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My Health and Fitness Pep Talk for All of Us

January 2, 2017 by Steph Stradley Leave a Comment

This is a 1963 photo of the CDC’s character Wellbee with Boston Red Sox players. Wellbee was created to encourage the public health of Americans. Wellbee is kinda creepy.

In the past, I’ve led online groups encouraging each other to be more healthy. One of them made the New York Times. (I had gained a lot more pounds than my baby was, and those pounds did not want to vacate the premises as fast as I wanted them to leave. It’s a nice article but inaccurately called me a “former lawyer”).
Over the years, I’ve been asked by some folks to write down some of my thoughts on health and fitness and inspired by the progress some of my friends have made, today I am doing a health and fitness pep talk for all of us.
Like with everything in life, take what works for you and consider the rest.
Most of these things are reminders of stuff you already know, and if you learn anything, all the better. Warning: This is unfashionably earnest writing and not cynical at all, so if that sort of thing doesn’t work for you, perhaps you should visit places online that are better for you.

General Health and Fitness Philosophy.

Being Kind to Yourself and Future Self. Ultimately with health and fitness things, the focus should be on things that don’t break your body down and are good for your short and long term health. When considering all choices, having respect for yourself and future self should be the primary directive.
This seems like a no duh, but look at all the diets and fitness things that people do that aren’t evidenced-based or good for one’s long-term health. Please consider not doing those things or at a minimum, make it a choice.
I’ve been spending a lot of time visiting senior living homes in recent years, and they make you think of such things.

Consult with Experts.

Medical Checkup. Have you been to the doctor and dentist recently? Sometimes medical reasons can interfere with your fitness objectives. Sometimes you can look and feel healthy but have metabolic, cholesterol, blood pressure etc issues. Visiting the dentist can maintain gum and teeth health, and make it easier to eat healthy foods.
Mental Health and Addiction. Depression lies. And as much as good nutrition and regular exercise can be of great help with many people’s mental status, depression can make it difficult to take care of yourself. The brain is the boss, so it gets priority. Find resources to get help.
Registered Dietitian. I thought I knew a lot about nutrition until I visited a Registered Dietitian. Typically, they will evaluate your current diet and educate you on portion sizes, practical nutrition tips, nutritional deficits, what is good for you as an individual. Whatever your current health status, they can make it more optimal. Knowledge is power. For some people, their insurance will cover the costs.

Mental Approaches.

“Get Your Mind Right.” I had the good fortune of working with fitness trainer, Todd Durkin, and one of his main mantras is “Get Your Mind Right.” I’m a big believer in “cognitive reframing” of trying to reframe negative, self-defeating thoughts into more positive ones that can create positive changes. To look at weaknesses and use that as a challenge to turn them into strengths and opportunities.
Be Your Own Best Friend. Sports psychologists often train athletes in their “self talk” and one of those things is to not talk to yourself in a way that is less kind than a good friend would talk to you.
Thou Shall Not Covet. It is weird how different societies value different things about people’s bodies. In basic terms, your body is what you use to tote your soul about. Trying to be something you are not and can’t be, never works out well. You be you.
You Are Not Immutable. That said, “you” as a person isn’t an unchangeable object that can only be one way. The you as a kid might have hated onions, now you love them. You may have preferences in your life, things that make you more or less comfortable, but you aren’t just a collection of characteristics that are only one thing. Your mind is powerful. You can choose things. Sometimes you can make choices and will those thoughts into reality. Make good choices, and try to make things happen.
The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good. Do something good for yourself. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Just do something. Make a choice to be good to yourself because if you don’t, who will?
Avoid Fatalism. Yes, being mindful of health and fitness things does not prevent bad things happening to your person. That said, a “we all die” mindset doesn’t account for preventable things or a full quality of life.
The Scale. Many theories abound about how much attention to pay to weight on the scale. I tend to think of it a bit like sports stats. It is one piece of data. It isn’t the be all and end all. It’s something worth knowing but can be misleading. I find my weight fluctuates during the course of a day, and when I’m at my fittest, I am often not at my lightest weight. My personal goals have nothing to do with this one stat and everything to do with my general health and the ability to do the things I want to do.

Nutrition.

