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Microwave Cornbread!?!

Ingredients List:

  • 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Cornmeal Flour
  • 2 Tbsp baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 Cup Milk
  • 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Olive Oil

Tools:
Wooden Spoon
Whisk
Mixing Bowl
8×8 Baking Dish
Butter, or Cooking Spray

Mix the solids, and whisk the liquids, add the liquids to the solids to and whisk until a batter forms. Don’t want any dry clumps in it. Once it’s well whisked, pour into a glass baking dish, your preference of thickness, but we chose a typical 8×8 baking dish. Microwave (on high, we have a 900-watt) for 3 minutes 30 seconds, and voila. In less than 10 minutes, on the first try, you have some delicious cornbread.

On Sunday I made Chili, and my fiancee made cornbread waffles bowls. While that was good she wanted to have regular cornbread the following day with the left-overs. But, I inadvertently occupied our oven with a banana bread, without thinking about how long it takes to bake and how close dinner was.

Luckily we have a microwave, and a quick “Hey Google” later and I was happy to discover that yes, there are recipes out there. I settled on a simple one that goes as follows

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Ground-Beef Keema Curry

Ingredients List:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil (not Virgin, not Light)
  • 1 onion, chopped (medium in size, white or yellow)
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp ginger, minced
  • 8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 lb. of ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp curry powder, or home-made mix
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 tomatoes chopped, or a 32 oz can of hot salsa (tomato, onion, garlic, pepper)
  • 1 cup chicken stock (exclude if using canned tomato)
  • salt to taste
  • cilantro for garnish, chopped







Home-made Curry Powder Mix

  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon

Quick and easy one-pot meal that can easily be made more complicated for company. Begin by heating your pan to medium, and pouring the oil into the hot pan. Immediately followed by the chopped onion. You can prep everything else after this but the onion should be prepped ahead of putting the oil in the pan. Cook the onion for 5-10 minutes depending on how caramelized you like it, and add the garlic 2 minutes before adding ginger, mushrooms, & zucchini.

After 5 more minutes, push all of the vegetables to the edges, and put the ground beef into the center of the pan. A 90% lean is what I like for this but any ground-beef will be fine. Brown the beef, seasoning with half of the spices, while the other half can be sprinkled on to the ring of vegetables around the beef. Mix everything up and when the meat is about browned to your satisfaction, no more than 5 minutes, add the tomato and sprinkle more seasoning until it smells great to you. What I’ve listed is more of a guideline.

Finally, add the chicken stock and stir so everything is evenly distributed and combined thoroughly. Place a lid on the pan, turn the temperature down to medium-low, and let simmer together for 10 minutes.

Serve over Basmati rice for a more traditional Pakistani-restaurant feel, but we already used zucchini instead of green pea’s so it’s not very traditional. Any rice you have will suffice, I prefer spicy brown rice, which I’ll have to remember to link to later.

Enjoy this quick week-night one-pan meal.

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Unctuous

unctuous | unc·tu·ous |ˈəNG(k)(t)SH(o͞o)əs
(adjective)

  1. (of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily: he seemed anxious to please but not in an unctuous way.
  2. (chiefly of minerals) having a greasy or soapy feel.

<ORIGIN>
late Middle English (in the sense ‘greasy’): from medieval Latin unctuosus, from Latin unctus ‘anointing’, from unguere ‘anoint’.

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McConnell’s Political Football

I hope that my intuition is incorrect, but I believe Senator McConnell planning to have the impeachment after inauguration day is for a few, political, reasons.

