Sorry for the delay in posting. I was at the fair. No, I didn't go to a fair, I was part of the fair. I was a vendor at a street fair in Pemberville, Ohio.
It is a free street fair that starts on a Wednesday evening and ends on Saturday night. Three days and four nights of activities for the whole family. This event has been going on for 65 years. Imagine that?!
Now, exactly how was I involved? Four authors - I was one of them - shared a 10 ft X 10 ft "booth" area to hawk our books in the vendors' tent.
We thought we could "man" the booth in turns so nobody would get burned out but quickly discovered being absent meant "no sales" since most of the people wanted to talk to the author about this or that particular book. Plus, if they bought the book, and the author was absent, who would sign the copy? Hence, I found myself behind the table from ...
Wed: 6pm to 9pm
Thu: 12pm to 9pm
Fri: 9am to 9pm
Sat: 9am to 9pm
The only time I escaped was to get something to eat or drink, even though I brought water along each day, with the 80+ temperatures and inside a canvas tent, it was very warm. There was some wind, but it usually came with rain which meant the sides were pulled down to keep us, and our wares, dry. Oh, and the other time of escape was to find a facility to get rid of the excess water that didn't sweat out. LOL. (Note: That's when I would check out what I could of the fair, seeing where I might want to eat next time!)
Now, my wife went with me to this event since it was a two-hour drive away and we took our RV to have a temporary residence. She camped, I worked. But, she attended the fair a couple of days. She played bingo, watched the pony and tractor pulls and even went to see exactly what a "chicken drop" might be. Imagine her surprise. to discover people laying down money on numbers to match the numbers in a fenced area. When all "bets" were done, a chicken was placed in the fenced area and when and where it "dropped" a load in a numbered square, that person won.
Rides were plenty, some for lovers, some for kids, some for adults, and some, well, just too twisty turny for my body to not react in a violent manner. I've learned NOT to ride them.
Food? So much food. Everything from a simple hot dog to an elaborate pork loin sandwich. There was the ever present cotton candy, caramel or candy apples, popcorn - both plain, flavored and standard caramel, blooming onions, floats, pop, nachos, corn dogs, and as I stated, that pork loin fritter which was deep fried, tri-folded on the bun and then smothered in anything you wanted to put on it.
But I was there to sell books, as were my fellow authors. We started with four, then had only three and finally, for the last 5 hours, it was just the two of us. One author got sick Thursday morning and didn't attend the rest of the event. Another author had a family emergency and had to be absent a whole day on Friday and called it early on Saturday. He did very well on sales for his limited time in attendance.
Now, I and Terry James were there practically the whole time. He sold well and even had a fan come up and gush over him. She couldn't believe her luck in meeting one of her favorite authors. Personally, I think he was a little bashful about the whole incident.
I did quite well, selling books and greeting/meeting people. I had two library people approach me to see if I would be interested in a meet/greet event to talk about and sign copies of my book(s) over the next year. I just hope I didn't scare them off with my eagerness to jump at the chance!!
Another gentleman bought a copy of "The Secret Voice" which is the 1st book in my Amish Singer series. He wanted to read it and thought maybe his wife might be interested in it. To my surprise, she was back to my booth in about ten minutes asking me if I'd be interested in a possible book club opportunity. Remember, this is all, at minimum, two hours away from my home. I said yes, I'd love to do a book club if they were interested. Imagine my surprise!! The woman and her book club are only a mere 10 miles from my residence. They were visiting friends in Pemberville. Such an opportunity to fall into my lap. I couldn't believe my luck. Now, I hope the others are excited enough to buy into the book for the club.
Overall, it was a great fair. I sold many, many books, including my latest Barry Hargove and The Case of Eternal Blood.
Now I need to get my butt in the chair and finish the sequel to The Secret Voice. It should be an easy hustle next year in Pemberville.
Until next I ramble on...
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Monday, August 20, 2018
Sunday, July 8, 2018
What Have I Been Up To?
Most of the time I am fighting my weight or blood sugar. I mean, that is a daily battle, and really... Do you want to hear about it? If so, here's a little update. Finally, I think I have my insulin intake under control - for the most part. I mean, I still have minor bouts of high numbers, especially when I go off diet and binge at the Chinese "all-you-can-eat" buffets. Give me a break. Sushi? Fried fish? Fried shrimp? Fried... well, whatever? And rice? Of course my numbers are going to be out of bounds. DOH!!! Also, I've learned, if I turn just right, I can jolt my back out of place and that insipid continuous pain can sky-rocket my blood sugar, too. So, I deal with it, and on most day, I'm good.
Weight? I didn't gain this spacious 100 pounds overnight; I'm not going to lose it overnight. The faster it comes off, the faster it comes back and usually brings extra luggage and friends. I'm losing at a slow pace, a hair over three pounds over a three month period. That would mean, one pound per month. Maybe I "could" step it up a little, but, well, read the previous paragraph. Buffets? Doh?! If it ain't deep fried, it is coated in a heavy sugary syrup. Hence, when at home, I eat a lot of less carb meals, cutting corners on the carb count as I can. Sandwiches are now basically a wrap, but with lavash bread which is only 4 carbs for 1/4 section of bread which is more than enough to wrap a sandwich. Sure beats 20+ for a slice of bread.
So much for all that same-o, same-o crap about my diet, weight, and blood sugar. Big whoop! I'm controlling it for the most part. I'm happy.
So... What have I been doing? We decided to revamp the front porch. Okay, in full honesty, we decided to revamp the whole appearance around the house. First step was getting some of the weeds under control and to do that, we decided to get rid of some flower beds. We didn't get rid of flowers, just the beds. Flowers now reside in pots and they're doing real fine and I've discovered, so much easier to weed. As I wander around the yard, checking the posies, if I see a stray weed growing in the pot - well, out it comes!!
The garden was six feet by fifteen feet. Slightly raised. To be honest, barely eight inches off the ground. It did help keep the weeds somewhat controlled, but leaning down to get to them. Uh, that was a stretch.
A new raised bed this spring. Smaller. It is - inside dimensions - four feet by nine something feet. Note I said inside dimensions. I used concrete blocks, two blocks high. So the garden is now sixteen inches from the ground and quite reachable. Weeds? Yeah, a few at the start which I was able to remove in less than ten minutes. Now, that's what I call easy gardening. This image is when I first started to put it in. Uh, two trips to Menards to lug them back in the rear of a 2014 Ford Focus, 700+ pounds, just in blocks, each load. LOL.
Almost finished. Just a little more dirt. I've put in some dirt, some sand, and lots and lots of chicken crap. I cleaned out the chicken coop and well, what better place to put all that fertilizer? I let it sit for almost a month, watering it so it wouldn't be too strong.
And, now? Here's what it looks like today.
I have two struggling bell peppers on the extreme right with some nice looking bells. There are 2 rows of green beans and one row of wax beans. My "salad" lettuce is on the left. It is a mixture of different leaf lettuces. And, across the back, I have five (5) tomato plants. Starting from the left, it is a cherry tomato (in case you didn't notice, it is HUGE) for salads and munching, a Beef Steak for sandwiches, a New Jersey Devil which is a strange Roma-type for pastes and salsa, a Pink which will add a lighter color to the mix, and finally, on the far right, a Mortgage Maker which is a heavy bearer and great for sauces. Yeah, a lot of tomatoes going into pint and quart jars this season until the first winter frost kills them. Of course, I'll probably sneak out and grab a couple of green maters to fry up. Love them. Oh, and before I forget, I am proud to say, everything in the garden but the lettuce was grown by me from seed.
I've also been working on the front porch and side deck. Let's go with the front porch. It is "almost" done. I just need to get the LED post cap lights for the four small posts, and I also need to string rope between the posts. Since the porch is only two feet from the ground on the sides, and a couple of inches from the front flower beds, I don't need to have any railing. We love the look without. BUT, we discovered, a strong wind moves the furniture across the porch and well, in the past, the railings kept things contained to the front porch and not flipping all over the yard. Hence, we are placing a decorative rope around to at least keep the furniture on the porch during a storm. Here's the porch, as built in 2006 when the house was going up. The only thing missing is the slapped-up white roof with no trim.
This is what it looks like today, minus the cap post LED lights and ropes ... which are coming soon.
And, now, some close ups. They are: front porch left side, front porch right side, my fancy corner emblem so I didn't have to miter the corners when putting up the trim, and the newly painted furniture.
Now, a little about the furniture. Originally, the love seat was the same insipid "tan" color as the table next to it. The Adirondack chair was a lovely shade of dark army green. The other chairs were also a shade of dark moss green. I painted them all a dark blue. We put new blue and white cushions on the old rockers. And, in the near future, I will paint the tables white. Also, I plan to paint all the shutters on the house to match our new color scheme. Yup! It will be that dark blue.
I'm currently working on the side deck. It is a mere eight (8) to ten (10) feet above the ground on the east end of the house. I had some of that crappy plastic trellis screwed to some of the uprights. Not really all that safe. I have since put up welded fencing and will be covering it with wood strips. When I finish that project, I'll post. Hopefully, by then, I'll also have the rest of the front porch, and shutters completed. One neighbor asked if I was getting the house ready to sell. I informed him I was changing a lot of things around the house to make it easier for me, a seventy-two year old fart, to keep things up-to-date. I will be enlarging the "hillside" flower bed this fall. My son bought a new place and my DIL doesn't want to fiddle with all the myriad of flowers. Guess who is going to inherit them? And, in the manner of keeping it easier for me, I'll add a simple path through the new bed to make weeding easier when in the flower bed.
