Shadow Void

A Tale of Cooked Chicken

I don't know if I said this but mom and dad are off again in Utah. Anyway, I cooked a chicken breast yesterday. I boiled in water along with taco seasoning, rice, and bell pepper. After it reached a full hard boil, I reduced it down to a simmer. I let it cook for like a half hour. After that, I cut out a piece of the breast and made myself a chicken taco with it. I had the rice on the side. Oh...I also had a piece of corn on the cob. Hey I was hungry what can I say. I went to make a chicken quesadilla today.

 

I got the chicken breast out to get some more meat off of it. I took one look at it and I realized something. My chicken breast was cooked or at least partially cooked. The part that I used last night for my dinner was apparently cooked. You know how raw chicken has a sort of translucent look to it. Well, the chicken was pink and translucent. I have to use it so I found something else to eat and put the breast into the oven for about 15 minutes at 425 F. So hopefully now that breast it done and I can have for dinner tomorrow. Only problem is I'm sort of tired of doing the whole chicken thing. I think I'll do fish tomorrow. Yeah that sounds a lot better.

The Fat of It

As a small fry, I was always small. As a teen, I was small for my age. Even now, I am smaller than the average adult. I am not the smallest guy out there. Still at a whooping 5' 1/2 inch tall, I am still a feather weight. Sometimes, I wonder what it is like to be tall and then I wake up to the reality of my size. I'm never going to be a big guy. I doubt that I'll ever know what's like to weigh 120 lbs. As of right now, I'm still in the two digit weight limit. Kind of crazy huh? Okay, but that is not the point behind this particular post.

 

Who has the ultimate responsibility for the obesity in this nation or in the world? Ultimately, I believe that we have the responsibility for our own weight. After all, aren't we the ones who put food in our mouths? It doesn't matter where the food comes from rather it's from your fridge or your favorite fast food joint. We can't blame a restaurant for our inches. At least that is my humble opinion. You can eat just as good or just as poorly at home or out. It would be easy for someone to blame the source of their intake. Still it's interesting to note that there are some people out there who say that the government has role to play in our obesity plague.

 

What role does the government play in the fattening of America? It would to be in their limits of certain ingredients. Things like high fructose corn syrup and other fats. I thought it was nice of them to limit the trans fats in foods. Big brother has given us our food pyramid which tells us how many servings of food groups we should have. They also require food companies to list nutritional facts on their packages for us. All we have to do is read the package. As a border line diabetic, I do check the packages before food enters my cart. I honestly check the carbohydrates and the fats to see if I'm okay. The federal government can only do so much for us. Is it the Food industries fault?

 

Okay, so yeah they might have a small hand to play in this national epidemic. After all, they make the food that we eat. You can't eat a TV dinner and not take in more salt than you really need for a day. You won't like the cholesterol either. Now, I'd be a fool if I said that all fats are bad for you. They aren't all that bad for us. In fact we need fat in our diet. We don't need to be eating prepared foods taken from the freezer section for every meal. We don't need to be eating fast food every day. So I what do you think? Where does the blame lay?

Chicken Breast Baked With Garlic

This recipe comes from Going Solo In The Kitchen by Jane Doerfer. I have to admit that I've changed it just a tad. Jane, if you read this, this is my favorite recipe so far. No, I've not tried all of them yet.

1 whole chicken breast

1-2 teaspoons cold butter thinly sliced

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Loosen the skin on the chicken breast and lift it up. ** ( I like to cut three small holes, pockets, into the breast and stuff them with just a little bit more garlic. ) Cover the flesh with the butter and sprinkle with the garlic. Lightly sprinkle with saly and pepper. Replace and smooth out the skin, place breast into an ovenproof pan, and bake in a preheated 450 degree F. over for 25 to 30 minutes or until cook. Remove from oven and let the chicken sit for at least 20 minutes. Discard the skin and garlic pieces before serving.

