The Yummy That Is Umami

With my appetite on the decline, I have been trying to find ways to make rice and veggies more flavorful. I was going overboard on the salt, then I tried using chicken bouillon cubes to add flavor - but basically, that's just chicken-flavored salt. Salt is not my best friend because I have too much Afro-blood in my ancestry.

This right here though... This makes any bland food so savory that it's should be a crime. It's umami seasoning (aka MSG):

Less than $6.50/16oz bag from Ajinomoto brand

And, yes, I have heard all the horror stories about MSG but I, personally, never had negative reactions from eating it in foods prepared in restaurants. I did have a co-worker once who said that MSG triggered her migraines. Do your research. I'm just here to talk about my experience using Umami as a seasoning.

So this is called umami seasoning but I just learned that what Umami actually means. 

Umami (/uːˈmɑːmi/, from Japanese: うま味 [ɯmami]) or savory taste is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). It has been described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. (Thank you, Wikipedia)

Don't act like you knew that! Okay, maybe you did, but my ignorant self did not. I do know that whenever I tried to make my fried rice, there was always a little something missing from the flavors. It's the umami. As I joked to a friend, umami, my mami, I don't care, just give me the tasty flavors! (She thought the joke was corny, by the way...)

So, savory is the best word to describe this seasoning that I got (from Amazon, by the way). Instead of adding more salt to my fried rice (or whatever) and being disappointed with that something-is-missing feeling, just add some umami and boom, that's it. 

As I mentioned, I am eating a fairly simple diet of rice and veggies. I love rice and can eat it with just a little butter and salt/pepper seasoning, but that gets old after the first 6 or 20 days. I really needed to cut back on the salt but since I only rarely eat my rice sweetened, I had to change things up. What I've done the past couple of days is using the umami on the veggies that I eat. I can actually eat the rice plain and unseasoned as long as the vegetables have some serious flavor. The umami makes me go all Emeril and yell "Bam!" when I use it.

(By the way, when I was looking at customer reviews of this online, quite a few customers mentioned that this is their salt alternative. I forget that some people have many reasons - other than high blood pressure and weight issues - for cutting back on or cutting out salt in their diets.)

Now, the best thing, in my opinion, about the umami (aside from helping me cut way back on salt), is that I only have to use a little. I was worried that a six- or seven-dollar bag was going to look expensive as compared to salt. You know they practically pay you to take the salt out of the grocery stores. However, I put the umami in a little seasonings container and this small part of the 16-oz bag is going to last for months. 

That's what I'm guessing. I'll have to update this post when I have a better idea.

The grain of the umami is finer than salt and looks more like tiny crystal shavings if that makes sense. It's so fine that it's hard to see while sprinkling. I labeled the shaker just so no one mistakes it for salt or sugar. My family and friends are welcome to go into my kitchen like it's theirs so I don't want to accidentally make anyone sick.

This is the size of the bag compared to a standard AA-sized battery.

Back to the main reason that I switched to umami and away from salt. This umami has 125mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon compared to 590mg in the same amount of table salt. And umami packs so much flavor that I don't need to use as much. I doubt that I have used a quarter teaspoon of umami all day. 

The umami here on the left and the table salt (Hy-vee brand) on the left:

Keep in mind, ladies - less sodium equals less water retention... I'm just saying.

I found this teaspoon serving guide on the back label of the bag and laughed. I seriously do not use that even that much umami.

So, I guess I can just sum up by saying that this stuff came into my kitchen at the right time. This umami even makes eggs taste great. I was so tired of plain rice (and rice that I couldn't season quite well enough) that I was cheating and making rice pudding. Talk about calories... Now I am back to the rice with veggies and other mostly-healthy stuff. The umami (I refuse to call it MSG) is making food good again. Savory is definitely the word here.

At any rate, be sure to make sure that you can tolerate MSG/umami before you go out spending your money. You know better than to dive in unawares.

Peace
--Free





And because I have been so sedentary the last few days, I exercise vicariously through these dancing machines...

choreography by Keone  (and Mari, maybe?) Madrid

And my favorites, the Jabbawockeez

If I could move like this, I'd never stop dancing

Needed A Break (or one thing or another)

One Thing

I've been taking a break from social media and even this blog. This is the first time in a while that I haven't had any posts off to the side that I could schedule to have something posted in my absence.

I was prompted to dump social media when I went through a bad life event. Only a very few people knew what happened because there are only a very few people who stay in touch outside of social media. It was only after a few weeks that any more people knew what I had been going through and I realized that a lot of friends and family expect news - no matter how painful and personal - to be shared via Facebook. I refuse

this is SO perfectly my mood

to use Facebook (or Instagram, et al) for some things. I have decided that if someone has my phone number or home address, they just won't be hearing about some happenings in my life on Facebook.. So, basically, I now use Facebook and Instagram for the sharing of general information. My life is not for broadcast. At least the Real Housewives get paid for letting the world into their lives.