A Gardening Lesson
Here's a gardening tidbit. When is the best time to weed? Well, of course, when the weed first emerges from the ground and has very little root... but, well, we don't tend to catch them until they are larger than the flowers. LOL. So, now to answer the question. After it has rained. If you get a heavy deluge, or really good dousing of water that seeps deep into the ground. The next day... or later that day, grab your bucket and whatever weeding tools you use and get out there. PULL... yes, PULL those weeds out. If the ground is really wet, they will literally slip out, maybe even with all the hairy little roots still attached. I did that for a mulch area, pulling dandelions, Queen Anne's lace, thistle, creeping Jenny and all sorts of other weeds out - tap root and all the little roots, too. If you get the root out, they don't tend to grow back. LOL. I've got a little weeding to do and it has threatened to rain for the last couple of days. Even the weatherman believes it will rain. It hasn't. Each day it doesn't rain and I don't pull the weeds, they get stronger root systems and bigger. If it don't rain tonight, I will get the sprinkler out and let it run for about an hour in the morning, then again for about thirty minutes in the afternoon. Then, in the evening shade and cool, I'll sit on my little bench and pull those weeds out. BTW, if you know my luck, it will pour that night after I've watered so well.
Until next I ramble on...
Weight? I didn't gain this spacious 100 pounds overnight; I'm not going to lose it overnight. The faster it comes off, the faster it comes back and usually brings extra luggage and friends. I'm losing at a slow pace, a hair over three pounds over a three month period. That would mean, one pound per month. Maybe I "could" step it up a little, but, well, read the previous paragraph. Buffets? Doh?! If it ain't deep fried, it is coated in a heavy sugary syrup. Hence, when at home, I eat a lot of less carb meals, cutting corners on the carb count as I can. Sandwiches are now basically a wrap, but with lavash bread which is only 4 carbs for 1/4 section of bread which is more than enough to wrap a sandwich. Sure beats 20+ for a slice of bread.
So much for all that same-o, same-o crap about my diet, weight, and blood sugar. Big whoop! I'm controlling it for the most part. I'm happy.
So... What have I been doing? We decided to revamp the front porch. Okay, in full honesty, we decided to revamp the whole appearance around the house. First step was getting some of the weeds under control and to do that, we decided to get rid of some flower beds. We didn't get rid of flowers, just the beds. Flowers now reside in pots and they're doing real fine and I've discovered, so much easier to weed. As I wander around the yard, checking the posies, if I see a stray weed growing in the pot - well, out it comes!!
The garden was six feet by fifteen feet. Slightly raised. To be honest, barely eight inches off the ground. It did help keep the weeds somewhat controlled, but leaning down to get to them. Uh, that was a stretch.
I've also been working on the front porch and side deck. Let's go with the front porch. It is "almost" done. I just need to get the LED post cap lights for the four small posts, and I also need to string rope between the posts. Since the porch is only two feet from the ground on the sides, and a couple of inches from the front flower beds, I don't need to have any railing. We love the look without. BUT, we discovered, a strong wind moves the furniture across the porch and well, in the past, the railings kept things contained to the front porch and not flipping all over the yard. Hence, we are placing a decorative rope around to at least keep the furniture on the porch during a storm. Here's the porch, as built in 2006 when the house was going up. The only thing missing is the slapped-up white roof with no trim.
I'm currently working on the side deck. It is a mere eight (8) to ten (10) feet above the ground on the east end of the house. I had some of that crappy plastic trellis screwed to some of the uprights. Not really all that safe. I have since put up welded fencing and will be covering it with wood strips. When I finish that project, I'll post. Hopefully, by then, I'll also have the rest of the front porch, and shutters completed. One neighbor asked if I was getting the house ready to sell. I informed him I was changing a lot of things around the house to make it easier for me, a seventy-two year old fart, to keep things up-to-date. I will be enlarging the "hillside" flower bed this fall. My son bought a new place and my DIL doesn't want to fiddle with all the myriad of flowers. Guess who is going to inherit them? And, in the manner of keeping it easier for me, I'll add a simple path through the new bed to make weeding easier when in the flower bed.
A Gardening Lesson
Here's a gardening tidbit. When is the best time to weed? Well, of course, when the weed first emerges from the ground and has very little root... but, well, we don't tend to catch them until they are larger than the flowers. LOL. So, now to answer the question. After it has rained. If you get a heavy deluge, or really good dousing of water that seeps deep into the ground. The next day... or later that day, grab your bucket and whatever weeding tools you use and get out there. PULL... yes, PULL those weeds out. If the ground is really wet, they will literally slip out, maybe even with all the hairy little roots still attached. I did that for a mulch area, pulling dandelions, Queen Anne's lace, thistle, creeping Jenny and all sorts of other weeds out - tap root and all the little roots, too. If you get the root out, they don't tend to grow back. LOL. I've got a little weeding to do and it has threatened to rain for the last couple of days. Even the weatherman believes it will rain. It hasn't. Each day it doesn't rain and I don't pull the weeds, they get stronger root systems and bigger. If it don't rain tonight, I will get the sprinkler out and let it run for about an hour in the morning, then again for about thirty minutes in the afternoon. Then, in the evening shade and cool, I'll sit on my little bench and pull those weeds out. BTW, if you know my luck, it will pour that night after I've watered so well.
Until next I ramble on...
Monday, January 16, 2017
Last Chance - In More Ways Than One
For those who don't know it ... I'm running an edit special. I'm taking "appointments" for editing of short stories and novels. Assigning them 'down the road' so to speak. If you know you will need an editor, say mid-Feb, I'm willing to lock you into a time so when the time comes, you'll have my services available... and at a reasonable price. Yes, rather than my standard $1.50/page (which by the way will be changing later on) — I'm only charging $1.00 per page. You save 30% on my editing services.
Okay, that was last chance #1 — this offer will be expiring soon. Remember two things, prices are going up and this offer won't last forever, although you can lock it in now.
Now, about last chance #2. Sort of off-the-wall. I bought me a new knit hat. Yeah, big whoop, but this one has LED lights. Again, big whoop. Let me explain. I got an LED thinsulate knit hat for the "men's" Christmas exchange this year for our family get together. My granddaughter's boyfriend got it in the 'drawing of the numbers" as we call it. He was thrilled and personally, I found a lot of uses for it around my house. I wanted one. I found this one on Amazon, costing a lot less and not quite as delicate to remove to wash the hat. This one has dual lights. I mean, it has 4 white lights just like the one I gave, but this one also has 2 red and 2 blue lights which flash red, then blue, then red and blue together and finally repeat the pattern over. I think they said it was supposedly for emergency aid. Not sure about that. I found the white lights work great when I'm away during the day and have to go collect chicken eggs in the dark. The coop doesn't have electric, per se. It has an electric cord run to it that keeps the watering dish heated, but otherwise, it gets dark, it IS dark — no lights. The chickens didn't mind the white LED light when I collected the eggs. I reached up to turn it off and the next option (red/blue) kicked in. I thought my chickens were going to start dancing. Suddenly I felt like I was in a disco. The chickens got quite vocal about the red/blue flashing lights. Now, my son came up with a better use for the red/blue lights. He says when I'm driving the roads at night, with limited traffic, as I come up to a slow poke, hit the red/blue and they will probably move to the side thinking a state trooper is behind them. Hmm? Just not too sure I want to give that option a try — my luck, I'd do it to a law officer off duty. I don't need slammer time, especially at my age.
My next last chance — I can't believe I'm actually saying this. Food. I weighed myself and was not happy with the way the scale numbers spun on the dial. I've gained weight. SO, last chance was today. I am now on a rigorous diet and exercise program. Okay, not really... well, sort of. I am watching my intake of carbs and portion sizes. Last Friday was my last all-you-can-eat fish fry... or, at least, limiting them to maybe once a month. I might be able to skip them if I do baked fish on Fridays. Again, it won't be all-you-can-eat, but it should sooth the crave. I love fish. Of course, I can basically eat all the shrimp, crab, lobster and scallops I want. Scallops are hard to get here in this locale. Lobster is too expensive to gorge on. So, crab and shrimp it is... and I love shrimp grilled or baked and who can pass on steamed crabs? Not me! Again, they are proteins so they don't have a lot of effect on my blood sugar, but I'm sure glutting on them will have an effect on my weight, so once again, it will be portion control. I'm going back to my breakfast of kale smoothies. I love them. My wife? She'll pass on the green mixture. I'm giving you my secret recipe...
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1/4 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup chopped kale (I usually just put in a leaf of kale, including the stem)
2 T chia seeds
1 T honey
1 t cinnamon
1 t turmeric
juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon
some chopped ice - maybe 1/4 cup?
Blend it all together until a nice pure green silky drink. I say YUM. If you try it, let me know what you think of my special breakfast go-get'em.
Of course, my cooking habits will have to change, too. No more all these gourmet meals of decadent yummies laden with butter. I will need to streamline my cooking habits to a healthier ideal. I know it can be done. Goodbye double-stuffed twice baked potatoes. Goodbye cheesy-garlicky biscuits. Goodbye thick soups. Hello brothy soups. Hello zesty, spicy foods baked or broiled. Goodby weight.
Another last chance? I have just a few more days to order my seeds to start growing them inside before Spring arrives. This is January. If you calculate 3 weeks for a turn-around on delivery of my order(s) — that gets me into February. If it takes 12 weeks to grow the seed to put out by May 1st, uh, I'm pushing it. Twelve weeks is the equivalent of 3 months — Feb, Mar, Apr... which pushes me into May. I will be ordering my seeds tomorrow. The bigger the tomato plant going in the garden, the sooner luscious tomatoes can be harvested. The same holds true for flowers I want blooms in late May, early June — not the middle of July.
My last last chance to place here. I will be attending a 'get-together' soiree at Terra State Community College on Thursday, January 19th to discuss with others about my class I am teaching. Yes, I am teaching a class in writing. It will be a 6-week course and be an intense explanation about writing and handling the aspects as an author in today's publishing world. I have been working on my classes and I think I know what I want to handout at the soiree, but I need to put that together. I got a couple of days. I will be busy.
A final last chance? There is never a final last chance. They just keep coming and coming.
Until next I ramble on...
Monday, September 26, 2016
Just A Health Update
The last week has been HELL... no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
My wife was sick and two weeks ago I took her to the doctor and she got an antibiotic shot, a Z-pak, an inhaler and cough syrup. One week later, she is actually worse. She gets another "different" antibiotic shot and antibiotic pills plus an x-ray. She is return 24 hrs later. X-ray shows her lungs as clear but all indications are pointing at pneumonia. They put her in the hospital.
