I'm a Vegetarian. I've been so for about 16 years. So what type of vegetarian am I? The kind that eats dairy and egg products. No animals, tho. No fish. No birds. Why?
Well it all started when I was thinking about some things. I was thinking about what meat really is. I know that it's the muscle of whatever animal. But, I thought about how much death and pain goes into creating meat. I figured that if I were to continue eating meat, that I would have to be able to get it myself. This means that I would have to be able to kill the animal, take its lifeless body, and chop it into pieces, after removing the skin and yucky parts. There would be lots of blood. And, maybe even some crying and screaming on the part of the animal.
I can't do this. I mean I even have a problem killing fish. I had fished when I was little. I never touched the fish, tho. The last time I was around a lake where people were fishing, I would take the fish off the hook for them and throw it back in the lake. The fish weren't very large.
I can also mention the safety factor of meat. Uncooked meat can cause death and disease. I remember hearing of a story of a mother who undercooked burgers for her family. One of her little boys wound up dying. It happened pretty locally to where I live. It was an actual even. There are also diseases which pass from animal to human due to close contact.
So, for the above reasons, I decided to become a vegetarian. Along with this - there are enough sources of protein which don't require killing animals. So, from a nutrition stand point, we don't need to eat meat. We don't need to raise animals just to kill them to eat them.
Now a vegetarian who consumes dairy products can get a bit sketchy. The reason is this: dairy cows are destined to end their lives at the slaughter house. And, if you eat cheese - it may be made with animal rennet which requires dead animal parts. I have a dog and feed him dog food which has some animal in it. I don't think much about this, because I say it's a by product of the meat industry. Some times I purchase foot wear that has leather in it.
I guess I just see it all as a matter of degree. How far are you willing to go with your beliefs, how obsessive are you willing to become, how much impact on your life are you willing to bear before you start loosening your mind set. I say that I'm a Vegetarian. But, if you start ripping apart my life, you'll see that while I don't personally eat meat, I do participate in some of the benefits of the meat industry.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Ice it!
Now that it's summertime - instead of adding hot water to espresso to make the Americano, put the espresso mixture into a glass of ice cubes!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Starbucks Americano
We went to the Starbucks in Stop and Shop the other day. For whatever reason, they were out of brewed coffee. They only had espresso. So, they suggested a drink called an Americano. It was very good. Here is how you make it:
1-2 shots of espresso
6-8 ounces of hot water
sweeten to taste
cream to taste
Brew the espresso. Put your sweetener in the cup. Pour a shot or 2 of espresso into the cup. Add hot water. The more water, the more watered-down the drink will be. You may have to experiment to get it to your liking. Add the milk or half/half to your liking. I like to use flavored syrups with this instead of sugar. I've tried hazlenut and vanilla so far. You can also use the sugar free version of the syrups, too.
It's a very good drink. It's faster for us to brew espresso than a pot of coffee.
Hey, it just hit me. This is a foam-less latte with water instead of milk!
1-2 shots of espresso
6-8 ounces of hot water
sweeten to taste
cream to taste
Brew the espresso. Put your sweetener in the cup. Pour a shot or 2 of espresso into the cup. Add hot water. The more water, the more watered-down the drink will be. You may have to experiment to get it to your liking. Add the milk or half/half to your liking. I like to use flavored syrups with this instead of sugar. I've tried hazlenut and vanilla so far. You can also use the sugar free version of the syrups, too.
It's a very good drink. It's faster for us to brew espresso than a pot of coffee.
Hey, it just hit me. This is a foam-less latte with water instead of milk!
Yummy omlet recipe
I just wanted to share this with you. It's made with Trader Joe's veggie sausage patties. They are vegetarian.
1 tsp butter or margarine
1 Trader Joe's sausage patty - or MorningStar Farms breakfast patty
1/4 c liquid egg whites
1/4 c egg substitute - like egg beaters
shredded cheese
pepper
Put the butter in a small 8 inch frying pan. Cook the patty in it. Once the patty is hot and cooked, break it up into pieces in the pan. Add the liquid eggs. You can use any combo of egg whites and egg substitute. Just as long as it's 1/2 cup total. I just happen to have both, so I use 1/4 cup of each. I use the liquid egg whites in my waffle recipe. And, the egg beaters in the egg bread I make.
