was on another "diet". I got down to a 40 waistline but could never quite get to that 38" mark. The jeans have sat in my clothes closet since that time, until today. They're a little tight, but I can breath just fine. I was a 28" in 78', and 34" in 90'.
Today is a fast day, as apposed to a slow day.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food, Not War
What I ate today; Dinner, a bowl of pasta and salad w/kale, lemon, evoo, cucumbers, black oloves,
s & p
Exercise: 5 miles walking
 |
| mise en place |
 |
| before the oven |
2 Pesto Ziti, and Fried Chicken
The recipe for 2 pesto baked ziti is below with photos. I used penne pasta on this one, but I still call it ziti because that's the style of dish that it is. Call it habit. I'll do the review of the fried chicken tomorrow. I always need more material for blogging so I like to stretch these things out as long as I can, for my three readers that is. Ron, thanks for reading this stupid thing. Good to see you and Diane.
Kit, thanks for the parsley pesto.
I'm going to fast again tomorrow, and I'll do a simple blog later in the week or early next week on my agave concoction that I use to get me through the day.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I Ate Today;
Breakfast; 2 scrambled eggs w/s & p, parsley evoo, 2 pieces brown bread w/butter
Lunch; Skipped
Dinner; 2 pesto pasta, salad, Vick's wicked fried chicken, steamed baby carrots and kale salad w/yellow onion, radish, red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, olives of Provence, evoo, fresh lemon,
s & p.
Exercise; 5 miles walking
2 Pesto Baked Ziti
Ingredients;
6 cups pesto, (3 C parsley, 3 C basil)
1 1/4 pd. choice of pasta ziti pasta
1 lb. good chicken sausage, uncooked
2 cups walnuts
1/8 pd. feta cheese
salt for cooking
1/4 pd. gouda cheese
1/2 mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup julianne mint
1/2 cup fresh bail julianne
4 oz fresh chevre
1/4 pd. asiago
Instructions;
1) Make pesto, & cook sausage till middle done, and let sit for 15 minutes to cool, then rinse it to get off the excess fat and cut in half and then on the bias 1/4".
2) Grate and cut the cheese and crush the walnuts. You can toast the walnuts if you prefer.
3) Cook the ziti in boiling salted water till it 3/4 of the way done i.e., very al dente and drain.
4) Add the the two pesto sauces in an extra large mixing bowl and fold in the pasta till it's all coated evenly. Then throw in all the other ingredients in and I put gouda cheese on the top and sprinkled some walnuts on top also to finish.
5) Let cool to room temperature, put into a deep baking dish like in the photo, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.
6) Take the casserole out of the fridge one and a half hours before you bake it. Preheat the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degree on the center rack covered.
7) Serve hot out of the oven.
This dish needs nice crisp white wine. My recommendation is a Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, or a Pinot grigio. A nice India pale ale wouldn't go bad either.
Also: If you search my blogs there's a recipe for pesto in there somewhere. just substitute parsley for the basil.
Keep you corks popped and your pipes packed.
Kit, thanks for the parsley pesto.
I'm going to fast again tomorrow, and I'll do a simple blog later in the week or early next week on my agave concoction that I use to get me through the day.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I Ate Today;
Breakfast; 2 scrambled eggs w/s & p, parsley evoo, 2 pieces brown bread w/butter
Lunch; Skipped
Dinner; 2 pesto pasta, salad, Vick's wicked fried chicken, steamed baby carrots and kale salad w/yellow onion, radish, red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, olives of Provence, evoo, fresh lemon,
s & p.
Exercise; 5 miles walking
2 Pesto Baked Ziti
Ingredients;
6 cups pesto, (3 C parsley, 3 C basil)
1 1/4 pd. choice of pasta ziti pasta
1 lb. good chicken sausage, uncooked
2 cups walnuts
1/8 pd. feta cheese
salt for cooking
1/4 pd. gouda cheese
1/2 mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup julianne mint
1/2 cup fresh bail julianne
4 oz fresh chevre
1/4 pd. asiago
Instructions;
1) Make pesto, & cook sausage till middle done, and let sit for 15 minutes to cool, then rinse it to get off the excess fat and cut in half and then on the bias 1/4".
2) Grate and cut the cheese and crush the walnuts. You can toast the walnuts if you prefer.
3) Cook the ziti in boiling salted water till it 3/4 of the way done i.e., very al dente and drain.
