Pancakes don't always have to be sweet breakfast food. The batter base can also go savory by mixing in different kinds of meats and vegetables. One of my favorite savory pancakes comes from Japan using cabbage and green onions. It is called Okonomiyaki. It originated during World War II when the Japanese had a shortage of rice and vegetables. They turned to what they had which was flour, water, cabbage, green onions, and eggs to create the dish. It became so well-liked in Japan that you can still find street vendors cooking up Okonomiyaki as a warm snack or meal when the weather outside turns cold.  It's really easy to make with even fewer ingredients than traditional pancakes, but the preparation and cooking method is nearly identical. You can top it with salt and pepper or mix a mayo based savory sauce like I've suggested below. Definitely give these a try as a weeknight dinner or weekend lunch or dinner. Tip: when I make sauerkraut, I be sure to get a head of cabbage sli...

I've been perfecting my recipe, method, and kitchen tools for making homemade sauerkraut. Even though it seemed easy at first, the details really matter in making the preparation easier and the ultimate flavor and texture better. Follow these steps for the ultimate, repeatable homemade sauerkraut. Tools Large knife Large mixing bowl Kitchen scale ideally in grams Cuisinart with slicing disk Quart size wide mouth mason jar Silicone wide mouth mason jar seal (like these on Amazon ) Wide mouth mason jar lid (I prefer plastic ones like these which are cheaper at Target than Amazon) Potato masher Push stick (I use a blender stirrer) Ingredients Minimum 2 1/4lb head of cabbage with goal of having 900g (2lbs) clean, sliced cabbage 20g kosher salt (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) Directions Remove any dirty outer leaves from the cabbage and slice the cabbage in half and then each half in half to create quarters.  Wash the cabbage segments with the root end still intact to help keep the cabbage together a...

Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup diced onion 1/2 cup diced celery (optional) 1/2 cup diced carrots (optional) 2 cups other veggies - diced zucchini, green beans, kale  2 cups pre-cooked pasta and beans - white or kidney beans, elbow or ditalini pasta, or all bean pasta 14oz can petite diced tomatoes 3 cups water  1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp black pepper Directions I put everything in a pot and bring to a boil. Then I turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let sit for 20-30 minutes until it cools and everything cooks through. Depending on the size of the carrots you use, that may be the only item that needs more time to cook so either boil or microwave separately to soften or use grated carrot instead. Inspiration   https://www.loveandlemons.com/minestrone-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-61027

This is a working list of recipes for one of my family's favorite weekend meals - pancake breakfast. We like pancakes that use all natural and ideally organic ingredients with minimal dairy and and sweeteners. It may not be as decadent as a diner pancake but we prefer it that way. Feel free to substitute any of the oil with melted butter and any of the liquid with whole milk to make it taste closer to diner pancakes. Once you nail the basic recipe to your liking, feel free to experiment with the variations below. My inspiration comes from all the amazing coffee shop muffins and breads that I once loved but have found to be too rich and full of ingredients that don't agree with me. Doing it in pancake form allows me to recreate those flavors at home in an easier and healthier way. Base Pancake Batter 1/2 cup all purpose flour (80g) 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (70g) - ideally soft white wheat 1/4 cup powdered sugar (30g) 1 tsp baking powder (4g) 1/4 tsp salt (2g) 1 cup milk or wate...

Notes 3/2 - daffodils and walking onions popped up 3/30 - daffodils flowered, some weeds need pulling 4/6 - mowed lawn for the first time, dandelions started growing in the rock beds Garden Plan Bed #1 - Capsicums and Cucurbits Zucchini in middle - try from both 2023 seed packet and my 2023 harvest Start inside 5/1 (or 5/15) and outside 6/1 Early jalapeno on two corners - try from 2024 seed packet and my 2024 harvest Start inside 2/15 and outside 6/1 Big Jim on one corner - from 2024 seed packet Start inside 2/15 and outside 6/1 Green pepper - from 2023 store bought organic or just buy another one Start inside 2/15 and outside 6/1 Bed #2 - Roots Swiss chard two in middle - from 2024 seed packet Plant 4/15 or as soon as I see dandelions growing Carrots two long rows on each side - from 2023 and 2025 seed packets Plant 5/1 Watermelon radish follow carrots in late summer - from 2025 seed packet Plant 8/1 Bed #3 - Fruits Gem State tomato in first half of bed - try from both 2024 seed packe...

One of the things I pay close attention to is the valuation of whatever investment I am interested in buying. I like to know how it compares to other like investments and also how it compares to itself historically. When I say valuations, I don't mean the price. I mean the price relative to some production metric. That metric could be revenue, earnings, dividends, free cash flow, etc. You can do this for individual companies, industries, sectors, or even countries.  For comparing valuations, one of my go-to resources is Meb Faber's Idea Farm website. He has a section where he posts quarterly updates on how major countries with stock markets rank in terms of key valuation metrics. He uses cyclically adjusted valuation metrics which smooths the metric over a multi-year time-period, 10 years in his case. He does this for four valuation metrics: CAPE (price-to-earnings), CAPD (dividends), CAPCF (cash flow), and CAPB (book value). My personal two favorites are CAPE and CAPCF since t...

