Weekend Ramble: Quite the revelation tonight.....

The date is August 9, 2023.

Just another Wednesday.

My amazing wife had requested Chicken Tenders Lyon days ago.

I love when she does that.

It's one of those simple little things that makes our four decade marriage special. I love that she loves my food enough to ask for specific dishes. It makes me happy to hear her make yummy noises at the dinner table. 

Not today she didn't...

No... today she politely said the dish was not so bad when I know full well I destroyed it. I can't even go into how many steps went wrong because I'm so upset, and honestly... the details don't really matter.

Now mind you... this is a dish I have made numerous times, and it has always been a winner. Today I should have just tossed the whole thing out the door and ordered pizza. Yes... that bad.

Dinner was done an hour ago and I was scared at how badly the fiasco affected me, so I sat down here at my laptop and started thinking. Said to myself: "Michael... wtf... it's one meal... let it go."

I could not let it go. Still can't, but I'm beginning to understand... I think. I have the same strong connection to my food and cooking as I do to my forest. Both are integral parts of me... in fact they ARE who I am.

I express myself, my feelings and my love through my cooking. Corny as that may seem, it is absolutely true. 

Food is love. 

I disappointed myself today... I disappointed the woman I love... and my reaction was quite a surprise. What I realized was just how deep my connection is to food and cooking.

When I revived the blog in February of 2023 and shared dishes with online friends and food groups, people told me I was good enough to be a chef. Until then, I had reserved said title for those men and women who worked commercial brigades in 110 degree kitchens with insane hours and stresses. I started to call myself Chef Michael R.... with a bit of a smirk, to be honest.

Tonight I looked at my 125 or so recipes, my countless hours spent in my kitchen singing, dancing, cooking, smiling and feeling safe. I realized that there is more to being a chef than my previous philosophy allowed. Just like my son Steven can compose music and literally see and hear the various parts of the orchestra in his head, so can I see and taste flavor combinations in mine. 

I see flavors and I feel food. It is a part of me that is cherished beyond measure. My knife skills may not be blazing fast, but I can cook a damn good restaurant quality meal and my plating skills are getting better every day. I'm also learning every time I interact with my fellow foodies, and I love that part.

Going forward I will wear the title of Chef with pride... and next time I mess up as badly as I did tonight, I'll know better, swallow my pride and order pizza.

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Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R

Chef Michael's Blog is Independent with Zero Advertising

I want to reiterate that this blog is absolutely independent and free. It is all about the food here and maybe a little education and fun along the way.

You may see me link to an occasional vendor within a recipe if I find their recipe related product to be exceptional, but I can promise you... you will NEVER have to wade through a ton of unrelated ads that fill many blogs whose owners are trying to make a few extra bucks. I can tell you from my own internet travels that those ads can get utterly frustrating as you try to navigate a recipe.

Advertising will never be part of MDF. On that you have my word.

I like free. My recipes are free for you to use as you please. Just like Chef Jacques Pepin, I encourage my followers to take my recipes and tweak them to make them their own. 

One of the perks I offer is sharing PDF/print versions of  any of my recipes posted on the blog. Simply send me a note with said request using the Contact Form in the right hand column of any page.

My "Diabetic" Food blog was put together and is growing primarily in an effort for me to help myself in controlling my diabetic meal plan. If you're on Facebook and would like to receive diabetic friendly recipes from around the world, please join my group there titled My "Diabetic" Food (Recipes).

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Meet the Chef......

 Who IS this guy, anyway?

You're probably wondering why a middle-aged man became a blogger back in 2014, right? Considering that 99.9% of all bloggers are women (most notably my BFF Sunny from Life in Rehab who kind of "badgered" me into this venue), this man with the killer smile (ahem) must be up to something... he MUST have an agenda of some kind.... 

Well, I can tell you that I absolutely have an agenda, and that

agenda is me, Michael Reilly, the man fighting type 2 diabetes. I'm here blogging my knowledge and experience because I have learned in life that I can best help myself by helping others. I did so back in the late 1990s when I gave up smoking and was a strong voice in an online support group, eventually becoming a quit coach for a number of years. I also wrote a book I share with you on this blog as a free read. Just click HERE if interested.

You see, if you immerse yourself completely in fighting an addiction or disease, the fight becomes part of your life and it's far harder to veer off course. So here I am, fighting diabetes by sharing my recipes that help me lose weight (not always) and keep my glucose in check.

Still leery, are you? I know for a fact some of you are, because I've been in this situation before... More than a quarter century ago... damn I'm old lol... I became one of the original Mr. Moms. Yup, I was a stay-at-home dad for our two sons while my wife Carolyn pursued her shining corporate career. It was a choice we made based largely on finances, but I've never once had a single regret. Back then my "career" choice was not very common, and I encountered all kinds of worried moms and husbands. Today I laugh about it, but back then it was not really all that funny for me as I tried to fit into a predominantly female realm.

