Country Cousin

Improvement...

Hi Folks!

We’re in the Winter doldrums, but the weather has been so fine it’s hard to believe that Spring isn’t just around the corner. It’ll be hard to take if (or when) Winter really gets here! And since this is a Leap Year (February will have 29 days) Winter will last a day longer than usual. Good thing it’s getting a late start!

Snowmobile buffs are itching to hit the trails, and lack of snow is a real bummer. But maybe we’re lucky. Consider the 15 feet of snow followed by rain that dumped on Cordova, Alaska in the last few weeks. That was definitely too much of a good thing!

PACKER MOON

The full moon night of Monday, Jan. 9 was lovely indeed, but the almost full moon that rose over the waters of Green Bay on Tuesday, Jan. 10 was brilliant gold and for a few precious moments at about 7 p.m. appeared in the shape of a huge, plump football.

Was that golden football in the eastern sky an omen of good things to come for the Packers as they head into the final playoffs and the Super Bowl Game?

DIET TIME AGAIN

For many of us, New Year’s brought resolutions to lose some pounds, but by now, determination is getting pretty iffy.

If you feel your resolve slipping, take heart! Cut your sacrifices into manageable segments.

Promise yourself a Valentine’s Day break. That’s only about a month off. Then, a month later, comes St. Patrick’s Day. Another excuse to celebrate!

Then promise yourself a break for Easter. That holiday comes on April 8 this year, so it’s just under a month. Think about it as four weeks. Doesn’t sound as long. And for the entire six weeks before Easter, you can combine self-improvement sacrifices with Lenten sacrifices and get double benefits - both physical and spiritual - for a single effort! How’s that for multi-tasking?

If you make it until Easter, you should have some real progress to enjoy. If you’ve made it that long, you’ll probably be inspired to reward yourself with a new outfit, and then continue on to whatever your goal may be.

SELF IMPROVEMENT

Speaking of self improvement, much has been written about the importance of exercise to stay physically fit, but very little has been said about exercising to stay mentally fit. How about setting some goals for mental growth?

Exercise is important for both body and brain. Makes you easier to look at and more fun to talk to. Can’t beat that combination! More great multi-tasking!

The North American Precisis Syndicate (NAPS) news service says you can condition your brain and the body that houses it to remember more, think faster and perform better at home, work, school and in every day life.

The five keys are:

1. Eat right. Eliminate sugar, take your vitamins, eat lots of fruits (the lower carb types) and vegetables which contain vitamins C and E, be sure your diet includes some good fats, especially the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and shell fish, and finally, drink plenty of water to flush out toxins and hydrate your brain.

Speaking of supplements, some researchers are finding coconut oil (it must be non-hydrogenated, no trans-fat, and should be virgin, extracted without chemicals) to be extremely beneficial in treating Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. One large chain sells a non-hydrogenated (no trans-fat) brand of coconut oil in a one-liter size (nearly 32 ounces) for about $7. It can be purchased in quantities as small as a pint and up to five gallons online. Haven’t checked to see if it’s available locally, but do intend to. Got to have some of that! If it actually reverses dementia in Alzheimer’s patients, think what it might be able to do for someone who doesn’t have it. Yet.

2. Exercise your body. Regular physical exercise stimulates production of new brain cells and helps keep the ones already there fit and functioning by promoting increased levels of brain chemicals and more efficient blood circulation, both of which are vital to removing cellular waste and delivering needed nutrients.

Read somewhere that hanging upside down helps stimulate the brain, but can’t quite think how to do it. Need to give that more thought. Aha! Another brain exercise!

3. Exercise your brain. NAPS says the best brain exercises are new challenges that use different parts of the brain and increase in difficulty as you improve your skills. Do crossword puzzles. Learn a foreign language. Learn new dance steps and then exercise your body by using them, preferably to fast music. Or check out the training programs such as the ones found on the web at www.luminosity.com that are designed to improve brain function. “Luminosity” has been described as a gym for the brain, and offers personalized training programs and engaging exercises to improve core cognitive processes.

4. Sleep. That means get enough quality snooze time, which plays an important role in memory formation. Your brain uses sleep to process and make sense of the day, consolidate memories and even generate creative new ideas. Poor sleep can lead to an imbalance in brain chemicals resulting in depression or cognitive deficits in processing speed, attention, memory and reasoning. If you have trouble sleeping, consider cutting caffeine before bedtime, get more fresh air and exercise during the day.

