Ten Years Gone: Tanktimus Rangers the Forum Challenge 10th anniversary

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

5 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Every time you use "point" as a complete sentence it reminds me of the Thrawn trilogy  

 

 

Might be time to re-read those!!  Thanks for the yummy rice ideas.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

2 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

 

Might be time to re-read those!!  Thanks for the yummy rice ideas.

You're welcome.

 

Today is a good day. Went to my Men's breakfast group and had a good time, then played with Little Bit for a while before coming to work. Did the posture mini from NF Yoga from memory (I did that one a lot back a few years ago) with a few extra neck stretches. That gives me a perfect week for week 1.

[Cheetah]

1 hour ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

perfect

 

Great job!!

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

1 hour ago, Cheetah said:

 

Great job!!

 

Thanks. It's ironic, when I let go of perfectionism I started having perfect weeks.

[Cheetah]

5 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Thanks. It's ironic, when I let go of perfectionism I started having perfect weeks.

 

Deeply ironic.  Also very wise, I think. 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

1 minute ago, Cheetah said:

 

Deeply ironic.  Also very wise, I think. 

 

[Kiki Dee]

On 2/20/2020 at 1:29 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

 

 

Not draining the meat is important. It made the soup hearty and thick and the liquid was so much better than it would have been otherwise. All that flavor (including and especially the fat from the ground chuck) was very helpful. 

 

Do... do people actually drain the meat???  That's a thing???

I can honestly say I've never drained the meat in my life.  I did not realise there were people who did!

... Why would someone do that???

[Haikoo]

12 minutes ago, Kiki Dee said:

 

Do... do people actually drain the meat???  That's a thing???

 

 

I do if I'm using non grass fed meat. There are a lot of fillers and junk that are put into American ground beef, unfortunately. We try to limit what we can. But if we are using grass fed, that yumminess stays in the dish.

 

[Kiki Dee]

13 minutes ago, Haikoo said:

 

I do if I'm using non grass fed meat. There are a lot of fillers and junk that are put into American ground beef, unfortunately. We try to limit what we can. But if we are using grass fed, that yumminess stays in the dish.

 

 

Do the fillers etc "cook out" that way?  I feel like I'd rather just not eat it if I had those concerns... I agree with you, grass fed is the way to go if you can source/afford it, for so many reasons!

[Snarkyfishguts]

1 hour ago, Haikoo said:

 

I do if I'm using non grass fed meat. There are a lot of fillers and junk that are put into American ground beef, unfortunately. We try to limit what we can. But if we are using grass fed, that yumminess stays in the dish.

 

This. Also, if the meat is really greasy and fatty, and you’re feeding an uncle who had a triple bypass, you drain the meat so the extra fat is in a tin can, and not his arteries 

[Haikoo]

1 hour ago, Kiki Dee said:

 

Do the fillers etc "cook out" that way?  I feel like I'd rather just not eat it if I had those concerns... I agree with you, grass fed is the way to go if you can source/afford it, for so many reasons!

 

Honestly, I don't know if the stuff cooks off, but I just hate the idea of it being there. I guess after thinking about it, it's more than just fillers and additives that has me draining the meat. It's the diet of  the cows. My data collection and research over the years as me firmly convinced that cows should be eating a diet of what cows eat in nature--grass. When they eat other things, they aren't going to be as healthy and that is going to affect the fat in the meat.  Beef from grass fed cows contains significantly more Omega 3 fatty acids than that from grain fed.  The average American diet these days has us much too heavy on Omega 6 and we need a better balance. Thus aiming for those Omega 3s is a good idea.  Unfortunately, grass fed beef is not always readily available here, or you have to pay more for it and sometimes people can't do that. Plus, if the rest of your diet isn't as healthful, adding in that extra less desirable fat (omega 6 from grain fed cows) can be bad for the arteries.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

3 hours ago, Kiki Dee said:

 

Do... do people actually drain the meat???  That's a thing???

I can honestly say I've never drained the meat in my life.  I did not realise there were people who did!

... Why would someone do that???

Some do. I do depending on my desire for the liquid content of a dish, but it's rare. For a long time Americans lived with propaganda from the sugar industry that dietary fat was the source of all evil in the universe, so that's another reason people do it.

2 hours ago, Haikoo said:

 

I do if I'm using non grass fed meat. There are a lot of fillers and junk that are put into American ground beef, unfortunately. We try to limit what we can. But if we are using grass fed, that yumminess stays in the dish.

 

 

2 hours ago, Kiki Dee said:

 

Do the fillers etc "cook out" that way?  I feel like I'd rather just not eat it if I had those concerns... I agree with you, grass fed is the way to go if you can source/afford it, for so many reasons!

