Purveyors of evil--Big Tech

 "If we’re going to be objective about it, we’ve got to give the Mark Zuckerbergs, Jeff Bezoses and Jack Dorseys of the world their due — the apps they’ve created are some of the greatest technological marvels in history. 

It’s too bad that the purveyors of the technologies Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Amazon have on offer are such profoundly myopic, evil bastards. And the events of the past week make it pretty clear that these companies are literally out to get conservative America. By extension, they’re really out to get America itself, because anyone tyrannical and dastardly enough to wish to ruin people financially and to destroy their power to speak over simple political or philosophical disagreements isn’t just a political partisan. Anybody who would do what these people did to Parler for the sin of providing a platform for conservatives to talk among each other after being persecuted by other social platforms clearly doesn’t have respect for the ideals that founded the country and bind it together still."

There may be a firewall, but it's worth a read. Big Tech v. America: How to Fight Back and Win | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

Butternut squash and apples recipe

Recipe is from the November 2015 issue of Illinois Country Living.

Mott’s Medleys Peach Apple fruit & veggie snack

Notice anything? No peaches on the ingredient list. So I checked the cherry berry fruit and veggie snack. . . no cherries or berries on the ingredient list.

“Kids will love the delicious taste of these fruit blends but won't taste the hidden veggies. Mott's Medleys fruit snacks are fat free. In fact, they're only made with real fruits and veggies and even have plenty of Vitamin C to boot. Plus, they contain no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives. What a treat.” Mott’s web site.

They won’t taste the vegetables, and they won’t taste the berries or peaches, either.

Apple cranberry oatmeal bars

I found a recipe card on the floor yesterday; must have fallen out of something.  I didn’t have a few ingredients—like raw sugar and farina, but I like the idea.  So I googled the ingredients I wanted—oatmeal, cranberries and apples, and found this one. I was going to cut up an apple, and I probably will, but cook it a few minutes to make chunky applesauce. Recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens according the the blog author.http://cookingthisandthat.blogspot.com/2009/01/apple-cranberry-oatmeal-bars.html

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking or old fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
Filling:
1 cup (chunky or smooth) applesauce
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and baking soda. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture.
Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 11 x 7 baking dish. Make sure you press firmly into the pan - you are making a crust.
Combine all filling ingredients in small bowl. Spread over crumb mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture.
Bake 30-35 minutes, until top is golden and filling is set. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Apple seeds

From the World’s Healthiest Foods Tips, Dec. 28, 2013

Is it OK to eat apple seeds?

“I don't recommend eating apple seeds, and it is not because a tree will grow in your stomach! Apple seeds, like many fruit seeds, contain compounds called cyanogenic glycosides, such as amygdalin, which act as part of the plant's natural defense mechanism. Cyanogenic glycosides are naturally occurring cyanide/sugar compounds that can release small amounts of toxic cyanide when their sugar groups are removed.

Prune and peach pits, which are well studied in the research world, have far greater concentrations of cyanogenic glycosides than apple seeds; however, the lower levels in apple seeds could still pose problems in terms of stomachache or food poisoning, and a few seeds chewed by a small child could result in poisoning. Although the severity of the problem caused by ingesting apple seeds would depend upon many factors, including a person's health, I don't think that the potential risk here is worth taking.”

Holzbecher MD, Moss MA, Ellenberger HA. The Cyanide Content of Laetrile Preparations, Apricot, Peach and Apple Seeds. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1984;22(4):341-7.

I eat an apple almost everyday, and for the last two years, also an orange.  My favorite apple is the Honey Crisp, which are almost unavailable now. But I’ve never eaten the seeds.  Good to know.  Health benefits of apples.

Chicken Apple Wraps

Chicken Apple Wraps… This sounds like a healthy meal, and a good use for Iceberg lettuce, which really doesn’t have much to recommend it except for holding other good things.

 

.

