EGG ON FACE

IE: getting old:

Well I've been bitching that I don't have a working pen on my office desk only to find out in the middle of grabbing different ones i got my Microsoft pen to work,  was fine for the moment i needed. i tested it quickly and did the usual circles on plain paper and it worked in red ink, not what i needed for the official document but good in a pinch for the note i needed for certain data retainment. I wrote what i needed on junk paper and dropped the pen on the desk only to hear it click closed but I didn't care. I picked it back up after finding the official paper i needed to write the data on only to click it open and NOTHING!! yes friends in less than 5 seconds the pen had quit putting out red ink. upon closer inspection i noticed the pen head looked a bit odd and sure enough it was A STYLUS. I was a bit sleepy still and not fully aware thinking i had somehow picked up the wrong pen i closed it again and dropped it on the desk looking for the one that just wrote in red. I didn't find one. I picked up the only Microsoft labeled pen i could find and clicked it hoping it was the red one again, only to find this was a pencil, I had other pencils so this was not a good find when what i needed was a blue or black ink tool. It was at that moment i suspected something was odd as it was the ONLY MS logo pen i had found once again so I closed it and clicked and voila, once again a pencil. i closed it again, click click and once again it was a pencil. I repeated this too many times to tell without seeming more stupid than i am all ready showing.  I finally set it down, picked it up and clicked it again 2 times, SLOWLY, and i got. A PEN HEAD that printed in RED... now, i'm easily confused sometimes but this had bewildered me to the point of aggravation. yet all along i was impervious to the fact that there were four little words printed on the end of the pen at the click button. although round it had four precisely marked words on even spacing as follows: 0.5 / Red / Stylus / Black. In my haste when i picked up the pen over the years I've never noticed this before as my hand was always in the way while holding it.  so yeah, DUH, which ever word is facing up when you click it comes out the other end. I'd seen and owned pens like this before with multiple clickers but never in a single clicker case. In fact in my youth many times i was the cool guy at the sportsman inn pizza restaurant table writing on the back of the place mat (yeah remember those) with a tri color pen or pencil with a tri clicker. So now i feel the geezer this morning (like how i see my father at times lately) here a simple tool with something I've seen before but just not in that simple a configuration (rotate pen and click, how simple) and it got the best of me. Not unlike your parent or grand parent when you showed them a computer or a multifunction remote.
 

VALUE?

VALUE: worth and item costs vs quality and what you get for your money.

 I'm starting to think there is no such idea as something labeled as “good”. Everything is a CRAYON and there's just a whole bunch of crayons out there. A $50 blue is awesome when you need a blue sky, but crappy when you want to draw the sun. It seems that a $2,000 yellow sure makes you say, “Yes! It does look (feel) expensive!” when you are drawing the sun, but then you try to use it to color a Coca-cola logo and you say, “This thing looks like crap.” This seems to apply to everything.

It's always ends up really “expensive” when an items stupid character mates perfectly with a wildly varying source and then people buy into it. It's like if Michael J. Fox with an M-16 happened to sync his shaking up with a moving target and was able to hit it dead on. That doesn't make it a better more accurate gun worth tons of money. Why would you ever want a shaky shooter? Of course the same  is true with a $1 four sided Crayon, sure its able to do more things for a lot less but it breaks easy and doesn't last nearly as long as a standard Crayon no matter what you're drawing. Constant replacement issues are a terrible way to work. You also wouldn't use a Focal SM11 S subwoofer no matter how great it is to be your speaker for a guitar amp and its $8000, its just the wrong item for the job.

 Value and taste is very personal. You may think that the yellow is perfect while I may think is horrible. So what made it worth $2,000? Just because Picasso used it? It's up to you and I to decide what value an item has not just because someone who is deemed (PROFESSIONAL) says its good or got good results with it. (maybe they didn't) This is EXTREMELY true in the music and audio industries. Speakers, Mics, Amps, Mixers, Compressors, Headphones etc. All kinds of hype in there. I've heard amazing things come from a home recording with minimal equipment. I've heard HORRIBLE things come from TOP notch expensive studios using crazy expensive hardware. It's all in how you used it and the situation you are trying to remedy or extract from.

