Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Spinach and Pesto

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Spinach and Pesto

      

Alright so I haven't sent out a recipe in a while and its because I have been using others people's recipes.  I ALWAYS give props to those recipes I make but this seems to be one I have been doing over and over the last few weeks.  I have had this on again off again relationship with spaghetti squash.  It was one of those things I FINALLY got it to taste good in, but it takes forever to cook in the oven.  

Recently (two months ago) I got a new job (HORRAY! see previous post) and so my cooking time has started to become MINIMAL, but I still am cooking just about everynight.  Also I wanted to get out of the spaghetti squash, meatballs and red sauce pattern and into something more satisfying.  So in our CSA share we had a Spaghetti Squash, pesto and some other stuff.  So I came up with an idea to try.  Another SUPER useful tool I have been using a lot of lately and I LOVE IT so much is my Instant Pot.  I have been using a lot of recipes from #nomnompaleo and #Pressureluckcooking.  Those two are where I am hanging out a lot lately.  SO to give credit where credit is due. I LOVE this super easy way to make spaghetti squash from Nom Nom Paleo (here).

           

So I took my Spaghetti Squash, cut it in half the short way and put it in the Instant Pot on the TRIVET with a cup of water.  I sealed it and pressed MANUAL and set it for 15 min,  of course it will take a few min to get to pressure. Sometimes I am in a hurray and do a quick release when the timer goes off. Today I let it go for a few min, did a quick release and took them out to cool down.

            

After they cooled I peeled them and you can see al the little strings.

WHILE the squash in cooking I cooked up some Mild Italian sausage in a pan, used a slotted spoon to take it out and put it on paper towels. Now I kept that grease and drippings in the pan to saute some greens I had lying around. I also set those aside when they were cooked.

                                         So after the sausage and the spinach are cooked I put the cooked squash in the pan and just break it up a bit. Spread it around 

the pan and make sure the strands are separated. This has been a mistake I have been making.  I kind of just throw it in the pan and notice it just sticks together. I then layered on the spinach and the sausage and made sure everything was all incorporated nicely.

  

After the mixing I added some homemade Pesto that Jeremy had whipped up (it's basil, walnuts, garlic, parm and olive oil).  It's really good and SMELLS SO GOOD after its all made.

 

Can't you just smell the basil! This is so yummy!  I give it all a good stir and the smells it makes are just wonderful.  It takes me less then and hour to do all of this!

YUM! Enjoy!

1 - 2lb (or more or less) Spaghetti Squash cut short way and scooped

1 container (it was about 1.5 cups) of Pesto (homemade is best, but store bought is fine)

1 lb of Mild Italian sausage 

2 cups of greens (spinach, kale, collard, mixure)

Olive oil 

salt

pepper

Place the trivet on the bottom of the instant pot and add a cup or so of water and place the cut spaghetti squash on the trivet, set the instant pot to Manual 15 min. 

While the squash is cooking, in a pan over medium heat with Olive oil add the sausage and break it up.  I like to do little ball shapes but if you want bigger or small pieces do that.  Once the sausage is brown use a slotted spoon to put it on a paper towel lined plate.  In the same pan cook the green down and place in a bowl when finished. Once the squash has finished and is cooled and peeled ad it to the SAME pan and spread it out a little,  move it around, add the spinach and sausage.  Make sure its all in there and there aren't big clumps of spaghetti squash.  Mix in the pesto with the pan at low and give it a few good stirs. Add salt and pepper as needed! Enjoy!

That time I quit my job with nothing lined up.

So here I am sitting at my computer contemplating what I was about to do. Do I do it? Do I wait any longer and let the agony of self take over and eat away at my brain any longer?  Is the stress worth the paycheck.  The answer should have been yes because I have a family, I have bills, I have a house.  I have the dream, two cars, two kids, an urbanish house, craft beer, and a career that up until the point a few months ago I thought was pretty kick ass.  Things started changing, I was still enjoying the folks I would see, I was still enjoying standing in front of a group of people and throwing out random dad jokes.  I mean I am a GOD DAMNED HILTON GOLD MEMBER!  Isn't this what the dream entails? Going to NYC and working with some super cool folks, using your skills to help kids and adults who are lacking a voice.  This was suppose to be fun, it was suppose to be meaningful work, but unfortunately I wasn't living to work. I was working to live. 
  So I had a bad review, I've had a bad couple weeks, I've had almost a bad year. I've been slowly suffering and some folks know but I can put on a good face.  I put on my pants and go to work, I drop the kids off at school and sit in traffic, hoping for a good consult, hoping to find a new lead, hoping.  That hope has been disappearing.  When I started the job my glass was always full and sometimes over flowing with joy. The joy of knowing this kid could communicate and I just helped with that, but over the years it has taken a lot more to fill my glass.  Lately most days and weeks my glass would barely have anything in it and I would say "I need to quit, I can't do this anymore, there is no joy left, people don't want to put in the work, they want it to be easy and done for them." Most days that was true.  In the last few months I would take a short vacation with my family and dread going back to work.  I would never say "WOW, I CAN NOT WAIT to see so and so." I would just hope and pray someone would cancel. That's how I felt. Now at 37 I sit here unemployed.  At my computer with no direction. What's next? 
   One direction TEACH! Yes I want to teach, I want to go back and sit with those kids, play on the floor, be silly and get kicked and scratched and bit and watch tiny steps equal big leaps.  I want to see a kid say his first word. I want to be a change in kids lives.  Do you know how hard that is? You need to go to the website, fill in the questionnaire and and hit submit, and then what? Wait, you wait until nothing happens because your brilliant application on the applitrack website goes no where.  A cyber dust bin or some administrators trash bin, why, WHO KNOWS!  My last five years have taught me that the folks who are really passionate about teaching aren't there.  The ones who have good grades are there.  The ones who got to pass on through because they didn't struggle in school.  The state gets to say WHO gets certified, understandable, BUT the hoops and loops and money to get there, the endless tests, the endless paperwork, for what, a piece of paper that says you can teach.  So here I am sitting at my computer wondering where my piece of paper is, I had it, in Maine, but CT doesn't care for those who went through other states process, you need to go through THEIR process. So I will start at the bottom, be the paraprofessional, make the small hourly wage for doing some dirty work, IF someone will LOOK AT MY GOD DAMN RESUME.  You have jobs posted, just tell me you're not hiring, FINE. So I'm frustrated.  SOMEONE OUT THERE HIRE ME!  For now I will be giving people a LYFT, keep a look out for the updates of the people who hire me...