After the eggs look like they're cooking a bit, add some shredded cheese and pepper if you like. When the open omlet is almost all cooked looking, fold it over. Let any liquid come out of the omlet and cook. Flip it over to the other side. When it all seems done to you, then put it in a plate.
I have found that a great topping for this omlet is horseradish sauce. Serve with toasted home made bread. Very good!
Let me know if you have any questions.
1 tsp butter or margarine
1 Trader Joe's sausage patty - or MorningStar Farms breakfast patty
1/4 c liquid egg whites
1/4 c egg substitute - like egg beaters
shredded cheese
pepper
Put the butter in a small 8 inch frying pan. Cook the patty in it. Once the patty is hot and cooked, break it up into pieces in the pan. Add the liquid eggs. You can use any combo of egg whites and egg substitute. Just as long as it's 1/2 cup total. I just happen to have both, so I use 1/4 cup of each. I use the liquid egg whites in my waffle recipe. And, the egg beaters in the egg bread I make.
After the eggs look like they're cooking a bit, add some shredded cheese and pepper if you like. When the open omlet is almost all cooked looking, fold it over. Let any liquid come out of the omlet and cook. Flip it over to the other side. When it all seems done to you, then put it in a plate.
I have found that a great topping for this omlet is horseradish sauce. Serve with toasted home made bread. Very good!
Let me know if you have any questions.
Kefir
I purchased some kefir grains on eBay a few months ago. I have been successfully making my own kefir and using it in blended fruit smoothies. Here's my recipe:
2 cups of kefir
2 long squirts of strawberry syrup
1 ripe banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen mango chunks
Put it all in a blender and blend.
You can use other frozen fruits - just 2 cups worth. Also, the banana helps to make the drink smoother and sweeter. So, I wouldn't forget to use one. The strawberry syrup also helps to make the drink sweeter. You can play around with how much you want - or even leave it out if you like tart and sour. I find that the frozen fruits I use aren't that sweet.
So, in making the smoothies, my blender stopped working. Fortunately, we had a Margaritaville machine. We now use that - and it is so much better for blending smoothies. When I used the other blender, I had to hold it down - it shook and tried to twist open every time I used it to blend something with icy chunks. But the Margaritaville blender is awesome. It is solid and stable. I don't have to hold the pitcher down.
Back to kefir ...
Kefir reminds me of yogurt. It makes a great smoothie base. I don't care to drink it plain. I haven't found a way to add a sweetener to it to make it drinkable for me. Also, I have used it in place of sour cream. So, how do you make kefir? Simple. You acquire kefir grains and let them digest milk. This is a broad overview. Here is what I do:
Put 1 cup of kefir grains into a 1 quart glass pitcher
Fill the pitcher up with milk an inch or two from the top
Cover the opening with cheese cloth and secure with a rubber band
Let it sit in the fridge for a few days to digest
Put a plastic strainer - I use a small colander - inside a plastic bowl
Pour the kefir/milk mixture into the strainer
Use a plastic spoon to scoop out the kefir grains and put them into a clean glass pitcher
Fill pitcher with milk, cover and refridgerate as before
Pour kefir liquid from plastic bowl into a plastic container for storage in the fridge
This is different from what I did when I started. I started with about 2 tablespoons of kefir grains. I would let them sit in milk in a glass pitcher in the kitchen cupboard for a day or two. I'd shake it around to mix it several times a day. What happened was that over time, the kefir grains started multiplying. I now have 3 or 4 cups of kefir grains. They seem to multiply more when they're at room temperature. I found that I can successfully keep them in the fridge. They do their job in there and don't seem to multiply. I've kept 2 pitchers of kefir in the fridge in this way for over a month now. I alternate using them. And, sometimes I can let them go for several days without using the kefir liquid. I only use 2 cups of the liquid to make smoothies. And, sometimes you just have to take a break.
I don't really know what the kefir grains are. Maybe live active cultures - maybe bacteria? Whatever they are, they digest the milk they sit in and turn it into a yogurt like liquid. A bit thicker than milk with that sour yogurty scent. Sometimes, if you let it sit room temperature for too long, the liquid the grains are sitting in separate. You get a clear liquid - which I believe is whey and thick curds.
I only use plastic and glass with the kefir. The pitcher is glass, and the bowl, strainer, and spoon is plastic. Some people say you can also use stainless steel. My strainer is a colander. I bought it from Bed Bath Beyond. It is small and green. It has small holes. If the holes are too big, the grains will fall through into the bowl. If the holes are too small, the liquid will have a hard time going through. So, you need to find something appropriate. Also, you're not supposed to put tap water on the grains.
