Me, to the family dog: "Here, girl! Sit for the cookie! Sit! Sit!"
Our dog, a dachshund: "I AM sitting!"
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Fried Gluten Flour Steaks
Sounds strange, doesn't it? Obviously, those of you who are allergic to gluten, this recipe is not for you. The others should definitely check this out. This is an excellent meat substitute, super high in protein, and very low in carbs. The only fat comes from the oil you fry the pieces in. This will make a pretty big batch, filling a 9 x 13 baking dish with little finished gluten "steaks". It may seem like a lot, especially this being a brand new recipe for you. But don't worry, if you're kids are anything like mine, they'll gobble it all up, and you won't have very much for very long!
You'll need to find gluten flour. You can get it at most vegetarian/health sections of your local supermarket, or at a more organic, health food store. You might even be able to find it in the bulk food bins, check around. It's much more expensive than regular flour, so it's worth shopping for the best price. Gluten is simply the protein half of the wheat kernel. It is generally used as an additive to doughs made with low-gluten flour, such as rye flour, to give them elasticity they can't muster on their own.
You can eat these steaks "as-is", add various gravies, or you can even make a vegetarian chicken parmesan by topping with cheese and marinara sauce.
3 cups gluten flour
1 pkg onion soup mix
1/3 McKay's Chicken Seasoning (again, to be found in a health food or organic section. I don't know of any other brand of seasonings that'll work, so if you can't find McKay's, I don't know what to tell you. I guess you're on your own!)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup white flour
Mix all above dry ingredients
add 3 cups water and mix very, very well, probably by hand at the end. make sure there are no lumps. You're making a big batch of dough, basically.
divide into several long tube-like sections,
cut off pieces and press into little steaks
boil pieces in the following broth for 45 minutes:
6quarts water
1/3 cup Mckay's seasoning
1 pkg onion soup mix
once that's done, dredge pieces in flour (or a flour and bread crumb mixture) and pan fry in vegetable, canola or olive oil until golden brown.
You can let the pieces cool between boiling and frying. I've heard you can even freeze the boiled peices and fry them later, but I've always just done the whole batch.
You'll need to find gluten flour. You can get it at most vegetarian/health sections of your local supermarket, or at a more organic, health food store. You might even be able to find it in the bulk food bins, check around. It's much more expensive than regular flour, so it's worth shopping for the best price. Gluten is simply the protein half of the wheat kernel. It is generally used as an additive to doughs made with low-gluten flour, such as rye flour, to give them elasticity they can't muster on their own.
You can eat these steaks "as-is", add various gravies, or you can even make a vegetarian chicken parmesan by topping with cheese and marinara sauce.
3 cups gluten flour
1 pkg onion soup mix
1/3 McKay's Chicken Seasoning (again, to be found in a health food or organic section. I don't know of any other brand of seasonings that'll work, so if you can't find McKay's, I don't know what to tell you. I guess you're on your own!)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup white flour
Mix all above dry ingredients
add 3 cups water and mix very, very well, probably by hand at the end. make sure there are no lumps. You're making a big batch of dough, basically.
divide into several long tube-like sections,
cut off pieces and press into little steaks
boil pieces in the following broth for 45 minutes:
6quarts water
1/3 cup Mckay's seasoning
1 pkg onion soup mix
once that's done, dredge pieces in flour (or a flour and bread crumb mixture) and pan fry in vegetable, canola or olive oil until golden brown.
You can let the pieces cool between boiling and frying. I've heard you can even freeze the boiled peices and fry them later, but I've always just done the whole batch.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
I Pledge Allegiance...
On the way to school this morning we were listening to a news break. We heard a story of a 13 year old girl in Maryland who was in some pretty hot water over refusing to stand for the Pledge Of Allegiance. I could hear the wheels spinning inside of Miss Prima's head. I was ready for her when she turned to ask me questions about it.
