GOBAG Meeting and Eating Nov 8, 2011

I ate so many chicken wings yesterday I think now if I flap my arms hard enough I could maybe fly. Or maybe not.

4th of July Party in Marietta

We went to a party on the 4th. About 5pm as we arrived it rained like the Mother of all rains. By the time most of the people arrived, it quit raining and cleared off some. People could stand around and socialize. People got to mix and mingle, hand out cards*, share recipes, gossip, tell the latest rumors buzzing around the city….. if this an’t Southern Living I don’t know what is. There were film editors, columnists, elected officials, lawyers, and at least two retired people mingling. Yes, there was at least one amateur blogger/video camera operator.

Speaking of the video camera operator, the idiot overlooked videoing the low country boil spread out on the table, along with grilled burgers and dogs, salads of all kinds and numerous desserts.

Then the band started to pack their gear as a rumble up in the heavens said another storm would be here soon.

It was a very pleasant evening. Doug and Rachel really know how to throw a party. We enjoyed their hospitality immensely.

Then it started to rain again. We folded our chairs and headed for home.

*I may have been the only one that was handing out cards.

Reality Pacman

We went to Costco and everyplace you looked they were handing out free samples of hot steaming food. It is time to buy food for Thanksgiving and the free sample corps were offering morsels of delicious food so you would be tempted to buy more. As I walked down the aisle trying out samples I felt like Pacman.

“Take some home today” the sample-workers would say enticing.
CHOMP!

“Only one percent fat”.
CHOMP!

“With this coupon you can save money on these goodies! – try one!”
CHOMP!

“Try this spread – it is made of real lobster!”
CHOMP!

“This is marinated chicken,”
CHOMP!

“Real beef!”
CHOMP!

“Take some home!”
CHOMP!

Down at the other end of the long freezer was a lady handing out little baked breaded triangles with spinach in between. It looked good. She had a tray full of samples. As I got closer a lady pushing a shopping cart with kids following. Suddenly all the hands from the shopping cart were reaching for samples. One of left! Hah! I almost reached the sample lady when suddenly a hand snaked in from her other side and grabbed the last sample.

DAMN IT!!

She said she would have another batch ready in about five minutes. I wheeled up to the pharmacy area, looped around and browsed at merchandised, making sure to be back in five minutes. My timing was just right - she pulled another tray of steaming hot samples out of her Dutch oven.

CHOMP!

Threatened?

The picture above - why do some people, when they see something praising the working class they scream "Communists!!" ?

I have some good news for David Poe, Sam Huff, Williamson Brothers, Slopes family, Old South BBQ family, Smoking J’s, Smokey Bones, and Eat Good BBQ Here. The good news for these fine folks is that I am no longer a threat to them when it comes to cooking baby back ribs.

Of course, they may ask, “Was he ever a threat?” Well, that is immaterial now isn’t it?

I cooked a rack of ribs about twenty years ago and made a mess. I waited and tried again this past weekend. I made another mess. The ribs were hard and burned to a crisp.

I researched how to cook baby back ribs looking at Google and the Food Channel website. There were many variations but all agreed to cook them long and slow at a low heat, which I did. They also all agreed that when you can easily pull a bone out, then the ribs are ready.

I kept my grill between 225 and 275 as they all said. I waited and waited, checking every fifteen minutes. Hours went by and it never got to the point that I could easily pull out a bone. It was dried and crusty black before I finished with it.

I guess I’ll stick to turkey dogs, turkey burgers, and steaks.

You Can’t Beat Aged Meat Wraps!

Yesterday morning on the CBS Sunday Morning News Show it was mentioned that Napoleon invaded Egypt and controlled the country of Pyramids for a time. It is no secret that some of the French military personnel ate mummies.

This probably wasn't that long after the French Revolution, so who knows how their minds ticked.

Being that they were Frenchmen, I think they probably complemented the dry meat with melted cheese. I wonder if Julia Childs knew about this?

Urp!!!

