A Dude's Guide. . . to everything

Dude Food: Orzo Salad

by Richard

In most of these Dude Food posts I’ll talk about delicious foods that are designed to be scarfed up by dudes and, maybe, enjoyed by wives. This time, though, I’m aiming straight for the wives. Well, at least the stereotype of the wives.

Seriously, though, how many times have you gone out, your wife has ordered a salad and you’ve just sneered and asked for more meat? Yeah. What I figured. Still, this recipe is something I enjoyed, so I thought you might like it as well. And, the fact that you’ll be able to cause your wife to smile in glee. . . Well, that helps.

Here’s what you’ll need.

1 16 ounce box orzo pasta
1 cup dried cranberries
1 small diced red onion
1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper and 1 green pepper diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 pieces of celery diced

First, cook the orzo according to directions. For those of you who don’t know, orzo is a kind of pasta about the size and shape of rice. Once you’ve got the orzo cooking and the rest of the ingredients chopped and diced and sliced, you can start on the dressing. Here’s what you’ll need for that.

Once you’ve got the dressing assembled, drain the orzo. Put the orzo in a large bowl and combine it with all the other solid ingredients. When that’s done, pour the dressing over the orzo mixture. Mix and then chill for about an hour before serving.

Be sure to make a big deal about this when you’re serving. Make it look like it was harder than it really was and you’ll get even more bonus points. Always helpful for when you forget you’re actually married and start slobbing around the house.

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Dudeversary II

by Richard

Just a little self-congratulations for me and Barry here. We’ve been at this thing for two years and two days. Still going strong. Ish. Well, I mean Barry wants to post more, it’s just that he’s got an actual job that requires him to work actual hours and that makes it tough.

Anyway, we’re all excited about the beginning of year three. We’ve got plans out the wazoo, not that getting out of the wazoo ever did anyone any good in the long term. I mean, what do you say? Howdy, I’m from the wazoo? Just exactly how does that help.

Right, that’s what I thought. And I also thought it was far, far off topic.

To get year three off on a great start, we’re going to take the rest of the day off. Hey, I didn’t say we’re going to get year three off to a great start for you.

Have a great weekend.

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Freaky Friday: The Memory Blues

by Richard

I love blueberries. So should every right-thinking individual. I always buy them, whenever I can remember to do so. And so should every right-thinking individual. (boy, that last sentence sounds familiar. Oh, well.) Turns out theres a reason to buy and eat blueberries beyond the fact that they’re delicious, so round and firm and. . . *ahem*

Scientists are reporting the first evidence from human research that blueberries — one of the richest sources of healthful antioxidants and other so-called phytochemicals — improve memory. They said the study establishes a basis for comprehensive human clinical trials to determine whether blueberries really deserve their growing reputation as a memory enhancer. A report on the study appears in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

This is great news. Normally when scientists find that something is good for you, it’s something you’d rather shove up your collective noses rather than actually eat. But not this time.

In the study, one group of volunteers in their 70s with early memory decline drank the equivalent of 2-2 l/2 cups of a commercially available blueberry juice every day for two months. A control group drank a beverage without blueberry juice. The blueberry juice group showed significant improvement on learning and memory tests, the scientists say. “These preliminary memory findings are encouraging and suggest that consistent supplementation with blueberries may offer an approach to forestall or mitigate neurodegeneration,” said the report.

I think I’m going to go out right now and buy some blueberry juice. I’ll start drinking it, too. I don’t care if I take a hit in the carbs (seeing as how I’m being forced to participate making a lifestyle change to consume fewer carbohydrates) if it will mean a boost to my memory. I mean, just the other day I couldn’t remember the name of the book where the little dudes crash on an island and then go feral. (It’s Lord of the Flies, just so you know) It was the most frustrating thing.

Hopefully the blueberry infusion will help me with that, um, the thingy. You know.

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