Not a Fan of Diets. In my experience, the more one diets, the more one thinks about food and feels deprived. I prefer thinking in terms of living a generally healthy lifestyle based on just knowledge and moderation. That requires obtaining good information and buying into it and knowing what things you have difficulty moderating.
Typically, the American diet is too much processed food and too many calories from processed carbohydrates. Working with a Registered Dietitian can often figure out what specifically in your normal eating could be healthier for you.
If a specific temporary diet is healthy and sensible and jump starts a better lifestyle of eating, go for it. Just work toward something that you can live your life doing.
Food as Fuel. Treat your body at least as well as you treat your car. You wouldn’t put bad fuel in your car. The majority of your food choices should have some sort of positive nutritional value. I like thinking of trying to eat food closest to the way God made it.
Willpower is Overrated. If there are foods or beverages that you find hard to resist and aren’t beneficial to you, don’t have them in the house regularly.
Eating Out as a Health Opportunity. If you eat out a lot, learn about how to make healthier choices or the better of a bunch of bad choices. Also, find go-to restaurants where it is easier to make healthy choices. Even nutritionists can have difficulty determining calorie counts of restaurant foods, so be mindful of how things are prepared, portion sizes, calorically-dense foods. I like eating fish at restaurants because I rarely cook it at home and good restaurants usually have been sources for fresh fish.
Know How to Cook. When you cook at home, you know what is in your food and how it was prepared. There are ways of preparing foods that are very good for you and taste good. Just because you didn’t like your mom’s broccoli, doesn’t mean you can’t cook in a way that you like it. In the internet age, if you can follow directions, it is pretty easy to learn how to cook.
Food Diary. One of the best ways to educate yourself on the nutritional component of foods is to keep a food diary. After doing one for even two weeks, I learned a ton about calorie counts, nutritional components of foods I ate often.
Stay Hydrated. Sometimes people eat when they are really thirsty. I’ve seen a hat that says, “All of your problems ever are because you’re not drinking enough water.” There’s something to that. Sometimes when you are feeling off, just drinking some water does make you feel better. (Though like anything, too much is bad for you too. Moderation in everything).
Learn How to Read Food Labels. Working with a Registered Dietitian made me more mindful of food labels. The best info? Portion sizes (like some drink bottles and snacks are really 2+ portion sizes). 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon which means a lot of common foods have many teaspoons of sugar.
Alcohol. For some people, alcohol doesn’t work for their lives and moderation is not an option. Sadly, I know too many people where it has put them in jail, hospital or the grave. For others, it is just a drag on their health, whether it is making them feel unwell or too many calories. Just keeping a food diary of the sugar and calories in alcohol might surprise you and make you think more moderately. If you need help with this, please find it.
Other Liquid Calories. It’s hard to maintain health being a daily soda drinker. There is just nothing good in it. Being mindful of liquid calories is important because they don’t make you feel full the same as solid ones do.
Mindful Eating and Food Because It’s There. Don’t eat food just because it is there. Stale popcorn at the theater. Donuts left in the break room. Candy dish. How many times do you eat something when you aren’t hungry? Taste the food that you are eating. If it isn’t worth the calories or nutrition, don’t eat it.
Early Bites are the Best Ones. You don’t have to finish your plate. Sometimes you just want a taste of something. It’s okay to taste things and not keep eating them until you are stuffed.
Fiber is Your Friend. Fiber naturally found in foods generally are a good thing for the functioning of your body and make you feel more full.
Don’t Be Weird About Food. Some people love food. Some people treat it like fuel. Whatever you do, if you are wondering if you are talking about food too much, maybe you are. It’s food. It’s cool that many humans get enjoyment from eating. That said, nobody wants to hear about your bloat tendencies or whatever weird biological whatnot.
Your Three Things. Be real. You likely know the things that are impeding your nutritional health. Some of them you may be resisting because you like them too much. Alcohol? Desserts? Sugars? Salty snacks? Sodas? High-calorie Starbucks nonsense? Fast food? Mindless eating? Not figuring out how you can like vegetables? Pick a few high impact things in your life, and work on those things first. Sometimes just doing it is easier on your mind than the dread of thinking about doing it.

Fitness.

Fitness As Holistic. Fitness is not just an outward thing but more having the suit that holds your soul be able to do the stuff you want to do in life now and the future. There’s a lot of parts to that, including body composition, strength, cardiovascular fitness, movement skills, balance, flexibility, agility, posture, healthy pain response, coordination, reaction time, mental focus and peace.
Some folks like to focus on their strengths and keep working on those. Some use their strengths to work on their weaknesses. Those strengths and weaknesses tend to evolve over the course of a life.
Just as I don’t like the thought of “diets,” I don’t like the idea of fitness as anything other than just one of the things that you do. Brush teeth, shower, move around regularly.
Figure Out How to Enjoy It. Sometimes there are things in life that are good for us but we don’t enjoy them. You can choose: 1. To avoid them; 2. To do them unhappily. 3. To find a way to enjoy them. I try to choose 3, though 1 and 2 get into the mix sometimes. Trying to find ways to enjoy things we don’t naturally enjoy can turn them into things we naturally enjoy.
Joy is good, and I recommend it.
In the technology world, sometimes they do that by “gamifying” them. That many people like games, so app makers and retailers make things more like games so people want to do them. I never liked to do cardio activities until I found ways to make them more interesting, like attending classes and reading fun stupid stuff while on cardio machines.
One of my favorite workouts is what I call the “Game of Thrones Workout,” where I binge watch a show to catch up and do various workout stuff in front of the TV.
Move About. Human beings aren’t meant to sit around all the time. And I find I feel better the more I move about. Everybody has a different starting fitness level, but find things to do every day to get your blood moving. If you have physical limitations, you can often find things to work around those limitations. If you sit a lot for your job, try to make sure your ergonomics of where you work are good and take regular breaks.
Shoes. You don’t need the latest workout shoes. I often buy the previous year’s shoes on sale and I rotate between a couple. Shoes are always cheaper and better than hip and knee replacements. Find ones that work and workout gear you like because you are more likely do exercise if you like what you are wearing.
Variety. Personally, I’m a big fan of a variety of fitness activities. I think variety is a good thing because it tends to reduce imbalances in your fitness.
Timing. You don’t have to do all your workout at one time. You can spread activity throughout the day. I like getting workouts done in the morning because things won’t pop up later that derail them, but sometimes that is not logistically feasible. Work a lot during the week? Then try to make sure every weekend has some fitness in it. One of the fittest and busiest people I know would always try to do about 15 minutes of intense fitness before hopping in the shower. Sometimes you just have to schedule when it makes time for your life but intend for it to happen.
Counterproductive Fitness. Sometimes people do ego types of fitness activities that are meant for their bodies to look like some sort of ideal but break the body down by putting unnecessary stress on joints and bones or go beyond their fitness level.
If you are working with a fitness trainer, learn about their background and their philosophy on such things.
Personally, though I have done long-distance running in the past with a run trainer, I do not like running as a way to maintain fitness. I find that for most body types, it is hard to engage in that as a regular activity and not break down. I can’t say I’m a big fan of Cross Fit generally for that reason, but some places have good sense and a good community that works for them. Your results may vary.
Gym Workouts. If you think you would like gym workouts, they have to work for your life. Try to get a gym that you can afford and that is not too far from your work or your house. Make it logistically easy for you to go by having workout clothes in your car if you come from work.
If you feel self-conscious about gyms, please don’t. The people running the gym don’t want that. And most people are too preoccupied with their own lives to care about your gym activities. And really, if someone is all judgy about you being at a gym, that says more about them than you. Most gyms have programs to familiarize you with their equipment and have folks that want to help you.
I enjoy going to gyms because I like the variety, and I try to think of it as my stress release spa.
Non-Gym Workouts. Obviously, you don’t need a gym to do a workout, and you don’t need a “workout” to get your blood going.
One of my favorite fitness books is called, “The Prison Yoga Project: A Path for Healing and Recovery” by James Fox. It is a book that was written primarily for prisoners who have limited workout space, access to instructors and who have significant challenges in dealing with trauma and stress. But for all people, it does a great job explaining yoga, yoga positions, and the mental benefits of connecting mind with body. It also happens to help people, details about the Prison Yoga Project here.
Find things that you can do and just do them. Everything else is just excuses.
Technology. There’s plenty of technology out there that encourages fitness. Wearables. Online support groups and videos. Video game workouts. Online information (preferably smart and evidence based). One of my friends likes doing workouts she finds on Pinterest.
It has never been easier to find things to help you move more but at the same time, plenty of distractions to stop you from moving.
Know Your Limits. Often in sports, there is the discussion of what is pain versus what is injury. Even with professionals, that is a tough line to draw. Whatever activity you are doing, listen to the pain signals that your body puts out and try not to overdo, because that can be counterproductive. I like the thought of not being in a competition with anyone.
Be the Tortoise. Much better to be consistent in your commitment to a healthier you than burning out all at once and getting discouraged. Have a setback? Every day is another day.
Try Stuff Out. If there is a workout in existence, I’ve tried it out and learned to enjoy pretty much all of them. My current favorites are Spinning and Pilates for how they make me feel in my mind and body, assuming that the music in the Spinning class isn’t too bad. Find the things that you enjoy and work for you, and give things a chance by doing them for a while.
Have a Great Life. Okay, I’m going to stop writing this because it is already too long but will likely update it with extra stuff over time. Hope you enjoyed this pep talk of stuff you likely already know but need a reminder. Keep kicking ass.

