tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79264542024-03-23T11:10:21.626-07:00jam i am"i jam, therefore i am." --jam--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-62901749990876303862013-12-04T08:10:00.000-08:002013-12-04T08:10:14.447-08:00Recipe: Deer John's Christmas Chili<br />
For Christmas the past few years, the guys in our family have each gotten two containers of chili from me. I use the RubberMaid TakeALong 2-cup Twist and Seal containers. It's just the right amount for a hearty lunch portion. They freeze well and are microwaveable. Enough of that - here's the recipe: <br />
<br />
1-2 pounds <span class="il">deer</span> meat cut into 1/2" cubes<br /> (a 10-12" section of backstrap or one of the bigger hind quarter roasts will do the trick)<br />
Marinade (I use Allegro Hickory Smoke marinade)<br /><br />3 cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes<br /> (OR 2 cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes, 1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles)<br />3 cans dark red kidney beans<br /> (OR 2 cans kidney beans and 1 can black beans)<br />
<br />2-3 cloves garlic, diced<br />1/2 yellow or purple onion, diced<br />1 bell pepper, chopped<br />1 stalk celery, chopped<br />2 cans beef broth<br />1 package <span class="il">chili</span> seasoning (regular McCormick, or whatever)<br />1-2 tablespoons <span class="il">chili</span> powder<br />
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin<br /><br /><a href="http://jamiam.blogspot.com/2010/01/venison-getting-it-ready-to-cook.html">Prepare the meat.</a> Cube meat and cover with marinade. Allow 2-6 hours to marinade.<br /><br />Combine tomatoes, beef broth, beans, <span class="il">chili</span> seasoning pack, <span class="il">chili</span> powder, and cumin in a large pot and begin to simmer.<br />
<br />Saute the bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in a pan until the onions are translucent. Add to large pot.<br /><br />Cook the
meat in a hot skillet (cast iron works great for this) until about medium
rare (it will finish cooking later). Immediately drain excess juices. If you have a lot of meat and a
small pan, you may have to do this part in batches.<br />
<br />Add the meat to the large pot. Cover, leave on low heat for several hours.
Be careful that the flame is low enough that you don't scorch the <span class="il">chili</span> on the bottom of the pan! Nothing tastes worse than burnt <span class="il">chili</span>.<br /><br />
Serve with a cold beer and corn bread. Watch people laugh, cry, and slap their mamas.<br /><br /><br />NOTES: <br />1. The reason I don't just use two packages of <span class="il">chili</span> seasoning instead of 1 package + the extra <span class="il">chili</span> powder & cumin, is that the packages of <span class="il">chili</span> seasoning tend to be a bit salty.<br />
2. You can also add a can of sweet corn in with it. Adds a nice flavor.<br />3. A touch of liquid smoke also adds a nice flavor.<br />4. Be careful not to overcook the <span class="il">deer</span>
meat. It will taste like liver! <br />
5. I tend to use closer to 2 lbs of meat. That means you should probably have a
little too much, so you can sample it often while cooking. :)--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-32990910855693007822010-01-30T15:10:00.000-08:002010-01-30T15:45:56.226-08:00Recipe: Hunter's PieHunter's Pie is my variation on the old favorite, Shepherd's Pie. As you might guess, the main variation is venison instead of ground beef. I also top mine with coarse-smashed potatoes with the skins on (instead of whipped potatoes like Mom makes). This is a very quick-fix meal and is a good staple year round. Enjoy!<br /><br />Filling:<br />1 lb venison, cubed in 1/4" cubes<br />1 half bell pepper, diced<br />1 half small onion, diced<br />1 can sweet corn, drained thoroughly<br /><br />Smashed potatoes:<br />3 medium Russet or red potatoes<br />6 oz grated cheddar cheese<br />2 tablespoons butter<br />1/2 cup sour cream<br /><br />salt<br />pepper<br />garlic powder<br />olive oil<br /><br />Baking dish: I use a baking dish that is about 6" x 9"x 2 1/2". You could probably use a wide bread pan, a 1 1/2 quart casserole, or some similar dish. As long as you don't go too much larger on the size, you should be fine without modifying the recipe. At most, you may need to add another potato to the recipe.<br /><br />Filling:<br /><a href="http://jamiam.blogspot.com/2010/01/venison-getting-it-ready-to-cook.html">Prepare the meat</a>, seasoning with salt, pepper, and garlic pepper. Brown in a skillet using a small amount of olive oil. In a separate pan, saute the onions in a small amount of olive oil until they begin to clear. Add the bell pepper and continue to saute until the peppers soften. Mix meat, onion, bell pepper, and corn together in baking dish.<br /><br />Smashed potatoes:<br />Cut potatoes into 1"- 2" cubes, leaving the skins on. Boil in a large pot until they begin to soften. Drain water and return to pan. Add butter and sour cream. Smash potatoes, leaving large lumps, using a potato masher, large fork, or large spoon, making sure butter and sour cream are thoroughly mixed.<br /><br />Top filling with the smashed potatoes. Top with crushed black pepper. Cover with grated cheese. Place in 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve!<br /><br /><br />Variations:<br />Substitute corn with peas and carrots<br />Saute 1/2 stalk celery with onions and peppers.<br />Use your favorite marinade on meat (anything with hickory smoke tastes great!)