So in reality what is VALUE? It's not really something you can put a finger on and it's not so much a matter of costs directly either. If you are happy with a $5 Crayon then good for you, same could be said for the $2000 one if you really like it. So where's the Value? Could it be something more along the lines of paying for something and getting more than what you expected. Sounds like the definition. But what does that mean, MORE THAN WHAT YOU EXPECTED? Did your car do more after you paid X thousands of dollars? Did it drive on water, did it drive you to your vacation while you were asleep at the wheel, did it walk the dog and do the dishes and take the trash to the curb? If not then maybe you didn't get the value you thought you got. How much better was the $2000 crayon over the $5 one? 5% ? Not really a good value if there isn't much difference but if you THINK that the 5% is worth it then by all means. Perspective makes everyone and everything its bitch.

(thanks to Brandon Drury for some excerpts)

yes the keifer does it again...

pmG Dare To Share $10 CG Software Challenge

pmG Dare To Share $10 CG Software Challenge

It's an amazing deal for one of Hollywoods award winning animation and rendering software

For as little as $10 for the standard and $40 for the Pro (64bit multiprocessor) versions.

Follow the link, share using the share links, facebook etc. and purchase a license, I went with the pro version for windows 7 64-bit.

The pro version is normally $1195 so get in on the DEAL.

Dessert time! A twist on pumpkin pie

Today I have a bit of a twist if you will, not really but hey its 2010 and people are throwing out phrases all over right? Anyway, today I am presently awaiting my last 30 minutes of baking while I start to write this bit about a lovely pie:

BUTTERSCOTCH PUMPKIN PIE!

It's really not hard to do, the magic is making sure when you melt the butterscotch you don't burn or over cook them prematurely during that melt.

The ingredients:

1 - pie crust, frozen, refrigerated or home made, doesn't matter.

1- can 15 oz of pumpkin pie filler (i use organic)

1 - can 12 oz of evaporated milk (not sweetened)

1 - cup butterscotch flavored chips (like the chocolate chips)

2 - eggs, slightly beaten, do not whip them

1/2 - cup sugar

3 - teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (i use McCormick)

1 - teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 - teaspoon of salt

Preparing:

1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees, prepare pie crust as needed if packaged, place in 9 inch pie plate, deep style preferred

2: Put butterscotch chips in microwave and set for 1 minute on high in a bowl (microwave glass preferred), start, pause and stir every 15 seconds until completely melted.

3: Mix beaten eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and wire whisk until well blended. Stir in the pumpkin filler, evap milk and the now melted chips until well blended and smooth smooth smooth!!!

4: Pour mix into pie crust covered pan

5: Bake in oven at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce temp down to 350F for another 40-45 minutes. (the check: knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean)

6: Cool on wire rack

7: ENJOY

Brown Banana Foster semi instant ice cream, or , cooking Ice Cream with liquid nitrogen

What I have for you this time is a wonderful hot weather friend of ice cream but using a group of flavors that most people are not used to. This recipe utilizes a cream base which also happens to be VEGAN, but there's a twist, the old time CHURN or home made ice cream maker will NOT be used, (i have a solution using such at the end of this article in case you don't or can't follow these steps), we will be using LIQUID NITROGEN to make the CREAMIEST of ice cream. It is the lack of LARGE crystals when freezing that makes Ice cream even creamier, AND since we are FLASH freezing with nitrogen the crystals will be BY FAR much smaller than using a standard churn idea, pretty much instant to boot.

THE FLAVOR: Brown Sugar Banana Foster with Coconut Milk (COCONUT MILK??? I see you raising your nose but stick with me)
Ripe bananas are quite sweet on their own but when mixed with a rich dark molasses based sugar instead of standard white granular sugar you will wonder why you never did this before. But, its what we do with it next is what puts in a WOW factor, we CARMAELIZE the mix. Betcha I have your attention now. Now if that didn't set your mouth watering the next bit will probably twist your head. Instead of the very fattening cows milk for the cream, which also isn't Vegan, we will be adding in another flavor that goes very well with bananas, COCONUT MILK. Coconut milk tones back on the bananas sweetness but the caramelizing sets it all together in a nice yummy stew. You can pick coconut milk up at most grocers today in a bottle etc.

