Saturday, November 26, 2011

Chicken Soup recipe 11/25/11

It's that time of the year and I am reposting this recipe so those of my friends who are sick can use it. And to those who are healthy, you can use it too. =] God Bless.
Louise’s Chicken Soup
This is my version of a recipe that has been in my family for years.  It’s perfect for when you feel a cold coming on or if you have one.  There’s no added salt, spices, herbs, or oil.  If you choose to add some, you can do so when it’s done.

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Thighs
4 Chicken Drumsticks
3 – 4 Medium Onions sliced
1 – 2 Heads of Garlic, all the cloves crushed
1 – 2 Peppers sliced (red, orange, or yellow)
Put all the ingredients in a large pot with enough water to just cover everything. When the water starts to boil, put a lid on the pot and lower heat to simmer.
Simmer for an hour and a half
Then take lid off and turn the heat on high and cook uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with crackers or hot crusty bread for dunking!   

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

10/4/11 Proverbs 4 AMP

Proverbs 4

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Proverbs 4

 1HEAR, MY sons, the instruction of a father, and pay attention in order to gain and to know intelligent discernment, comprehension, and interpretation [of spiritual matters].     2For I give you good doctrine [what is to be received]; do not forsake my teaching.
    3When I [Solomon] was a son with my father [David], tender and the only son in the sight of my mother [Bathsheba],
    4He taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live.
    5Get skillful and godly Wisdom, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation); do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth.
    6Forsake not [Wisdom], and she will keep, defend, and protect you; love her, and she will guard you.
    7The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation).
    8Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her.
    9She shall give to your head a wreath of gracefulness; a crown of beauty and glory will she deliver to you.
    10Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life shall be many.
    11I have taught you in the way of skillful and godly Wisdom [which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God]; I have led you in paths of uprightness.
    12When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered [your path will be clear and open]; and when you run, you shall not stumble.
    13Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.
    14Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
    15Avoid it, do not go on it; turn from it and pass on.
    16For they cannot sleep unless they have caused trouble or vexation; their sleep is taken away unless they have caused someone to fall.
    17For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
    18But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared].
    19The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
    20My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings.
    21Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart.
    22For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.
    23Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.
    24Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you.
    25Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you.
    26Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright.
    27Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Eng102 1st short essay.

Louise McGuire
Eng102.0831
Professor Ken Cottrell

Diagnostic Essay 9/8/11


              I decided to return to school in order to serve along side my husband, Pastor Chris Floret, in ministry.  I knew I wanted to go back to school, but I wanted a major that could help me serve the community where we were to have a church in.  At LaGuardia Community College, they offered the option “Labor and Community Organizing” under the Liberal Arts Major and I knew that would be the degree program for me.  The classes they offered in human services, social sciences, speech communications, and writing would help me serve the community in the capacity I need to.
          I knew going back to school at the age of forty-five would not be easy, but I knew that it was something I had to do in order to move forward in my life.  I have attempted many careers in my life such as hairdressing, secretary, school security, etc., but none were as fulfilling as being a pastor’s wife and doing what I am called to do by God. 
As my forty-sixth birthday approaches, I am entering into my third semester at LaGuardia Community College.  I have no regrets in this decision I have made to go to school here and I look forward to finishing my degree and going on to do what I am called to be in this life. 

Friday, September 9, 2011

Heritage Comparison Essay Revision (completed in April 2011)

Louise McGuire
ENG 101.0772
Dr. Elizabeth H. McCormick    

 