<br />Use 1/3 cup whipping cream in place of sour cream.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-5448022254603749412010-01-25T14:15:00.001-08:002010-02-01T07:24:26.223-08:00Recipe: Deer-osThis one is a play on the Greek Gyros (pronounced "yee-rohs"). I'll make this recipe as simple as possible, then describe some ways to extend it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKOX-aielXaY5DGqW97OKqCiHOWjRU_-pUit71sCEZVC9hFlXAxQcKQMnxc1PjdNjw3rwv60o1SwVCkPkIkV1NaYPRiuCfNxBqfGxFkvNjMAQVJqLqZI9oWTt_jFCADl93uw23A/s1600-h/cavenders.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 97px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKOX-aielXaY5DGqW97OKqCiHOWjRU_-pUit71sCEZVC9hFlXAxQcKQMnxc1PjdNjw3rwv60o1SwVCkPkIkV1NaYPRiuCfNxBqfGxFkvNjMAQVJqLqZI9oWTt_jFCADl93uw23A/s320/cavenders.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430810064659428274" border="0" /></a><br /><br />1.5 lb hindquarter roast<br />Cavender's Greek Seasoning<br />olive oil<br />1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped<br />1 bell pepper, sliced<br />1 medium yellow onion, sliced or diced<br />Sour cream or Greek yogurt<br />Feta cheese<br />Pita bread<br /><br /><a href="http://jamiam.blogspot.com/2010/01/venison-getting-it-ready-to-cook.html">Prepare the meat.</a>Slice the meat into thin slices, <a href="http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/tips/qt/acrossthegrain.htm">cutting across the grain</a>. Cover the bottom of a baking dish (like a 9x13" pan), laying the meat flat. Season with the Greek Seasoning. Continue adding layers and seasoning with the remaining meat. Cover with stretch wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.<br /><br />Saute onion and bell pepper in a little bit of olive oil until both are softened. Cook meat in a separate pan, only cooking enough to cover the bottom of the pan without crowding the meat. Continue until all meat is cooked.<br /><br />Heat pita bread in oven or lightly oiled pan. Assemble deer-os pita bread by adding meat, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, and sour cream (or yogurt). Serve!<br /><br />That's really it! If you want to get fancier about it, replace the sour cream with tzatziki sauce (see recipe below). You can also put chopped tomato, black olives, or whatever your heart desires! Just have fun with it. Yell, "Opa!" and throw something. Just make sure to eat the deer-os.<br /><br />Tzatziki Sauce:<br /><br />16 ounces plain yogurt<br />1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped<br />Pinch kosher salt<br />4 cloves garlic, finely minced<br />1 tablespoon olive oil<br />2 teaspoons red wine vinegar<br />5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced<br /><br />Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.<br /><br />Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.<br /><p></p>--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-65671856683227558232010-01-22T13:38:00.000-08:002010-02-01T07:24:43.662-08:00Recipe: Basic (Awesome-tasting) Venison SteaksI'll start off the recipes with this basic steak recipe. This is a great way to introduce yourself or a friend to venison. This is a can't-go-wrong way of cooking steaks, it's as easy as it gets, and will make the eyes of everyone at your table roll to the back of their heads.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1 section of backstrap or 1 hindquarter roast<br />Allegro Hickory Smoke Marinade (or substitute your favorite marinade)<br />olive oil<br />salt<br />pepper<br /><br /><a href="http://jamiam.blogspot.com/2010/01/venison-getting-it-ready-to-cook.html">Prepare the meat.</a> Cut into 1 1/2" steaks. Tenderize. Cover in marinade for 2 hours. Remove from marinade, salt and pepper to your liking. Cook on hot charcoal or gas grill, George Foreman grill, or hot cast iron skillet until medium rare. Remove from heat. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on each steak. Let sit for 3-5 minutes before serving.<br /><br />Serve with: Salad, baked potato, fresh aparagus, a good beer or red wine (merlot or shiraz), good friends.<br /><br />----------------<br />Hints:<br />Never cut a steak to see if it's done. This lets all the juices run out and you'll end up with dry meat. Learn to gauge doneness by the finger method (how tender it feels tells how done it it) or using a meat thermometer. Thermometers are cheap and will help you make perfect steaks time after time.<br />The olive oil drizzled at the end will help make up for the lack of fat inherent in venison. Don't drown the steak, just a drizzle will do.<br /><br />Leftovers:<br />Keep any leftovers (if there are any!) in a baggie in the refrigerator. Saturday morning, cut the leftovers up into small cubes, toss them in a pan with a little bit of oil to heat them back up. Put them in an omelet with sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, and cheese.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-27657179675980614312010-01-22T07:09:00.000-08:002010-01-22T13:32:05.318-08:00Venison, Part 3: Getting it ready to cook.At this point, we have some meat in the freezer or fridge. Let's cook it! Right? Well, not just yet. We have to get it <span style="font-style: italic;">ready </span>to cook. There are a few things I do every time I cook venison to make sure it tastes good and is tender. I never skip this part. Again, everyone has their opinions about whether to do this and how to do it. This is what I do and it works for me.