food

Quick thoughts after 50 weeks

One month to go. Well two weeks. someone forgot to schedule a post

This year has been rough in some areas and better in others and it looks like next year has some more action for all of us. I can just hope that the action is not a complete disaster in waiting and we need to move through it. Writing wise I have learned more then any year before and have done more then any, as of this post in the last game of tomes between editing and writing in all its forms there is more then 3/5 of a million words worth in thirty days. Six hundred thousand words in the term of thirty days has gotten me to learn focus. It has been all I have been working on and it has bore a lot of fruit.

Seasoning wise there is a lot that has been done in trying to find out ways to bring the best flavors to the bottle. Got some test subjects to try some things and even made some starts on a series of non fiction books that is not about foods. Formulas sharpened and the need for creation even further. Financially okay which is a lot better then some people I know and there is a plan to make things grow even further.

Writing wise a lot has been done and there has been a lot learned on the subject with it seemingly close that writing should be published. Research has been good so plenty of ideas are coming and now its just the biggest questions. One needs to build so one needs to get resources, and that seems to be where my next work is going to be coming. Taking what we have and working with people to build one needs tools and money is the greatest tool of the time.

What are some of your goals moving forward. One does not have to be for the new year it could be for something starting December, starting the day after this post goes live. Leave a comment, I would love to hear, and as always.

Stay Strong

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Hyper Plans

Welcome all to a running tally of my madness. No, not really, but still I bet some of you have felt the same things working on your stuff for so long, and with some writers finding some peace after NanoWrimo. When it feels like there is always more to do and the body cannot handle all of it sometimes makes you think you never should have tried. I happen to fall in the trap of thinking as one thing cannot be done as fast as I would like that it would be worthless for me to do it at all.

On top of everything else I am going back to college and I could be getting some medical help for something that has been bothering me for a long time now. For those who do not know, between the fights, the diet, the issues of my body not absorbing well had made my teeth that more of a hockey smile versus regular smile and it has been something that people have been made nervous seeing it, and I had just finished the paperwork to get some help.

I could be going to college, and while some may some it has less value then ever there are certain holes in my game it could help cover and I will love to learn about how to do that especially if I do not need to be the one to pay in ( That is the trick after all.) This is more of a future bet on myself to use the training for something that could get me back on my feet despite all the damage this body has carried over the years.

Finally, the big thing of what is going on and that is the food company is coming together there are more things being filled out in the business plan and soon there will be a need to start getting the word out. Costing has gone well I felt and even with the containers at the worst profit margin one could it had been something that came out where I wanted which may be bad or good but it provides the best price point without being so cheap that people find something wrong with it, people had done that before from what I sold and it was a painful lesson. Sell at the point where people feel comfortable, because that is a thing, and if you did not know that, now you do. I would say find it just high enough that it invites faith in the product through their price point but not so high where people are needlessly taken out of potentially buying it, because that is not what we want, we ant people to enjoy the thing we make at the base value.

I say it all here because I have a habit of going too low and suddenly think there is something wrong with it. This is more for me and look back to go, ‘hey, ya you talked about it, take your own advice.’ Sometimes we need to give ourselves such advice I have pushed myself far, but it has been something that we can make a lot of progress on things and while I still need to balance some things it is times like these I wish I would get my old batteries back.

Wishes are like ifs and buts, candies and nuts, Toronto still gets no cup, or however the line went, in any case there is still some energy going through me and that means there is still stuff to be done so please take the time and peruse some of the things you may find on the books page, right now everything on there is for free, but I am also editing my own original works and those will have a price after some people who write more for a living, and learning how I can use each place I post as something different.

This post is going to sound like a kid hopped up on sugar and I do not care, we are looking at things for the indiegogo plan so if there is something you want to see , please let me know, follow me in the spots I wark at and I hope the stuff I can do makes your day brighter in some aspect.

Seasons Greetings and Stay Strong

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Relaxing when Onions get Expensive

I got to put my hair down, so to speak, and go see a concert, a concert whose tickets I had been holding since before the pandemic. Joy. The show still had a VIP meetup but did not tell me about it because I didn’t buy it in July or September. I held on to my tickets from 2020.

