Friday 31 May 2013

Religion and the Net

The following contains religious icons changed to suit this blog by little old me. Reader discretion is strongly advised...as is a sense of humour!

We are in constant contact with each other these days. So constant, in fact, that we do little else. Those who spurn this never-ending virtual and telecom connectedness are considered backward, disassociate, and ignorant (unless, of course they are in excess of seventy years of age, which seems to be some arbitrary internet literacy cut-off point). There are even online church services.
Gone are the days of having to slog through toe-deep snow, lightly drizzling rain or beautiful sunshine to fellowship with actual people of similar faith in person. Now all you need do is select your virtual church, tabernacle, temple or synagogue and register. But, what if you happen to miss the live net broadcast of the service? No worries; simply click on the web-cast version and “attend” later. Some of them even provide live Twitter and FACEBOOK feeds for those on the road.
So, what would it be like if every religion throughout time had been originated on the net? Well, outside of the probability that, if internet and electronic communications had been around 20,000 years ago, humanity would most likely have never evolved (or left the Garden of Eden, or whatever) because they wouldn't have gotten off their lazy…But I digress;

Behold, Inana, one of the oldest of human deities, the Goddess of the Harvest in all Her glory. She provides nurturing and nutrition, as well as guiding us in to this world and holding our hands as we leave it.
 
 Now how would she have been depicted as Goddess of Satellites? Would she have lovingly cradled a dish, raised to the sky for better reception? And would she ever have actually gotten the crop in?

And what of Isis (or Ah-set)? 

Would the Orb of the Sun in its Sky Boat have been replaced on her crown with a telecommunications tower? Would she have paid quite as much attention to her son Ra? Would an entire pantheon exist?

Next, Christianity! (Ah, hitting a little closer to home now, are we?)
The Feminine Divine in the religion of the followers of Christ is, of course, his mother the Virgin Mary, the Madonna, the Queen of Heaven, She to whom all souls entreat at the end of their time on Earth.
How much easier would that entreaty be if you had her mobile number, or better yet, if you could drop her an email…

I cold go on and on.
My point is, get out there and see people!  Meet them in person at your place of worship, or anywhere else, for that matter. Agree with them, or disagree with them, but do to in the same room with them. Have a cup of coffee or tea or a pint of beer, ale or mead with them, but do it away from your computer, mobile or tablet!
I’m going to go talk with my family now, in person, using speech. You all have a great time.

Wednesday 22 May 2013

The Bird Is The Word, Part Too-Dang-Good


This is my famous - at least among my family, friends and almost anyone who has eaten it - oven roasted poultry recipe. It's really really good! Have patience and take it a step at a time.
Oven Roasted Chicken or Turkey
The Stuffing
4 slices air-dried whole wheat bread
2 slices air-dried white bread
1/2 medium onion, sliced to your preference
3-5 tblsp butter
2+ heaping tsp poultry seasoning
salt & pepper as desired
In a large bowl or extra large zip style food bag, break dried bread in to 1/2 - 1/4 inch pieces, and set aside. In a skillet melt the butter at medium heat, then add onion and let saute' on low. Add butter and onion to bread. Add poultry seasoning and salt and pepper. Keep adding poultry seasoning until it smells slightly overwhelming. Work all together well with spoon or hands, or by sealing bag and shaking. If mixture is not quite moist enough, add plain water using a spray bottle on mist setting; repeat mixing process. Set aside.
The Bird
Preheat oven to 325&F (at sea level). Rinse the plucked and dressed chicken well and check over for stray feather heads and shafts. Place in a pot or bowl just big enough to fit the bird vertically with the breast opening up. Fill as much of the stuffing as possible in to the cavity and then seal it with string or metal skewers  Invert chicken and repeat with tail cavity. Lay chicken in lightly greased roasting pan only half again as large as the bird. Twist wings back on themselves to secure, and tie or skewer legs in place. Take a 12 inch metal skewer and push in through breast cavity and out through tail cavity to properly cook stuffing. Rub soft butter on to bird, generously sprinkle on poultry seasoning and pepper (no salt), and rub again. Cook for 15 minutes per pound (thawed). 20 minutes before removing from oven remove roaster lid, baste chicken and allow skin to brown; baste frequently. Remove from oven and de-pan chicken to a serving platter or cutting board. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
The Gravy
Place the roasting pan on to a large burner on your stove top, and turn on to medium high. Pour 1 cup of hot water in to the roaster and allow to come to a  boil. In the mean time, put 3/4 of a cup of cold water and 3-4 tblsp a.p. flour in to a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid. Shake vigorously until lumps are gone. Pour flour mixture in to boiling water, stirring rapidly while adding. Stir in larger and larger circles throughout roaster as it all boils and thickens. Remove from heat when desired thickness. Strain if desired. Serve.

