HOORAY! I WON!

Lately I've been finding some choice freebies from Freecycle. Most people will select the first person who responds to give the item to so it's not always easy to get things. Part of the excitement is the fun of winning.

First, a set of high-quality flannel sheets. I wrote immediately and waited. By the next morning I figured I wasn't fast enough and then I get an email from her perturbed and demanding to know if I wanted them or not and if I didn't reply immediately she would give them to someone else. It seems she thought she emailed confirming I was the lucky winner - but I didn't get it! I almost missed out. I think misdirected or lost emails are common on Freecycle. I once was the first person for a wicker furniture set, didn't get it, then a week later the goof ball emails me and tells me I was first but the email went into his spam. WHY did he need to rub it in? Grrrrrr...people.

Anyway, great sheets. Although they are practically new, the owner did wash them in stinky laundry detergent and I had to wash them in hot water ten (10) times with a variety of additives: vinegar, ammonia, Planet dish washing liquid, and ECO detergent. New high-quality, thick, king-sized flannel sheets are not cheap, although after ten washings they are anything but new. They were a bargain but after ten washings they are anything but free. Still, new expensive sheets would have needed to be washed as many times so I still saved a lot of money. They are incredibly comfortable to sleep on. I LOVE flannel sheets. If I decide not to use them as sheets I can always use them for fabric. The dark olive color matches my living room so I could make curtains out of them...or something.

My second exceptional find is an office chair. You all know how hard it is for me to find an office chair. The new ones stink of chemicals and the old ones are just too worn out to be an improvement.

This one is in excellent shape with all kinds of adjustments, no rips or tears, but it STINKS...I think it's dirty cat or dog smell. It did have fur all over it. I have yet to figure out how people can live with animals they obviously never bathe and it stinks up their whole house. I've washed it twice with soap, hot water and vinegar, but I think I'll have to wait and rent a steam cleaner this summer. It might be for nothing, but it might be an improvement on my very old, worn chair. Or not. We'll see. Free furniture is always a risk...one never knows about bugs or fleas. This one has neither, but I think I should be more cautious in the future.

 

 

The next freebie is a strange one. I think the woman called it an exercycle or something like that, but it's really a "folding cycle". You sit in a chair and pedal! OK! Why not? The woman with the office chair wanted to get rid of things. She said it had never been used. I don't know how much I'll be using it as I already sit too much as it is and I'd prefer to exercise not sitting down.

 

The last one is another weird one. The ad said, "Mexican Wood Carving". OK. I like Mexican wood carvings and I have some hanging around the house. I was the first to respond and cheerfully I wrote to the person, "HOORAY! I WON!" She got really snooty and replied, "You didn't win. I pick the person who responds first so it's fair." Oh! So touchy! Some people just don't like cheerfulness. So I quietly cheered to myself, "Hooray. I won."  I asked the woman about the subject of the carving. "I have no idea." She couldn't tell me it was a teak wood mask of three faces? Would that be too hard? It's really difficult dealing with some of these people. Later when I picked it up I graciously thanked her and then as I walked away I quietly cheered, "Hooray. I won. Fuck you."

 

 

 

If anyone knows what this carving symbolizes let me know. I've read in Mexican folklore blue eyed people are either white people, nuns, or demons (or all of the above). The middle face is definitely a woman's and the blue around her head could be a habit? Maybe those profiles are priests? Hmmm...sounds like a plot from a telenovela. It's kind of weird but I think I might hang it on a tree outside in my yard this summer.

 



 

Those are my February freebies!

 

HOORAY!  I WON!

 



Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Broth Bones

"Dem Bones" or "Dry Bones" is a well-known spiritual-turned-children's song written during the early 20th century. You can watch a performance of it by The [incredibly good looking and dapper] Delta Rhythm Boys (circa 1940s?) HERE or listen to the children's version with sexy dancing skeletons who I think would be really good at twerking HERE . Who would have thought I'd feel spiritual about bones? YES! I have finally found and purchased beef bones for broth!

Having missed the bone deliveries that normally arrive at my co-op on Tuesday night, I finally outsmarted myself by getting up before the crack of dawn on Wednesday morning and driving to the store just as it opened. Am I a model of persistence, or what??!! There they were waiting for me!  They cost $3.99 lb. (same as the other co-op) and ox-tail bones were $7.99 lb. A little spendy for bones if you ask me, but it's all about supply and demand.