...Still with the friends...

   So a few years ago I posted about making friends as an adult Here.  I re-read it after reading this piece from the Boston Globe about loneliness at the age of 40.  I posted the previous post three years ago.  I was a dad, married, nearly 34 and had only one child who was almost 2.  We were getting into routines in terms of daycare, and work and what not.  That year we decided to expand our family and the following year we added a second child and a little chaos.  I wouldn't give up my family for anything. I love my family, like my job and have a fairly good routine, but life is OKAY. Which stinks.  I sometimes wonder in envy of those that have an office to go to, or a school to go to where they see coworkers on a daily basis.  I had it at one point but gave it up for the glamorous work at home situation *noted sarcasm.* While it was great at the start, traveling around the area, always something new, meeting new people, conquering my fear of public speaking, etc; I miss the enjoyment of seeing some people everyday, catching up, venting, going out for drinks after work, playing on the softball team, things like that.  While I have made "friends" with my coworkers, it's hard to get together with them when we live so far from each other. With work and family taking up about 90% of my time I get very little time to find friends and I pose the question again.  How does an adult make friends?  We aren't part of a church, I'm not going to make friends at a bar, and my current friends (WHICH I LOVE) also have family and busy jobs so making time is one of those impossible things.  I do have a fairly regular wednesday night trivia night with friends which is fun, although our regular trivia spot closed...I MEAN COME ON. So we will have to find a new trivia spot, but once a week doesn't seem like enough time.
    Sometimes I wonder if it was the move that did it to me.  We left Maine for a few reasons but a big one was I kept seeing the same people over and over again. I would run into the same people at work that I went to high school with.  I knew I needed to get out, I was the country kid who needed to see the city.  I wanted to start over, start a new city life.  I realized NYC wasn't for me.  It was too much.  Too stimulating.  Then we moved to CT, the burbs, I mean I am sitting in Whole Foods, working and writing this blog and contemplating when I am going to be moving back to Maine where I will see the same people I work with and I went to High school with, but I will have routine. I will know people, I can get involved and immediately KNOW people.  I think that is what I need.  Well maybe soon...

I had a few drinks...

So I had 5 weeks of not drinking and then went on vacation.  I was going back and forth whether or not I was going to have drinks while on vacation in Provincetown.  I decided to have some drinks and see where I went.  See if I struggled, if I could stop myself, if I could in fact "reserve" having a drink for a special occasion and not go crazy when I did have some drinks.  See if I stayed under control and finally see how I felt during and after I was drinking.  We were on vacation for just four days.  I had drinks each night and felt fine.  I kept myself relatively under control (no excessive drinking) and I stuck with vodka and soda, one punch, some spiked seltzer and no beer (which I love).  I didn't feel great.  It was a self-serving experiment. Do I want to drink while I am away from my kids only?  Do I want to reserve drinking for holidays? Family events? parties?  I've done this before and then it just turned into I'll have drinks Wednesdays and Fridays and Saturdays...and Sundays. Sometimes a Monday here and there. It didn't turn out the way I wanted it.  Can I do it this time? I told myself the next time I would have a drink would be Christmas or Thanksgiving.  We will see.

We had a party at our house with the usual crowd of family and friends.  It is fun and I enjoy being around these people. The usual order of events is this we provide food and some sort of drink (I'll make a big Alcoholic Punch) and everyone will bring some other food and their drinks.  The party is usually around 4 or 5 and by 6 or 7 people are "happy."  This time I made pink lemonade.  We had vodka to add if you wanted to and folks brought their own booze. I am ready to make that part of our party, BYOB.  I am ready to not be responsible for other peoples drinking.  If they want to drink something other then water, seltzer, or juice, they can do that. I have friends who insist on having their friends favorite alcohol available. They think a good host always has their friends favorite alcohol available. Well I'm ready to not do that anymore. If you want something special you can bring it to a party.  My house is not your personal bar. If I offer you something you can say yes or no. As a guest of someone you can bring a bottle of wine, a six pack of beer, a bottle of vodka. Maybe you don't agree with me. That is fine, but just know when you come to my house I will now offer you seltzer, juice, water, milk, and whatever we happen to have in our cabinet.  I won't be going out of my way to get liquor.

"I'm not a social drinker I'd say most of my drinking is work related"

This picture was included in a work related email. A work related email about wellness.  I know it's meant to be funny.  I understand the humor, but also for me the personal irony connected to it made it come at a perfect time in my reflections.  I am a social drinker, I drink when I'm at home with my family.  I drink when I'm at friend's houses. I drink camping, I drink at work (after hours when I'm "in-house" with my co-worker.) I drink with a large group of people when I am at a brewery. I enjoy the social aspect of drinking alcohol. That is starting to look like a downfall.  Why do I need to drink when I am with a large group of people.  I understand the social and historic reasons but why do I, ME, need to drink. This is what I have been reflecting on the past twoish weeks or so. I am examing my drinking daily.  I am doing that thing where you hold something that you haven't used in a while in your hand and say "does this give me pleasure"?  I have been doing that and I have been watching everyone else.  Waiting for the questions. Waiting for the "why aren't you drinking" questions. They are bound to come up but they are difficult questions to ask and to discuss.  I tried to have a conversation with someone about it and it just didn't go anywhere.  I am trying. 

"All is well. All is well indeed"

I emailed someone today to share with them what I am going through. I did it because they are someone who is also going through their own spiritual journey. They are doing their own searching and looking for their own path forward.  He responded with a small anecdote about a chat with his sister talking about how their mother was with them at that moment and "all is well."  

I know this ending my drinking is something I have to do and for some reason I have to do at THIS moment in my life. Something at THIS moment is trying to make everything well.  It could be many things, it could be MY father telling me "all is well." I sat with him this past weekend and meditated for a few min.  It was what was needed and gave me a good sense of being. 

Keeping my drinking habit in check...or can I?

