2/20/16: To your mom, best products & life's tips & plants & recipes
This post is dedicated to your Mom, what are the things which remind you of her? How she influenced you? Thanks.
I'm done with antibiotics for my pneumonia (from flu-shot reaction). Chest still hurt & still cough. Very excited to find this in Scientific American journal .. already ordered Culturelle (with L. Rhamnosus GG):
" Lee Morrow, an associate professor of medicine at Creighton and lead author of the study, along with his colleagues administered a solution containing the human intestinal probiotic bacteria, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG or a placebo to 138 critically ill patients on ventilators. The study was designed so that neither patients nor care providers knew which group received probiotics. The patients received treatment twice daily and were monitored routinely for the presence of pneumonia-causing pathogens. The researchers observed that probiotic treatment reduced the number of cases of pneumonia by nearly half."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bacteria-may-protect-against-pneumonia/
Below pic. reminds me of my Mom's compassion for the poor. My sister, the doctor, took that pic. few days ago in her trip to Hmong people in Northern Vietnam. She spent $$$$ on her trip bringing socks, warm clothes to the poor tribes who live in high mountains, where the temp is under 40 F, or 4 C. My Mom would do something about that ... it's compassion in action.
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Mom's Best Recipe?
Comments (25)My mom was a great cook. She cooked mainly Greek style peasant food because that's what my dad insisted on. Stuffed grape leaves were her hallmark dish! She made the best, and our family could never get enough of them. My husband especially loved them, so they became his standing birthday, Christmas, and Fathers Day present from her. Eventually, she was unable to cook them any longer, and I took over the responsibility. Here's her recipe: Yaprakia/Dolmathes (Stuffed Grape Leaves) Filling: 1½ pounds lean ground beef or lamb 1 large onion, finely chopped 2-4 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup long grain white rice 1 can tomato sauce (8 ounce) 1 tablespoon mint 1 tablespoon dill weed 1 tablespoon oregano ½ cup chopped, fresh parsley (optional) 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 16 ounce jar grape leaves (approximately 50 leaves) Juice of one lemon Beef broth, chicken broth, or vegetable broth Remove rolls of grape leaves from jar and unroll. Rinse under cold water and drain well in a colander. Set aside badly torn leaves for use later. Cut stems off grape leaves. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent; cool. Mix rice, onion and garlic mixture, tomato sauce, mint, dill weed, oregano, parsley (if using), salt and pepper in large bowl; mix well. Add ground beef or lamb to filling ingredients and mix thoroughly. Lay a leaf, vein side up, in your hand or on work surface, with stem pointing toward you. Place tablespoon of filling (depending on size of leaf) on the part of leaf where stem begins (near center). The filling should form a narrow cylinder; do not over fill or the rolls will burst during cooking. Tuck in side edges to secure filling. Roll from you toward the tip or point of the leaf, forming a small cylinder approximately 2½ inches long and ¾ inches wide. Do not wrap too loosely or the roll will come undone during cooking. Stove Top Method: Line bottom of 5 quart Dutch oven with a single layer of the reserved torn grape leaves. Place rolls seam side down in bottom of pot, tightly together in concentric circles, layer upon layer. You want a tight fit so that rolls don't unravel when cooking. Continue until all rolls are in pot. Any leftover filling may be rolled in cabbage leaves or lettuce leaves or made into tiny meatballs and placed on top of rolled grape leaves in pot. (Optional: Cover top with another single layer of the reserved torn grape leaves.) Cover rolls completely with broth and lemon juice. Place a heavy plate that fits inside the pot upside down, over rolls as a weight to keep leaves from unrolling. For good measure, place a clean rock or stone on top of the plate to secure the plate and the rolls. Cover pot and bring to slow simmer. Simmer gently about 75-90 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat when done. Let stand covered for 15-20 minutes before serving. Baked Method: Line bottom of 13 x 9 baking dish with a single layer of the reserved torn grape leaves. Place rolls seam side down in rows in baking dish, layer upon layer. You want a tight fit so that rolls don't unravel when cooking. Continue until all rolls are in baking dish. Cover top with another single layer of the reserved torn grape leaves. Cover rolls completely with broth and lemon juice. Cover pan with aluminum foil that has been greased on inside. Bake at 350° for 75-90 minutes until both meat and rice are done. Let stand covered for 15-20 minutes before serving. Note: My mom always made the dolmathes in her pressure cooker, so that's how I make them too. It only takes 35 mins. Yaprakia/Dolmathes may be served hot, warm, or cold. If hot or warm, serve with avgolemono sauce prepared from the broth or with plain, unflavored yogurt. If cold, serve with plain, unflavored yogurt....See More2/12/16: chemical vs. natural ways to health, organic vs. artifical
