2am not drunk or high… just fat
no blood in turnips… but they’re high in spite
We just had a lovely dinner. Pan seared sword fish – heavily buttered then set in a pan to create a crisp protein crust. Onion and bacon fried golden to crisp mingling with french-cut green beans. A warm bowl of wild rice pilaf, notes of grass and chestnuts in the steam. A simple salad of shaved carrot, radishes, and parsley dressed in olive oil and lemon juice.
I like radishes. Small red ones to the great daikon – peppery to sweet. However, this isn’t a confession of a husky boy. No, the fact is… Snuff hates radishes. I serve radishes because I like them and he hates them. I try to be nice and temper their spiciness with lemon juice but there’s nothing that will change his mind.
I don’t get complaints…
I know he’s picks around it…
I look at his plate knowingly…
He knows I know…
We’ve had a lot of pot roast this winter…
He always puts turnips in his pot roast…
I hate cooked turnips as much as he hates radishes…
I have a pint of radishes left in the fridge…
Reward Index
As the keeper of our households finances, I was making sure that our accounts were reaping all the benefits one receives from not paying cash. Borne out of the interest and fees collected from those in debt, I revel in what I can get back from credit cards. I genuinely feel bad for those who are tied down by debt, but I’m equally as angry at the credit card industry and their shenanigans to capitalize on our weakness to consume and procrastinate.
I’ve been earning and spending points for years, but Snuff has been missing out on that fraction of dollar until I signed him up. With all the incidental purchasing that he does I thought I would have some gifts coming my way in no time until I saw the hard figures.
| Visa WorldPoints | Visa Extras | AMEX Rewards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPod Classic 80GB | 39,200 Points | 177,500 Points | 42,000 Points |
| Sony® Bravia™ Home Theater System |
41,600 Points | 186,500 Points | 53,998 Points |
| Cash Back | scaled from .5 to 1% 2500 Points = $12.50 350000 Points = $350 |
set rate of .2% 2000 points = $4 |
set rate of .5% 20,000 points = $100 |
confessions of a husky boy: black eyed peas
I’m not entirely clear as to how black eyed peas made it to our New Year’s table living in the American midwest and being immigrant Canadian. Mom has made it a point to serve these totemic dishes to ensure health and prosperity, so I try to keep with tradition.
Start with some kind of meat, the cheaper the better – about the size of your fist for a large pot. We have noticed over the years that fresh beef ribs, tail, spine, hooves, tongue; don’t compare to pork trotters, which seem to be in constant supply at a very low price. Boil the meat with a few pepper corns and bay leaves. Once the the meat is tender and a broth is set – throw in soaked black eyed peas, boil again.
One can appreciate the simplicity of this method – it is 90% done.
Magic time, some of the black eyed peas disintegrate, some stay whole, and the broth goes starchy and everything picks up the flavor of meat. At this stage one could throw in:
– hot sauce and vinegar
– julienne strips of bitter melon and bitter melon leaves
– spinach
– rice and roast pork
– field peas, black beans, or red kidney beans
Today it’s ham hocks and spinach, rice on the side. Happy New Year!