I noticed a while back that I wrote about sobriety and tried it. I think it lasted a month, maybe less.  I think it was one of those "I have a time goal and I am so looking forward to that FIRST drink."  So it has been two weeks since my last drink. It was a yummy double IPA, I love a good craft beer, but sometimes I love it too much. I hold out for good beer and turn into a beer snob.  One beer turns into two, turns into three, turns into "one more" and it doesn't end until I'm running for a train, or getting a text asking when I'm coming home. Those Sunday Bloody Mary's are one and another and another and so forth.  I'm admitting I am having trouble with that whole "everything is good in moderation" thing.  I don't think I can do it for drinking and I am learning the hard way. While away for the week for work I didn't have to drive, I was pretty much told where I had to be during the day and some evenings but other than that it's "on your own." So on your own can mean "awesome where's my drink!"  Well those days turned from one yummy easy to drink 6 pack to 2 yummy easy to drink high alcohol content 6 packs. I just read that one IPA can contain up to 200 calories.  So let's say one six pack is 1200 calories, and add a second one.  2400 freaking extra calories in a day where I have been snacking, eating not wonderful food and having maybe a 30- 40 min walking workout.  That can't be good right?  NO! So I came home with a new sense of self, I need to detox this chunky temple. I need to stop drinking, I set a date for a little over a month from my last drink. This time though was different.  I felt like I need to do more, I may have to stop completely. Let me tell you, I have seen people close to me go into detox, I have seen people go through rehab for drinking, it wasn't fun at the time watching that. Now it's my turn. These two weeks have honestly been hard and eye opening to say the least. I survived fourth of July and all the booze that is a part of that. I survived camping without having a drink. I went to P-Town where alcohol is almost part of every event, people drinking in cafes, beer gardens and while not legally, on the beach. Even Tea Dance which is a booze fueled dance party which has its own super sweet high alcohol punch (although I didn't go to that THIS time because I had the kids.) There are more and more events with drinks and I am ready to go, ready to have a good time with out the drinks. I can do this, for me, for my body, for my family. A few things I've noticed since my last drink: better sleep and easier time getting up early (while I still enjoy staying in bed I don't feel that YUCK that you feel after drinking), more energy for exercise (and I have done some too,) less hungry all the time.  I have changed my eating habits as well, for the better.  I know I need to eat more veggies, so I am trying to trick myself into that.  I don't "hurt" as much.  I was given a painful body I think and I know part of it is my extra weight I am trying to lose, but I think not drinking is helping.

I have also been more aware of other people's drinking habits which has helped me with my decision. I noticed when people were drunk before or drinking too much, but know its even more so. I'm not ready to say something, but soon. When I heard my father-in-law was told to stop drinking because of his heart that also became a wake up call. While my heart is healthy, one day it won't be so until then I am sticking to this.

A friend of mine has a little blog he talks about going all in on something for it to work and that is what one of our mutual friend's did. He went all in on being a vegan.  While it surprised me his reasons seem similar to mine, our fathers dies too young. Mine was an alcoholic and hid his drinking from us although not that well. While I don't hide my drinking I have drunk to excess and I am sure have hurt people, yelled, said nasty things and was probably a super obnoxious person. I want to be around for my kids and grand kids one day. I don't want the thing that killed my father to kill me so I need to check myself.  

Cooking my way through Fatherhood

New idea for 2015:
Put together this nice cookbook I got for my birthday last year.

I have been typing up recipes on my other computer, iPad and occasionally iPhone for a little while now.  I just have to put some semblance to them and make something that looks good.  Also I need about 50 more recipes. I have a new idea though.  There are so many books out there that I have read and enjoyed but one of them that I enjoyed was a cookbook memoir.  Wouldn't that be neat?  I don't think I could put it together for another 10 years or so but if I start collecting stories and recipes now then I will have enough for something.  I thought of this title too Cooking my way through Fatherhood, but it really sounds more like a subtitle then anything.SO I have to think of a good title, and I am sure that will change.  In the meantime I will keep cooking for me and this near Threenager that has taken over my house and life.

Cookbooks my new love.

Could I be the next Julie and Julia?  Probably not.  Will I try maybe.  Will I blog about my experiences cooking everything from my new favorite cookbook? No, but I will write up this blog and say really great things about the recipes I have cooked so far!

   I bought this cookbook Nom Nom Paleo Food for Humans for a few people thinking they would really like it.  Both of these people wanted to start eating healthier and also wanted a good sense of some GOOD if not GREAT and easy Paleo recipes.  So being a follower  FANatic of this Michelle Tam's Website by the same name (Nom Nom Paleo) where they is a wealth of recipes I have used over and over again.  She also has an i-Pad app which is filled with wonderful recipes as well.  The i-Pad has been my go to cookbook since I have only found a few that I really like.  Mostly I have been taking recipes from older cookbooks my mom had when I was growing up and modifying the recipes to my specifics.  That is another thing I just want to tangent on: Cookbooks.  I love to be able to just open up to a recipe and follow it.  Michelle's coobook allows me to do that, the ingredients are for the most part easy to find (I had to search for a few things, but I know where to look, plus she tells you where ONLINE you get buy them!)  I have used other cookbooks in the past and the America's test Kitchen Family recipes and Quick recipes have both been a life saver.  As a child I cooked out my mom's Betty Crocker cookbook and also a few "potluck" cookbooks.  You know the kind for a fundraiser or something like that, potluck stuff really.  Point is I am slowly collecting recipes to put into my own cookbook of recipes that I can give to my children.  I am not sure if they will be original or "borrowed" or a mix of both, but I think mostly a mixture of modified from a cookbook.


From this book I have been able to make recipes I would not have even thought of cooking.  The one below is a recipe which is so simple, but so good, eggs and asparagus.  Luckily the first asparagus is up and fresh and we were able to get some semi-local asparagus (NJ vs Peru).  We were missing one ingredient, but I found it so the NEXT time I make it it will come out yum-tastic! The nice thing about this cookbook is HOW SUPER EASY the recipes are, really for some of them its the temp of the oven or the pan that I need.  Everything else is just throw it in the pan easy.  Literally, pan-heat-asparagus-eggs-seasoning-oven-eat.  These are the types of recipes I love because I come home sometime at 5 and know what I am going to cook, just don't always want to cook it.  These recipes make it easy and healthy to boot!