The hard part may be to get the type of sugar used in this which is dark and unrefined, its called JAGGERY! It comes in blocks at my store but may be bagged and ground down as Ive seen over the internet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggery
What is Jaggery? Jaggery or Gur is a specific type of unrefined sugar popular in India. It is normally manufactured from either sugar cane or date palms, but recent trends in its manufacture have resulted in jaggery made from the sap of coconut and sago palms. While jaggery is useful in cooking, it is also an ancient part of Ayurvedic medicine and has spiritual significance in India too. The thicker dark molasses in the sugar adds a flavor you are probably not used to but trust me you will love it.
IF YOU CANNOT FIND JAGGERY, you can surely sub in some UNREFINED BROWN SUGAR.

As for the bananas, the ripeness needs to to be pretty high so look for the black specks on the outside before you prepare this.

So, what does this all mean? What I've done is take an old recipe and updated it using new techniques you most likely are not use to doing. Don't let it scare you. Its really fun and you can get everyone to watch it happen right before their eyes, and yours. (well the final phase anyway)

LIQUID NITROGEN COOKING
Yes its actually cooking as LN2 (liquid nitrogen) boils at under 300 below ZERO so in fact you are cooking but with COLD instead of heat. Boiling is just the transfer from liquid to gas state and does not mean HOT as we mostly associate with water boiling.

This is kind of a new fangled thing for many people and I must tell you that it can be dangerous when working with LN2 aka Liquid nitrogen. You're probably asking yourself, you're crazy to play with stuff that can freeze your finger(s) and cause it to shatter. While this is true it doesn't take much to be careful or really much in the way of hardware for handling it. Simple things like a basic small and cheap foam style coolers like what you can get in the quickstop or your local food store, even target and the ever evil walmart carry these for a few dollars in the fishing/camping equipment area.
LN2 (LIQUID NITROGEN SAFETY)
http://cookingissues.wordpress.com/primers/liquid-nitrogen-primer/

WHERE CAN I GET LN2?
you can obtain liquid nitrogen from compressed gas/welding suppliers.
HOW MUCH DO I NEED?
10 liters is enough to transport home with inherent losses and still have 3 or more liters left to cook with within a 24 hour period. LN2 evaporates in any open container, the better more efficient the container the less loss you will have.
REMEMBER, NEVER KEEP IN A SEALED CONTAINER. LN2 is always heating up thus expanding into gas and will cause a sealed container to EXPLODE.

A few other required items are:
A standard counter mixer (like a kitchen-aid etc) with a nice steel bowl and steel paddle mixing blade, do not use one with a plastic mix blade as the liquid nitrogen will destroy it as it freezes. DO NOT USE THE WHISK ATTACHMENT

The plain Styrofoam cooler (medium sized to make pouring easier from the corner)
A pair of Metal mixing bowls (medium to large to hold mix and possibly some LN2)
A metal hand held screen type strainer (to scoop stuff out of the nitrogen)
A metal flat spatula with holes in the blade (as above)
A few medium to large metal spoons (again one with holes like when spooning peas etc)
An oven mitt, not really needed unless the cold from the metal bowls bothers your hands as the metal bowls will get REALLY cold.

(MAKE YOUR OWN DOTS)
Just a simple note, you can make your own dipping dots type ice cream using ANY standard ice cream base, pour into a poultry baster, have a large steel bowl of LN2 ready and drip drops of the base into the LN2 and scoop out. DO NOT EAT THEM YET!!!
YOU MUST PUT THEM IN THE FREEZER TO WARM UP!!!
Yes i know that sounds odd but that's what you need to do or you can really be harmed with severe cold burns in your mouth.
Use a small cup to hold in the freezer over night.

OK enough science and on with the show!

This makes about 3/4 of a liter of ice cream
Since its not a standard cream base it will be a bit HARDER if left in the fridge, so you may want to pull it out a little before you want to eat some after putting in the freezer.

