Cook, Make, Think

Submarine sandwich
Food historians generally agree with the modern American sub, hero, wedge, hoagie, grinder, Po'Boy, Rich Girl, gondola, torpedo, zepplin..and their heated cousins Philly cheesesteak & Chicago Italian beef are regional variations on the same culinary theme. Vietnamese Banh Mi are the current trend. This overstuffed meat, cheese and vegetable oblong-shaped foods nestled between thick Italian or chewy French bread were recipes built on local culinary traditions and ethnic preference. Six-foot sandwiches surface in New York City, circa the 1950s.Old-world filled bread (calzones, empanadas, pasties, &c.) were introduced to America in the 19th century by immigrant labourers. The classic "Sub" (salami, cheese, peppers, olives, oil) was introduced to America by immigrants from Southern Italy in the early part of the 20th century. The progenitor of the sub was probably the muffuletta. After World War II Italian food gained popularity with mainstream Amer…

While age, weight, and gender play a role, on average it’s possible to burn anywhere from 100-300 calories per hour doing housework, all depending on the type of activity and vigour with which you do it. Use the following estimates, based on a bodyweight of 150lbs, to help you determine how many calories you might burn doing about an hour of typical daily housework/ cleaning:Sweeping x 10 minutes = 37 caloriesVacuuming x 10 minutes = 37 caloriesIroning x 20 minutes = 50 caloriesMopping x 20 minutes = 42 caloriesMaking beds x 10 minutes = 23 caloriesWashing dishes x 10minutes = 26 caloriesTotal time:  1hr 10 minutes = 215 calories
Just a reminder the heavier you are the more calories you will burn so while these numbers may seem like a drop in the bucket, for someone over 200lb like me, will burn more calories during each action until they reach the 150 lb mark. At that point you will be probably able to do a lot of other things that seem impossible right now.
A calorie deficit (that is …

It begins with a smile, a name or an event. Your mind takes different aspects of things and extrapolates from them a story.A fiction story has at it's base a field of experiences and thoughts gathered into one place and then expanded on. We gather those experiences & thoughts simply by living day by day. Sometimes you'll read something that interests you and you will save it in the file cabinet that is your mind. When you write you are opening one of those drawers and mixing the contents into something else.
This was taken in Niagra Falls on our recent trip there what do you see?I see the remains of stone houses beside a rushing stream. What is the story? Who lived there? What did they eat? How did they dress? What were the rules they lived by? Who was in charge? How far did their power extend? How were they destroyed? Who destroyed them? Why were they erased from history?On and on the questions go. The answers to the questions will tell their story all you have to do is p…

Today was supposed to be about having a Tarzan day but I have other things on my mind. Before I begin ...I know my family cares about my health and I do too but there are some changes I'm in the progress of making. Many things have become difficult for me to do since Covid arrived, one of those is that my usual ride to the doctors office is much more difficult to get on short notice. My solution is to ween myself off of my drugs because getting out there is more trouble than it is worth.I know what he will say and do and I just don't want to hear it yet again. I get enough of that from my loved ones. Professor, I will not listen to any lectures on this from you or anyone else this is my choice & it is my body!...I have found a substitute for my Metformin that is working for me as that was the first of my medications to run out. I have been taking it for four weeks and it is working just fine. The next medications to run out are Escitalopram 20 mg & Rosuvastatin 5 mg. …

Sometimes you don't have the time or energy or the supplies to do water bath canning, that's OK. Below is a list of pickles you can make quickly and store in the fridge. They are short term obviously but they will give you an idea of what the other kind tastes like & might encourage you to go the water canner route.I have not made any of these myself but will some day. Thats a common thing in my head, there are so many things I want to try and do but lack the energy required most of the time. So they go on my someday list.Evolving Table- Refrigerator Dill PicklesThe Toasty Kitchen- Refrigerator Bread & Butter PicklesPlating Pixels- Refrigerator Pickled BeetsMontana Happy- Refrigerator Pickled Red OnionsAnd last but not the leastHow to Quick Pickle Anything
Have a great day!