On Self-Respect and Being Kind to Yourself

November 11, 2014 by Steph Stradley 1 Comment

You likely know people who tend to beat themselves up a lot. Maybe that’s you. Think everyone does it to some degree, but it’s destructive when it becomes a habit not even noticed.
And what I want to say is this:
Self-respect is being kind to yourself and your future self.
Being kind to yourself, in that the things you say to yourself should never be harsher than what a good and kind and true friend would say. And kind friends forgive after people make inevitable mistakes.
Being kind to your future self, in that the things you do now, should help and not harm you in the future.
Self-respect doesn’t mean self-involved, or only looking out for your own interests. Because certainly being overly self-involved isn’t in anyone’s short or long term interests unless you enjoy being perceived as an ass.
When you go through life, ask whether the things you do are unkind to you or the future you. Make this a daily intentional choice. See if you can do big and little things to help yourself. Often those things will, by their nature, help other people too.
It can be a big thing like saving money for a future big purchase instead of unthinkingly getting further in to debt.
And can be a small thing like setting the coffee maker before you go to bed so you wake up to a great smelling fresh pot of coffee.
Catch yourself in moments of self-respect, “I am being kind to myself or my future self.” Game it, and think of different ways to be kind to yourself during the course of your day.
Sometimes, people use intoxicants to feel happy right now, and/or to quiet anxious voices in their head. But it has been said that excess alcohol steals tomorrow’s happiness for today. I don’t know who said that, but it is likely someone who gets killer hangovers.
The notion of helping yourself with deferred gratification doesn’t sound very fun. And I think the trick to it is to make sure that when you are taking care of the future you, it also includes the near future you too. But when you make choices that aren’t good for you, not to beat yourself up too much.
Wrote this down because some of the folks who find this blog are having rough times in their lives and may need of a reminder to be kind to themselves. Sorry you are going through this. And if you are not, high five.
(I started thinking about this some while trying to figure out Matthew McConaughey’s widely-panned Oscar speech thanking his future self for being his hero. Not quite the same concept but similar. Make your future self thank you too.)

What is Sensible Discipline for NFL Player Misconduct?