Comments (65)Jess: Really like the links you gave on making baby-powder recipe. THANK YOU. I have Calendula flowers in my garden (it's a perennial): "1/2 cup arrowroot powder & 1 tsp chamomile or calendula flowers, powdered in the blender or food processor or a few drops of chamomile essential oil." Chronic sinus can also be from allergies to cat-dander. When I first met my husband, he had 4 cats, I constantly sneezed from the cat's hair. He gave away 3, and kept only one cat. I washed his cat weekly, to decrease the dander, so I won't sneeze so much. Now we have zero cat, bad-allergy. However, probiotics like L. Rhamnosus GG (in Culturelle and Solgar Advanced Multi-billion Dophilus) ... that strain of bacteria is proven to slash pneumonia in half, so it helps with membrane in sinus & lung. I gave my 13-year-old daughter Culturelle, Hyperbotics, Solgar, plus Kefir for that past 5 days. I meant to decrease her oily secretions so she has less facial pimples .. and that ended up lessened underarm odor. She's allergic to chemical deodorant, so she uses Milk-of-Magnesia ... magnesium hydroxide has a drying effect, but doesn't last long. Last night I sniffed her shirt before putting in laundry... Wow !! Barely noticable odor, same with my clothes, I can easily wear the same clothes & undies twice, since the probiotics suppress the bad-odor-causing bacteria. That's the logic for daily consumption of Kefir and pickled veggies: less body odor. There's studies that show babies born through C-section has more allergies than babies born through birth-canal. Below excerpt is written by a microbiologist: "For example, during pregnancy, the composition of bacteria in a woman’s vagina changes so that there is a higher concentration of Lactobacillus, a kind of bacteria that aids in the digestion of milk. While he or she might eventually get colonized, a baby born by cesarean section will miss out on immediately acquiring these beneficial bacteria. Dutch researchers recently published a study in the journal Pediatrics showing that infants with colic have more bacteria that are known to produce gas, whereas anti-inflammatory bacteria that live in the vaginal canal are more common in colic-free infants. Health problems that are more common in children born by C-section, such as obesity, asthma, allergies, type 1 diabetes, food allergies, eczema, and celiac disease. While there is still much we don’t know, alterations to the gut microbiome might connect these conditions to what some have dubbed the "cesarean epidemic" in our country and around the globe." http://www.thedailybeast.com/witw/articles/2013/06/02/babies-born-by-cesarean-section-may-not-gain-benefits-of-vaginal-microbiome.html...See MoreYour favorite products, food & recipes, roses, wise quotes, ideas?
Comments (51)THANK YOU, LAVENDER, for alerting me to the danger of glycation. My best dinners were made in a slow-cooker (low heat with plenty of liquid), rather than fried !! Here's the link to my Pinterest slow-cooker recipes: THANK YOU, VAPORVAC, for setting a good example of hot whole-grained cereals for breakfast. I used to do the same, but neglected that, thanks to eating my kid's pickiness. https://www.pinterest.com/clonewar/slow-cooker/ My sister convinced me to buy a pressure-cooker, and it WAS HORRIBLE IN TASTE. The temp. was so high that it ALTERED FOODS and made everything stinky, be it cooked beans, meat, or soup. I used that a few times, and never again !! I boiled chick-peas in that pressure-cooker, and it stank so bad my kid complained loudly & I trashed the whole mushy pot. Compare that to aromatic chick-peas boiled with low-heat over the stove top, which retained its firmness & flavor. I use the microwave to quickly heat up food (with liquid) to zap out germs, rather than long cooking high temp. like pressure cooker which destroys food. Cooking food to death is not a good idea. The high-heat destroys proteins 1st, but microwaving vegetables with water for a short time to kill germs .. that still retains nutrients and beans & peas are still bright green. I checked on the nutrients retained with microwaving veggies vs. steaming veggies, and microwaving FOR A SHORT TIME IN WATER retained more nutrients, with less loss in water. My personal measure stick for AGE (advanced glycation end-products) is HOW MUCH JUICE I NEED TO DRINK to chase away the "stinkiness" or "rancidness" of high-temp. cooking or over-processed foods. More juice = more calories. http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2014/11-nov/foods-high-in-ages.html Which foods are high and which are low in AGEs. Protein-rich foods: Red meat and