Being really tired of always missing them and everyone explaining and apologizing how other customers are "hoarding" them, I bought not just one pack but two. Yes, I am now an official hoarder joining the millions of other bone broth addicts who are incapable of sharing. This is one of the many negative effects of the AIP diet: flatulence, starvation, selfish hoarding and competitive aggression. Evidence of mad cow?

As I waited for the front doors to open, another customer walked up behind me then past me as we were greeted and welcomed into the store. I glared at her from behind and sped up muttering threats just under my breath to the back of her head. I'm pretty sure if she would have headed down the meat aisle I would have tackled her screaming like a mad [cow] woman. Lucky for her, she walked right on by. She had no idea how close she came to being the victim of a random act of violence. (According to an unofficial source not at liberty to discuss details of the investigation, police still cannot determine what motivated this crazed cow to attack the other shopper. It's a mystery.)

 

The "bones" were packaged in bizarre white sticky paper with vacuumed-packed plastic wrap over that making it look like there were multiple parts.

I made the mistake of assuming I had "bones" when in fact I bought one humongous knuckle bone. Eleven dollars worth of cow knees! Or knee. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea. What the hell did I buy?

I'm not sure if one cow knee is worth $11, but I'll give this a try.

I baked this bone at 400 degrees for 20 minutes in lieu of pan searing. No meat on this chunk. Then placed it in my newly purchased yet used over-sized pot and filled it with water and a bit of vinegar which supposedly leaches the minerals out of the bones.

After suffering forty-eight hours of gross beefy smell, I had myself some authentic bone broth. The real thing. At the last minute I threw in some onions, celery, parsley, and garlic and simmered for a bit longer.

I tried drinking it fresh just after I strained it several times, it was like drinking liquid fat. ARGH! Heck, it LOOKED like a large pot of fat! And this photo was taken when it was still hot:

I've read the fat is good. It makes you feel full. This, however, was really gross. So I cooled my authentic broth and patiently waited for the fat to harden. And there wasn't much fat to remove...hmmm...and there wasn't any gel! How can that be after I boiled these babes for 48 hours? And it looks like sludge. And smells like dead bodies. Or smelly armpits. A rancid animal stink.

Did that stop me from tasting it? Nope. I am determined to do this right. The taste was tolerable but only because of the vegetable flavor. The texture is now creamy rather than greasy. Tolerable, but not something I'd look forward to drinking. All that work and expense made two quarts of bone broth which is fine since I don't plan to drink more than a half of a tiny tea cup's worth each day. I suppose this is how supplements came into existence: someone thought they could freeze dry it and stick it in a capsule to swallow so they wouldn't have to taste it.

So, I'm not feeling so spiritual anymore, but I am praying passionately for an end to this diet.

So what to I do with the other $15.00 hunk of cow knee still in my freezer?

My Favorite Season is Early!

The Reintroduction

Someone should preface the AIP with DIET PREREQUISITES: PATIENCE. Maybe this is the same as willpower?

It is recommended to maintain this diet for 6-8 weeks although I know some doctors prescribe it for only three weeks. Maybe it depends on your level of gastrointestinal issues? Prior to the diet, I really didn't have gastrointestinal issues, but I did and do have a bizarre neuro-inflammatory problem. Well, that's my guess. I know it originated in the back of my head at the base just above my spine so I assume it's neurological. I've been reading a lot about the brain-gut connection and I had hoped this diet would relieve the constant burning sensation that travels throughout my body.

After five weeks on the AIP diet I started testing foods that were restricted. I got impatient. Not being able to find the livers and bones was discouraging. Food reintroduction is a slow process so I decided to start early out of frustration. It's hard to DO a diet if you can't get the right ingredients and I was ready to be done with it all. The reintroduction instructions are to test one food at a time and wait from three to seven days before trying another. I admit, again, I'm just not that patient and most of the foods caused a reaction immediately so I'm not sure why I needed to wait for seven days. I waited three days on most foods or after I felt better.

The instructions also say to eat only one tablespoon of the food, wait fifteen minutes, and eat another tablespoon, wait fifteen minutes and then eat it as you would for a normal helping. I know this is to make sure you don't have a serious reaction, but again, I'm not that patient! I was this meticulous with the first few foods, but then I got tired of it and just ate. It's not like I was testing chocolate or tomatoes or other known foods of misery.