<br /><br />First off, if the meat is frozen, thaw it out in the fridge (should take a day, sometimes two). Now that you have the meat thawed out, you're going to soak it overnight in salt-water in the refrigerator. This will draw most of the remaining blood out of the meat. I know lots of people who soak it overnight in milk, wine, brine, etc. Personally, I think it's a waste of good milk to soak it in milk, brining is useful only for certain recipes, and wine can be a great marinade once the meat has been soaked overnight in salt water. Again, that's just me - but it works.<br /><br />Using a large bowl or pan that is large enough for the meat to get lost in, make a solution of salt water. This doesn't have to be salty enough to be considered brine. I will typically use a large mixing bowl for smaller cuts or a 5-quart pot for larger cuts. I'll add about 3 tablespoons of salt in the mixing bowl and about 1/3 cup or so to the large pot. Then fill it with water and stir until the salt is dissolved. Soak the meat, completely submerged, in the salt water overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, take the meat out of the salt water and dry it out a bit by squeezing the water out (your hands are clean, right?) and patting it with paper towels.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHkYJLBw_M3dCCe8CKYW3qchj6_hhcNwLYZ4ECEJA7_3et7bdDI97x1FmqVq0218bNBtHY3Y1NqG41DX1xenzEUUbO6J5y4N_X4vzgMEA1pOlv_wz4D3rCTxj6eiKDar9_Ual0g/s1600-h/31G771WRW5L._SL500_AA280_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHkYJLBw_M3dCCe8CKYW3qchj6_hhcNwLYZ4ECEJA7_3et7bdDI97x1FmqVq0218bNBtHY3Y1NqG41DX1xenzEUUbO6J5y4N_X4vzgMEA1pOlv_wz4D3rCTxj6eiKDar9_Ual0g/s320/31G771WRW5L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429589513496149346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />At this point, we're on to seasoning and tenderizing. I have one of these handy (but somewhat scary-looking) gadgets shown to the right. It's a Nor Pro Grip-Ez Professional Meat Tenderizer. You can buy them online or at some of the big kitchen stores at the mall. When you push it down on the meat, all of those nail-looking things go into the meat. This helps break down some of the connective tissues and any tough muscle tissues, making the meat tender. There are other types of tenderizers that work similarly, using "nails" or blades to puncture the meat. I do not use the hammer-type tenderizers unless the recipe calls for the meat to be beaten down to a wafer-thin slice.<br /><br />If I'm cooking a roast whole, I'll use the tenderizer on all sides to make sure I've tenderized the whole thing all the way through. If I'm cooking steaks, I'll usually cut them a little thicker than I want, because using the tenderizer will smash them down a little bit. If I'm cooking the meat in small chunks or cubes, I'll first cut the meat into steaks, tenderize them, then cut into the chunks or cubes.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kGhhY437fiSTacdzyWE-YMpnGDRN7gVZaCl6LKCuJtYQXttTWe7-Al2eodqVWGJEcp5NoHIFAEXywXxUgQ2fxOtJCF1x6RHH-oOiQM4KAX9wwRos8uDptwwsTaog2jt1I0UnMA/s1600-h/allegro.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 90px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kGhhY437fiSTacdzyWE-YMpnGDRN7gVZaCl6LKCuJtYQXttTWe7-Al2eodqVWGJEcp5NoHIFAEXywXxUgQ2fxOtJCF1x6RHH-oOiQM4KAX9wwRos8uDptwwsTaog2jt1I0UnMA/s320/allegro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429594256735479762" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now, the meat is ready to be seasoned or marinated. There are lots and lots of marinades available. Lately, I've been using the Allegro marinades which come in a lot of different flavors, including original, hickory smoke (my favorite), raspberry chipotle, teriyaki, etc. You can make your own marinades using olive oil, liquid smoke, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, etc. Be creative and experiment. In general, your marinade should have oil (because venison is so lean), acid (like the vinegar - don't use too much) to help further tenderize the meat, and seasonings for flavor. Go online and see what others are using. You can even use regular ol' Italian salad dressing. And you don't have to marinade venison overnight! A couple of hours is more than enough. All those little holes you poked in the meat when you were tenderizing it, became little channels for the marinade to seep into.<br /><br />Before getting into specific recipes, I want to say something about cooking the venison - venison is NOT beef; don't cook it like beef! One of the most common mistakes is overcooking. You want to shoot more towards the rare side of medium rare. Don't shoot for the well done side of done. Overcooking venison makes it tough and nasty-tasting. If you want your venison to taste like liver and turn people off from eating it, skip all of the above steps and cook it until it's well done. However, if you want to impress people and hear them say things like, "MMMmmmmm....mmmmthis..mmmrrr..is...mmmmmmreallly..mmmmGulp...GOOD!", then properly prepare the meat, soak it, tenderize it, flavor it, and cook it like venison.<br /><br />Ok, NOW I'm getting hungry!--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-51649023252319262952010-01-21T06:32:00.000-08:002010-01-22T13:31:44.816-08:00Venison, Part 2: Cleaning and butcheringI could write pages and pages on cleaning and butchering the deer. Instead, I'll just add my comments to the already pages and pages (and videos and videos) out there. Do a quick search, read, and watch some videos. These are just some additional notes that I feel are important:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The deer is down. Now what?