cheese tend to have the most. In descending order, chicken, fish, eggs, and legumes have less. Grains: Boiled grains, such as rice and oatmeal, and sandwich breads are low in AGEs. When grains are processed into crispy brown crackers or fatty cookies and sweetened with sugars, however, their AGE content can soar. Dairy: Milk and yogurt are low in AGEs, but when moisture is removed and fat is concentrated (as in cream, butter, and cheese), the AGE content rises dramatically. Fats: Vegetable fats tend to have fewer AGEs than animal fats. Animal fats are also more likely to be high in unhealthy saturated fats. To further reduce AGEs, cook foods at low temperatures and with lots of water-based moisture by steaming, stewing, poaching, and braising. Stay away from fried foods. deep-fried chicken has more than six times the amount of AGEs than steamed chicken. When you grill meats, marinating your food in an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar before cooking it will reduce AGEs by up to half. http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2014/11-nov/foods-high-in-ages.html...See MoreBBQ Ribs -- Share your rubs, tips, recipes -- No judgment:)
Comments (54)The pic is great. That is one happy smoker, : ) Smoked a pile of ribs early Spring. Low and slow packed tight. open the packets at some point...no competing here. I only get the Costco ribs. Planning another round this coming weekend. Garden is planted and on its own now except for minor up-keep. Ribs are a good project. I like the GaramMasala addition to the rub. I make my own GM so I just may do one of the packs using that version. My spice rub falls into the complicated category but I have the spices and like fresh roasted, ground fresh. Doesn't take long at all and I can stock up other blends that are low at the same time. I bbq a big batch while I'm at it. I swear the neighbors can smell it. One is a football field away and the other is 3 fields away. We do fair trade with the closer. His leeks are baseball bats and mine are toothpicks. He brings leeks and I give all the rhubarb they want. "whatcha cookin'?". The other neighbor is 6'6 and huge. He could use the walk but he drives. "whatcha cookin'?". He offers nothing but an appetite, lol. Plenty for everyone. I plan on 8-10hours. Start about 9am. All I have patience for. I aim for fall-of-the-bone with a tug. I like it to hold on. Leftovers I pull off the bone and food saver in packets for the freezer for mid week quick tacos. I use wood, side fire box. Free fuel. Maple, birch, pear, plum, apple. Old trees. Mesquite powder is a great ingredient. From the seed pods, not the bark/wood. Smells like milk chocolate. HERE...See Morestrawchicago z5
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jessjennings0 zone 10b
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHi Jess: The 1st link you gave from CNN-money is so sad ... 62 richest people hog 1/2 the wealth of this world !! But those 62 people, once they die, will owe God tons ... since the only thing that we can bring along after we die is what WE HAD GIVEN TO OTHERS. Those 62 people who shared little, will receive little in the afterlife.
So sad to hear that poor South Africans can only afford corn and bread .. my heaviest weight in college was when I stuffed myself with bread living in a dinky apartment. But when I got married, I ate more expensive stuff like meat & veggies & fruits, and became skinny.
I once watched a documentary on the poor in America. They interviewed a Mexican immigrant family who could only afford McDonald for dinner since it's cheap .. and they become overweight with diabetes, even the young kids became overweight with $1 hamburger and $1 ice-cream cone.
My sister had to pay $2,000 for Communist bribery plus motorcycles' transportation just to get $9,000 worth of stuff to those tribes. She endured 10 hours of bad-muddy-roads just to reach this little girl .. and Jesus Christ went through way more pain to deliver love to this earth !! Below picture is poor Hmong girl holding a bag of gift from my sister, with no shoes in 40 F or 4 C.. This little girl lives up the high mountains of North Vietnam .. not accessible in rainy season.
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoJess: Thank you for that link on recipes (plus pickled recipes) .. I could not access that, will try again with husband's help. Like you, I am bothered by the discrepancies in wealth vs. poverty in this earth. I remember Jesus Christ's parable of this earth: weeds and thistles growing among the wheat .. and after we die, the weeds will be burnt in the furnace, but the wheat is gathered safely to be stored in heaven.
My sister, the doc., is quite brave .. she has asthma so she's NOT afraid of death, nor dangerous mountain-roads, nor Communists. With my recent flu-shot-reaction, I'm NOT afraid of death either ... Jesus Christ had it WORST in terms of death (crucified on the cross), so He made other deaths easier. I look forward to eternal life where things are more organized & fair.