Thanks, Moda Center; nothing makes me feel like I know what I am doing, like getting your people on phone calls and getting “I don’t know for 30 minutes” and no effort to help out. Makes me feel like a real wunderkind when the guy with half a properly working nervous system can do better.

Do I sound angry? Really I am not. Lindsay Stirling had a great concert, and I was close enough that the bass gave me a free back massage through my ribcage for missing the VIP meetup earlier.

Roommate couldn’t get her paperwork, so I invited a past co-worker who I knew liked it. All the while, I couldn’t shake the idea that I should be trying to look at different formulas for flavor profiles or work on my project and being in a group of people like that.

Well, to say out of place would be an understatement.

Moda center needs better food, though. Seating-wise, the front area near the stage was sold out. However, it was not a complete sell-out which is sad; Lindsay Stirling is a bright, bubbly person that is almost so saccharine sweet that every jaded one will feel their own hearts growing a size by the end of the show. It shows honestly, though, and I would suggest it if you like her music.

Doing other things when I could be working on my projects makes me fidgety, it makes my breath hitch a little more, and I get a little more skittish when I need to stand still.

Started building the price book and a couple new formulas I want to try that I think will be proper hits. One stumbling block has been my roommate, who was borrowing my digital scale, has lost it, so I will need to replace it to get more accurate numbers on use and volume. Overall though, it was a good experience. It made me think of more than just what but the why with some exciting introspection.

Costs are still going up, but luckily I can make things in a way that doesn’t kill the price, I feel. I still need to math it out to find out what my cost is and how to get the best profit from it.

Always some to do, but progress can be found even in lighter weeks. Hope things are going well for you.

Stay Strong.

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Basics of Calories

You may be asking yourself?

“Why in the blue tarnation is this here?”

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My first attempt at chicken a la kiev, i could have used a plate of this on the bench

Well stretch, you see before the last gift from the family sent me to the street fresh and full of nerve damage I was a cook off and on for ten years. Some would even describe it as a career and getting some basic information is important because if you don’t know the basics then you don’t know jack.

When splitting calories there are a few different kinds to go over and this is per gram. The gram is simply the most popular unit of measurement. On the nutritional facts when it says “12g protein” well the g stands for gram.

Carbs get you four calories per gram. Protein gets you four as well. Alcohol gets seven. Fat gets you nine calories per gram. There are some rules because not all grams are created equal. Alcohol does not stay in the body very long topping the list of things to be burnt up. Protein is another thing that tries to use itself up with what isn’t being tossed out. Protein also helps build muscle often strenuous bouts of exercise giving it something else that the other grams do not have

The little caveat with protein being is if it is complete or incomplete. A good rule of thumb is that protein from animal meat is always going to be completer while anything plant based will be incomplete proteins but will often have more vitamins and minerals usually making it important to get your calories from a variety of resources.

Just to keep weight while you are homeless you will need to to eat more then you would ever think because the amount of things you are needing that energy for. Those who are already watching what they eat will have to open up on a bit. Keeping weight will be as hard as can be especially if you are carrying a pack and you need to go with some items that help. All this boils down into a lot to juggle and then you have to deal with how you can get supplies. Food banks are going to give you a bit of everything but the question will be if you can carry it. If you get food stamps the you have more options and a smaller budget when needed to work with money.

In short if you can carry food and plan fairly rudimentary you should not starve. There is no reason for people in most urban centers to starve and for the most part it is not that much more difficult in suburbs or small towns all of that is based on your ability to think ahead. This is the single biggest problem because when picking calories is you need to at least have a rough idea what you are eating. Honestly if you are homeless it will be very rare that you will be in a surplus so unless that is the case. This is rare so unless you don’t move at all, grab some calories when you can because you don’t to run a deficit long enough then what will happen is this.

First, your body will start burning all regular fuel then when you are empty it dips in to the reserves on your fats. This will keep you going but after a while what will happen is your body will start to go from fat to protein. Particularly your muscle fibers, as your body cannot hold on to protein it will withdraw it from where your body has the most accessible protein. This will make you begin to get weaker as time goes on.