THE PARTS:
6-7 medium ripe bananas (1 1/4 cups of peeled and cut up)1/2 inch cuts
3/4 cup of Jaggery (or brown sugar)
2 cups of Coconut Milk
1/8 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp of dark rum
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
(optional lemon juice or lemon zest) season to taste after cooking down the mix if you find the mix too sweet

In a broad skillet (wide sauce pan ok) heat the sugar with 1/4 of the coconut milk stirring it until it gets bubbly and smooth.

Add the bananas and the salt stirring occasionally until the bananas cook completely, they should be nice and soft and should take about 5 mins or so.

remove from heat and stir in the rest of the coconut milk, rum and vanilla. This is were you should taste it and see if its TOO sweet for your taste and add the lemon juice if you want. (a few drops is all) I don't add it but not everyone likes the same thing.

At this point you should have a steel bowl ready to receive the mix to cool it down just a bit more. Once its not steaming hot anymore pour into blender and liquefy the mixture, the smoother the better.

Ok, CAREFULLY pour your nitrogen into the cooler from whatever container it came in
Figure in that a chilled cream base of a liter in volume will use a liter of nitrogen to freeze, so since our base is actually kinda warm you will most likely use 2-3 liters of liquid nitrogen.
Take the mix from the blender and put into the table mixers bowl
turn mixer on to medium.
Slowly (and carefully) add in the liquid nitrogen, don't dump in too much as you will harden the mix too much too fast, the airation of the boiling nitrogen will add the air to the ice cream mix so it needs a little time to do its job or else it just freezes the top layer of mix, it WILL FOG UP. So pour a bit and then wait for the fox to lift and check it. Keep an eye on it as you keep adding more nitrogen!
You may want to use a standard stiff metal spatula at this point to scrape the sides of the bowl back into the middle.
Once smooth and creamy (unless you really like HARD ice cream)you can stop adding the nitrogen.
If you find you put too much nitrogen in and its lumpy or hard, stop adding the LN2 and turn up the speed of the mixer for a bit to blend and smooth back the texture a bit.

by the time you put down the cooler, stop the mixer and remove the bowl the nitrogen
will have evaporated and its safe to eat


ENJOY!!

Two notes/additions

1) Some people think it looks kinda UGLY, well, i will say its not a PRETTY color by any means, but most don't seem to care

2) A COOL addition to the mix is to use the nitrogen to flash freeze RASPBERRIES, grab a handful of them and place in a steel bowl of nitrogen for a few seconds. They will freeze harden. lift them out with the screen strainer or a flat metal spatula with the holes in the blade. place them in a paper towel or cheese cloth, cover with same. Then here's the fun part. WHACK THEM WITH A SMALL HAMMER!! or like object (rolling pin) but don't TOUCH them with any skin, it will burn(aka freeze burn). They will split into individual bits of the berries structure. You MUST now wait for them to thaw a bit, you don't want to eat them in this SOLID STATE, wait a few minutes and they will thaw a bit but you don't have to wait until they are completely melted again. put on top or mix in the last seconds of the ice cream chilling

Now one can surely do this with a standard ice cream churn, however changes must be made.
After using the blender to smooth out the base after cooking, place in a steel bowl to fully chill over night, THEN follow your directions for your churn. If you find it too thick when pulling from the fridge then whisk it briskly to loosen a bit before pouring into your ice cream maker.

Boulderdash Ballyhoo's Rantings: 2010 Devolution Resolution or What I did up to the end of the past year

Boulderdash Ballyhoo's Rantings: 2010 Devolution Resolution or What I did up to the end of the past year

2010 Devolution Resolution or What I did up to the end of the past year

Well here it is, another new year with plenty to look forward to such as more houses being reclaimed by banks, more people filing for bankruptcy from lost jobs, higher divorce rates, self included, and even more cars with donut wheels on the highway endangering everyone around them with certain death when it explodes from overheating because they can't afford a new regular tire, it's not looking good out there at all.

As for ole' Boulder, well I'm actually doing a bit better as of late. After a bit of falling down the stairs of life (you know me and stairs, never a good mix) I hit the bottom floor and after a bit of healing and rethinking of things I worked hard and got a few dollars in my pocket and paid a new immigrant to the US to carry me up those stairs on his back. Nothing says America like another white man riding atop the backs of immigrants. 