September 16, 2014 by Steph Stradley Leave a Comment

Understatement to say that the NFL and its teams are struggling to fashion appropriate discipline for allegations of NFL player misconduct. As I’ve written before, these problems were completely foreseeable when sports leagues take a bigger role in extra-judicial punishments. And sell to the public that it is appropriate for them to do so.
Everybody has an opinion on this, and I will share mine. I have a unique perspective as I’ve worked for large companies as an in-house lawyer, dealing with crisis management and employment law among other issues. In addition, I’ve worked with my husband who is a former assistant district attorney and currently practices criminal defense. And I’ve written professionally about the NFL since 2006, including changes over time to the personal conduct policy.
The short answer? I can’t think of a fair, sensible way to satisfy the people angry at player misconduct. The NFL as a sports league aren’t experts at criminal justice, and even governments have a difficult time dispensing fair, just results.
So instead of pretending I have all the answers, I will float some thoughts I think are relevant to the discussion of trying to create such a policy.
Factors in looking a NFL player misconduct discipline:
1. What is the purpose of league punishment? The league and the public believes that playing in the NFL is a privilege and the standard should be higher than the law.
But what does that even mean? At what point is NFL punishment sufficient to “fix” things? I don’t think this question has been asked much.
Suspension of two games, six games, a zero-tolerance life time ban?
Is the purpose of punishment deterrence? Given that they’ve had variations of a personal conduct policy for a long time and there continues to be issues, I don’t think that the conduct policy is deterrent. Human beings often make choices that are self-destructive and not in their best interests. All it takes for this to happen once, and it is life transforming. Typically, most of the cases my husband sees are people who see themselves as law abiding citizens who have never been in trouble with the law before.
Is the purpose of punishment PR? I’ve written before that the NFL voluntarily taking on a larger role in ad hoc player discipline has actually put a greater spot light on player bad acts, by creating a CourtTV commentary industry speculating on what are fair punishments for bad acts.
Is the purpose of punishment to assuage angry people? Not sure how much punishment helps that. No matter what the league assesses, it will be too much or too little depending on who is looking at the situation.
Is the purpose of punishment helping victims? The punishment that Ray Rice received is not seen as a positive by his wife. Harsh additional league punishment of Adrian Peterson likely does not make his childrens’ lives better. If accepting a plea leads to harsh league punishment, a player may choose to go to trial versus accepting a plea, even if the trial process will be extremely painful for the victim to relive.
If the NFL comes down harsh on players, will some victims avoid seeking help because they are afraid of draconian consequences? In fact, sometimes in the criminal justice system, punishments are tailored to help the victims of crimes. For example, allowing an offender to serve jail time on weekends to preserve a job and income to pay for restitution. (Not an issue for marque players but likely an issue for some others).
For those who suggest zero-tolerance punishments, I guess my question is this:
Should all offenders be considered beyond redemption? That if someone commits a crime, should they forever be considered beyond the help of therapy or forgiveness or whatever you want to call it and forever unemployable? Maybe there are some truly evil people beyond help, but I think a blanket rejection of rehabilitation can be a counterproductive thing for our society to embrace.
I don’t have answers to this. I don’t think as a society we think of these issues very well for our criminal justice system. Ultimately, punishments keep ratcheting up despite costs because it is politically popular to be “tough on crime.”
2. NFL careers are very short and competitive. Even short suspensions can have a big affect on a player’s career path.
3. The legal process is slow. It is rare for a legal case to go away quickly. Sometimes it can happen, but the majority of cases do not come to a final disposition for a long time. This sometimes makes people angry to have to wait for that process to be over before discipline is effectuated. If you want to punish players up through the time they are found innocent, you are actually punishing them because the legal system is slow.
4. Problems with disciplining by act versus looking at other factors. In the criminal justice system, there are many factors that are looked at when assessing punishment, not just the crime itself. There is some discussion of a one-size-fits all approach to all NFL domestic violence situations. Things that are looked at in the criminal justice system often involve victim impact and statements, remorse of the defendant, exact nature of crime, whether someone is a first time offender, whether they have done positive things for the community, etc. Those are things that fair people look at for fair results but I’m not sure that fairness comes into play with sports league sanctions.
5. Competition issues. There’s some discussion that the NFL went easier on Ray Rice at first because they were trying to get him back on the field to benefit the Ravens. I don’t believe that. I believe the original media reports that the commissioner listened to the “impassioned plea” of Janay Rice and believed the couple was trying to get help.
In any event, currently the NFL commissioner is the judge, jury, appeals court in discipline issues. Fans (or maybe teams) may think that the commissioner favors one team over another based on case-by-case discipline. But if there is a one-size-fits all approach, the league runs the risk of punishing all players the same, even in very dissimilar situations.
6. The perils of disciplining based on arrests and not final disposition. As I’ve written before, there’s significant fairness issues with the NFL disciplining players based on just arrests and not convictions. These are not technically-speaking “due process” issues like what the government needs to provide, but the concept is similar. NFL teams are only constricted by the terms of their collectively bargained arrangement with players, but can cut players any time they want and take the contract and salary cap consequences.
For private employers, there can be significant problems firing employees based on just arrests which is an involved topic far beyond the scope of this.
But in terms of fairness, and specifically as it relates to the NFL, disciplining based on arrests can be problematic.
Wrongful arrests happen all the time. Scare you to your bones kind of situations. You often don’t hear about them because sometimes the lawyers are able to make those go away in a sensible way.
Police officers have a difficult job because they have to sort out strangers’ tense situations in a quick manner and from their perceptions. It is not uncommon for wrongful arrests to happen for potentially racial reasons.
In addition, any time you are dealing with high-income, high profile individuals and high stakes, there are always concerns about extortion and individuals looking to profit. That is what Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is claiming in his sexual assault civil matter.
What I know is this. Rarely do public reports of high profile legal matters have a complete reporting of the facts. Part of that is the nature of legal matters, which often have confidentiality complications.
Ethically, there are limits on what lawyers are supposed to say publicly in criminal matters. In high profile cases, there are sometimes people who are incentivized, for whatever reasons, to release one side of a situation.
I don’t know what the answers to these issues are but because of what I’ve seen, I’d be very reluctant for a league to embrace a policy that punishes players just on the basis of arrests except for very extreme circumstances.
7. The NFL has a CBA that limits (or should limit) some of their options. Employers who deal with unions have agreements that govern the terms of employment. In the NFL, the players collectively bargained these terms. There are significant antitrust questions if the NFL tries to unilaterally change the terms of the NFL conduct policy. In addition, as I understand it, there are restrictions on the use of extended deactivation of a player.
8. Be careful letting crisis dictate policy. When bad situations happen, companies and governments tend to cobble together policies to deal with that particular situation. Very reactive.
But when you make a policy, you need to think of all the future situations, and not just the ones in front of you. Being over-reactive can lead to unintended consequences and unfair results.
And once a league or a government takes what is perceived as a tough stance, it is hard for them to relax it later for fairness reasons because that can be seen as soft.
9. Shame is also punishment. Punishment happens even without criminal convictions. The process of dealing with the legal system is harsh and expensive. And for high-profile players accused of crimes, they have to go through the rest of their lives with the stigma of their accusation. Whatever the criminal justice system does or leagues do, harshly or not, that will always remain. They have to live with the worst moments of their lives and know that everyone they deal with knows about it. Not saying you need to feel sorry for that, but I am just saying that is also a significant and lasting component of punishment.
Conclusion:
So, I don’t think there are any easy answers to NFL player misconduct issues. Anyone that suggests there are easy answers likely doesn’t know what they don’t know.
Maybe they will bring in former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue to clean up this mess too, like he did with Bountygate.
I am not jealous of the league and teams trying to figure this out. You can already see that they feel very uncomfortable handling it, as most employers would. They are football people and not reformers of social policy.
What is lost in this discussion is that the vast majority of NFL players are a lot more disciplined in their twenties and thirties than most people are at any age. And that, demographically, they commit fewer crimes than non-players their ages and certainly do more charitable acts.
The American legal system is certainly not perfect, but I trust them to do the right thing more than league PR reactions to mob snap judgments. The league struggles enough with fairly enforcing rule violations on the playing field.