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
3 tablespoons chopped Fuji apple
2 tablespoons chopped black or red grapes
2 tablespoons Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 tablespoon lite mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)
2 teaspoons honey
Iceberg lettuce

Preparation
Chop chicken meat and fruit, mix in bowl. Mix in peanut butter, mayonnaise and honey.
Spoon into open lettuce leaf, roll and serve

This was posted on FB by Deb Fowler Nicholson who writes about weight loss

An apple a day—the Kanzi

I eat an apple every day for breakfast.  Every day.  My very most favorite is Honey Crisp, expensive and only available about 3-4 months in the fall, and the taste varies depending on which state provides the soil (I think Minnesota is best).  My second most favorite is Braeburn, then Gala or Fuji. For pies, use 3 or 4 varieties and include at least one Pink Lady for color. Jonathon are good for color in a salad, but generally are tasteless.

Today for the first time I am eating a Kanzi, so I looked it up.  The word is from Swahili and means “hidden treasure.”  It is the daughter of the Braeburn and Gala—isn’t that nice to know the family tree—and a sister of the Jazz apple.  The Orange Pippin web site describes and contrasts the Jazz and Kanzi:

The colouration is very similar, but we think Kanzi is arguably the prettier apple. Jazz can look a little bit too tall, whereas Kanzi is more rounded -quite similar to Ariane (although the parentage is completely different).

Looks are important commercially, but for us it is mainly about the flavour of the apple. The flavour of both Kanzi and Jazz is extremely good, but also quite different.

The Jazz apple has the stronger flavour, with its distinctive peardrop aftertaste and dense flesh. Kanzi is more delicate, with a less pronounced flavour and lighter flesh. In our tests so far most tasters prefer Kanzi (by a margin of at least 2/3rds to 1/3rd), partly because Jazz can be just a bit too solid to bite into sometimes. The milder flavour of Kanzi is also easier and less demanding, although perhaps a bit less memorable too. However your objective author should here state his own preference: Jazz wins because of its more distinctive flavour.

I’ve only had a few bites (I slice them and eat with either carrots or oranges and walnuts.  So my taste buds haven’t decided yet.  But nothing matches a Honey Crisp.

Walnuts for breakfast

Most days I have the same breakfast. An apple, handful of walnuts, and raw carrots. I figure if I'm careless the rest of the day, at least I've covered some of the basics, plus without grain, dairy or sugar in my system, I don't get hungry. Today I read:

"The FDA has recently allowed a qualified health claim to be placed on packages of nuts, including walnuts, which says "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."

This 1.5-ounce serving would equal about 20 walnut halves, which would have about 277 calories, about 14% of a 2,000-calorie diet. For some people, this amount of walnuts, and this amount of calories from one food, would be excessive and would not be a prudent step to take towards their health goals. Yet, for other people this amount would fit perfectly in a meal plan and would increase its health benefits.

The serving size we feature on our website, one-quarter (1/4) cup (approximately 10 walnut halves), still provides a good amount of nutrients, but only has about 160 calories—approximately 8% of a 2,000 calorie diet." George Mateljan, World's Healthiest Foods

Sliced Honey Crisp apple with walnuts--the perfect breakfast

Walnuts. I eat them everyday, and I'm sure they're good for me--omega-3 fatty acids, or something. Supposed to be brain food, I think, but I don't see any turn around in that department. However, there's way too much hype about food health benefits. It's all part of the gnosticism of the environmentalist movement. Other than scurvey and ricketts, not much is cured or reversed with good nutrition. What really works besides chosing the best genes (your parents... and their parents), are all the NO-NOs--not smoking, not drinking, not doing drugs, not being promiscuous, not eating too many "healthy" foods (good food is fattening too), and not sitting at the computer all day. The last No-No is a big weakness for me. Well, at least I got a lot of help from Mom and Dad.

I love this web site

Aunt Gladys' Apple Cake (or pudding)

Tomorrow our "community" at UALC is having a brunch. We have 9 services, and after a number of experiements, our leadership has decided we're not a megachurch, we're 9 communities. Everyone we knew or did things with since 1976 when we became members are scattered around, but we like to go early, so we are part of the 8:15 traditional service. Personally, I would prefer a mix of music with liturgy, the way we did about 15-17 years ago before music defined everything, but no one asked me.