</span> The important thing here is to get the temperature of the meat down below 40 degrees as soon as possible. If you don't live near where you hunt, that means you really should field dress the deer. Again, there are lots of videos and articles on the web. It's probably best to check it out before pulling the trigger.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gutting / Field dressing: </span>Regarding gutting the deer, there are several methods, mostly boiling down to the preference of starting at the middle and going to the back, or starting at the back and going to the middle. It really doesn't matter. I actually use both methods and haven't found that one is particularly better or faster. The important thing here is to try, as much as possible, to be clean about it. That mostly means, try to keep the nasty insides of the organs away from the meat. Clean it out with a water bottle or hose right after gutting, keep grass and mud off the exposed meat.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Aging / Hanging:</span> You'll hear people talk about "aging" meat. I've done some digging around to find out just what that means and why you want to do it. Basically, aging the meat involves keeping it above freezing, but below 40 degrees (to avoid spoilage), in order to allow <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigor_mortis">rigor mortis<br /></a>to resolve. Rigor mortis will typically resolve in about 72 hours. Aging the meat longer (up to a couple of weeks) allows further breakdown of the meat from enzymes. Personally, I shoot for about 3-4 days. You can age the meat in a cooler, a bathtub full of ice, or a refrigerator, if the outside temperature is above 40. If using ice, try to keep the meat from sitting in the water as the ice melts (keep the ice bagged and set the meat on top). Otherwise, you can just hang the carcass from a tree, in a barn, from the swingset, etc. for a few days. The important thing here is temperature and cleanliness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Butchering:</span> Most hunters I know take the field-dressed deer to a butcher/processor to have it all cut up and packaged. I actually enjoy doing it myself and like knowing the quality control at each step in the process. Again, there are some good videos out there. If you want to butcher and process your own deer, I recommend watching <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzYGBNDc_xU">this guy</a>'s 4-part series on "How to butcher a deer at home". You can get some really fancy, expensive equipment to get the job done. I do mine with just a 7" knife and a hacksaw. At this point in time, I don't own a grinder, so I won't talk about making sausage or ground meat. But that's coming soon... The main thing to keep in mind during the butchering process is, again, cleanliness. Use CLEAN countertops, tables, knives, etc. Be meticulous about this!<br /><br />I did want to say something about butchering the hind quarter. When you're looking at the whole quarter, you notice that it's a bunch of muscles. When you buy different cuts of beef, they come from different muscles. It's the same thing here. If you pick one of the large muscles, and start working your hand into the seams the separate it from the other muscles near it, you can start to work it away. Use your knife to cut the connective tissues away while you're separating the muscles. I prefer to keep each one of those muscles intact until I'm ready to use it. I just label them as hind quarter roasts. If I want steaks, I cut them up when I pull the roast out of the freezer. I just find that it leaves my options open for what to do with the meat when I'm ready to use it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Important!!!!</span> Beef gets its flavor, juicyness, and tenderness from the fat. Deer fat is NASTY tasting and gets a really rancid flavor when it freezes. Be meticulous about removing <span style="font-weight: bold;">all</span> of the fat before you freeze or cook the venison. Trust me on this one!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wrapping / storing:</span> People, again, have different opinions about what works best. Some like to vacuum-seal the meat, others use just freezer paper, others use just Saran wrap. I talked with my local butcher and here's what he recommended. It's how I do it, and it seems to work well (last year's meat lasted a year in the freezer without freezer burn or spoilage).<br /><ul><li>Wrap once with Saran wrap. Completely seal everything.</li><li>Wrap a second layer with freezer paper.<br /></li><li>Wrap a third layer with Saran wrap.</li></ul>That third layer actually makes a huge difference - it adds about another 6 months to how long you can store it. Before you put that last wrap on it, go ahead and write on the freezer paper. I put the date and what's inside (roast, backstrap, etc.). Since I haven't quite memorized the different cuts of meat, I'll sometimes even write myself a note on the wrapping, "Smoke whole", or "Use for steaks." I'll even label the scrap meat, "Scrap" with other notes, like "Needs a lot of work" or "Ready for chili" depending on how much more work I need to do to it (removing connective tissue, etc).<br /><br />Now that all of that is out of the way, I can get on to the fun stuff - cooking and eating!--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-52288555351386399662010-01-20T12:41:00.000-08:002010-01-22T13:31:00.403-08:00Venison! (Part 1)Vegans beware...