Sunday, September 18, 2016

It's National Burger Day today, but we made stir-fry by mistake dontcha know

We use a Cantonese style wok with a lower base ring on a gas stove without difficulty
We grill burgers on Sunday evenings like clockwork, but not today!

And to think it was the National Day to celebrate our custom. Oops.

We made stir-fry in the wok because we had accumulated leftovers from . . . the grill!

But not beef! Pork and chicken, mostly.

Here's the basic ingredient list for our stovetop stir fry (you can get by without the celery if you have 1/4 tsp. celery seed):

2 cups leftover cooked meat, like pork and chicken, diced small without the skin or fat
1 cup fresh mushrooms, about 4 oz., diced and then sautéed in butter or oil
3/4 cup diced carrot, about 2
2/3 cup diced onion
1 green onion chopped
2/3 cup diced sweet bell pepper, orange or red
1 cup diced celery stalk, about 2
1 cup sweet baby peas or pea pods
1 can drained bamboo shoots
1 can drained sliced water chestnuts
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
3 slices bacon already cooked, chopped
1 cup prepared Jasmine rice in a pan, left covered off the heat (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, a little salt, brought to a boil in a heavy covered pan and then simmered on low for 20 minutes--easy peasy)
1/2 to 1 tsp. sugar
ground black pepper
San-Jay Tamari sauce
2-3 tablespoons Sesame or Canola oil

Here's the cooking order:

Heat oil in the wok OVER MEDIUM
Add carrots and stir
Add celery and stir
Add onion and stir
Add mushrooms and stir
Add garlic and stir
Add sweet pepper and stir
Add black pepper and stir
Add meats and stir
Add fresh peas or pea pods and stir,
And bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and stir,
and cover and steam 3 minutes ON MEDIUM LOW.

Then add ginger and more black pepper
Add 1/4 cup Tamari sauce and the sugar in a pool in the bottom, mix together and stir everything
Add the cooked rice and stir until well blended
Add more Tamari sauce as desired (but you want to keep the mixture on the dry side)
Stir in cooked bacon and green onion
Turn off and cover and prepare to serve immediately 

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Happiness is (if you're a Kraut like me) Joerg Sprave and his most dangerous toy in the world

Video here at The Slingshot Channel, where Joerg kills a "dirtbag". Ha Ha Ha Ha.


Thursday, September 8, 2016

Happiness is 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow signing on with the New York METS' minor league team

Congratulations and best wishes to Tim Tebow!

From the story here:

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - The New York Mets have signed former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow to a minor league contract.  The team says he will head to the Instructional League in Florida.  He is set to report on Sept. 18th.

Tebow will get a $100,000 signing bonus according to a report by the Associated Press.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

The Greeks taught us "nothing too much": Especially true when ingesting Scoville units


"Ben Sumadiwiria, 22, from London, scoffed a dish with 100 bird's eye chilis crushed together, giving it a Scoville rating of 20 million".

A single Jalapeno pepper ranges from 1,000 to 20,000 Scoville units compared with the bird's eye chili at 200,000.


Sunday, August 7, 2016

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Happiness is the Devil's chicken for dinner, with fennel parmesan and sweet baby peas

For the Pollo alla Diavola and the Finocchio alla Parmigiano see Michele Scicolone's 1,000 Italian Recipes.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

The Devil's Dictionary definition of happiness

Ambrose Bierce
HAPPINESS, n. An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another.

Aka:

Schadenfreude, in German;
 
ἐπιχαιρεκακία, in Greek.
 

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Happiness is Hank Williams Jr. singing his 1985 hit "I'm For Love"


"Hey, I'm for love
I'm all for happiness
And I'm for 'Not looking for something to make us mad'
I'm all for turning off the news and turning down the lights
And I'm for nothing else but me and you tonight"

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Obama's Soup

Mmm Mmm no good
Mmm Mmm no good
That's what Obama's Soup is
Mmm Mmm no good

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Samuel Johnson insisted "Taxation no tyranny", now Italians claim pasta not fattening

From the story here:

Researchers in Italy studied over 23,000 people in Italy and found that higher pasta intake was not associated with a raised body mass index (BMI) – widely used as a measurement of a person's body fat, based on a person's height and weight – and waist-to-hip ratio.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Happiness is Michael Cimino saying "And I think the more you work, the better you are"

"I mean, when you think of the fact that Victor Fleming ... Victor Fleming made Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz in the same year. Now today, between them it would take 30 years. It's ridiculous."

Michael Cimino, the Academy Award winning director of The Deer Hunter has passed away at the age of 77.

His tender tribute to Clint Eastwood who gave him the start in the business ("The Boss"/"I think Clint should be president") and John Wayne last year is here ( "I think both of them are very special. Two legends, two American legends, my God.").

May he rest in peace.

People appear to be most happy to stay home and watch TV

From the annual American Time Use survey, here:

On an average day, nearly everyone age 15 and over (96 percent) engaged in some sort of leisure activity such as watching TV, socializing, or exercising. ... Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time (2.8 hours per day), accounting for more than half of leisure time, on average, for those age 15 and over. Socializing, such as visiting with friends or attending or hosting social events, was the next most common leisure activity, accounting for 41 minutes per day.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Happiness is Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage on pasta night

You get five fresh sausages for $4.49, about $.90 apiece.

Sear quickly in a hot skillet to brown, but then simmer on low to retain the juices and spices.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

When a superfoods breakfast is hard to arrange because you're in a hurry, try simple toast

Whole grain toast, slathered in raw honey, topped with ground cinnamon.

Three superfoods just like that.

The toast is loaded with fiber, the honey with antioxidants, and the cinnamon lowers glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Happiness is learning how the Hekawi Indians got their name


"I think we're lost. Where the heck are we?"

Update:

New link here.

Monday, May 30, 2016

The 11 additional superfoods taking you to 25 forms of happiness

honey
garlic
extra virgin olive oil
apples
avocados
cinnamon
dark chocolate
dried fruits, such as figs, or apricots, dates, plums and cranberries ad infinitum
kiwifruit
onions
pomegranate

Sunday, May 29, 2016

The original 14 superfoods

yogurt
beans
blueberries, salmon, spinach
oats
orange
pumpkin
tea
tomato
soy
turkey
walnut
broccoli

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Monday, May 23, 2016

Happiness is Monty Python's send up of long aristocratic German names: Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplendenschlitter . . .

Johann Gambolputty
de von Ausfern
schplendenschlitter
crasscrenbonfried
diggerdingle
dangledongle
dungleburstein von knackerthrasher applebanger
horowitz
ticolensic
granderknottyspelltinkle
grandlich grumblemeyer spelterwasser
kurstlich himble eisenbahnwagen
gutenabend
bitte ein nürnburger bratwustle gerspurten mitz weimache luber hundsfut gumberaber schönedanker kalbsfleischmittler

aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm.

 
Or maybe here.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Happiness is Boar's Head natural casing beef frankfurters

Available at D&W for $8.99 a package of seven, about $1.29 for each 2 oz. 6.5 inch sausage.

You'll want an extra long hot dog bun for these.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Happiness is a three year old Crane Lake Cabernet for $5.29

Tonight I'm drinking a 2013 which isn't as smooth and silky as a Kendall Jackson or anything, but this one has aged very well in the bottle after three years. Better than any other cheap varietal I've tried in quite a while. Maybe I should start cellaring them on sale! If I remember correctly it's the hearty varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon which mellow well with age. Never thought a cheapo would do that, but I was wrong.

Happiness is Florida Georgia Line singin' "Round Here"

Yeah that’s how we do it ’round here.