So, one week ago (Sept 24) they do a cat scan to validate the x-ray. Plus, they have her on an antibiotic drip in her saline solution, a daily steroid shot, another different antibiotic shot, plus a lot of of other meds. She comes around and on Tuesday late afternoon, they release her.
During this time, I'm coming down with a hack, congestion, runny nose and... yeah, I don't feel well.
So, they gave her some antibiotic pills. They don't want her to take them. I bought them and I'm not about to just toss them. That's right. I took them in conjunction with a cold/flu capsule every four hours. Talk about coming down from that high six days later - what a headache... but I'm feeling pretty good now. A slight hack to break up the congestion but no real phlegm - I'm good.
Of course, I have to have a blood draw during this time since I have my diabetes doctor appointment after three months to see if my new medication is helping.
When I get up in the morning, my blood sugar is running about mid-70s to low-90s. Sometimes it will drop below 70, but only 3 times. It is running over 100 in the morning, but not that often and I know why when it is - like drinking OJ at 2 in the morning.
My A1C went down. I was hoping for below 6. It was 6.8 and I wasn't too thrilled until I found that my dietitian and my doctor was quite happy with that number. Anything below 7 is considered good. Plus, my weight is now a solid 245 - I've come down 6 pounds since June's appointment. I was lower before June but the dietitian's diet was a lot of carbs and my weight went up and up. I decided to go back to my old diet plan and my weight has dropped. And, with me now taking Victoza, my cravings and over-eating seem to be more controlled. I prefer small meals, light meals and about every 3 to 4 hours - so I'm getting smaller meals, but more often. My blood sugar is doing good.
Now, back to my wife. They never really figured out what she had and decided to call it a form of pneumonia. She is still very weak and just getting out the chair is a major accomplishment. Like she said, "Getting out the chair is so tiring, I just want to sit back down which defeats the purpose of getting up!" She sleeps a lot and doesn't eat too much.
I'm now the guy who cooks ALL the meals and is supposedly keeping the house clean. The chickens aren't helping - they're laying 17-20 eggs daily. WalMart is causing issues - they're selling eggs for $.65/dozen. I've lowered the price of my brown eggs to $1 but still not selling any. In fact, I'm having trouble giving them away!! Last week I had 10 dozen eggs to give away. By the time I feed the chicken, give them water, collect the eggs and get back in the house, I'm whipped. Then I need to figure out a meal and cook it.
We've been eating pretty good - having made Pork Fritters, Chicken & Broccoli, Spanish Rice, Egg/Cracker Hamburgers, Salads, Twice-baked Potatoes, Cottage Fries, Stuffed Cabbage Balls, Cheesy Cauliflowers, and Cheesy Broccoli/Chicken Rice, I even made Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Homemade Tomato Soup (I mean, using tomato juice as the base and jacking it up with spices!) and other healthy from-scratch things. So far, I haven't stooped to potato chips and/or PB&J sandwiches, but I may consider them down the road.
I'm going to get some of the freezer meals we made a month ago and use some of them. Maybe the next day or two will be Green Pepper Casserole and another day with Egg Rolls. I'll have to see what is in the freezer. I know there is some shrimp and I will definitely be using that!! Maybe a roast, too.
The garden has decided to come to full harvest. I have tomatoes on 8 plants out in garden and there seems to be more red than green. I green peppers are going crazy with a lot of peppers. And the green beans for the last couple of months - lots and lots of flowers, but no beans. NOW? There are beans on those vines that would choke a horse. I just don't have the time to get all of it done.
I attempted to start remodeling the RV just prior to my wife getting sick. So, the RV toilet has been off for over 3 weeks. I just need to get a couple of pieces and put it all back together - but I need to go to an RV center for the parts and that is an hour drive there and an hour drive back. So that is going to wait until my wife and I are back to health. Obviously we don't need it fixed right this minute since we're not traveling. To put it back together will only take a couple of hours - I just need the time.
Until next I ramble on...
My wife was sick and two weeks ago I took her to the doctor and she got an antibiotic shot, a Z-pak, an inhaler and cough syrup. One week later, she is actually worse. She gets another "different" antibiotic shot and antibiotic pills plus an x-ray. She is return 24 hrs later. X-ray shows her lungs as clear but all indications are pointing at pneumonia. They put her in the hospital.
So, one week ago (Sept 24) they do a cat scan to validate the x-ray. Plus, they have her on an antibiotic drip in her saline solution, a daily steroid shot, another different antibiotic shot, plus a lot of of other meds. She comes around and on Tuesday late afternoon, they release her.
During this time, I'm coming down with a hack, congestion, runny nose and... yeah, I don't feel well.
So, they gave her some antibiotic pills. They don't want her to take them. I bought them and I'm not about to just toss them. That's right. I took them in conjunction with a cold/flu capsule every four hours. Talk about coming down from that high six days later - what a headache... but I'm feeling pretty good now. A slight hack to break up the congestion but no real phlegm - I'm good.
Of course, I have to have a blood draw during this time since I have my diabetes doctor appointment after three months to see if my new medication is helping.
When I get up in the morning, my blood sugar is running about mid-70s to low-90s. Sometimes it will drop below 70, but only 3 times. It is running over 100 in the morning, but not that often and I know why when it is - like drinking OJ at 2 in the morning.
My A1C went down. I was hoping for below 6. It was 6.8 and I wasn't too thrilled until I found that my dietitian and my doctor was quite happy with that number. Anything below 7 is considered good. Plus, my weight is now a solid 245 - I've come down 6 pounds since June's appointment. I was lower before June but the dietitian's diet was a lot of carbs and my weight went up and up. I decided to go back to my old diet plan and my weight has dropped. And, with me now taking Victoza, my cravings and over-eating seem to be more controlled. I prefer small meals, light meals and about every 3 to 4 hours - so I'm getting smaller meals, but more often. My blood sugar is doing good.
Now, back to my wife. They never really figured out what she had and decided to call it a form of pneumonia. She is still very weak and just getting out the chair is a major accomplishment. Like she said, "Getting out the chair is so tiring, I just want to sit back down which defeats the purpose of getting up!" She sleeps a lot and doesn't eat too much.
I'm now the guy who cooks ALL the meals and is supposedly keeping the house clean. The chickens aren't helping - they're laying 17-20 eggs daily. WalMart is causing issues - they're selling eggs for $.65/dozen. I've lowered the price of my brown eggs to $1 but still not selling any. In fact, I'm having trouble giving them away!! Last week I had 10 dozen eggs to give away. By the time I feed the chicken, give them water, collect the eggs and get back in the house, I'm whipped. Then I need to figure out a meal and cook it.
We've been eating pretty good - having made Pork Fritters, Chicken & Broccoli, Spanish Rice, Egg/Cracker Hamburgers, Salads, Twice-baked Potatoes, Cottage Fries, Stuffed Cabbage Balls, Cheesy Cauliflowers, and Cheesy Broccoli/Chicken Rice, I even made Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Homemade Tomato Soup (I mean, using tomato juice as the base and jacking it up with spices!) and other healthy from-scratch things. So far, I haven't stooped to potato chips and/or PB&J sandwiches, but I may consider them down the road.
I'm going to get some of the freezer meals we made a month ago and use some of them. Maybe the next day or two will be Green Pepper Casserole and another day with Egg Rolls. I'll have to see what is in the freezer. I know there is some shrimp and I will definitely be using that!! Maybe a roast, too.
The garden has decided to come to full harvest. I have tomatoes on 8 plants out in garden and there seems to be more red than green. I green peppers are going crazy with a lot of peppers. And the green beans for the last couple of months - lots and lots of flowers, but no beans. NOW? There are beans on those vines that would choke a horse. I just don't have the time to get all of it done.
I attempted to start remodeling the RV just prior to my wife getting sick. So, the RV toilet has been off for over 3 weeks. I just need to get a couple of pieces and put it all back together - but I need to go to an RV center for the parts and that is an hour drive there and an hour drive back. So that is going to wait until my wife and I are back to health. Obviously we don't need it fixed right this minute since we're not traveling. To put it back together will only take a couple of hours - I just need the time.
Until next I ramble on...
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Quick Cooks
Somebody once asked me how I come up with my recipes or how I get a meal to come together and will I share a simple recipe or two.
I never really thought about it. I just cook what sounds good and planning is critical for large meals. I say this because I've cooked or overseen others cook for large groups of people. What exactly does that mean? I have cooked for 60-70 people on campouts with the Boy Scouts. I've managed Boy Scouts who cooked meals for the sponsoring club - The Ruritans - and it was about 30 people. I've also watched and minimally assisted them when cooking for family events involving upwards of close to 80 people.
First, know how many you are going to cook for. Second, make sure you have your recipes and how much they will feed. Remember, some recipes will say 1/2 cup is a serving... and you know there is always that person who heaps about 4 of those servings on their plate. Also, consider seconds for some people. Watch your time and calculate accordingly for your schedule.
When offering multiple choice - like Swiss steak and Bacon-wrapped Chicken, most people seem to want both. You cannot assume it will be an either/or situation. I calculate 75% each. If serving 50 people, I will make sure I have 40 steaks and 40 chicken. At one meal I watched a gentleman take 2 steaks and 1 chicken... the woman behind cut a chicken in half and the woman behind her cut a steak in half. You can only guess — make it your best.