The cost of making kefir is the cost of the grains, the pitcher to hold it in, the cheese cloth to top the pitcher with, an appropriate strainer, a bowl, and milk. Over time, it does save money from buying the ready made kefir in the store. But, ongoing, it at least costs as much as the milk you have to buy to make it with. I purchased my grains from an eBay seller. It cost me about 8 dollars with shipping. She shipped me 2 tablespoons of kefir grains in some milk in a baggy. The baggy was sealed inside another baggy. I'm talking about zip lock style sandwich bags. And the mixture made it to me successfully. I didn't use the first batch I made. I dumped the liquid and made it again. At any time, you can pour milk over the kefir grains to "wash" them.
Let me know if you have any questions.
2 cups of kefir
2 long squirts of strawberry syrup
1 ripe banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen mango chunks
Put it all in a blender and blend.
You can use other frozen fruits - just 2 cups worth. Also, the banana helps to make the drink smoother and sweeter. So, I wouldn't forget to use one. The strawberry syrup also helps to make the drink sweeter. You can play around with how much you want - or even leave it out if you like tart and sour. I find that the frozen fruits I use aren't that sweet.
So, in making the smoothies, my blender stopped working. Fortunately, we had a Margaritaville machine. We now use that - and it is so much better for blending smoothies. When I used the other blender, I had to hold it down - it shook and tried to twist open every time I used it to blend something with icy chunks. But the Margaritaville blender is awesome. It is solid and stable. I don't have to hold the pitcher down.
Back to kefir ...
Kefir reminds me of yogurt. It makes a great smoothie base. I don't care to drink it plain. I haven't found a way to add a sweetener to it to make it drinkable for me. Also, I have used it in place of sour cream. So, how do you make kefir? Simple. You acquire kefir grains and let them digest milk. This is a broad overview. Here is what I do:
Put 1 cup of kefir grains into a 1 quart glass pitcher
Fill the pitcher up with milk an inch or two from the top
Cover the opening with cheese cloth and secure with a rubber band
Let it sit in the fridge for a few days to digest
Put a plastic strainer - I use a small colander - inside a plastic bowl
Pour the kefir/milk mixture into the strainer
Use a plastic spoon to scoop out the kefir grains and put them into a clean glass pitcher
Fill pitcher with milk, cover and refridgerate as before
Pour kefir liquid from plastic bowl into a plastic container for storage in the fridge
This is different from what I did when I started. I started with about 2 tablespoons of kefir grains. I would let them sit in milk in a glass pitcher in the kitchen cupboard for a day or two. I'd shake it around to mix it several times a day. What happened was that over time, the kefir grains started multiplying. I now have 3 or 4 cups of kefir grains. They seem to multiply more when they're at room temperature. I found that I can successfully keep them in the fridge. They do their job in there and don't seem to multiply. I've kept 2 pitchers of kefir in the fridge in this way for over a month now. I alternate using them. And, sometimes I can let them go for several days without using the kefir liquid. I only use 2 cups of the liquid to make smoothies. And, sometimes you just have to take a break.
I don't really know what the kefir grains are. Maybe live active cultures - maybe bacteria? Whatever they are, they digest the milk they sit in and turn it into a yogurt like liquid. A bit thicker than milk with that sour yogurty scent. Sometimes, if you let it sit room temperature for too long, the liquid the grains are sitting in separate. You get a clear liquid - which I believe is whey and thick curds.
I only use plastic and glass with the kefir. The pitcher is glass, and the bowl, strainer, and spoon is plastic. Some people say you can also use stainless steel. My strainer is a colander. I bought it from Bed Bath Beyond. It is small and green. It has small holes. If the holes are too big, the grains will fall through into the bowl. If the holes are too small, the liquid will have a hard time going through. So, you need to find something appropriate. Also, you're not supposed to put tap water on the grains.