If you have any questions leave a comment. 
Unfortunately I'm a little bit rushed at this moment. I will, however, get back on this as soon as I can.

Sunday 19 May 2013

WELCOME ... Somewhat Belated

It occurred to me that I should have begun with a post that welcomed people to my blog and ... so on. As I didn't do that, I am doing it now.
Welcome to my blog. Here you will find out exactly how many different things interest me and how many different things I do. Which is polite-speak for this will be a repository for a mass of the varied junk I obsess about, be it for a year or a day. And I do that a lot! The topics will jump around, because that's what my brain does. It's a bit like having a tree frog on amphetamines in my head. So one day I will talk about a movie I love, and the next I'll talk about the differences in crochet cottons, and the next I'll talk about the spiritual impact of the decline of the red cedar forests in the Pacific Northwest. These are just examples of course. I may talk about these actual topics. Then again, I might not. Eclectic would be the nicest term for what I am likely to post. But I will actually be interested in all of it.
Now, I said one day and then the next. It's really unlikely to be that regular. I have a few medical issues that can prevent me from posting daily ... or even monthly for that matter, including rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, C.O.P.D., and bi-polar mood disorder. I also have a couple of surgeries coming up in the not-too-distant future, so I'll have to take a break then. Mind you I might get some help blogging about those...hmm.
I'm quite sure that my blog will change as time goes by. My opinions change, sometimes quite radically and quite suddenly. Also as I become more adept at traversing the online labyrinth, I will be able to label blogs better and/or write a few at a time. Right now I am on somewhat of a mission to put out correct information on the basic basics of cooking, so you can expect blogs on things such as reading a recipe. And if you have a suggestion or request for a certain topic or clarification of something, leave a comment.
In fact I really do want your feedback, so please do comment. If something comes up that I do not want comments on I will simply remove the comments button.
That's it for now. I hope you enjoy the read. Have a great Victoria Day weekend.

Thursday 16 May 2013

HERBED RICE


This is my very basic recipe. It goes well with a lot of other dishes and is a nice alternative to plain white rice or potatoes. If you don't like the herbs I suggest here, use different ones. I have used paprika and cayenne pepper, as well as sage and a packet of chicken flavour powder. Both were just fine. You can serve this hot or cool it down and through in some bits of chicken or fish and eat as is.

  • 1/2 small onion, very finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp basil
  • 1 tblsp olive oil
  • a generous pinch of salt
  • 1 Cup long-grained white rice
  • 2 Cups water

Heat your rice pot on Med-High, add oil and saute' onions and garlic until just beginning to turn colour. Add in oregano and basil and briefly heat to release flavours, then stir in rice, water and salt, and cover. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for another 10 minutes. Very gently separate rice with fork or bamboo rice paddle. Serve.
Enjoy!
!UPDATE!
As part of my film study, I have a vignette planned that chronicles the making of a dish of rice from putting the pot on the stove to eating it. If successful, or even relatively view-able, I will put it on YouTube and link it to my blog. Stay tuned... :)

Wednesday 15 May 2013

The Bird is the Word: Part Won!

Chicken. Yes, chicken. I've always had trouble cooking chicken. My friend Angela can attest to it. Outside of  coating mix chicken or my always-delicious roasted chicken (the recipe for which I will post later; yes +Angela Gallant  you FINALLY get it!) chicken has been my Waterloo. So I am going to research and try out various chicken recipes, especially those for an itty-bitty budget, using this blog to record my successes, failures and whatever else happens. Now please be aware that I do not have a camera at this time, so I may or may not be able to add pictures. We do have a cell phone, but I'm just not adept enough at using the thing to know how to use it right.
I got this particular recipe of of Epicurious, a site for people who love food. Here's the link:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Perfect-Pan-Roasted-Chicken-Thighs-365489
And here's the recipe.

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS

  • 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 475°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12" cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to  medium-high. Continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and cook 13 more minutes. Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Tonight I will try it and let you know how it goes.

UPDATE!
The first thing out of my mouth when I put this in my mouth was "Oh my god this is good!" And it really, really is. I've always told my kids that people screw food up by fussing too much, and this recipe proves it.
I used a 9 lb. cast iron frying pan and, as I live at sea-level, I put my oven on 400*F, not 475. I probably could have been a little bit more attentive to it; then the skin would have been intact. This picture doesn't show it well. there's too much redness that wasn't in the actual chicken, but I never claimed to be a photographer. However I was also making herbed rice, home-made ice tea and veggies.