Now, as to recipes. One of the best and simplest of recipes is my Couscous Soup. That base is two basic items: broth and couscous. From there, the possibilities are limitless. First, decide if you want chicken or beef — that will decide your broth flavor, if, indeed you wish to have a meat in the soup. I've used beef with finely diced steak, and chicken shredded in chicken broth. To give you an idea of portioning, I used one chicken breast, baked in the oven with basil, rosemary, and thyme. I shredded that one breast and made soup for 10-12 people. Here is where the flavors blossom. If you want an Oriental flair, add a little ginger, soy sauce, shredded carrot, bean sprouts, celery, onion, and garlic. If you'd prefer a more European taste, add basil, rosemary, (of course, if you did up the chicken like I did, you won't need to add the basil and rosemary), cut up green beans, celery, shallot, and garlic. Now, for a Moroccan experience, use chickpeas, cinnamon, cumin and carrot and of course, garlic,
Remember, this is a soup, a broth-type item. It is NOT a stew. When I said chickpeas, I mean, maybe 2 or 3 chickpeas in a small cup of soup. Even the couscous is limited. When I make it for my wife and I, I use 2 cups of broth, maybe a 1/4 cup of couscous, a couple of bean sprouts, maybe a half (if that much) rib of celery diced up real small, and a baby carrot shredded. It's about the broth and the flavors, not about filling you up. Think — wonton soup. It's not loaded with eight or ten wontons but usually one lone, maybe two wontons in a rich, flavorful broth.
Again, this soup is what you make it. I usually cook the couscous ahead of time. It's so difficult to make — one cup hot water, 3/4 cup couscous, cover and let sit for 5 min. Voila! Done! By the way, that is a lot of couscous. As stated above, for the two of us, I use only a 1/3 cup of couscous to cook.
As to other recipes. Really, the internet is full of wonderful ideas and a plethora of recipes. Give it some thought and then go searching for something out of the usual. I found a great way to "up" the ante on carrots. Chop up raw carrots any way you want, give them a flair even. Then boil them until crisp tender, drain and put butter (not margarine) to melt over them. Add a little cinnamon, a pinch of brown sugar and a dash of nutmeg. Now you're cooking.
Potatoes? One can have the same-o, same-o mash taters or take it a little of out the ordinary and add cabbage to the mix... or cauliflower... or even carrots. I have taken potatoes and cabbage, boiled them together, added some glazed diced onions and minced garlic, and mashed it all together. Just remember the cabbage won't mash completely down to that silky smoothness, so you don't have to try to attempt that with the potatoes. Sometimes lumpiness is nice. When I added the carrots, it was just a few and of course, the mashed potatoes took on a nice orange color. Now, for the potato and cauliflower, that whipped up nice and smooth and it had that difference to keep the guests on their toes.
Cooking is about taking the ordinary and moving it into the extraordinary in the simplest way.
Green beans. Everyone boils them and tosses some bacon bits on them. Voila! Sidedish - done. Now, take it to the next step. Rather than boiling them in water, use chicken broth. Right before serving, add a dash of sesame oil (just a couple of drops) and let simmer in the bowl on the table. If you want to throw bacon bits at the mixture, you can, but they really will stand on their own without them.
So, what is my secret to cooking? Read the recipe. Read the recipe again and figure out what it is doing. Read the recipe yet again to understand how it is made. Read the recipe once more to see how it can be improved. Make it according to directions. Taste it. Next time, adjust it to make it yours.
I once asked my chef mentor - a well-known TV chef of the 70s - how much wine to add to a recipe. He told me: Enough to make it feel wanted.
That is true of all ingredients. You add enough of each to make it compliment the others. A pot of water tastes good by itself. But, if you add a potato, it tastes better. Add a carrot. Add some corn. Add some meat. Add some... Each ingredient is great on its own but together, like a symphony, it will make a beautiful mixture.
Until next I ramble on...
I never really thought about it. I just cook what sounds good and planning is critical for large meals. I say this because I've cooked or overseen others cook for large groups of people. What exactly does that mean? I have cooked for 60-70 people on campouts with the Boy Scouts. I've managed Boy Scouts who cooked meals for the sponsoring club - The Ruritans - and it was about 30 people. I've also watched and minimally assisted them when cooking for family events involving upwards of close to 80 people.
First, know how many you are going to cook for. Second, make sure you have your recipes and how much they will feed. Remember, some recipes will say 1/2 cup is a serving... and you know there is always that person who heaps about 4 of those servings on their plate. Also, consider seconds for some people. Watch your time and calculate accordingly for your schedule.
When offering multiple choice - like Swiss steak and Bacon-wrapped Chicken, most people seem to want both. You cannot assume it will be an either/or situation. I calculate 75% each. If serving 50 people, I will make sure I have 40 steaks and 40 chicken. At one meal I watched a gentleman take 2 steaks and 1 chicken... the woman behind cut a chicken in half and the woman behind her cut a steak in half. You can only guess — make it your best.
Now, as to recipes. One of the best and simplest of recipes is my Couscous Soup. That base is two basic items: broth and couscous. From there, the possibilities are limitless. First, decide if you want chicken or beef — that will decide your broth flavor, if, indeed you wish to have a meat in the soup. I've used beef with finely diced steak, and chicken shredded in chicken broth. To give you an idea of portioning, I used one chicken breast, baked in the oven with basil, rosemary, and thyme. I shredded that one breast and made soup for 10-12 people. Here is where the flavors blossom. If you want an Oriental flair, add a little ginger, soy sauce, shredded carrot, bean sprouts, celery, onion, and garlic. If you'd prefer a more European taste, add basil, rosemary, (of course, if you did up the chicken like I did, you won't need to add the basil and rosemary), cut up green beans, celery, shallot, and garlic. Now, for a Moroccan experience, use chickpeas, cinnamon, cumin and carrot and of course, garlic,
Remember, this is a soup, a broth-type item. It is NOT a stew. When I said chickpeas, I mean, maybe 2 or 3 chickpeas in a small cup of soup. Even the couscous is limited. When I make it for my wife and I, I use 2 cups of broth, maybe a 1/4 cup of couscous, a couple of bean sprouts, maybe a half (if that much) rib of celery diced up real small, and a baby carrot shredded. It's about the broth and the flavors, not about filling you up. Think — wonton soup. It's not loaded with eight or ten wontons but usually one lone, maybe two wontons in a rich, flavorful broth.
Again, this soup is what you make it. I usually cook the couscous ahead of time. It's so difficult to make — one cup hot water, 3/4 cup couscous, cover and let sit for 5 min. Voila! Done! By the way, that is a lot of couscous. As stated above, for the two of us, I use only a 1/3 cup of couscous to cook.
As to other recipes. Really, the internet is full of wonderful ideas and a plethora of recipes. Give it some thought and then go searching for something out of the usual. I found a great way to "up" the ante on carrots. Chop up raw carrots any way you want, give them a flair even. Then boil them until crisp tender, drain and put butter (not margarine) to melt over them. Add a little cinnamon, a pinch of brown sugar and a dash of nutmeg. Now you're cooking.
Potatoes? One can have the same-o, same-o mash taters or take it a little of out the ordinary and add cabbage to the mix... or cauliflower... or even carrots. I have taken potatoes and cabbage, boiled them together, added some glazed diced onions and minced garlic, and mashed it all together. Just remember the cabbage won't mash completely down to that silky smoothness, so you don't have to try to attempt that with the potatoes. Sometimes lumpiness is nice. When I added the carrots, it was just a few and of course, the mashed potatoes took on a nice orange color. Now, for the potato and cauliflower, that whipped up nice and smooth and it had that difference to keep the guests on their toes.
Cooking is about taking the ordinary and moving it into the extraordinary in the simplest way.
Green beans. Everyone boils them and tosses some bacon bits on them. Voila! Sidedish - done. Now, take it to the next step. Rather than boiling them in water, use chicken broth. Right before serving, add a dash of sesame oil (just a couple of drops) and let simmer in the bowl on the table. If you want to throw bacon bits at the mixture, you can, but they really will stand on their own without them.
So, what is my secret to cooking? Read the recipe. Read the recipe again and figure out what it is doing. Read the recipe yet again to understand how it is made. Read the recipe once more to see how it can be improved. Make it according to directions. Taste it. Next time, adjust it to make it yours.
I once asked my chef mentor - a well-known TV chef of the 70s - how much wine to add to a recipe. He told me: Enough to make it feel wanted.
That is true of all ingredients. You add enough of each to make it compliment the others. A pot of water tastes good by itself. But, if you add a potato, it tastes better. Add a carrot. Add some corn. Add some meat. Add some... Each ingredient is great on its own but together, like a symphony, it will make a beautiful mixture.
Until next I ramble on...
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Harvest Time Goodies
Harvest time has hit the grocery stores.
My garden is a wee bit slow on coming to harvest. I mean, the peas were great early on but, as of now, nothing else has really come to fruit. There are plenty of tomatoes on the vines - they're loaded but nothing red, only green. Trust me, I'm fighting the urge to pluck and fry them. The garlic has once again done its disappearing act and the onions are struggling to grow. Guess I'm not to grow onions and garlic. Not going to even try next year. The beets are still growing. My son's mother-in-law has huge beets growing in her garden. Me? They look like baby beets. Oh, I noticed yesterday that the pole beans are finally starting to blossom. Yay!
Of course, I'm in no big rush to get out there and harvest since it has been hotter than Hades around here the last few weeks.
Me? I'd prefer to go to the state park and camp. Yup, enjoy the cool lake breeze waft through the pines, maples, oaks and other trees. (I'm rambling...)
So, anyway, the grocery stores have started to lower prices on produce. I went to the store last week and they had cabbage for 19¢ a pound. At that price, it was time to make Cabbage Balls. I made about 20 of them and they are now residing in the freezer for a yummy winter treat. Of course, I'm not that dumb, we had some that same night - just to make sure they were good. They were!
Peppers (the green ones) which normally go for upwards of 89¢ each, well, they were 5/$1.00. And they were HUGE! That can only mean one thing - Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole. I normally make stuffed green peppers, but found doing a casserole stores easier. So I made up a huge pan full, uh, my wife baked cakes and we still have the 12x18 sheet cake pan. That's what I used. We froze up 6 quarts. And again, we tasted the fruits of the effort. I can't believe I'm saying this - C'mon snow!!
Using the above two ingredients, my wife, the expert at making freezer slaw aka Sweet and Sour Coleslaw, used one head of cabbage and one large green bell pepper. She made up 8 freezer bags of this food of the gods.