** I make this by placing fresh vegetables in with the chicken breast and wrapping them up in foil. I'm going to try posting some recipes that I love to make. Being single doesn't have to mean eating out all the time. This book is great if you are single.

 

Extreme Eats

Weird Foods People Eat

I know these food items may sound a bit strange, but in the countries where people eat them, they must be somewhat normal. I’ve been reading a book called Extreme Cuisine. The whole book is filled with unique foods from all over the world. Some as extreme as my pets, that right people eat tarantulas. You may not know this but in Peru, guinea pig is as common as chicken is here in America. Out in the some of the Islands in the Pacific, bat is considered good eating. In some places, they even eat snake. I’m not just talking about rattlesnake, but cobra.. They even drink the bile and blood of the snakes. Somehow, it seems so wrong. Perhaps, eggs are more your thing. Well, in Costa Rica and other countries in South and Central America, they eat iguana eggs. Another delicacy so to speak is called fugu. Fugu comes from a highly poisonous pufferfish. In Japan, a chef must be licensed in order to prepare this fish. One fish carries enough poison to kill 30 people. Hmm…we know that jelly is good tasting, but what about jellyfish. There can’t be much to eating it. My guess is that it’s very rubbery. Perhaps, it’s even more rubberlike than octopus or squid. I was quite shocked to learn that people even eat cockroaches. I’ve got some large one’s that I have used to represent insects in my presentations. I don’t know about you but the idea of eating one is enough to make me sick. It’s also interesting that silkworms aren’t just raised to produce silk. Any way, I thought I would share with you some tidbits. I don’t read the book after eating. It’s interesting reading when I can stomach it. Talk to you later guys and gals!

A Comment On Comments

My average readers may not know this, but there was comment left on my blog last night. The person who left the comment. Was judgmental? Although, I am choosing to ignore the meat of the comment. I would just like to say that I am not unintelligent. I do know about the bible. I know what it says. Despite the claims of coffee being good for us, I have a high heart rate. My heart doesn’t need the caffeine in my system. Does anyone deny the fact that, caffeine is a drug? A drug that can be addictive and in that addiction it becomes bad for us. Doesn’t it?

Next liquor, I will not go back on my stand on it. There are many people who drink beer, wine, or, whatever form alcohol may come in. When you drink, you are injuring your body. Every so slowly, each drink is hurting the body. It’s not meant to be drunk. I’m sorry guys. If you choose to partake of it, that is your choice. I won’t judge you because of it. It’s a choice you are making.

When it comes to who I am, I make no apologizes. People spread hate, they beat up, and sometimes kill in the name of homophobia. Hatred for others is wrong. Christians should not be filling the world with hate. Let me just say, that trying to call me to repentance is not a crime. Would you want me to call you to repentance for being drunk? I’m not going to be chased from my blog. I am gay. I’m not chasing sex, and sex isn’t chasing me. Let it rest, and I will do the same.

As for my grammer, I realize that my grammar is not perfect. My readers can vouch for that. I do try to correct my mistakes. I don’t catch all of them. I’m human. I make mistakes. It’s a part of life. It’s something that needs to be worked so thank you for catching me on it. Actually, I have a grammar checker on my word processor. I should use it more often. I also appreciate the fact, that Ryan left his comment. Ryan, I don’t agree with everything you said. I hope somewhere in all of this, that you will find bits and pieces of insight from my blog. Of course, I also understand if you refuse to visit my blog. I don’t want to censor my comments. I would rather not have to any way.

My Favorite Exotic Fruits

If you've never had any exotic fruits you are really missing something.  There is just no real way to describe the the tastes of some of these fruits.  Here are some of my favorite fruits.  I'm going to put in links to sites that have pictures of the fruits.  Here we, go my favorite exotic fruits.

1.Cactus pears:

These cactus pears are just that cactus fruits.  You want them nice and ripe.  They should have a reddish color to the skin.  Cactus fruit in general tend to be seedy.  I think they taste like strawberries and watermelon.  Well, I think you'll find them very delicous.  Try them!