4) Add the the two pesto sauces in an extra large mixing bowl and fold in the pasta till it's all coated evenly. Then throw in all the other ingredients in and I put gouda cheese on the top and sprinkled some walnuts on top also to finish.
5) Let cool to room temperature, put into a deep baking dish like in the photo, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.
6) Take the casserole out of the fridge one and a half hours before you bake it. Preheat the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degree on the center rack covered.
7) Serve hot out of the oven.
This dish needs nice crisp white wine. My recommendation is a Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, or a Pinot grigio. A nice India pale ale wouldn't go bad either.
Also: If you search my blogs there's a recipe for pesto in there somewhere. just substitute parsley for the basil.
Keep you corks popped and your pipes packed.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Tuesday...Leftover Dishes
My one day fast went OK. I was hungry or at least I told myself I was hungry, and I obsessed about food during the day. Food is everywhere. There's salumi on top of the refrigerator, bread on the counter, and so on. It just reinforces that it is the mind that needs conditioning. I tell myself it will past. I think for now I'll try to fast once a week and do some fasting between meals, just liquids.
On the quest for great fried chicken I am getting my mise en place together today, and marinating the chicken in buttermilk overnight for frying tomorrow. I will take photos and do a blogs about the results from my taste buds.
Today an old friend came over for lunch and I used all the cut tomato and leftovers from the pizza party and made a whore sauce. Also, I had a bunch of amazing cheeses from the pizza party, fresh herbs, chicken sausage so I knocked out a 2 pesto ziti. I used a basil pesto and a winter parsley pesto, and put 3/4 pint crushed walnuts in the mix as well. You can turn a profit if you can keep the waste and food costs down. So, now we have our share of carbs and fat for the whole household. Geraldine loves pesto. I think she likes it more than a red sauce. It's her wasp side.
I'm going to stick to a small breakfast, very few snacks, no beer, wine or whiskey, early dinner, walk later on in the evening w/out the dogs, a minimum of 4 miles walking a day for the rest of the week, and see how I feel. In other words intermittent fasting. We'll see.
I did some pre baking pictures of the ziti, and the prep for the fried chicken.
I'll do the recipe for the 2 pesto ziti tomorrow.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today.
Breakfast; cereal w/soy milk, 1 banana, blueberries, black tea
Lunch; Large bowl of penne pasta w/whore sauce, kale salad w/white vinegar and evoo
Snacks; 2 handfuls nuts and raisins, agave drink, orange juice
Exercise: 5.5 miles walking, street and trail
On the quest for great fried chicken I am getting my mise en place together today, and marinating the chicken in buttermilk overnight for frying tomorrow. I will take photos and do a blogs about the results from my taste buds.
Today an old friend came over for lunch and I used all the cut tomato and leftovers from the pizza party and made a whore sauce. Also, I had a bunch of amazing cheeses from the pizza party, fresh herbs, chicken sausage so I knocked out a 2 pesto ziti. I used a basil pesto and a winter parsley pesto, and put 3/4 pint crushed walnuts in the mix as well. You can turn a profit if you can keep the waste and food costs down. So, now we have our share of carbs and fat for the whole household. Geraldine loves pesto. I think she likes it more than a red sauce. It's her wasp side.
I'm going to stick to a small breakfast, very few snacks, no beer, wine or whiskey, early dinner, walk later on in the evening w/out the dogs, a minimum of 4 miles walking a day for the rest of the week, and see how I feel. In other words intermittent fasting. We'll see.
I did some pre baking pictures of the ziti, and the prep for the fried chicken.
I'll do the recipe for the 2 pesto ziti tomorrow.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today.
Breakfast; cereal w/soy milk, 1 banana, blueberries, black tea
Lunch; Large bowl of penne pasta w/whore sauce, kale salad w/white vinegar and evoo
Snacks; 2 handfuls nuts and raisins, agave drink, orange juice
Exercise: 5.5 miles walking, street and trail
Monday, April 8, 2013
Fast Day
Today I am fasting. There is no solid food intake today. I have a mixture of blue agave, fresh lemon, powdered ginger, and water that I drink all day. Mint is a nice addition to this mixture. In fact you could start with brewing us mint and letting it steep and cool as use that as the base of the concoction.
I had black tea this morning with agave and orange juice this afternoon. After this weekend's pizza party I can use the fast. Tomorrow morning I'll resume whole food again.