I have made her Khalua pig recipe MANY times and that is so easy it's a crockpot recipe so I turn it on at night, go to work and it is DONE!  Then we have shredded pork for different recipes!  I haven't counted the recipes I have cooked in just the three or so weeks I have borrowed the book BUT I can say I am close to a quarter of the recipes.  That includes the one I have cooked previously.  Some are on her website or the i-Pad app.  One of the "classiest" meals I have cooked felt so "sunday dinner" or made brunch.  It happened to be on a day that was drizzly and yucky and I needed some homestyle and that made me feel homey.  Something pasta like but NOT pasta. (I think that last BOWL of pasta I had was when I ran the marathon, whenever that was, 2011 maybe?)  Anyways, I digress.  I wanted something yummy.  I will be the first to admit I could eat "breakfast foods" for any meal. I could eat eggs, bacon, sausage those types of foods anytime anywhere!  I love those foods, they fill me up they god with anything and they are just yummy.  This recipe calls for eggs and sausage.  I made it OF COURSE!  It felt some homey and yummy and made me feel happy.  It reminded me a little of sausage and peppers, but with an egg!  I may have to serve it to some guest because it looks classy too!

I must say sometimes my cooking doesn't always come out great and I will admit it.  Sometimes it's the recipe (if I miss something or a step) sometimes its just me.  Anyways in the case of the crispy smashed chicken, something was not right, I followed the recipe and I did not get crispy chicken...I got kind of soggy chicken.  Oh well, we ate it, Jeremy said it was fine.  I will be making these magic wings for a party coming up so that should be fun!

I just really wanted to say how EASY Paleo can be.  I think a lot of people think BOOHOO I can't have bread or rice or corn or blah blah blah.  Really once you stop eating them for a length of time, you stop craving them.  I have eaten foods that I use to CRAVE and cave in to my Cravings and then I would eat them and realize it was gross, or it didn't do anything for me.  BUY THE BOOK, its worth it and follow her on the Book of Face, and all that jazz!  She always posts some great recipes from else where as well.

IT'S FOOD LOVE!

How do you make a friend as an adult?

How does one make a friend?
I feel like in the past I was told you would loose most of the people you were friends with in High School during college and then you loose those college friends after you graduate. So what happens when you didn't have many friends in high school and you commuted to college after spending a year at away at a different college? Then attend a grad program where you commute? Then take a job that is a work at home job? What if you live in an area that after four years is still foreign?  What then? How does an adult make friends?

Bars? no
Online? no
The Gym? no
Maybe join a social group or a church? tried a few times and was crushed each time.
Meet up groups? no

What if you don't want to meet friends? What if over the years you have spent time trying not to make friends for no reason?

What if as I get on with life I am starting to realize how my father felt. As a teenager I don't remember him having any friends.  He had one friend who happened to be our neighbor, but he passed away suddenly and my father was heart broken because he lost his friend.   Maybe he had sporadic friends who he saw every other year.  They went hunting and fishing together.  That is what I remember. I remember him coming home and watching TV and then falling asleep down stairs.  I don't remember him going out much.  Am I turning into him? I feel like I don't have those close friends who I can go hunting with (if I wanted) or fishing with.  How does a grownup man make friends?

Welcome to 2014 and sobriety for now.

In the new year I would like to post a little more its hard with work and toddler and cooking and stuff.  Writing is soothing and I just need to do it.  I do it more for me then for the readers since according to stats I have only a few. Anyway off too it now.
So after thanksgiving I got an idea from a friend.  He decided that his drinking had finally caught up with him and I am sure for other reasons, he decided to give up drinking.  Since this is a friend I love very much and have known him for a long time I decided to take a look at my own drinking and take stock of when and why I drank.  I didn't and don't consider myself an alcoholic, but am I?  My father was an alcoholic and they say Alcoholism can be genetic. I asked myself a few questions and some of them I had to grapple.  One big one, could I cut myself off before it was too late?  I answered it honestly and said sometimes no.  There would be times when I would buy the box of my favorite wine because it was "cheaper" then buying two bottles.  The thing is that that box was equivalent to FOUR bottles of the same size.  I wasn't doing myself a favor.  I had also got into bourbon and whiskey.  While not a bad thing I think it was.  I have on occasion gotten frustrated with people and have been told to calm down and lower my voice I have gotten out of control.  I never hit anyone, got into fights, was arrested or drank at inappropriate times.  This is honestly the first time I have written anything down about my drinking.  It has only been about a month since I made a conscious decision to stop drinking without a starting back up again point.  I have stopped for a month or so at a time with the idea of having a drink at the end of the month or something like that.  This time was different.  I think because the two times I drank heavily before I stopped were bad, very bad.  I believe I blacked out one time and woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck or train and then the truck backed up back over me again.  The next time I was out of commission most of the next day.  It sucked. SO I decided to stop without an end in mind.  I said, MAYBE I will have a drink on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, and I didn't.  I said MAYBE I will have a drink on New Years Eve and I didn't.  I then had a planned work trip this week where a lot of my work colleagues will go to a local bar for drinks and said I think I will have a few drinks while out there.  Needless to say the trip was canceled for crazy weather related reasons.  I am not having a drink this week.  I have a vacation planned for February and said I will have a few drinks while on Vacation.  I am still not sure. My birthday? I don't know.  I am liking not spending 40-50 dollars on wine and liquor only to not drink it in one night.  So for now I am sober.  How long will it continue I am not sure.  I am taking it one day at a time.

Hawaiian (Kalua) Pig

Let's just put it on the table and say I F*IN love pork.  Any kind of Pork...I will even eat SPAM...yes sir.  Anyway this of course is a recipe courtesy of NOMNOM PALEO.  Her recipes are A-MAZING! I just thought I would show you my spin on it!  I did it once with a pork butt...a Ginormous Pork Butt  about 8 lbs.  This was a BJ's wholesale type of thing...we had Kalua Pig coming out our ears for about a week.  It's good, but you get sick of it after a while.  The best part about the recipe is the SIMPLICITY!  I mean Bacon, Red Sea Salt (talk to my neighbor about sea salt and he will go Balistic!) and some Pork.  This time I used a boneless pork loin.  You also set it an forget it which is perfect on those days I leave the house at 7am drop off James, get home by 5pm and well am just too exhausted to really cook.  The OTHER good thing is you cook it overnight! Like 16 hours of simmer meat YUMMERS!  So this is how I did it:

1 4lb(ish) Boneless Pork Roast

2 strips of Bacon (from Sherwood Farm in Easton)

enough Red Hawaiian Sea Salt to cover your roast or shoulder

1/8 cup of water (since there is little fat and you don't want the thing to dry out)

  

First put the two strips of Bacon on the bottom of the Crock Pot.  This will give the nice smokey flavor to the pork when all is said and done.  I used the bacon afterwards to cook my greens YUMMY!!!