Personally find that the herb melatonin helps bring on a natural restful sleep. Turns out there’s also a scientific basis for grandma’s cup of warm milk at bedtime remedy. Add a bit of cinnamon, a tiny dab of butter and a bit of artificial sweetener and it’s delicious as well. While heavy drinking hampers both healthy sleep and brain functions, a small shot of something alcoholic in the warm milk isn’t a bad idea (for adults). Brandy, rum or whiskey are all good. No, it’s probably not a good plan to go back for seconds or thirds on this!

5. Socialize! NAPS notes that humans are social animals and our brains have evolved to seek out social contact. Studies show that an active social life appears to delay age-related memory loss. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that individuals in their 50s and 60s who engage in a great deal of social activity had the slowest rate of memory decline, and researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that women with active social lives were half as likely to develop dementia.

ON THE SOAP BOX

Received another communication from the reader with the penchant for potty mouth phrases. He objected to last week’s column on the debate over allowing on-farm sale of non-pasteurized milk, and retaliated by sending a list of bacteria that can be found in unpasteurized cow’s milk. (Some of them, incidentally, are heat-resistant, so they are sometimes found in pasteurized milk as well.)

Once again, though, he managed to miss the whole point. There are arguments for and against drinking unpasteurized milk. The question is, should we, as individuals in a free society, be given credit for having enough intelligence to weigh the good against the bad and make our own decisions, or should we be “protected” from our own foolishness by the mandates of Big Brother, who of course always knows best!

Incidentally, there’s a whole slew of bacteria, some of them very dangerous, that can be found on occasion in raw eggs, but that doesn’t keep them off the market.

And yes, some folks do still use raw eggs in their recipes, and they manage to live to a ripe old age, just like the farm families that drink raw milk.

JOB MARKETS

We all know jobs are scarce right now, especially good ones. Finding a new job today might not be as rare as finding hen’s teeth, but not far from it. So it’s best, if you have a job, hold on to it, unless there’s a better one already waiting.

Here are a few tips for keeping a job. They’re aimed particularly at the younger wage earners, who probably have a lot to learn, even though they won’t believe it.

JOB HABITS

You might figure that if you do good work, you don’t need to worry about being fired. Think again—there are some habits that can jeopardize even the best employee’s job. Here are 10 of the riskiest:

1. Frequent sick days. Probably the major work rule is “Be there!” Calling in sick is not a good idea, even if you are, unless it’s contagious or you’re totally unable to function.

2. Playing online during the workday. Never use your work computer for anything you don’t want your boss to know about—whether it’s job-searching, online shopping, complaining about your job, hanging out on social networking sites, or anything else.

3. Complaining about your boss. You never know who might be listening

4. Complaining about customers. You never know who might be listening.

5. Not owning up to mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, what matters is how you handle them. Don’t try to cover up, don’t try to foist the blame onto someone else. Own up, and move on!

6. Protesting that something isn’t in your job description is a good way to lose the job. Do the best you can to accomplish whatever you’re asked to do, whether it’s “your job” or not. The powers that be are paying for your time, and they have the right to tell you how to use it.

7. Getting angry at work and letting it show is usually a major mistake. It’s normal to occasionally get frustrated, but act like an adult. Yelling, slamming doors, or snapping at people could put you at the top of the layoff list. “I’m in a bad mood,” is no excuse!

8. Doing a merely adequate job isn’t enough. You need to go above and beyond in order to be seen as valuable to your employer.

9. Caring more about having friends at work than about doing a good job. Be friendly, but be brief. If you’re chitchatting when you should be working, your bonding sessions may quickly leave you looking for a new job and new friends.

10. Take criticism graciously, and try to learn from it. If you get upset, offended, or angry when your boss gives you feedback on your work, you’re making his or her job harder. Worse yet, next time, instead of criticism you might get severance pay.

11. Hiding things, such as work that isn’t getting done, an angry client, a missed deadline, the fact that you don’t really know how to use the new software—is one of the worst things you can do on the job. If your employer/supervisor isn’t confident that you’ll be forthright about a problem, you’ll destroy their trust in you.

BIBLICAL GARB

A little boy opened the big old family Bible with fascination, looking at pictures as he carefully turned the old pages.