Anyway. That rant is over.

The Next Thing

Being away from Facebook and Instagram has been pretty awesome. I hadn't realized how much those platforms are like bad carbs: kind of yummy in the moment but with awful payback. I'm still not on the 'Book or the 'Gram but I missed my blog so here I am.

My body seems to be in rebellion. In just about a month's time, I've had 2 colds. The best thing about all that is that I'm down more pounds than when I am actively dieting. How sad is it that this is a life highlight?

On the serious side, I have lost my appetite for most foods. I am going to have to ask my docs about that on the next appointment. For the past I'd say 3 weeks, all I have been able to eat is rice and vegetables. Brown rice and white rice. I just have no taste for anything else. I did lose one of my back teeth - probably from the bone-depleting meds I am on - but losing a tooth has never stopped me enjoying my food! Right now, I could teach a course in ways to eat rice. I've had rice with mixed vegetables, rice with collard greens, rice with bits of ham, rice with soy sauce, rice with egg, rice with creamed soups, rice with vanilla soy milk and nutmeg, and rice with just a little butter and salt and pepper.

I don't think that the mainly-rice diet is hurting me any because I am no more fatigued than usual. I actually think that I feel somewhat better. If I could kick the fatigue and keep my brain halfway straight for ten minutes at a time, I would be a pretty happy gal.

And, yes, I realize that I am kind of rambling here. This is, after all, a catch-up post. So what else has been happening?

I have jumped onto the probiotics bandwagon. I decided to give them a try when I started losing my appetite. I did a little bit of research and tried one brand that worked great but was out of my budget. I am now trying another brand that is both pro- and pre-biotic. They do seem to make my stomach feel better. I am a lot more, ~cough~ regular than normal. So, there's that bit of oversharing of news...

Another Thing

Let's get back to ranting for a moment. Maybe someone out there will be able to relate to this one better and maybe even help me out with some advice. Let me lay this out for you:

I was using my laptop to check my email one day about a month ago. This was right after one of those irritating Microsoft updates that happened when I rebooted the computer. So, I am checking my mail and I  four accounts so I have 4 tabs open, plus I had another tab up to moderate blog comments. After being online for about ten minutes, my computer started making this noise - like the fan (?) was over-revving. It got to the point where the whole computer was vibrating.

Of course, I shut it down immediately. I was afraid that it was overheating or something.

I felt like weeping. One thing I do NOT need right now is computer problems. I just lowered my cellphone bill and cut back on a couple of other bills. There is no way that I can afford to replace my computer. Honestly, I can't even afford to have my computer repaired at this point.

I used some compressed air to clear out any dust and that wasn't the problem. I am very fussy about keeping my computer clean and maintained so I didn't expect dust to be the problem anyway. I decided to just let the computer rest for the time being.

To keep from using the computer until I could figure out what was going on, I use my phone and search for "Why is my ASUS vibrating and making noise" (or it was something like that) and the first useful responses were to do with the latest Microsoft update causing problems.

This is why I am starting to HATE Microsoft. I promise that when I do get another computer, I am going to have someone help me install another operating system.

I won't go into too much detail, but I have tried uninstalling updates, reinstalling them and not reinstalling them. I did a system restore and everything else I could think of. I am just simply pissed and done with Microsoft. I can't wait to get a new operating system.

That's all still up in the air. I will let you know when (if) I get it sorted.

The Last Thing

I was recently in a battle with my mailman. Because I don't have enough crappy stuff going on in my life. 

The problem I was having is that I do most of my shopping online - from groceries to basic household items - and not every retailer uses UPS (or even the less desirable FedEx). Any time I was expecting something via USPS, there was an issue. Last winter, our mailman was pretending that he couldn't "access" the building. Funny how he could access the building to put mail in the wall boxes but had problems delivering parcels that didn't fit in those boxes... Thankfully, the local Post Office is literally across the street from our building, we could pick up our items on the same day. Once we all started to complain every time we walked over to get our parcels, the problem seemed to be resolved. That was last year.

This year - starting a few months back - we all noticed that the same thing was happening. Because I tend to track my parcels and get updates via text message, I came up with a plan. One day when I had a package due, I went up front and parked myself in the lounge so I could accost the mailman. I watched him sort all the mail into the boxes and start to leave. I stopped him and showed him my text and asked if he didn't have that package with him. 

Oh... The look on his face when he had to hand me the package, knowing that when I checked my box there would be one of those non-delivery slips. Yeah. There have been no further problems. Unless that dude goes postal on us.