Another use for cabbage? Egg rolls. I love egg rolls. So, I made up some egg roll filling and wrapped up a total of 36 egg rolls. I put them into hot oil to parboil them, sort of. Then I placed them on a cookie sheet and into the freezer. Once frozen, they got shuffled into gallon bags. Notice I say bags. My daughter-in-law, granddaughter and great-grandson came over the next day after I made them — to make sure they were of the proper quality. Okay, my great-grandson is only 10 months old so he didn't really test them. My wife, my daughter-in-law, my granddaughter and I did. And they passed the test with flying colors. Delicious, a perfect filling — nice tight roll, not greasy, great chicken/pork/cabbage ratio and flavor.
Broccoli was on sale. Not the ones with the huge stem still attached. No, these were the crowns, the florets with only enough stem to keep the florets together as a head. And they were huge, too. I bought a lot of them - uh, six. So, I made Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole using the above mentioned cake pan. Froze up 6 quarts of these beauties, too. Needless to say, yummy.
Also, cauliflower was on sale and we couldn't pass it up. We got 4 heads of cauliflower and my wife broke them up into small florets, parboiled them and onto a cookie sheet to freeze they went. We now have two gallons of cauliflower to use with broccoli and/or carrots for veggies during the winter.
I guess I should mention that we also found chicken breast, sausage, ground pork, and ground beef also on sale at different local groceries. We made the rounds to a total of 5 stores - 2 farm markets for the veggies and 3 grocery stores. Actually, the one farm market was 60 miles away from our house and is what got us started on this adventure.
We were coming home from visiting our sons up north in the Detroit, Michigan area. As we came through Toledo, my wife thought it would behoove us to stop at Monettes, a fresh farm market. We did and found some of the veggies. The rest was history as we stopped at the local farm market day which is held twice a week around the square in Bryan, Ohio. Then it was a stop at our Chief Supermarket and Wal Mart. (I think there is a Wal Mart within 20 mi of anyone in the U.S.) And then off to Montpelier, Ohio, where Miller's was having a huge meat sale.
Sure, we spent more on food this month than usual, but then again, we have more food in our freezer for us to eat. We'll be able to cut back on food costs during the winter.
Is this method practical? Let's see. Sweet and Sour Coleslaw is $3.49/lb at the store. I bought a cabbage head for 83¢ and a green pepper for 20¢ — so basically about $1. I got almost 5 pounds of coleslaw. I would say, offhand, I saved about $15. Yes, there is sugar and vinegar to add in. Let's be conservative on savings and say I saved $10. Uh, that's ten dollars in MY pocket. To make this on a whim at some point down the road at say, 69¢ a pound for cabbage and 89¢ for a green pepper? Sure, it is still cheaper than buying, but the cost has gone up almost $3 just on those two ingredients. Go ahead, call me a tight-ass, but a penny saved, even a nickel or a dime, is money for me.
When my tomatoes start coming in, we will be making diced, stewed and sauce. Also a lot of my wife's famous salsa which I snarfle down during the winter months.
Sweet corn is coming to harvest around here, but it is still the early rush. I'll wait and when the price drops, I'll go get some and we'll freeze up some of that golden delight. Wal Mart had some for 12¢ an ear — that works out to be $1.44/dozen which beats the crap out of $2.75 for a half dozen at the farmer's market right now.
Lest we forget, the orchards are coming to harvest, too. Peaches and apples. Yum! The next couple of months will be busy as we scurry around like chipmunks, burying our treasures in the freezer or canning jars for the coming winter.
Okay, this one will probably flabbergast you. Eggs. Remember my chicks? All 18 of them? Well, they are now full-sized hens and laying eggs. Yes, I'm getting about 12-17 eggs daily. In other words, about 9 dozen eggs a week. They've been small but as the months have progressed, the eggs have gotten larger on a regular basis. My 4 sons have been taking some and enjoying the harvest but even now, they can't keep up with the production. I'm going to have to put up a sign and start selling some. Now for the flabbergaster. You can freeze eggs. One only needs to crack the eggs and put them in ice-trays and freeze. When frozen, pop them out and toss them into a gallon bag. When you need an egg or two, grab out what is needed. We're considering this. Anyone ever done it? I have six dozen eggs in my frig at this very moment. The boys are all coming this weekend (so I've heard) and that will bring down the stock, but…
I guess I should mention we have two freezers. One (chest type) is for meats. The other (upright) is for non-meats, okay, for everything else. Both are getting filled right now. I'm hoping I can find shrimp and crab on sale again. My stock is running low. As to fish, I have some salmon and steelhead stocked. I want more cod, catfish, orange roughy and perch. Now, I've heard through the grapevine that one of our local grocery stores will be having a huge meat sale within the next 30 days. I see meatloaf, chicken tacquitos, lemon-garlic chicken, chicken pot pie, cranberry pork, chili, potato soup, beef barley stew, orange ginger chicken and a plethora of other recipes being made en-mass for the freezer.
I think the hardest part of winter this coming year will be deciding which meal to get out of the freezer to heat up and eat.
Until next I ramble on...
My garden is a wee bit slow on coming to harvest. I mean, the peas were great early on but, as of now, nothing else has really come to fruit. There are plenty of tomatoes on the vines - they're loaded but nothing red, only green. Trust me, I'm fighting the urge to pluck and fry them. The garlic has once again done its disappearing act and the onions are struggling to grow. Guess I'm not to grow onions and garlic. Not going to even try next year. The beets are still growing. My son's mother-in-law has huge beets growing in her garden. Me? They look like baby beets. Oh, I noticed yesterday that the pole beans are finally starting to blossom. Yay!
Of course, I'm in no big rush to get out there and harvest since it has been hotter than Hades around here the last few weeks.
Me? I'd prefer to go to the state park and camp. Yup, enjoy the cool lake breeze waft through the pines, maples, oaks and other trees. (I'm rambling...)
So, anyway, the grocery stores have started to lower prices on produce. I went to the store last week and they had cabbage for 19¢ a pound. At that price, it was time to make Cabbage Balls. I made about 20 of them and they are now residing in the freezer for a yummy winter treat. Of course, I'm not that dumb, we had some that same night - just to make sure they were good. They were!
Peppers (the green ones) which normally go for upwards of 89¢ each, well, they were 5/$1.00. And they were HUGE! That can only mean one thing - Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole. I normally make stuffed green peppers, but found doing a casserole stores easier. So I made up a huge pan full, uh, my wife baked cakes and we still have the 12x18 sheet cake pan. That's what I used. We froze up 6 quarts. And again, we tasted the fruits of the effort. I can't believe I'm saying this - C'mon snow!!
Using the above two ingredients, my wife, the expert at making freezer slaw aka Sweet and Sour Coleslaw, used one head of cabbage and one large green bell pepper. She made up 8 freezer bags of this food of the gods.
Another use for cabbage? Egg rolls. I love egg rolls. So, I made up some egg roll filling and wrapped up a total of 36 egg rolls. I put them into hot oil to parboil them, sort of. Then I placed them on a cookie sheet and into the freezer. Once frozen, they got shuffled into gallon bags. Notice I say bags. My daughter-in-law, granddaughter and great-grandson came over the next day after I made them — to make sure they were of the proper quality. Okay, my great-grandson is only 10 months old so he didn't really test them. My wife, my daughter-in-law, my granddaughter and I did. And they passed the test with flying colors. Delicious, a perfect filling — nice tight roll, not greasy, great chicken/pork/cabbage ratio and flavor.
Also, cauliflower was on sale and we couldn't pass it up. We got 4 heads of cauliflower and my wife broke them up into small florets, parboiled them and onto a cookie sheet to freeze they went. We now have two gallons of cauliflower to use with broccoli and/or carrots for veggies during the winter.
I guess I should mention that we also found chicken breast, sausage, ground pork, and ground beef also on sale at different local groceries. We made the rounds to a total of 5 stores - 2 farm markets for the veggies and 3 grocery stores. Actually, the one farm market was 60 miles away from our house and is what got us started on this adventure.
We were coming home from visiting our sons up north in the Detroit, Michigan area. As we came through Toledo, my wife thought it would behoove us to stop at Monettes, a fresh farm market. We did and found some of the veggies. The rest was history as we stopped at the local farm market day which is held twice a week around the square in Bryan, Ohio. Then it was a stop at our Chief Supermarket and Wal Mart. (I think there is a Wal Mart within 20 mi of anyone in the U.S.) And then off to Montpelier, Ohio, where Miller's was having a huge meat sale.
Sure, we spent more on food this month than usual, but then again, we have more food in our freezer for us to eat. We'll be able to cut back on food costs during the winter.
Is this method practical? Let's see. Sweet and Sour Coleslaw is $3.49/lb at the store. I bought a cabbage head for 83¢ and a green pepper for 20¢ — so basically about $1. I got almost 5 pounds of coleslaw. I would say, offhand, I saved about $15. Yes, there is sugar and vinegar to add in. Let's be conservative on savings and say I saved $10. Uh, that's ten dollars in MY pocket. To make this on a whim at some point down the road at say, 69¢ a pound for cabbage and 89¢ for a green pepper? Sure, it is still cheaper than buying, but the cost has gone up almost $3 just on those two ingredients. Go ahead, call me a tight-ass, but a penny saved, even a nickel or a dime, is money for me.
When my tomatoes start coming in, we will be making diced, stewed and sauce. Also a lot of my wife's famous salsa which I snarfle down during the winter months.
Sweet corn is coming to harvest around here, but it is still the early rush. I'll wait and when the price drops, I'll go get some and we'll freeze up some of that golden delight. Wal Mart had some for 12¢ an ear — that works out to be $1.44/dozen which beats the crap out of $2.75 for a half dozen at the farmer's market right now.
Lest we forget, the orchards are coming to harvest, too. Peaches and apples. Yum! The next couple of months will be busy as we scurry around like chipmunks, burying our treasures in the freezer or canning jars for the coming winter.