Anyway, back to the title of this blog--Aunt Gladys' Apple Cake or Pudding. I decided to use the family cookbook (1993) for this event, and was quite charmed by my cousin Judy's remark about this recipe of her mother who died in 1976.

"When I take a bite of this it brings tears to my eyes--it brings back so many memories of Mom."

That's the beautiful thing about using a family recipe--you can spend some time thinking about that family member.

Aunt Gladys and Uncle Ken lived in Byron, Illinois during my young years. They would bring my 3 cousins, Melvin (Mike), Kirby, and Judy to my grandparents on Sunday afternoon, and we'd all be together, because my parents brought the four of us from Forreston before we moved back to Mt. Morris in 1951. Then later they added a fourth--Rodney. As a youngster I thought my aunt was terribly old to be having another baby, but I just took a look at my genealogy, and she would have been 32! That shows you how children perceive their elders--they are always, always old and usually very wise!

It's still in the oven, and the mix was terribly stiff. It has no liquid and no salt. I substituted Splenda for the sugar, and often it doesn't cream the same way.

Beat together
1 cup of sugar (Splenda)
1/2 cup butter
1 egg

Add
3 medium apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. soda

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Judy suggested a 3 qt round casserole dish, which I don't have, so I reserved a bit, so I could taste it, and she suggested 325 degrees. Several other relatives of Gladys submitted this recipe, so I sort of blended it.

I'm guessing this works best if it is served warm, which it won't be tomorrow when it appears (if it passes my taste test) in Founders Hall at Lytham Rd. UALC traditional service brunch.

Update: Tasted sort of dry--I'm looking for the original--I must have it somewhere.

Update 2: Found all three versions of this. No liquid. It is what it is. Dry. I think I'll take some Cool-Whip along.

Sonya Apples

When I can't get Honey Crisp, my favorite, which is most of the year, I usually buy Braeburn, but last week an apple I'd never seen, heart shaped with the coloring of a ripe peach, appeared at Marc's for $.99/lb. So I bought 5, and this week bought 6 more. Very good eating! I eat an apple a day, and find that they control hunger much better than grain, dairy or another type of fruit such as bananas or grapes. So I know what I like. If you're near a Marc's today, take a few home. You won't be sorry.



Orange Pippin web site says: "Sonya has two distinctive features. Firstly, its unusual shape - it is a very tall apple, a shape which is characteristic of 'pearmain' apples such as Adams Pearmain. However the parentage is Gala and Red Delicious, so Sonya is very much in the Golden Delicious and Red Delicious style.

Sonya's other distinctive feature is its exceptional sweetness - which is what you would expect from an apple which is related to both Golden Delicious and Red Delicious." This is interesting in that I wouldn't cross the road for a Red Delicious--I find little flavor in them.

Apples help with weight loss

Every day, yes every day, I eat an unpeeled apple and a 1/2 cup of walnuts for breakfast. That way I don't get hungry. If I eat something with grain or dairy, I'm famished within an hour. My favorite breakfast is two pieces of toast covered with thick slices of cheese, topped with peanut butter, but those days are definitely over. And this time of year, I can get Honey Crisp apples. Monday I paid $9 for 8 apples, and one was bad when I sliced it, so it was $9 for 7. I was happy to get them. Last week they were $.30 a pound cheaper, but the store only had 4. Here's a story from the Chicago Tribune that will explain why this apple is so wonderful. Once you eat one, you'll be spoiled for anything else.

The Obesity Society reports that eating an apple before a meal will help curb your appetite.

"A new study shows an apple a day keeps the calories at bay. People who ate an apple about 15 minutes before lunch consumed almost 190 fewer calories than when they didn't have the apple. The research was presented Tuesday at a meeting of the Obesity Society, an organization of weight-control scientists and professionals." USAToday

I'm not sure why this is breaking news, because apple growers have been praising the apples' low calories and health benefits for years. But, the Obesity Society apparently also reported that walking briskly for an hour a day is key to weight loss. Who knew?

To an apple

Oh Fuji, and Gala
Sweet Braeburn and Granny,
I'll return in the winter,
But for now, I will stray.

Be still my heart,
rejoice my taste buds.
It is the season
of the glorious Honey Crisp.