When you are deficient in a nutrient for a period you also invite things like beriberi (what I have) scurvy, and more. Any long term deficiency can really destroy your body as well doing your best to stay on top of it will keep your time on the streets a little healthier.

If you are already deficient then take a day at the library and do some research. Be aware what works and what tastes good may be different. Because even if you are not on the street and are just doing some fine time enjoying the wilderness knowing how your body works will save you pain in the long run.

Enjoy your peanut butter and stay strong

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Meal Sniping and Freeganism

This is odd to see to those unaware but let me say this. A lot of food that would be perfectly fine is thrown away and if people really need food after everything else if they want to take the risk and maybe swallow a bit of their pride. What this will also go over is another group of people that may be part of the homeless or not and that is the freegan movement.

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A burger like this would have been great when I was homeless, it was my entry in the better burger contest. 

Freegans come from the words free and vegan and not only stay away from animal products as well as any products that may have been made using sweatshop labor or other circumstance. This group takes that a belief by recognizing that the market driven by a set of morals they find reprehensible. Some may find this bizarre but to them it is the best way to go and as long as it does not hurt them it could very well be just something those outside their vision just may not understand or agree with. In short if you do not like them do not make yourself into a horror story of theirs.

Now, it is not the best way to get food doing this, but when the cards are down it will get you enough calories to get by, maybe while it is still a couple days out for a food bank possibility or of your food stamps kicking in, or of a paycheck. Fast food is has plenty with the small nibbles that people take often being the only part that would be wrong with it.

Granted, I have not done a whole lot of this, but I do know people that did so I am bringing it more from those who I talked to as well as the small parts to add to this article.

Now when you decide to go the timing and place will be important, as you do not want someone to come up behind you pouring a half drained drink over what you just darted your arm in to the can to get easier version of this would be to as they have just buss the table. Separate trash and consumables and just plain trash. If you do this in a fast food area you may have better luck to begin with, but it can be done any place large portions of hot food are being served to customers. When this is done in food cart areas there is more then decent chance that someone will be fishing through the trash eventually.

One reason depending on what state you are in is the bottle deposit. That is a fee based on the container of soda or beer that can be reimbursed by either returning the container to specialty marked facilities or back to the stores, depending on law. Short version on this is you can either get a dime, or a nickel for every container that counts within those areas and if possible is a way to get some funds quickly.

Back to the whole meal sniping if you are just in a fast food area, they sell soda in cups and often no deposit, but that is a factor to help you decide where to go if you need to. From what I have seen you can go longer collecting more food at a good food cart location but it comes with more people digging.

In fast food you need to buy something to often stay there but you can take your time and get used to it and maybe get a refill or two it because it doesn’t have to be a rush when you eat .Pick up something for later and soon feel like you have enough.

Sometimes areas won’t have dumpsters to single areas often behind a simple gate that could be simple enough to get into provided there are no watchful eyes. This kind of works into freeganism because supermarkets will often wont have people watching and especially at night. When checking dumpsters of some other areas there has been a growing step taken by some including some pizza places that before tossing the food out that it would be sprayed or drenched in bleach making the thing unfit for human consumption.

In short as with anything there are risks and rewards so if you need to I hope this helps and if you want more information on the freegan movement link will be below. Get hungry, get full and stay strong.

What is a Freegan?

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Risque Whiskey or Risky Whisky

So I recently wanted to get some more writing experience, help my efforts trying to network in that industry. Their was an open position for a website called The Whiskey Wash. They have not answered back after multiple attempts at contact which is fine open positions got to have a lot of people applying for it one would figure maybe I just don’t cut it. I hate to have it happen, but one can move on.

Except something caught my attention. I’m a fan of whiskey and on the web site itself their were two spellings of the word. One with the “E”and one without which I thought were strange. Normally that would dictate that someone would have majorly screwed up. It is rare though for something like a specialty site to do that so I did some research.