"Tha's right, honey. The Constitution says that a kid doesn't have to stand for, or say the Pledge Of Allegiance if she doesn't want to. But keep in mind she goes to a public school. They can't MAKE her do it. You go to a private, Christian school."
"What's the difference?"
"Well, you're learning about the 10 Commandments right now, and one of them says to 'honor your parents' right?"
'Right."
"So, God's Commandments come before the laws of man. You have to obey God's Commandment to honor your mommy and daddy. Mommy and Daddy say you have to stand up with the rest of the class and recite the pledge."
Dejected and deflated, Miss Prima walked quietly to her classroom.
We'll see what happened today when I go pick her up. I wonder if she, as usual, has figured out another loophole.
"Tha's right, honey. The Constitution says that a kid doesn't have to stand for, or say the Pledge Of Allegiance if she doesn't want to. But keep in mind she goes to a public school. They can't MAKE her do it. You go to a private, Christian school."
"What's the difference?"
"Well, you're learning about the 10 Commandments right now, and one of them says to 'honor your parents' right?"
'Right."
"So, God's Commandments come before the laws of man. You have to obey God's Commandment to honor your mommy and daddy. Mommy and Daddy say you have to stand up with the rest of the class and recite the pledge."
Dejected and deflated, Miss Prima walked quietly to her classroom.
We'll see what happened today when I go pick her up. I wonder if she, as usual, has figured out another loophole.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Kids and Dogs
Our family dog, a miniature dachshund, is a real weirdo. Seriously, the has this penchant for eating the contents of waste baskets, and articles of clothing, such as sox and underwear, the dirtier the better. It utterly baffles me when I find in her various known hiding places, nothing left of a piece of underwear but the wasteband, or nothing but the top elastic band of a sock. How does any of this stuff manage to pass through such a small dog? Amazingly, it does. I guess she chews her food very well.
A few months ago she ate something that REALLY didn't agree with her, an emery board. Yes, those sandpaper coated boards made of cardboard, or in this case, even wood, used for nail filing. She got hold of one and ate most of it before I caught her and took it away. She was NOT a happy camper for a couple of days as those jagged, rough pieces worked their way through her intestines. She was skittish, shaking, timid, and obviously in terrible pain. As with most thing in life, everything comes to pass. You'd think she'd learn her lesson after a while...
Anyway, this week, it looked like she had been at it again. She showed all the same symptoms of her having eaten something she shouldn't have. We waited overnight to see if anything would "come out in the wash" so to speak. Nothing. later that next afternoon, she was still in obvious pain. I decided to turn her over, belly up, and take a closer look. I began to feel around her belly in order to locate any foreign matter underneath the skin. I immediately felt and SAW a hard spot on her abdomen, about the size of a marble, or a small coin. GREAT! What'd she swallow now?
We imediately took her to the vet. Fortunately the diagnosis showed that the lump was due to nothing that she ate. UNfortunately, she was diagnosed with a hernia. "GREAT! How much is that going to cost?" By the time we get done with the surgery, pain meds, etc., the bill will be somewhere around $400. Fantastic...
While we were all waiting in the lobby, Miss Prima, age 8, was heard to say: "I wish I was a dog... because dogs get to poop and pass gas whenever they want."
A few months ago she ate something that REALLY didn't agree with her, an emery board. Yes, those sandpaper coated boards made of cardboard, or in this case, even wood, used for nail filing. She got hold of one and ate most of it before I caught her and took it away. She was NOT a happy camper for a couple of days as those jagged, rough pieces worked their way through her intestines. She was skittish, shaking, timid, and obviously in terrible pain. As with most thing in life, everything comes to pass. You'd think she'd learn her lesson after a while...
Anyway, this week, it looked like she had been at it again. She showed all the same symptoms of her having eaten something she shouldn't have. We waited overnight to see if anything would "come out in the wash" so to speak. Nothing. later that next afternoon, she was still in obvious pain. I decided to turn her over, belly up, and take a closer look. I began to feel around her belly in order to locate any foreign matter underneath the skin. I immediately felt and SAW a hard spot on her abdomen, about the size of a marble, or a small coin. GREAT! What'd she swallow now?
