Sauerkraut–serve it with a French accent and they’ll eat it
If you want them to eat it, don’t call it sauerkraut. When it’s prepared the way it’s supposed to be (as in Germany and France, and not just served American-style, cold out of the can on top of a mushy hot dog), it isn’t sour. Call it Choucroute Garni, its French name because everything French seems sophisticated. If you sing out, in your best imitation of Julia Child, “Today, mes amis, we are having Choucroute Garni! ” they’ll float into the room dreaming of picturesque half-timbered houses with window boxes full of red geraniums, and beautiful girls with beautiful names like Delphine. After […]
If Chronic Pain is a Journey, then Hope must be North
The Appalachian Trail, a hiking path from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, over two-thousand miles long, is like chronic pain. They both go on and on until they become grueling. Strangely, oodles of people have chosen, of their own free will, to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Their stories inspire thousands more, every year, to attempt the journey. People willingly undertake this hardship because it is well-known that long and difficult journeys lead to transformation. There’s no doubt that going through life with chronic pain is arduous. That we didn’t choose to take this path, makes […]
How I lost 44 pounds and kept it off–7 habits
People want to know how I shed nearly 25% of my body weight and kept it off. It took some thoughtful effort and almost 10 months. But, I didn’t go on a “diet.” Instead, I changed my habits, for good and forever. I decided to change my lifestyle, to spend the rest of my days making consciously healthy choices about food, priorities and activities, because plenty of research shows that diets don’t work; lifestyle changes are the only effective way to manage weight, long-term. Note: I didn’t develop these habits overnight, or all at the same time. And please, let […]
Mudbugs and Orange-Cornbread Pudding, Bro's Cajun Cuisine
I ate, and actually liked, mudbugs at Bro’s Cajun Cuisine in Nashville (mudbugs, by the way, are crawfish). Bro’s food is authentic and tasty–gumbo, etoufee, jambalaya, red beans & rice, shrimp creole. Chef/Owner Darrell Breaux (featured on Guy Fierri’s Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives) also makes his own smoked sausage in his own smokehouse (out back behind the restaurant). In addition to leaving well-fed and happy, we enjoyed the feeling of having taken a quick, relaxing and inexpensive trip to the Louisiana Bayou, without leaving Nashville. After we ate all we could, I wrapped one slice of leftover cornbread in a […]
I'm color blind, and 9 other random things about me
I adore a gentle breeze, a nice little hair-ruffling tickle, especially on a warm day, with butterflies flitting around in the wild flowers. The audiologist who tested me said I hear like superwoman. Don’t whisper if I’m in the same auditorium–I just might understand every word. My preferences are wide-ranging and quirky. I (and two other people in the world that I know of) enjoyed reading the long, droll Education of Henry Adams. I also (along with multi-millions) love listening to Willy Nelson. I’m fluent in German, and every day I spend an hour or two reading German, skyping friends […]
Smiles–when you can't muster them, make them!
There are days when the absolute last thing I want to hear from a perky person is, “Cheer up.” When I don’t feel like smiling, I really don’t feel like smiling.When life is going the wrong way (meaning it’s going a different direction or a different speed from the way I want it to go) I don’t want to think positive; I want to feel sorry for myself. But, that “positive thinking” yadda-yadda actually works. Just smile because it helps everyone feels better when we can smile; and it makes the smiler feel better, too. Sometimes, no matter how “good” […]
Sieglinde Shattuck–Fine Art and Zwetchkenknödel
Art is the means we have of undoing the damage of haste. It’s what everything else isn’t. Theodore Roethke When I discovered Sieglinde (Sissi) Shattuck’s art, I found a place of quiet attentiveness, leisurely breathing space, respite from a hasty, noisy world. Because her paintings moved me so deeply, they made me curious about who she is. One thing leads to another, our shared passions for art, music and inspired living led to friendship and shared meals. Recently, Sissi introduced me to a work of art in cuisine, the traditional Austrian dish, Zwetschkenknödel (Plum Dumplings). Viewing art is inseparable from my knowledge that […]
Turnip Greens are Packed with Nutrients
Vitamin A, Calcium, Vitamin C and Iron, antioxidants, even a healthy dose of protein. This little leaf is a powerhouse of nutrition. If you can’t get to the Kleer-vu Lunchroom in Murfreesboro, Tennessee to sample the best turnip greens in town, you can easily cook up a pot at home. I love the taste of them when they’re done this way– Ingredients for 1 pound of turnip greens (makes 2-3 servings). For every pound, I use 1 teaspoon bacon fat, or good pork lard ** 1 clove minced garlic 1 tablespoon malt vinegar 1/2 teaspoon molasses 3/4 teaspoon chicken base (a […]
Kleer-vu Lunchroom Makes Soul Food as Good as it Gets
The greens, and all the food at Kleer-vu Lunchroom in Murfreesboro, TN are so delicious, that, although I don’t know the cooks, I know they’ve got a whole lot of love in their hearts, because you can’t make food that’s consistently this great, without love. I didn’t know I loved turnip greens until I tried them at Murfreesboro’s hidden little gem. This place makes the best turnip greens and the best soul food I’ve ever had, anywhere. When greens are not made with a loving touch and a little fat, they’re bitter (the same thing happens to people who suffer from […]
A Cure for Fibromyalgia?
On the world wide web, Fibrocenter offers reliable, evidence-based information about fibromyalgia. Be aware that it is sponsored by Pfizer, manufacturer of the drug Lyrica, which was approved by the FDA in 2007 for the treatment of Fibromyalgia. Good websites with coherent, logical design, search engine optimization (so you can find them), links that work, and viewer-friendly audio-video technology cost substantial money (tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars) to set up and maintain. I assume Pfizer will profit from their hefty investment in consumer education. Their website, however, is easy to navigate. It gives reliable, medically sound […]