Posts by FMZ

And (lol, trying to steal more recipes) Avishai, those portabella burgers sound awesome. I tried this off the cuff last week, and marinated the cap in a little soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and oil for a day, then fried it with some onions. Topped with a slice of cheese, and some of the onions. Although it tasted OK, it has some improvements to be made. Suggestions?

KJ

33

What kind of meal(s) do you like to fix for another people?

by averyniceguy in

jw
friends

FMZ

Chelbie... I am lodging at their place, in their basement. Although it doesn't do much for my efforts at dating ("You live where?!?" lol), it is working out pretty well. I had to leave my own apartment about 6 months ago due to some major issues with a neighbor, and Chris was looking for a lodger to help with rent. It was originally going to just be temporary, but it's much cheaper than having my own place, and I have money to actually put in a savings account now. I'll probably stay there for another year or so and get some money saved up, then make the big move down to Tulsa :)

KJ

33

What kind of meal(s) do you like to fix for another people?

by averyniceguy in

jw
friends

FMZ

Well, I am used to making food in bulk (being raised in a family of 7 taught me that)... so no matter what I make, I make a lot of it. Some dishes are much easier when just for 2 tho ;)

I've cooked a few times for my roommate and his wife now, but I've got a mission: to teach them that not all vegetarian food is rabbit food :) Usually I like to make spaghetti bolognese, or veggie rice (despite how it sounds, it's VERY tasty). When I cook for people, I really like to use fresh veggies and make it from scratch... I find it tastes better than all those processed foods :)

Here's a couple of my favorite recipes that I like to cook for company:

Veggie Bolognese This is a modified version of a recipe I have cooked since I was about 12 years old with my mother. It obviously used to use beef (and gravy), but I decided I couldn't live without my comfort-food forever, and modified the recipe to use nice meaty shiitake mushrooms. Ingredients 6 large shiitake mushrooms, rinsed handful of button mushrooms, rinsed 3 medium sized onions 16 plum tomatos small can of tomato paste ketchup! 2 tablespoons of dried oregano / large sprig of oregano 3 garlic cloves Chop up the shiitake mushrooms and onions, smaller is better for these, you want the flavor but preferably not the texture. Throw them in a large saucepan with a little oil. Cook on medium heat until the onions are browned. Dice the plum tomatos while the onions are browning, but not too small... you want a little texture from the tomatos. Seems like a lot right now, but they will cook down. Throw the tomatos in with the onions and mushrooms. Also at this point, throw in the tomato paste, but don't forget to get the last remains of the paste out of the can with a spoon, and eat it like cookie-dough . Also at this point, it's time for the ketchup. Now I know what you are thinking, "All these nice fresh veggies, and you are ruining it with KETCHUP!", but the ketchup adds just a little sweetness to the tomato-ey flavor, just a couple of squirts will do, not too much! Now for the garlic, peel and slice the garlic cloves (doesn't have to be too fine, the flavor will cook into the rest of the sauce) and throw it in. Oregano... you can't have too much of it in this sauce! About 2 heaped tablespoons usually does the job if you are using dried oregano, but if you are using it fresh, be prepared to be tearing a whole lot of it. Add as much as you like to taste. Finally, slice the button mushrooms into the pan, I like to make these a little chunky to give some texture. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a glass of water, and let simmer for a couple of hours. Generally I let it simmer for at least two hours, that seems to bring it to a nice consistency, still giving a little texture from the tomatos. Serving Suggestion Toss in a pound of cooked whole grain pasta, preferably spaghetti. Take some nice bread, spread with a little garlic butter (or alternatively, toast a couple of slices of good bread, and rub a cut garlic clove over the surface, then butter) and bake for a few minutes to crisp. Finally, and most importantly, a nice glass of merlot accompanies this quite perfectly.

Veggie rice This recipe came from the desire to make something simple, yet filling and tasty (and healthy goes without saying) Wink . It's pretty much just every vegetable you can find, thrown in with rice... but here's my usual recipe. Ingredients handful of button mushrooms, rinsed 2 medium sized onions 2 red bell peppers 5 carrots 1/2lb asparagus tips 1lb brown rice Chop up the mushrooms, peppers and onions, again, smaller is better with the onions. Saute over a medium heat until the onions and peppers are browned. Meanwhile, chop your carrots and throw them and the asparagus tips in another pan over high heat, putting enough water in to cover, and salt to taste. Don't cook these too long like this. Once they have boiled for a couple of minutes, throw in some more water and add the rice. I don't like to waste all of the stuff that boils into the water from the carrots and asparagus, so we can soak as much of it into the rice as possible Once the rice is cooked, your veggies should be just about perfect. Strain if you need to (I'm a very inexact cook, so I can never do that thing where you use the perfect amount of water for however much rice you are making). Now, toss it all in together, throw your caramelized onion, pepper and mushroom mixture in with the rice and veggies, add a little salt and pepper, and you are good to go. Serving Suggestion This is great to stuff mushrooms / peppers with. Either get some stuffer mushrooms or some nicely shaped red bell-peppers, and stuff it chock full of rice (with mushrooms I find it best to roast them beforehand, otherwise the rice dries out a little on top by the time the mushroom is done). I like to put a little parmesan and romano cheese on top of mine before roasting to give a little extra flavor . I haven't had wine with these, but I expect a nice light cabernet would go quite well with the earthy flavors.