Stephanie Stradley Blog Cookbook – Your Best Recipes

May 19, 2014 by Steph Stradley 2 Comments

FEAST!

The best eating I’ve ever done was at a party where everybody was supposed to bring the best thing they cook. You know, the food that everybody begs you for the recipe.
So everybody brought the food that they were famous for and feasted.
(When we buy a bunch of food and cook it all day and call our buds to come over last second, we call it “FEAST.”)

Blog posts so you don’t have to repeat yourself.

One thing you can do with blog posts is to create a repository of things. Like a place to share recipes.
Blog posts can also be a spot to do a crowdsourced collection of things. My crowdsourced post on favorite breakfast tacos in Houston is very popular. Sort of a public service that helps me too.
I use to have an Irish Whiskey Cake recipe in a blog post at FanHouse, but AOL nuked those old links. That used to be the place I would send friends who were looking for that recipe.
Since I have control over this site, this link won’t go away without me knowing it.
What I want to do in this post is:
1. Share my recipes. I’m going to share three recipes I often get people asking me how to make. They are super easy and taste really good.
2. Asking you to share YOUR famous recipe(s) in this format. Leave a short comment about the recipe, what makes it special, why someone should try it. After that, please leave the recipe or a link to the recipe if you found it online. I want a solid blog post that has only good stuff in it, and I won’t approve blog comments that are a joke or are spam.
3. Also if you try the recipes, leave a comment, and any suggestions if you have them.
If you have more than one recipe you want to share, put them in separate comments please. And thank you, because you likely are sending me good recipes if you have more than one people know you for.

How to find this later?

If you can’t remember how to find this direct link, try googling an assortment of “Stephanie Stradley blog cookbook best recipes” and this should end up being the first link if the googles are doing their job.

This is my mom's handwritten index card of the Brendan's Irish Whiskey Cake recipe. Great handwriting. Glad I still had this because AOL nuked the blog link I put the recipe on. — This is my mom’s handwritten index card of the Brendan’s Irish Whiskey Cake recipe. Great handwriting. Glad I still had this because AOL nuked the blog link I put the recipe on.

Brendan’s Irish Whisky Cake

The Story of the Cake. My buddy Brendan gave this recipe to my mom, who then wrote it down on an index card and gave it to me. It is easy to make, looks fancy and is wonderful. The smells delicious and tastes better. This recipe I get asked for all the time.
I’ve been known to eat this cake for breakfast too. It is irresistable.
Brendan’s Irish Whiskey Cake Recipe.
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
2. Mix:
1 package of Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1 package vanilla instant pudding (3 oz)
1/2 cup Irish Whiskey (I use Bushmills)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs
3. Pour into greased, floured bundt pan.
4. Drop into the batter avoiding edges:
1/4 cup chocolate morsels (chips)
1/4 cup butterscotch morsels
(Note: You might want to lightly dust morsels with a small amount of flour before putting in batter. If you mix the morsels in the batter before putting it in the pan, they will all sink to the bottom and stick on the pan. You can poke some of the morsels down, but not too much.)
5. Bake:
Bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes to an 1 hour depending on how dark your bundt pan are, how hot your oven tends. Test for doneness with a toothpick.
6. Finish:
After cooling for 10 minutes, put a plate on top of the bundt pan, and carefully turn it over. The cake should fall right out if you greased the pan properly, and didn’t put the morsels too close to the edge of the pan.

Sometimes we'll put four salmon on the smoker. If you are heating up the wood, you might as well cook a bunch. It gets eaten. Salmon salad sandwiches the next day are heavenly too. — Sometimes we’ll put four salmon on the smoker at one time. If you are heating up the wood, you might as well cook a bunch. It gets eaten. Salmon salad sandwiches the next day are heavenly too.