I Will Live Forever!! (If I don't die)

I was forwarded information about honey and cinnamon. It said if you take honey and cinnamon together regularly it just about prevents and/or cures just about every disease known to man.

I have been taking locally produced honey for allergies for years. I mix the honey with vinegar and hot water and sip it like a tea.

And as of this yesterday I started adding cinnamon.

Now, I will probably live forever.

Being around for eternity I thought I might put it to good use and do a public service. I tell what I will do: See me and talk to me. I’ll make mental notes, or I might have to write them down and take pictures to help my memory.

Then hundreds of years later I will visit your descendents and tell them what sort of person you were and what I thought of you.

But I have to warn you now… It seems only appropriate that if I do you a favor like that you should give me a gift to show your appreciation. The gift, of course, the more valuable it is the more I will think of that person, and can really come up with some doozy kind things to hand down.

And if the gift isn’t so good… well, I can get critical sometimes too

The forwarding I received (Snopes says this is undetermined, under research.):

> Honey is the only food on the planet
> that will not spoil or rot. It will do
> what some call turning to sugar. In reality honey is always
> honey. However,
> when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will do
> what I rather call
> "crystallizing".
>
> When this happens I loosen the lid, boil some water, and
> sit the honey
> container in the hot water, off the heat and let it
> liquefy. It is then as
> good as it ever was.
>
> Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. To do so will
> kill the enzymes in
> the honey.
>
> Cinnamon and Honey
>
> ~ Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting
> around.~
>
> Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:
>
> It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most
> diseases. Honey
> is produced in most of the countries of the world.
> Scientists of today also
> accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for
> all kinds of
> diseases.
>
> Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of
> diseases.
>
> Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if
> taken in the right
> dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.
>
>
> Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue
> dated 17 January,1995
> has given the following list of diseases that can be cured
> by honey and
> cinnamon as researched by western scientists:
>
> HEART DISEASES:
> Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread,
> instead of jelly
> and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the
> cholesterol in
> the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack.
> Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this
> process daily,
> they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use
> of the above
> process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart
> beat. In America
> and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients
> successfully and
> have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose
> their flexibility
> and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries
> and veins.
>
> ARTHRITIS:
> Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one
> cup of hot water
> with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon
> powder. If taken
> regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a
> recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University , it
> was found that
> when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of
> one tablespoon
> Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast,
> they found that
> within a week, out of the 200 people so treated,
> practically 73 patients
> were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly
> all the patients
> who could not walk or move around because of arthritis
> started walking
> without pain.
>
> BLADDER INFECTIONS:
> Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of
> honey in a glass
> of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in
> the bladder.
>
>
> CHOLESTEROL:
> Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon
> Powder mixed in 16
> ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was
> found to reduce the
> level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two
> hours. As
> mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a
> day, any chronic
> cholesterol is cured. According to information received in
> the said Journal,
> pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of
> cholesterol.
>
> COLDS:
> Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one
> tablespoon
> lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for
> three days. This
> process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the
> sinuses.
>
> UPSET STOMACH:
> Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and
> also clears stomach
> ulcers from the root.
>
> GAS:
> According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is
> revealed that if
> Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved
> of gas.
>
> IMMUNE SYSTEM:
> Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the
> immune system and
> protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks.
> Scientists have found
> that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts.
> Constant use of
> Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight
> bacterial and viral
> diseases.
>
> INDIGESTION:
> Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken
> before food
> relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.
>
> INFLUENZA:
> A scientist in Spain has proved t hat honey contains a
> natural ' Ingredient'
> which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from
> flu.
>
> LONGEVITY:
> Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken
> regularly, arrests the
> ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of
> cinnamon powder,
> and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink
> 1/4 cup, three to
> four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and
> arrests old
> age. Life spans also increase and even a 100 year old,
> starts performing the
> chores of a 20-year-old.
>
> PIMPLES:
> Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon
> powder paste. Apply
> this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next
> morning with warm
> water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from
> the root.
>
> SKIN INFECTIONS:
> Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the
> affected parts
> cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.
>
> WEIGHT LOSS:
> Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an
> empty stomach, and
> at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder
> boiled in one cup
> of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even
> the most obese
> person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not
> allow the fat to
> accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a
> high calorie diet.
>
> CANCER:
> Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that
> advanced cancer of
> the stomach and bones have been cured successfully.
> Patients suffering from
> these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of
> honey with one
> teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a
> day.
>
> FATIGUE:
> Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey
> is more helpful
> rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body.
> Senior citizens,
> who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more
> alert and
> flexible. Dr... Milton, who has done research, says that a
> half tablespoon
> of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with
> cinnamon powder, taken
> daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00
> P.M. when the
> vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the
> vitality of the body
> within a week.
>
> BAD BREATH:
> People of South America , first thing in the morning,
> gargle with one
> teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water,
> so their breath
> stays fresh throughout the day.
>
> HEARING LOSS:
> Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in
> equal parts
> restores hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had
> toast with real butter
> and cinnamon sprinkled on it!
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> The honey took care of the virus !!!