Boulder feels old:

I have finally reached old guy status, sure I've had the grey hair and the unfortunate typical over 40 gut growing, i do love food, but now i have to use reading glasses. I scoffed at the idea over a year ago when I had the horrible experience with the opto chick who plucked one of my contacts out of my eye without asking, yes, she just reached up to my eyeball and pulled it out, I'm pretty much scarred for life from that, i mean WTF? Anyway, not only did she do that, but she put me in the most damned expensive contacts which never worked correctly. Weekly wear for a discounted $90 per box with 4 lenses per box, min order of 4 boxes. That equates to $180 per month for lenses, more if one goes bad early, so screw that. So i gave up on contacts and went glasses for most of the year. Just recently I switched to a new Doc and he and I are like two peas in a pod on what I need. My sight is great for reading my car dash and pretty much have 15/10 so distance isn't an issue anymore. [Get this tho, the new lenses, are good for 1 to 2 weeks, and come 6 in a box for as little as $24, that's more like it vs the old Dr lens plucker's choice.] Up close now I HAVE to use reading glasses to see anything under arms length, such is the elderly project of life. I did find some frames I really liked and feel they look really good on me, foster grant sells them at Walgreens for $20, but here's were the ol' guy comes in, so i see them and like them, but as i walked through the store i find an end isle sale of the same glasses, minus the FG labels, for 2 for $6, of course the ones I want are not in the magnification I require. But now that I've seen them for so little, I will not pay the $20 for the FG versions. The model # is the same, FG just stamps them and marks them up. Bastards, I guess my frugal ol' man shopping phase has begun.

Lots of my friends from childhood are looking different to me now, most are in the 40 yr club now, a few are migrating into the 50's club this and next year. That hits you pretty hard when you used to know them before they could drink legally. A good part of them have kids and even my aged cousins have kids in college as well as my two year older bro who has 2 in college. A few have only just started families, i guess its a mix, but the ones who started really late, i dunno, its strange to see a kid grad from high school with parents in their 70's.

I lost a few over the past few years too, had my first: They didn't die from an accident or murder death. That was a bit shocking and quite a wake up call.

I become highly irritated by the things people do:

Like in the grocer, its easy to identify people who cant count, they're the ones in front of you in the express lanes, i'm not talking about the immigrants who abuse it and claim no can read, i mean the ones who you know for sure can read, ok well maybe not. 

Found that nothing is more annoying than arguing with someone who knows what he's talking about, damn'd specialized degrees

When your friend or family member eats some food and has that look on their face of, "DAMN that was awful!" then says, "here, try some". The same holds true with the sniff test. It's like, i saw you open the container and your head about ripped off from snapping back so hard and fast, and now you want me to take a wiff? Does this smell bad to you? WTF man?! I dont need direct stimulation like that, i just experienced it vicariously through you, no thanks.

When i use my tire gauge and i let half the air out just trying to get a reading. please someone invent something better, its the 21st century all ready!

And finally, here I was just barely coming to grips with being older than the new James Bond, of which had started me on the path to feeling older, but now, the new Doctor from Dr Who is almost HALF my age. Sumbitch...

Beware, thar be changes ahead arrr:

I am finding many things are changing for me, my job status and position within my clients mainly, I guess my push to be a more proactive partner in their companies is starting to pay off. I am more than just the IT Guru to call when the feces hits the fan, my more preventative plan is being put in place after many many meetings and requests for upgrades and solutions and that has kept me busy outside of my regular channels of [insert cellphone ring here] "hello?"  "HEEEEELLLPP US, ITS A MELTDOWN". I guess being in the OH SHIT end of emergency management for IT has its rewards, keeping busy and when I get paid. I now have fewer clients over all but yet I am busier than ever.  

So what else is new since the last installments: 

1) Younger brother has same type heart attack as Tim Russert, supposedly only 10% survive.. he was in that percentage, BTW he is only 36, life changing event for such a young man 

2) I negotiated some deals and came out smelling pretty good over all, quite happy about that

3) I had to put my A number one special girl down "pepper" after 13 years, man that was a big loss for me, part of my fall down the stairs of life to be sure, I was crushed.  More about this in another post to honor her life. 