I once made it for 8 days fasting with this same mixture and I wasn't hungry. In fact I thought about going longer. I felt great actually. We can go a lot longer without food than we think we can, and it wasn't that long ago that people did just that.
I'm going to work on the fried chicken recipe this week. This recipe came to me, and now to you, via my sister-in-law Victoria Wagner. Vicky is a wonderful cook. I'm going to make this recipe this week, Wednesday in fact, and if it is as good as she claims I think I'm going to do a video on it.
5 miles walking today, trails and street.
That it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
Vicky's Wicked Fried Chicken
Ingredient:
1 organic chicken,cut into even sized pieces (breasts in half)
1.5 qts. buttermilk
1 cup fine ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground red pepper or chili flakes
1 qt. Canola oil or Peanut oil if you can afford it
Instructions:
1) Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel, rub with salt. Let soak for an hour (or overnight if you can) in buttermilk.
2) Heat canola oil at least 2 inches thick in cast iron Dutch oven, medium hot. smoking is too hot, 400 degrees.
3) Place all dry ingredients in a larger mixing bowl and coat the chicken parts well with the dry ingredients. Place on a sheet pan. Once all is done, repeat the process by submerging the chicken in the buttermilk, then the dry ingredients. Place directly into hot oil and cover with a glass lid. ( Note: Do not overload the Dutch oven. The temperature of the oil will drop and the chicken will become soggy.) Once golden brown, flip and cook until even color is achieved.
4) Drain on paper towels or drying rack. Replenish oil and allow to come up to 400 degrees again, Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Pizza Party Photos
Here are some shots from the pizza party last night. Geri and I were too busy to shoot anything. These shots come from Guy Haralson and Ron Kappe. Thank you both and to all of you who showed up, and brought all the wonderful salads and desserts. It was a blast.
 |
| FIRE... photo by Guy Haralson |
 |
| Lisa Hesselgesser and Beanie photo by Guy Haralson |
 |
| Omar the magnificent photo by Guy Haralson |
 |
| Paul, Kribry (the dog) Kit and Michael photo by Guy Haralson |
 |
| red sauce, asiago, mozzarella, romano & sausage photo by Guy Haralson |
 |
| PIZZA! photo by Guy Haralson |
 |
| photo by Ron Kappe |
Friday, April 5, 2013
Running, Pilates, Maybe Swimming?
Well I tried both and failed miserably at each. Pilates is just not for me period. Running on the other hand I do love but my hip has been killing me ever since I started, so that's out for now at least. I think the pressure is too much. Exercise bike or it's off to the swimming pool or a combination of the two for more aerobic exercise.
I'm cooking dinner for about 30 people tomorrow night so this is a quick one. Mise en place is my world today. Saturday it's show time. I'll see if we can get some shots.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate etc. today:
Breakfast: 2 buttermilk biscuits w/agave, 2 cups of coffee
Lunch: 1/2 quesadilla, 3/4 cup Mexican rice
Dinner: 1/2 " , salad w/lots of good stuff
4 beers, refer, can't help me self
Exercise: 3 miles walking...the hip again
I'm cooking dinner for about 30 people tomorrow night so this is a quick one. Mise en place is my world today. Saturday it's show time. I'll see if we can get some shots.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate etc. today:
Breakfast: 2 buttermilk biscuits w/agave, 2 cups of coffee
Lunch: 1/2 quesadilla, 3/4 cup Mexican rice
Dinner: 1/2 " , salad w/lots of good stuff
4 beers, refer, can't help me self
Exercise: 3 miles walking...the hip again
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Buttermilk Biscuits
I didn't get to do a regular blog together yesterday because I did the review the on Bocanova, but I made buttermilk biscuits and poached eggs for dinner.
Here is the recipe for nice flaky buttermilk biscuits. This recipe is really easy, just a little time consuming, but well worth the work. That's my blog for today, and my recipe for the week.
I'm still working on the fried chicken recipe with help from my sister-in-law Victoria, and hopefully I'll have that completed by the end of next week. This is a recipe I don't want to rush. Fried chicken is a classic recipe, and it is one of those dishes that is in the ultimate comfort food category. I want to have a recipe that is worthy of that title, with a twist and a turn that will rock fried chicken.
