BreadPudding

We sold our 2008 Honda Odyssey XL last year with 280,000 miles on it. I've been driving minivans since 1987 because my daughter uses a wheelchair. The Odyssey was the best vehicle to drive overall. It had a V6 engine because it was the sport model, so that may be why. The only downside is that if you plan on driving it like we did for a long time, the drive train replacement every 100,000 miles is a very expensive preventative maintenance cost. Thousands of $. I don't know if this is still a recommended maintenance. Every thing I read said to do it if you planned on keeping the van over 10 years like we did.

Our newest adaptive van is a Toyota Sienna. It doesn't drive quite as well as the Honda as a new vehicle.

Professor Grant Horner's Reading Bible Plan--

This plan has 10 chapters per day. You’ll read through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters 4-5 times each, the OT wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the OT History and Prophetic books about 1 1/2 times.

This plan is phenomenal, a seminary professor's personal reading plan shared with his students. You get an overview of the Bible by reading in 10 parts of the Bible every day. You can print out bookmarks or sign up for it in a Bible app. I used it for 2018-2020. It took about 40 minutes a day to read. I am taking a break this year so I can read more slowly through select portions, but I will be back on the Horner plan next year.

Greg Martinez DVM crock pot dog food

About 6 months ago, one our dogs needed to be switched to a new food for food allergies and other medical issues. She wasn't tolerating anything I tried, so I decided to try cooking an elimination diet. I found the above veterinarian's youtube channel. The linked video is his newest one, which I like because it describes supplementation very clearly. An older video has a simple elimination diet with chicken and green beans that I used first. As time went on I added more vegetables and experimented with different carbs.

The most helpful part of his videos is that you have a simple visual of a 6 quart crockpot, so it is easy to have the correct proportions of meat/fish/eggs to veggies. I even started using a large covered roasting pan to make large 10 quart batches and cooked overnight.

It turned out that our dog had liver cancer, and she passed away this past weekend, but she sure loved her food over the past few months.

Little dog loves it,too, so I will continue with making her food.

Rarely comment, but the puppy threads always get my attention:
12 years ago I got a golden retriever puppy with hopes of her becoming a service dog for a family member. It was my choice to use clicker training because it is a kind method of training that even children can learn to use. Works like a charm, B.F. Skinner in action. All you need is a clicker, a couple of training books, and a huge dose of self-control. I think Petsmart still uses this method, but some of their trainers are better than others.

You must be absolutely consistent and never, ever resort to yelling or hitting. No exceptions. Measure out the dog's food for a day with a few treats mixed in and make the dog earn it's keep by following commands.

Accept the fact that a misbehaving dog is your fault. You have failed to communicate with your dog, don't understand its developmental needs, or how to manage its environment effectively. When my puppy and I were at an impasse, I had to stop and make plans for breaking the targeted behavior down into smaller parts. Trainers and reference books help with this.

For example, potty training begins with you taking the puppy outside on a leash at scheduled times after scheduled feedings or crate time. Give the chosen command word when you notice the puppy is about to go, click and reward as soon as he finishes. Once the puppy does his business, release from the leash for play. Control the environment inside so that the puppy is either crated or is carefully monitored. That continues until the puppy is developmentally ready to be successful with bladder control.

If I didn't know what to do about an unwanted behavior, I had to put her in a safe space so I could regroup before resorting to punishment, make a plan, and try again. Usually rewarding strings of rapid fire commands that she already knew made both of us feel better before we moved on to learning the new behavior.

I chose to not use a marker like Cesar Milan's "eh" noise for unwanted behaviors. Redirecting usually worked for me.

We transitioned away from treats and the clicker once she outgrew the rowdy teen stage. I pulled it out again several years later to teach a few hand signals to replace verbal commands.

Research about how to train to a crate correctly until your puppy matures and realize you will have to spend extra time to undo the unwanted behaviors that have developed.

If any family member isn't willing or able to follow through with the training plan, you have to accept total responsibility for training. Even though a total novice, I was able to train our dog to do some complex service dog tasks.

Unfortunately, she developed a health problem and couldn't be a service dog, but she has been a lovely pet.

This is adapted from the Cook's Illustrated quiche recipe. I use ham instead of bacon, reduce the milk to 1/2 cup instead of 1 cup and add fragrant herbs. The white pepper and nutmeg are perfect for seasoning.

8 ounces smoked ham or fried bacon (about 8 slices) cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt (optional if meat is salty)
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
optional: diced green onion tops, parsley, fresh thyme, sage, rosemary
4 ounces Gruyère cheese grated, or Swiss (cheaper)
9-inch partially baked pie shell (warm), baked until light golden brown, about 10 minutes

Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, whisk all remaining ingredients except cheese in medium bowl.

Spread cheese and meat evenly over bottom of warm pie shell (if the pie shell has been previously baked and cooled, place it in the preheating oven for about five minutes to warm it, taking care that it does not burn) and set shell on oven rack. Pour in custard mixture to 1/2-inch below crust rim. Bake until lightly golden brown and a knife blade inserted about one inch from the edge comes out clean, and center feels set but soft like gelatin, 45 to 50 minutes (the center of the quiche will be surprisingly soft when it comes out of the oven, but the filling will continue to set--and sink somewhat--as it cools). Transfer quiche to rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My elderly mom was recently put on a diet by her gastroenterologist which eliminated wheat gluten, lactose, and several groups of carbs. Since I go by her house every day to cook her food, it was a challenge for me, too.

