GRAINS, WHEAT, AND RICE...

Someone made a posting regarding my Pizza, asking if there was a low fat version of the recipe. This is something that I felt I had to comment on because there are some very basic things that people do not realize about the whole eating healthy thing.

To put it simply, there is no such thing as a low fat pizza. Don’t think you can slap on some tofu cheese and think it’s going to be healthy I’m afraid. Why? Because no matter what toppings you put on a pizza it’s still a huge portion of bread, and the bread is going to add weight to your body more than the cheese will.

Now before you switch to another website and ignore this posting, thinking that I’m one of those anti-carb fanatics, because I’m not. Our brain needs glucose to burn in order for it to survive, so it’s not a good thing to cut out of your diet. There are also some very healthy things in a lot of grains that the body needs as well.

Now having said this, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t understand two very true and factual things that any nutritionist or diet planner with more than two brain cells will tell you:

1 Everybody processes energy differently. Some people pack on the pounds easier than others, and if this is the case, than you are going to have to adjust your eating habits if you want to lose weight. You will have to eat less of certain things than others, and balance health vs. portions.

2 Carbs are sugar! Carbs are very simple molecule structures that get digested and broken down into the body very quickly. They are made of monosaccharides, like glucose, galactose, and fructose. You know, those ose’s. Sugar!!!

So no matter how healthy that slice of 47 grain whole wheat bread you plan to eat is, and they are healthy, when your body breaks it down, it is still sugar! It’s just not as refined a sugar as the white stuff we buy in stores. But in the end, what’s the difference. If you eat enough of the stuff, you might as well be eating a candy bar, which would be the case if you eat a lot of pizza.

So I’m not saying people should stop eating carbs, what I’m saying is that the more refined the carb is (like white flour, even whole wheat flour or any kind of starch) you might as well consider it a sugar portion.

So eat brown rice, whole grains, but in moderation, because the body will turn it into sugar. Now if you don’t exercise, you should be eating even less of the stuff. Pasta, bread, and even high starch potatoes, carrots, beets are all things that are great if you’re a marathon runner or doing something where your body runs like a sports car, but if you’re like the most of us, you don’t need too many carbohydrates. Remember, the stuff is solid rocket fuel in the human body, and unless you are very active, the excess energy will be turned to fat.

So I’m not an anti-carb fanatic. I think people just need to understand the science of the human body more. Whole grains are still sugar, but a healthy sugar, just like olive oil is a healthy oil. But anything in excess is a bad thing.

Don’t believe me? Don’t. Go look for yourself, and learn that carbs in all its forms, no matter how healthy the delivery system is, is still a sugar.

HOME MADE PIZZA

I had a pizza party on Monday, which was fun, but I was trying out a new pizza dough recipe I learned from the TV show Good Eats. It was fun trying out the new recipe, and my table top mixer. Despite how much fun it was, the recipe turned out to be a thin crust pizza, which I'm not fond of, and it was really salty. So I had to come up with my own. Having experimented with several pizza dough recipes, I have settled on my own version which I have put out here for you all to enjoy.

So you have two choices, if you plan to make home made pizza. Try out this recipe, or invite me over for dinner, and I will bring my own dough balls.

I will resist the temptation to turn that into something dirty.


Pizza Dough

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups of Bread Flour
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
1/2 Tablespoon of Salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 1/2 Teaspoons of Quick Rise Instant Yeast
1 1/2 cups of hot ( no warmer than 140 degrees centigrade) Filtered or Mineral Water. (Why mineral or filtered? Because tap water has chlorine in it and that will kill the yeast!)

*IMPORTANT NOTE* Making good pizza dough takes time. This recipe should be started 24 hours before you plan to actually make the pizza!

1 In a table mixer, add the sugar, water and then the yeast. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the yeast has foamed up.

2 Add the flour (3 1/2 cups using the scoop and sweep method), olive oil and then the salt. Mix until combined.

3 Change the mixer to the dough hook, and knead for 15 minutes, or until a small piece of dough can be flattened out and stretched into a very thin membrane.

4 Take the dough ball and place it onto a clean work surface, and flatten it out. Turn the edges in on themselves as if you are making a jellyfish and keep pulling tight on that side until the rounded end becomes tight as a drum.