So anyway, that is what's been happening. Now that I have all that out of my system, I will get back to doing some product reviews and other informative blogging. By the way, I recently was chosen to be one of the Walmart Spark reviewers. I have already put in for the first item so I will definitely do that review here. Also, I did get another vape pen courtesy a Visa gift card someone sent me for Christmas. I will probably do a review on that device. In the meantime, I am glad to be at least somewhat back and online. If my computer doesn't die soon...

Peace

--Free

I fell in love with this when the kids would play the game. Just so soothing. 

...The Way I Like My Coffee

I don't know whoever started the saying about liking their men the way they like their coffee, but I get it. I like my coffee the way I like my life: dark roast, light roast, and all the toasty roasts in between. It's been more dark than light lately, but that's all right.

Not using sugar or flavored creamer in my coffee was only possible because of a particular coffee brand. For the past couple of years, I have so wanted to learn to enjoy plain black coffee. Black coffee (instead of the sugary, heavily-creamed stuff) has a lot of potential benefits:

• It's low (or no) calorie, free of fat and cholesterol.
• Can be a good source of antioxidants (check my post on ORAC values and if you're a data wonk, check this article. ) The ORAC value for coffee is in the 15,000 to 17,000 range, according to this source. I have not yet looked into the Cascara Powder from coffee.
• "Possibly effective" for digestion, diabetes, gallstones and other issues. You should also always keep in mind the way any ingested item could interact with your medications.

I won't get into all the other debatable claims about weight loss, cancer-curbing, memory-boosting, artery-cleansing, etc. Some of those claims have studies behind them and some are potentially true for some or most people.

As I said, I've had to learn to drink black coffee. A lot of people have the opinions I used to: coffee is not made to drink black, it's too harsh-tasting and... just blecch! What I know now is that it's all about roast, grind, and brewing method. I started drinking Luzianne brand black because it's mellower-tasting the darks roasts I always liked. Now I have discovered 2 other brands:

First one I tried

Number 2

I got the Caribou from Hy-vee for just over 5 bucks for the 12-oz bag. The taste is mild enough to drink black, but I wasn't impressed by the bland flavor. It will do for when I run out of my other coffees.

It is lighter than my Luzianne and Cafe du Monde dark roasts.

Caribou
I heightened the contrast so you can tell it's not
much lighter than the Cafe du Monde or Luzianne dark roasts

The Kicking Horse brand is from Amazon and was 10 bucks for the 10-oz bag. Crazy. I really wanted to kick my own horse for splurging on this one. Except... It's kind of yummy. It's not dollar-per-ounce-yummy but it's nice. The one negative about this one (other than that price) is that I like it better with at least a drop or two of creamer. Minus creamer, it's got a very slightly and pleasantly woody taste; with a touch of creamer, it gets all smoky and toasty-tasting. Yeah, so, nto helping me in the calorie department.

Kicking Horse
is very finely ground too

When it's time to get more coffee, I think I am going to try one that is light roast but has a touch of chocolate. I think I can do anything as long as chocolate is involved.

Overall, if my opinion matters, I would recommend the Kicking Horse Hola (for those who can afford it). The Caribou is a Nope for me because Luzianne is just as good black and is a better coffee all around.

That's my coffee post for now. I will update when I've had the chance to try more flavors/brands.

Peace
--Free

*I do NOT get paid as an affiliate for any of the links in this post

** MINI REVIEW** Swanson Ultra Magnesium Oil from Zechstein Sea

This is not the first or even second brand of magnesium oil I have used. I actually use magnesium oil almost every day and night. During the day, it helps calm me when I get really jumpy anxiety. At night I use it to help me rest better. I actually spray it on my underarms at night because it makes a good natural deodorant. Some people use it for relieving sore muscle pain.

Just under $9 for 8 ounces

The only ingredients on the label "magnesium chloride brine from the Ancient Zechstein Seabed in the Netherlands".

The first brands I used were good and the only problem I had with one of them was the salty residue that left my skin looking way ashy. This one doesn't have that effect, nor does it burn as much. This one does, however, make my skin itch if I don't moisturize after applying it. That's a strange thing since Swanson claims the oil "nourishes and moisturizes" the skin...

While I like my other brands, I think that I will stick with this one for the long haul. It's cheaper than the other 2 I tried and it actually works more effectively to help me rest. I might try one of the magnesium lotions but I have noticed that they tend to be pricier than the oils. What's up with that? Maybe I will just add the magnesium to some lotion of my own?

Anyway, I wanted to post this for anyone who might not already have heard about magnesium oil in general. I have a neighbor who takes magnesium in tablet form. I have not read up on that, but it's another rabbit hole for you all to go down.

I will end with a fun fact: Magnesium chloride is also used as a road de-icer. Who knew?