George’s Smoked Salmon

The Story of the Salmon. One thing that Texas is known for their smoked meats, which is a delicious thing to be known for and reason number 84,589,725 to never move away.
My husband Bill bought a custom smoker at Pitts By JJ many years ago and has been very happy with it.
Though we love cooking a ton of different stuff on it, my buddy George’s smoked salmon is the best. Even people who don’t typically like salmon, like this. Kids will even eat it straight off the grill.
I published the cooking instructions before on the previous version of my Houston Chronicle blog:
George’s Smoke Salmon Recipe.
1. Buy salmon. We buy ours from Costco. Don’t buy the steelhead salmon, buy the other kind.
2. Heat yer smoker. Get your smoker to about 200 to 250 degrees. They like using hickory wood. Do not use mesquite.
3. Moisten cedar planks. You can get cedar planks at most stores. Soak them in water for around 30 minutes.
4. Tin foil boats. Make a boat of heavy duty tinfoil to put salmon in.
5. Lemon juice and season. Use the juice of one to two lemons and squeeze it all over the salmon. Put lots of pepper on top of the salmon to the point that it almost looks like too much. Put sea salt on top, not as much as the pepper.
6. Put salmon on cedar plank then in smoker. First you lift it off of the tin foil and onto the cedar plank. Discard the tin foil boat. Put the thicker part of the fish (the side where they head would have been) toward the smoke source.
7. Cook for 40 minutes to a little over an hour depending on temp, whatever doneness you prefer. Eat it warm or cold, with romaine lettuce boats, pita chips, maybe some herb mayo or plain.

Steph’s Everything Muffins

The Story of the Muffins. I like muffins, but I don’t like the kind they sell at the store or bakeries that are so sugary they might as well be cake. Bill sometimes loses weight when he goes to trial because he forgets to eat, and these muffins are a great thing to sneak into his briefcase.
I like packing some in my carry on stuff on the planes because if I don’t, the plane will certainly be delayed to the point of desperation hunger.
These muffins basically have all the ingredients I love in one place. I adopted the recipe from a few I saw otherwise, and made many variations of these since at least 2001.
I make them a lot while I’m watching sports and tweet pictures of them. Which means I get a lot of people asking me how to make them, so here’s how:

This is the oven at my house. It's an old Frigidaire that we call "The DeLorean" because the doors open upward. It cooks very true to temperature, likely because it was built when quality mattered. — This is the oven at my house. It’s an old Frigidaire that we call “The DeLorean” because the doors open upward. These sort of gull wing doors are nice on an oven because you don’t have to reach over hot doors to get the food in and out. It cooks very true to temperature, likely because it was built when quality mattered.

Steph’s Everything Muffins
1. Prep. Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin tins. When I say to stir stuff in recipe, use a fork. Try to use minimum stirs to mix because over-mixing results in gummy texture when you make muffins.
2. Bowl 1. Put 1 1/4 cup roughcut oatmeal in bowl. Pour 1 1/4 cup milk in bowl with it. Let it soak while you prepare the rest.
3. Bigger Bowl 2. In a bigger bowl, put 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil (though I like using walnut oil), 1 egg. Stir.
4. This is the everything part. Then add the everything you want to taste:
I like combos of:
Dark choc + organic coconut + walnuts, or
Dark choc + organic coconut + raspberries + walnuts, or
Diced apple + pecans, or
Diced banana + walnuts.
With some fruits, I put a little vanilla and cinnamon in too. Basically whatever you like, whatever you happen to have in the house.
I’ve never made this recipe with savories like bacon, but I bet that could be good too. Experiment!
Stir those items in.
5. Combine. Then dump oatmeal, milk mixture into the larger bowl and stir.
In a measuring cup put 1 1/4 cups flour. Put 1 teaspoon baking powder in flour and just sort of mix that in the flour measuring cup.
Then slowly dump flour into the big bowl that has the other stuff and mix (VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO OVERMIX THIS STEP). Stop pouring flour when it looks the consistency of raw muffin batter–not too runny, not too thick–I’d rather have it slightly too wet than too thick–the oatmeal is fairly dense. This step isn’t exact because of the quantity of mixins or whether you are using a more moist mix in like bananas. Sometimes I use all the flour. Sometimes I use about a cup.
6. Cook for 20 minutes. My oven cooks these perfectly in 20 minutes. Your oven may be different. You just want them to look brownish on top. If you use moist ingredients like raspberries or blueberries, they may bubble a lot and may take a little extra time to cook.
7. You will eat one more muffin than you planned. Let the cool for a bit and then pop out. Sometimes you need to run a knife around the edges if they are sticking.

Please Add to My Blog Cookbook.

If you try the recipes, please let me know in the comments and provide any questions or suggestions.
And please, add your best recipe to this post, or a link to your go to recipe. Bonus points if it is easy to make but doesn’t look that way.

Celebrating Vinyl Records With Houston's Cactus Music

July 24, 2012 by Steph Stradley 6 Comments

Record-Player-Radio — From the Library of Congress: "Point Pleasant, WV. Nancy Fergusen playing a record player attached to the radio."

The husband Bill has recently got enthusiastic about playing albums through an old school turntable into old school speakers. I must confess initial feelings of skepticism that any of that would sound any better than iPod stuff.

Mark it on your calendars…Bill was right, I was wrong.

Thought I wouldn't be able to tell a difference, but with some of the stuff in particular, it sounded gorgeous and warm. You feel the music like a good hug. (We still do need to hide the speaker wire better though, which is such a wife thing to say).

As I wanted to get more ideas of great albums to listen to on turntables and just a discussion of vinyl, I decided to turn to the folks at Houston's Cactus Music (@cactus_music) to share some of their suggestions. It's easy to get into music ruts, and I figured this would be a great opportunity to get some inspiration for us all:

Cactus Music Employees Talk Vinyl Records.