There is another pizza party here this Sat. and we are going to crank up the wood oven. We got about 20 people coming over, and I'm looking forward to seeing some folks I haven't seen in a while, serving up some killer pies, and playing some music. Maybe some pictures will follow. No blog Saturday, mise en place will take all day.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs and 2 buttermilk biscuits
Lunch: Couple pieces of Salumi, grilled vegies
Dinner: chicken quesadilla, whole beans, rice, salsa, mint tea
Exercise today: 4 miles walking
+ Recipe of the week +
Buttermilk Biscuits:
Ingredients: (makes about 18 biscuits)
2 1/4 cups of buttermilk
4 cups self rising flour + extra for rolling
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet
2) Combine the sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Then cut the shortening with the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Then add 2 cups of buttermilk and mix into a large ball until the dough is moistened.
3) On a lightly floured flat surface roll out the dough to 1 inch thickness and the cut the biscuits. I use a measuring cup.
4) Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet and coat them with the remaining 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. I set the timer at 12 minutes and check and reset if necessary.
What I ate today and exercise below the photo.
Here is the recipe for nice flaky buttermilk biscuits. This recipe is really easy, just a little time consuming, but well worth the work. That's my blog for today, and my recipe for the week.
I'm still working on the fried chicken recipe with help from my sister-in-law Victoria, and hopefully I'll have that completed by the end of next week. This is a recipe I don't want to rush. Fried chicken is a classic recipe, and it is one of those dishes that is in the ultimate comfort food category. I want to have a recipe that is worthy of that title, with a twist and a turn that will rock fried chicken.
There is another pizza party here this Sat. and we are going to crank up the wood oven. We got about 20 people coming over, and I'm looking forward to seeing some folks I haven't seen in a while, serving up some killer pies, and playing some music. Maybe some pictures will follow. No blog Saturday, mise en place will take all day.
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs and 2 buttermilk biscuits
Lunch: Couple pieces of Salumi, grilled vegies
Dinner: chicken quesadilla, whole beans, rice, salsa, mint tea
Exercise today: 4 miles walking
+ Recipe of the week +
Buttermilk Biscuits:
Ingredients: (makes about 18 biscuits)
2 1/4 cups of buttermilk
4 cups self rising flour + extra for rolling
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet
2) Combine the sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Then cut the shortening with the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Then add 2 cups of buttermilk and mix into a large ball until the dough is moistened.
3) On a lightly floured flat surface roll out the dough to 1 inch thickness and the cut the biscuits. I use a measuring cup.
4) Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet and coat them with the remaining 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. I set the timer at 12 minutes and check and reset if necessary.
What I ate today and exercise below the photo.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Bocanova At Jack London Square
We went to Bocanova at Jack London Square for brunch on Easter Sunday. Our friends Alex and Suzanne have been raving about this restaurant since it has been opened. Now I know why.
Ambience. This place has got it up the ying yang. It's a beautiful open room with high ceilings, and gorgeous light fixtures, outside dinning looking out on the Alameda bay, and a big open kitchen. Even the bathrooms deserve a second look, beautiful. Stay long enough to go twice.
Our table, which we had reserved in advance, was ready upon our arrival. Bocanova did two calls to to confirm our reservations. Our water glasses were filled almost immediately. There was a fixed price for the brunch menu which was a duck confit, and some other mouth watering dishes.
I should mention that Bocanova is a tapas restaurant. The waiter asked us if this was our first time at Bocanova, and we replied that it was, he then said, "Just point at anything on the menu and it's good." A bold statement indeed, almost a challenge.
Our small entourage consisted of myself dressed in dirty blue jeans, running sneakers and a floppy Irish walking hat. I looked like a garden gnome. My sister-in-law Victoria & Geraldine looked lovely as usual. Our friend Guy was sporting a tie dyed shirt 3 sizes too big and no teeth, and our friend Michael, who because of his disabilities shuffles as he walks, looks like he's wearing blinders, and could resemble a zombie. It looked like nurse Geri Haslett and her assistant Vicky were talking the three of us out of the "Home" for the day.
I would have liked to try everything on the menu, but we started with a salad of pears, baby lettuce and goat cheese that had a rice wine vinegar and grape seed oil. It was delicious. There was no salt or pepper on the salad and none on the table, nor were we asked if we wanted either. A chef with real balls. I was hooked.