Heritage Comparison Essay Revision


It amazes me how different my grandparent’s world was compared to mine when it came to getting meat, poultry, eggs, and milk.  Back in 1911, everybody had their own livestock in their yards.  Farms were either down the block or in the next town over.  We will be looking at how my grandparents, back in 1911, got their poultry, eggs, meat and milk compared to how I get them now in 2011.  Then, we will look at how we can change the way we get our food today.
          In 1911, my grandparents raised their own chickens for food and eggs.  The chicken coop was in the yard and the chickens had a healthy diet of bugs, worms, and grass.  When my grandparents wanted to have chicken for dinner, all they had to do was go out into the yard and get one, kill it, pluck it, and cook it.  For eggs, you just got them out from under a hen in her nest.  Now in 2011, I have to go the supermarket and get my eggs and chicken off a refrigerated shelf.  The chicken meat and eggs arrive on a truck from an industrial / factory farm out of state.  The eggs have been gathered and the poultry slaughtered just a few days ago.    These farms produce eggs and chickens by the thousands.  They house the hens that lay eggs in what is called “battery cages” in windowless barns so they produce eggs all year round.  It makes the hens think it’s still warm out.  The cages are stacked on top of one another and the hens can’t move or spread their wings and standing on the wire floor of the cage damages their feet.  Sometimes, the hen’s toes grow around the wire floor of the cage and they have to cut the toe off.   The eggs are collected in baskets under the cages along with the droppings from the hens.  The farms that house the hens for meat keep them in overcrowded, climate controlled barns that are also windowless.  Both of these types of industrial / factory farms debeak the hens to prevent fighting between the hens.  They are all fed a diet of corn, soy, and grains.  In contrast to what my grandparents ate, this chicken meat has been pumped with hormones, antibiotics, and left sitting in chicken broth to keep it fresh looking.
          In 1911, my grandparents had their own goats for milk.  Like the chickens, the goats were free to run about the yard and eat the grass; they were not kept in a cage or stall.  If I want goat milk, I have several choices at the supermarket.  I can get it in a box, a can, or in a powdered form from a company that processes it out of state. According to the Meyenberg website, the largest goat milk producers in the United States, their goat milk is not treated with growth hormones or antibiotics.  Their goats roam freely and are fed a natural diet that includes hay, alfalfa, grass, clover, and water.  The goats are raised in California and the milk is pasteurized and homogenized there.  From what my mom told me, you cannot compare today’s goat milk, to the taste of the fresh milk straight from the goat.      
When my grandparents wanted beef, pork, or lamb in 1911, they got it at the local butcher.  The local butcher received the meat the same day or the day after the animal was slaughtered and it came from a farm just out of town.  The cows, pigs, and lambs roamed freely and ate a natural diet off the land.  Now I purchase lamb imported from Australia, beef from California, and pork chops from Kansas.  The pork and beef come from industrial / factory farms while the lamb is pasture raised.  According to the web sites for the Kansas Pork Association and California Cattlemen Association, these farms feed the animals corn, grain, and soy.  In the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, it is stated these animals are not being fed their natural diet of grass nor are they allowed to roam freely.  They are in pens and standing ankle deep in manure and are very stressed by the conditions they are in.  Like the poultry I purchase, this meat too, is pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.  The lamb meat, imported from Australia, is free range and fed a natural diet, according to the Australia Meat web site.  They do not mention if their meat contains any hormones or antibiotics.   
          I would love to raise my own farm animals like my grandparents did. However, current city health laws prohibit this.  According to the New York City Health Code, §161.01. Wild animals prohibited, listed on the Animal Care & Control web site, animals, such as goats, cows, horses, roosters, etc., are prohibited from being in your house or roaming around your property.  You can have hens, but if a neighbor complains, they can be designated a nuisance, and the authorities can take them away.  It states in the “City Chicken Guide” from JustFood.org, that you could also be fined anywhere from two hundred to two thousand dollars for a nuisance complaint about chickens in your possession.  Owen Taylor, a training and livestock coordinator from JustFood.org, gave advice in an interview titled “Urban Agriculture: Raising Chickens in New York City” with thekitchn.com, by stating to give your neighbors eggs from your hens, keep your chicken coops clean and hopefully nobody will complain.  In 1911, practically everybody had his or her own chickens and nobody complained about it.  It was the only way to eat back then.
          Remembering the stories my grandmother and mother told me, reviewing the book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser, and going through all this research, I am exploring how I can go back to the way my grandparents ate in 1911.  Instead of going to the supermarket, I can go to the greenmarkets for fresh organic pasture raised meat, poultry, eggs, and goat milk from the tri-state area.  These products may not be as “fresh” as they might have been in 1911 (the meat does come frozen), but I believe it will be just as good and healthy.
          In conclusion, this comparison was real eye opener for me as to what is going on in the meat and poultry industry.  We need to go back and raise farm animals for food like they use to in 1911 when it was healthier, tastier, and fresher. 

 

Louise’s Chicken Soup


This is my version of a recipe that has been in my family for years.  It’s perfect for when you feel a cold coming on or if you have one already.  There’s no added salt, spices, herbs, or oil.  If you choose to add some, you can do so when it’s done.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Thighs
4 Chicken Drumsticks
3-4 Medium Onions sliced
1-2 Heads of Garlic, all the cloves crushed
1-2 Peppers sliced (red, orange, or yellow)

Put all the ingredients in a large pot with enough water to just cover everything.  When the water starts to boil, put a lid on the pot and lower the heat to simmer.  Simmer for an hour and a half. 
Then take lid off and turn the heat on high and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. 
Serve with crackers or hot crusty bread for dunking!











References:
“Battery Egg Farming”
          www.wesleyan.edu

“Poultry Farming” & “Factory Farming”
          www.en.wikipedia.org

Meyenberg Goat Milk Products
          www.meyenberg.com

Kansas Pork Association
          www.kspork.org

California Cattlemen’s Association
          www.calcattlemen.org

Australian Lamb Meat
          www.australian-meat.com

New York Animal Care & Control
www.nycacc.org/nychealthcode
Interview with Owen Taylor, Livestock and Training Coordinator At Just Food
“Urban Agriculture: Raising Chickens in New York City”
          www.thekitchn.com

City Chicken Guide
          www.justfood.org
                  
“Fast Food Nation”
 By Eric Schlosser

The stories my mom told me about my grandparents when they were young.

The stories my grandmother told me (when I was a teenager) about when she and my grandfather were young. 

Just a little note:          Both my grandparents were born in the 1890’s.  My grandfather is a World War I Veteran and he passed in 1966, just after I was born.  My grandmother passed in 1982, when I was 16.








Thursday, August 18, 2011

Getting Ready to Go Back to School

    Summer is almost over & believe it or not, I can not wait to go back to school.  I honestly miss it; getting a ride in from my husband, being around my fellow classmates, being kept busy with homework, etc.  I look forward to setting foot on campus again.
     Take Care.
      Louise
    

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Psalm 3

Lord how they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause and calmly think of that]!
I lay down and slept; I wakened again, for the Lord sustains me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have st themselves against me round about.
Arise, O Lord; save me O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongs to the Lord; May Your blessing be  upon Your people. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Proverbs 10:3 AMP

The Lord will not allow the [uncompromisingly] righteous to famish, but He thwarts the desire of the wicked.