Quinn, Store Owner: Music can change your life. More specifically, records can change change your life. At record shops across the universe, the most recurring question posed by patrons has been "What are you listening to?" Stay tuned to this blog to read enthusiastic testimonials from the esteemed staff of Cactus Music about their favorite albums and singles. Musical efforts that have whacked them upside the head or crept up on them like a train in the distance to become their most beloved recordings. This is what we are listening to. Enjoy. -Quinn

Chris @Topherwise At the risk of being overly sentimental in a time where "vinyls" are very kitschy and dollar records are sought after, I'm somewhat hesitant in playing along with the overall romanticizing a rather impractical form of technology.

However, there's a reason it's still around. And it's a fact not lost on people who have managed to nurture a level of patience that is quickly drifting. I find that patience in Will Oldham's music and all of it's forms (IE. Bonnie Prince Billy, Palace Music/Brothers etc). Some of my favorite musical moments come from listening to his music, as they're extremely dense, layered reflections. I specifically remember listening to 'No Bad News' in my room and the end kind of stopped me cold in my tracks. The line 'hey little bird, thank you for not letting go of me as I let go of you' is a little simple and overly relatable but at that specific time it hit me really hard, and it hit me in a way that I know would not be possible in my car. It wouldn't be possible while it plays over the speakers at work, or any other way outside of me sitting down and consuming a record with my undivided attention. That's what at risk of being lost and hopefully a reason vinyl is coming back.

Listen to Bonnie "Prince" Billy's album 'The Letting Go' in a setting that lends it's self to the way the format is intended and hopefully you'll find something there. That's just me though, so whatever.

Shawna @Shawzilla Let me see that Jelly Roll…

What can I say, I really just started buying records. I don’t have a real collection, it’s kind of odds and ends that my husband has picked up for me over the years. However, since I have begun to work at Cactus Music, it’s on. I have fallen in love with records.

My first record that I picked up a month ago is a double LP by Jelly Roll Morton. I believe that everyone should have a Jelly Roll Morton record in their collection. I mean he is the inventor of jazz and all. Originally from New Orleans and lived in Houston at one time, Jelly Roll Morton is a brilliant pianist and composer. he hollow sound, the subtle scratch and the nice melodies of this old-timey music are oh so charming and truly enhanced on the richness of a vinyl record. Not only have I grown to appreciate Morton, but it has taught me to respect the music of this time period and how music was recorded and released back in the day.

Record-Listening-Booth — From the Library of Congress: "Magnamusic Inc, 152 W. 57th St NYC. Record shop, detail of record player listening booth."

Adriana @lahondaj For me, it's the debut album from The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Although my copy is a bit old & worn it still sounds more vibrant than if I were to listen to it digitally. Besides this brilliant album, the experience is enhanced because listening to vinyl is an "event." You don't skip over songs, you play the entire record and you REALLY listen to it. In a world of instant gratification and convenience, vinyl is the antithesis. Sunday mornings with this record and a pot of coffee is the perfect way for me to start a day. The crackle of the record on my turntable, Nico's haunting voice & John Cale's amazing viola, what could be better than that?

Deanna @Deanofbigrips There has been much discussion and debate recently as to why a person should buy vinyl or enjoy the convenience of a digital download. As a pure lover of music not just for the obvious reasons of why anyone enjoys a good tune but for the fulfillment it brings to me sonically and mentally. Because of this, i much prefer using vinyl as my choice of medium for various reasons. One cannot really say that there are certain albums that sound better on vinyl than an mp3 as typically almost all music sounds better from a vinyl record.

Vinyl recordings give a much warmer, cleaner sound than something that has a change of sound depending on your Internet connection and speed of download and having to hear it through tiny computer box speakers (unless you are a nerd like me and have even your computer wired through an almost unnecessary but necessary sound system). Therefore, my recommendations I shall give are of albums I have either listened to for the first time through vinyl or have heard when my brain was given to the birds and made such a wonderful impact. My only hope is that people begin to truly understand and most importantly, appreciate a beautiful record.

1.) Beach Boys- Pet Sounds.
2.) The Velvet Underground- The Velvet Underground & Nico.
3.) Leonard Cohen- The Best Of.
4.) Nilsson- Nilsson Sings Newman.
5.) Funkadelic- Maggot Brain.
6.) Propagandhi- Less Talk, More Rock.
7.) Spacemen 3- The Perfect Prescription.
8.) Ride- Nowhere.
9.) Brainticket- Celestial Ocean.
10.) Sun Ra- Atlantis.
11.) Sly & The Family Stone- Stand!
12.) Hawkwind- Doremi Fasol Latido.
13.) The Supremes- Where Did Our Love Go.
14.) Yume Bitsu- Golden Vessyl Of Sound.
and last but not least, the very first vinyl record I ever heard as a child which probably ultimately got me into music-
15.) Michael Jackson- Thriller.

John Baldwin I began playing records when I was 13. CD's were the standard, but even at a young age I understood how "cool" records were. Not only was some of the most interesting music released exclusively on vinyl, it was cheaper. I remember going to a record shop and seeing a brand new CD for $10 and the LP was only $8. I obviously went with the cheaper option and my record purchasing only continued.

When someone asks which records you "MUST" hear "on vinyl" I always respond in the same way because ALL RECORDS sound better on vinyl. A nice record player, a nice needle, a quality amp, and a good set of speakers will ALWAYS sound tops because it is. Though, if you asked me what my favorite records were that you simply MUST hear on vinyl this would be my list.

The Clash – London Calling
Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love
Chumbawumba – Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records….

Thanks to the folks at Cactus Music for Their Thoughts.

If you like music, I suggest checking out Cactus Music's website. They often have live, free music at their store which is a cool thing and you should support local cool things so they stay and stay cool.

As for Bill and I, the album we both very much like in album form is the jazz album called The Sidewinder by Lee Morgan.