For anyone who reads this blog they will find I spell it w-h-i-s-k-e-y. This is the spelling found on many American and all Irish and since my whiskey experiences stem from the Jack Daniels and Jameson brands over my two and a half decades on this planet, and that would be why it seemed strange to me. W-h-i-s-k-y is the spelling used by Canada, Japan, and Scotland. If there are any other countries then I am sorry I just do not know which one you use, no insult meant.

Some people actually get legitimately angry about it like the inclusion of a single “E” can throw all their good memories they ever had with it in to the river. Going so far to insult those who use the spelling in reference to the wrong original country. Now with writing some people will only look at it and go..

“Huh, they got multiple spellings here, they can’t know about what they are writing about.”

Nope, there is a reason although it is slightly strange to see two different spellings on the same website over and again.

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As a Rough draft grows and morph in to different projects it is always nice to see what needs to be done to finish it up. Right now the dates have to go, basic grammar and spelling checks because I was too sleep deprived to hammer the fine details. Lengthening and pictures of course. Still same rules as apply with these excerpts as the last set. They are all first draft and we have along way to go on them.

 

 

July 2nd – American Cuisine

American cuisine is more then the few chefs on television all the time. In fact even thinking they are representing American cuisine is like saying the trail blazers are great foot ball players only because they play a pro sport. Many may even see it as a joke on words like jumbo shrimps or common sense. Exploring my home country’s cuisine can maybe get a better view of your own home whether its another part of America or another country altogether.

Some of the basic points of this part of the book will be learning how ingredients made their way to each section of land. Distinguishing how the food was grown, sold, or brought in speaks to the way things were back in the era where such foods were new as well as how they were valued. For many of the older recipes certain things had to be done so that the food would be able to hold longer with less effort. Back in older eras such as the wild west or the pioneer rush eating food was a had to do action and not so much as something to be fussed over much. Flashy sauces and more costly ingredients making their way in to the dishes of the era were more found in the establishments popular in larger cities. Moving to the more rural areas such things may only be made rarely or bought in to save time while celebrating.

Respecting these people who in the untamed times of each section could make simple food taste so good should be revered as nowadays we may face different problems such as the loss of flavor and the increase of artificial chemicals. Time was not so liberally implanted as it took time for the families of the past to pickle and preserve everything they could while thinking up the recipes to get the most bang for their buck.

We all need to try and make the best food we can so we can live the best lives we can. This does not take an over abundance of food though which is something we must learn within our borders.

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Excerpt – Life, Love and Cooking

Here is something from one of the book projects I currently have in the starting round of editing. Something for every day of the year going over kitchen wisdom, recipes, tips, tricks and my own experiences working in various kitchens.

January 5th– Ratios vs. recipes (quick pie crust)

Things do not need to be difficult to be good. Some times I will crack a cook book to find a recipe with too many ingredients, and many of which serving no purpose to the final dish. Pie crust is an ingredient that is a great example of this. Dozens of possible combinations between fats, flours, and flavorings may make things confusing. You will need a pastry cutter for this. Otherwise a pie crust is always within a three step countdown. Ratios you will find to be much more useful then complicated recipes. I will try to give ratios whenever possible in the future.

So three parts all purpose flour with two parts fat either shortening or butter and one part ice cold water. Pinch some salt in with the flour and give it a light stir with the hand. So which fat do you use? Shortening would be useful if you’re new to the crust game for the simple fact that it will not melt as easily so you have more time. Butter will bring better flavor and richer texture just realize that you will need to chill the butter even freezing it may be suggested. If you want to go halvsies on the fats I have found that will give you the best of both worlds.

Put your fat in the flour and using your pastry knife cut the fat in to the flour. This will take some time if you’re not used to it that’s ok. Now how much you cut it to depends on what you are using it for if you need a flaky crust such as the top cover to a double crust pie then you want to cut the fat to the size of frozen peas. Cutting to rice size fat granules will create a mealy crust. Reason for this is that when you roll the dough the fat flattens and the larger size lends itself to creating layers while the mealy crust will be structurally sound. Next add the water do so slowly stopping at the last tenth before kneading together if it seems a little dry then continue with the last tenth until amalgamated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap before putting it in the fridge to chill before rolling out to whatever you need.

