Happiness is Vera Lynn, 1917-2020, "the Forces' Sweetheart" and the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century

Read all about the amazing woman who bested the Beatles, and Bob Dylan, here.

Happiness is Reformation Day, October 31st every year since 1517

 Perhaps you've heard of it?

 

Happiness is mnemonic calendar verse which actually rhymes

30 days hath September

April, June, and November.

31 the others date,

Excepting February 28.

But in a leap year we divine

February, 29.

or

Thirty days hath September,

April, June and November.

When short February's done,

All the rest have 31.

or

    Thirty days hath September,

    April, June, and November;

    Thirty-one the others date,

    Excepting February, twenty-eight;

    But in leap year we assign

    February, twenty-nine.

The earliest known example of the poem dates to approximately 1425 AD:

Thirty days hath November,

April, June, and September.

Of 28 is but one

And all the remnant 30 and 1. 

Happiness is the "US Field Artillery March"

 

John Philip Sousa unknowingly stole the song, it turns out, from Edmund L. Gruber.

My dad was with the US Army field artillery from 1943-1945, serving in France and Belgium, and trained at the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. As a child I was fascinated by all things artillery and things that go "boom".

To this day I wake up singing this march to myself, silently in my head, as I make the morning coffee:

For it's high high he,

In the Field Artillery,

Shout out your numbers loud and strong!

Happiness is the soundtrack suite from Donovan's Reef by Cyril J. Mockridge, featuring the ever popular Pearly Shells

Here.

Except it wasn't quite yet the "Pearly Shells" we all know in its English adaptation of the original, much older Hawaiian song Pupu A O `Ewa (Shells of `Ewa). Pearly Shells as we know it is by Webley Edwards and Leon Pober. The first recording of that appears to have been by the Hawaii Calls Orchestra and Chorus in 1966, associated with Edwards' radio show of the same name, Hawaii Calls, which was releasing recordings as early as 1956 on the Capitol Records label. I don't see any evidence of the song, however, on their early releases between 1956 and 1962. Perhaps Mockridge's music score for the popular 1963 film Donovan's Reef gave Edwards the idea to ride the wave. By 1980 the song was a "best of" for the orchestra. Of all the performances I've linked to here, I like the sound and energy of Mockridge's version the best.

Happiness is cheap, plentiful canola oil for a happy, healthy heart

Otherwise known as rapeseed oil.

From the story here:

Although care must be taken in handling and processing of canola oil and other vegetable oils, canola oil is a safe and healthy form of fat that will reduce blood LDL cholesterol levels and heart disease risk compared to carbohydrates or saturated fats such as found in beef tallow or butter. Indeed, in a randomized trial that showed one of the most striking reductions in risk of heart disease, canola oil was used as the primary form of fat. Whether using cold pressed canola oil provides some small additional benefit is not clear.

Happiness is learning that antique glass has not in fact flowed

http://pioneercourthouse.org/cupola.html

Here:

The reason for the observation is that in the past, when panes of glass were commonly made by glassblowers, the technique used was to spin molten glass so as to create a round, mostly flat and even plate . . .. This plate was then cut to fit a window. The pieces were not absolutely flat; the edges of the disk became a different thickness as the glass spun. When installed in a window frame, the glass would be placed with the thicker side down both for the sake of stability and to prevent water accumulating in the lead cames at the bottom of the window. Occasionally such glass has been found installed with the thicker side at the top, left or right.

Happiness is Yanni performing Aria, in the Royal Albert Hall, 1995

Here.

The origin is in the "Flower Duet" by Leo Delibes.

An amazing, full operatic version is here.

Happiness is . . . Der Wunder-Meyer

The Great Encyclopedia for the Educated Classes by Joseph Meyer (1796-1856).

Ultimately numbering 52 volumes, Das Grosse Konversations-Lexikon für die gebildeten Stände was the most comprehensive completed German encyclopedia of the 19th century, also called "der Wunder-Meyer" (The marvellous Meyer). The complete set was reprinted 1858-59. ... The 9th edition, now from Mannheim, entitled Meyers Enzyklopädisches Lexikon in 25 Bänden (in 25 volumes), appeared in 1971-79. Just like the very first, this final Mannheim edition was the most comprehensive German encyclopaedia of the century.

"Don't Forget To Feed The Chickens, Huh?"

-- Telly Savalas to Pier Angeli in "The Battle of the Bulge" (1965)

See him say it, here. (Fixed the link 4/21/19).

"No! Not Like That You Namby-Pamby!"

-- Roderick Spode, "Trouble At Totleigh Towers", Jeeves and Wooster,  video here, transcript here.

