Caesalpinia bonduc (Buddha Beans)

My new neighbor brings over 16 Knicker Nuts as a gift. He calls them "good luck" beans and claims to have amassed a collection of 30,000 beans.

The seed is within a hollow hard wooden sphere about 1/2 inch in diameter. The seed is "designed" to float on ocean currents. The plant is found on all continents near beaches in pantropical locations. This method of reproduction is pretty brilliant as an example of invention by endless mindless mutations...{Mrs Phred is going to the Galapagos next week to doublecheck Darwin's wild new theories)...

He explains that if you drill a small hole in the sphere and plant it, a plant from hell will emerge covered with stickers and spines. It grows quickly, scrambles over everything and is impossible to uproot.

I think I'll save mine and pack them away near my assault rifle ammo in case I ever have a problem with someone that doesn't justify the use of lethal force

Caesalpinia bonduc seeds have been used in the folklore medicine since long time. The use of this plant has been quoted in the Ayurvedic and traditional scriptures.[1] Plant is reported to have multiple restorative properties like anthelmintic, antibacterial, antidiuretic and recently it has received considerable attention to treat Diabetes.

C. bonduc F. (family: Caesalpiniaceae) is a large, scandent, prickly shrub found throughout the hotter and southern parts of India. It is a large straggling, thorny shrub, the branches are armed with hooks and straight, hard yellow prickles. The leaves are compound. The flowers are pale yellow in color, in supra-axillary racemes at the top. The fruits are inflated pods, covered with prickles, 6 cm long, and 1-2 seeds per pod. The seeds are globular, hard, bluish grey in color with a smooth shiny surface.

C. bonduc has numerous synonyms like Duhsparsa – difficult to touch, Kantaki karanja – having prickles; Vajra bijaka - having hard seeds, Kanta phala – has fruits covered with prickles, etc. It is attributed to be an aphrodisiac and general tonic helping in the rejuvenation of the body.[2] The roasted seed powder is used as an antileprotic. The seeds are useful as anti-inflammatory,[3] antidiabetic, antiperiodic, antipyretic, etc.[4,5]

Halibut Recipes

 I think that halibut has a great texture but not much taste. It makes a great platform for other tastes like capers and lemon pepper. Here are a few recipes that I've created or stolen....go online for more ideas....

 Bob's Old Bay Halibut Recipe (best with "skin on" halibut)

 Two Halibut steaks (6 to 8 oz each)
2/3 can diced tomato (or chop your own medium tomato)
1 can butter beans  (or Great Northern or Cannellini beans)
1 heaping teaspoon Old Bay spice
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
2 heaping tablespoons pesto
2 lemon slices
2 sheets (18 x 18" each) aluminum foil

 Preheat oven to 400°F and combine beans, tomatoes, Old Bay spice and Garlic. Place Halibut skin down on aluminum foil and cover with bean mixture. Add pesto and lemon slice and fold foil into packet. Bake about 20 minutes or until halibut flakes easily. Do not overcook fish.....

Tuscan Halibut (best with "skin on" halibut)

 4 sheets (12 x 18" each) Reynolds Wrap® heavy-duty aluminium foil
2 cans (15 oz. each) Great Northern or Cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 tbsp. prepared pesto, divided
4 (4 to 6 oz. each) Alaska Halibut steaks
4 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. lemon pepper
4 lemon slices

Preheat oven to 450°F and combine beans, tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons pesto; mix well. Center ¼ of bean mixture on each foil sheet. Top with one Alaska Halibut steak; drizzle with lemon juice. Sprinkle halibut with lemon pepper. Top with lemon slices. Bring up sides of foil and double fold. Double fold ends to form four packets, leaving room for heat circulation inside packets. Bake 16 to 20 minutes on a cookie sheet in oven. Serve with remaining pesto. Makes 4 servings

ALASKA HALIBUT ROYAL (best with "skin off" halibut)

1 cup dry white wine
2 tsp. salt
1 ½ lbs. Alaska Halibut steaks
¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs
½ cup each sour cream & mayonnaise
¼ cup minced green onions
paprika
Combine wine and salt; pour over halibut. Marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour. Drain halibut on paper towels; dip both sides in breadcrumbs. Place halibut in shallow buttered baking dish. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise and green onions; spread over halibut. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part, or until halibut flakes when tested with a fork

Grilled Fresh Alaska Halibut (best with "skin on" halibut)

1 pound (454g) halibut fillet
lemon pepper, salt (for seasoning)
Preheat the grill. Place the halibut skin side down on oiled tinfoil, sprinkle with lemon-pepper-salt mix, and close the grill cover and cook only until the flesh flakes with a plastic fork.