I was watching one of my favorite cooking shows, Milk Street on PBS, one day and they made an amazing looking salad using shredded carrots with Moroccan inspired flavors. I didn't write down all the ingredients and don't subscribe to their recipes online, but it inspired me to create my own version. This salad is so easy to make. I can whip it up right before heading to work or as a quick dinner main or side dish. It's also a perfect side dish to make for a party. Everyone will love the flavors and the fact that it is made with such healthy ingredients. One tip for the carrots. I buy or grow them in bulk and then shred them using my Cuisinart. If you cut them so they fit down the shoot parallel to the cutting blades as opposed to perpendicular, you'll get longer shreds as opposed to the short ones. Ingredients 2 cups shredded carrots - 2 large or 3 medium  1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp honey (or pomegranate molasses which was used in the show) 2 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp hummus...

This recipe comes from my aunt who snipped a version of this recipe from a magazine and made it for me one time while she was visiting. It was delicious. Turns out butternut squash compliments the flavors of tortilla soup perfectly. The original recipe called for keeping the butternut squash in cubes, but you'll see in the directions that I like to blend mine into a puree to add a thick backdrop to adding other ingredients like beans, corn, and avocado dices. Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil or canola oil 1/2 medium onion diced (about 1/2 cup) 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp diced garlic (or sub 1 tsp dried garlic) 1 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 cup water 16 oz cubed butternut squash (about 3 cups) 3 cups more water (or chicken broth) 3/4 tsp salt (skip or reduce if using chicken broth) 1 tbsp lime juice Corn tortilla chips to thicken as needed Optional add-ins after blending (up to 3 cups total ingredients): Black beans (drained) Canned, frozen, or ...

Reflecting on 2024, I had some great successes in keeping up my meal habits even when introducing a child into my life. The struggle still remains traveling but I could also improve on my home and work routines.  Just too many temptations that are usually born from not having a plan in advance which leads to giving into cravings.  Here is the new meal routine that I am planning for this coming year. It involves a rotation of two daily routines over six alternating days then one day to mix things up. Mon/Wed/Fri Breakfast - fruit and veggie shake Lunch - sandwich, wrap, or chips and dip Dinner - rice and beans dish Tue/Thu/Sat Breakfast - soaked oats Lunch - fast salad Dinner - noodle dish Sunday Breakfast - cold cereal with milk alternative Lunch - eggs with toast or tortilla Dinner - pizza or burger or eating out Any Day Drinks - teas, coffee, seltzers, water with juice flavors Afternoon Snack - nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, cut veggies, peanut butter, hummus, crackers, chi...

I'm a member of Lifetime Fitness and their gyms have a cafe portion that has some really healthy and delicious offerings. This includes some prepackaged tuna and chicken salads. Their tuna salad is particularly unique because they use Asian flavors. I love it with potato chips as a type of dip or scooped on a slice of toast or a bed of lettuce or spinach. I modify mine a bit to remove the mayo and add everything bagel seasoning and water chestnuts for an extra punch of flavor and crunch.  It is simple enough to make where I can do it before work or even at work since it requires no cooking. However, since it involves tuna which can be unpleasant smelling out of the can, probably best to pre-make it at home. Ingredients 1 can tuna 1-2 tbsp oil or mayo 1/2 tsp lemon juice if using oil  1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari 1 tsp honey 1/4 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp ground ginger  1 tbsp everything bagel seasoning (my own addition) 1/2 can water che...

Most TV mounts require that you find two studs to drill into. This direction is for that setup. The trick is how to make sure the holes you drill are perfectly level.  The first step is to find the studs. Go to an area of the wall that you know for certain will be somewhere behind your TV. It doesn't necessarily have to be where you plan the mounting bracket to go. Now grab a stud finder and use it to find the studs behind your TV. I like to triple check by drilling small pilot holes near where the stud finder says the stud should be. I space each pilot hole about 1/4 inch apart. If the drill bit goes through the drywall into empty space, then I know I'm not at a stud. I move over another 1/4 inch until the drywall hits wood and doesn't go all the way through. Then I keep moving 1/4 inch still likely continuing to hit the stud until I hit the 1 3/4 inch (7 holes) at which point I should be back to drywall. Now I know exactly where the stud is and can find the halfway point....

Neither my wife and I are fans of the green beans on Thanksgiving. The traditional green bean casserole method is too goopy and having them plain isn't all that enticing either. So we decided this year to try a combination of Brussel sprouts and butternut squash and it was such a better side dish. It complimented the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes so much better than green beans. Plus I happen to grow my own butternut squash so it is the perfect way to showcase some of my own garden bounty as part of Thanksgiving. We will definitely be making them again this way from this Thanksgiving forward. Ingredients 1lb fresh whole Brussel sprouts (ideally organic) 1.5lb whole butter squash or 1lb pre-cubed (must be fresh not frozen) 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp olive oil Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and trim the ends off the Brussel sprouts. Cut in half lengthwise. Cube the butternut squash. If starting with a whole one, the easiest way is to cut...