For my entree' I got the pork tamale and poached egg pictured below. The poached egg, the pork, and the verde sauce was as close to perfect as you can get. If you read this blog you know my position on perfection, often chased, seldom realized. In general, it doesn't exist, with rare exceptions. Once I made it through the pork I though for sure the masa would be soggy but it was still firm and full of flavor. I could have eaten two of these, no problem. The plate portions here are generous. I'm just a pig for pork.
I ordered a bloody Mary for my drink. I'm always leery about ordering bloody Mary's. I spent an entire summer one year in Branchville Connecticut perfecting, there'a that word again, the bloody Mary. One of these days I'll do a whole blog on the bloody Mary. This one came close, but it lacked a celery stalk or an asparagus spear. The waiter didn't ask me what Vodka I preferred, Kettle One, but these are minor details overall. This drink was just hot enough, but not too hot. I love a bloody Mary with a lot of horseradish, and this one hit the mark dead center. The waiter did bring me extra hot sauce just in case, made in-house which was dynamite.
I have to say it is the minor details that get you the points. The noise level at Bocanova was not excessive, but the music was turned down so low I couldn't hear or distinguish the songs at all. Instead of providing a mood it just added more noise to the room. It is going that extra yard that makes a restaurant stand above the other 5 thousand restaurants in a town like Oakland.
The waiter who brought my entree was not the waiter who took our order, yet she knew exactly where each entree went with each person. She never asked, "Who gets the tamale, who gets the harache?" Once again, I'm impressed. My only response when a wait person asks that question can be in the form of a question, "You took the order, you don't know?" I'll admit I can be unforgiving, even brutal, when it comes to wait staff. A good waiter in a good restaurant can pull down 100 K a year. That is a lot of money. A person can live quite well on that kind of dough. It's a profession, not just something you do to get through art school or till the next audition for that coveted starring role comes along. It's about having good short term memory skills and training. Bad waiter, bad management, poor training. This house has has team spirit.
I could go on and on as I am known to do. I'm not on the Chronicle restaurant review staff. I don't get paid to do this so I'll quit while I'm ahead. Everyone enjoyed their meal tremendously. My sister-in-law who is an award winning baker, is no slouch in the kitchen or on the floor herself said to me yesterday, two days after we ate there, "How about that Bocanova."
I don't eat out that often for two reasons, #1- I can cook this food myself at home for a fraction of the cost, #2- I hate to be disappointed, and I am often disappointed even with restaurants that I have been going to for years.
A restaurant is like putting on a show every day. You have to deliver. The staff should always be on edge. In a town with 5,000 restaurants, it's deliver or die. In a place like Bocanova that is even more poignant than ever. The overhead at this restaurant can kill you. But, Bocanova does deliver and for that reason I will go back, next time for dinner.
I give Bocanova the 2 1/2 joints for food, 2 1/2 joints for service, 3 for ambience. You gotta see the bathrooms.
Bocanova
55 Webster St. in jack London Square
Oakland, Ca 94607
510 444-1233
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
Ambience. This place has got it up the ying yang. It's a beautiful open room with high ceilings, and gorgeous light fixtures, outside dinning looking out on the Alameda bay, and a big open kitchen. Even the bathrooms deserve a second look, beautiful. Stay long enough to go twice.
Our table, which we had reserved in advance, was ready upon our arrival. Bocanova did two calls to to confirm our reservations. Our water glasses were filled almost immediately. There was a fixed price for the brunch menu which was a duck confit, and some other mouth watering dishes.
I should mention that Bocanova is a tapas restaurant. The waiter asked us if this was our first time at Bocanova, and we replied that it was, he then said, "Just point at anything on the menu and it's good." A bold statement indeed, almost a challenge.
Our small entourage consisted of myself dressed in dirty blue jeans, running sneakers and a floppy Irish walking hat. I looked like a garden gnome. My sister-in-law Victoria & Geraldine looked lovely as usual. Our friend Guy was sporting a tie dyed shirt 3 sizes too big and no teeth, and our friend Michael, who because of his disabilities shuffles as he walks, looks like he's wearing blinders, and could resemble a zombie. It looked like nurse Geri Haslett and her assistant Vicky were talking the three of us out of the "Home" for the day.
I would have liked to try everything on the menu, but we started with a salad of pears, baby lettuce and goat cheese that had a rice wine vinegar and grape seed oil. It was delicious. There was no salt or pepper on the salad and none on the table, nor were we asked if we wanted either. A chef with real balls. I was hooked.