Okay, this one will probably flabbergast you. Eggs. Remember my chicks? All 18 of them? Well, they are now full-sized hens and laying eggs. Yes, I'm getting about 12-17 eggs daily. In other words, about 9 dozen eggs a week. They've been small but as the months have progressed, the eggs have gotten larger on a regular basis. My 4 sons have been taking some and enjoying the harvest but even now, they can't keep up with the production. I'm going to have to put up a sign and start selling some. Now for the flabbergaster. You can freeze eggs. One only needs to crack the eggs and put them in ice-trays and freeze. When frozen, pop them out and toss them into a gallon bag. When you need an egg or two, grab out what is needed. We're considering this. Anyone ever done it? I have six dozen eggs in my frig at this very moment. The boys are all coming this weekend (so I've heard) and that will bring down the stock, but…
I guess I should mention we have two freezers. One (chest type) is for meats. The other (upright) is for non-meats, okay, for everything else. Both are getting filled right now. I'm hoping I can find shrimp and crab on sale again. My stock is running low. As to fish, I have some salmon and steelhead stocked. I want more cod, catfish, orange roughy and perch. Now, I've heard through the grapevine that one of our local grocery stores will be having a huge meat sale within the next 30 days. I see meatloaf, chicken tacquitos, lemon-garlic chicken, chicken pot pie, cranberry pork, chili, potato soup, beef barley stew, orange ginger chicken and a plethora of other recipes being made en-mass for the freezer.
I think the hardest part of winter this coming year will be deciding which meal to get out of the freezer to heat up and eat.
Until next I ramble on...
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Raped At The Farm Market
We've all been to them - those quaint, little 'ma and pa' farm markets where you get all those great farm-fresh vegetables and fruits.
In our little community, they have one set up on a corner of a 'chain' drugstore parking lot. Yes, they've got the big tent and tables with all the produce and some nice Mennonite young ladies to serve you. I think that is part of the wholesomeness one expects.
My wife picked up 3 nice tomatoes since we both had a hankering for some and our tomatoes are still just a tad too green ... okay, they are just green rocks right now -- to eat. And we got a baker's 1/2 dozen of what they call Indiana sweet corn. Some of the best around. For seven ears of this sweet ambrosia, the price was a mere $2.75. Cough. Hack. Cough. Our local WalMart is selling sweet corn for $.12 an ear. Hm? 7 X $.12 = $.84. Not even ONE dollar. And, yes, the WalMart sweet corn is usually pretty good and fresh.
But, this was Indiana sweet corn and I'm willing to fork out a few more dollars for ambrosia.
The young lady smiled at me and said, "That will be $9.25." Without thinking, I forked over a $10 bill and graciously accepted the 3 quarters of change.
As we drove away my mind started thinking and my wife also came to the same conclusion... uh, exactly how did 3 tomatoes and 7 ears of corn come up to over nine dollars?
Seems the tomatoes were selling for $2.65 a pound.
HUH?
I remember when I could buy three pounds of tomatoes for a single dollar. Now it is almost three dollars for a single pound.
Suddenly, I knew what it felt like to be raped. That young Mennonite girl smiled at me and took my money with not so much as a blink.
Now I like farm-fresh veggies and all. I'm not a fanatic where it has to be all organic or anything like that, screaming for pesticide-free veggies. I just wanted fresh - something that hadn't been packed 2 days ago in a state maybe 3 or 4 states away and then transported to my local store to make me think it was plucked from the vine/tree/ground/etc only moments before I got it.
I like to think I live in the real world.
Uh, is $2.65 per pound for tomatoes too much? I mean, if that is a 'fair' price, I've got a literal gold mine growing in my garden. Next year I'll plant even more tomatoes and should be able to make my first million by October 2017. Whoo-hoo! My tomatoes are grown from seed. I have about 100 seeds left ... uh, that could easily be 100 plants and at almost a pound per tomato... you do the math.
As I have had a small amount of time to reflect on this incident, I think I've realized why the pricing is the way it is. They allow senior citizens to use free tickets from the government to purchase fresh products to eat. As I see it, once more, it is the case of the $200 Army hammer that anyone else can buy at the local hardware store for $5 to $8. Government money abuse.
Think about it. The senior citizens get the tickets for free. It didn't cost them anything. So the vendor, Mr. Happy Farmer, can charge whatever he wishes ... somebody else is picking up the price of the tickets. I'd like to say the government, but in reality, it will be you and me via our taxes.
As many people don't realize. The government is not a real business. It hands out free money to people but that money is not profit from some business. Uh, for those who really don't understand, every government employee - including your Senator and House Rep, gets her/her salary from your taxes. Yes. It is tax money collected. It is ALL tax money from somewhere - either via a large/small business or each person. The government does not earn profit (money) but they give away money as if they were printing it. Oh, wait, they do print it. My bad.
But, I digress.
Enjoy the harvest of fresh veggies from the farm - just be sure to watch the prices.
Until next I ramble on...
In our little community, they have one set up on a corner of a 'chain' drugstore parking lot. Yes, they've got the big tent and tables with all the produce and some nice Mennonite young ladies to serve you. I think that is part of the wholesomeness one expects.
My wife picked up 3 nice tomatoes since we both had a hankering for some and our tomatoes are still just a tad too green ... okay, they are just green rocks right now -- to eat. And we got a baker's 1/2 dozen of what they call Indiana sweet corn. Some of the best around. For seven ears of this sweet ambrosia, the price was a mere $2.75. Cough. Hack. Cough. Our local WalMart is selling sweet corn for $.12 an ear. Hm? 7 X $.12 = $.84. Not even ONE dollar. And, yes, the WalMart sweet corn is usually pretty good and fresh.
But, this was Indiana sweet corn and I'm willing to fork out a few more dollars for ambrosia.
The young lady smiled at me and said, "That will be $9.25." Without thinking, I forked over a $10 bill and graciously accepted the 3 quarters of change.
As we drove away my mind started thinking and my wife also came to the same conclusion... uh, exactly how did 3 tomatoes and 7 ears of corn come up to over nine dollars?
Seems the tomatoes were selling for $2.65 a pound.
HUH?
I remember when I could buy three pounds of tomatoes for a single dollar. Now it is almost three dollars for a single pound.
Suddenly, I knew what it felt like to be raped. That young Mennonite girl smiled at me and took my money with not so much as a blink.
Now I like farm-fresh veggies and all. I'm not a fanatic where it has to be all organic or anything like that, screaming for pesticide-free veggies. I just wanted fresh - something that hadn't been packed 2 days ago in a state maybe 3 or 4 states away and then transported to my local store to make me think it was plucked from the vine/tree/ground/etc only moments before I got it.
I like to think I live in the real world.
Uh, is $2.65 per pound for tomatoes too much? I mean, if that is a 'fair' price, I've got a literal gold mine growing in my garden. Next year I'll plant even more tomatoes and should be able to make my first million by October 2017. Whoo-hoo! My tomatoes are grown from seed. I have about 100 seeds left ... uh, that could easily be 100 plants and at almost a pound per tomato... you do the math.
As I have had a small amount of time to reflect on this incident, I think I've realized why the pricing is the way it is. They allow senior citizens to use free tickets from the government to purchase fresh products to eat. As I see it, once more, it is the case of the $200 Army hammer that anyone else can buy at the local hardware store for $5 to $8. Government money abuse.
Think about it. The senior citizens get the tickets for free. It didn't cost them anything. So the vendor, Mr. Happy Farmer, can charge whatever he wishes ... somebody else is picking up the price of the tickets. I'd like to say the government, but in reality, it will be you and me via our taxes.
As many people don't realize. The government is not a real business. It hands out free money to people but that money is not profit from some business. Uh, for those who really don't understand, every government employee - including your Senator and House Rep, gets her/her salary from your taxes. Yes. It is tax money collected. It is ALL tax money from somewhere - either via a large/small business or each person. The government does not earn profit (money) but they give away money as if they were printing it. Oh, wait, they do print it. My bad.
But, I digress.
Enjoy the harvest of fresh veggies from the farm - just be sure to watch the prices.
Until next I ramble on...
Monday, April 11, 2016
Aw, Crap!
Even the best laid plans go awry. Oh, how true.
I am attempting to get a chicken coop built. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, has gone right. The weather was beautiful and we started the project by getting the platform and some of the wood. We covered it and it has been covered more than uncovered. My boys can only work on it during the weekends and they are limited weekends due to their jobs. So we've had two great weekends, one they were able to get a little work done, the other they had to do mandatory overtime. Almost every other weekend has been crappy. This weekend was no different - okay, a little different. A mere fifty miles away in Toledo, they got over six (6) inches of snow!! We got about two (2) inches mixed with ice. Whoo-hoo? To finish the coop, we need to finalize the roof with shingles and finish the north wall and add one more stud to that north wall to match the south wall so we can put in a retainer wall to keep the chickens on one side and I get to have a small storage shed on the other side. PLUS, I have to build an outdoor enclosure which needs to be all protective. It will be a hoop-type enclosure with fencing going over the hoop and across the bottom on the floor so any invasive critters can't get to my chickens. We have eagles from the top, and cats, foxes, opossums, skunks, stray dogs and yes, even coyotes in the area. I've even heard a bobcat with tracks in my backyard and rumors have it that there is a cougar and bear that roam the outlands where I live - although I haven't seen them - YET. The joke around here at the current time is: The hens will be laying eggs before the coop is done. Just so you understand the joke - it takes a chick to an egg-laying hen - about 5 months. Jeesh! I hope my coop gets done before that!!
I wanted to plant my peas in the garden. My hope was this coming week. Obviously, with the snow and ice this weekend, my plans are going to be delayed a tad. In fact, my hope to weed and cultivate the garden is being delayed with all the rain we've had of late. About the time the ground gets perfect for me to work it, it rains... or snows!
Farmer Bob is getting frustrated... need I say more?
Traveling Bob wants to work on his RV, but again, the weather has not cooperated. Who wants to go outside and work in a cold RV. I mean, the temps have been freezing. Yes, I could "heat" the RV but why should I do that? April is supposed to be a nice month. Remember? March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. April brings May flowers. March sucked and so far, April seems like a "Ground Hog Day" rerun of March. Come on warm weather!!
Writing Bob released a new book. Finally! The collection of stories has been released. Yes, the one which I had you help me decide the cover. It did great the first few days out - reaching #35 in anthologies and even up to position 52K on Amazon. If you're curious about this book...