I had a variety of reactions to the food reintroductions. The problem with being chemically sensitive is it's hard to determine if a reaction is caused by the food or something else. Also, at the beginning of the diet I had more problems with digestion than before the diet so it's really hard to say if the individual foods caused a reaction or if it was the diet in general. I was also under the assumption the diet would heal my leaky gut, making all foods tolerable, but I recognize I spent the first half of the diet sans organs and bones so I failed at following the diet exactly as instructed. I've never been good at instructions. It's like I'm ADHD when it comes to following directions. Or impatient.

Here are the foods I stopped eating then reintroduced:

Almonds seemed fine during the first test. They felt good going down. I waited and tried again a week later and I felt a bit queasy, but it could have been because I was really hungry and my digestive tract wasn't used to such a dense food. It didn't last long. Third test I had no problem.

Cashews seemed fine at first followed an hour later by gas and diarrhea.

Pecans are not my friends. Immediate stomach pain and then within the hour neck pain. It didn't last long. This is surprising. I've been eating a lot of pecans in the last few years.

Eggs are not only NOT my friends, but my enemies. Immediate back itch followed by neck and spine pain for two days straight. A week later I tested only egg yolks and didn't seem to have a problem. I've eaten way too many eggs in my lifetime, more than anyone should, so it's time to give them up. However, I now know egg yolks can still be used for recipes if needed. But what will I ever make that needs eggs? Baking is out as it always involves foods that are problematic.

Coconut, coconut milk, coconut flour and coconut oil are not only on all diets but highly recommended. Since my Christmas holiday recipe bonanza, these coconut products have caused me nothing but grief. During this diet I stopped using them. Later I tried some coconut oil and immediately my stomach started hurting. I also tried some coconut milk and immediately felt queasy. I might have over did it during Christmas and my body is retaliating. Coconut products are out.

Canola oil mayonnaise was fine, which I thought strange since it's made with eggs. Mayonnaise, however, is a food one wouldn't eat more than a tablespoon at a time so I don't know if the test is truly accurate since I might not be eating enough of it to incite a reaction. I have no desire to shovel an inhuman amount of mayo down my throat for the sake of testing. I didn't really miss it during the diet so I think for an occasional recipe it's fine, but I won't be eating much of it in the future. The Paleo diet restricts processed foods so it's time to get rid of this processed food.

Plain, organic yogurt made my stomach hurt immediately. Then my back hurt. Then my head hurt. Then diarrhea continuing the next day ALL day. I didn't even eat very much. In the last year I haven't eaten any yogurt so it won't be missed.

Unsweetened carob chips...I nearly forgot how much I love carob! Of course the chips are not just carob but made with soy lecithin, whey and palm kernel oil. These are bad, bad, and bad ingredients not allowed on the Paleo-Hashimoto's diet. It's hard to say exactly which ingredient caused the gas that followed. In the past I've never had a problem with carob chips, but I know carob is naturally constipating. In fact, during the yogurt-induced day of diarrhea, I was desperately desiring carob! But if gas is just bacteria working to digest food is that bad? Or is it good I have bacteria doing their jobs causing all that gas??

I find this really interesting since I normally eat carob chips with nuts, like a healthy Hershey's Bar, but all this time carob chips are constipating and nuts give me diarrhea...so it all evened out! Who would have known?

Rice. Oddly enough while on this diet I didn't have any rice for six weeks. I didn't even miss it! Amazing. I remember when I would crave it so badly I'd start pacing. I didn't test it. I've never really liked rice and only used it as a filler food. It is restricted on the Hashimoto's diet as it's a cross-reactor to gluten. White rice is a food that is forbidden on most diets due to its lack of nutrients. I can do without. If anything this diet has weaned me off of some not-so-good foods.

Sweet red bell peppers are fabulous. I didn't realize how much I had missed them. They sure add an enormous amount of flavor to a dish. I had no problem with them before and didn't on reintroduction.

Hot peppers. I had absolutely no problem with habaneros. Hooray! Ditto jalapenos. Hooray!

Butter is another food one wouldn't eat much of at a serving and not a food I have reason to eat often especially if I don't plan to be eating eggs in the future. I didn't have a problem with it before nor after the diet.

