All in Oats

So I'm fighting something.  I know its not a flu because it did not hit like one; just an annoying runny nose, soar throat, and stiffness.  So its a cold, oh colds You Make My Dreams so weird.  Initially I couldn't remember what I had dreamed about last night until I revisited the Tivo and was reminded of exactly how much the show Merlin I saw the day before.  Apparently all night I was casting rather boring spells.  Oh well it gave me a chance to be up early in the morning and make breakfast.  Since Dave was getting up as well I thought it would be nice if I would make him a nice hot meal to start off this cold rainy day.  

No stuffed french toast, designer pancakes, or yummy sausage.  I'm no Rich Girl, so today oatmeal is on the menu.  Nothing out of the box with the well meaning quaker guy and no instant. I Can't Go For That.  Time for a little Adult Education.  Most instant oatmeals are full of sugar,a surprising amount of salt and a sting of ingredients you can't recognize.  You don't have time? Please, Say It Isn't So.  Yes I admit that it takes longer to prepare oatmeal from scratch than those Did It In A Minute brands, but its so worth it since you can control what goes in it.  I choose to use a brand of Irish cut oats, they are thicker than instant and when cooked have a little bite to them.  

My favorite is to cut up some apples and fry them up with a little cinnamon and Maple syrup.  When the oatmeal is done just fold the fruit into the oats and enjoy.  Another great combination is Banana with Cinnamon and brown sugar.  Regular oats are tastefully and nutritionally better for you, and since the oats are a whole grain and not the powdered flakes your digestive track will be working on it longer so you will feel fuller longer.  Still think I'm  Out of Touch with what it takes to get up and go to work in the morning?  Fine here's a recipe from one of my favorites people; Alton Brown:

Ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oats

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup dried figs

4 cups water

1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions:

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and set to low heat. Cover and let cook for 8 to 9 hours.

Stir and remove to serving bowls. This method works best if started before you go to bed. This way your oatmeal will be finished by morning.

Have kids? Prepare this at night, its better than any pop tart you could buy.  

Yes I know I forgot Maneater, and Private Eyes but you can make it topically appropriate in the comments.

This I Believe . . .

An important step in our countries history as taken place.  Time will weigh in on whether it was a correct one or not.  For now though it would seem it has polarized a nation.  Even my own family has drawn a line in the sand and come down on both sides.  Words are being thrown around regardless of their meanings intended to strike images in ones head, and civil intelligent people have been reduced to name calling. The fault lies no farther away than your own nose.  Stop playing Farmville, stop listening to other people's opinions and form your own.  

I had intended to write a post about the "evils" of Socialism vs. the "patriotic" Capitalism, but I am no expert and you would not read it.  So instead of a litany of facts that people will twist and interpret for their own gains I decided I would do something more straightforward and heartfelt.

This is what I believe...

• I believe in social and progressive organizations. 
• I believe the welfare and betterment of my fellow man are important. 
• I believe in unemployment assistance, people go through hard times and need help. 
• I believe that even though I will never have children, it's important for me to pay taxes towards public education.
• I believe that a Nation can only be strong when it works together for the benefit of everyone as opposed to everyone out for themselves.
• I believe that while not being especially religious in the classical sense, that this, is what Jesus preached. 

• I believe in a public option.
• I believe that a healthy population is a strong population. 
• I believe that a healthy population will reduce the amount of illness in me. 
• I believe that most people want healthcare but simply can not afford it. 
• I believe that companies can not afford to pay the growing cost of healthcare. 
• I believe that Health insurance companies are out to make money, and they do a very good job of it on the backs of the people it helps.
• I believe that the cost of healthcare reform should be weighed against the cost of unnecessary wars that had to be fought.
• I believe that people with great healthcare really are the lucky ones and are content at not changing a system running the risk that down the road they may be dumped; just because it benefits themselves now regardless of what there relatives or neighbors may be struggling with. 
• I believe that our government does waste money, but public healthcare would not be that waste.
• I believe that we have taken the first steps to correct our problems

I believe that Americans have gotten lazy and would rather copy and paste an opinion than create a new solution.

So with this I challenge you.  What are your beliefs not your facts, not your regurgitation of talking heads on TV?  What do you believe in?

Shorts

I remember a little over 10 years ago when I was attending college in upstate Vermont we would get these random days in March where everything would just thaw.  It was the onset of Vermont's fifth season, Mud Season.  How was this occasion marked?  Well the temperature would get to about 50 degrees and suddenly you would see shorts cropping up around campus.  Still a little chilly for you southern folk I know but for us it was a heat wave.  Windows were opened and even though there may have been a foot of snow on the ground, and there would be in all likelihood another round of snow coming until May, we would be out celebrating.  Hell classes were even skipped so that people could just go outside and enjoy it.  

Today feels like one of those days; at least it does down here in JC where it just reached 70F.  In fact I'm wearing shorts, sneakers and a polo right now with the windows open.  I know next week it will be back into the 40's but until that time I am going to enjoy it.  This weekend I really have no plans and the forecast is to be around 70 degrees and sunny both days.  While I may not have Lake Willoughby to visit I do want to get outside and enjoy the weather before it disappears for awhile.  Who knows what we will do.  Even if we just get outside at the local Biergarten I will be happy.

Beware though.  My father, who although lacks the training of an official Meteorologist and does not have the trick knee that can predict rain like the old-timers in the mountains, has weighed in on this summer's forecast.  His prediction is hurricanes and lots of them, right up the East Coast.  My father may not have the eccentricities of official weather forecasters but that is more than made up for in accuracy.  Normally Dad is correct when it comes to predicting the type of winter we will be having and when he announces something about hurricanes you may want to just listen.  So even though last year we may not have had a summer, watch out this year because there just may be a storm a coming.

Irish Need Not Apply

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Question: What do you do to re-leave the stress of job hunting?

Answer: You cook. Or more precisely I make meatballs.

If one thing has improved since my excursion south its definitely been my culinary repertoire. Certainly not my blogging, which I pledge to change. Today I made meatballs from scratch. I'm never a fan of the prefabricated meatballs one gets in the market since they really don't taste like meat. So I made my own and I think I have perfected the mix. My style of cooking is very simple. I prefer to make things homemade. Store bought items are often times to processed and contain GMO's, High fructose Corn Syrup, unnecessary fats and unpronounceable salts. In the long run I think the extra time I take to create a meal may actually just extend my life a little longer than those food additives could.

I think I perfected my recipe today; producing a superior ball that holds up well whether one chooses to fry them or bake them. Definitely writing this mix down for future consumption. It just has to pass one last test. That would be the taste test. I already fried up one to make sure the seasoning was right, but the final thumbs up or down goes to Dave. While it is rare I ever get a thumbs down, I do have some things I could improve on.

Tomorrow is a big dinner at home though. Dave gets to have his first traditional New England Boiled Dinner, Corned Beef and Cabbage to all of you outside the New England Area.