4) Met new people, left behind some old ones

5) I treated myself to a nice super duper laptop, yup its really nice, best laptop under 16" LCD there is at the time. Quad Core I7 cpu, ok, maybe a bit too geeky, but i love that kinda crap. the screen is INCREDIBLE, and with blue ray, well,  porn never looked so good. haha, no really, no, hah! Yes thats the model in the pic, with the bag etc it comes with.

6) I really needed (5) after lightning hit my house and damaged the roof, my ham radios, and most of my PC and musical equipment that was plugged in, (another drop down the stairs of life), sucks to not be able to record anything and now I have to wear headphones all the time since it took out my recording studio monitor speakers. F'n lightning is quite the power, note the burned up metal on the cable modem, everything plugged into it and the router is all DEAD. It even burned up the network wires.

7) I was departnered in SL, at the time couldn't really get in due to loss of PC's so its no wonder it went down like it did. I had been a bit disenchanted with SL itself of late too. So much Drama and the economy is effecting the sims to explore so SL was kinda old hat on some levels. Kinda came outta left field when it happened. I was out of town at the time.

8)  Carrying on from above, I got to get out of town a few times, had a super great time there, 1st class flying rocks... learned quite a bit, experienced many new things, worked a lot of hours non the less via remote. Gotta love being able to bill for time away. 

9) Spent Xmas plus 2 weeks away from home, that was an awesome and incredible, even with the new boots I bought that scarred the back of my thighs, yes both of them were cut up from the top lip of the boots, still healing at this time. Again, 1st class ROCKS!!!

10) Rescued a puppy. YAY FOR ME and Mr broken heart from (3) 

OK so that was last week which is really 2010...

 Kai-Anne Samantha chili pepper

She's added quite a spring to my step, usually over the poo in the yard, and she makes me smile incredibly huge! BTW she is quite the chick magnet for you single guys, come to think of it, she even gets the guys too, so single ladies, pay attention.

that's pretty much the meat and potato parts of the later half of 2009

until next time y'all, 

DaBishop Boulder

Sharing Sweden with the masses

I know i posted some cookies before, but i've been missing these lovelys from my scandanavian homeland of sweden. They are quite deelish in my opinion and for you DUNKERS out there they are quite incredible with a good coffee or even some teas.

SWEDISH SCORPA

The parts:

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup (1 stick ) butter, melted but not boiled so it seperated

1 teaspoon saffron threads (a good pinch or two)

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom ( optional)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup currants

2 eggs, warmed (NOT COLD FROM FRIDGE)

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

1 large egg, beaten

Sugar sprinkles, (optional) I dont use it

1 cup raisins (optional) I also dont use it

The HOW TO:

(yes its similar to Biscotti)

To make the dough: In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Add a pinch of sugar. Heat the milk and add the melted butter to it; let cool until the mixture is lukewarm.

Pulverize the saffron with 1 teaspoon of the sugar, using a mortar and pestle or with the back of a spoon in a small dish. Add 1 tablespoon of the warm milk-and-butter mixture and allow the saffron to steep for 5 minutes.

Add the saffron mixture, milk-and-butter mixture, sugar, salt, currants and eggs to the yeast. Using an electric blender on medium speed, beat until blended. Add 2 cups flour and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the remaining flour and mix with a wooden spoon to make a medium-stiff dough. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead for 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and satiny. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to lightly oil the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

To make a braided wreath: Punch the dough down and divide into 3 parts. With the palms of your hands, roll and shape each part into a rope-like strand about 36 inches long. Braid the strands by aligning them vertically and alternately crossing each outer strand over the center strand. Shape the braid into a circle and place on a greased or parchment-covered baking sheet. Pinch the ends together where they meet to seal the strands and to conceal the beginning and end of the braid.

Transfer to the baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles if using. Let rise for about 45 minutes or just until puffy.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the dough comes out clean and dry.

Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F. Carefully cut each rectangle into 1/2-in. slices. Place slices with cut side down on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes longer.