  1. He’ll use the impeachment, to inspire Conservatives in the mid-terms, as an example of how dangerous the Left is when they have Majority. Something to the effect of “look at what the Democrats have done. They didn’t even wait 1 week before they used their Liberal clout to bulldoze over the will of the people.” Even though he largely agrees that Trump is dangerous at this point in time.
  2. He’ll use it to try to save face, to show the country that he was willing to edge out a GOP politician and “reach across the aisle”. While still saving face with his constituents by waiting until after Trump’s term is over to even hear the argument. 5 people died because of Trumps words.
  3. McConnell will try to get all of the GOP to fall in line. And I believe he’ll be 98% successful. But if he can’t, he’ll ensure there’s just enough R-Senators from just the right states that do cast their votes for Trump as guilty. All in the effort to maintain their seats in the mid-terms.

It’s too little too late. Like Bill Belichick not accepting the medal in all this travesty. Where’s the loyalty? We’ve known President Trump was dangerous for years, and he’s been enabled by men like Senator McConnell. We’ve known he’s a hypocrite though (e.g. The timing of President Obama’s Supreme Court pick and the “no chance in an election year”, yet it’s fine when a GOP President does it with even less time). But I at least hoped he would remain loyal. But you don’t get to be a Senator for 35 years without stepping on a few allies.

I’m hoping there’s a way to get term-limits on the ballot in the mid-terms. Call your elected officials. This post is about McConnell but there are only a few good actors in congress and the senate, and I believe limiting their time is the only way to ensure the ultimate welfare of the people.

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Narrowly escaped NOLA

We took a trip to NOLA to celebrate our birthdays, and had a blast. Literally the week before the city, and Louisiana were shut down. You wouldn’t have known Covid-19 was as treacherous a threat in the US walking around the city. People were out and about, Bourbon Street was bustling as usual after Mardis Gras, and jokes were made about Corona beer. It felt like a time to be alive.

We snapped back to reality quickly when our return flight was cancelled, though it only cut our vacation short by a few hours, we rushed to the airport, along with everyone else on our flight to find out what happened. Made it home safely, with a connection through LAX which seemed like the worst idea in the world if the pandemic really was scary. Our pilot was ill, but they couldn’t confirm if it was COVID-19 (likely wouldn’t, why else would they ground a plane?).

We made it home safe and sound, watching as everything was spiking, everywhere and governors of different states taking very different approaches. We’ll see how this pans out.

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Tsundoku. No, not sudoku, Tsundoku!

If you’re like me, you’ve got a lot of ideas about what you can do with your free time. Maybe some of those ideas are such things as: reading! Or what I do, spend money on books, novels and essays that you’re not really going to read anytime soon, but having them on your shelf makes you feel prepared for the end times. I’m not talking about a holy book. Just books, which could be about holy things I suppose but let me stop before I digress further.

While offering no solution about how to actually crack open and finish said books, we can better define the behavior by borrowing a term from Japanese. “Tsundoku” (stumbled upon an article from BBC ), a Japanese word (with an interestingly organic etymology) that means “to let reading pile up”. And the best part? It’s not supposed to carry a negative connotation. So don’t be ashamed to admit it!

I mean, I am. But you shouldn’t be.

And here I am posting it for the world to read. Albeit, in a corner of the internet visited less than the dark web.

Sure, I can’t help but feel bad that I tsundoku. Yet still, I go to a book store, or on my Kindle, and pick up a book by a renowned author or was recommended by a friend, acquaintance, or even a single-serving friend….and there it sits on my shelf, with no inspiration to pick it up, because (or at least what I think the reason is) there’s no urgency to do so.

Now, if I ever find a way to actually develop that urgency, and spend time reading instead of playing video games, fiddling with electronics, and watching TV or Movies, I’ll be sure to share that pro tip. We could all benefit. But quieting the mind long enough to focus on reading is something I find to be more challenging as time goes on. Also, the undivided attention a book requires is difficult to find time for. But I read once, on reddit, that Stephen King suggests always carrying a book with you and reading all the time. In line somewhere. Before a movie starts. In traffic (if it’s not a screen it’s okay, right?). Walking, but only for skilled-readers. Etcetera.