DesertUSA

You may want to find directions on how to prepare it.

2.Starfruit:

It's a very beautiful fruit.  When ripe, it is sweet and juicy.  You can eat it skin and all.

A picture of Star-Fruit

3.PassionFruit:

It's a little bit different.  You eat the pulp around the seeds.

Passion Fruit

4.Asian Pear:

If you like pears and apples.  It's crunchy and juicy.  It is the best of two worlds.

Asian Pear

5.Golden Kiwi:

This kiwi is yellow in color.  I honestly think it is not as acidic as the green kiwi.

Golden Kiwi

I make it a point to try a couple new fruits each year. 

Do you have a favorite exotic fruit that I don't have listed, that I should try?  Let me know!

Today, A Review

Today started pretty slow with me not getting up till around 9:00 a.m.  With work making me get up at 6:15 every morning, I like to sleep on Saturday, just till around 9:30 a.m.  I know some people manage to sleep in till noon.  Sleeping till noon is something I rarely, if ever manage to do.  When I'm in bed that long, I tend feel crummy all day long. 

Trying to cut back on foods that aren't good for me.  Didn't think it would be this hard to avoid foods that the doctor advised me to stay away from.  I've had tiny servings of ice cream, and in the mornings I've been downing a bowl of oatmeal.  Yeah, it's instant but at least it's somewhat good for me. 

Around 10:30 a.m., a friend from church called me.  He was going to go see King Kong, and wanted to know if I wanted to go with him.  I had to pay my way, which was fine with me.  There are only two films out right now, that I've been wanting to see.  King Kong is one of them and the other movie is Narnia.  With one movie off my list, I now just have to see Narnia.   As far as Kong goes, I thougth the effects were out of this world.  Being a guy who loves nature,  I was really impressed with some of Kongs motions and behaviors.  Bravo on the big ape!  There was only one scene that I didn't really care for.  Those big maggoty looking things could have been removed one hundred percent.  Not because they were gross looking, I just thought it was a bit over the top.  I also thought the dinosaurs were potrayed nicely in the film.  The entire New York scene after Kong escaped, very well done.  I told my friend it was nice to see one King Kong that didn't look like a man in a suit or a Kong who appeared stiff.

As you know, I've planned what appears to be a really nice menu for myself.  The crab cake recipe, that I followed really SUCKS.  If I make it again, I will be changing things a bit.  The bread crumbs will be seasoned, there will be bell peppers, scallions, and a little bit of jalapeno for spice.  They were so bad, I couldn't even finish them. I am going to try them again, so it wasn't a total lose.  I also had the oven fried sweet potatoes.  Thought they might add a little color, and they taste might go good with the crab cakes.  They did actually go pretty well with the cakes.  My biggest gripe about the cakes was that, they didn't seem to hold together.  So, next time I will be using more bread crumbs. 

Any way, I am signing off for tonight, see everyone tomorrow.

While The Parents Are Gone

While the parents are gone, this guy is going to be eating great.  I have my entire dinner menu all planned out.  Below is my menu starting with yesterday:

Monday: Ground turkey chili with fruit and water

Tuesday: Poached Chicken Breast with Taragon, green beans, bread, and water

Wednesday: Bbq chicken, peas, brown bread, fruit, and water

Thursday: oven steamed fish, with tomato, green beans, onions, and peas

Friday: Garlic chicken with vegetables , fruit, and water

Saturday: Crepes with applesauce ( nothing to fancy )

lunch ?

dinner sloopy joes with oven fried potatos, fruit and water

Sunday, yougart , fruit and milk

Lunch ?

Dinner grilled ham and cheese

MOnday Pizza?

Tuesday Curry Chicken

Wednesday Chicken Burritos

Thursday Back to the sixties chicken breast

Friday: Baked fish with lemon

Saturday:

Pancakes , fruit, juice

Lunch crab cakes with oven fried sweet potatoes

Dinner: Baked Italian sausage with vegetables

Thanks for listening