We imediately took her to the vet. Fortunately the diagnosis showed that the lump was due to nothing that she ate. UNfortunately, she was diagnosed with a hernia. "GREAT! How much is that going to cost?" By the time we get done with the surgery, pain meds, etc., the bill will be somewhere around $400. Fantastic...
While we were all waiting in the lobby, Miss Prima, age 8, was heard to say: "I wish I was a dog... because dogs get to poop and pass gas whenever they want."
Saturday, January 2, 2010
One Last Hurrah.... Thai Style
With the new year comes the inevitable New Year's Resolutions. As the calendar changes, many of us consider this the perfect time to make a new start. My wife and I are no different. We have decided, I'm not sure if we vowed, to get more serious about our health. We are going to take this opportunity, to join in this spirit of new beginnings, to eat right, lose weight, and get into some rockin' shape.
Admittedly, we started a family later than most. We'll be in our fifties when our kids graduate high school. We certainly don't want to be wheeled down the aisle at our kids' graduations or weddings. We know that, in a sense, we are at a slight disadvantage as a result of the age difference between our children, as well as other parents of our childrens' peers. But just because I'm probably a decade or two older than any other dad out there does not mean I am going to be the old man in the walker, or the wheelchair. I am determined to be a shining example for all dads out there, young and old, to be there for my kids whenever they need me, and even when they think they don't. I'm going to be the most devoted, involved parent in their school, our neighborhood, or whatever social environment in which we happen to find ourselves. That means I, as well as my wife (sorry honey), have to be in the best physical shape we can be.
New Year's Day came on a Friday this year. We spent all day Saturday buying, and most of the day Sunday prepping for our new adventure, by buying all the food necessary for the first phase of The South Beach Diet. Essentially, the idea behind TSBD tells you that processed food is bad for you. You can't eat any processed food, no refined sugars, no white flour, no junk food (of course). The first phase of the diet (14 days worth) attempts to break you of your dependence on these foods, and unnecessary carbs in general. During the first 2 weeks of this diet you are allowed practically no carbs at all. I'm ok with that. I perused the menu plan for phase one, and it looks like, with a bit of preparation and organization, you can eat pretty darned well on this diet. Couple that with a new gym membership, and I am intent on dropping at least 20 pounds before summer hits.
But come on, let's admit it, pretty much all of the diet plans out there work. The hardest part of any of them is staying on top of it all, of sticking with the program. I'm pleased that TSBD book provided me with an outlined, step-by-step, meal-by-meal plan. I've decided we are going to follow TSBD menu plan to the letter, or at least as close as possible, I'm guessig about 90%. We spent most of Saturday stocking up the pantry, the fridge and the freezer with all the ingredients necessary for the diet. We visited Costco, Sunflower Market, Albertson's and Trader Joes. We spend about $500 buying all the food and supplies. Believe it or not, that's about $120-150 more than we are used to spending in a two week period to feed our family, but we figure we'll make up for it in all the beer and wine we're not drinking.
Our D-day, as it were, is Monday, January 4. That's when we hit the ground running. Meantime, we are enjoying our last 2 days of "culinary freedom". Saturday we had asian food, and Sunday, pizza.
The following is a recipe for a Thai soup I made, and we enjoyed, on Saturday. It is most definitely NOT anywhere on TSBD plan - EVER. I ordered this for the first time earlier in the week from our corner Thai restaurant and absolutely fell in love with it. Being the gormond, and chief cook of the family, I wanted to try my hand at the dish myself. Here's a recipe I found that closely resembled what I tasted from the restaurant. I've made a few alterations to the traditional Thai recipe as denoted by the asterisks:
Thai Chicken Coconut Soup. Tom Ka Gai.