Note: To make two smaller wreaths: Divide the dough into 2 parts and braid as above. Place each wreath on a baking sheet, allow to rise and bake for about 20 minutes.

Yes its a bit of labor of love there, but i find it is quite worth the time and effort

njuta av den scorpa

Vodka sauce pasta

KEIFERS VODKA SAUCE RECIPE

THE RED SAUCE:

6 lb Ripe, San Marzano tomatoes, I use a 6lb can from Costo (pre peeled), sub in Romas if you cant get the San Marzanos

I can tell you that the San Marzano will be FAR BETTER than regular plum types.

3 tbspn Extra Virgin olive oil

1 Red onion; thinly sliced

1 small Rosemary branch, remove the leaves and chopped

1 small Bay leaf (pull before Ala Vodka processing)

1 small fresh thyme branch, remove the leaves and chopped

1 (2 small leaves chopped) Sweet Basil

The setup for the imported canned ie: pre peeled

Warm the olive oil in a large pan; add the tomatoes, onion, rosemary, bay, thyme and basil, I add a pinch of fresh ground black pepper. Cook over gentle heat until the tomatoes break down to a puree blend. Salt to taste (I use a just a little sea salt). You can pass them through a food mill or blend/mash them smooth, however sometimes I leave it a bit chunky. Check the consistency; if you wish a thicker sauce, return it to the pan and cook over medium-low heat until it is reduced a bit and at the thickness you like.

This is for tomatoes with skins:

Warm the olive oil in a large pan; add the tomatoes, onion, rosemary, bay, thyme and basil, I add a pinch of fresh ground black pepper.Cook over gentle heat until the skins are wrinkled and have really cooked away from the flesh, usually about 30 minutes. Remove the skins, The tomatoes should be melting into a puree by then. You can pass them through a food mill or blend/mash them smooth, however sometimes I leave it a bit chunky. Check the consistency; if you wish a thicker sauce, return it to the pan and cook over medium-low heat until it is reduced a bit and at the thickness you like. Add salt to taste

Makes about 1 Quart, you may not need all of it so Freezing or Canning the rest is good thing to do so you have some tasty red sauce ready and quick for anything in the future.

ALA VODKA:

1 quart of red sauce as above

1 cup vodka (nothing too fancy but I like the fowl named or the red S label)

1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature (IMPORTANT ITS NOT COLD)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (not the powdered stuff ) be sure have more on hand as some like me love it to be a bit thicker and cheesier as well as to add on top as many like as well

1 pound penne

Using a large heavy SKILLET (non stick works best, I have a deep 15” to fit all this without splashing all over) Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reduces by 1/4, usually takes about 20 minutes. Slowly stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Even at room temp if you go too fast it will bring the temperature down quickly so GO SLOW. Continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. SLOWLY stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended. DO NOT JUST TOSS IT ALL IN AT ONCE!!! As with the Cream you do this a little at a time as to not overwhelm the sauce and cool it down, it also promotes better melting and distribution of the cheese and flavors. At this point it should be nice and light orange colored. I stir to mix all the flavors and make sure everything is all HOT AGAIN.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat. I like to keep a little bit of the water and add some to the sauce, not much just a bit to thin the sauce back a bit since I like it thick to start with and it adds the starches you removed from the pasta while boiling. Careful how much you add as you don’t want to make it all runny. I let this all to a simmer once again for at most 2 minutes while gently continuing to toss/stir/fold with a large wooden spoon. This will make it all hot and steamy, don’t do this too long as the pasta will overcook and get loose and mushy. Remove from heat and let REST with a good lid or cover plate etc. This will allow it to cool a bit and reconstitute the liquids that were just boiling. This step is VERY IMPORTANT, as with any cooked to steamy hot meal it allows the flavors to infuse themselves back into the food. (have you ever had dry turkey, usually its not over cooked, just not allowed to stand and let the steamed juices return to liquid and get absorbed back into the meat, hence the big PUDDLE of liquid in the bottom of the pan) just quickly cover it and let it rest.

After resting for a few minutes, YOUR DONE, ENJOY!!

Dining table induced heart attacks?