Peace
--Free

This is a 2-song kind of day

**Griot** Bone and Mud

I recently went through a painful life situation. Some people disappointed me with their behavior and morals. Other people disappointed me with their apathy. So I spent a few days lying around in the dark, crying and asking God all kinds of questions that I probably don't really want answers for. Then I remembered a time several years ago when I was in the same kind of situation and feeling the same feelings. My mother was there for me then and she comforted me with some motherly love and wisdom.

My mother was not an educated woman but she was very wise. I came out of my recent hurt-feelings funk by remembering some of the things she told me about dealing with disappointment in others.

One of the things Mama told me was that a lot of the time it's not other people who disappoint us. It's really ourselves we are upset with. We are upset that we care too much about a situation or that we expect so much from others. I was always a very sensitive person. "Feelings like tissue paper" is what my mother would say about me. Mom would remind we all see the world differently. Some of us are tougher than others. Not everyone has your heart, she would remind me. And I know that my mother sometimes wished I could be tougher-shelled, but she was never sorry that I wasn't.

What had me so upset recently was that someone passed away. The other people in his life closed ranks to keep me cut off from even the basic information about the death. These are "Christian" people, some of them daring to stand in pulpits on a regular basis and they behaved like the coldest and hard-hearted people I've ever known. I'm not shocked by their behavior and I guess I kind of expected it. However, it still caused me a great deal of pain.

The only way I was able to pull myself out of my hurt and sorrow was to remember my mother. I could hear a memory of her encouraging me to pray and forgive and move on. When I went through something similar all those years ago - mourning someone I loved while the ugliness of family politics raged around me - my mother told me to stay out of the fray. She reminded me that my only concern should be honoring the dead and dealing with my grief.

I think I have said here before that Mama always said that death and funerals bring out the best and worst in people.

This time around, I got through the initial pain and grief by remembering my mother's advice. It went something like this:

Don't be upset with the way people are behaving. Maybe this is the only way they know how to deal with their pain. All you can do is to behave the way I have taught you. Remember the deceased, honor them, grieve and miss them. All this ugliness going on around the situation doesn't mean anything to the dead. The person you are grieving isn't concerned with the ways and things of this world anymore. All that's left of their mortal being is bone and mud. They no longer care about who is mad at who or who is being petty. Their time for worrying about the living is done with. You just behave in a way that honors their spirit and memory. The Bible tells us that "Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death." (Isaiah 57:2 per NIV)

That's what my mother would say. I know this because, like I said, this is how she comforted me in the past. Just thinking about my mother calms me. I think that I will be able to sleep well tonight and not wake up crying.

I'm calling this a Griot post because my mother would want her grandchildren and their children to know how to deal with this kind of situation. She would want this advice passed down and shared.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Beef Jerky (no dehydrator)

First, let me whine just a little. October was a horrible month. My health took a little dip, I had the blues and then things got so much worse. I'm so happy to see November that I could cry. Anyway. Let me hard segue out of that...

I've been tightening up my budget as much as I can. That means cutting out frivolous food buys (aka snacks). I'm not really bad when it comes to snacking but I do love my queso dip, beef jerky, and 'potato chips. Queso dip is priced like it saves lives and beef jerky is even worse. I've found a suitable and (mostly) affordable replacement for the chips. These have replaced the Good Thins I was in love with.

The other week, I found some recipes for making my own queso dip. I prefer the yellow (salsa con queso) kind while my sister-in-law likes the white (Blanco) dip. The freak. (Okay, let me stop playing and admit that I have never tasted anything but the yellow dip!) This video shows a simple recipe for con queso. That recipe will probably be the only time I use Velveeta and the one reason to keep my old crockpot around.

Anyway.

Last week, I was craving beef jerky. The cheapest prices I could find it for was around ten dollars for a half-pound bag online or twelve dollars for 2 nine-ounce bags (on special sale) at a local store. That's a big ol' nope for me. I can go through a half-pound of jerky in a couple of days. That's a more expensive habit than cigarettes. Also, store-bought jerky tends to be way too sodium-rich for me. I'm not trying to spike my blood pressure or retain gallons of water weight. My only solution was to make my own batch of jerky. One of my nieces in Alaska used to make it for me in her dehydrator and, boy, was it ever yummy. I just had to figure out a way to make some here at home. 

I went to the local butcher and got around 3 pounds of bottom round beef. The butcher is always awesome and he sliced the meat for me into 1/4-inch pieces. Price: just over $15.

Because I don't have a dehydrator, I wanted to find other ways to prep my jerky. So... hello, Google!

I learned that I could use my air fryer or I could use the oven. I opted for the oven because I'm not as comfortable with the air fryer. (Does anyone else have buyer's remorse about their air fryer???)

I have heard that jerky done in the oven or air fryer is not as good as that done with a dehydrator. I disagree. My oven-prepped jerky came out pretty awesome. Here is a recipe from online and the following is how I made my jerky.

