Getting Soft
I’m getting soft.
I grew up during a time where the image of a real man was John Wayne. Tough, a little rough, able to sleep outside with just his saddle for a pillow. At this point in my life, I am so not that.
I realized that this weekend when I woke up to 58 degrees INSIDE the house. Up to this year we had sort of a thing where we would tough it out and not turn on the furnace until November 1st. But we were on our third day of rain and I think it just put me over the edge. I buckled and turned the heat on. Sorry Duke, I’m not as gritty as I once was.
Come to think of it, there are lots of things that are a hard “Pass” for me now. Sleeping on the ground … nope. Running? Only if my life were in danger. Staying up past 10:pm? Are you kidding me … I would need a week to recover. What happened to me … I used to do all these things for fun!
I’d like to use age as my excuse. John Wayne made the movie “True Grit” when he was 62, which is still a few years away for me. But that’s Hollywood, right, it’s not real life. Tell that to Aleksander Doba.
At age 67 Doba kayaked from Portugal to Florida … 196 days in open water covering 6,300 miles. At 67. Seriously, are you kidding me? Just put me in a pink onesie and slap a binkie in my mouth. I’m sitting at the kitchen table, wrapped in a blanket waiting for the house to heat up and this guy is solo kayaking across oceans.
But hey, I’m still in the game, right? Unless that game was an Ironman competition. Sister Madonna Buder became the oldest woman in the world to complete an Ironman competition … at age 82. Just in case you don’t know how grueling that race is … it’s a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run. And just in case you think that it was a miracle she finished this race … she has completed 45 Ironman competitions.
I pulled that blanket a little tighter and blew on the hot cocoa the wife handed me. I’m getting soft, no denying it. In fact, I just might embrace it. Pass me my fuzzy slippers and help me move that recliner a little closer to the fireplace.
Highlights this week
Rainy and 58 degrees… brrrr, right? Soup is what we need. We have lots: chicken, tomato, tortellini, broccoli cheddar, corn chowder … lots. And they are all made with local ingredients. Just look under our Meals category for Singing Tree Natural Foods or WindStone Landing Farms.
Don’t forget to pick up what you need for that grilled cheese sandwich too!
I’m hungrier now too and maybe that grilled cheese isn’t quite enough. Let’s up it a level and do a Philly Cheesesteak.
Greener Pastures has minute steaks on sale and God’s Country Creamery’s Boondocks Cheddar is on sale too!
Uh-oh, now I am on a roll. Soup and a sandwich isn’t going to cut it. I need a meal. I recently made this and it was amazing. Although I pan fried this (too cold to stand outside and grill) this Grilled Chicken Margherita was a huge it.
I used the chicken breasts from our Danville farmers (on sale!), the Italian Cheese Curds from Backroad Creamery and the Garlic Scape Pesto from Engelberts Farm.
Then grab some Italian Herb bread from New View and make some olive oil dipping sauce. Under the Moonlite has lots of garlic to mince into it and shave some of Engelbert’s Moochego cheese over it.
I really try to eat healthy … but we all can do better, right? Like, if I want to keep up with Sister Madonna, I need to make some changes. Okay, from now on, no more potato fries … instead I am only going to eat carrots. Specifically, these Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries.
Growen Food has some carrots that would be perfect for this. I love the idea of a dipping sauce for these too. I’ve been experimenting with mashing some avocado, peppers, fresh herbs and a little olive oil to create spreads. I think that would work great for this too! Don’t be afraid to try different things … when you are using fresh ingredients it is hard to go wrong!
There must be a secret to people like Doba and Sister Madonna. Some magical elixir made from the fountain of youth or something. Right?
While I scour the internet for that, we can get started with Bespoke Apothecary’s Haymakers Punch, or Switchel as it is called now. Originating in the Caribbean, this drink was popular with the early settlers here in the US in the 17th century. Farmers would choose this drink to rehydrate when doing field work, hence the name Haymakers Punch. It’s been touted for anti-inflammatory properties, improved gut health and blood sugar regulation.
Get ready Sister… I’m coming for you.
