Wordless Wednesday - doctoring calves

Hunk of Meat Monday: New York Roast

We went to my sister and brother-in-law's house on Labor Day unexpectedly and they BBQed for us.  I took tons (literally 80 pictures) of them that I will be posting along with an interview from them in a week or so.  But, this post is about the hunk of meat they prepared for us.

They started with a New York roast

Sprinkled it with seasoning and rubbed it in. 

Then put it on the grill.  I have no idea how long it cooked but I do know that Michael came it at one point very calmly and said there is a fire . . . and he needed a plate. 

The meat survived and was only burned a little. 

As you can see it was still delicious. 

Our meal was awesome - New York roast, garlic bread, my sister's potato salad, salad, and corn. 

Yum, yum!!

What was your hunk of meat today?

Processed Food Will KILL You!

I hear it all the time . . . "Twinkies will kill you."  "McDonald's french fries will kill you."  "Bacon will kill you." "Processed food will kill you."  "Bananas will kill you."  Ok, that last one was my mom and she was just kidding (she hates bananas) but the others I have heard numerous times.  I hear these battle cries at work, at the grocery store, at the farmer's market, and even at Wal Mart.  I hear them on the news and see them written on blogs and websites.  People want to tell everyone that will listen how horrible a certain food is for you.  I can't help but laugh . . . mainly because I picture twinkies killing the person who uttered the battle cry (there is a little army of them with little white swords - I have a big imagination) but also because people are just so misinformed. 

Processed food is not evil. 

Processed food was invented back when people stopped following herds of animals around the continent.  It was invented when people started staying in one place and needed to preserve food to last through the winter.  Processed food was invented to sustain life.  Now it sounds great doesn't it? 

Everything from canned peaches to bacon to twix bars are processed.  But, when people talk about evil processed food they are usually talking about heavily processed food.   Items that do not resemble what they were made from and have more additives and preservatives than actual food.

So, will processed food KILL you?

If you eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cups all day every day (Michael would love to do this) you WILL DIE.  You will . . . your body needs nutrients and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups don't have them all.  On the other hand, if you eat carrots all day every day you WILL also DIE.  Again . . . your body needs nutrients and carrots don't have them all.

You need a balanced diet to be healthy.  A diet full of fruits, vegetables, meat, beans, grains, water, and dairy products.  Eating healthy is not a guarantee to a long life . . . you could always get hit by a bus or something tragic like that.  But, you will be happier, healthier, and probably live longer if you eat a balanced diet.  A balanced diet can include heavily processed food.  I think we can all agree that canned peaches, although processed, are still a sensible food choice.  And we probably can also agree that twix bars, delicious as they are, would not be considered a sensible food choice - instead they would be a treat.

Here is the amazing thing about our agricultural system . . . YOU have the choce to make.  YOU can eat heavily processed food.  YOU can eat only food that is not processed.  YOU can mix processed and not process as YOU see fit.  Isn't that awesome . . . you can use your brain!!

Now, let me be very clear on this . . . processed foods will NOT kill you.  Processed food can be a part of a healthy diet.  But you need to use your brain to figure out if the item you want to eat is a sensibe choice or a treat and eat it accordingly.

How do YOU choose the eat processed food?

Dining Room and Bar

I have been wanting to give a virtual house tour since I started this blog - it is after all about my home and agriculture.  So, we will start at the front of the house and work our way back. 

I present to you the dining room and bar

(aka dining room and living room)

Dining room and bar

We are not formal people so we didn't want a formal living room but I do like to have people over for dinner and wanted to have a room to host Thanksgiving and other holiday meals, so the dining room was a must.

Entry way

our awesome blue floral tile

Draft horse shoe above the front door.  My parents owned a horseshoeing supply company when we were kids and this is left from the business.  I LOVE it!  This was the first thing I put up when we moved in.

Dining room table.  It was my grandma's and I painted it black to better fit my style.  I don't love the table but I love her so it stays.

I still need to recover the fabric - someday.

A hurricane-ish style glass in the middle of the table.  Michael's sister got it for me for Christmas one year and I LOVE it!  It has black sand from a beach I went to when I was a kid near our family cabin.  I kept the sand of many many years and now it finally has a home!

This hutch goes with the table and I have yet to paint it.  It is not really my style but I would feel bad getting rid of it since it was grandma's.

A plate I fell in love with when I worked at Ross.  I finally got a plate stand for it earlier this year. 

My dollar Pottery Barn candle holder. 

Glasses and cake stands and pitchers - oh my!

More glasses and grandma's bowl.

The end chairs for the dining room table.

The bar. 

Michael's cousin built this bar - as you can see he is very talented.  They moved and couldn't fit the bar in their new house so we bought it.  I wasn't too happy with having a bar at our house but now it has grown on me and I actually like it. 

It also serves as storage for over sized items (like my kitchenaid and my water bath canner).

The duck lamp - Michael made this in high school wood shop.  Pretty nice, isn't it?

We even have a TV mounted on the wall (but, it is not plugged in) like a real bar!

Michael searched everywhere for stools that we both liked and were not super expensive.  We found these at RC Willey and they are beautiful and comfortable.

Since the bar area is supposed to be the dining room we switched out the chandelier for a rustic looking light.  

So, there you have it - our dining room and bar!  There are many projects I want to complete in this room but for now it is great!

Wordless Wednesday - ducklings

Remember the ducklings from about a month ago?

Here they are now . . .

They are almost as big as their parents!!  They have grown so fast!

Hunk of Meat Monday: Chicken Wraps

My favorite restaurant is Red Robin.  The customer service is fantastic and the food is good too.  They also have a great drink selection including the absolute freckled lemonade. - yum!  A favorite of Michael's is the BBQ chicken wrap, so I wanted to try and re-create it.  Here goes:

Start with a roasted chicken.  You could also use left-over chicken which was my original plan. 

Shred the chicken

Start with a wrap (a tortilla would work too you just have to put less filling in it).  Put some ranch on it.

Then lettuce

Then cheese

Then carrots and crushed up tortilla chips (like Red Robin - for a little crunch)

Then tomatoes and chicken

Then more chicken

And finally top with two strips of bacon.

Fold the end and roll up the sides and you have a chicken wrap. 

I was really impressed!!  So easy to make but good and a complete meal.  Next time we will add less lettuce and other filling and more chicken.  

The real tests for all of our meals is if Michael likes it.  I can tell when he really really like something - he gets out a container and starts making his lunch for the next day with the leftovers (this rarely happens).  If he really likes it then he will tell me he wants to take the leftovers for lunch and I will put them in a container for him.  And if he thinks it is ok then he will decline taking left overs for lunch.  There were not leftovers (since we only made two wraps) but I did ask Michael if he would take a wrap for lunch and he said yes - so this meal was a success!

Grilled Zucchini

I didn't want to link up to Hunk of Meat Monday with a chicken wrap (I'll save that for next week) on Labor Day and since I didn't have a BBQ post ready to go I'll share my favorite BBQ side dish.  Grilled zucchini - YUM!!

And it is really easy too - all you need is some zucchini, garlic salt, olive oil, and a ziploc bag.

Start with your zucchini - wash it and cut off the ends. 

Slice is length-wise - about a 1/4 inch thick.

Put the zucchini in a bag with olive oil and garlic salt.

Use just enough of each to coat the zucchini.

Mix it up so all zucchini is coated.

Put on the grill . . . my mouth is watering.  We have been making this for years and it is by far my favorite way to cook zucchini.   

It will go perfectly with your hunk of meat!

What is your favorite way to make zucchini?