Tools you need:

• A bowl/container large enough to hold your meat with marinade covering it. (This page has great info about marinading in general. Pay close attention to the part about what types of bowls to use.
• A lid or some plastic wrap to seal the marinading meat in the fridge. The above link suggests using zip bags. I used a food sealer bag.
• Something to hold the meat aloft for air circulation. I used some teepeed tin foil but you can use an oven-safe cooling rack, wooden or metal skewers. The main thing is that there is air under and above the slices of meat. This is the foil version I used since I didn't have anything else. 

  

  except mine didn't look this neat!

• Something to go underneath the meat to catch drippings in the oven. (My foil was on top a baking pan.)

The Meat Prep

• Marinade your beef for at least 12-14 hours in the refrigerator. Some people do a 24-hour marinade.
• Drain the meat and pat it dry.
• Drape the meat over whatever rack/foil you are going to use in the oven. It's important that there is room for air to flow over and under the meat.
• Set oven temp as low as possible. My electric oven is marked lowest at 200 degrees but actually will turn on just under that - about 180 degrees. I don't like gas ovens but if you have one, you probably know to be very careful...
• Let the meat "cook" (or, rather, dehydrate), checking it in 1-hour intervals, depending on the oven temp. With the oven at 180, I checked the meat twice in the first 2 hours, then every 30 minutes after that. My jerky was ready to turn over at the 3-hour mark. I made sure it was fully cooked on the one side, flipped it, then continued for another 2.5 hours until it was done - and I like my jerky softer. The longer you "cook" the dryer the meat becomes. 

Keep in mind that for your marinade, you can add whatever flavor you want. I added teriyaki sauce to one batch and some garlic powder to another.

About "curing" jerky: If you decide to marinate your meat in a "cure", it might last longer because curing combats bacteria. I read somewhere that by using certain ingredients in my marinade, I was already sort of curing the meat. ~shrug~.

Listen, I used enough soy and other seasonings that I don't think bacteria would form... But, seriously, there are products sold to cure the meat so I bought some, but I did not like using it. I have read that as long as your work area is clean and the meat is properly handled, you don't have to use a cure. I heat-seal my uneaten jerky in plastic and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I only make a pound at a time so that I can freeze the unused meat to keep as long as possible. 

Here is a link to info about food safety. Other than handling the meat carefully, it's super important to do a lot of handwashing to cut down on contamination. I hope you do this any time you cook, you freaks. I kid, I kid - not about the handwashing though.

This is some of the jerky that I am actually eating as I type up this post. It's so much better-tasting than store-bought, I think because it's not as salty, dried out, and hardened.

UPDATE:

Now that it's been about a week since I started writing this post, I'm going to add a couple of tips that I've learned after having made 3 batches of jerky:

• For more flavor, after I marinade the meat, I add a few more dashes of sauce (teriyaki and barbeque is what I'm using recently) before I put the meat on the rack. Yes, the meat will be wetter and take a little longer, but it will retain so much more flavor.
• Using wooden skewers to lay across a baking pan is easier than using the teepee-ed tin foil method. Just make sure that the skewers are long enough not to fall into the baking pan. For my widest pan, I secured the skewers with some foil wrapped over them and around the lip of the baking pan. You can wash and dry the skewers to reuse at least once again but they are really cheap at the Dollar Store.

Just turned over to brown the other side
after about 2 hours

• Don't rush the cooking part. My first batch came out well but slightly chewy. I liked that until I accidentally left another batch in for am hour longer and it turned out even better. The meat might look dried and tempt you to take it out of the oven but make sure you taste a piece first. Looking dry and being dehydrated is not the same.
• Always make small batches. My first purchase of 3 pounds of beef is only half gone after I've made four batches. I wanted to try different flavorings to see what most like. My favorite is a mix of barbeque sauce and a separate teriyaki sauce (the thick kind). My least favorite was the plain batch seasoned with just Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper. 
• If you have a few pieces of meat that cut thicker than you like, beat them flatter with a tenderizer tool (for me that is aka a clean and heavy can of soup!). This is also a nice way to get a more store-bought type of jerky. 

One small batch all
done & ready to store

By the way, not only does making small batches stretch out your supply of meat, but it's probably safer. Even I can only eat so much jerky and I'd rather not store a large amount and risk any going bad. 

One of the things I want to look into is using my cast iron dutch oven to heat the jerky. Cast iron holds heat really well and I think that if I put a small rack into the bottom of the dutch oven where air can still circulate around the meat, I might get a faster and more even result. I will let you know.

Ready to be sealed
to store

I am also looking at some of the cheaper dehydrators on Amazon in case I can afford to give myself a nice Christmas gift this year! Here is a search page that comes up for some in the $25 to $50 range of ratings 4-star and above. For the winter, I don't mind running the oven long enough to make the jerky. It helps heat the house and my winter energy bill is lower than during months I run the A/C but, come summer, I try to use the oven as little as possible.