We all do it! As we get older it becomes more necessary. In that way, the elders are like babies they need extra sleep time. I'm not sure the science behind it but I figure we just need to rest more because we have so much in our minds we need to work through except, unlike a baby we are remembering not learning.I'm doing this Monday morning after a very busy week-end so I figure a couple of info graphs will be able to explain a lot more than I can.Source How long should you sleep?

Apple coasters
Apple fridge magnets - same url as above
K kinda short & sweet today since I did not get today done before today :)
Spent the weekend in Niagara Falls & the place we stayed had shit internet so I was unable to write Thursday & Friday and yesterday I was just to damn tired. I can stave off the effects of the Fibro for a day or two then it puts me on my ass for a day or two depending on how active I was.
I did finally get to do the white water walk though it was not what I was expecting. I was kinda thinking there was a bridge of stones we could use to walk across the basin but it was a wooden walkway set at the edge of the basin. I was told that the water moved too fast for it. I also got told that the tide pools I saw were equally as dangerous.
Still it was interesting and I would love to do it again. I was hoping it would allow me to upload a video to show you but blogger says it's too big so it will have to wait until I can figure out how to make it fit.

Peanut butter & jelly
Who invented this popular sandwich, why & when? The when is easy to document, the why is a relatively simple matter of technology, economics & commerce. The who? Is still a mystery.Let's start with a quick study of the ingredients. Food historians tell us that finely chopped nuts (especially almonds) were regularly used by ancient cooks in a variety of dishes. BUT! It wasn't until the late 19th century that peanut butter...as we know it...came on the market. Did you know that peanut butter was first marketed as a health food? Ancient cooks also knew how to preserve fruit. BUT! It wasn't until the 15th century that modern jellies/jams/preserves were made. Ancient cooks also made bread. BUT! Sliced pre-packaged bread...the stuff we Americans use today to make our peanut butter & jelly sandwiches...didn't happen until the late 1920s. Interesting, yes? More notes on the history of PB&J ingredients:Marmelade & fruit jellies &…

Do you know how many "walk to lose weight" programs are out there? When I first started I was aware that walking was one of the easiest ways to get toned and lose a few pounds. I just didn't know how many sites there were about this subject or how many different variations of it there were. I've tried a few but I find it difficult to keep going when the weather gets too hot or too cold which means there are about 26 weeks when I don't walk regularly outside.Yeah I know outside is not the only place to walk but everything else just is boring. I've got a perfect indoor track in my building including several sets of stairs for the uncomfortable days but takes planning and I seldom plan anything. No plan ever stays the same after first encounter, it just doesn't so planning in depth is a waste of time IMO. Make sure there is someplace to sleep & somewhere to eat on your route and then go. That's about the extent of the planning I do.Unfortunately for …

As with all things in writing, show don't tell the environment your characters live in is incidental to the story but hint's are necessary to form a connection to the story and to describe a journey. So along with the maps you worked on yesterday you need to flesh it out so you know it as if it were your own.
Geography- natural resources, location on the world etcPolitics- within each settlement & between themRites & Rituals- What kind of things do they celebrate, is there a thing or series of things each race or person does everyday besides the obvious body functions & needsCity Building- Its called city building but it is a description of the community physicality from why that place was chosen for the settlement to a description of the buildings within it.Flora & Fauna- plants & animals both domesticated and wild are important to the journey description

50 Questions from Lady Writer to help you build a fictional world
WHAT IS THE CITY’S NAME?WHAT DEFINES TH…

This may not seem like a topic I would be interested in but scavenger hunts and fiction writing both require maps. How else are you going to find the treasure?One of the things I am trying to help me visualize the world my characters live in is to map out the hero's journey. To do that I had to learn a whole new kind of imagery. Doodles are ok but you have to know what the doodles stand for.Take the one above for instance. The first thing you need is the compass. This gives the reader a sense of direction the basic design is a circle with a star in it and the directions situated around the circle. Of all the directions North is the most important because for some reason we all orient ourselves starting with North.The next thing you need is bodies of water & the landmasses. There are several different coastline styles. This is only the beginning of the symbology used to create maps. I've put together a Pinterest board that shows and explains the symbology. For me I got to …

In my research, I came across a number of different sites. One was a pay to learn which looks interesting and it was only $3. I may go back there and sign up, I haven't decided yet. (I already have several projects on the go not ready to add this one just yet but I would really like to try one day).The Free Range Life and Meraki Lane both have lists of links to several different recipes for the water bath method. Waterbath Method is highly recommended for beginners.