For her main meal, she was quite happy with meat and veggies with either brown rice,potato, or yellow corn tortilla. However, she missed bread for her morning toast and sandwiches. For breakfast, I added walnuts or a spoon of peanut butter to her steel cut oatmeal or fixed her an egg along with corn flakes. We made wraps with the corn tortillas instead of sandwiches.

One of the foods we had to eliminate was soy, which I found in most gluten-free baking mixes. Eventually I found one without soy at the health food store. Once a week I would use it to bake muffins with lots of nuts and used butter and sour cream. One of these every day satisfied some of the craving for bread, cake, cookies, etc.

Rice flour can be used to make a roux, but the texture is silkier and it scorches easily. It took practice, but eventually I perfected the technique so she could have gravy.

Other findings: roasted spaghetti squash looks like pasta on the plate, baby carrots can substitute for crackers/chips.

Honestly, once I figured all this out, it was more difficult to cook without onions and garlic as recommended on her diet than without wheat.

I think that my body is happier without many carbs or wheat-- I want to go gluten-free for awhile to see if it helps me. As long as I could have lots of roasted vegetables and salads with meat, I could be happy.

My mom isn't able to cook anymore, so I cook most of her food. This is one of her favorites:

2 whole bone-in chicken breasts with skin
fresh herbs: thyme, sage, parsley, bit of rosemary
canola oil (secret ingredient I learned about from Cook's illustrated)
mayonnaise
2 green onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced
lemon juice
2-4 hard boiled eggs (optional)
salt and pepper

Mince the herbs and mix with about 1 tbsp. of oil. Place the mixture between the skin and the meat with a spatula. Salt the skin, then roast at 425 until the meat is 160 degrees. If you use thigh meat adjust cooking time accordingly so all of the meat is tender and juicy.

Cool, then chop the chicken into small pieces. Mix 1-2 tbsp. of oil to add moisture, then add 1/4 cup or more of mayo. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon, add the onions, celery, and 2 tbsp. of diced parsley. Sprinkle with black pepper, add chopped eggs and mix thoroughly.

After our second rice cooker in a year burned out, I was determined to figure out how to make perfect rice in a regular pot on the stove. My tips:

1. I use ratio of 1:1.5 rice to water. My measuring tool is a coffee cup that happens to measure one cup.
2. The pot I use is a 2 quart heavy stainless fake All-Clad. It is more tall than broad and has a lid that fits snugly.
3. Add a dash of white or rice vinegar. I read somewhere that this helps if you have high mineral content in your water. I have well water, so it works for me.
4. Bring salted water and rice to a boil, cover and turn the heat to low. Turn the heat off in 20 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork quickly, then replace the lid. Let rest for a few minutes to absorb some of the remaining steam.

If you're going to go to the trouble of buying and smoking a whole turkey, try to elevate the game a little with something besides Italian dressing.

At Thanksgiving, I was looking for alternatives for brine because I needed an option for a guest with diabetes and another who can't eat onions. I think it was actually someone on this board that provided this link with more info than you probably want to know: grilled/smoked turkey

I used the described wet rub under the skin with oil and pureed fresh herbs. Rubbed the skin with oil and Zatarain's Big and Zesty Creole herb and garlic seasoning, then injected the breasts and thighs with broth and butter. I filled the cavity with more fresh herbs,and a small apple and orangeI draped a few pieces of bacon over the breasts for a few hours to prevent burning. Our gas smoker won't get above about 250, so I had to adjust the prescribed cooking time. No mopping on turkey or chicken for me.

I smoked with apple wood for the first couple of hours only so the smoked taste wouldn't be overwhelming. It was very tasty--- even without sugar or onions!

For chicken soup or stews, I have better luck using pre-cooked added in the last 30 - 60 minutes. Pre-cooked meaning the leftover roasted or smoked chicken from Sunday. Cooking raw chicken on low heat all day is not a great idea from a food safety standpoint from what I've read.

Alternatively, if you need pieces of flavorful, juicy chicken for something, there is nothing easier than popping a salted whole chicken in a large slow cooker for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours on high. Add no oil or liquid, just a few aromatic herbs if you like. You won't get a crisp skin like roasting, but it will brown a bit, and the meat is very tender and juicy.

After you remove the meat, add the bones back into the cooker to simmer all night for stock. Some folks like to add a little apple cider vinegar to a long simmering stock so you get the health benefits of nutrients from the bones.

That's a lot of mileage from a $5 chicken.

No soap,ever! Use a plastic mesh scrubber or stiff brush and water to scrub.

When I finish cooking on cast iron, I put about an inch of water in it and let it boil while we eat. (I don't do much deep fat frying, but needless to say you would drain the oil out first). Then I pour out the excess water, scrub if necessary, and put it back on the burner to get really dry. I coat it lightly on the inside with Crisco shortening on a paper towel, and cook on the burner on med. high until it just starts to smoke. I use old kitchen hand towels between my set of cast iron skillets for storage.