Ahhh.... I think I see a smile there... Good! All you lovely ladies are safe, and here's why: 

Meet my wife Carolyn. We met in college more than four decades ago... didn't even acknowledge each other at first, but slowwwwwly became friends, then lovers and in 1982... spouses. To this day we still kiss and hold hands in public, because simply put? She's the One. The ONLY one :-)

What else is there to know about me... 

Well, I'm a hunter as you've probably surmised by the plethora of venison dishes on my menu. I know some people don't agree with hunting, but that debate has no place on a foodie site. I DO consider myself to be what's referred to as a meat hunter, meaning I have no use for trophies. My goal on an annual basis is to fill the family freezer with prime quality meat that is free of chemicals and hormone injections. Roughly 75 lbs of lean venison puts a nice little dent in the food budget, too. :-)

(December 2023 update: My red meat consumption has been lowered to 1-2 times a month for better cardiac health since 2022... definitely a good move.)

I am also an avid wine maker. With help from trusted friends and family I make roughly 120 gallons of red wine every fall, using 1500 lbs of grapes procured from Prospero Winery in Pleasantville, NY. They truck in upwards of 125 tractor trailer loads from the Lodi Valley, CA every year to supply the many home winemakers in my area. I make wine the old school way with the only thing electric tool being my crusher. The process is called Spontaneous Fermentation and uses only the natural yeast already in the grapes. If you'd like to learn about the process of making wine this way, please visit my blog:

Let's Make Wine!

I see many bloggers profess their faith in their About Me sections. I'm not quite sure why that's an important aspect of blogging, but since I'm doing my best to fit in, I'll share mine as well. I am the Celtic Shepherd... a solitary witch following the ways of Paganism. My deity is the Blessed Mother, the chalice of all living things... Just think...  Mother Nature. My beliefs and values are based in the cycle of life, the seasons and the four classical elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. 

I like to spend time in the sacred circle by the stone altar I built on our mountaintop where I have lengthy chats with Blessed Mother. She and I have built a bond that is hard to describe, but her guidance has made me a better man with a deep love for the world around me, and that's what really matters, right? ;-)

So there you have it... Michael Reilly in a nutshell. Sure there's a lot more to me than what you see here, but I really need to get back in the kitchen and start cooking! If you want to chat more about the things that are me, just leave a message and we'll find a suitable venue. Thanks for reading!

Blessed be,
                         Michael

Oh by the way... I'm the shepherd of this little slice of paradise I call Sylvan Run... 

More on that another time, though ;-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Never Forget

September 11, 2001

Everyone over 30 knows exactly where they were that day when the first plane hit.

3000 people died in the attack and thousands more have died since because they were part of the rescue efforts and/or cleanup.

I share with you today one of the most moving and loving poems I have ever encountered so that we may continue to honor the dead.

Remember Me – Margaret Mead

To the living, I am gone.
To the sorrowful, I will never return. 
To the angry, I was cheated.
But to the happy, I am at peace.
And to the faithful, I have never left.

I cannot speak, but I can listen.
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.
So as you stand upon a shore

Gazing at the beautiful sea, remember me.
As you look in awe at a mighty forest, 
And in its grand majesty, remember me.

Remember me in your hearts,
In your thoughts, and in the memories of the 
Times we loved, the times we cried, 
The battles we fought and the times we laughed. 
For if you always think of me,

I will never have gone.

Weekend Ramble: Let me introduce you to my Mom

The Weekend Ramble comes in many shapes. Sometimes funny, sometimes educational, often quite personal. I share personal experiences and beliefs because they have shaped me to the man I am today. They have also influenced my cooking. To that end, let me introduce you to the woman who always told us that the secret to her insanely good meatballs was that she coughed on them.......

Her birthday is tomorrow, July 9, and my guess is she's having a party somewhere up in heaven.

Help me celebrate her life today. :-)

Sometimes life has a way of working itself out.

In 1979 I met the woman I proudly call Mom to this day, even though she is no longer with us. We still communicate all the time, because she and I have a bond I will never let go. When she died, I wanted nothing more than to stand before the world and share just how amazing she was, but as heavy as my heart was, I knew I was not going to be able to do so in a spoken eulogy. So I set it to the written word, and you know.... I'm glad I did, because now I can share my love, joy and pride with you. If you don't know her already, you are about to meet my Mom, the most amazing woman I have ever met. (Besides my Carolyn, of course)

A Written Tribute to Mom

 ...'cause there's no way I could get through this cohesively in person.

Concetta Vitale. . . Connie. . . our wife, our mother, our sister. . ... Our grandmother, aunt and friend. . . . Connie, the often loudmouthed, loving General who was adored by all because she never pulled punches; she never judged and she always, without fail, told you what you needed to hear, whether you liked it or not.

Connie, the consummate caregiver, the woman who gave of herself always, the woman who loved unconditionally, the matriarch who would rip you a new one without hesitation if she felt you needed it. Funny thing is...... she was always right when she did so.

I knew her simply as Mom, because that's who she was and always will be to me. I met Mom back in 1979, the same year my father passed away, when she invited me to dinner at her home when Carolyn and I were still dating. Having come from a very quiet home, I was somewhat shell-shocked when Dad showed me his gun collection in the first twenty minutes and I found the dinner table to be buzzing with at least six simultaneous conversations. Mom, of course, was apart of each and every one. And even though Carolyn had gone completely against Mom's wishes by bringing home a guy with a beard and a van, Mrs. V. welcomed me with open arms and immediately did what she did so well... she fed me. When I was full and tried to pass on a third helping, she fed me some more with a reason I have heard hundreds of times since then......

"....But it's good!"

From that day forth, I knew I was going to be not just her son-in-law, but her son. She taught me the virtues of Italian family by example. She gave me love, she gave me laughter, she smacked me in back of the head. She tested every whole wheat on the pasta on the market so that I'd eat well after learning of my heart disease. Mom taught me how to give without expecting anything in return, because that's what she did best.....give from the heart.

Connie's love for her family blossomed more and more with the arrival of each grandchild. Steve, Dillon, Alexa, Mario, Sofia, Silvio and Santino.... The seven of you are blessed to have been nurtured as well as yelled at by Grandma. Think about those times and remember them always..... Face Brutte, Precious Heart, Precious Liver..... Who besides Grandma can say those loving words and have them mean as much as they did?

Mom's Parkinson's disease, as we all know, took a severe toll on this strong woman. Not being able to care for others frustrated her to no end. That was her main concern.... the family. Connie hated this disease with a passion and fought it to the best of her ability.... Not for herself, but for her family. Her surgery last Monday, which coincided with her birthday, was supposed to give back some of her mobility. This past weekend was the best she had had in a long time. She was upbeat, smiling, laughing, and several times she said that for her birthday, she was going to become a new person. Of course we all related that to a successful outcome to the surgery....

But Mom, as always, was one step ahead of us.

You got your wish, Mom... no more pain, no more pills, no more walker, no more damned oxygen hose. Mom, you are indeed a new person now… you're an angel in heaven.

Blessed be.....and ride in Peace.

Thank you, Carolyn, Marion and Lydia for sharing your Mom with me.

Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R

New Beginnings...

 2023... A New Beginning

It's been quite some time since I posted anything here. I'll admit... the whole blogging community just got to be a tad overwhelming for me. I've still been cooking, experimenting, tweaking, exploring... and with some time on my hands I've decided to post again as some major dietary changes have made a real difference in my labs.

In early 2022 I was able to hook up with the cardiologist I had wanted to work with 20 years ago, but that was tabled as he was the new kid in the practice and it would not have sat well with senior docs if he "stole" patients. Long story short, having not seen any docs in a couple years because of the pandemic and a distinct dislike for my previous cardiologist, I simply booked an appointment online and promised to stand my ground if there were any complaints.

My first visit with Dr. T. lasted over an hour. He remembered me well and was quite happy to have the opportunity to work with me. One of his first questions was: "So how often do you eat red meat?" Being a deer hunter with a freezer full of venison, and a sausage maker as well (both dry cured and fresh) I said 4-5 times a week. His response was an audible gasp! LOL ...and he told me my red meat should be limited to..... 1-2 times A MONTH. Without hesitation I replied that there was no way that was going to happen. He didn't push, but instead explained how red meat affects the body. Still not convinced and even less thrilled, I went home and started thinking. 

Carolyn and I have a monthly subscription to Wild Alaskan Company and have been enjoying their top quality fish for several years now. I was so impressed with Dr T.'s approach that I decided to try no red meat for a week in April of 2022. On his request I also limited my alcohol to one glass of my homemade red wine per day.

In case you don't know, "red meat" includes dark meat chicken as well as pork. Yeah. 

Week one we had salmon, cod, halibut, shrimp and chicken tenders. It went pretty well, and so we moved into week two... then week three, four, five etc. My labs at the end of July were nothing but astounding. You're here so you know diabetes numbers as well as good and bad cholesterol. My results had not been this good in more than 15 years. I'll just give you one example.... A1C went from 7.9 to 6.7.

And the best part? We ate really really well the whole time to the point where even going out to restaurants I was absolutely fine ordering chicken or seafood. 

So... I'm here to tell you that you don't have to go Vegan, Vegetarian or even completely Pescatarian. I love all the seafood, sure, but my big thing was I wanted to be able to make white meat chicken without choking on the usual dryness of chicken breast.

To that end I will be reviving this blog with new recipes that reflect an even healthier yet still fun Michael's "Diabetic" Food. It may take a while for me to get back into the swing of things... looks like the blog needs some tlc, but stay tuned.... good food is coming your way!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!