Beware! Quackery Lives . . . in the Cult of Chiropractic

The quacks of chiropractic are still out there, with their doctrines of innate intelligence and subluxation. Doubters will not be accepted as patients as communicants. The chiropractors do not claim to cure any disease, but commitment is required up front! 12-18 months! 6 months! OK, 10-12 weeks, but that's the minimum. Because subluxations reassert themselves within 24-48 hours of every adjustment, you are nothing but a human ATM machine for the back-cracker. They operate x-ray machines but have never heard of microsieverts, or millirems. Before you realize who they really are, they already have some of your money.

Beware!

“It is the position of the medical profession that chiropractic is an unscientific cult whose practitioners lack the necessary training and background to diagnose and treat human disease. Chiropractic constitutes a hazard to rational health care in the United States because of its substandard and unscientific education of its practitioners and their rigid adherence to an irrational, unscientific approach to disease causation.”

-- AMA House of Delegates, 1966 (seen here)

Brian Jones: Prolific Little Devil and Founder of the 27 Club

At his best in 1964 . . .

. . . and the founder of the 27 Club, despite what they say.

Buckwheat Yogurt Oatcakes

For about two months, I've been avoiding wheat on most days. Saturday night pizza has been the only exception. Otherwise I'm relying on less grain in the diet overall, using oat bran and oats as before but in smaller quantities, substituting brown rice pasta and corn tostadas for wheat pastas and wheat flour tortillas.

There's reason to believe that wheat is a major contributor to small LDL, which in its turn is suspected as a prime culprit in cardiovascular disease. The usual cholesterol panel you get at your annual physical tells you absolutely nothing about particle size, and doesn't even really measure LDL. It's a calculation, not a measurement.

So when I got the results of a special blood panel back in 2008 and found out my supposedly pretty good cholesterol numbers revealed many small LDL, I started to look into the subject more deeply. Most interesting has been the clinical work of a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, cardiologist named William Davis. His book, Track Your Plaque, has interesting dietary recommendations which frequently dovetail with the super foods menu. And his blog keeps us up to date on all the latest developments. I'm looking forward to my next blood test when we'll see if my small LDL particle count has gone down.

Eliminating wheat isn't easy, especially if toast, sandwiches and wraps, tortillas and pasta play a large role in your diet. And Saturday morning pancakes! So here's a recipe I love, in moderation, which the lady of the house adapted from "Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes" by Marcia Beachy in the More-With-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre.

Buckwheat Yogurt Oatcakes

.5 cup plain fat-free yogurt

.5 cup 2% milk

2 T canola oil

1 egg

.5 cup buckwheat flour

.5 cup oat flour

1 t baking powder

.5 t baking soda

.5 t salt

1 T ground flaxseed

1. Combine the yogurt, milk, oil and egg in a bowl and whisk together.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl and whisk in the wet ingredients for about a minute.

3. Fry on a lightly oiled griddle.

Makes about eight pancakes.

The Bees Knees of Honey

The darker the better, as in buckwheat honey, because the darkest honeys contain the most antioxidants.

We like a brand called Some Honey, which markets raw, natural, unadulterated buckwheat honey in 5 lb. jugs from Wisconsin for about $13 at Fruitful Yield stores in Illinois. The aroma is distinctive, oddly reminiscent of a barn, which is why we jokingly refer to this stuff as Illinois cow shit honey.

Steven Pratt points out that honey "contains at least 181 known substances, and its antioxidant activity stems from the phenolics, peptides, organic acids, and enzymes. Honey also contains salicylic acid, minerals, alpha-tocopherol, and oligosaccharides." The latter "increase the number of 'good' bacteria in the colon, reduce levels of toxic metabolites in the intestine, help prevent constipation, and help lower cholesterol and blood pressure."

Pretty impressive qualities, courtesy of the bees.

Pratt recommends 1 to 2 teaspoons multiple times per week. We like it on toast, in tea, and on baking day in a bread recipe.

Vila's Banana Bread

I love this recipe as much for its simplicity as for the fact that it comes from my mother-in-law. It's on an old, yellowing, 3 x 5 card in her delightfully unmistakeable script. The style of the list of ingredients and instructions is terse and to the point. It's all no fooling around, because she had places to go, and people to see. "This is your favorite mother-in-law calling" is how she addressed me whenever I happened to be the one picking up the phone. I'll never get to hear her say that again. She passed away unexpectedly recently, at the respectable age of 83.