 Take out the Pork roast and pat it dry with some paper towels.  Give your roast a little massage with the red sea salt.  Something about the red and the taste and Alaea?  I've never been to Hawaiian I will take the word for it though!

 Your roast is now a nice red color and will get a nice crust...it's so good.

Lay that roast on top of the bacon just like so.  Try and put the fat side up.  That is if there is much fat on the roast.

 Pour your water around the roast I used only about 1/8 cup of water.

Set your crock pot for low and go to sleep...good night.  It should be ready for your Din-Din the next day!!

There it is with a crust so juicy and tender.  So tender that when I poked it that little piece on the bottom literally fell off.

 I take this put it on a plate and shred it with two forks...or one fork...or these things...dumb.  I separate the juices in a fat separator and pour a little over the meat and return the meat to the crock pot.  I actually used a little juice to cook in my greens I got in my CSA box last week. Random field grass...like grass I swear.

ENJOY!

Lemon Basil Chicken and Sautéed Asparagus

It was one of those days when I didn't know what to cook.  I had chicken thighs but I was bored with BBQ chicken.  I am was bored (and didn't have the ingredients for) these Asian Chicken Thighs.  Even though they are so good it's illegal.  So I looked at what I did have in the fridge and found some recipes and whipped up this Lemon Basil Chicken.  I mostly did this because I LOVE BASIL in anything.  I also had some lemons I needed to use up.  So here is the basic recipe.  What I ended up doing was taking a few recipes and combining elements.  We also had paid a visit to bishops orchards where we found some fresh seasonal Asparagus.  So I used the lemon there too.  Lemon is so fresh and yummy!

So here are the two recipes for your enjoyment!

Lemon Basil Chicken

4 bone-in Chicken Thighs (use whatever you want Thighs, breasts, drumsticks)

3 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

juice of 2 lemons (or 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice)

1 TBSP olive oil or oil of choice (I used Avocado oil)

4 cloves chopped garlic

1. I put all of the ingredients (except the chicken) in a blender and whipped that sucker into frenzy.

2. I added everything into a ziplock baggie and coated the chicken nice and good.  This goes into the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors get happy.

3. I covered a baking sheet with some tin foil (IMPORTANT your baking sheet will get all messy if you don't.) I also put the pieces on a wire rack on the baking sheet.  I baked these pieces for about 50 min at 475 degrees.  Half-way through turn them over.  At the end they should be nice a golden.  The meat should be 165 when done.

ENJOY!

Sautéed Asparagus

1 big ole bunch of asparagus trimmed

a little lemon juice

olive oil

butter

garlic powder (or chopped fresh garlic)

pepper to taste

1. So I basically trimmed up the asparagus by finding the place near the bottom where it snaps (although I just snap them myself) I then cut those into thirds so I could fit them all in the pan

2. Add the oil and butter to the pan and let the butter melt.  Maybe mediumish heat works so you don't burn the oil or butter.

3. Toss the Asparagus into the pan and coat with the liquid.  

4. add the garlic powder (I would add the fresh garlic before the Asparagus and let that flavor get into the oil.

5. Let this set for a min or two stir every once in a while.

6.  Add about 2 TSBP of lemon juice to this and toss.  Let it set for a moment.  If you have a splash guard or cover.  Cover the pan for a min or two

7. Stir it a little and add the S and P to taste.

Back to life, back to reality

SO its been a while since I posted here.  I go between the two posts of James and my life. I should just merge them into one, but nah I like the separation.  Anyhow lately reality has really been rearing it's ugly face and head in my life.  Mostly in the form of the weight I have put back on since having a kid.  It seems both Jeremy and I have fallen into the "we have a kid we have no time" part of life.  No time to exercise and no time to ourselves.  We don't have many people who we would want to watch him during the day or could while we go for a run.  Jeremy wants to rejoin a gym but we can't afford it.  The one thing I have been trying my hardest with is staying on top of my eating.  Every once in a while I go a little crazy and eat something I shouldn't then I feel depressed about it.  I get back on the healthy eating wagon ASAP after that.  I still make dinner almost every night and get a salad or something smallish for lunch.  Breakfast I am trying these green smoothies with frozen fruit and spinach.  It is hard with a little one, being in the cold and wanting to just go out for a run. I am learning how to reprioritize, but its hard when you leave the house at 7:30 and am home at 4 with the little one only to have to start cooking dinner at 5.  I am sure as he grows we will get back in the swing but for now, we will do what we can.  Spring is slowing coming upon us and a walk yesterday without cell phones and just us was what we needed as a family.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Another year gone by and winter has hit us up here in CT.  This recipe is one made almost out of the fact that I had a bunch of veggies I didn't know what to do with and wanted to do something new.  We have been part of the CSA at Stone Garden Farms in Shelton for almost 3 years now.  This was the first year we did the winter share.  So far I have been pretty happy with it.  The one thing I like about these share is the bounty of veggies and also the NEW veggies we get to try that I probably wouldn't otherwise try.  At the end of last seasons share we got a head (the size of my head) of Savoy Cabbage

 

This fellow is interesting.  Its like green cabbage but more flexible in terms of what you can do...which I wasn't aware of.  The only ways I have ever really had cabbage was in slaw (warm or cold) and with Corned Beef.  So I looked some recipes up.  I also wanted it "kid" friendly.  This mostly meaning were these ingredients on the okay list for little ones, and if there was a not okay item I didn't use it.  So the original recipe called to bake these rolls.  Today I am testing the crockpot method, pretty much so I don't have to flounder around dinner time.  Also I am thinking in terms of Gluten free meals as I am trying to get back on that...with about 95% success.  

So here is the recipe slightly modified from an Ina Garten recipe and using 95% ingredients from Stone Garden Farms (all but the spices and the rice)

1-1.5 pounds of ground beef

1 medium sized head of savoy cabbage

1/2 cup of uncooked rice

1 jar of marinara sauce (may need a little more)

1 bag (can) of chopped tomoatoes

salt

pepper

garlic powder

1. cut out the core of the cabbage with a paring knife and take any outer leaves off that don't look great, I chopped these up and saved them.

2. Bring a pot of water large enough to submerge the head of cabbage to a boil

3. put cabbage in the boiling water for a moment or two until the leaves start to easily pull away and take them off carefully.  Set them aside and let them cool.