<br /><br />Hunting season is coming to a close and I am glad to say that I have stocked up the freezer for the year. For me, deer hunting is not so much about the "sport" as it is about the meat. Last year was a bit of an experiment to see just what we could do with venison and whether or not the family would like eating it. That last part is important - it's not just enough to tolerate food, our family really <span style="font-style: italic;">likes</span> to cook and eat good food. I'm happy so say that we have just about quit purchasing beef altogether. There are times when I just want a good rib eye steak and there's nothing you can do to venison to make it taste like that. But for just about every recipe that calls for beef, I'm slowly, but surely, learning how to replace it with venison.<br /><br />I decided to run a series of blog posts talking about how I prepare and cook venison. I've heard so many people say, "I don't like venison. It tastes "gamey." Most of them don't know what "gamey" means, they just know that they've tasted something in venison that they didn't like. I'm pretty sure I know that it is, and I'll talk about that later. Everybody that has eaten venison that I've cooked has liked it - including people who said they don't like venison! I don't think there's anything magic in what I'm doing; I've just developed a system that works for me. So, in the coming days, I'm going to discuss:<br /><ul><li>Cleaning and processing a deer (or, "I have this deer I just shot. Now what?")</li><li>Preparing and storing the meat</li><li>Preparing for cooking (yup, I don't just thaw it out and cook it)</li><li>Recipes!</li></ul>The recipes part will be fun. I know lots of folks just cook deer meat battered-and-fried or put in a crockpot for stew. I'll give you my own personal recipes for steaks, chili, kabobs, deer-o's (my play on gyros), fajitas, shepherd's pie, breakfast casserole, ... oh, it just goes on and on. Tonight, I'm trying yet another new experiment - lasagna! My mouth is watering already.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-28409606075483017202009-02-19T13:23:00.000-08:002009-02-19T13:32:06.841-08:00Colder than a...... well, you fill it in. It's cold out there. And windy. But I committed to a ride - and I'm announcing it here for the whole world to see, so that tomorrow, when people are saying, "Hey, John, how was the ride?" I won't respond with something like, "Well, you know, it was a little cold outside, and I hadn't seen the latest episode of LOST, so I just stayed in and kept warm." Nope - I'm going to do it. Hold me to it.<br /><br />Here's another one - I'm officially on a diet. For two years now, I've been saying that I need to lose 20 pounds. This time, it's happening. Hold me to it as well.<br /><br />By the way, did I mention that it's cold out?<br /><br />In other news, Sara's fundraising is going great (click that link over there on the right to go see for yourself). People are generous and never fail to amaze me. She's getting really comfortable on her new bike as well. We'll be setting her clipless pedals up this week, then I won't be able to catch her. :)--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-66758072820829120302009-02-12T08:31:00.000-08:002009-02-12T08:49:36.356-08:00WinnerI don't like the word "survivor". Not as a label for someone who has battled or is battling cancer. The picture that comes into my mind when I hear that word is someone standing battered and dazed after a tornado hit their house in the middle of the night. The look of being caught off guard; the look that says "what the hell was that?"<br /><br />Here's another image: the sweat-and-blood-covered boxer standing in the ring, arms overhead. He didn't "survive" - he WON. I didn't stand by while things happened to me, hoping for survival - I fought - physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I fought for my life. And my family and friends were right there with me in the fight. This wasn't some passive experience of waiting for the force of nature to subside so I could take inventory of what was left - it was an active, knowing what's at stake, guarding everything of meaning, digging in for the long haul FIGHT. And I didn't survive it - I won.<br /><br />My friend Carolyn is about to have her 6th of 8 chemo treatments. You should see the smile on her face and her passion for life. She's not done yet, but she's a winner. Jennifer just finished her treatments last fall and is still struggling to find her new normal. She's training for a half marathon. Less than a mile into the training run last Saturday, she had to slow down to catch her breath, still feeling the effects of the Bleomyacin and radiation. And here she is, pushing herself to reclaim her body. You should see the fight in her eyes. Not the look of a mere survivor. We've lost several friends on the Hodgkin's forum over the past couple of years - all of them winners. The cancer may have claimed their bodies, but it didn't claim their spirits.<br /><br />My friend Neil wrote a song for a friend's neice who had recently been diagnosed with Leukemia. The song is called <a href="http://johnmcginley.googlepages.com/music">"World to Gain"</a> and it reminds me of the life that I'll fight fiercely to live.<br /><br />You want to put a label on me? Don't call me a survivor. I'm a winner.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-19612290913284073722009-01-30T07:15:00.000-08:002009-01-30T07:46:37.444-08:00Blog revival...So, it's been a while? Well, I originally started this blog two years ago to keep up with my century training and cancer recovery. I knocked the century out without a problem and my scans continue to be clean. That's the nutshell update.