On the off chance actual humans read this, what do you do to get into the reading mood? What’s the last book you picked up that you haven’t even finished the first chapter of? I need some more titles to pick up and keep around for when I break a leg.

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Whole30 – Epilogue: Eat all the grains!

We woke up early our first day off, ready to eat anything our fat little hearts desired. But surprisingly, we didn’t go as crazy as we could have. It seems that eating a certain way for 30 days has, at the least, a temporarily enduring effect. Don’t get me wrong, I ate a lot of garbage this weekend, but I still refrained from eating as much as I could have. But, I wasn’t feeling too energized from the meals we ate day 1 (a scone for first breakfast, an almond strawberry croissant for second breakfast, a beer and schnitzel w/ spatzle at lunch had me with “the itis” for the first time in 30 days).

But, the Sushi we had at dinner treated me just fine. So score 1 for Japanese cuisine (Soybeans, soy sauce, rice and whiskey). Whatever the desert was, was not remarkable, not enjoyable and not necessary. Is desert every necessary? Yes. But this was really drab. Additionally, a 2nd whiskey later in the evening didn’t go down as good, but it wasn’t the top shelf I had earlier. It may be worth investigating the difference in American whiskey and Japanese whiskey, for science! After all, Whole30 is an elimination diet… I need to discover the things that treat my gut well and the things that don’t so I can make educated decisions about what I’m comfortable eating and what I’m willing to put up with.

Sunday I began to feel heartburn? I haven’t figured it out yet, but I want to blame sugar for causing it. I’ve never really felt it before though so I’m not sure if it’s heartburn or just my gut screaming at me to stop with the garbage. But all in all I’ve been making better decisions about food than before Whole30. We did go a little ham on Super Bowl Sunday, where I ate the brownest plate of food I’ve had in months. At least it was air-fried…

On Monday I went back to my new eating habits, because it’s easy. Eggs and chili for breakfast, broccoli “cheddar” soup for lunch… dinner deviated to pre-Whole30, but I feel like we’re still in a splurge mode. We’ve resolved not to go back to our old standard, but to have some flexibility now…. like bread! I got some Ezekiel bread, hoping to have a tuna sandwich with the taste of wheat again tomorrow.

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Whole30 – Day 30: Aaaand we’re done?

I awoke feeling good. The routine? Easy. The food? Already set. Can we keep this up? The 30 day desert for my gut, that was actually a cornucopia, has now passed.

Couldn’t have timed it any better, honestly; with Friday being the last day. Had an easy morning, made some scrambled eggs & added chili on top. I feel like I’m going to be eating that Chili regularly now. Perhaps with butternut squash instead, for some alternate nutrition and a bit less starchy sugar? But can’t feel guilty about this.

Stayed at work a bit extra, but I planned for it, and brought broccoli “cheddar’ soup and chili for lunch/snack. Usually when I have repetetive tasks I get antsy… but today I was calmly going through line after line of a spreadsheet ensuring dates and references in a database were correct, editing as needed. I mention that to say, my patience is even stronger now it seems?

The remainder of the day was spent, uneventfully, shopping around for Culpeper’s Complete Herbalist Guide, and looking for a pawn shop. I’m in need of an old AC adapter for something old enough not to be found in an electronic store. Came up empty handed on both counts but I digress.

I anticipated my girlfriends almond encrusted pollock for dinner for our last Whole30 meal. Looked and thought about at all the places I could choose to eat now. Most don’t seem that interesting. But I am looking forward to the french bakery we’ll go to tomorrow, and the weigh in. Even though I cheated a bit with the doctor visit.

My girlfirned was looking forward to eating something at midnight but as the nigh went on, she passed out and thought, eh, tomorrow’s fine. I was happy to see it though until our breakfast at the French Pastry shop! It’s been real fun. And I hope that I can discover what bothers my gut tomorrow and through next month.

Less journal entries in the future, more stuff about technology :x. And recipes. One more follow up maybe just for a conclusion. Until then.