For my entree' I got the pork tamale and poached egg pictured below. The poached egg, the pork, and the verde sauce was as close to perfect as you can get. If you read this blog you know my position on perfection, often chased, seldom realized. In general, it doesn't exist, with rare exceptions. Once I made it through the pork I though for sure the masa would be soggy but it was still firm and full of flavor. I could have eaten two of these, no problem. The plate portions here are generous. I'm just a pig for pork.
I ordered a bloody Mary for my drink. I'm always leery about ordering bloody Mary's. I spent an entire summer one year in Branchville Connecticut perfecting, there'a that word again, the bloody Mary. One of these days I'll do a whole blog on the bloody Mary. This one came close, but it lacked a celery stalk or an asparagus spear. The waiter didn't ask me what Vodka I preferred, Kettle One, but these are minor details overall. This drink was just hot enough, but not too hot. I love a bloody Mary with a lot of horseradish, and this one hit the mark dead center. The waiter did bring me extra hot sauce just in case, made in-house which was dynamite.
I have to say it is the minor details that get you the points. The noise level at Bocanova was not excessive, but the music was turned down so low I couldn't hear or distinguish the songs at all. Instead of providing a mood it just added more noise to the room. It is going that extra yard that makes a restaurant stand above the other 5 thousand restaurants in a town like Oakland.
The waiter who brought my entree was not the waiter who took our order, yet she knew exactly where each entree went with each person. She never asked, "Who gets the tamale, who gets the harache?" Once again, I'm impressed. My only response when a wait person asks that question can be in the form of a question, "You took the order, you don't know?" I'll admit I can be unforgiving, even brutal, when it comes to wait staff. A good waiter in a good restaurant can pull down 100 K a year. That is a lot of money. A person can live quite well on that kind of dough. It's a profession, not just something you do to get through art school or till the next audition for that coveted starring role comes along. It's about having good short term memory skills and training. Bad waiter, bad management, poor training. This house has has team spirit.
I could go on and on as I am known to do. I'm not on the Chronicle restaurant review staff. I don't get paid to do this so I'll quit while I'm ahead. Everyone enjoyed their meal tremendously. My sister-in-law who is an award winning baker, is no slouch in the kitchen or on the floor herself said to me yesterday, two days after we ate there, "How about that Bocanova."
I don't eat out that often for two reasons, #1- I can cook this food myself at home for a fraction of the cost, #2- I hate to be disappointed, and I am often disappointed even with restaurants that I have been going to for years.
A restaurant is like putting on a show every day. You have to deliver. The staff should always be on edge. In a town with 5,000 restaurants, it's deliver or die. In a place like Bocanova that is even more poignant than ever. The overhead at this restaurant can kill you. But, Bocanova does deliver and for that reason I will go back, next time for dinner.
I give Bocanova the 2 1/2 joints for food, 2 1/2 joints for service, 3 for ambience. You gotta see the bathrooms.
Bocanova
55 Webster St. in jack London Square
Oakland, Ca 94607
510 444-1233
That's it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
 |
| Pork tamale & poached egg |
 |
| Harache |
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Tuesday + Getting Old
Spring break is over, and it's back to school tonight. There won't be much to report. The gnocchi for dinner last night was wonderful. I have three months to loose 15 pounds and it starts today and everyday from here on out. There will be more slips and falls along the way. I don't know if I can make it even though I've made the commitment. I don't know if the old body will hold out. My hip has been killing me as of last couple of weeks. My gait and posture are all off kilter. It is what it is.
The funny thing about getting old is you never think it will happen till you're there, and then you look at yourself and go oops, look what happened while I wasn't paying attention. I fuckn' got old.
Then you look back at your elders who have long ago passed on and you remember what they said,
"Just wait till you're here, you'll see." Yeah, now I get it.
I also know it is human nature to fight old age, and decline, and that is exactly what I intend to do. I'm not going down without a fight it, or as Ernie Isley said, "You got fight the powers that be." old age is one of those powers. It's a fight that in the end cannot be won, but one you must fight none the less.
That's it today.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
Breakfast: Cereal with soy/blueberries and banana, black tea 1 sugar, 2 pieces of toast w/butter
Lunch: Leftover gnocchi and asparagus
Dinner: Roast beef sandwich& cheddar cheese
Snacks: Snickers bar
Exercise: 2 miles walking
The funny thing about getting old is you never think it will happen till you're there, and then you look at yourself and go oops, look what happened while I wasn't paying attention. I fuckn' got old.