That's it for the homemade jerky. Next recipe/food post will be about Flaxseed. I'm trying to get as much good and healthy stuff into this body as possible!

Peace
--Free

This song drifts into my mind sometimes.

Rest in peace, Tim

When You Have to Say Goodbye

Something for when you have to say goodbye. There are people we will always love even when we don't like them.

Peace
--Free

**EDUCATION** Life-long Learning

This isn't the first time I have posted links to learning resources, but it's been a while. A long while. The last posting has gotten so old that I've had to do a complete update.

I am always interested in learning new things and I like encouraging my family and friends to do the same. Here is a list of resources for anyone who wants to expand on their knowledge in various areas. I find these links via web searches, reading articles, and watching videos. I try to link to sites with content that is mostly free of charge. I will come back and do updates as I find more resources to link to. Enjoy.

• The Open Education Database (OEDb) is self-described as " the most comprehensive collection of online college rankings and free courses anywhere online". It can be a bit overwhelming. I suggest starting here at the open courseware collection and scroll down to the list of 'popular online classes' or further down to browse course by subject.
• DIY Genius is one site I haven't had a lot of time to check out. I do know that not all of the content is free. I am including it on this list just because of the free content.
• Wikiversity was on one of my original lists and remains a favorite. If you read the Introduction page, you will find that the 'versity is just like the 'pedia and is open to editing. I don't care; it's still a favorite. I must also link to Wikibooks but for all other links, please check the left side panel on any of the Wiki pages for more. It's amazing what we miss by not looking at the side panels of webpages. 
• Open Culture ("The best free cultural & educational media on the web") is another new one for me. Some of the listings are links to off-site resources. I do like that some of the textbooks are in pdf format to be viewed online. I can't wait to check out some of the links
  
  for learning languages. The one thing I don't like is that the site shows in Chrome as not being secure.
• Khan Academy has to be on this list. It's one of the best put-together sites online. I think the video lessons are a great teaching tool for people of all ages. KA is definitely another of my favorites.
• ** Stanford Online is, in my opinion, better suited for those already attending school or navigating a career. It's worth checking out, no matter who you are.
• YouTube - okay, this is where you have to kind of work for it. There are a LOT of channels for specific topics of study. I've seen playlists of videos for learning languages, one of the sciences, or for a specific culinary skill. The best way to learn via YouTube is to make up your own playlists ahead of time (for whatever interests you), then search for and add the different videos to your lists. I have playlists for everything from Bible study to Breadmaking to Hokkaido breadmaking. One warning: Make sure you are really focused or get ready to fall down a deep rabbithole...

By the way, I recently picked up a couple of tips from a news article:

1. When searching for any low-cost or free digital content - from games to writing apps - search for "open source" instead of "free".

2. Another way to reference or search for open-source items is to use the search term "FOSS" aka "free and open-source software".

I have to go now because my brain is tired.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** 10-foot USB Phone-Charging Cable

There's nothing special these days about a USB cable for our phones. Between my phone, tablet, and vape devices, I have cables in every room of my apartment.

The reason I have so many cables is that they eventually fray around the ends - from being bent, pulled, twisted, and stretched - and I have to replace them.

What is kind of special about this one is the banded protection on each end.

their photo was better than mine

I am really hoping that this kind of protection extends the life of the cable. I am hopeful...

The 2 cords I am trying are each 10 feet long, but the seller, CyvenSmart, has the same type cords in different lengths. They have a lot of other style cords also, but what I needed was this Type C cable for Samsung's S8 phone.

In addition to the length, I like the tough TPE covering the rest of the cord. It's stronger and feels a lot more durable than the fabric that covered my last cords.



The very best thing about this cable is that it is the first I've had in a while that charges as fast as OEM cables that came with the phone.

Not much else to tell you, but I had not seen this type of cable before so I wanted to share the info. Keep in mind that there were cheaper cables and I even found a set of 4 cables for less than the $11 I paid for these 2, but I am not disappointed.

Peace
--Free


I was in the mood to post some spoken word art and was going to post some Gwendolyn Brooks poetry or something by Tupac but... I remember being obsessed with Def Poetry Jam. A friend I and used to sit around, drinking cheap wine and crying over life while we watched video copies of DPJ. For those who missed out, here's a sample.

Maybe for this holiday season, do something to support a starving and brilliant artist.

**REVIEW** Fresh Nutmeg & Mace

Going way too far...

That time of year is coming when I most enjoy baking. The only thing I hate about this time of year is how pumpkin-spice-crazy people get. I avoid Starbucks and all the other places that push the pumpkin theme. This is silly in a way because I do love pumpkin - to an extent - and pumpkin pie is actually a year-round favorite of mine.