 

1 hour ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

This. Also, if the meat is really greasy and fatty, and you’re feeding an uncle who had a triple bypass, you drain the meat so the extra fat is in a tin can, and not his arteries 

 

1 hour ago, Haikoo said:

 

Honestly, I don't know if the stuff cooks off, but I just hate the idea of it being there. I guess after thinking about it, it's more than just fillers and additives that has me draining the meat. It's the diet of  the cows. My data collection and research over the years as me firmly convinced that cows should be eating a diet of what cows eat in nature--grass. When they eat other things, they aren't going to be as healthy and that is going to affect the fat in the meat.  Beef from grass fed cows contains significantly more Omega 3 fatty acids than that from grain fed.  The average American diet these days has us much too heavy on Omega 6 and we need a better balance. Thus aiming for those Omega 3s is a good idea.  Unfortunately, grass fed beef is not always readily available here, or you have to pay more for it and sometimes people can't do that. Plus, if the rest of your diet isn't as healthful, adding in that extra less desirable fat (omega 6 from grain fed cows) can be bad for the arteries.

Growing up we let the neighbors run cattle on our land. We got a tax break because the land was used for agricultural purposes. Because of that, the only payment we requested was a butchered calf every year. That meat was far superior to anything bought at the store.

[deftona]

Wahey for a perfect week Tank! 

[Snarkyfishguts]

12 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Some do. I do depending on my desire for the liquid content of a dish, but it's rare. For a long time Americans lived with propaganda from the sugar industry that dietary fat was the source of all evil in the universe, so that's another reason people do it.

 

 

 

Growing up we let the neighbors run cattle on our land. We got a tax break because the land was used for agricultural purposes. Because of that, the only payment we requested was a butchered calf every year. That meat was far superior to anything bought at the store.

The sugar industry is horrible.

 

That is a fair deal, land for meat. 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

18 hours ago, deftona said:

Wahey for a perfect week Tank! 

Thank you!

8 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

The sugar industry is horrible.

 

That is a fair deal, land for meat. 

The sugar industry is a big part of the Empire against which we rebel.

 

Today is a good day. Went to church, out to eat, and had a big family nap. It was great. What isn't so great is that I have been having breathing issues, between upper respirtory congestion and a lower respiratory cough it's been unpleasant. I've taken everything I can but it's persisting. I suspect allergies plus constant barometric pressure changes are exacerbating my asthma/allergy combination. Managing however. Oh, @DarK_RaideR, the place we went was a Greek Place (2nd or third generation from Greece, several local locations), that was advertising it's "Siracha Tzatziki." I didn't know what to make of it, but it made me think of you. I'm curious whether or not you think it's a good idea. I did not try any (Siracha gives me heartburn). 

 

Dinner was rice and chicken. 

 

For the rice I minced the white parts of green onions and stir fried them with the dry rice in sesame oil for five minutes, then added water, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder and dried ginger, brought it to a boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes.

 

The chicken (chopped boneless skinless thighs) was cooked in sesame oil with rice vinegar and soy sauce. When it was done I added a mixture of: the juice from a can of mandarin oranges, the juice of half a lemon, some orange marmalade, a tiny bit of powdered ginger, and some cornstarch. I mixed all those with a whisk and added to the chicken, let it come to a boil and thicken, then I added the mandarin orange pieces, and some snow peas. It all came together well.

[deftona]

4 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

that was advertising it's "Siracha Tzatziki." 

 

It sounds like it would defeat the object given tzatziki is a cooling sauce but I'd still put it on everything. 

[DarK_RaideR]

5 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Oh, @DarK_RaideR, the place we went was a Greek Place (2nd or third generation from Greece, several local locations), that was advertising it's "Siracha Tzatziki." I didn't know what to make of it, but it made me think of you. I'm curious whether or not you think it's a good idea. I did not try any (Siracha gives me heartburn). 

That is absolutely a Texas thing. Siracha was unheard of before the internet and to this day it's something only lovers of spicy food will know to request buy name instead of just asking for "the hot sauce" round these parts. Deffy has a point about it being a cooling sauce, but that's mainly if you intend to combine it with carbs like bread or potatoes. Coupled with grilled heavy meat like all variations of a souvlaki wrap, it is meant to also balance the intensity and texture of the meat so this being Texas, I can see situations where a Siracha Tzatziki combination could be used.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

7 hours ago, deftona said:

 

It sounds like it would defeat the object given tzatziki is a cooling sauce but I'd still put it on everything. 

Yeah, I think it's just part of a current trend to hot-sauce everything.