Something fell out. He picked it up and looked at it in awe. It was a dried old maple leaf that had been pressed between the pages.

“Momma, look what I found,” the boy called out.

“What have you got there, dear?” his mother asked.

He answered in awe, “It’s Adam’s Suit!”

ALL IN A NAME

The news reports said a Madison man named Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop was arrested in Madison on Thursday, Jan. 5 for carrying a concealed knife, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and a probation violation, and remained in jail as of Sunday.

First thought on seeing that name was that his parents should have been arrested too, simply for giving him that awful name. Turns out they didn’t.

Court records show for his first 29 years the man’s name was normal - Jeffrey Drew Wilschke. The name might have been normal, but apparently he wasn’t. He legally changed it to Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop in October.

Was the judge required to grant the name change requested, or does he deserve to be disbarred for failing to exercise sufficient judicial discretion? Just getting that name entered on the arrest records is a waste of taxpayer time. But before long that probably won’t be a problem. Those who need it will likely have the name on speed-dial or a typing shortcut key.

COOKIN’ TIME

Chilly winter temperatures seem to make spicy food all the more welcome. Today’s recipes tingle the taste buds and warm the insides.

STUFFED PEPPER APPETIZERS

Almost too easy! Makes 24 appetizers. Perfect for game-day parties.

12 Jalapeno peppers and/or small sweet yellow peppers

1 package taco seasoning mix

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and inside membranes, using care not to tear the peppers. Place the pepper halves cut side up, in a shallow cake pan and cover with plastic wrap. Bake about 10 minutes, and then let sit, covered, or until cool. They should be nearly tender, but still firm enough to hold their shape. Mix the taco seasoning (whatever brand you like) with the cream cheese and fill the cooked pepper halves. Chill, covered until serving time, but for at least an hour. Serve cold or at room temperature.

CHICKEN CURRY

Makes four servings, but that doesn’t mean it serves four people. Serve over rice or noodles if you wish. Takes one hour, start to finish. Uses the healthy coconut oil we talked about above, plus unsweetened coconut milk, which can be purchased generally in the evaporated milk section of the supermarket, or in the dairy aisle. Incidentally, coconut oil solidifies at 76 degrees, so it needs to be heated gently to return it to an oil state. One experienced cook says she has had excellent results using coconut oil in place of the regular butter or oil in many of her recipes, including cakes, muffins and biscuits!

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - chopped

1 small head cauliflower, chopped

2 1/2 tablespoons yellow curry powder

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 (14 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

1/3 cup chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Mix in the chicken, and cook 10 minutes, or until juices run clear. Mix the cauliflower, curry powder and garlic salt into the skillet. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

STUFFED PEPPER SOUP

2 pounds ground beef

1 28-ounce can tomato sauce

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups cooked long grain white rice

2 cups chopped green pepper

2 beef bouillon cubes

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan or Dutch Oven, brown beef; drain. Add remaining ingredients: bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until peppers are tender.

SWISS ALMOND CHEESECAKE

This cheesy easy treat is phase one friendly for both South Beachers and Atkins dieters. For the South Beach version, use part skim ricotta cheese. Each serving has only 13 grams carbs and 19.5 grams fat. Serve it as dessert or a healthy breakfast treat.

1 container part cheese, 14 to 16 ounces

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

2 packets Splenda

1 package Swiss Miss diet cocoa mix (single serving size)

1/4 cup ground almonds

1/4 cup flaked coconut

4 to 8 sliced almonds and toasted coconut to garnish top

(optional)

Mix ricotta, vanilla, almond extract and coconut extract with Splenda and Swiss Miss. Set aside. In separate bowl mix ground almonds and coconut. Spread Almond coconut mix into one large or 4 individual serving dishes. Add the ricotta mixture and chill at least an hour, or better yet, over night. Garnish with almonds or toasted coconut and enjoy!!!

Thought for the week: The story is that when passing his granddaughter’s room one night, grandpa spotted her kneeling by her bed with her head bowed, reciting the alphabet in an oddly reverent way.

“What on earth are you up to?” he asked.

“I’m saying my prayers,” explained the little girl, “But I can’t think of exactly the right words tonight, so I’m just saying all the letters. God will put them together for me, because He knows what I’m thinking.” Lord, I may not know what I should be asking for, but You do! Grant me the faith and humility to place things in Your very competent hands, as that little girl did. Amen.

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