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Whole30 – Day 29: More chili please

Damn that was good. I woke up today, feeling refreshed and comfortable with my newfound super power of feeling my heart beat. I saw my weight last night. What an elaborate way to get my weight in this process. Couldn’t be helped… I was reviewing my tests to confirm everything personally and there it was at the top of my overview for the visit. But I feel exceptionally good. 6lbs down WITH clothes on? Are you kidding me?! Can’t wait for the real thing tomorrow. Wow, 1 day away from complete.

Today started as usual, except I grabbed the last of the spaghetti squash and an overripe avocado. I regretted using that avo later… it tasted like ethanol *bleh*. Picked it out and ate the rest. The day went better than easy. I had a lot, but I was just feeling good with the news I guess.

Lunch was once again egg salad in a collard wrap. Played with the hip cat, and she’s finally using the warming spot my girlfriend set up for her by the window. When I got home I complimented the robot on a job well done. Coming home to a clean floor…it’s vacuuming was superb.

Since today’s Thursday, it’s game night again. And I thought, I’ll make more chili to share! So I did. I’ve never felt more winning at being an adult than tonight. The chili is easy to make, and I set everything up for success ahead of time. Took out the trash, cleaned the kitchen, and it was done in time for our guest. She ended up complimenting both of us, and wished she had joined us on our journey. We’ll help her along should she ever have the drive. The book is something we no longer need but I’ll keep around for posterity and to share with others.

We didn’t end up playing a game. Instead we watched a Disney Princess movie relevant to our upcoming vacation this year. Our guest hadn’t seen it, and I forgot a lot of it. Tomorrow is the last day! Exciting!! All this chili must be rubbing off, because my girlfriend was cold on the couch and she may be coming down with something. Hopefully not. We’ll see what tomorrow has in store.

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Whole30 – Day 28: Chili, in here?

Today, at 11:20AM I had an appointment with the Doctor. Nearly had a heart attack at the cost, but hey, this is America, jack! But I’m getting ahead of myself. For breakfast, I ate eggs and avocado – and discussed w/ a fellow Whole30 graduate at work about the joys of the incredible edible egg. I wouldn’t have made it through this thing without eggs and potatoes. She was impressed at making scrambled eggs in the microwave. It’s brilliant… but maybe it’s also why I’m feeling funny?

Anywho, the morning went smooth, and I was off to see the doctor at Caesar Strong. Heart rate got up to 96 driving…. 96! But more importantly, I can literally count the beats of my heart just sitting. Getting in was smooth, and I felt cared for. The cost was extraordinary, but this was an extraordinary circumstance for me in other ways that were more important. And this is what an HSA is for.

I had my first EKG, inconclusive, or normal. The cardiologist said it was normal, but the doc in the room with me had concerns enough to ask the cardiologist to review it. He mentioned something that started w/ a P as if I was familiar with it. Regardless, heart seems fine. He humored me with the blood test, and all of that checked out in normal baseline as well. And an X-ray showed nothing.

As expected, its all in my head? Or it’s actually happening and the machines can’t register it! Makes me feel like I’m paranoid to have that thought. So I’m instead moving on with my life. This is normal I guess…

Fast forward to being home at lunch, I played with the hip cat, I can tell she’s getting toned and slimmer. Glad this diet is working for her too. (it’s how much I’m playing with her and giving her exclusively wet food). I ate more egg salad, and returned to work by 1PM. Finished out my day after talking with my girlfriend, since I’ll be cooking it’s Chili time!

I found another home-run of a recipe for Sweet Potato Chili, and ooooh boy it’s good. I always thought I need beans in my chili like a good northerner. Turns out, I just need sweet potato. This will be my go to chili recipe at cook-offs and potlucks. It took almost all of the Chili powder we had but it’s worth it.

Later that night I was feeling good about feeling funny, and we slept kinda early for once. In bed before midnight. Wow.