Eternal life is where people are grouped on their spiritual levels, rather than their material possessions. The happiest people are those who appreciate, or don't mind the least that they have, like below picture of poor Hmong students who wore rags to school. These 300 students were given clothes by my sister's trip this month.
Khalid Waleed (zone 9b Isb)
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoThank you, Jess and Khalid for insightful perspectives. Khalid is right: we should thank God everyday for the blessings we have, and our easy life compare to the poor. Here's an excerpt from my sister's e-mail on the isolated Hmong tribes up the mountains:
" We left Muong Chanh to Trung Luu asking a 2nd border patrol to enter the 2 tribes of interest: Ca Ran and Canh Cong. These 2 tribes are the deepest, poorest, without a single cell phone (no electricity to charge your cell phone), no motorbike. Hundreds died from starvation in August 2015 when they had flood rushing down the mountain killing them and crops in July 2015 ... you will see why we risked much (even our lives) to come and help. The poor kids were trembling naked in 40 degree F weather. One 12 year old girl without top had to use her younger sibling to shield her breasts."
*** From StrawChicago: The above has to do with Communists taking over. I'm most thankful for freedom of speech and religion, both are suppressed in Communist countries. Tight control and censorship is harder than lack of material possessions. For everything I do, I'm thankful to have a chance or choice to do so. Poor people have zero choice, but what's given.
We are richer & thus are responsible for our choices for eternity, We have a choice to uplift others or to put them down. We have a choice to eat junk food or healthy food, but the poor have zero choice but cheap food.
My Mom once emptied her bank account to a blind-beggar-Mom and her daughter to start their business. They returned Mom every cent. Good choices !!
The charity that my doc-sister works for is HopeToday, where the workers are volunteers and got paid zero money, compared to World Vision President' salary $447,500.
Besides Hopetoday charity (help all religions), my sister also works with Rescue Humanity (Nepal & Vietnam). Both worthy charities are below:
http://www.hopetoday.org/default.htm
The below picture is daily life in Vietnam. It's a Mom beggar with her young son in the street, and a well-dressed lady with flowers dropping money in the bowl. The poor has no choices, but we are so blessed to have choices: to take care for ourselves and others with the money God gave us.
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoThe poor have zero choices, but what's given to them. We are so blessed with choices: take care of ourselves or destroy ourselves. We can eat what God-made: FRESH with all vitamins & enzymes ... or eat the white stuff: white flour, white rice, white sugar.
I'll get kale, parsley, swiss chard, celery, ginger, cucumber and make a RAW green-shake. I had that before .. kept me full for hours. The poor don't have access to fresh veggies nor fruits ... we are so blessed to have choices.
Happy ending: My sister made good choices, using her savings, plus asking friends & relatives to help these Hmong children in the cold mountains. They went from wearing rags to new jackets & shoes & gifts. My sister and husband, both M.D's from U. of Southern CA and Stanford University Medical School, are on right-most side.
strawchicago z5
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHere's pickled cucumber recipe using whey (liquid on top of yogurt). It's less acidic & less salty than store-bought pickle, plus with lots of probiotics & stay crunchy.
1 Bay leaf 2 Dill flowers 1 clove Garlic 5 Pickling cukes
4 Peppercorns, whole 1 tbsp Pickling spice 1 tbsp Sea salt
4 tbsp Whey & 1 cup Water
Probiotics lower cholesterol .. cheaper than buying Cardioviva. Folks say the carrot-dill-basil-beet pickle is a yummy-combo.
*** Random bouquet from summer .. the tiny purple flowers are alyssum ... they smell good if there's lots of them. The cluster is Annie L. McDowell ... crazy growth but it's thornless. It died last harsh winter. I'm playing it safe and plant mostly Austin roses.
strawchicago z5
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoFound that simple salad-dressing .. very yummy & Mom made that many times in both countries ... popular world-wide: Copycat Babe's salad .. we used to fill 1/2 plate with this salad, and 1/2 plate with food during family reunions.
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs canola oil or mild olive oil
1 head iceberg lettuce
*** Random bouquet from last summer just to cheer up. The middle one is Bolero (smells like water-lily), and the left-lowest one is La Reine (smell bland in my alkaline clay). The cluster is Christopher Marlowe.
strawchicago z5
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Above is a cheese-shaker which I put magnesium oxide, to shake into my juice, to counter-act the high calcium-tap water ... magnesium helps with sleep.