Then you look back at your elders who have long ago passed on and you remember what they said,
"Just wait till you're here, you'll see." Yeah, now I get it.
I also know it is human nature to fight old age, and decline, and that is exactly what I intend to do. I'm not going down without a fight it, or as Ernie Isley said, "You got fight the powers that be." old age is one of those powers. It's a fight that in the end cannot be won, but one you must fight none the less.
That's it today.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
What I ate today:
Breakfast: Cereal with soy/blueberries and banana, black tea 1 sugar, 2 pieces of toast w/butter
Lunch: Leftover gnocchi and asparagus
Dinner: Roast beef sandwich& cheddar cheese
Snacks: Snickers bar
Exercise: 2 miles walking
Monday, April 1, 2013
Weigh Day + April 1st + Fools Day
Today is the day I am supposed to weigh myself. My goal for the past 3 months was for a body weight of 230 pounds. I've already reached that goal, so there's no sense in getting on the scale. My next weigh in is July1st with body a weight goal of 215 pounds. September 1st is the third weigh in with a body weight goal of 200 lbs., and then 180 lbs. by Jan. 1st 2014, for a total weight loss of 74 pounds.
Today is supposed to be a running day. I did a big 4 mile hike up in the hills with the dogs.
Wednesday I'll do a review on Bocanova where we had Sunday Easter brunch. If you live in Oakland go.
Gnocchi with a buttermilk blue sauce, and fresh mint is scheduled for dinner. The cheese is Pt. Reyes blues and Pecorino Romano. For a gnocchi recipe search my blog archives there's one in there somewhere. For the sauce just use one cup buttermilk, 6 oz.. blue cheese, 5 ounces of Romano w/more for topping. Heat the milk till it lightly bubbles around the edges, then add the cheeses and stir constantly on low heat till it's thickened. Top with Romano and the julianne mint. This is more than enough sauce for 3 russet potatoes gnocchi.
In terms of fools well, I'm the biggest one of all time, or the second. My father might have been number one. Since the apple didn't fall too far from the tree it makes sense that I would be the second biggest fool of all time. I'm the poster boy for April Fools. There's no fool like an old fool, and that is ME, an old fool. Thank you, my three reading, for hanging in there.
It was a beautiful spring day today with light showers in the morning, and some humidity for a change. I don't have to water the herbs or the bamboo. The late rain is keeping everything nice and green and giving us more water for life..
That it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
Breakfast: 2 egg sandwich,
Lunch: Brown rice and collard greens
Dinner: Gnocchi , chicken sausage, fresh herbs, and grilled asparagus, Anchor steam beer
Exercise: 6.5 miles walking
Today is supposed to be a running day. I did a big 4 mile hike up in the hills with the dogs.
Wednesday I'll do a review on Bocanova where we had Sunday Easter brunch. If you live in Oakland go.
Gnocchi with a buttermilk blue sauce, and fresh mint is scheduled for dinner. The cheese is Pt. Reyes blues and Pecorino Romano. For a gnocchi recipe search my blog archives there's one in there somewhere. For the sauce just use one cup buttermilk, 6 oz.. blue cheese, 5 ounces of Romano w/more for topping. Heat the milk till it lightly bubbles around the edges, then add the cheeses and stir constantly on low heat till it's thickened. Top with Romano and the julianne mint. This is more than enough sauce for 3 russet potatoes gnocchi.
In terms of fools well, I'm the biggest one of all time, or the second. My father might have been number one. Since the apple didn't fall too far from the tree it makes sense that I would be the second biggest fool of all time. I'm the poster boy for April Fools. There's no fool like an old fool, and that is ME, an old fool. Thank you, my three reading, for hanging in there.
It was a beautiful spring day today with light showers in the morning, and some humidity for a change. I don't have to water the herbs or the bamboo. The late rain is keeping everything nice and green and giving us more water for life..
That it.
Peace,
Make Food/Not War
Breakfast: 2 egg sandwich,
Lunch: Brown rice and collard greens
Dinner: Gnocchi , chicken sausage, fresh herbs, and grilled asparagus, Anchor steam beer
Exercise: 6.5 miles walking
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