Category: My Family

Without a family, one seldom thinks long term

Posted on

Going on Chefari in South Africa

My quest to experience a great ‘Braai” ( similar to our barbecue) and travel to South Africa on “Chefari” started with a few comments and experiences of my daughters. Karen had an internship in South Africa and brought back some  “biltong”   ( a South African meat Jerky) made of  Kudu  and some from Springbok. I was intrigued. My eldest daughter Kristin is a fan of Chef Gordon Ramsey  who is known to raise or hunt his own food, which I can personally identify. Karla thinks I should just find something edible and go to it!

Well, some folks can just grab their equipment , passport and head off on adventure; however, taking the time to plan out one’s trek is worth the effort. Needless to say, I had a few things to do before I leave. I needed a professional hunter and found one via Friends of the NRA… Likhulu Safari!  Also, I needed a particular rifle for this trip and purchased an Interarms Mark X 375 caliber. Recently, I upgraded the scope to one from Swarovski Optik  that I had a chance to inspect at a recent  SFI  Convention. Oh yes, I bought some boots from an excellent South African store called  M Gordon Footwear!

Going to South Africa is getting very easy for Americans because all you need is a passport for most visits. Hunters need import permits from South African and a permit to bring your rifle back into the states from Homeland Security. No particular inoculations are needed to enter South Africa, unless you are entering from a country where various diseases are problematic.

My daughter Karen provided a number of wonderful suggestions on her blog on things to think about before you take your trip:

South Africa — 10 things to know!

Karen’s collection of blogs on South Africa

SouthAfrica.info

I am certainly looking forward to my CHEFARI later this summer… and I will blog about it as it occurs!

Posted on

caviar makes everything wonderful

This is a elegant 'dietetic lunch' - broccoli stuffed potato, salad, Greek yogurt and caviar.

When you are on a diet, it is always nice to dress up your lunch with something to make you feel like it is special. Caviar fits the bill! The problem that most people (including me) have is the extravagant cost of this little garnish. Caviar is expensive, with some types going for hundreds of dollars an ounce… but that’s out of my budget. For years I would buy a 12 ounce jar from Smart & Final ( a west coast semi-wholesale market) for a minimal cost, but then when the price of this item hit the roof, it was dropped from their  inventory.

Not to be stopped by such a little thing as my favorite item being OOS (out-of-stock) and deleted; I checked the internet and found it on Amazon.com. However, I found a wonderful alternative at roughly 1/3 to 1/2 the cost from Iceland.

Frankly, I like giving those Vikings on that rugged little rock in the Atlantic the business... plus it is an indulgence I feel I can afford again at under $15 a 12 ounce bottle!

So, here it is  and as an alternative, I highly recommend it!

BTW. The stuffed potato comes from Jenny Craig… so diet food can be made delicious!

Posted on

turning 60 … the old age of youth or the youth of old age?

Karla's drawing of my birthday tomorrow!

Some of my friends who have turned 60, it hit them kind of hard. As for me, I am frankly glad I have made it this far! It reminds me of that proverbial question… a half glass full one… that asks whether sixty is the ‘youth of old age or the old age of youth?” Frankly, those are the types of questions people ask if they have regrets or have some unresolved issues.

Life is to be lived, savored and enjoyed at any age. Life is with family, always.

Posted on

Rogelio’s Tamale Pie

The best thing about Tamale Pie is the left overs!

Laura grew up with a wonderful Tamale Pie and I wanted to recreate it for her!

           Rogelio’s Tamale Pie!

There are two parts to a Tamale Pie: the topping and the filling! I have always thought of a Tamale Pie as a way to make a bunch of Tamales without all of the detailed preparation. For hungry people this is the answer.

Some time ago, I did the same thing by making a   BULK recipe of  chili relleno.

 

           The Topping!

You might have to play around with the moisture ( adding more cream or a little milk) to have the right texture ( to be able to spread the mixture over the  filling)… so here is what worked for me:

2 cups corn meal

Around 24 ounces cream

2 cups of your favorite cheeses ( I have three favorite Mexican Cheeses)

Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Cook over low heat until thickened… add ½ – 1 cup chopped Cilantro

 

A little extra time makes it perfect!

     The Filling

          Task 1

This is the time consuming part for me as I like to sauté everything completely.

cook until done: 1 pound diced steak & 1 pound ground sausage with 1 teaspoon each of:   salt, black pepper and garlic powder

dice and sauté until ‘clear’ one large sweet onion and about 3 tablespoons chopped garlic

set aside

 

          Task 2

Combine the following in a large pan:

12 ounce creamed corn
28-30 ounces of tomato sauce
3 teaspoons Spanish Paprika
1 teaspoon Chipotle powder ( or sauce)
8 fire roasted peppers (sliced and chopped)

½ cup sliced olives

2 tablespoons Baker’s sugar
add 1 cup of the topping
1 cup Mozzarella cheese( or more!)
add salt , pepper  and garlic powder to taste

Cook over a low heat about 10- 15 minutes

Fold in 3 cups of Hominy and add the meat and onions

 

          Task 3

Pour filling into baking dish and spread topping over the top of the filling

Bake at 350 degrees for around 40 minutes

 

I hope you enjoy this as much as Laura did!

Posted on

discovering psychology – the science of mind

Laura and John Cacioppo's new book! CLICK on the picture to see more.

Recently, my bride  Laura  and her coauthor  John Cacioppo  launched their first project together. It was an introductory psychology textbook entitled:   Discovering Psychology – the Science of Mind.  It is a fascinating and a remarkable peek into a dynamic changing field.

Now, I know very little about the writing of textbooks, but for me the experience was something akin to trying to escape second hand smoke; you can’t do it. I was Laura’s ‘minion’:  fetch her coffee or fix a platter of cheese and crackers and in one bazaar episode I even was asked to paint  my tongue blue and take a picture of it for their book. Depending on how you measure this project, it started somewhere between 7 and 10 years ago. Neither John nor Laura wanted to begin a project if it was just going to be like everything else in the field of psychology. However, John had observed that the field of psychology was evolving and that a textbook addressing this natural evolution was needed.

It seems that Grandma is proud of her copy , too!

Psychology, like so many very large fields of study, had been chopped up into pieces for 50 years to aid analysis. Experts developed in the new fields of Physiological, Clinical, Social, Developmental, Cognitive among others…  and each defended their territory religiously from the intrusions of other disciplines. However, as multidisciplinary and Transdisciplinary teams began to define how modern solutions to academic and social challenges were being met; it seemed quaint for scientists to limit their expertise to a narrow field. Psychology among other hub sciences were reaching out to other disciplines and pulling together the disciplines of psychology at the same time to help address the big questions of our day.

We’ve all seen buildings designed by architects who forget that people have to live in them, business offices that create unhealthy social environments, and engineers that fail to introduce the human equation to designing solutions to structural challenges. I think this textbook models the right approach and it is a first step in the right direction.

Congratulations John and Laura.