I am attempting to get a chicken coop built. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, has gone right. The weather was beautiful and we started the project by getting the platform and some of the wood. We covered it and it has been covered more than uncovered. My boys can only work on it during the weekends and they are limited weekends due to their jobs. So we've had two great weekends, one they were able to get a little work done, the other they had to do mandatory overtime. Almost every other weekend has been crappy. This weekend was no different - okay, a little different. A mere fifty miles away in Toledo, they got over six (6) inches of snow!! We got about two (2) inches mixed with ice. Whoo-hoo? To finish the coop, we need to finalize the roof with shingles and finish the north wall and add one more stud to that north wall to match the south wall so we can put in a retainer wall to keep the chickens on one side and I get to have a small storage shed on the other side. PLUS, I have to build an outdoor enclosure which needs to be all protective. It will be a hoop-type enclosure with fencing going over the hoop and across the bottom on the floor so any invasive critters can't get to my chickens. We have eagles from the top, and cats, foxes, opossums, skunks, stray dogs and yes, even coyotes in the area. I've even heard a bobcat with tracks in my backyard and rumors have it that there is a cougar and bear that roam the outlands where I live - although I haven't seen them - YET. The joke around here at the current time is: The hens will be laying eggs before the coop is done. Just so you understand the joke - it takes a chick to an egg-laying hen - about 5 months. Jeesh! I hope my coop gets done before that!!
I wanted to plant my peas in the garden. My hope was this coming week. Obviously, with the snow and ice this weekend, my plans are going to be delayed a tad. In fact, my hope to weed and cultivate the garden is being delayed with all the rain we've had of late. About the time the ground gets perfect for me to work it, it rains... or snows!
Farmer Bob is getting frustrated... need I say more?
Traveling Bob wants to work on his RV, but again, the weather has not cooperated. Who wants to go outside and work in a cold RV. I mean, the temps have been freezing. Yes, I could "heat" the RV but why should I do that? April is supposed to be a nice month. Remember? March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. April brings May flowers. March sucked and so far, April seems like a "Ground Hog Day" rerun of March. Come on warm weather!!
Writing Bob released a new book. Finally! The collection of stories has been released. Yes, the one which I had you help me decide the cover. It did great the first few days out - reaching #35 in anthologies and even up to position 52K on Amazon. If you're curious about this book...
I was asked just how scary the book was. Hm? It is not a blood, guts and gore type collection. I tend to write more "light" horror - I like to play with your mind, the psychological horror. Somebody told me it was more "Twilight Zone" type stories. Whatever. It deals with death and its myriad aspects, so it don't fall under the romance, western or Christian genres!
Oh, while I'm discussing crappy. I went to the doctor and dietitian this past week. Hm? They weren't upset by my almost ten (10) pound gain. Hey! I was!! Seems I'd given in to despair and given up my diet. Too many all-you-can-eat buffets and not watching what I was eating, including all those fabulous Lent fish frys. I'm not Catholic but I love fish frys and look so forward to the Lenten season splurge of local fish frys at almost every organization. Especially those which offer all-you-can-eat fish! So, there are repercussions to eating like this - and I gained almost 10 pounds. Now I need to get back on the bandwagon and be assertive in my goal to lose some weight. Due to the weight-gain I've noticed my blood sugar increase. Everything is interrelated. So I lose weight, my blood sugar will come down and with a little luck, I'll begin the spiral back up to a healthy body instead of the horrible spiral down into oblivion of fat despair.
On an up note - last weekend I had my #1, #2 and #4 sons and their families to visit me and we had a lot of fun. I enjoyed the antics of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The 6 yr olds kept wanting to play outside, eventho it was close to freezing but sunny. The twins who are just learning to walk kept getting into everything and who can ignore their smiles and get upset? The great-grandkids are still learning to sit up and attempt to crawl. But they don't crawl - YET.
This weekend I had my #1, #2 and #3 sons and their families to vist. The older granddaughters were a lot of fun to tease - 14 and 10. And they had a blast in the kitchen with grandma learning how to make different things. Let me tell you this - the drop biscuits were absolutely fantastic and they did them with grandma only giving directions. Plus they helped me with my Farmer Bob chores, feeding and watering the chickens. They started to name the hens - the egg-laying ones. I told them they shouldn't but if they were naming, only name the brown chickens. They only named a couple. Whew! I don't want anyone making pets of these chickens. At some point, the chickens might become nuggets and well, I don't want upset grandkids.
In case you're wondering - sons #1 and #2 live in the immediate area. Sons #3 and #4 live in the Detroit area - about 2 hours away and all of them have jobs where they work with mandatory overtime and/or weekends. We're always happy to see them visit. LOL. I love making a 7plus pound meatloaf - that is 2 pounds of ground beef, 2 pounds of sausage and 3 pounds of venison. Now add the rest of the ingredients - over 7 pounds. YUM! They LOVE meatloaf.
Until next I ramble on...
Monday, February 29, 2016
Farmer Bob
Even the best-laid plans go astray!!
I have been planning and discussing the idea of chickens and eggs with my wife over the last few years and finally, this year, I decided to do something about it. I even got my sons involved and they have the wood to make me a shed/chicken coop. After several "talks" with my lovely bride, we decided that six chickens would be the best number, giving us the eggs we need and extras, too.
We were going to get them on Weds morning with a trip to Angola to Rural King for the chicks and necessary equipment AND a little side trip to a couple of other stores for some things we thought we might want but didn't really need.. We awoke to a snowstorm and decided that two old farts didn't need to be out on the highways in that kind of weather. So it was delayed to Thursday.
Thursday came and our #3 son called needing some help and could we come to the Detroit area. We said, weather permitting. So we headed to Detroit on Thursday with hopes of getting our chicks on Friday. That idea quickly dissipated when we realized we would be staying overnight and probably not be getting home until late on Friday night.
Our #4 son called to let us know he was coming to visit over the weekend. He had no idea what I had in plan for him! LOL.
Saturday morning, my #4 son in tow along with two of his daughters, my granddaughters, Zora and Keeley, ages 6 and 5, we headed to Rural King in Angola, Indiana.
I was informed I needed to buy EIGHT chicks, one for each of the younger grandchildren and great-grandchildren. HUH? I was buying egg layers, I wasn't buying pets!! My lovely wife instructed me to get one chick for each of the grandchildren - Hailey, Cora, Zora, Keeley, Jaxson and Makayla plus the great-grandchildren, Gracie and Easton. Guess I was buying pets that also laid eggs!
Okay, not my original plan but something doable. Hey! I was getting my chicks!!!
Here they are:
I have been planning and discussing the idea of chickens and eggs with my wife over the last few years and finally, this year, I decided to do something about it. I even got my sons involved and they have the wood to make me a shed/chicken coop. After several "talks" with my lovely bride, we decided that six chickens would be the best number, giving us the eggs we need and extras, too.
We were going to get them on Weds morning with a trip to Angola to Rural King for the chicks and necessary equipment AND a little side trip to a couple of other stores for some things we thought we might want but didn't really need.. We awoke to a snowstorm and decided that two old farts didn't need to be out on the highways in that kind of weather. So it was delayed to Thursday.
Thursday came and our #3 son called needing some help and could we come to the Detroit area. We said, weather permitting. So we headed to Detroit on Thursday with hopes of getting our chicks on Friday. That idea quickly dissipated when we realized we would be staying overnight and probably not be getting home until late on Friday night.
Our #4 son called to let us know he was coming to visit over the weekend. He had no idea what I had in plan for him! LOL.
Saturday morning, my #4 son in tow along with two of his daughters, my granddaughters, Zora and Keeley, ages 6 and 5, we headed to Rural King in Angola, Indiana.
I was informed I needed to buy EIGHT chicks, one for each of the younger grandchildren and great-grandchildren. HUH? I was buying egg layers, I wasn't buying pets!! My lovely wife instructed me to get one chick for each of the grandchildren - Hailey, Cora, Zora, Keeley, Jaxson and Makayla plus the great-grandchildren, Gracie and Easton. Guess I was buying pets that also laid eggs!
Okay, not my original plan but something doable. Hey! I was getting my chicks!!!
Here they are:
 |
| 3 of the 8 chickens |
 |
| 5 of the 8 chickens |
 |
| All 8 huddled together |
The last picture does have all eight chicks in the picture. There is one hidden at the very top, getting a drink - you can just see her butt. Yes, her. These are all pullets - hens. No roosters. These will be our egg producers.
Actually, I call the last picture - Everyone in the pool since they all went scurrying up to the water tank when I stuck the camera in to take a picture. They are currently "homed" in a 55 gal aquarium that once was a turtle habitat. I figure that the current residence will be good for at least two weeks, maybe even three. Hopefully, by then, the coop will be a reality, otherwise, I will need to figure out something else until the coop is built.
BTW, two of them already have names. I didn't plan on naming them but since Zora and Keeley went along, one is named Emily, another is Hannah. Don't ask me which one is who, I don't want to get to friendly with my future food. Yes, food, at some point, but not pets. No pets!!
They will soon be visited by their cousins - another 25 chicks I will be buying for butchering after raising them for 8 weeks. If that works, my wife says we may consider another 25 to definitely fill the freezer for the winter.
ALSO, I will be getting two tom turkeys to raise. Then again, we might up the ante on them to 3 or 4. I mean, turkey is good. My nephew raised one several years ago. Come Thanksgiving, it dressed out over 32 pounds and was soooo delicious. I'll be happy if they are 25 pounds when it comes time to butcher.
Well, this is Farmer Bob signing off...
Until next I ramble on...
Monday, August 10, 2015
Some Ranting
I've noticed what I can only call 'absolute food waste' of late.
Today I stopped in at the local Chinese restaurant for some carryout (or take away OR whatever you call it when you don't eat at the restaurant - another rant later) and while I waited for my order to be cooked, I watched two young men eat from the daily buffet. These were two well-muscled men of about 25-30 years of age, definitely laborers, not office types.
#1 pushed his partially filled plate away with a "This doesn't taste as good as I thought it would." He then walked up to the buffet, got a new plate and filled it with fried rice and the same beef mixture.