The cost of making kefir is the cost of the grains, the pitcher to hold it in, the cheese cloth to top the pitcher with, an appropriate strainer, a bowl, and milk. Over time, it does save money from buying the ready made kefir in the store. But, ongoing, it at least costs as much as the milk you have to buy to make it with. I purchased my grains from an eBay seller. It cost me about 8 dollars with shipping. She shipped me 2 tablespoons of kefir grains in some milk in a baggy. The baggy was sealed inside another baggy. I'm talking about zip lock style sandwich bags. And the mixture made it to me successfully. I didn't use the first batch I made. I dumped the liquid and made it again. At any time, you can pour milk over the kefir grains to "wash" them.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
small black spidery looking crawling critter
So as the Poland Spring water delivery man opened up the box containing our replacement water cooler - a small black spidery looking bug went crawling from the box into our closet. If I had shoes on I would have squashed it. I just watched in disbelief as it found freedom ... in our closet.
I spent half an hour going through the closet to find it. But, I couldn't. I took out everything on the floor, even the little carpet, but found no sign of it. Great.
Now I'm doing web image searches to make sure that it wasn't a tick. You know, those ticks that hang out in water cooler boxes. It could have jumped onto the box anywhere outside.
I thought about spraying bug spray - but there's jackets in the closet - and other stuff - that I don't want to spray. Besides, he could have gotten through a crack somewhere - and maybe he's already making his way up to the bedrooms. Nothing like that thought while sleeping at night - a big black spidery looking bug crawling around - who knows where?
I may keep watch by the closet. Waiting to see if he dares to emerge. I don't think there's much food in there. We have centipedes and spiders in the house. Sometimes we have ants, too. Usually if I see them, I catch them and put them outside. But, sometimes I'll just squash 'em. Depends what kind of a mood I'm in.
I sent my dog into the closet - but he found nothing. This leads me to believe the escape was made into a crack. He may come crawling out at night. I'll be ready. I have my sandals nearby.
But, until that time - it really sucks. Because if I want to put on a jacket - then I'll have to check it first. Imagine, I put on the jacket, and it's in there - waiting to bite me. Or worse yet - one of my kids. Imagine the guilt. Who likes to put on a jacket and get surprised by a bug? What if the bug isn't full grown? What if it was a tarantula baby or something?
Sometimes I hate my imagination. I feel embarrassed by what I'm about to say ... first of all, I've been watching Angel reruns on netflix instant watch .. so that could help explain some things. What if the water cooler guy is evil. He's a demon and he now has brought this evil bug into our house. Crap. I have to find it. Maybe I can put some candy bait out. And, when he comes for it, I can squash him.
I think that he'll probably die. Then I'll find a dead black crawly spidery looking thing somewhere in the closet. Nothing like not feeling safe in your own house. I gotta go look again.
I spent half an hour going through the closet to find it. But, I couldn't. I took out everything on the floor, even the little carpet, but found no sign of it. Great.
Now I'm doing web image searches to make sure that it wasn't a tick. You know, those ticks that hang out in water cooler boxes. It could have jumped onto the box anywhere outside.
I thought about spraying bug spray - but there's jackets in the closet - and other stuff - that I don't want to spray. Besides, he could have gotten through a crack somewhere - and maybe he's already making his way up to the bedrooms. Nothing like that thought while sleeping at night - a big black spidery looking bug crawling around - who knows where?
I may keep watch by the closet. Waiting to see if he dares to emerge. I don't think there's much food in there. We have centipedes and spiders in the house. Sometimes we have ants, too. Usually if I see them, I catch them and put them outside. But, sometimes I'll just squash 'em. Depends what kind of a mood I'm in.
I sent my dog into the closet - but he found nothing. This leads me to believe the escape was made into a crack. He may come crawling out at night. I'll be ready. I have my sandals nearby.
But, until that time - it really sucks. Because if I want to put on a jacket - then I'll have to check it first. Imagine, I put on the jacket, and it's in there - waiting to bite me. Or worse yet - one of my kids. Imagine the guilt. Who likes to put on a jacket and get surprised by a bug? What if the bug isn't full grown? What if it was a tarantula baby or something?
Sometimes I hate my imagination. I feel embarrassed by what I'm about to say ... first of all, I've been watching Angel reruns on netflix instant watch .. so that could help explain some things. What if the water cooler guy is evil. He's a demon and he now has brought this evil bug into our house. Crap. I have to find it. Maybe I can put some candy bait out. And, when he comes for it, I can squash him.
I think that he'll probably die. Then I'll find a dead black crawly spidery looking thing somewhere in the closet. Nothing like not feeling safe in your own house. I gotta go look again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)