To Accompany:
Consider sliced red peppers and mushrooms wrapped in tinfoil and steamed on the grill
Wild rice i s also nice if there are indoor cooking facilities

SPICY DENALI ALASKA HALIBUT (good with skin on or off)

• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 1 ½ tsp. each dried oregano and dried thyme
• 1 tsp. each onion powder and garlic powder
• 1 tsp. each black pepper and salt
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 ½ tbsp. butter, melted
• 4 (6 oz. each) Alaska halibut steaks, thawed if necessary

Mix together all dry-seasoning ingredients until well combined. Place Alaska Halibut steaks on a non-stick or spray-coated baking sheet or broiler pan. Brush butter onto top surface of halibut. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon seasoning mixture over the surface of each halibut steak. Broil 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Store remaining seasoning mixture in airtight container for future use.


HALIBUT WITH CAPERS (best with "skin off" halibut)


1 tablespoon olive oil
2 halibut steaks (6 to 8 oz)
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon minced or chopped garlic
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper
3 tablespoon capers with butter

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the halibut steaks on all sides until nicely browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.

Pour the wine into the pan, and use a spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce to almost nothing, then stir in the garlic, butter and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for a minute to blend the flavors.

Return the steaks to the pan, and coat them with sauce. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve fish immediately with the sauce from the pan poured over it.

Blackened halibut or salmon (best with "skin off" halibut)

Ingredients to serve four:
2 Tablespoons ground paprika
1 Tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 pieces of salmon or halibut (about 6 oz each).
1/2 cup butter

Directions

In a small bowl, mix paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, basil and oregano.

Brush fillets on both sides with melted butter, and sprinkle evenly with the cayenne pepper mixture. then rebrush one side of each fillet with melted butter.

In a large, heavy skillet over high heat, cook salmon, butter side down, until blackened, 2 to 5 minutes. Turn fillets, drizzle with remaining butter, and continue cooking 2 to 5 more minutes until blackened and fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Consider moving the fish around a little occasionally while cooking to prevent the spices from sticking to the pan. I used an olive oil spray to lubricate the pan before adding the fish...... Remember: It is against the laws of nature to overcook fish until it is dry and tough. DON'T DO IT!

The Great Banana Peel Hoax

They Call Me Mellow Yellow

The barbecued bananas were excellent. You grill a whole banana about five minutes until the skin turns black and the juice starts running out. Then carefully peel back the skin and lace the hot fruit with cinnamon and lots of whipped cream. It’s kind of like banana cream pie but not as chunky and without any crust.

I’ve read you can lower your blood pressure with lots of fruit and vegetables in your diet.

I examine the blackened banana peels as if they were chicken innards. They appear at first to have some form of writing on the inner surface and perhaps a miraculous Elvis head image. One peel says 11111011100, which is 2012 in decimal. The other has a perfect Elvis head image. I remain skeptical about banana peels even though the Mayans (who used base 20 numbering) thought the world would end in 2012. What does a banana peel know? And why would it use binary? It all resolves into randomness from the cooking process. Than it comes to me where I've seen blackened peels like this before.

It’s 1966 in San Francisco. Mrs. Phred and I are visiting an apartment to see her friends. It’s the weekend and I’ve driven down from Navigator school in Sacramento to be with her.

Some of the people have painted their faces blue on one side and green on the other for some reason. There are lots of mattresses on the floor so that it appears that lots of people live here. The conversations seem weirdly disjointed. The talk is about the teenyboppers that are moving into the district and ruining the ambiance.

Jimmy is a friend of Mrs. Phred. He opens the apartment’s little gas oven and shows me hundreds of blackened banana peels that he is drying on trays. Word is circulating that you can get very high smoking dried banana peels.

It seemed unlikely to me. I remember hoping that they had eaten the bananas first. This became known as the Great Banana Peel Hoax of 1966. If you do the barbecued banana thing, tell me what the inside of the peel reveals.

Mt. Washington Cog Railway

Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

The Mt. Washington cog railroad was approved by the New Hampshire state legislature in 1866. It was the world’s first cog railroad. Some state legislators hooted and suggested approving an extension to the moon. However, the railway opened in 1869 and President Ulysses S. Grant brought his family to take the ride two months later. A lodge at the top offered the affluent cool summer views.

I stick out my head to snap some pictures and end up with tiny coal chunks in my hair and on my face. These locomotives look like a fire on the mountain from ten miles away. They burn over a ton of soft (bituminous) coal on each ascent. They force a huge amount of air through the burning coal to produce the steam and blow black smoke and coal chunks up through the stack... After a mile, we stop to take on water.


The Appalachian trail intersects the rail line near the summit. The New Hampshire segment of the trail is considered the most rugged and difficult for hikers. There are hundreds of stone cairns along the trail here. We see one lone hiker. Hikers have been known to “moon” the trains but this hiker disappoints us.


As we approach the summit visibility drops to 30 feet. Winds today are forecast at 50 to 70 MPH. It is cold. I remember the rule of thumb from flying that the temperature drops two degrees centigrade for every thousand foot of elevation gain.


The coal-powered steam cog train grinds to the top at 6.288 feet in just over an hour at an average speed of 3 MPH. We have ridden cog trains in Scotland and Switzerland but nothing with such archaic engines.


At the 20 minute stop at the summit, 75 old men from two trains head for the three urinals and two toilets. Time passes slowly. I can only shudder to consider what the women must be enduring.