Admittedly, we started a family later than most. We'll be in our fifties when our kids graduate high school. We certainly don't want to be wheeled down the aisle at our kids' graduations or weddings. We know that, in a sense, we are at a slight disadvantage as a result of the age difference between our children, as well as other parents of our childrens' peers. But just because I'm probably a decade or two older than any other dad out there does not mean I am going to be the old man in the walker, or the wheelchair. I am determined to be a shining example for all dads out there, young and old, to be there for my kids whenever they need me, and even when they think they don't. I'm going to be the most devoted, involved parent in their school, our neighborhood, or whatever social environment in which we happen to find ourselves. That means I, as well as my wife (sorry honey), have to be in the best physical shape we can be.
New Year's Day came on a Friday this year. We spent all day Saturday buying, and most of the day Sunday prepping for our new adventure, by buying all the food necessary for the first phase of The South Beach Diet. Essentially, the idea behind TSBD tells you that processed food is bad for you. You can't eat any processed food, no refined sugars, no white flour, no junk food (of course). The first phase of the diet (14 days worth) attempts to break you of your dependence on these foods, and unnecessary carbs in general. During the first 2 weeks of this diet you are allowed practically no carbs at all. I'm ok with that. I perused the menu plan for phase one, and it looks like, with a bit of preparation and organization, you can eat pretty darned well on this diet. Couple that with a new gym membership, and I am intent on dropping at least 20 pounds before summer hits.
But come on, let's admit it, pretty much all of the diet plans out there work. The hardest part of any of them is staying on top of it all, of sticking with the program. I'm pleased that TSBD book provided me with an outlined, step-by-step, meal-by-meal plan. I've decided we are going to follow TSBD menu plan to the letter, or at least as close as possible, I'm guessig about 90%. We spent most of Saturday stocking up the pantry, the fridge and the freezer with all the ingredients necessary for the diet. We visited Costco, Sunflower Market, Albertson's and Trader Joes. We spend about $500 buying all the food and supplies. Believe it or not, that's about $120-150 more than we are used to spending in a two week period to feed our family, but we figure we'll make up for it in all the beer and wine we're not drinking.
Our D-day, as it were, is Monday, January 4. That's when we hit the ground running. Meantime, we are enjoying our last 2 days of "culinary freedom". Saturday we had asian food, and Sunday, pizza.
The following is a recipe for a Thai soup I made, and we enjoyed, on Saturday. It is most definitely NOT anywhere on TSBD plan - EVER. I ordered this for the first time earlier in the week from our corner Thai restaurant and absolutely fell in love with it. Being the gormond, and chief cook of the family, I wanted to try my hand at the dish myself. Here's a recipe I found that closely resembled what I tasted from the restaurant. I've made a few alterations to the traditional Thai recipe as denoted by the asterisks:
Thai Chicken Coconut Soup. Tom Ka Gai.
1 +1/2 inch piece of galangal or ginger, peeled and sliced *
Small bunch fresh cilantro with roots
4 kaffir lime leaves (makrut), torn **
1 stem lemongrass, halved lengthways
3 tablespoons fish sauce ***
juice of 2 small limes (maybe 3)
1 +3/4 cups coconut milk
1/2 pound skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1 red chile (chilli), seeded and sliced ****
Put the galangal, cilantro roots, lime leaves, lemongrass and 4 cups of water ***** in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the fish sauce and lime juice, decrease the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the cilantro roots. Add the coconut milk, bring back to a boil and boil for a couple of minutes. Add
the chicken pieces and cook for a minute or two, until it is cooked through. Throw in the chile and mix well. Let stand for 20 minutes to let flavors blend and come together. Serve in bowls with the cilantro leaves roughly chopped and scattered over the top.
Keep in mind tat you are trying to achieve a balance of flavors between the sweet of the coconut milk, the sour of the lime, and the hot of the chile. hat's what your shooting for. When you get the balance right, no one flavor will overpower the other, rather they will all individually and collectively dance on your tongue (You'll understand when you get it right).
