While I use this one as a one-pot main dish/meal, it can be used as a nice healthy side dish as well. 1 package yellow rice 1 medium carrot handful of broccoli florets 2 tbsp olive oil 1 can small peas Prepare rice following directions on the package. While rice is cooking, sliver the carrot. About 10 minutes before rice is finished, add olive oil, 1/4 cup of water, peas, carrot slivers, and broccoli florets and allow to simmer for the additional 10 minutes. Carrot and...

Tonight, still battling the flu and not really wanting to expend a lot of effort on making dinner, I threw together an improptu vegetarian goulash. It turned out so well I thought I'd share it. 1/2 box Politely Hot Tofu Crumbles 1/2 jar Newman's Own Marinara Sauce 1/2 box macaroni salt to taste While macaroni is cooking, put the tofu crumbles and marinara sauce in a small pot and let simmer on low heat. Once macaroni is ready, drain and pour the sauce over it and mix well. Salt to t...

As I'm still battling the flu I didn't really feel like cooking a lot, or even eating really, but the body needs fuel. I made some white rice, threw it in a skillet with some soy crumbles, onion, carrot shavings, a bit of chopped green bell pepper, and some soy sauce. It was actually pretty tasty for a quickly thrown together impromptu meal of odds and ends. If I feel up to it tomorrow I'm going to make a big pot of chili.

This really isn't directed at any person here at JU. In fact, I posted it on another forum but felt maybe someone here MIGHT see his/herself in it. If not, that's ok too. It's my blog and I wanted to record it here. I was basically tired of a certain person on forum who is a one-track-mind drum beater.. I just don't understand the mentality of some people. They seem to have a one track mind and just can't seem to function in a normal way, even on a forum. You know the type. They have a sin...

Despite, or maybe because of, being sick from the flu I decided to venture out and drag my carcass to the pharmacy to buy some vitamins. My diet the past several months been, well, let's say less than balanced so I figured a good multivitamin might be a good thing for the short term until my new dietary habits take hold. I am determined to eat healthier this year. I also stopped by Publix to pick up a few more groceries and see what kind of vegan-friendly selection they had. I was pleasan...

Today at work I looked down toward the end of the driveway and saw a shape moving across the drive. Whatever it was, it was pretty large and in real danger of being run over. It was also causing traffic to swing wildly around it. I decided to walk down and see what was up. As I drew near to it I saw that it was a very large softshelled turtle that had wandered out of one of the ponds and had somehow managed to get under the fence and into the path of traffic. Just about that time I also sa...

"Sick as a dog". Old expression. Just how sick is this dog anyway? What determines the difference between just plain old sick and sick as a dog? What dog? Ok, that's a bit of rambling, just trying to amuse myself and failing miserably. A couple of weeks ago I had the flu as did a lot of other people around here. I didn't miss a single day of work even though I felt like crap for a few days. (How does crap feel anyway?) Many people I know who had this flu seemed to get over it, just as I di...

As some of you know I have suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrom (IBS) most of my life. It's a painful, unpleasant condition the details of which I won't go into here. Suffice it to say that it has a serious negative impact on the quality of my life. I have seen many doctors over the years, tried many prescription and nonpresecription remedies, none of which really helped all that much. Diet seems to be a strong factor in how bad symptoms are at a given time. I never drink milk as it is a ...

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I enjoy cooking. Creating something tasty to eat is a real joy. I am in the process of cooking my first dinner of the new year. I decided to go for something that, while fairly simple, is very good. I am making Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage. None of that boxed crap, but the real deal, from scratch. Well, ok, I bought the sausage lol. It's simmering on the stove now and the house smells wonderful with the aromas of cayenne, onion, bla...

2005 is drawing to a close with only a scant few hours left of it's tenure. It will be remembered as one of the worst years of my life to date. And, in an odd way, one of the best. It's been a year of pain and recovery. A year of being an invalid and fighting to overcome that condition. It's been a year of being out of work due to serious injuries, living in a home not my own with absolutely no privacy, and of being wholly dependent on others for pretty much everything. It's been a year of...

Here's an interesting tidbit. Seems an effective anthrax vaccine can be grown in tobacco plants. Link

The grocery chain at whose distribution center my company is contracted to provide security is up for sale. The most recent news story indicates that the sale may be finalized in the very near future. There are also indications that they have no interest in the operations, but rather in the real estate nationwide. This of course means that the distribution center will likely be closing down. As our company doesn't have any other posts here in town and I have no intention of moving to Tamp...

This morning, after showering for work, I noticed the bathroom floor was soaking wet. I mopped it up and went on about the business of getting ready for work. When I returned home this eveving, I found yet more water on the floor. What the? After some investigating, I discovered that my bathtub is cracked underneath the rubber bath mat. How did this happen? Oh great. So tomorrow after work I will be visiting Lowes to see what is available to repair a cracked fiberglass bathtub. What a p...

This is the season people reflect on the events of the past year, and I am no exception. The 26th of this month will mark the one year anniversary of the devastating car wreck that turned my life inside out. It has really been quite a difficult year, to say the least. I spent New Year's Eve in traction at a hospital some 1300 miles from home, alone and stoned out of reality on morpheine. That was accompanied by additional treatment for various cuts and bruises as well as a nasty mouth infe...

As I wrote about in another article, I attended the company Christmas awards banquet tonight, wholly against my will. My boss made me go and even came and picked me up to make sure I would be there. The food was excellent. I had some very nice blackened Mahi, and some tasty prime rib, along with a few drinks. It was a pretty good time, not all of the boring speeches and stuff I expected. Everyone was pretty relaxed. I was among the best dressed there, far better dressed than my bosses. I w...