Friday, October 9, 2015

Elephants and Cancer, Bowling.

I learned on USA Today (Thursday) that elephants rarely get cancer although they should do so as they age, from everything we know about aging they are ripe for it, but it appears that they have 20 times as many copies of a key cancer-fighting gene as humans which is a possible reason for their relatively cancer free existence.. Bowhead whales have also found a way to defeat cancer and they live longer than elephants, up to 200 years (so long as they are not harpooned) - which is something I didn't know. It's quite an interesting article. Scientists are studying this phenomenon. But at the moment it is merely and interesting fact about elephants. The thing which scares me, elephants are already being slaughtered for their ivory, are people now going to slaughter them for their cancer fighting potential even though it hasn't been proved yet. Sharks are already killed and their cartilage sold as a cancer preventive when there is, in fact, no provable benefit from such cartilage. You know, I never thought about animals getting cancer, in my mind it was a totally human disease. I guess I never really considered it at all.

Bowling today, Matt got on OK although neither of us bowled particularly well. My last game was respectable I guess. However, at least Matt was able to enjoy the game which he hadn't expected to do for a while. We also got the appointment for the surgeon to fix his remnant cancer on his forehead, it will be done on the 22nd. I learnt one thing today I hadn't known. Ten pin pins are bigger than those for Five pin. Somebody asked how much the pins weighed but the owner didn't know, said he had never weighed them. Why would he?

This is a recipe Matt discovered some time ago, when we were living in North Carolina. We used to entertain a lot of people at either Christmas or Thanksgiving, and the first time he made it, as a side, one particular neighbour went nuts about it. Must have been at Thanksgiving as he made her a batch as a Christmas present that year. I believe she ate it all and didn't even share with her hubby LOL. I am not quite sure why we called it Spanish Stuffing, I am not even sure where Matt got the recipe from in the first place, but here it is. I have actually just made a half batch for our dinner on Saturday. These days I don't have access to country ham as such, so I used Prosciutto. I also bought 2 plantain so have one left over, gotta figure out what to do with it.

Spanish Stuffing


1/4 cup Chopped onion
3 Tbs Olive Oil
3 Med Garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup Country smoked ham, chopped
1/2 cup Green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
2 lbs ground pork
1/4 cup raisins
4 oz pimientos (jar)
3 tsp capers
2 med Plantain (ripe if possible but not essential)

1. Soften onions and garlic in oil. Add green pepper and ground pork. Stir fry until pork is cooked. Add remaining ingredients except plantain. Cook for approx 5 mins, on med/low heat. Add plantain (use ripe if possible but can be green) and cook for a further 5 mins.

2. Suggest serve separately. Reheat in microwave when ready to eat.

Servings: 10

Have a great day
 

20 comments:

  1. That Spanish stuffing looks delicious :)

    betty

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  2. Hi Jo - I love a tasty stuffing and am very happy munch that - this one looks good. Interesting about the elephants - my ele post will now go up on the 20th ...

    Am glad the bowling happened even if it wasn't brilliant - things will get better - cheers Hilary

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    1. Morning Hilary. My favourite was always chestnut stuffing which my mother used for the neck end of the bird. I used to make it too when I cooked a whole bird. I will look forward to your ele post. Hope you are right about the bowling.

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  3. I often wonder how some of these recipe ingredients come together. Raisins and plantains in stuffing? It sure looks good in the pic but I'd have to pass. lol I love Stove Top!

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  4. I'm sure there are ways to study those cells without killing the animal. What if it proved to be a breakthrough? Preventing cancer is just as important as curing.

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    1. I do hope so Alex. But I was thinking more of the illegal killing which might take place if this comes out. Well I guess it has already come out. But elephants are already being poached for their ivory and look at the rhino horn, certain ethnicities believe in it's health benefits and will pay a premium to get it.

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  5. Sounds yummy! Glad you both got to bowl, and Matt will be stronger next week... Elephants. I hope we don't realize when it's too late, how much the diversity on our planet means to us, that it is here for a reason...

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    1. It is Lisa, even without the country ham. I hope so for his sake.

      You are so right, we have already caused some species to become extinct.

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  6. I don't think they'd need to slaughter elephants to study why they are resistant to cancer would they? Wouldn't they need them to be alive? I've had several animals die from cancerous tumours. My friend has a cat with a skin cancer on its nose. I put sunscreen on my German Shepherd's nose to prevent him getting skin cancer. Our Tasmanian Devils are endangered because of a contagious cancer they get from biting each other on the face.

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    1. No they wouldn't need to Pinky, but the illegal poachers would still do so and sell elephant bone as a cancer cure or something. Poor animals I didn't know. Odd about the Tasmanian Devils. I guess one can't stop them from biting one another.

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  7. Interesting info on animals and cancer. hopefully science can replicate for humans without hurting any animals. Sounds like it's in the blood. Looks like a yummy recipe, and Matt made it. Awesome!

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    1. I hope they can too Yolanda. No Matt didn't make it this time, I did.

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  8. I wonder if there isn't already a cure for cancer but it's not being done because too much money would be lost. This is the dark side of me talking. I worry about these majestic beasts and pray that poaching will one day end. Thankfully there was a signing with China to stop the ivory trade-I had heard something like that

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    1. I don't think anyone would do that Birgit. They would make one heck of a lot of money from a cure. I too hope we can end poaching one day.For Rhinos and all other animals.

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  9. That's interesting about cancer and elephants. Let's hope it doesn't encourage even more slaughter.

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