But I love the humor!






I was making a pie a few weeks ago and realized that I never reviewed this fresh nutmeg that I have fallen in love with.

They look a bit
like very pale pecans, huh?

That is some whole India-produced nutmeg I got from the Amazon seller Simply Beautiful (**).

There's a range of sizes in the bag I got

My mother always used fresh spices whenever she could. At the least, she changed out her canned spices and extracts often and she was picky about brands. I have mainly used ground spices in cans that I keep for years and store in the hottest part of my kitchen - in a cabinet right near the stove... My mother would keep her canned spices away from the stove and she kept the fresh items tightly sealed in jars and in a cooler spot. The older I get, the more I want to be like my mom. This is why I am starting to cook with fresher and whole ingredients when possible.

I asked the Amazon seller (Simply Beautiful) about sourcing for more fresh spices and they referred me to the Spicy World of USA website.  (The site comes up in my browser as not being secure, by the way.) I think that a simple web search though would lead anyone to some good sources for spices and extracts. Amazon has quite a selection of reputable sellers I have used in the past for various items. Do your research because finding and using the good stuff is worth it.

For anyone who has not used fresh nutmeg, I can't stress enough what a difference it makes. Making a pumpkin pie always makes a house smell amazing but with fresh nutmeg, the fragrance is next-level lovely. As part of my new calorie-conscious lifestyle, I will sometimes just eat chilled canned pumpkin mixed into some Greek yogurt with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Or I will warm some pumpkin pie mix (that already has spices included) and eat it plain. It's not only low-cal, but it's also a tasty and soothing snack any time of day.


                                                   

Click on the labels to see just how nutritious the pumpkin and pumpkin mix can be. 
















Another way I have used the fresh nutmeg is to grate a little bit into a shallow pan of simmering water with a couple drops of cooking oil. It's a cheap way to make the house smell nice in a hurry.

Long before I got the fresh nutmeg, I had gotten hold of another spice called mace (which you can learn about here). I love using the mace in puddings and cakes and in my coffee. I had first heard of it from a neighbor years ago while living in England. What I did not know until I bought some here is that mace is the outer coating of the shell that houses nutmeg. Talk about learning something new every day.

This is mace in the bag & freshly ground nutmeg on the plate

It's hard for me to detail the difference in the taste of nutmeg and mace except to say that the flavor of the mace is softer and milder. It's more subtle and I find that it has a sort of natural sweetness to it. Nutmeg seems to be a sharper and more pronounced flavor. But then again, I'm no culinary expert.

I can tell you that having fresh nutmeg around makes more sense to me. I don't use a lot of the spice every single day so my canned supply is bound to get a little stale no matter how well I store it. I keep my fresh nutmeg sealed in a mason jar in the door of the fridge. One shell lasts me a really long time - at least as far as I can grind it without hurting my fingers. I keep a few shells in a plastic baggie so I can pull out a little and grate it as needed.

My food sealer comes in handy
all the time.

You don't need anything super fancy to grate fresh nutmeg. I use one of those cheap little fine graters that I got at Dollar General for a buck. When the shell gets too small to safely grate that way, I grind it in a coffee grinder and just toss the residue in with my ground coffee. Someone suggested buying one of those cheap files used in pedicures would also a way to grate the nutmeg. The Dollar General grater works best for me, thanks

Smells SO good when grating it

You can probably tell that this one jar of nutmeg is full enough to last me for the best part of a year - if not longer. I don't even bother using my remaining canned nutmeg anymore. Now that I have gotten used to the fresh stuff, I plan to look around for some affordable fresh mace.


Just for kicks, here is a video talking about nutmeg and the mace. I even added it to my playlist of all things food and cooking:

By the way, I got the mace from Spice Jungle on Amazon (of course). I'm glad to have it and the nutmeg to use in my coffee and pies for the winter. Another seller on Amazon I have gotten spices from is Frontier Co-op. Their Ceylon cinnamon and chocolate are excellent. I will keep my eye open for more sources and update this post.

Peace
--Free


I don't know why, but I like to listen to some Patsy when I am baking. This is a fave.

(** I did not receive a free/discounted product. I mention the seller name for readers who might want to see their details on Amazon.)

UPDATED **REVIEW** Aussie Creme Pudding Miracle Curls

UPDATE will be at bottom of post. A friend told me that the photos I used weren't very useful. That's what good friends are for! So I have added a couple of photos.

This is 1 of 2 Aussie Moist products I will be reviewing. I already love the A.M. brand of conditioners (especially the 3-Minute Miracle one) so I was kind of excited to finally try this from their Curls line.

One reason I am just now trying the Aussie Moist Curls products is that I've been using one of the three thousand other curly hair products in my bathroom pantry... The other "product junkies" out there will know exactly what I mean.