The recipe is wholly lacking in super foods in its original form of sugar, butter, eggs, bananas, baking soda and flour. But add some chopped walnuts, dried fruit like cherries or cranberries, and substitute some whole grain flour for the all purpose unbleached variety and you've got a passable super foods platform going. And a potassium platform, to which topic Steven Pratt devotes over three pages in his SuperFoods HealthStyle, ranking bananas in the middle of the list of potassium-rich foods with 422 mg in a medium sized one. Walnuts have 124 mg in one ounce. When you consider that you need 4700 mg of potassium daily for controlling blood pressure, balancing the body's acidity and alkalinity, and preventing osteoporosis, every little bit helps.

Recipes from Vila are keepers for another reason: she was a discerning judge of character. Not long after making our first acquaintance, she spied a piece of religious propaganda in my possession while seated next to her in the backseat of a car, the title of which had something to do with finding true happiness. After we got underway she non-plussed me with the question, "Have you found true happiness, John?" The tone of her voice was more the knowing tone of adult skepticism than of unalloyed innocence. She already had me pegged.

Blessed with copious amounts of serotonin, one couldn't fail to like her. She was easy to talk to, and her company a pleasure to keep. She never changed, and neither did I. "Cheer up, John" she regularly told me throughout over thirty years of our relationship. And if she could talk to me now, I'm sure that's what she'd say, adding "What I have done you also will be able to do."

Vila's Banana Bread

1 cup sugar

.5 cup butter

2 eggs well beaten

3 large ripe bananas mashed

1 t. baking soda

2 cups flour (one of which can be finely stone-ground whole wheat flour)

.75 cup chopped nuts (walnuts preferred)

.75 cup chopped dried cranberries or other dried fruit (optional)

1. Preheat the oven on bake to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream sugar and butter.

3. Add eggs and bananas.

4. Add sifted flour and soda.

5. Add nuts and mix well (and fruit if using).

6. Pour in greased loaf pan and bake approx. one hour till done.

Yogurt Lemon Thyme Marinated Chicken Breasts

Turkey breast meat, without the skin, is "the leanest source of meat protein on the planet," according to Steven Pratt in his SuperFoods HealthStyle. Its rich nutrient profile of selenium, B vitamins and zinc is thought to cut the risk for cancer while contributing to cardiovascular health. One of its other wonderful features is that it has 27 times less saturated fat than fresh ham, and 22 times less than flank steak! Ninety-five percent lean ground beef has 12 times more saturated fat than turkey breast. Even compared with chicken breast without the skin, turkey breast has 4 times less saturated fat. If the genetic cards you've been dealt put you at risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease, which end of that spectrum are you going to get your meat from? Although higher in saturated fat, boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for $.99/lb. are hard to pass up.

A delicious way to eat turkey or chicken breast is broiled, but high heat broiling often turns it into rubber. The solution to this problem is to brine the meat, but to save on time, I brine and marinate at the same time, incorporating other superfoods and their sidekicks to add healthfulness and flavor. The last time I made this my family said, "Make it every Sunday!"

Yogurt Lemon Thyme Marinated Chicken Breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

.5 t sugar

.5 t salt

2 T fresh lemon juice

.5 cup plain fat-free yogurt

3 T extra virgin olive oil

1 handful fresh thyme sprigs, washed and dried

Rinse the breasts, dry, and place in a shallow Pyrex baker. Into the bowl of a food processor, strip the thyme leaves off the sprigs. You'll want about two tablespoons full (or substitute one tablespoon dried thyme if you must). Then add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Pour this mixture over the breasts, then lift the breasts a little to coat the undersides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for up to six hours before using, turning after three hours. I've marinated for as little as three hours with good results. Another way to marinate easily is to use a fresh clean freezer bag. Drop the breasts in and pour in the marinade. Seal it up and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

When you're ready to cook, set the broiler to high with a rack in the center of the oven. Into a stainless steel broiler pan place a smaller rack to elevate the meat while broiling. Remove the breasts from the marinade but don't scrape it off, and place them in the broiler pan. Broil 15 minutes on side one, and about 10 minutes on side two, and serve. You won't be disappointed!

Monday Night "Super Foods" Burrito

With all four elements of the burrito filling prepared as in the previous posts, you are ready to combine them. Once combined, you can set some aside in the fridge for reheating later and freeze the rest. In this post we'll combine everything and make some burritos right away.