4. In a bowl mix the beef, rice, spices, and chopped cabbage.  Also in this bowl add about a 1/2 cup of sauce, just to make it a little sticky but not liquidy.

5. Once the cabbage is cool to the touch cut the hard bottom stem off by cutting a little triangle.

6. In the bottom of the crock pot I put in enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pot I also added the tomatoes. 

7. Now take a little bit of mixture in the middle of each leaf and wrap like a little burrito.  Experiment since some leaves of smaller then others. 

8. Put a layer of stuffed cabbages over the sauce and then cover with sauce. Continue in that form, sauce, cabbage, sauce.

9. cook in the crock pot for about 8 hours.

      If baking use a heat proof pot like a dutch oven.  cook at 350 for about an hour.  

10.  Enjoy!

Another year to remember a great man

So I don't believe I have ever really shared the story but I have been thinking about this more and more with all the news of death.  When it happened 15 years ago there was never a headline, never a news story, never really an investigation.  It happened and we grieved and went on with our lives.  Since social media has started to blow up and news travels basically the moment it happens there have been so many reports of car accidents, homicides, and suicides.  15 years ago there weren't.  You may get a story of a car accident here and there but they did not dominate headlines.  Well this is my news story.  I have told it a few times in front of a few groups, but it also tied in to our ideas of death and what happens after.  Well I am not going to talk about that.  I am going to talk about a great man who left us, who I wish I knew better and of course who I wish was with us today.  Honestly I don't know what he would think of this world we live in.

15 years ago I was sitting at home and the community was recovering from the ice storm of 98.  This is what was dominating the headlines.  People were without power for days and weeks and local towns were devastated and could not leave their houses because of downed trees and power lines.  I remember January 12, 1998 was actually one of those magical days where the sun was shining and reflecting off the snow and ice.  The roads were starting to clear up enough where you could actually drive on them.  My dad had taken off to work that morning and I was still in my PJs (since I was 17 and it was a Saturday.)  Then a funny thing happened my uncle came over with what appeared to be a police officer of some sort.  I got my mom and she came in the room and I left and started to hear them chat.  Suddenly the loudest wail I have ever heard came out of my mom and there is was. My uncle had come to give us the unfortunate news that my father had been found in his truck in his favorite location over looking Lake Auburn.  Apparently he had taken his own life and some one found him slumped over and called the police.  A gunshot to the head.  Too me it is still a mystery, no note was found, no signs were given to us as a family, it just happened.  Time stopped for a few little while, but what turned out to be days.  The next few weeks were a blur to me and I am sure my sisters and brother (who had just been stationed in Germany, but came home.)  We had to get everything set up for the funeral, we had to make sure he had clothes that he liked, but at the same time we had to grieve, which I wasn't ready to do.  I was only 17. How was this happening to me?  Dad was suppose to be there to help me move into college like he did everyone else.  Dad was suppose to take me skiing on my 18th birthday like he had every other year.  He was suppose to be there to see me graduate high school, and to see my sisters graduate college, but no he was gone.


It took me a while to grapple with the thoughts of him never being there again physically.  I would say years to deal with it.  I am sure it's normal.  I am sure people still are grappling with certain peoples death these are loved ones.  Yes my father had his flaws, he was a 5 time recovering alcoholic, he had serious depression issues and he also smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day, but he had nothing but love in his heart for his family. In fact family came first always.  When he would start a new job he would think of family first.  He tried his hardest to attend concerts and football games but I realized mental problems got in the way.  I came to terms with it.

As I get older I realize he is always with me.  He is there watching over me, helping me along the way, giving me strength when I need it and giving me hope for the future.  He is my constant reminder to let people be themselves and teach but also let them stumble a little so they can see their faults because you can't learn to walk and run without falling a couple times.  He taught me how to paint a room, how to build a table and also how to tie a fly.  He taught me to respect a gun and how to shoot a gun.  He taught me that guns are for hunting and not for killing others.  He taught me to respect nature and give myself time in nature to bring some inner peace to myself.  He was a great man and forever will live on in my heart and my memories.  I may have only known him for almost 18 years, but we made the most out of those years.

I Love you dad.

As I watch all the news coverage of death in the world I wonder, why was this never even mentioned in the paper?  It happened in a very public place on a VERY busy four lane road.  Was the world to busy worrying about getting power back and making sure things were getting back to normal?  Why do we televise these horrible accidents anyway?  I try not to watch the news anymore almost for that reason, there never seems to be HAPPY news, it is all about tragedy, death, destruction, or someone being horrible to someone else because they think that other person is wrong and lives a wrong lifestyle.  Maybe if we spread a little more sunshine in this world we would be a happier world.  Maybe it is time to start looking at the bright side of life.  Can we please start celebrating life instead of mourning death?  Also could the religious zealots start thinking about the positives in there bible and the religious works?
When I went to church I was always taught, I still believe the teachings, but not the religious piece, to love your neighbor and that we were all created equal to love and care for each other not to hate each other because of how we live our lives.  I was raised in a loving caring environment and was not taught to hate I was taught to love, if someone doesn't like you find out why.  What did you do to them to make them not like you.  NEVER HATE.  These are lessons I want to pass onto my children. These are things I want to teach.  Everyone is different and special and made in their own special ways, but everyone deserves equal treatment.

Another year gone, another list of accomplishments...

So I have done this for the past few years where I thought of things that I have done in the past year and list them. Mostly to make myself feel good but I don't know I kind of like it so I am continuing the new tradition. It was a banner year, some thing I am more proud of others and I wish I did more, but it was a good year I am trying to go in order of happening.

1. Was on a team for work that was fairly high tech.
2. Went on a well deserved week long vacation in Key West.
3. Went to Ft. Zachary Taylor state park about 70 miles off of Key West.
4. Met a great couple of guys (Josh and Robbie) who are now really great friends!
5. Turned 32...urg.
6. Visited Kentucky and Tennessee for the first time.
7. And spent 5 min in Indiana...to pee...in a cornfield...to say I did.
8. We got matched with a baby!
9. We had to spend two weeks in a hotel in PA...with a 1 month old.
10. I took a few week paternity leave to take care of James.
11. I took my new friends to NYC for the first time.
12. We sleep trained our son at four months.
13. We started the kid on solid foods...
14. We finalized the adoption.
15. We had the last Christmas Eve in Maine in a while...


Alright I'll stop there since I have father brain and can't remember lots of stuff that happened.

Political time of year...have we all gone crazy?