Here is what I heard from other reviews:

• Made the hair dry - or crunchy
• Moisture did not last
• Curl definition was not that great
• Worked great - but depended on the hair type (4Cs seemed to like it best)

Of course, hair texture and weather conditions have everything to do with how a product works - on the hair and on the skin. I gave the Creme Pudding a try or myself.

Here are the PROS:

• Did not take a lot for each twist (I applied to my unwashed but very dampened hair)
• Smoothed out the strands of my hair - sort of like a detangler
• There was no sticky or tacky feel to my hair
• There was no flaking when I untwisted my hair
• A LOT of definition (so much so that I will probably do larger twists next time)
• My hair was left soft once I loosened the twists with my fingers
• No smell left in my hair (you will see why this is important)

(I undid one of my twists for the photo just to show you the definition. My hair was not completly dry so it doesn't look wonderful - but you can see the curl definition.)

Here are the CONS:

• The label really hypes the whole "coconut-jojoba" thing but those are the last ingredients actually listed - along with some castor oil. That was disappointing.
• The product smells (out of the jar) a little like lightly perfumed Play-Doh. Not awful, but not awesome. This is why I'm glad it dissipated when dry.
• When applied solo, while this didn't dry out my hair, it didn't add a lot of moisture. The second time I used it, I used it on very wet hair and added a little bit of glycerin - just a tiny amount - and this gave me the moisture I was missing.

As you can see, there aren't a lot of negatives to the product, in my experience. The main thing I could complain about was that the product page noted that this product "Helps lock in moisture for defined curls without the frizzy fuss" and that's only partly true. It locked in the moisture of the glycerin that I added. I don't think that I would have gotten the same softness without having added the glycerin, but that might just be me.

I undid one twist to show you

Anyway, with the seasons in change and the weather here going from super-humid to dang-near-Sahara-dry, I had to find something to keep my nappies happy. (British folk might wince at that, but I am talking nappy hair, not baby bottom covers).

My hair texture has been changing over the past few years - especially after I foolishly did one of those Keratin "temporary" straighteners... Where I could use water and a good moisturizer to activate my curl pattern. I would only have to twist my hair to get more stretch or a specific style. These days, I have to do some kind of twist to get decent curls in my hair. Otherwise, I just have a straight-up 'Fro - a no-curl, no-wave, uneven puff of hair. I think that's an awesome look on some folk (except for the uneven part), but it does nothing for my appearance.

Twisting my hair - either a loose 2-strand or a flat, cornrow style - gives me the stretch I need. Also, a twist-out lasts me for at least 2 weeks, during which I don't have to irritate my fragile hair with a comb or anything. I sleep on a satin pillowcase so I don't even have to wrap my hair at night. It's a beautiful thing. And this is where a good curl cream comes into the picture.

This Aussie Moist Creme Pudding is just about perfect for me - as long as I use it with water or on damp hair. The Amazon price ($8.60 currently) is a little high, in my opinion, but Walmart stores carry it priced at around $5.50. That I can do!

By the way, here are the ingredients:

• Water
• Dimethicone
• Sorbitol
• Aminomethyl Propanol
• Carbomer
• Va/Crotonates Copolymer
• Benzyl Alcohol
• Fragrance
• Dmdm Hydantoin
• Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
• Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil

And, yes, I know that we natural hair folk have a love-hate relationship with 'cones in hair products. I used to avoid them as much as possible but, hey, 'cones give awesome results. What I do know to do. is for every other wash or so, to use a clarifying shampoo to clear the buildup. By all means, though, I think it is wise to do a web search on every single ingredient listed on hair and skin products. So much of what we use can cause allergic reactions or, worse, potentially cause health issues. Do your research.

(I also want to mention that I have seen the product featured in the white jar I show above and in a purple jar. As far as I know, there are no differences. Maybe Aussie M just decided to revamp the look?)

As I said before, I will also be reviewing the Aussie Miracle Curls Defining Oil. There are not a lot of Amazon customer reviews yet but one did catch my eye. A customer mentioned that the oil (in her opinion) is moisturizing but not defining. So I will get to see for myself in the next few days.

Apparently, people with all kinds of textures are using this Aussie Moist Curls line. I have seen reviews from ladies with fine-straight, fine-curly-or-wavy and every kind of naturally-kinky-curly-wavy hair. I love a product that works for so many hair types. I can't wait to review the oil. Until then,

Peace

--Free

Here are the updated photos that I lightened the contrast and brightened to show my dark hair better:

FYI: I also added some of the Aussie Moist curl oil at this point

This is one of my favorite songs from one of the bands of my youth.

I hate the X symbolism but I wanted to find a video that had the lyrics - even those they are badly transcribed in places. Someone commented on the video page that the lyrics he wrote for this song seemed foretelling of the way Hutchence's life ended.