3 parts all purpose flour 2 parts cold fat 1 part ice cold water 1/8 tsp salt for 8 oz of dough.

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Chili Mac – Home Cooking

So after thinking about some thing I decided to get back in the kitchen to make some meals so I don’t eat the same thing 18 times in a row when writing, drawing or learning some stuff on Alison (free education website). A nice little stretch of macaroni and actually a nice dish overall. If you like cheese on top of your chili this will actually turn a couple meals in to about a week’s worth. Here is what you will need for a large pot of Chili Mac.

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Ingredients

6 C Dry Macaroni
3 Cans of Chili
1/2 Lb Cheddar, Shredded
1/3 C Grated Parmesan Romano
1 pt or 2 C Heavy Cream
1/2 stick Butter
Chopped Green Onions to Garnish.

Makes 6-8 servings

Just to let you know my cream is frozen. So first we start with the macaroni. Boil that up.

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After its cooked you can drain the noodles to begin working on the cheese sauce make sure the cheddar is shredded. If you have the boxed mac and cheese just make it as you see fit. On low heat you want your butter, cream, and cheeses until everything becomes one. Push the heat higher and the sauce may curdle.

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After everything has been melted and the sauce been tasted and seasoned here is where you have the option to add some green onion. I add some to mine to give a little bit more color to the whole affair. It is not needed however.

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After your sauce is simmering heat your chili up in another sauce pan or in the microwave whichever is easier just until it all becomes more fluid. Put your noodles back in the sauce, add your chili making sure the chili and noodles have a nice meet and greet of flavors in the pot.

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After all that is done. finish with your garnishes and serve or in my case freeze and eat as you see fit. Add some hot sauce if you like to give it a little more heat.

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I had a little cheddar left over so that was used as a garnish as well. In any case its a mild dish without being boring and it holds long enough that I will have been eating it while working on my other projects.

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Fried Tofu with Teriyaki Sauce

For this dish it is suggested that you have some cooked rice to pair it with. For this you will need the following ingredients.
Serves 5-7 with rice

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Flour for dusting and Oil for frying
A block of Extra Firm Tofu (16 oz)
1/4 C Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 C Soy Sauce
1/4 C Rice Wine Vinegar
Shredded sushi seaweed for garnish

Pour your oil in the narrowest pot you have as to save on the amount of oil needed put it on medium heat. It will take a couple moments to get to frying temperature. Next put a cup of flour in a wide bowl, and set aside. Press your tofu lightly with a paper towel so it will remove as much of the moisture as possible before cutting in to cubes at an inch squared. After cutting, check the oil by pinching a small amount of flour in to the oil if you get a fair reaction that looks just like a soup on a low simmer then you can begin. Dredge them in the flower in batches before dropping them in to the oil you don’t want to do it all at once because that will drop the temperature of the oil and for most stove top burners you will not be able to hold temp without splitting them in to at least two batches. I did mine in four batches total, but I wasn’t in a hurry. Let them fry until golden brown or a light manilla color for those who know their around an office better.

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The bubbles don’t have to be big you just want to make sure that when they come out they can drain. rinse and repeat with all batches until all the tofu is drying off. For the teriyaki sauce take a small pot and put your sugar, vinegar and soy in it before bringing it up to a simmer making sure to stir until the sugar has been dissolved and let simmer for a couple minutes until all the flavors meld together or about three or four minutes.

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I got a little impatient and cranked up to high which you can do if you want to watch it for a minute or two. You do not want the sugar to burn or else you will need to try again. After your tofu has dried appropriately you can use your sauce to dip into or pour over depending on how you like your sauces to be done. Some people are picky, no judging here.

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I got my tofu placed on cooked white rice and seaweed around it and from here I just poured the sauce over the top and dug in. The picture didn’t come so clear as I had hoped but its tofu blocks on rice. So I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you liked what you saw give some of my other dishes a chance their in the cooking category on my blog.

Have a good day everyone, oh and before I forget starting in December their will hopefully be more posts I am getting a little bit more comfortable doing this as well as the youtube videos if you watch those link is to the side. I am going to try to up my game to do two a week I feel like it can be done. Wish me luck.

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