Potatoes tasted great! An hour after I ate them I feel really energetic probably from all those extra carbohydrates. A few hours later my legs hurt so badly I could hardly walk. Pain is what also happens with tomatoes another problematic nightshade. Hmmm.... However, it was near bedtime so I wasn't sure if it was the potatoes or just over working those muscles while feeling energetic. I get this incredible urge to dance when feeling energetic and since I'm not used to so much movement it's difficult to determine the origins of random pain. I waited a week and tried potatoes again. Didn't get the energy boost nor the dancing frenzy this time so all that could have been a reaction to something else. Everything was fine for the second testing. Needed a tie-breaker, the third test also no problem.

The very last test wasn't a test, it was a cheat. Cranberry-Almond Gluten-Free Cookie with all kinds of gluten-free garbage in it...no problem whatsoever. Hallelujah!

That's it! So in conclusion: pecans, cashews, eggs, coconut products, and yogurt are out. Butter, mayo and potatoes seem fine although are forbidden on the Hashimoto's diet so I'll continue to avoid those. All peppers are wonderful, almonds are in, Cranberry-Almond Gluten-Free Cookies are my reward, and carob chips in small quantities if I'm feeling particularly masochistic and just don't give a shit. (Or don't want to give a shit....)

I'm still drinking bone broth daily and trying to work up the courage to eat more liver. I haven't given up if on this diet and I haven't really discontinued it aside from the testing. I wonder if I stick with it long enough if my gut would totally heal and all foods would be tolerated? Or is that just wishful thinking and this AIP stuff is just bogus?

A friend of mine told me one of the reasons bones are hard to find is our local football team is drinking bone broth. It's bad enough football players get paid way more than any human should, but because they are treated like royalty in the USA, they are allowed to hoard the bones leaving us peasants nothing. Damn Hoarders.

Is Spring Really Here?

February is a little early for spring and I fear we might get another freeze which will kill off all the early shoots and blossoms, but I sure do love sunshine! Especially sunshine that makes all the new spring flowers glow!

Mini-daffodils

Regular Daffodils

Yellow Primrose

Purple Primrose

Pink Primrose

 

Snowdrops

So joyous!

Happy Valentine's Day, Crappy Drivers!

I had close encounters of the bad driver kind today. I'm buzzing down the highway with cruise control set at 55 mph due to all the police patrols and ahead I see this car on the side of the road just sitting there with its brake lights on. So I turn off cruise control and let the car slow slightly.

At about twenty feet away from the car, the ignoramus pulls out in front of me! I was still going at least 50 mph. Thank god for good reflexes. I slammed on the brakes, they squealed loudly, and my whole van slid about ten feet heading right at the car but veering across the highway. Thank god there were no oncoming cars! There was a car behind me but at least 50 feet away. The ignoramus car speeds up, thankfully, or I might have slammed right into him. Wow. I came at least five feet from hitting him. Too close for comfort. At first I was shaking, then angry, then cussing. For a brief moment I considered calling 911 to report is sorry ass driving skills, but then I remembered all the times I've pulled out in front of people without realizing it. Karma reminding me we are all human. Oops.

Another twenty miles down the same highway I come around a corner and another ignoramus is passing a car driving in my lane right toward me!  I'm forced to drive on the shoulder and he pulled in just in time.

"ARE YOU BLIND, IGNORAMUS DRIVER? CAN'T YOU SEE THE NO PASSING LINES FOR YOUR LANE??"

 I can't tell you how happy I was to get off the highway!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

 

So grateful for my excellent brakes!

So happy for my quick reflexes!

So thankful to be alive!

Jason Mraz's YES! Tour in Japan

Click HERE for the latest concert footage of Jason Mraz's YES! Tour with Raining Jane. What I found interesting is how many people are walking around wearing surgical masks! Mostly in Tokyo. It looks pretty common place. Is this typical of city living? I didn't see any masks in the Osaka segment.

Interesting.

Kaleidoscope Railing

I finally got around to painting the second railing.

I had planned to cover it with rope which is what one does with a ship railing, but it was a whole lot of money for the rope and the green they had didn't quite match. Much cheaper to paint. Because the railing is metal, I was worried the paint wouldn't stick, but I washed, scrubbed, then primed. Once the paint is cured I plan to cover it with a varnish to protect it. These hand rails get a lot of use. We'll see.