5 Take the dough ball and place it onto a clean work surface with the tight, rounded end facing up. Wrap your hands around the sides of the dough ball and roll it between your hands, without moving your fingers. The act of moving the ball around in a circular pattern will further pull the ball tighter. Once done, cover it with a tea towel, and let it sit for 1 hour.

5 Divide the dough into two equal portions, and repeat steps 4 and 5 with each portion of the dough.

6 Place each dough ball in a metal or plastic bowl, and add a bit of olive oil to and toss to coat (don’t add more than 1 tablespoon of oil). Place the dough in the fridge for 24 hours. The dough will probably double in size, and that is a good thing.

*IMPORTANT NOTE* Do not attempt to try to form and cook the dough without waiting the 24 hours. The dough will be so tight and mealy that you won’t be able to evenly flatten it out and flip it to the desired size. Trust me, I know, because I’ve tried. Waiting the 24 hours radically changes the chemical composition of the dough and makes it much easier to work with.

7 After 24 hours, flatten out each ball of dough, one at a time, and toss it between each of your hands, holding it by the edges, rotating the dough as you go. This will spread the dough out evenly around, while keeping about an inch of the outer edge of the dough much thicker. This becomes the crust, and assists in flipping. Flip the dough in the air, like you’ve seen done at fancy restaurants or TV. There really is a good reason for doing this; it’s not just for show. The thicker, outer edges of the dough, gets pulled from the center axis when it is spinning in the air, and this action spreads the dough out to the desired shape. If you use a rolling pin to shape your dough, you loose the thick crust edge, because the dough will be uniform in thickness. Sometimes science tastes good!

8 Sprinkle some cornmeal out on your pizza pan and place your dough on it, and put on whatever toppings you want.

*IMPORTANT NOTE* Don’t put a lot of sauce down, or your toppings will slide off, but if you like a messy pizza… If you go over 3 toppings + cheese, you may be overloading your pizza, but if you like a messy pizza…

9 Put your pizza in a preheated oven at 450 degrees, for 15 minutes, or until the cheese has begun to brown.

Once all this is done, you might end up with a nice pizza like the one I made today (see the above picture).

DINNER IN 8 MINUTES...

Okay, you’ve just got home from work, and you are not only really tired, but also very hungry. We’ve all been there, and I have here a recipe for a dinner that only takes 8 minutes to make, including preparation and cooking time. The only problem with the recipe is that it isn’t good for dieters, because it includes a Ramen Noodle package.

On the plus side, it’s incredibly fast, and very cheap.

What do you need?

1 Ramen Noodle Package (I usually go with the Shrimp flavour. ‘Cause it goes with the Shrimp or seafood I put into it.)

1/4 cup of frozen Shrimp, fake Crab meat, or firm Tofu

1/2 Green Onion, chopped

1/2 cup of Snow Peas, or maybe Napa Cabbage, or Carrots (chopped finely). You can use any vegetable you like, really. This is a very forgiving recipe.

1 very small saucepot. You want one that is so small that the bundle of noodles barely fit in it. If the corners of the noodles get crunched a bit trying to get it in, you have the right size.


How do you make it?

1 Start by filling the saucepot with 1 full cup of water, and place it on the stove element on the highest heat your stove has.

2 While the water is heating, cut off the stem ends of the Snow Peas, or chop up whatever vegetables you are using. Also chop up the Green Onion.

3 You don’t need to do anything with the Shrimp, but if you are using Crab meat or Tofu, chop that up as well.

4 By the time all the chopping is done, the water is usually boiling by now.

5 Once the water begins to boil. Add the whole flavour package and stir to combine, but do this quickly! With every second you are losing water! Then add the Ramen Noodle bundle, and set your timer for 3 minutes (or whatever recommended cooking time is written on the noodle packaging).

6 As soon as the noodles are in the pot dump your Shrimp, Crab, or Tofu in and then pour the vegetables over top of that. Keep the pot boiling on the highest heat your stove top can muster, and let it sit for 3 minutes!

7 Once the cooking time is over, just turn the pot over into a big bowl and sprinkle some fresh cracked pepper (or regular if that’s all you have), and the Green Onion. Adding a dash of Sesame Oil if you have any is good too.

I hope you try this out and enjoy it. Not many dinners can be made in the time it takes for water to boil (plus 3 minutes)

Tips:

Do you balk at the thought of cooking with Shrimp! You say, “Shrimp is too expensive?” Believe me I agree. So what I do is get the frozen Salad Shrimp when it’s on sale. One small bag of the stuff will make plenty of this. Still too expensive? Try Giant Tiger; they sell Shrimp rings for $3 to $4. The only problem is that you have to take the tails off, or not if you don’t mind taking them off in you bowl. That can work just as well, and it’s less time consuming.