"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!!"

I can't think of an election year when I feel more and more compelled to say that.  I am not one to really talk politics with people just because they think that as a gay man I should be voting one way.  Well it ain't true.  I look at issues, I look at candidates and I look at the playing field.  This year there is a candidate who actually makes sense his policies are right out there in line with the "we the people" and "ALL men are created equal."  He speaks on issues that would affect a wide variety of people not just the upper class, the lower class, the middle class, the class-less.  He has a plan that I believe in and I believe it would actually bring REAL change to this country.  He speaks with facts and figures and not just rhetoric.  His policy would affect EVERYONE, and this is what needs to be done, affect EVERYONE not just some.  This candidate believe you should be able to marry WHO EVER you want.  He believes that marijuana should be declared legal and taxed and regulated like cigarettes and alcohol.  He would also pardon those "criminals" who have been detained for possession of this that same thing.  There is only one problem with this candidate.  He isn't part of the "two party" system.  He isn't mainsteam, although he was the governor of a state and not only turned the budget around but made a surplus, which has now been squandered.  His name is Gary Johnson and he makes sense.  He isn't pandering to corporations, he isn't a friend of Wall Street.  I've never met the guy but I read a heck of a lot about him and have heard some of his speeches he has given on the internet.  He just wants people to have the personal freedom they deserve and it makes sense.  It's about time someone stood up to these quacks in DC including the current president and said HELLO??? Who are you working for??? YOURSELF, CORPORATIONS OR AMERICA?  It's also time to stop mentioning the bible in every speech given.  This nation was founded on the principles of free speech, free religion, free press.  There should be NO mention of god anywhere because NOT EVERYONE BELIEVES IN a god, the god or multiple gods.  We are a civil society and I feel like the congress and senate have been acting more like a Kindergarten class gone out of control.  Get with the program people and get along, you make us look bad when you can't get simple things done.

Vote Gary Johnson...it won't take votes away from anyone since the people don't elect the president anyway, but it may send a message that we are sick of just a choice of two and the two are the same piles of crap.

Spaghetti Squash "Lasagna"

A meatless meal WHAT?!?!

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna...maybe

So I just want to say that I love meat and if you have read my blog and my brush with Veganism and being a Vegetarian you know how unsuccessful it was and how it just blew chunks.  So this is the first time in a LONG time that I have made a meat-less meal.  It all began with a spaghetti squash which I got in our CSA share.  I was not happy because every other time I have tried to make or eat this bland gross squash I have been disappointed and disappointed is putting it lightly.  I had tried everything from baking it with butter and salt and pepper. Roasting it with EVOO, microwaving it, putting maple syrup on it.  So I looked up some recipes and put a few things together from them and came up with this.  I only use a few ingredients so it pretty easy too!  As always you can substitute as you need! I was thinking about adding some sausage or pepperoni the next time I make it.

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash 

1 Jar of sauce or 4 cups of homemade marinara sauce

2 cups of sliced portobello mushrooms

8 oz of fresh mozzarella (sliced)

1TBSP of dried oregano

 salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

9x11 rectangular pan (whatever size you have) 

Directions:
1. Roast the Spaghetti Squash (Oven at 400, cut in half lengthwise pour about 2 TBSP of EVOO on the squash between the two halves, Salt and pepper to taste Roast for about an hour or until the edges are browned.
2. Scoop out the Spaghetti from the inside of the squash into a bowl, that is exactly what it looks like, noodles, so this is going to act as noodles.

3. Brown the mushrooms in a little butter
4. Start layering the lasagna

     Start with a little sauce on the bottom of the pan
     next add a layer of squash
     add a layer of sauce
     tear up the slices of mozzarella and put on the sauce
     sprinkle oregano on top of the cheese

5. Repeat and end with cheese or sauce (your choosing)

                                     

6. Bake covered for 30 min
7. Uncover and bake for 5-10 min depending on tenderness of squash.

Enjoy!

Life changes in 10 years...and a moment.

So it has been a while since I have posted. Well a lot has happened in these last few months! It seems like a lifetime since I have eaten a good primal meal and it seems like a long time since I have done exercise. I am trying I am trying but it is hard when your life changes suddenly. It seems like one day you are taking a vacation and living it up with your good friends in Kentucky and the next min poof! You are holding a one month old baby. That is what happened to us! We have been planning adoption and waiting for the last few years and we were at the point of waiting and then we got the phone call! This post isn't about that though I have a blog devoted to the adoption here. This post is about how life changes and what to do when you don't have 9 months or even 1 month to prep for a baby. We are a gay couple, seriously, gay gay gay. You know what though we live our lives everyday we cook our meals, stimulate the economy, we bought a house, two cars, etc. We take exotic vacations to places like Owensboro, KY and eat the local cuisine (burgoo stew...and KY BBQ.). We hang with the locals and pay our taxes. The biggest difference between my relationship and one of what the government considers "real" are all the extra hoops I need to jump through. The thousand or so tax break that I don't get because my husband is a man and not a woman. The countless background checks we need to get to make sure we will be good parents and then someone tells me how many children I can have. Sounds good right? Not so much. Sometimes I feel normal, sometimes I feel second-class. I am a gay father now and when I walk around the mall with stroller I get some looks, but usually the old woman saying how cute my baby is. They look at him and wonder where is the mom, and why is this darker skinned child with this pasty white dude: assumption: mom is working, shopping, and darker skinned. One of those is correct, but I digress. About 20 years ago I imagined myself as a father at some point having a kid or three and giving them the things I had and giving them things I didn't have. I was 12 I imagined what life would be like and it involved a kid. About 15 years ago I was imagining the same thing except this time I was trying to imagine myself not in Maine, or at least living in a bigger city using public transport and shopping with my spouse and kids, going to events and what not. I had come to terms with the fact I was gay so I wasn't going to be able to get married and I would either have to convince a girl friend to have a baby for me or I would have had to adopt. Either way I wanted a kid. When I came out to myself it was hard and when I came out to my family it wasn't so hard. A few people in my life had paved the way so I knew it wouldn't be terrible, but how was I going to have a kid? As the years went on it became harder to see my future, I heard lots of negative talk about being gay and hated it. I never came out at my jobs because it didn't know how people would react. I would usually gauge the environment and then slowly drop hints and then come out. About 10 or so years ago I was participating in AmeriCorps, doing my civic duty and as part of the program our way cool program director decided to bring in a guy to do an excersise with us about our future. At this point I was screwed...I had been in the hospital a few times, transferred colleges a few times and was having a hard time in life. How was I to know what I wanted in 10 years? It was a tough excersise but I worked through it. The excersise was called Personal Catalyst or PCat. We basically had to list a few things we wanted to accomplish and then think about a time line within the next 10 years we wanted to accomplish them. Looking at the list we then had to rank from easiest to hardest. We also had to write a personal statement for our 10 year selves. Well I am glad to say with the exception of part of the last one, I have accomplished everything on my list!my personal statement went something like this (paraphrasing but I had it in my hands a year ago) I'm living in my 3 bedroom 2 bath house in a smallish city. I am legally married to my spouse and we have 2 dogs, a cat and 2.5 children. Our house has a white picked fence and walk in closets. I have an advanced degree and am working on the next step of my education. I am a teacher and have been for a few years. In our back yard we have a garden and I have learned how to pickle and preserve my own veggies. Looking at this statement I always thought it was the American dream, own a house, live in the suburbs, have some kids and some pets...walk in closets...you know the things we had as kids. How was I to know I would get everything I wanted...well almost everything. I mean I was 21, 22 years old! Well I made a plan and had 10 years to complete it. I took baby steps toward my end goal and saw them take shape. My smallest goal was to buy a farmers almanac to learn more about planting and the seasons. Since then I have planted three gardens and they have all thrived, they were small gardens but thrived none the less. Another goal was to learn to can my own veggies, check! The ultimate goal was to have the house and the kids. Which I am glad to say two years ago I bought a house and this year I adopted a child! I guess the whole point was even with all the hurdles and obstacles that I encountered in life I achieved the goals I wanted to and I am a better person for it. I received my advanced degree and hopefully in the next few years will be working toward my next phase of schooling and get a more advanced degree. I am legally married in CT, and we are working on getting that DOMA defeated so that Jeremy and I can take advantage of the thousands of tax breaks and what not that hetero married couples enjoy. Let's hope this happens in the next few years!