I have made both of these for my roommate's family and they love them. :)

FMZ

6

Where will all this lead?

by JWdaughter in

jw
friends

now that i am questioning the entire issue of god, who knows what i might 'believe in' later.

ufo's?

hey, why not?

FMZ

JWdaughter... I guess you could say this has happened to me.

To be honest, leaving the dubs threw me into a tailspin, all of a sudden everything I knew and held dear was ripped from me. I was in a dive towards the ground for a while there, and ended up divorced (my ex-wife wasn't a dub). I decided it was time to rethink everything, from the ground up. I read and studied everything I could get my hands on, I experienced everything, with new eyes. It was amazing. And I have come to realize, that no matter what happens, it's all about love.

I am now a regular volunteer with the St Louis Volunteer Meetup group, I take part in charity events, I fly around America meeting apostates old and new, I am constantly learning, but above all... I am living in love, and all the pain that the dubs caused over those 20 years of my life has already been outweighed by the massive amounts of love I have experienced in the past 2 years.

It's a beautiful thing.

FMZ

33

What kind of meal(s) do you like to fix for another people?

by averyniceguy in

jw
friends

FMZ

Are we talking the opposite sex, like for a candlelight dinner, or having a family over for dinner?

FMZ

9

Is it power to define words and wait for others to try to figure them out?

by The Dragon in

if i say i carry a gun all day...and go home to my wmd arsenal........ .

what do i do for a living?.

people who know me will know what i mean when i say this........ .

FMZ

Thanks for being the first to admit it Nic, I'm not alone... lol.

I don't get it either.

FMZ

13

Sponsor me for a great cause! I'm taking a dunk for charity :P

by FMZ in

jw
friends

ok guys, here's the deal... the st louis friends meetup group is taking part in a fundraiser event for the special olympics... and i'm looking for sponsors.. .

"what are we sponsoring you to do?

" i hear you ask... well, if i raise at least $50, then i will be getting dunked in a freezing cold lake in lake st louis.

FMZ

Tex, I believe you may have already seen me drunk once or twice... lol, even dunked at the Bradford hotel :) I'm doing well as always my friend. Hope things are well with you and yours!

I'll try to get pics of the event, as I know everyone wants to see me in the frozen drink

Also, a BIG thanks to everyone that has sponsored me, including Bisous, Mouthy, Abandoned and OpticalChick! You guys rock. :)

KJ

13

Sponsor me for a great cause! I'm taking a dunk for charity :P

by FMZ in

jw
friends

ok guys, here's the deal... the st louis friends meetup group is taking part in a fundraiser event for the special olympics... and i'm looking for sponsors.. .

"what are we sponsoring you to do?

" i hear you ask... well, if i raise at least $50, then i will be getting dunked in a freezing cold lake in lake st louis.

FMZ

OK guys, here's the deal... the St Louis Friends Meetup group is taking part in a fundraiser event for the Special Olympics... and I'm looking for sponsors.

"What are we sponsoring you to do?" I hear you ask... well, if I raise at least $50, then I will be getting dunked in a freezing cold lake in Lake St Louis. I'll be freezin' for a good reason though... all the donations go towards supporting and running the Special Olympics. A great cause, to be sure. Well, I've already doubled the minimum $50, and am currently at $100 (thanks to a couple of very generous donations)... now I'm looking to break the thermometer, and get a nice big number up there for the cause. It's all for a great cause, raising money for the Special Olympics to help organize and run the event.

If you are all nice to me, then I'll post some pictures of me freezing my ass off in the water after the event

So here's the link to donate... and to entice you further into the link (and see that nice shiny "Sponsor Me" button)... if you have ever fantasized about what I would look like if I was born of a polar bear, then all your dreams will come true today.

http://www.firstgiving.com/kjfmz

Thanks guys

KJ

49

Changing your diet - meat, dairy, sugar

by Pleasuredome in

jw
friends

i have just finished reading 'confessions of a kamikaze cowboy' by dirk benedict.

in the book he talks about how 'macrobiotics' (exclusion of meat, sugar, dairy among others) helped improve his health and fight cancer.

a lot of what he says about food resonates with me, so im curious.

FMZ

Not sure about the macrobiotic diet, but I've drastically changed my diet over a period of a year. About 9 months ago, I went to a completely organic diet, which still included meat and dairy products. My sense of well-being gradually rose until it plateau'd about 3 months ago. I decided to take this diet one step further and cut out all meat products (I still eat dairy). My mood and energy levels increased very quickly and I felt even better after just a few weeks.

My next step will likely be cutting out dairy completely. Right now the only dairy I eat anyway is cheese, and once every few days, so it won't be that major a sacrifice.

All in all, changing my diet has worked wonders for me, I can think a lot clearer now, I don't feel as groggy when I wake up in the morning, and I haven't felt this good in years. I highly recommend it. Just remember, we are natural creatures that evolved on a natural planet to eat natural food. Eating right just makes sense.

KJ