HUH?
If it didn't taste good before, what miracle would make him think a second plate would taste better? He sat down, ate about half and then placed that plate on top of the earlier one with a "Guess I'll try something else." Once more up to the buffet and gets a sugar dusted donut ball. Sits down, eats maybe 2 bites of it and puts it on the dish. "Too sweet." Oh, you guessed it. Back up to the buffet and gets another one. One bite and it is on the plate.
During this time, #2 isn't inactive. He has been eating from his plate of several things and he, too, pushes it aside and goes up to the buffet. On the discarded plate I can see stuffed mushrooms and white rice. The guy opens the white rice container and piles it onto his plate, then puts what looks like the same beef mixture he had on his first plate. Yes, he also grabs about four stuffed mushrooms. Bites into one of the mushrooms and says "They got a funny taste." and then eats about three or four bites of the rice and beef mixture. Yup! That plate goes onto the other partially filled plate. Back up to the buffet for an egg roll. One bite, the rest is put on the plate to be disposed of.
The two of them start out the door and the owner says "See you Tuesday, yes?" They both nod their heads in agreement, wave and leave.
My order is ready and I nonchalantly ask if they are regulars. They come in every day. The owner says they really love the food. I pay for my order, tell him to say "ni-hau" to his wife and daughter and I leave. I walk past the table where the two men sat and am still amazed by the amount of food they took and left on the plates.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN THIS IN ACTION.
I was at a casino buffet in Detroit. Three rather plump women and one extremely large man were enjoying the meal at the buffet. Well, I thought they were. Each of them came back from the food service with two and three plates each, filled with almost everything available.
Okay, I do watch people but there are some people who demand you watch them. This quartet not only demanded you watch but made sure you heard them, too.
"Oh, Lori. Did you get the Italian chicken? It melts in your mouth." She licks her fingers.
"John, are those potato fritters as good as they look?"
And the conversation bantered about the table as each tasted and sampled their delicacies. You guessed it. A nibble of this, a taste of that. Four platters stacked in the middle, still heaping with food. I noted that John had at least a half dozen chicken wings on his plate. He took ONE bite of ONE wing. The rest were never touched... and he LOVED them.
The four moved again to the buffet line and once more returned with plates filled with yummy food.
We listened to them rave and moan about how great each thing tasted. But they only took one, maybe two bites of each item, leaving the rest on the plate.
Then they headed to the dessert tables. I couldn't believe the number of desserts they brought back to the table. One of the women had a huge slice of strawberry pie that was fluffed with cream and drizzled with chocolate. I'm talking decadent. She took a strawberry from the top, bit off a small segment of the strawberry tip, told everyone how exquisite it tasted, put the strawberry down and ignored the rest of the pie.
The waitress asked us if the party had left when the first round of plates had been pushed together in the middle of the table. We told her we thought they were back in line. She left the plates, unsure if they were done. When they arrived, the waitress hovered in quickly and they informed her to please remove "those" plates as they were done with them. She took off as many as she could and made two trips.
Finally, the three women got up and whisked away to go gambling. John remained and he gazed at the plates of desserts and patted his tummy. The waitress asked if they were done and he nodded in agreement. She cleaned the table and he asked for a glass of water. She brought him a tall glass of water filled with ice. He took a sip. Put it on the table, pushed away and left.
Did I mention, no tip? Even in a buffet, the waitress does perform a minimum of service and I feel, if he or she does it well, deserves a monetary reward. This waitress I felt went way beyond the call of duty. But then, if one is willing to waste food in such a lavish style, I wouldn't expect them to squeeze a tip out.
What really got my goat was the fact these people went to the buffet, filled their plates with heaping servings and then only "tasted" the food. How insensitive and wasteful.
This condition does not only exhibit in those of the world, but also within the family. I was at a family get-together and I watched my nephew, age seven, go to the table of food with his mother, take a handful of black olives and bite each one, only to spit it out because he didn't like the taste. He didn't like the sweet potatoes, potato salad or the ham. He threw it all in the trash... and yes, proceeded to get another plate of black olives, sweet potatoes, potato salad and ham. He tasted and threw it in the trash. When he went back for the third time, his mother told him he shouldn't eat so much. I made the mistake of informing the mother that he had thrown away the food. She informed me that he didn't like those items.
HUH?
You knew he didn't like them --- yet you gave them to him? TWICE??
Only in the last few months have I been able to look at my plate and push it away, knowing that I shouldn't eat that much. For years I was the "garbage disposal" for the family of four boys. We went to a restaurant, if they didn't like or want to eat a certain item, it went on my plate and I ate it. Yes, the repercussions became quickly obvious - I gained weight. But the mindset, I was paying for that food, it must be ate was a difficult one to overcome. It is still an argument within me when I don't eat everything on my plate.
To watch other blatantly take and throw away food....
Until next I ramble on...
Today I stopped in at the local Chinese restaurant for some carryout (or take away OR whatever you call it when you don't eat at the restaurant - another rant later) and while I waited for my order to be cooked, I watched two young men eat from the daily buffet. These were two well-muscled men of about 25-30 years of age, definitely laborers, not office types.
#1 pushed his partially filled plate away with a "This doesn't taste as good as I thought it would." He then walked up to the buffet, got a new plate and filled it with fried rice and the same beef mixture.
HUH?
If it didn't taste good before, what miracle would make him think a second plate would taste better? He sat down, ate about half and then placed that plate on top of the earlier one with a "Guess I'll try something else." Once more up to the buffet and gets a sugar dusted donut ball. Sits down, eats maybe 2 bites of it and puts it on the dish. "Too sweet." Oh, you guessed it. Back up to the buffet and gets another one. One bite and it is on the plate.
During this time, #2 isn't inactive. He has been eating from his plate of several things and he, too, pushes it aside and goes up to the buffet. On the discarded plate I can see stuffed mushrooms and white rice. The guy opens the white rice container and piles it onto his plate, then puts what looks like the same beef mixture he had on his first plate. Yes, he also grabs about four stuffed mushrooms. Bites into one of the mushrooms and says "They got a funny taste." and then eats about three or four bites of the rice and beef mixture. Yup! That plate goes onto the other partially filled plate. Back up to the buffet for an egg roll. One bite, the rest is put on the plate to be disposed of.
The two of them start out the door and the owner says "See you Tuesday, yes?" They both nod their heads in agreement, wave and leave.
My order is ready and I nonchalantly ask if they are regulars. They come in every day. The owner says they really love the food. I pay for my order, tell him to say "ni-hau" to his wife and daughter and I leave. I walk past the table where the two men sat and am still amazed by the amount of food they took and left on the plates.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN THIS IN ACTION.
I was at a casino buffet in Detroit. Three rather plump women and one extremely large man were enjoying the meal at the buffet. Well, I thought they were. Each of them came back from the food service with two and three plates each, filled with almost everything available.
Okay, I do watch people but there are some people who demand you watch them. This quartet not only demanded you watch but made sure you heard them, too.
"Oh, Lori. Did you get the Italian chicken? It melts in your mouth." She licks her fingers.
"John, are those potato fritters as good as they look?"
And the conversation bantered about the table as each tasted and sampled their delicacies. You guessed it. A nibble of this, a taste of that. Four platters stacked in the middle, still heaping with food. I noted that John had at least a half dozen chicken wings on his plate. He took ONE bite of ONE wing. The rest were never touched... and he LOVED them.
The four moved again to the buffet line and once more returned with plates filled with yummy food.
We listened to them rave and moan about how great each thing tasted. But they only took one, maybe two bites of each item, leaving the rest on the plate.
Then they headed to the dessert tables. I couldn't believe the number of desserts they brought back to the table. One of the women had a huge slice of strawberry pie that was fluffed with cream and drizzled with chocolate. I'm talking decadent. She took a strawberry from the top, bit off a small segment of the strawberry tip, told everyone how exquisite it tasted, put the strawberry down and ignored the rest of the pie.
The waitress asked us if the party had left when the first round of plates had been pushed together in the middle of the table. We told her we thought they were back in line. She left the plates, unsure if they were done. When they arrived, the waitress hovered in quickly and they informed her to please remove "those" plates as they were done with them. She took off as many as she could and made two trips.
Finally, the three women got up and whisked away to go gambling. John remained and he gazed at the plates of desserts and patted his tummy. The waitress asked if they were done and he nodded in agreement. She cleaned the table and he asked for a glass of water. She brought him a tall glass of water filled with ice. He took a sip. Put it on the table, pushed away and left.
Did I mention, no tip? Even in a buffet, the waitress does perform a minimum of service and I feel, if he or she does it well, deserves a monetary reward. This waitress I felt went way beyond the call of duty. But then, if one is willing to waste food in such a lavish style, I wouldn't expect them to squeeze a tip out.
What really got my goat was the fact these people went to the buffet, filled their plates with heaping servings and then only "tasted" the food. How insensitive and wasteful.
This condition does not only exhibit in those of the world, but also within the family. I was at a family get-together and I watched my nephew, age seven, go to the table of food with his mother, take a handful of black olives and bite each one, only to spit it out because he didn't like the taste. He didn't like the sweet potatoes, potato salad or the ham. He threw it all in the trash... and yes, proceeded to get another plate of black olives, sweet potatoes, potato salad and ham. He tasted and threw it in the trash. When he went back for the third time, his mother told him he shouldn't eat so much. I made the mistake of informing the mother that he had thrown away the food. She informed me that he didn't like those items.
HUH?
You knew he didn't like them --- yet you gave them to him? TWICE??
Only in the last few months have I been able to look at my plate and push it away, knowing that I shouldn't eat that much. For years I was the "garbage disposal" for the family of four boys. We went to a restaurant, if they didn't like or want to eat a certain item, it went on my plate and I ate it. Yes, the repercussions became quickly obvious - I gained weight. But the mindset, I was paying for that food, it must be ate was a difficult one to overcome. It is still an argument within me when I don't eat everything on my plate.
To watch other blatantly take and throw away food....
Until next I ramble on...
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