INSTANT GOURMET FOOD!!

A good friend of mine once lamented the time it takes to make healthy food. No offense intended to my friend, but to that I say Pah! Most people share this complaint, and so I have taken it upon myself to disprove this myth!!

First off. Eating healthy is all about ingredients. What takes time is your method of cooking. A lack of time only limits what you can cook and how. It doesn’t prevent you from cooking healthy.

I’ll say that again. A lack of time only limits what you can cook and how. It doesn’t prevent you from cooking healthy.

I think the real problem is that most people don’t know what their options are when it comes to cooking because you probably have to either go to cooking school, or religiously watch the Food Network for a year like I have. Since most of you don’t have the time for that, I have taken it upon myself to come up with quick, easy recipes that not only don’t take any time to prepare (and cook), but are healthy and very cheap.

For my first recipe, I have a fish pouch! It takes 15 minutes or less to prepare, and takes 15 or 30 minutes to cook, depending on how you prepare it. The cool thing is that you don’t have to use any of the ingredients I used if you don’t want them. What I am showing is a METHOD of cooking that will allow you to make easy, fast, healthy, and tasty foods!

What do you need?

The Hardware
1 medium sized bowl
Parchment Paper (though aluminum Foil will work too)
One Baking Sheet


The Food

1/3 of a cup of Bulgur Wheat (though any small grain will do)
One of those super cheap bags of frozen fish (usually they are 3 to 5 bucks each)
A handful of fresh beans
Two carrots
A small sprig of fresh Sage
One green onion
One Shitake mushroom


And now for the Sauce and Seasoning

Salt
Pepper
Soup Broth
Sherry Cooking Wine
Worcester Sauce


Okay, now on to making the thing.

Fist. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. By the time you are done making this, your oven will be hot.

Chop up the carrots. To save time I recommend NOT peeling them. It really doesn’t change the flavour; it’s still a carrot. Just wash them first. Don’t have enough time? Try cutting the ends off the carrots and breaking them up into three pieces with your hands. Just remember that if you do this, you probably want to use thinner carrots, because it may take longer to cook thicker ones. If you have peeled baby carrots, even better, because you don’t have to do anything to them (more on how to preserve them on another show).

Wash and chop the ends off the beans, I like to do more than one at a time to speed this up. You don’t need to chop these. That’s what the knife and fork are for when you are eating them.

Slice the mushrooms in whatever way is quickest for you.

Dice the Sage, or whatever herb you happen to like with fish. For even faster prep, use dried.

Then get out your fish. Cut any pieces that wont fit evenly in the bowl you have. One of those bags will have enough fish for two batches of this recipe.



Okay, now you want to get your bowl. Why the bowl? Well what you are going to be doing is piling food into a pocket of parchment paper, and unless you are cooking Lego blocks, they aren’t going to stay put, especially when you pour in the sauce. The bowl keeps everything in place.



Tear off a big sheet of parchment paper and push one side of it into the bowl as shown. You want to have enough of the paper to one side so that you will be able to fold it over and seal it.



Pour in 1/3 of a cup of Bulgur Wheat. You can use whatever grain you want though.



Next, layer a couple or a few pieces of fish on top.



Then throw on your veggies.



Next up is the herbage.



Now comes the Sauce. In a small bowl, mix up about 1/3 of a cup of soup broth (I used Organic Chicken broth), then one Tablespoon of Sherry Cooking Wine (though any wine will do. Put in what you like), and Two Tablespoons of Worcester Sauce. Mix.



Now sprinkle about 1/2 a teaspoon of salt on your pile of food (give up on the table salt and use kosher, sea, or anything but table salt. It tastes like a chemical refinery), and a few dashes of pepper. Then pour the sauce over the food.



Now fold over the other end of the parchment paper, and starting at one of the folds, twist the paper. Move a bit further along, and twist it tightly.



Keep twisting the paper along the edge. I know it looks complicated, but it really is much easier than it looks.



Then when you get to the fold at the other end, twist it into a tight point.



There. Now you have a parchment paper pocket. It is definitely easier with foil, but I find that a lot of the food ends up sticking to it after cooking, so I go with the paper. It’s more biodegradable too.