Will Entertain for Food

Today, on Labor Day, at Chic-Fi-La, if you wear something that has your favorite sports team on it you will get a free Chick-Fi-La sandwich.

I have a red UGA Bulldog jacket and a red UGA ball cap. Anna will wear the ball cap.

I hope they won't ask us to sing and tap-dance for our coleslaw and drinks - I'm all left feet when it comes to dancing

Gasp! James Brown Hot Sauce

A few days ago I acquired a 5 oz bottle of James Brown Hot Sauce from a bbq joint. On the label below the title it said, "Made from West African scotch bonnet peppers giving it a hot sauce with soul." (with soul in red).

It has soul alright. An evil soul.

I was warned only a "drop will do you".

That evening we had Talipia. I usually put hot sauce or red pepper on the talipia I eat so I gave the James Brown Hot Sauce a try. I am pretty sure I shook the bottle first... that is something I normally do on things like this.

Instead of a drop, I put about 6 or 8 drops, evenly dispersed on the white fish. It just barely had a spicy taste to it. I tasted hotter.

Today, for lunch I had a hot dog. I placed the wiener in a bun like it lying in a coffin, then dressed it up with condiments.

Then, I remembered the James Brown Hot Sauce. Because the last time I tried the sauce and only got a slight spicy taste, I decided to douse the top of the dog pretty good. I left a steady unbroken trail from one end of the other.

I started eating. About 35% through the dog it hit me. My mouth and lips felt they were on fire. My eyes watered. I huffed and puffed to heave the scorching from my mouth. I drank a Diet Coke and topped it off with lot of water. For some reason my body commanded my right hand to flap up and down.

Man!!!

Then, I scraped off the dressing and re-dressed it, and letting just a couple drops do me.

It was still hot, but not as hot as a few minutes ago.

Whew!

I felt like Wile E. Coyote just after he had one of his gaming tricks to backfire on him.

Willow just watched me with the amusement of an innocent bystander. I think she was probably thinking, "That is what you get for not offering me part of that hotdog!"

Super Bowl - 2nd Most EatingTime in U.S.?

Here we are! Super Bowl Sunday!

This evening millions of people, mostly men, will hunker in front of the TV and do their “Go Go!” or “Hold’em back!” grunts. Tons of neat little finger foods and much beer will be consumed. I think I heard it is the second most feasting day of the year. It is a ritual.

Why?

Because it is there.

During the game you will see some humdinger innovative commercials and probably a fantastic half-time show…. Wardrobe malfunction or not.

Once when I was a time keeper at the Atlanta Post Office the upper management asked one of my co-workers would he go to the Super Bowl with a free ticket and all he had to do was to take names of fellow Postal co-workers that were also at the game. I think it was in New Orleans that year. When he returned his list the names were compared to who had advance approved leave and who called in on sick leave.

In a short time he was promoted to the head of our department. It pays to kiss ass and tell on your peers.

The First Baptist Church of Marietta will televise the game on a big screen TV. I guess there is a message there.