* Galangal is a type of asian ginger. It is NOT your typical giner root you normally find in an American grocery store. It has a very different flavor from traditional ginger. Please, try to find it at an asian market in your town. It is worth the effort to find it. (The Asian market I found it in callled it Galaga) If you can't find it, regular ginger will work.
** Kaffir lime leaves (or makrut) is very dificult to find, at least in my neck of the woods. If you can't find it, don't worry. There is a reasonable substitute. Peel thick strips of skin off of one lime. Tear a few places along the strip and crush/fold the strip to bruise it a bit to release its flavor and aroma. Discard after cooking. Use about 1 whole lime's worth of peel for this recipe.
*** A note on fish sauce. It is that "magic" flavor in most asian dishes. It is a very pungent smelling and tasting flavor additive. Be very careful adding fish sauce to any recipe. As a round-eye, I always start with about half of what the recipe calls for. You can always add more, but you can't take it out if you added too much!
**** If you can't find a red chili pepper, then just use a teaspoon or two of crushed red pepper flakes. I also used a healty squirt of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.
***** I didn't like the texture of the soup I made, it lacked body. I believe it was because I followed the direction here to use 4 cups of water. Perhaps 4 cups of chicken broth would be better.
I Pledge Allegiance...
It's taken me quite some time, but I'm beginning to understand that blind faith, that unwavering, unflagging, unconditional allegiance is generally not a good idea, in anything or anybody. Now don't get me wrong, to support friends, family, favorite sports teams (Go, Wings!), country, etc., is fine, but to do so without even thinking about it (or worse yet, while ignoring my better instincts, or judgement) can lead to trouble. Some people are just plain stupid, mean, devious, or off their rockers, and its better to just keep your distance.
I wish I had known this years ago. Just because they fly the same flag, wear the same colors, share a common history, or even the same name, does not mean you owe them to follow when they run off the cliff or burn the bridge.
Live for yourself. Live honestly. Do what's right and best for you. You'll respect yourself in the morning, trust me. And if "they" don't like it, tough!
That's one of my New Year's Resolutions. I'm going to stop living for other people, and live for me. That's not to say I'm going to ignore my responsibilities as a husband and father. When my wife an kids are healthy and happy, then I am too. They will always be at the top of my list of priorities. I'm talking about the people who bring drama and strife into my life. I'm talking about people who distract and divert my attention and energy from acheiving the goal of a happy and healthy life. I have neither the time, nor the patience for that any longer. If you wish to bring any of that into my house, you are not welcome here.
I wish I had known this years ago. Just because they fly the same flag, wear the same colors, share a common history, or even the same name, does not mean you owe them to follow when they run off the cliff or burn the bridge.
Live for yourself. Live honestly. Do what's right and best for you. You'll respect yourself in the morning, trust me. And if "they" don't like it, tough!
That's one of my New Year's Resolutions. I'm going to stop living for other people, and live for me. That's not to say I'm going to ignore my responsibilities as a husband and father. When my wife an kids are healthy and happy, then I am too. They will always be at the top of my list of priorities. I'm talking about the people who bring drama and strife into my life. I'm talking about people who distract and divert my attention and energy from acheiving the goal of a happy and healthy life. I have neither the time, nor the patience for that any longer. If you wish to bring any of that into my house, you are not welcome here.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
I'M NOT YELLING!!!
I was asked today "Why do you yell so much, Daddy?"
My reply: "Because you didn't respond when I spoke in a normal tone of voice...
Not the first time,
the second time,
or even the third time."
One time (one of many) I was exasperated with Miss Prima and asked her "How many times do I have to tell you...?!?!"
Without missing a beat, she said in all seriousness "Oh, about a thousand!"
Careful what questions you ask, Daddy.
My reply: "Because you didn't respond when I spoke in a normal tone of voice...
Not the first time,
the second time,
or even the third time."
One time (one of many) I was exasperated with Miss Prima and asked her "How many times do I have to tell you...?!?!"
Without missing a beat, she said in all seriousness "Oh, about a thousand!"
Careful what questions you ask, Daddy.
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