6 hours ago, DarK_RaideR said:

That is absolutely a Texas thing. Siracha was unheard of before the internet and to this day it's something only lovers of spicy food will know to request buy name instead of just asking for "the hot sauce" round these parts. Deffy has a point about it being a cooling sauce, but that's mainly if you intend to combine it with carbs like bread or potatoes. Coupled with grilled heavy meat like all variations of a souvlaki wrap, it is meant to also balance the intensity and texture of the meat so this being Texas, I can see situations where a Siracha Tzatziki combination could be used.

Siracha is for sure trendy right now in the states. 

[starsapart]

2 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Siracha is for sure trendy right now in the states. 

 

I'm still waiting for sambal oelek and gochujang to catch on................

 

Way to go on your goals, sir! Sounds like you're chugging along just fine. 

[nianjufe]

1 hour ago, starsapart said:

 

I'm still waiting for sambal oelek and gochujang to catch on................

 

 

 

It's catching on in my part of the world because we are getting an influx to our international community, hooray on both counts!

 

 

16 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

The chicken (chopped boneless skinless thighs) was cooked in sesame oil with rice vinegar and soy sauce. When it was done I added a mixture of: the juice from a can of mandarin oranges, the juice of half a lemon, some orange marmalade, a tiny bit of powdered ginger, and some cornstarch. I mixed all those with a whisk and added to the chicken, let it come to a boil and thicken, then I added the mandarin orange pieces, and some snow peas. It all came together well.

 

Thank you for the DIY orange chicken recipe!

[starsapart]

5 minutes ago, nianjufe said:

 

It's catching on in my part of the world because we are getting an influx to our international community, hooray on both counts!

 

I love and use both a lot, but I have to go to a specialty market to get them.

[Mad Hatter]

21 minutes ago, starsapart said:

I love and use both a lot, but I have to go to a specialty market to get them.

Huh that surprises me, most grocery shops here in Helsinki stock both and they only really have a very basic selection of Asian goods.

 

On 2/23/2020 at 6:54 AM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Growing up we let the neighbors run cattle on our land. We got a tax break because the land was used for agricultural purposes. Because of that, the only payment we requested was a butchered calf every year. That meat was far superior to anything bought at the store.

That's excellent payment.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

2 hours ago, starsapart said:

 

I'm still waiting for sambal oelek and gochujang to catch on................

 

Way to go on your goals, sir! Sounds like you're chugging along just fine. 

I have never heard of either of those, and thank you.

49 minutes ago, nianjufe said:

 

 

It's catching on in my part of the world because we are getting an influx to our international community, hooray on both counts!

 

 

 

Thank you for the DIY orange chicken recipe!

What part of the world is that, and I hope you like the orange chicken.

43 minutes ago, starsapart said:

 

I love and use both a lot, but I have to go to a specialty market to get them.

It's been a while since I've been to our local specialty markets. We have tons of them, especially from the Arabic speaking part of the world.

17 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

Huh that surprises me, most grocery shops here in Helsinki stock both and they only really have a very basic selection of Asian goods.

 

That's excellent payment.

It is good payment. That was years ago. The state changed the rules for Agricultural exemption; you needed a bigger piece of land than my parents have, and the neighbor let her son take over (who is a little younger than my parents). Cattle was no longer worth it for him either, but he began using our land to grow coastal hay, and generally says thank you with a butchered hog he has raised himself.

 

Today is a good day. I have the day off of work because I'll be working on Wednesday instead. Ash Wednesday is a big deal in this town. Even Catholics who don't go to church on Christmas or Easter get Ashes on Ash Wednesday. In the hospitals its a madhouse. Fortunately there are no rules that says a Catholic must impose the ashes, so we all get pressed into service. I, a man who grew up baptist and barely knew Ash Wednesday was a thing despite growing up here, give them out. All that to say I have the day off. I had planned to mow the yard and do Police stuff, but the chest congestion I had yesterday hasn't fully cleared up. Also, I don't think I slept well, becuase once Little Bit got picked up by her grandmother I crashed and took a two hour nap. I'm not even sure if I'll do KBs today. I may try some grease the groove style, where I get the reps in but spread them out so I don't tax my lungs too hard.

[Sloth the Enduring]

What?!? You don’t have to be a Catholic deacon to give out ashes!?!

Sickness may be a valid reason to not achieve perfection.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

14 minutes ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

What?!? You don’t have to be a Catholic deacon to give out ashes!?!

Sickness may be a valid reason to not achieve perfection.

Some people who come to get ashes at the hospital are neither patients, nor do they even have family or friends in the hospital. They come because they can get ashes without having to sit through a church service.