<br /><br />Why am I back? This year, <a href="http://pages.teamintraining.org/ms/ambbr09/smcginlsx7">Sara</a> (my daughter) and <a href="http://pages.teamintraining.org/ms/ambbr09/cwithrow">Chris</a> (her boyfriend) have signed up to do <a href="http://www.bikethewest.com/AMBBR.html">AMBBR </a>with Team in Training. AMBBR is America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride. It's a 100-mile trek around Lake Tahoe on a bike. Yes, in one day. It's the most amazing bike ride I've ever done and I can't wait to do it again. So, I'm going to! I'm actually the TnT cycling coach for our area this season. I'll be blogging training updates and such.<br /><br />It's been fun to go back to the beginning of this blog and read the progress I made last time. It's also been a good reminder of why I did the ride in the first place. Sarah was one of the people who commented on my first post. She was a dear frient and lost her battle with Hodgkin's a year ago today. Another friend, Jesse, who commented on my last post, lost his wife Shannon to this disease last year. This season, they'll be with me in my heart on my training rides. I'll be riding in memory of them and the other friends we've lost to Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I'll be riding in honor of my friends who are still dealing with this disease.<br /><br />Speaking of still dealing with it... I remember someone saying to me a year or so ago, "I bet you're glad to be done with cancer." I smiled and agreed, but in my mind I thought, "I'm still not done with it." It seems to always be peering around the corner at me, especially around scan time. I don't linger on it like I used to, but it's still there. The scar from my port is still noticeable - it itches all the time, and it's right where Dawn lays her head when we're laying in bed at night talking. Every time I get a tickle in my throat, a little voice in the back of my head says, "could it be... "<br /><br />Last night, though, I was shown the effect that it's had on my family. Katherine has had a cold for a couple of weeks. She even lost her voice. Last night, with a look of fear that I've never seen in her, she came into the living room holding the side of her neck and said, "I can feel a swollen lymph node!" Sure enough, there it was on the side of her neck. To anyone else in the world, that's a sign of infection and your body trying to fight it. It's what lymph nodes do and it's normal. But to the daughter of a Lymphoma survivor - it's a sign of cancer. I explained to her that Hodgkin's is not hereditary, that her swollen node is normal for what she's fighting off, etc. But there it was again, right in our faces. It's not over.<br /><br />And so, again this year, I'll push my body and train hard, I'll face my hills and headwinds out there on the road alongside my daughter and her boyfriend, and we'll be raising money to try to put a stop to this nonsense.<br /><br />I'm back - stay tuned for updates. :)--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-47429274598519201932007-05-21T13:20:00.000-07:002007-05-21T13:24:00.573-07:00So that's like from here to ...I rode 100 miles on Saturday. 100. Wow. <br /><br />So that's like from Starkville, to Meridian. Or from here to the Mercedes plant in Alabama. Or here to Columbus - and back - twice. Wow. <br /><br />It wasn't such a big deal until after I did it. Now I keep thinking about all the things that are 100 miles apart.<br /><br />Like last year and this year.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-90548068426495367492007-05-15T10:48:00.000-07:002007-05-15T11:01:34.152-07:00Consumption<span style="font-style: italic;">Consumption</span> seems to be a word that fits my life right now. My time is consumed by biking. I'm amazed at the amount of "fuel" (Power Bars, Power Gels, bananas, granola bars, gatorade) that I consume each week to keep my legs spinning. Some days, I am consumed by thoughts of cancer. I wonder how much gasoline I can keep from consuming this year by choosing to ride my bike instead.<br /><br />The Tahoe ride is the major consumer right now. I can't wait. This will be the longest, most beautiful bike ride I've ever done. The fact that it is in the mountains is just icing. Add to that that Dawn and Katherine will be there. Add to it that it's a road trip with Zach. Sprinkle in a side trip to the Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater site. Toss in a short ride in the desert - just to stretch my legs. Maybe a jump in the frigid lake when we get there. Top it off with a screaming descent after cranking up Spooner. It doesn't happen often to me, but I might just be speechless after that ride. Or I may never quit talking.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-85765359024454713842007-05-02T14:06:00.000-07:002007-05-02T14:23:47.209-07:00Ah, life!What's up? The mileage. I'm on course for this to be my first 200-mile week. It's strange that my weekday "maintenance rides" are now longer than my long weekend ride 2 months ago. Probably the most difficult part now is just trying to figure out how to get the miles in. I turned in a leave request form today to leave work at 3:00 every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the month. I have to decide which weekend day to dedicate to the ride, as from here out, it's pretty much 5-7 hours on the bike, not including travel to and from wherever I'm riding, time to pack, time to shower, etc. The logistics are getting fun, too. I have to figure out routes that will put me near places to refill water bottles and restock food as necessary. The days of a quick 10-mile ride are long gone. I don't know that I'll see an under-30-mile ride between now and Tahoe. Oh yeah, and somewhere in there is my family, my job, yard work, sleep, ... I'm glad I chose the training schedule that is less likely to cause burnout. *whew*<br /><br />Not that I'm complaining. I've said it before - it feels good to feel good again. It feels good to be on the last hole of my belt. The last time I hit the last hole, it was the one on the other end. <br /><br />We spent last weekend in Nashville. Katherine ran in the Country Music Half Marathon and kicked major butt. She knocked 17 minutes off her last 1/2 marathon. Not bad.