I'm not sure if I like the stripes. I wanted it to match the stairs, but more importantly the metal was dinged and chipped so a solid color might accentuate the flaws. Strips or patterns would detract from them. I'm still pondering if a solid color would be better visually? Hmmm...

I had a visitor yesterday. He said he thinks this is a house munchkins would like. LOL! Hey, bright and cheerful equals happy and joyful. Munchkins are welcome.

The Lovely Bones

The bones came in! Who would have ever thought I'd be excited about bones?

I ordered what I thought were bones for broth. The man discussed quality and price so I was fairly confident I would get what I ordered. I had no idea there are different kinds of bones!

My bones came priced $1 per pound more than the quoted price. Hmmm... I think most people would have been so excited to finally get them, they'd just keep their mouths shut but that's a huge jump in price. So I asked. It seems there are neck bones used for soup or joint bones used for broth. This is something I've never heard about in all the books and websites I've read. The soup bones have more meat and the soup made from them is said to taste better. Joint bones are pretty much all bone with a higher mineral content needed for these AIP or GAPS gut-healing diets. The guy did remember me, apologized profusely, told me the soup bones are in high demand which is why it took so long for them to come in. He gave me a slight discount. I will order REAL bones next time. They ARE still bone so I figured it won't hurt. Here is the bone broth recipe I used:

Take two bones and sear all surfaces on medium heat in olive oil in a frying pan.

Place in a gallon of water in a boiling pan or enough to cover the bones depending on the size of your pot. Add about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (optional) as this helps leach the minerals out of the bones. It does boil off, but the smell for the first hour was questionable. Heat to boil.

Check out my new incredibly large pot!
I just bought it this morning at a yard sale.
Only $3.00 with lid!!
 

When it reaches boiling point, turn the heat down and simmer for a minimum of four hours but up to 48 hours. The longer the better as the bones will start to soften releasing more nutrients and gelatin. For any length of time, a slow cooker or pressure cooker would work better. I simmered mine for 12 hours and it was a pain to get up in the middle of the night to make sure the water still covered the bones.

As it's simmering, check every hour or two and ciphon off the scum on the top. About one hour before finished, add handfuls of carrots, celery, onions, parsley, a clove of garlic and salt and pepper.

When finished, strain into a bowl several times.

The taste of the broth is tolerable. Not great. I'm only doing this because it's supposed to be good for me.

I know, I know, this is the kind of thinking that gets me in trouble with problematic foods. I should listen to my body, but I'll give this a chance for a short time and see what happens.

In the meantime, I'll still be looking for the other kind of bones!

UPDATE: I boiled another pot of soup bones but this time only for four hours. Tasted much better, however, it didn't gel which means I didn't cook it long enough to extract the gelatin and probably the minerals. Also, I read any kind of bones will do. Does this mean I can use the cow bones labeled "dog bones" at the butcher? Hmmm...

Bloggerversary!!!

It's been three years!!!

Many thanks to my mentors and readers who have allowed all this self-indulgence.

 

My blog has kept me sane.

Winter Painting Project

I'm running out of surfaces in my house to paint. Last year I did the closets and the year before I did the pantry. Prior to that I painted my office walls, bathroom and mudroom. This is how I entertain myself and survive our gray, rain-drenched winters. I thought I had run out of places to add bright, colorful, crazy designs and then I realized one I hadn't considered - the STAIRS!

My staircase is white. It just screams for color!



From boring to:

PIZZAZZ!

I love how it now matches the lime green walls. It looks much easier than it was as I'm not accustomed to painting stripes on a vertical surface. The paint kept wanting to drip. I even painted the hand rail pink which matches the pink and green patternscape canvases hanging above (you can't see them in these photos).

So bright and cheerful.

I haven't yet painted the tops of the steps. I didn't want to do the stripes on the tops because I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to distinguish each step which might be a safety hazard especially at night in the dark. I'm thinking either floral or abstract designs right in the middle each of the step. Hmmm.... I'm not sure how motivated I am nor if I want the inconvenience of no second floor access for as long as the paint cures. I'll think on it. Until then I'll enjoy the new cheerfulness of stair climbing!