Words can not describe how important this is to our health! I know some of you say water is boring and tasteless besides I'm getting some every time I drink my pop or coffee or juice. I was just like you until recently.

I knew that coffee and pop took as must water out of my system as it put in but still I figured I'm not dead yet so I must be doing something right. Turns out I was wrong.

A lot of studies show that we live in a constant state of dehydration because of that thinking.

Our bodies use water to keep our body healthy and mobile and keep our brains thinking. Sounds incredible but it's true! Second only to air it is the most precious thing you can put into your body on a daily basis to live.
Thyme is Honey where I got the image has a lot of information about making water part of your daily life and I'd like to share some of her tips here.
1) Start small. She has a handy chart here that can help you increase your water intake in just four days.
2) Set a morning goal,…

Today I'm going to talk about something that is both fun & silly at the same time. Most days I write with a pencil but not always and when I don't want to work with them I keep them on my desk in a container I made.The other day I was looking at them and got thinking how can I make them less boring to look at?I remembered the replacement erasers we used to have for them. From there I remembered some more fanciful ones I'd seen in the Oriental stores. I thought, I can do that, and it would be a good way to use up some of those felt squares I have lying around.A search on Pinterest found dozens of DIY ideas and found a web site called Play Ideas which has 2 articles devoted to the subject and two others that had ideas withing them. Click here to see the search results on this site.I couldn't decide on one theme so I am still thinking about it but I will do this. It occurs to me that you probably don't understand why I would look for kids crafts instead of more a…

Hot roast beef (& turkey) sandwiches

Open, hot roast beef [or turkey] sandwiches slathered with gravy and served with mashed potatoes are popular in many parts of the country. They are known by different names according to the region: "Roast Beef Commercials" in the upper midwest (Minnesota), "Hot Beef," (South Dakota), "Roast Beef Manhattans" in central mid-west (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois), "Hot Roast Beef Sandwich" on both coasts. These economical belly-filling simple dishes are generally served (no matter what they're called) in working-class eateries and community dinners. Every once in a while you find hot roast beef/turkey type entrees in trendy restaurants experimenting with retro comfort fare.Where did the idea come from? Cookbooks confirm people have been serving sliced/diced meats mixed with sauce over starches (bread, noodles, rice) for hundreds of years. This type of meal was generally served to family, as it generally used left…

I purchased this set of resistance bands two years ago. They have been sitting on my shelf that whole time waiting for me. A couple of weeks ago I set them up and tried a few practice pulls. I haven't touched them since. Today I was looking at them again and decided I was going to try a few exercises from the book.
Wish me luck!

Eva Deverell is a writer and an educator of writers. On her website are 150 worksheets like this one for finding a story to tell. I have not taken her class on plot outline because I don't have $200 to spend but the mini version can be helpful too.
If you can't germinate your own check out the resources below for ideas. Some are on her site some are not.

Need more ideas? Here are some articles and worksheets…100 STORY IDEAS30 SCENE IDEAS FOR PLOT DEVELOPMENT30 SCENE IDEAS FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT30 SCENE IDEAS FOR WORLD DEVELOPMENT30 IDEAS FOR YOUR OPENING SCENE52 ROMANCE STORY IDEASIDEA ENGINEIDEA RANKER Ways to find a plot when you have characters and a setting … but only characters and a setting. (This is me right now!)You have a world. A universe. A setting. Good! Describe what happens in it normally - describe your main character(s)’s daily life. Now, what would destabilize this routine completely? If many things could, write them all down. Pick your favourite idea(s). Plots…