Now carefully move your pouch out of the bowl and onto a metal baking sheet. You have lot of water in there, but don’t worry. Parchment paper is water resistant. Put the whole thing in the oven for 15 minutes, or 30 if you are using frozen fish.


Come back when it’s done, and you get this.



Then you can move it to whatever plates you want and eat. Or you can eat it out of the paper if you want.


So there you have it. The measurements I used took a bit of time to figure out, so that there would be enough water to puff up the Bulgur and steam the rest of the food, but it is a very versatile meal and any ingredient can be replaced for another. The only reason I used what I used was because that was what I had in my fridge at the time. It took me 15 minutes to fully prepare, but depending on the vegetables and how you chop them it could take even less time.

Sound good. Put in 15 minutes of work, and wait another 15 or 30 minutes and dinner is done. It tastes good too. You also don’t have to wash any pots. So the next time you find yourself complaining as you slave over the stove, don't blame the food, get better recipes.

I will have another one later involving ramen noodles that can be made in 8 minutes, including cooking time!

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO STAPLES

Well as you may have guessed by the photo above, I am done. Yes. I am done. Three very simple words that sum up an awful lot of work.

I finished the first draft of the book at around 12:30 in the morning Sunday night, backed up three copies of it, and then spent the next hour and a half trying to calm down enough to go to sleep. I have been very quiet about the book’s plot, but I think, for those that know me, it’s a safe bet to assume that the story is a big adventure story, because it is. Now in order to write anything that is remotely interesting, I had to believe I was there, and the closer I got to the end of the book, the more intense it became to write. So, for me, it was the most intense writing experience I have ever had. It was visceral, fun, but very tiring. In fact I have been pretty consistent at writing about 10 pages a day for three or four days a week, since August. The most I had written in one day was 15 pages. On Sunday I wrote 30 pages. I don’t know what came over me, or how I was able to do it, but that’s how my Sunday went.

When I finished the book, it came in at a whopping 482 pages and 183 202 words. I didn’t realize that it would take that much to say what I had to say. I had an even bigger surprise on Monday morning when I headed off to Staples to print the thing off. They didn’t have the font I used, so the 12 point font it was printed on was apparently significantly larger than the 12 point font I wrote it in. So it printed out 576 pages!!!! There’s a lesson for all of us! Not all fonts are the same, even if you use the same points in the font!

I obviously now have no idea how many pages my book is. I will have to do more research and find a standard print font that even Staples has, and reformat it all. But that is what the second draft is for.

I think the problem I am going to have is that most people are going to take a look a 500+ page book and assume that the story meanders, and that I couldn’t be more efficient with the writing. That isn’t the case. The story is quite action packed. I have no patience with self-indulgence, so I don’t waste time with my plot.

So now the plan is to get plenty of rest, and then wait a month or two before re-writing the book. I plan to take the next year to sculpt the book into something that I feel comfortable sending out to publishers and agents. At least now I have something. I can actually say I wrote a book, though it will mean more if I get published.

THE RETURN OF THE SAVAGE...

Well, I'm back. A few of you have been wondering where I've been all this time, so I thought I tell you what's up and where I've been.

I took a break from Blogging for two reasons, one I was getting heavily full time in my writing, AND I thought no one was looking at my blogg site. In an effort to avoid junk mail I didn't want to give any personal info that is asked for when you get a site counter, I have also, unfortunately given up any way of knowing how much site traffic I get. Now I think anyone who has a Blogg site has to admit to a little need for peer gratification. Without the site counter, and because most people don't leave comments I felt like I was putting in a lot of work with no audience, and for an artist the audience is everything. I know it sounds childish, and I'm not denying that, but I'm just being honest. If I’m going to spend time talking, I’d at least like to know people are listening.

So I will just assume people are watching and post more often, since I have had requests from people to post more often.

Okay, now what has happened since the last posting? I went to the Ottawa Swing Dance Association and hung out there. They have a very well run machine, which makes for a lot of fun, even if you're nervous. There is no high school sitting on the sidelines here. They pair you up in a circle that staggers from boy to girl all around, and you switch constantly. This prevents any embarrassment of "oh I don't want to dance with you 'cause you look funny' crap going on, because you HAVE to dance with the next person in line. It was a good thing to do, but ultimately it isn't what I'm looking for. I still intend to go occasionally but with all the loud music and dancing, you never get to know people. All you get to see is what people look like, and if that's all you're interested in, great, go to it. But for me, as much as I like a sexy looking woman as the next guy, it's what the person is like that is most important. It's too important to me to want to know what a person is like before even wanting to date someone. I have a saying; "don't judge a present by the pretty wrapping." What I mean is, you could be the hottest looking person out there, but if you are selfish and insensitive? Trust me, you're ugly. So I will be looking for things to do that will put me in a position to meet girls and TALK to them.