Do you have any whole album suggestions you would like to add?

Audition Tips for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

July 22, 2012 by Steph Stradley 13 Comments

The syndicated version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is coming to Houston on Monday to audition contestants. I participated in auditions in Houston almost 11 years ago, got the call to be on the show, won $64,000 (minus way too many taxes).
I ended up doing this because my very cool mother-in-law encouraged me to try out. The show experience was one of the most surreal things that has ever happened in my life.
I’ve helped other people get on the show since then, and thought I’d share some Who Wants To Be A Millionaire audition tips.

Audition Logistics

Details. Details on where the WWTBAM Houston auditions are can be found here. The WWTBAM rules/eligibility info here. I am no longer eligible because I’ve been in the hotseat.
Prepare for Lines. Show up early. Bring patience, a bottle of water, something to read. It may be a while before you can get a bathroom break so take care of business. I’ve tried out for multiple game shows, sometimes you wait inside the hotel, sometimes they line you up outside. (Yes, in the heat). They have a limit of how many people they can test at a time. And sometimes they may choose to cut off the line.
What to Bring. Identification card. Prepare for either hot or cold. For females, have a small mirror in your purse to re-apply makeup, do hair and whatnot.
What to Wear. Think of this like a casual first date. You want to make a good first impression. If you get to the interview portion, they will take a headshot picture. Wear something you think is flattering, shows who you are, and you don’t mind having to stand in a long line wearing it. Not cocktail stuff, but not schluby where they wonder if you haven’t anything decent you can wear on the show. (Unless some sort of hipster schlub is part of your uh look).

The Written Test

Nature of Test. The audition test is a general interest test in a multiple choice format. Like the questions from the show. It is timed.
Is The Test Hard? Depends. Sometimes trivia type people have trouble with the People Magazine sorts of pop culture questions. Sometimes pop culture folks have problems with the trivia things or stuff they used to know when they were in 5th grade. Some people fail one of the tests, get a different set of questions and pass. They won’t tell you what passing is.
Sitting in Chairs. When I took the test, we were jammed in a room with a lot of chairs. If you can sit at the end of the row, that might be handy. I ended up sitting next to this odd guy who was loudly and unhappily talking to himself.

The Audition Interview

Smart Isn’t Enough. For those who pass the written test, they then are asked to come to what is called the “Audition Interview.” Basically, they your picture, and you stand in front of a group of producers who ask you questions. If you “pass” both the written test and the audition interview, they put you in what they call the “Contestant Pool.” They want to make you audition to be on the show to make sure that Meredith Vierra has interesting people to chat with in the hotseat. They don’t want people who freeze up when they in front of an audience and on camera.
Be A Caricature. Reality TV isn’t real. Producers don’t want real. They say they want real, but most real is boring and practical. They want interesting. Reality characters can be summed up with a stereotyped sentence. What is different, interesting about you? For me, I was that fanatic sports-loving woman. Four words. (I talked about the Houston Texans before they played their first game). Collect interesting things? Play instruments? Have a thing you’ve overcome in your life? Something weird or quirky but not scary. You want to be a character that isn’t obviously a character. Be yourself, but maybe a little more emphatically you.
Be Easy for the Producers. Fill out a form? Use neat handwriting. Follow their directions. Don’t be a pain, and don’t do anything they might see as weird or threatening. Sometimes odd people show up at these sorts of events.
Basic Interview Techniques. Have a quick smile. Use mannered eye contact. Have an engaging conversation with them. The producers want to look good, and the way they look good for their bosses is picking good TV.
Be Prepared With INTERESTING Sound Bite Answers. Be prepared to tell your one sentence sum up of yourself and why you want to be on the show. A basic question you might get: What would you do with the money? They don’t want a normal sensible answers like paying off the mortgage or paying for kids education. Something interesting, heartwarming good TV. Are you a risk taker? Work that into the conversation. Say your most interesting things first, and talk until they ask you something else. They want to know you are an easy conversationalist. A game show is sort of like a talk show for non-celebrities with games mixed in.
Special Info for Middle Aged White Guys. The early years of WWTBAM had lots of middle aged white guys on it. Because stereotypically, white guys like trivia and they didn’t have an in-person audition process; they had a phone-in test. Even with the audition process, a lot of white guys try out. So if you are a white guy, you are going to have to try harder to not be fungible white guy. You are going to have to look, dress, and act like you are impressing the hottest girl ever. You aren’t going to have that much time to impress because they may not ask you as many questions. So you better be heartwarming, good quirky not scary, or whatever your shtick is very quickly.
Geography. They are auditioning in different places around the country, so if you are a student from some place else, you might want to say that is your home town. From a Houston suburb? Write down that suburb. They want diversity of everything on their show–young, old, race, geography, conventional looking, interesting looking. Melting pot.
You Are Auditioning From The Beginning. Assume that someone from the show is always watching you. The year that I auditioned, they had someone who entertained the group while the written test was being scored. Sometimes they ask for volunteers to be up front to do stuff. My year, they asked for impressions. I did The Worst Impression Ever but I did something. (I turned around, flipped my hair over, turned back around, and I was Cousin It–yes, I know that is profoundly stupid. But hey, maybe that stupid helped get me $64,000 less tax).

Good Luck, Have Fun, and Breathe

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or suggestions.
I was on the show because my mother-in-law saw the article in the Houston Chronicle and insisted I go the next day. Wrote an overly-long piece on my WWTBAM show experience here. It’s a longshot to get on the program, but I did it, and got my best friend to do it too. So it isn’t impossible unless you don’t try.
If you get chosen to be on the show, let me know and I can give you some additional advice.

Steph Stradley