Hi, Mark! You're officially a Protein Power Pal now that you've started a daily thread! CONGRATS!!!

Be careful with that coffee -- we don't want you spilling any whilst on the treadmill!

The Guinness stew is easy. First, buy stew beef from the chuck, not the round. Whenever I get it from the chuck, it's tender and "stringy" the way I like it; when I get it from the round, it's often chewy.

Here's the best way. Brown the beef in oil and saute some onions (I leave them in quarters so DH can easily pick them out if we wants). When it's browned and the onions are a little limp, pour 1 can of beef broth and 1 bottle/can of Guinness (gently) over the meat. I put enough liquid in so that it comes up to near the top of the meat, but not covering it. Add some pepper, maybe a bay leaf. Turn the heat down and simmer for hours (at least 2). Sometimes, after browning everything, I'll pop the whole pot into the oven at 200 degrees for about 3 to 4 hours (if I'm using cast iron).

To thicken it, I usually use Wondra flour. It's in a blue can near the regular flour. I've tried the various LC thickeners around, but haven't been happy with the results. Wondra has fewer carbs than flour, and you don't need much to thicken the gravy.

You can also add chunked potatoes and/or carrots to it, but I don't. DH has gotten accustomed to eating it over fat noodles. I eat it plain. Sometimes I'll make the faux mashed potatoes (pureed cauliflower) and then pour the stew over that.

Now for Acipenser (Michelle, if I remember correctly), whom I woefully and totally ignored the other day! Actually I just had yet another senior moment and forgot to respond to your questions.

I live in Norway, Maine. It's about 55 miles NW of Portland. We have about 45 acres of woodland and fields, and there's a lake across the private road from us. We do have bog frontage, which is lovely (DH tells me I'm like Morticia Addams because I brag about my bog frontage!). We have all sorts of wildlife -- deer, moose, bear, fox, coyotes, coydogs (half coyote, half dog), herons, geese, ducks, etc.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but last winter (while DH was out of town), a moose bashed in our front wooden screen door. I heard a couple loud thuds during the night, but the dog didn't seem worried, so I figured it was just the cats. The next morning when I opened our front entrance door, the screen door fell in toward me. It seems the salt we were using on the front porch and walk had attracted him (not terribly uncommon, I'm told). Also, the door is red, which I'm told they don't like. There was snot or slobber all over the screen, so it was either a moose or a burgler with a wicked case of nasal drippage!

Speaking of nasal drippage. . . You're right, Acipenser, flaxseeds do get mighty snotty in texture when wet! Some people eat flaxseeds heated up with water in the microwave (like oatmeal), but I've never gotten past the texture.

Once you bake the muffins, they're fine. Very nutty flavor. Be sure to bake them long enough. When you think they're done, bake them 5 to 8 minutes longer. Sometimes they seem done, but then when you cut them open, they're still a bit slimy in the middle.

I eat them plain or with butter. You could top them with anything you like. Jams are often too sweet for me, and I've never liked the texture of the SF jams, so I stay away.

That's it for now. Don't know if I'll be able to pop back in today (I'm in the office). If I don't, have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow!