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Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association – Circulation

In summary, randomized controlled trials that lowered intake of dietary saturated fat and replaced it with polyunsaturated vegetable oil reduced CVD by ≈30%, similar to the reduction achieved by statin treatment. Prospective observational studies in many populations showed that lower intake of saturated fat coupled with higher intake of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat is associated with lower rates of CVD and of other major causes of death and all-cause mortality.

Source: Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association | Circulation

Eat more plants.  Eat less of this stuff.

For those readers inclined to go deeper there is a link to the full study report on the AHA website link above.

And for readers who want an opposite point of view go to the article below.

Source: Op-Ed: Vegetable Oils, (Francis) Bacon, Bing Crosby, and the AHA | Medpage Today

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Summer Surprise

It’s been three years since the dismal Tomato Project. The plant didn’t produce a lot of fruit and the experience dampened my enthusiasm for growing fruits and vegetables. The next summer I planted a cucumber plant that bore one cuke. The passage of time helps and I eventually got over my deep emotional wounds.

“Maybe I’ll try growing cherry tomatoes this summer…” was my thought until I decided to stick with what works. The two basil plants are doing very well this year. The rosemary is also growing but the oregano seems to be struggling. The empty pot on the patio with the tomato cage still bothered me and I kept thinking about planting something else. I had noticed the clump of dead grass in the pot and didn’t give it a second thought until this morning.

It moved. Maybe it was my imagination.

It moved again. So I watered it to see what would emerge. When the head popped out I thought it was a snake. When the tiny creature crawled completely out from under the grass I was surprised to see a baby bunny.  The tiny bunny butt is at the top of the pot.

bunny 061117

I obviously cannot plant anything in that pot.

I’m growing bunnies instead.

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Buttermilk Pound Cake ala Rhonda

 

Here’s what the pound cake looks like right side up out of the pan.

Here’s the recipe.

Here’s the reviews:

Tastes like a big soft sugar cookie.

I’ll have another piece please.

I found the spaghetti !!!

It needs another stick of butter.

You can butter the sides, brown in a pan, and viola…breakfast!

Tips:

Trust your instincts and don’t use a dried spaghetti noodle to see if the cake is done.  I used a strand of fettuccine only to break off a sizeable piece.  The crowd was warned.  If you find the spaghetti don’t eat it. 

Thanks Rhonda wherever you are.  We won’t wait another 25 years before we make this cake again.

 

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Buttermilk Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter

4 large eggs

3 cups sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Grease and flour a bundt pan.  Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. Mix buttermilk and baking soda.  Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl cream butter, sugar, and salt.
  4. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each egg.
  5. Add half the buttermilk mixture and mix well.
  6. Add half of the flour and mix well.
  7. Add remaining buttermilk mixture and mix well.
  8. Add remaining flour and mix well.
  9. Add vanilla.
  10. Pour batter into your greased and floured bundt pan.
  11. Bake at 325° for one hour and 20 minutes.  Due to oven and atmospheric variations, check the cake after one hour and 10 minutes.

“Why do I always have to make dessert?”

“Because you are an excellent baker and all of your desserts taste wonderful.”

“Why don’t the neighbors ask you to make appetizers instead?”

“Because your desserts are better than my appetizers.”

Sometimes it takes time to decide what to make for a  neighborly get together.  Pound cake sounded good so we dug out this old recipe from the box.  Our first house was located on a cul-de-sac.  It was and still is a great spot to raise a young family.  A young family of four lived across the street and Rhonda was the source of this recipe.  I’ve not changed the ingredients but the instructions have been somewhat modified.

Don’t forget the strawberries and whipped cream.

pound cake

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Another Study Links Red Meat to Early Death

Source: Another Study Links Red Meat to Early Death | Medpage Today

Source: Mortality from different causes associated with meat, heme iron, nitrates, and nitrites in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: population based cohort study | The BMJ

Conclusions The results show increased risks of all cause mortality and death due to nine different causes associated with both processed and unprocessed red meat, accounted for, in part, by heme iron and nitrate/nitrite from processed meat. They also show reduced risks associated with substituting white meat, particularly unprocessed white meat.

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