Thank you, Mrs. Hallow for introducing me to plain yogurt and so many other foods. My favorite afterschool snack was original Fritos with plain yogurt then I tried flaming hot Cheetos with plain yogurt..... I am still eating and making yogurt about the only dairy I do eat.  The dips in the attached file are the ones I do most often. If you haven't noticed I am a firm believer in easy, no recipes and all from a base that is always in my refrigerator or pantry. Spending time shopping for ingredients for recipes is something I really don't do much of anymore (we won't discuss my walls of cookbooks...inspiration). When I make a recipe it is because more than 90% of the ingredients are in my kitchen. I have cooked my whole life and now I am letting the restaurateurs make me the ethnic foods I don't have all the ingredients handy such as Ethiopian, Chinese, Japanese and more. We have reinstituted our weekly eating out adventure and this week it is to Sunnyvale to The Falafel Stop, it is the made-on-site pita bread that pulls me so far north plus we have to go to a Doctor's appointment.

As I sat down to write this the reference below popped into my email about the decrease in hip fractures, the study points to a decrease in "smoking and drinking"  which supports the education about foods that support a healthy skeletal system and increased walking in some groups and improved lifestyle.  Studies have also shown that in some overweight individuals there is increased bone mass, not a good reason to be overweight or obese as with time other bone ailments appear in the knees and hips and cause havoc with adulthood and aging. 

Swayambunathan J, Dasgupta A, Rosenberg PS, Hannan MT, Kiel DP, Bhattacharyya T. Incidence of Hip Fracture Over 4 Decades in the Framingham Heart Study. JAMA Intern Med. Published online July 27, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2975
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​or click this link
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2768887

Last thought! Skip all the flavored yogurts.... pick a great preserve; add overripe mashed fresh fruit, and more! I make a bagel spread inspired from a local bakery, chopped candied ginger, chopped dates and chopped walnuts or pecans. To one cup of yogurt cheese, you only need 1-2 dates, half teaspoon of ginger and nuts. Best of made the day before but even minutes before it is great.  If adding honey or nut spreads warm slightly to blend in then cool again not much is needed. 

...... the distance from home is shrinking to staying home because of the Spring 2020 viral out break, and I could use some continuous at home time to finish sorting my unfinished projects, years of print and digital photos and maybe some good old fashion creating and crafting time! Let me not forget refreshing my music repertoire. This blog is about recipes and cooking and today I attended a community nutrition meeting and I was blown away by all the new cooking groups that have popped up. There is nothing like involving all the senses, I think computer recipes and classes leave a lot to be desired. The human race has never had so much variety with so little individual labor, and as we are noting, our waistlines have never been wider as well. 
I am proposing slow cooking vs fast cooking although maybe not, I may prefer to work in the garden or lose myself in a good book. I opened all my rice containers in the pantry and picked out Red Rice from Northeastern Thailand. Raw, it is a beautiful maroon red color almost like used bricks and cooked it is a rich auburn brown. The nutrition facts label indicates 5 g of Dietary Fiber, no sugars, 34 g Carbohydrate (CHO) and 4 g protein. I am pairing it today with yams, green onions and bell pepper strips with yogurt on the side. This profile may not fit everyone's CHO distribution. Although, during times of stress and emergencies we do crave and eat more CHO therefore these two choices low in fat, high in vitamins and minerals maybe the ingredients of choice. 
 
The power is not expected to be out unless we all start baking bread day and night and have a brown out or an earthquake. A quick rule of thumb is 4-5 oz of produce x (times) 5 portions x 5days then X the individuals in the house. I do plan to go and get produce weekly, why I did not use 7 because sometimes I chose to eat out or I get carried away shopping. For one person this calculates to 6-8 pounds (#) reminder if you eat most of your vegetables as greens you will not need as much weight. I do appreciate the value- added lettuce and greens we can purchase.  I always have on hand, 1-5# of potatoes (various kinds especially sweet & yams), 1-2 # broccoli, 1-4 # carrots, 8 oz -1 #mushrooms, and various kinds of onions at least 1-3#. The freezer always has peas and roasted corn kernels.  My base is approximately 5.5-14#. If I don't eat it all before it starts looking a bit tired or I get more, SOUP STOCK! In our household sodium is the first criteria when buying foods and the reason 99% of all our stocks ae made ahead and frozen in 8 oz, 16 oz and 32 oz portions. 

Let’s get started!
Step one, make a list of all the food you have in the house; then categorize it as food groups, Proteins, Fruits/Vegetables, etc. then combine them into meals you generally make. Then there will be a pile that needs some ingredients added to round out using up your stores. I use an inventory practice from food service and date my canned, boxed, frozen, and dry ingredients….so I can be realistic with myself and not have heirlooms in my pantry or freezer. Remember in the United States we waste more than 50% of the foods we buy because we don’t use it before it expires, or we cook too much and toss the leftovers. As a two person household, my secret is using pans that can only make 3-4 portions. I break this rule for soups and beans.
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This has gone very long, I hope you don’t get “cabin fever” and thanks for reading my thread, I hope this will keep me connected to you and others. 

Todays Recipe
Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
 1lb. dried red beans soaked
3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 ½ tsp. dried thyme
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 hot chile peppers diced
4 cups of water, approximately
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 smoked turkey wing
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
 
Rinse the beans, cover with cold water and soak overnight.  Rinse again and set aside.  Chop the fresh thyme or crumble the dried thyme.  In a large heavy pot heat oil and add the onion, garlic, pepper, and thyme.  Sauté over low heat for 4 or 5 minutes.  Add the water, black pepper, bay leaf, and turkey wing.  I like to chop the turkey wing into several pieces before adding to the pot.  Reduce the heat, cover, and cook over low heat for 40 minutes.  Add the soaked beans to the pot and bring to a boil again.  Cover the pot and reduce the heat to very low and simmer for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally and if beans become dry add some more water.  When the beans are tender, remove a cup or so from the pot and mash with a fork.  Stir the mashed beans back into the pot.  Simmer for another 15 minutes.  Serve over hot white rice.  Serves 8.
 
Family Wedding Recipe collection--This is a favorite of the bride’s father who picked up this recipe while traveling in New Orleans.  

Comida in our house means mexican food.... thank you cooks at Catherdral High School and Pat's Grandmonther for introducing Jerry to Comida. It is hard to say how often we have Brisson Comida vs Ramirez Comida, then there is our own versions of Comida which is rather international especially from Germany, Spain, Italy, etc, and most recent addition Morocco.  

Picadillo and Spanish Rice was selected this week becaus of the purchase of a large package of lean hamburger without a specific meal in mind. As we are still in Shelter in Place it would make great leftovers plus the intitial saute of onions, garlic, beef and tomatoes made several packages of meat for tacos and burritos. 

Picture, Wednesdays simple supper the plate includes Rice, Picadillo and Greek Yogurt. Sometimes I served corn tortillas but not that meal. I don't freeze the picadillo finished. To include this recipe in Fast Suppers Category, I freeze the prepared meat just before the vegetables are added. I like my vegetables freah and potatoes as I have mentioned get meally unless they ahve been frozen commercially and I haven't found one I like in caldillo or other stews as the potato adds starch and thickness to the broth while cooking.