Public Service Health Suggestion

If you can afford it, it's worth the effort to get the Shingles Vaccine. Having watched a person with a "mild" Shingles attack, I definitely don't want to go there. Got my vaccination today and insurance wouldn't cover it so we paid full pop.

Next on the health advice list, and more likely to be covered by insurance, is to get the whooping cough/tetanus shot. I know..... many of you are overdue for the tetanus shot but wonder why the whooping cough should be included. (drum roll ......) Because research has been showing that one third of adult colds which result in months of coughing is due to the adult form of whooping cough (Pertussis). Having watched too many friends suffer through months of coughing and disrupted sleep, it seems like a great idea to get the vaccine and avoid the cough. This is next on my list to do. Apparently my doctor is switching all his adult tetanus vaccinations over to the combined shot so getting it won't be difficult. Whether the HMO will pay for it is another question.

Quinoa, the New Grain

I'm late coming to the Quinoa party but Thursday night I made my first recipe using this ancient Inca grain. It all started when I roasted some veggies with the idea of making a soup for part of supper. It ended up with the roasted veggies served over quinoa, along side of a small salad with tuna and ranch dressing. It was a good first meal using quinoa. The taste and texture went well with the other ingredients on the plate. Couscous would also have been good. Now I'll freeze the rest of the Quinoa in 1/2 cup portions for later use. The cook book that I used had two different sets of instructions. Under "Grains" it said to cook 1 cup quinoa in 1 3/4 cups liquid, simmer for 12 minutes. Under a recipe, it said to cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups of liquid for 20 - 25 minutes. I ended up using the "Grains" instructions for the proportions but had to simmer it 25 minutes to get the liquid soaked up. I had bought red quinoa, which made a visually appealing addition to the salad. While I haven't really researched it, my Brother tells me it's high in protein, low in carbs, and a good nutritional addition to your diet. One caveat - you have to wash it well to remove the saponin that is on the outer hull. I used an old, fine weave metal coffee filter. That was the perfect size for rinsing one cup of grain. The saponin is suppose to make suds when it rinses off but I didn't see any of that. One source that I did read mentioned a brand of quinoa that is already rinsed. As you can see, meals here are "evolutionary" and subject to change without notice.

Foxes In The Family

Since I hadn't seen Rennie and the rest of the fox family in several weeks, I assumed that they had headed out of the den for good. With three boisterous kits, that wasn't surprising. This morning, it was a real treat to see Rennie hunting in the back of our property. After several glimpses of something reddish which looked like a big ground hog, I had a good view of Rennie with breakfast in her mouth. About a half hour later, she was walking across our back pasture area and we had a very good look at her. She's still slim but looked good. I suspect the family has moved somewhere onto our property while they check out the buffet of small animals.

Friday Night Happy Hour

Spent a nice evening last Friday at the Blue Heron Inn enjoying Happy Hour. While we live off of the lake, it was interesting to see so many people from Shadyside that night. They are great people and it's fun to chat with them over a drink. We stayed for supper and, as usual, it was a real toss-up as to what to eat. So many good dishes, so little time.

On the food front in Findley Lake, there is news to report. Vinnie's Pizza is serving breakfast starting at 5am. We tried it out on Monday and it was pretty good. Plus it's local and we support local eating establishments. After breakfast, I browsed the grocery section, which has a nice selection of oriental condiments and food. There were several bottles of shrimp paste, lots of different kinds of chili pastes, rice noodles, and hot sauce. If you do any kind of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc. cooking, take some time to browse the shelves. It's really nice to have such a varied selection here in Findley Lake.

Also on the food front, the former Lighthouse Point is to reopen under new ownership. Rumor has the opening set for May 15th and definitely by Memorial Day. This will add to the restaurant scene in Findley Lake.

Remember, you don't have to cook and clean up when you can eat right here in town. Three restaurants within 1 mile provide a lot of choices but only it we patronize them regularly.
Enjoy the variety and eat out this Friday !