<br /><br />I met a guy last night (on the phone) who was just diagnosed with the Hodge. During the conversation, it just felt strange to be on "this end" of it. Hearing him talk about the diagnosis, treatments, etc. brought me back to last year. My first chemo treatment was April 27.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-27989345111752195382007-03-23T09:04:00.000-07:002007-03-23T09:23:09.983-07:00MedicAlertAs I push the mileage, my pre-ride prep is changing. I have to pack more "fuel" (power gels, bananas, etc). I have to think about things like getting a flat 20 miles out in the country. I have to check out the sunset time and plan for that - including the extra time spent on a potential flat. I watch wind speed and direction, think about traffic patterns at different times of day, consider what dogs might be let out as the owners get home from work, try to come up with something new to think about for two hours.<br /><br />I also have to wear a medical alert bracelet, carry the medical emergency card that goes with it, and make sure I have identification and insurance cards - just in case.<br /><br />My ride yesterday had me focused on the medical alert bracelet. One of the benefits of my cancer treatment is that I now carry a strange "allergy". The Bleomycin that I was treated with left me with the potential to die from... oxygen. There are some case studies in which people given high levels of oxygen, as in surgery or scuba diving, ended up with severe damage to the lungs that resulted in death. Oxygen. The stuff we need to live. It could kill me. So I wear this annoying bracelet just in case I wipe out, and am taken, unconscious, to a hospital, and along the way, they decide to strap on an oxygen mask and crank it up.<br /><br />And while I was thinking about how strange all that was, it dawned on me that the little clinking noise I was trying to track down on my bike was coming from my bracelet. And the mystery of how the dogs all seem to know I'm coming was solved. Those yippy little beasts listen for the clinking with their ratty little dog ears, call each other to meet in the bushes, setting up the ambush. Well, Rat Pack, I'm on to you! I will silence my bracelet and you can wake up from your slothy sleep to the sound of my bike whooshing past your am-bush. See ya!--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-67363110761147928762007-03-20T12:08:00.000-07:002007-03-20T12:18:00.022-07:00Crazy daysI made my first <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V179doX_1ig">biking video</a> yesterday! Make sure you have the speakers cranked! I have a hard time watching it - it makes me want to get out and RIDE! Dawn had a hard time watching it - she said it brought her back to "that day".<br /><br />I read an <a href="http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=11904&news_channel_id=41&channel_id=41&rot=11">article today</a> that talks about the increased risk that Hodgkin's survivors have for secondary cancers later down the road. Now there's something to look forward to. If cancer comes looking for me, I'll be out for a bike ride.<br /><br />Check out <a href="http://1speeder.com/tiki/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=1">Cliff's blog</a>. Cliff is a real hero. Another Hodge-kicker, he just passed day +150 from a bone marrow transplant and is out grabbing life by the horns. While you're at it, check out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/1speeder">his biking videos</a> on youtube. I especially like "The Spin", "Lucky Man", and "Heart of Gold."<br /><br />Well, the weather is great today. I think I'm heading out early for "a meeting". Shhhhhh!--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-68796971198918388412007-03-14T07:32:00.000-07:002007-03-14T07:47:35.597-07:00Headwinds...Tons of riding lately. I'm just trying to log some serious mileage. My legs are good, but my butt doesn't like the saddle time. It'll get used to it.<br /><br />I knocked off work early yesterday to get a ride in. I went for the 20 miler out-and-back on Old West Point Road. Some friends were in town and we were meeting them, so it had to be a fast one. So a 20-mile sprint it was.<br /><br />This road bike thing is so different than mountain biking. There's so much time to think. Everything on the road is a reason to think. I think about the people in the houses I'm passing, the cars that are driving by, the emmisions I'm breathing, how many hamburgers can be made with the cows in the pasture, when the last time the lines on the road were painted. <br /><br />But every challenge on the road is a link to cancer. "Persevere" has become my mantra for hills, sprints, headwinds, and just plain tiredness. The ride out yesterday was fast. I could feel the blood swelling my leg muscles by mile 5. I felt good. I felt mad. Mad? That's a new one. I had to think about that. And why not - I mean I'm riding, right?