Monday Night "Super Foods" Burrito

prepared pinto beans recipe

1 cup reserved pinto beans cooking liquid

prepared brown rice recipe

prepared ground turkey recipe

prepared dry seasoning mix recipe

1 package La Fuerza Tortillas de Harina (preferably "fat-free")

8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese (preferably reduced-fat), divided into one ounce portions

canola oil

Into the large cast-iron dutch oven containing the prepared turkey, add the dry seasoning mix and a splash of the bean cooking liquid and cook over medium heat, stirring with the hand-held potato masher. When thoroughly mixed and bubbly, add all the drained beans (including the onions and garlic) and stir with the masher. Then add all the rice and stir until combined. Now mash until the mixture reaches the consistency you prefer. Some like it with just some of the beans mashed and creamy and some left intact. Others will like it all mashed. Still others like it as is. Add more bean cooking liquid if necessary to reach the consistency you desire. At most you'll only need a half cup of the reserved liquid. We keep ours on the dry side to make the filling easier to handle. When it's ready, turn off that burner, and light another.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium for two minutes. Scoop up at most 2/3 cup of the burrito filling and drop it in the center of a room temperature 8.5 inch tortilla. Smooth it out from top to bottom down the center and make a little trough in it running the full length. Drop one ounce of cheese slices in the trough, and fold the sides of the tortilla over each other. Pour 3 T canola oil into the skillet, spread it around with a spatula, and drop the burrito in, folded side down to start. Reduce heat to medium low and fry carefully, one minute per side, for four minutes total, or until nicely browned. Add additional oil to the skillet as necessary.

Remove the burrito to an oven safe plate and keep it in a warm oven while you make the rest. Serve topped with your favorite things (no, not ice cream). We like La Victoria brand mild red taco sauce, sliced black olives, chopped green onions, chopped roma tomatoes, avocado slices, and chopped fresh baby spinach and romaine lettuce. Served this way, this meal is composed of at least ten of Pratt's super foods. Eleven if you top it all with some plain, fat-free yogurt. For a quick lunch, skip the frying and the toppings. Just assemble the burrito and heat it in the microwave for a minute or so.

Brown Rice, in the Microwave

In previous posts we have described the preparation of the pinto beans and the dry seasoning mix for Monday night Mexican style burritos. In this post we turn to the other elements used in the filling: brown rice and ground turkey.

Although raised in a "meat and potatoes" household in Wisconsin in the 60's and 70's, in our home today we rarely eat either. In place of potatoes, we eat brown rice, a super foods "sidekick" of the grain superstars oats, wheat germ, and ground flaxseed. Brown rice serves as a nice side dish along with simply steamed vegetables at a variety of meals. After it's cooked, you can stir in seasonings like fresh pesto to liven it up. And in a burrito, it functions as a filler to stretch the recipe. The notion that combining rice and beans is necessary to provide the body with a complete protein is now challenged.

The turkey in the final product we will describe is optional. We include turkey because it is another one of the super foods, which just also happens to add a taste kick reminiscent of the ground beef many people are accustomed to in a burrito. Because most beef today is corn fed, not grass fed, the amount of saturated fat in beef is much higher than it used to be, according to evidence presented in films such as "King Corn." Ground turkey makes a better substitute, in our opinion. And like the rice, it stretches the volume even farther. You can routinely find 5 lb. containers of Jennie-O brand fresh ground turkey at Sam's Club for less than two dollars a pound. I bring it home and divide the contents of the two containers into four equal parts and freeze them. It's not as lean as the turkey breast meat recommended by Steven Pratt in his books, but he's not a food Nazi, and neither am I!

Brown Rice, in the Microwave

1 cup long grain brown rice (do not rinse)

2 cups fresh water

1/8 t salt

1 T extra virgin olive oil

To a microwave-safe covered one quart casserole, add the rice, water, salt and oil, and give it a stir. Cover and place in the microwave. Set the oven for three stage cooking: 5 minutes on high, 20 minutes at 40% power, and 20 minutes at 30% power. When complete, allow to rest as is in the microwave to cool. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

The cooking power may have to be adjusted up or down, depending on the output of your microwave. For lower power countertop microwaves, try the percentages as described. For microwave hoods, start with 5 minutes on high, 20 minutes at 30%, and 20 minutes at 20%. If the power is too high, you'll get boil-over. If it's too low, you'll get underdone rice. Adjust accordingly.

Ground Turkey, Prepared

1.25 lbs. fresh ground turkey meat

2 T canola oil

Heat a large cast iron dutch oven over medium heat for two minutes. Add the oil and spread it around with a spatula, then add the meat. Let it brown for a few minutes and then turn the heat down a little. Take out ye old trusty hand-held potato masher and a hot pad and start mashing and stirring the meat as it cooks. (If you're using a fancy Le Creuset dutch oven with a finished cooking surface, don't use metal tools; they'll damage the surface). When it's all browned and nicely uniform in size, you are done!

At this point, you proceed with the combination of all the elements of the burrito filling, right in the cast iron pot, which we'll describe in the next post.