The best-tasting stuff is the simplest recipe. Like that salad-dressing with
2 TBS sugar & 1 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper & 1/4 c apple cider vinegar &
2 Tbs mild oil & 1 head iceberg lettuce.
JESS: So glad I made that pickled red-cabbage (took 10 min), but that's the best thing I ate this year !! So refreshing, crunchy, and slightly tart, really cuts into the grease of main-dish. I'm addicted to that now.
That pickled red-cabbage helped to digest food. I had Ezekiel bread .. with so many grains (sprouted wheat, lentil, millet, etc.) it's very heavy ..... but the probiotics in red-cabbage digested that bread so quickly .. zero gas.
Magnesium oxide does wonder to induce deep sleep & more gentle on stomach. It's in a powder form so it's faster acting than magnesium-tablets (has magnesium stearate, the bad stuff that causes stomach pain & diarrhea). I sprinkled magnesium oxide powder on my kid's cereal & milk. She didn't finish her breakfast, so I ate that .. had the most wonderful nap today !!
When I nap well, I lose weight easily. I lost 8 lbs. or 3.6 kg from flu-shot reaction just by taking magnesium & sleeping a lot & ate 1/2. I weighed myself daily for the past 1 year .. when I don't take a nap during the day, I pay for it dearly by gaining 1 lb. the next day. Getting enough sleep is the key to lose weight, and with my high-calcium water I'm tensed, can't sleep, unless I take magnesium. It takes only 1/4 of a teaspoon to help with sleep.
It was messy to use magnesium oxide powder until I put it in a parmesan-cheese shaker. I shake that into a juice pitcher for the entire family, or shake that into lemon-juice. It doesn't dissolve well, unless there's acid.
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoPrevention magazine site explain how probiotics work: " But the 100 trillion microbes that live in your large intestine do dozens of good things for you. They process indigestible fibers and help keep bowel function regular. They produce a number of vitamins, including B6, B12, and K2, and aid in the absorption of minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium. Equally important, they help fend off bad bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli."
*** From Straw: I put random pics. of bouquets picked from my garden just to cheer up this thread. I wish I could eat these blooms. Lowest one is Stephen Big Purple.
jessjennings0 zone 10b
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI got the above shredded cheese from Trader's Joe. It's Parmesan & Asiago & Fontina mix made from RAW milk .. so it has all the probiotics (beneficial bacteria). That's the best-tasting Parmesan-mix that I have ever tried in my life .. I made chicken-Caesar with bow-tie pasta, zucchini, red pepper .. and family loves it.
I used the above cheese for the below salad (2,400+ like-votes in Pinterest) .. and it was amazing !! Husband raved about the salad, but he complained about the corn beef ... paid $$ to get grass-fed, no nitrates but it was still salty. I don't like corn-beef, but I love the salad, see below:
Shredded Kale and Brussels sprouts salad: 1 bunch lacinato kale & 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts & 1/2 cup raw almonds & 1/4 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, shredded & 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard & 1 tablespoon shallot, minced & 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice & 4 tablespoons olive oil.
strawchicago z5
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The yellow one above: Golden Celebration smells like cup-cakes from the oven. Post these bouquets just to get myself motivated to go outside and start working in the garden. The below Spinach recipe is just as satisfying as the bouquet, husband loved it, but my kid hogged the bacon, and refused to eat the spinach .. ARRGH
Spinach salad with bacon
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 cup minced onion & 1 pinch salt & 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/6 cup apple cider vinegar & 1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water & 1/6 cup white sugar & 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup bacon drippings & salt plus black pepper
1 pound baby spinach leaves
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
Quartered boil eggs, thinly sliced & 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
Brown bacon until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup of bacon drippings. Cook and stir until onions are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic for 1 minute.
Stir cider vinegar, rice vinegar, 1/4 cup water, sugar, and Dijon mustard into onion mixture. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer. Drizzle reserved 1/3 cup bacon drippings into onion mixture. Add cooked bacon and stir to combine. Combine spinach, black-eyed peas, boiled eggs, and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl; toss to combine. Drizzle hot bacon dressing over spinach mixture.
strawchicago z5
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI look forward to the above pink bloom: Comte de Chambord rose, best scent ever, like an expensive French perfume. Salmon is Evelyn, white is Bolero (4th day in the vase).
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoKhalid Waleed (zone 9b Isb)
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jessjennings0 zone 10b