The City Mouse in the Country

     So I got back from the doctor's the other day.  He was happy with my progress as my weight was down, my blood pressure was down and that affected every thing else that we were worried about, like my blood sugar.    I'm still not exercising the way that he wants me to do...but honestly I have a lot of life changes going on as it is, and I don't need another source of stress in my world right now.  I am also lazy.     I am however fascinated in the change that I've experienced since trying to eat healthier or a Plant Based diet.   I still eat meat, and most likely always will, but I find myself craving something like a full rich salad more than a steak.   Or something with a meat substitute like paneer or tofu or seitan .  I've not tried anything made with tempeh yet but I'm looking forward to that day.       I actually find myself craving something plant based, so much so that I've gone out of my way to buy it.   My energy level seems a little better

    This entire past weekend had been dreary.  We are in the midst of a cold front that has brought a steady soaking, cold and misting rain that soaks into you very bones.  It is a good weekend for making a good and hearty soup and other foods to warm your soul.     While it is not cold, our high was barely above 60 F (16 C), it was cold enough at night for us to start the pellet stove to warm the house and to start thinking about soup.   It particular there was one soup that I came across that got me interested in making it.         Even the name of it, Brie and Cheddar Apple Beer Soup , got my mouth watering.        I had also came across an interesting recipe for Eggnog Cheese , and while not quite ready to tackle that (I don't have a proper press), I certainly thought that I could make my own Eggnog !       Eggnog is one of those things that I would drink all year round, either "leaded" or "unleaded."  Although there are a lot of different ways to make eggno

        First off let me state clearly that this is not a political post.   This post is about guns.  For my purpose here I am classifying rifles, automatic rifles, semi automatic's, pistols and such in all their various forms as "guns."   You don't like that, get your own blog.  This is personal post     Now that we live "out in the boondocks" the question comes up every now and again from otherwise well meaning people about when Sue and I are going to buy a gun.   My answer is Probably Never .   Despite being a dyed in the wool liberal, I've no issues with guns.   After all, I know people that hunt and have never turned down their offer of venison, duck or quail.       I also have several friends that have served in the military and have defended this country with honor and dignity.  I have family members that serve the public as police and I personally have fired several rifles and pistols in my life, taking down several threatening tin cans and

      I'm going to keep this simple.   One of the reasons why Sue and I moved back to Western Pennsylvania was due to our desire for healthier living.       Sue has had some various health problems through the years and has managed to fight them all.  She's a strong resilient woman and one of the many reasons I love her is that she is a fighter.   Many people would have given up, but she keeps on keeping on.  For privacy, I will not go into what ails her.      I, on the other hand, have a pretty strong constitution and want to keep it that way.  So when my doctor starts telling me he's worried about "cholesterol" and "high blood pressure" I can't help but pay attention.  Both my parents have heart disease and it's something that I've been aware of my whole life.  Both Sue and I actually try to maintain a low salt diet for example.       That's tough to do when your a hedonist and a foodie at heart.  Living out here in the country does lea

    As I wait for one or two more estimates about putting together a transfer switch, so I can use the generator to power parts of the house in case of a blackout,    I thought that I should as least do something in the kitchen this weekend.     Part of my journey into "country mousehood" is learning how to cook.  If your growing your own food, you should at least know how to prepare it is some form right?     Having a deep love and respect for history and a desire to explore, I've learned that flavors and styles change.  Big business determines what we eat (and that is several blog entries waiting to happen) and as such the American palate grows smaller and our desire for something that isn't familiar to us, grows less.     Hence you don't see venison (deer), duck, rabbit or turtle soup anymore in the restaurants and inns of America.  When I lived in Florida, I looked forward to eating other types of fish only to see the big three - Salmon, Tilapia and Haddock (w

 First off, I'm a fan of history and food.  So when I found Tasting History on YouTube I was a fan right off the bat. In fact, I tried this dish below.  Although I was disappointed in it at the end of the day.  I didn't have two of the ingredients; lovage and caraway seeds (which Sue swore she had), so I ended up replacing them with celery leaf and cumin.  The chicken ended up being very moist and peppery but there was no "wow" flavor.  Nothing that unusual about it, even though it used several ingredients that I was unfamiliar with.  I don't mind being pushed out of my comfort zone in the name of good food. It did bring up an interesting question for me however.  If I'm serious about learning how to garden, preserving my food and other things...would I be willing to try and raise "forgotten" foods? This interest actually goes all the way back to collage, when I learned that Spirulina was used by the Aztecs in a type of dried cake.   Of course, th

       I am, first and foremost, a hedonist.  That just means that I want to do what brings me the most pleasure - both physically and mentally - without causing myself pain.  Hedonism gets a bad rap in the modern world because most people think it's all about bodily pleasures without regard to someone's else's feelings.        The truth is that Hedonism is all about moderation.  You can enjoy the "chocolate icing", like Hedonism Bot does, a few times but after awhile it no longer has the same effect.        The ancient Greek thinker Epicurus gave rise to the Hedonism that I follow.  He believed, to quote the Wikipedia entry about him,.that: " For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to help people attain a happy, tranquil life characterized by ataraxia (peace and freedom from fear) and aponia (the absence of pain). He advocated that people were best able to pursue philosophy by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that the