<br /><br />Brian lost a friend this week. Skye just wants her husband to support her. Anne-Marie would settle for the strength to get through a day. I'd settle for her being cured. Damn this disease. It's a headwind - and a mean one at that. It's a headwind, on an uphill, at the end of a 20-mile sprint. It's ruthless. <br /><br />And that's what I was thinking with that headwind, going up that hill, on the last mile before my house. "Persevere." "PERSEVERE!" I guess I can be a bit ruthless when I want, too. Thanks, Hodge, for a good workout. And just so you know, I'll be looking for a more worthy training partner.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-33501002502187534332007-02-20T10:36:00.000-08:002007-02-20T10:46:37.491-08:00Mostly cleanI visited my radiology oncologist today. He said everything looks good. The detailed version of "looks good" is that my last scans still show some enlargement of the original nodes, but that's to be expected. Hodgkin's is notorious for leaving scar tissue behind and leaving nodes "stretched out". So, for now, we assume there's no cancer, as none was detected from the PET scan, but we keep an eye on it anyway. I'm ok with that.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-63603670175770228542007-02-19T12:45:00.000-08:002007-02-19T12:51:36.244-08:00So, I worked out last Friday. That's like last week. I thought about it over the weekend as I was wrestling my t-shirt - I haven't worked out in 20 years. I've excercised, done lots of biking and hiking, but haven't lifted weights. Did I mention that I am SORE!? Wow.<br /><br />So, I got my training schedule from Mike last week. My goals are simple - get in shape, lose weight, regain the muscle lost from chemo, get my legs back (for biking, not modeling), get my lungs back. I'm pretty excited about the plan, actually. I'm finally fitting back into jeans that I haven't worn for over 2 years. I'm actually concerned about what I eat again. I look forward to my long and hard riding days. Don't expect a high-five from me though, because I just... can't... lift my arms right now. :/--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-47362009013542224852007-02-05T06:16:00.000-08:002007-02-07T12:07:12.382-08:00Is something burning?It must have been my legs. I couldn't figure out what was slowing me down - while it felt like an anchor, I suspected my brake pads were dragging. It turns out that I was so bundled up for the cold, that I didn't realize the HEADWIND! And let me just say, for the record, that headwinds suck. The one Saturday turned my 40 mile ride into a 15 mile it-feels-so-good-to-be-home ride.<br /><br />I sure have been thinking about cancer a lot lately. I wish it would go away. I want to move on to thinking about other stuff, but it keeps showing up uninvited. It's a motivator, I suppose. It's making me put my health as a higher priority. I'm losing weight and riding more. I'm much more concerned about what food I'm eating (well, except for an occassional late-night pig fest). Don't get me wrong - I don't mind thinking or talking about cancer, I just want to do it when I want to do it. I want the choice to think about it or not. Right now, it's just always there. And sometimes, I just wish it would go away.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-23485940631149226812007-02-02T07:36:00.000-08:002007-02-02T07:45:48.311-08:00Spinning...Wow. I sent out an email yesterday at lunch asking for support for the century ride in Tahoe. By the time I got back from lunch, I already had over $750 in contributions! I'm constantly amazed at the generosity of people. In fact, I'm pretty overwelmed by it.<br /><br />I had a great spin last night at the gym. My friend Cliff, from the Hodgkin's forum, is making some<a href="http://1speeder.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=CyclingVideos"> biking videos</a> and putting them up on youtube. Cliff is a pretty amazing guy who's been in his own Hodge battle for quite some time. Spinning in a gym isn't on of my favorite things to do, but I'm really committed to this training thing and just getting healthier in general. Well, last night, I warmed up, cranked up some good music on the mp3 player, settled into a good, hard pace, canked up the heart rate, closed my eyes, and imagined riding along on Cliff's rides. It was an awesome ride. Cliff, we'll ride together for real one of these days, I'm sure of it!--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7926454.post-79915202473517744732007-01-31T15:36:00.000-08:002007-01-31T15:44:25.379-08:00Deep breathI'm giving this another go. I haven't blogged in quite a while, mainly because of that whole cancer thing. If you're new here and don't know me, I was diagnosed last April with Hodkin's Lymphoma. In my best Mony Python voice, "I got bettah!" Been in remission for a few months now. I'm on the 3-month scan/test/doc visit cycle now.<br /><br />Speaking of cycles!!!! I'm signed up with <a href="http://www.teamintraining.org/">Team in Training</a> to do a 100-mile bike ride at Tahoe on June 3 as a fund raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Please<a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntms/jam07"> support me </a>with a donation!!<br /><br />So, this newest attempt at a blog is to just record my thoughts and progress as I train for the event and get my life back. Do come back - if I'm not here, I'm probably out biking.--jamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204781306033012685noreply@blogger.com1