A couple of years ago a lady I used to know, who my family lived next door to, died. I grew up with their many children. When I went to the funeral home to pay my respects the lady’s children were there, even the one with Alzheimer’s disease, but I was the only visitor that wasn’t a family member.

She was an very active member of her church. It was the same church I went to as a child, Crestview Baptist Church. I was hoping to see some of my old church member friends to renew our acquaintances. Then one of the children told me that “T.W.”* ( a deacon) said anybody that wished could drop by his house and have a little fellowship and watch the Super Bowl. Then, I knew why no other visitors were there.





*T.W. has been a deacon since I went to Crestview Baptist Church about 60 years ago. I bet he has changed – I probably would not recognize him. Within the pat 6 months I found out T.W. is a distant Tyson relative of mine. Not through the local Tyson family, but the Tysons that settled in Washington County, Georgia, in the mid 1800s. I am probably more closer related to you, whoever you are.

Another Christmas Tradition

Here is another Christmas tradition I stumbled on yesterday that I didn’t know anything about.

Yesterday we went to Anna’s beauty shop for both of us to get a haircut. Because Anna is only one-handed she cannot cut my hair this time, so the guy that takes care of her hair took care of mine this time too.

The little old house with all paved parking around it instead of a loan looks small on the outside, but on the inside it looks much bigger.

There were a lot of finger foods and sweets and people just kept bringing more. I had a couple of spicy sausages that were pretty good, and a few home made sweets that were tasty as well.

I didn’t know they did that. We bought a dozen Krispie Kream Donuts to bring. Somebody put them with other foods yet to laid out. They had a system. I remember when I used to go to my uncle’s barber shop around Christmas time there would be nothing like that… maybe a verbal “Merry Christmas”… but that was pushing it.

This house of beauty caters mostly to the elderly it looks like. More than a few old women got around with walkers and canes. No sheik slim young women that wanted the certain cutesy curl dangle on their forehead or anything like that.

I noticed the main reading material there was The National Enquirer.

We Are What We Eat

Last week Anna checked the freezer department of our refrigerator down stairs to see if we had enough room for a turkey (upcoming Thanksgiving).

She found a ten pound sack of chicken-ice.

What happened weeks ago she put on the grocery list chicken thigh and leg quarters, on sale for a cheap amount per pound, I forgot what. When I went shopping, buying what was on the list I found the chicken on sale that she listed: Ten pound packages of fresh chicken. So, I bought a sack, carried them home and plopped them in the freezer and didn’t think anymore about it.

Martha Stewart, I'm not. Being fresh and most, they all froze together in one big solid lump.

This weekend we thawed them. The lump thawed into ten chicken quarters. I cooked six on the grill and Anna cooked four in the pressure cooker. We had chicken for lunch yesterday and chicken soup for dinner last night.

I will have chicken soup today for lunch and so will Anna at work. And tonight we will each have another quarter.

We are eating so much chicken that….. aawwwkkkk!

Life Is Like A Box of Chicken Bones

You never know if you will take your next breath of not.
Back in high school when I worked at the Big Apple a group of us after work went to the Dixie Inn in Woodstock, Georgia. They had a special, all the red snapper you could eat. I choked on a fish bone and fell to the floor. This was about 1960 so nobody knew what to do but turn their head as not to watch me die.

Luckily enough, I coughed out the bone. The waitress almost had to step over me to serve a table... I think she knew from experience to pretend you didn't see this incident - you don't want to be a witness against your employer.

Tonight Anna and I were sharing a Cornish game hen. Boy, some of those bones are small! So small was a bone I barely felt it pass down and hung in my throat. I started gagging. I ran my finger down my throat trying to reach it and some how pull it out. Anna saw my problem and ran over and slapped me on the back two or three times. the little bone came dislodged and loose.

Hotooie!!! I spit it out, not worrying about proper manners.

We studied what I spit out and it was part of the pulley bone, or wish bone. I was wishing I would live.

Where was the other side of the pulley bone? Anna had it. She split the little bird down the middle, almost exactly.

I lived.