Now what else has happened? Well I am literally days away from finishing my book. Yeah, I said finishing it. It has been a long road, this year, and a lot learned, both about writing and about myself. I have two or three chapters to go, and I will have finished the first draft, then I get to take a break and come back to it. I'm a long way from sending it out to publishers, but it is still no small feat to accomplish, especially since I am on page 452, and I'm not done yet. Yup, it's a big one, but I kinda have the belief that if you smack someone in the face with your book, and it doesn't hurt? Then it's not a book. Yes I like a good, long story, as long as it's good. Hopefully others who read mine will feel the same way about it. One never knows. I have never even published a short story.

I dreamed up the idea for this book in February and started to develop the plot. It wasn't until a month or so after than I thought about writing the ideas as a book. Then I had to write the outlines, because there are three books in the series. Once that was done, I wasn't able to start writing until August. So I'm pretty proud of how fast I have written the thing.

Now, early on, I learned some very hard and obvious lessons on writing that apply to art in general. If you feel you have to wait for inspiration to write, you are going to have a hard time doing it professionally. You need to be able to sit down at any time and work, and get something done. Imagine working at a cash register and find you can't do it until you get inspiration. You'd get fired pretty fast. Professionals need to be able to sit down and perform without hesitation. Now, I’m not putting myself in the company of professional writers because, like I said, I’ve never published even a short story, but I have managed to write a book that is going to be over 450 pages in about 5 or 6 months, so I like to think I have something to say about discipline. If you can't do that, don't worry, because there are many reasons why that have nothing to do with "not having the talent." You probably do, you just need to find ways that make you comfortable enough to write, draw, or whatever it is you do. Now I need to expand on this concept, because even though I have forced myself to sit and write on a daily basis whether I was inspired or not. This is what gets the work done, and every now and then you get your 'inspiration' and do you best work. When you are in the zone, you do your best work, but if you wait for those times, you'll have a hard time getting things accomplished. So don't worry if what you are writing, drawing or doing isn't your best, you are still working! And that is key. You can always come back and fix it later. That's what 2nd, 3rd, and 4th drafts are for.

What did I do when I wasn't in the mood to write? Well I sat out on my deck, weather permitting, and wrote. Or I'd get up and head over to the local Bridghead and grab a tea and a seat and write. It was funny because in my mind I was there to write, and I was able to trick my mind into thinking that people are going to notice I wasn’t' doing what I was there to do, and so I should get to work. The other thing is music. For a lot of people, music is key, and for me it was, is, and will always be paramount. If there is music that makes your mind click into gear and get active (and I don't mean dance, unless that's what you are trying to do), then use it to get motivated. Whatever the answer is for you, be it location, audio, visual, or even olfactory stimulation, these things all get you working, and if you can get into a groove for a full day, what you are doing is tempering yourself to put in a full day's work. You’re learning discipline, and that is crucial if you want to get the job done. You just need to take the time to explore what motivates you to work.

If this book ever gets published I am going to have to say a big thanks to the film composers whose music has inspired this book. For me, film music is like another instrument in the jazz band in my head. I listen to a piece of music, and wonder what could be going on to the sounds (because unlike ALL other form of music, film scores are designed to play alongside images). So I make up stuff, and listening to music has allowed me to imagine key elements to my stories. Hell, I got the ending to all three of the books from listening to three different pieces of music.

But I should probably go now. After rambling about discipline, I have to work, and finish the damn thing. But at any rate, I will try to post more often, and see how it goes.

Later.

A GOOD STEP...

Well Friday night is Swing dance night with the Ottawa Swing Dance Society. My brother has been involved for many years with this group. For once I will be going. I am scare sh***less, but I think I not only have to go, but it would be a good step to meeting some ladies. It’s a saddle I’ve put off riding for too long, but I’m sure the rewards will be worth the anxiety.

I’ll let you know how it goes. Nothing like an entire day and a half to wait and stress over it.