Chicken Adobo and Almond crackers

It's been a while since my last post to my love bacon.  As I have said on many occasions bacon has become one of my favorite foods.  I can use it for almost any meal and I can also use the remnants left in the pan.  This post is about that other meat that I eat so much of: Chicken.  The story is the same old same old, man get chicken, man cuts up chicken, man cooks chicken with veggies, man and man eat chicken.  This time though I had a breakthrough in the chicken department: a shiny new favor and recipe: Chicken Adobo.  It came in the knick of time because I was ready to not eat Bacon wrapped Chicken again so low and behold the higher power heard me and in the mail came the next issue of Cook's Illustrated, complete with Chicken Adobo recipe and also the background of how the perfect braise made the perfect meat and all the stuff they tried. So I haven't read the article just yet.  Jeremy did and told me to make it, so I did.  It is very Primal friendly.  The sauce is made of coconut milk and I subbed soy sauce for Tamari.  I don't have all the pictures from the process mostly because lately all the sauces I have been making seem to be the color of something that would come out of a 2 month old baby, not so appetizing to look at but VERY good to eat. so here is the recipe courtesy of Cook's Illustrated:
Chicken Adobo:
8 chicken thighs (bone in-skin on) trimmed
1/2 cup of Tamari
1 can coconut milk
3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
8 garlic cloves peeled
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons of pepper
1 scallion sliced thin

1. toss the chicken with the Tamari in a bowl and let it soak for 30 min to 1 hour in the fridge
2.Remove the chicken from the Tamari allowing excess to drip into the bowl, transfer chicken skin side down to a HOT 12 inch skillet.
3. Cook chicken for 7-10 min, while chicken is cooking whisk together the Tamari, coconut milk, vinegar, garlic, and spices.

4. Transfer chicken to a plate and discard fat from the pan.  Return the chicken to the pan skin side down.  Add the Tamari mixture to the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered for 20 min.  Flip chicken over and cook skin side up until the temp reaches 175.    Transfer chicken to a platter and top with a foil tent.
5. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce and skim any fat off the surface of the sauce.  return skillet to medium high heat and cook the sauce until thickened.  Pour sauce over chicken sprinkle with Scallions.

This is the finished product.  As you can see I added something else to the plate.  It's white but it isn't rice or mashed potatoes.  It's Cauliflower!  Steamed Riced Cauliflower!

1/2 head of cauliflower
1/2 cup of water
2 TBSP of butter
spices

Steam the cauliflower in whatever kind of steamer you may have. I use this one from the pampered chef, i've used one forever and when I finally got my own place I decided I needed to have my own so I bought one, then I decided I needed a bigger one so I got the bigger one.  It's great for fresh steamed and for frozen veggies.  Anyways, steam the crap outta that cauliflower (I did something like 7 min) so it kind of falls apart with a fork.

I then blend it in the food processor until it resembles rice and add the butter and whatever spices you want. It does the trick!



ALMOND CRACKERS!!!

Alright I admit I loves crackers, chips, pretzels, popcorn, and everything crunchy!!!  They are so hard to resist and yet over the past few months I have fought back the urges to eat all crackers in site.  I have occasionally have had a plain lays potato chip, and maybe one or two tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant, but I think I would have gone crazy without the one little nibble.  Nothing happened but still.  I wanted a yummy little occasional snack that I could also make into an appetizer for a party or bring to a friends house or have at one of my parties. So I was reading Mark's Daily Apple and happened upon the recipe and idea for the occasional Almond Cracker.  I followed some of the recipe, made an oops but will try them again.

Here is what I did:
Preheat oven to 350

8 oz of raw almonds
2 TBSP sunflower seeds
1 TBSP of herbs (I used some fresh Rosemary and Oregano from the Garden)
2 TBSP of olive oil
1 egg
a little parm cheese

1. Mix the almonds and sunflower seeds and herbs in the food processor until it resembles flour.
2. Add the egg and parm cheese
3. Drizzle in the Olive Oil

I ended up just patting this mixture into a cookie sheet scored the dough into squares and baking them for about 15 min.

The other suggestion is to use to sheet of parchment paper, or make the dough into a roll and freeze for 10 min and cut and bake.  My way worked fine.  I may try the other ways when I get some of that Parchment paper.

I ended up breaking them up and putting them on a wire rack to cool.

I am thinking these would be good with a little Ikea Salmon paste!

Enjoy!