If loving you is wrong...

https://youtu.be/EhB9K671zPM

 
The major thing  about us men lies in the expression of our male hormones. Make them stronger and we are warriors. Make them weak and we become Bruce Jenner...

My poor peppered steak!

Steak au poivre or pepper steak is a French dish that consists of a steak, traditionally a filet mignon, coated with loosely cracked peppercorns and then cooked.

After responding to a local grocery store advertisement for 8 ounce boneless rib eye, I confessed to being a little disappointed. The steaks that looked thick pictorially, but were really not helped me decide to go with my version of a French favorite. Only, as I had no peppercorns, I elected to just use a little black pepper out of the can and go with the flow. Also, since I'd decided to pretty much butcher this recipe, I added some sliced onion and mushrooms that were flash grilled in a frying pan with a bit of oil and some Worcestershire sauce.

The only cooking procedure I had to be careful with was with the steak, due to its thinness. I placed it in a tabletop convection oven set to broil for just 2 minutes on a side. This left the center of the meat in a semi-rare state.

Moody Blues - Knights in White Satin!

 A definite full screen experience!

For what's it's worth, I did stand on a stage with this group, (they were not performing at the time, just practicing prior to a performance). It was in a suburb of Chicago (Barrington, IL?), it was hot and I was called to attend to a lighting problem due to a Macintosh malfunction.. fixed it with a very low tech fan... no biggie. I do remember that the drummer asked my to 'take that damn tie off', as I was sweating so badly! - Like I said a long time and far ago... But, a momentary brush even if ever so fleeting, with something like this... It has a lasting effect.

Local eatery offers meal discounts!

Forsyth Missouri -  Charlie's Steak, Ribs and Ale located in Forsyth Missouri will be offering discounted meals to veterans seven days a week and the same discount to seniors on Mondays! Note that the discounts are for the Forsyth location only! For the exact details, you can call 417-546-2011 to ask questions and to make sure of the details! It was refreshing to see a venue like Charlie's step forward in this manner!

Pasta, garlic toast and milk!

As I like to challenge myself to come up with meals that are at or below 500 calories, I really ratchet it up when I turn to any pasta style dish as the calories really come on fast!

This simple and easy to make meal really did hit the spot! I used the following:

56 grams of regular spaghetti
1/4 cup home made spaghetti sauce
1/2 a Bollilo roll, sliced in half
1 tsp garlic
Fake butter, 2 pats
1 tsp red wine
1/4 tsp Oregano, dried flakes
1/4 tsp basil, dried flakes

I made the spaghetti according to package instructions in a small pot of  boiling and salted water. That took about eleven minutes. Next I took a small can of tomato sauce, dumped it into s stainless steel frying pan to which was added the wine, Oregano and basil. This was lightly simmered for about five minutes or about the time it took to 'broil' the garlic bread in my convection oven. All told, this lunch time repast took about  15 minutes to prepare. It came in at just about 500 calories (note that milk was not pictured) and was delicious!

BBQ chicken tenders in 2 Qt slow cooker!

Making up a batch of really tasty BBQ chicken tenders in a slow cooker is very fast and very easy! The end result can be shredded and placed on a Bolillo roll to help serve as the centerpiece of a great lunch!

Ingredients:

1 pkg of chicken tenders

2-3 Bolillo rolls, sliced

½ bottle of BBQ sauce

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white vinegar

½ tsp of garlic powder

¼ tsp hot pepper flakes

Preparation:

Unwrap and throw the chicken tenders into the bottom of a small 2 quart slow cooker. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl using a whisk unto the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour this over the chicken pieces, cover and set on high for about three hours. Remove the chicken and tease pieces apart with a fork until shredded. Place goodly amounts of the chicken in a sliced roll and chow on down! Serves 2 to 3.

The real North Korea

Due to a famine hitting the country because of international trade sanctions, North Koreans are forced to live off of food rations from the government. The government claims that they provide their citizens with all that they need but in reality, as this photo which was secretly taken of a grocery store proves, this is not necessarily the case. This Pyongyang supermarket is for the above average (although not elite) North Korean, and shows the paltry offerings on hand, mainly apples, turnips, and leeks. Yum…

Most of the country of North Korea is starving, with a huge percentage of the population dangerously malnourished, eating rats and squirrels for sustenance. The country is therefore trying to increase its arable farmland in order to feed its people. However, due to still using farming methods from the 1700s, this isn’t really working out, with people all over the country emaciated and malnourished. North Koreans who escape to China are easily recognizable for being extremely thin, and for their tendencies to eat everything they see. 

When foreigners come to visit the Hermit Kingdom, they are taken on tightly controlled, heavily monitored tours where photographing the wrong thing may just put you in jail, or worse. This photographer risked his life by taking a photo of a nearly empty train station. North Korean citizens are closely watched, and they are not allowed to travel outside of their own town or village without express written permission from the regime. The train here is mainly for tourists, and just another cog in the regime’s propaganda machine. 

Just like in a chapter of 1984, everyone’s movements and words are monitored by the government. There isn’t a place in North Korea where you aren’t being watched, with hidden cameras and microphones located everywhere from homes to offices, parks and squares to even buses and cars! It is a not uncommon sight to see North Korean military watchtowers watching towns, making sure that everyone is in line.