Dining out....a favorite American past-time. Research, however, has shown that the more we dine out, the more likely we are to get accustomed to larger portions—and to potentially larger waistlines.

So is it possible to dine out and have your cake too? According to a new report by the Nutrition Action Healthletter, the answer might be a resounding "no," especially if you dine at some of the casual, "slow-food" restaurant chains out there, with their hyper-caloric entrees, appetizers, and desserts.

One meal highlighted by the NAH report, for example, was The Cheesecake Factory's "Fried Macaroni and Cheese," which weighs in at a monstrous 1,570 calories and 69 grams of saturated fat. (The kind that clogs your arteries and can leave you at higher risk for a heart attack for up to 4 hours after a meal.) Consider these factoids: • Many health experts recommend we eat no more fat in a single day than the equivalent of 3 pats of butter.  • A pat of butter has 5 grams of fat, so "Fried Macaroni and Cheese" contains the equivalent of about 14 pats of butter. Oops!

And the amount of sodium (as table salt) in some restaurant meals is sky-high as well. Chili's "Big Mouth Bites"-also cited in the NAH article-boasts (if that's the word) 2,350 calories, 38 grams of fat (7 ½ pats of butter)-and 3,940 mgs of sodium. Excuse me? That's about twice the amount of sodium recommended for most adult Americans, over the course of a day. How many salt-sensitive people-some of whom have high blood pressure and don't know it-are innocently gorging on these indoor salt licks?

Okay, so the news about restaurant chains isn't so good, but there are healthier options out there that will still allow you to go out once in awhile and socialize. Here's a sampling of entrées from some of the big restaurant chains. I've included one "no-no" from each establishment's menu to help you spot the "heart-attacks-on-a-plate."

• Applebee's®.  The bad news: You order the "Grilled Steak Caesar Salad with toast," thinking you're eating light...after all, it's a salad, right? But guess what? If you eat the whole thing, you'll have wolfed down 1,296 calories, 83 grams of fat (16½ pats of you-know-what), and 2,200 mgs of sodium. Uh oh. The good news: Applebee's offers a Weight Watcher's® Menu for health- and weight-conscious diners, and it includes "Garlic Herb Chicken" for 370 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 7 grams of fiber. Applebee's even has a dessert, "Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake," that's only 230 calories and 3 grams of fat. Pass around 1 slice of this cake and you'll be cutting calories even further. Although their "Onion Soup au Gratin" (150 calories) has fewer calories than does regular onion soup, the 8 grams of fat in there might cause a problem if your entrée was also high in fat. 
• Cheesecake Factory®.  The bad news: You ordered their "Stuffed Chicken Tortillas," thinking it a fairly good nutritional choice. Wrong. You just put away 1,097 calories, 43 grams of fat (8 ½ pats) and a whopping 2,647 mgs of sodium (the equivalent of more than a full teaspoon of salt)....thirsty, by any chance? The good news: I was surprised to find a new menu item at the Cheesecake Factory called "Weight Management Grilled Chicken^TM," which was accompanied by arugula salad (my favorite!), steamed white rice, and asparagus. Per the online listing, this meal contained "less than 590 calories." The new "White Chicken Chili" also looks promising, although the nutrition information wasn't available when I looked. Their "Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo" could be healthy if you ask that the cream be left out of the Cajun-style broth. 
• Chili's®.  The bad news: Chili's online info lists its appetizers under the heading "Start It Off Right," but you surely won't be doing that if you order their "Onion String & Crispy Jalapeno Stack." This before-meal snack is lugging along 2,130 calories, 213 grams of fat (I kid you not--42 ½ pats of butter!), and 1,320 mgs of sodium. (You know how some menus put a little heart symbol next to the heart-healthy meals? "Onion String & Crispy Jalapeno Stack" could just about be awarded tiny skull and crossbones.) The good news: Chili's "Guiltless Grill" offers many healthy options too, such as the "Guiltless Grilled Salmon" at 480 calories, 14 grams of fat (with most of the calories and fat coming from those pleasant omega-3-fatty acids), and a good amount of fiber (10 grams). Another item I was curious about is the "Black Bean Burger": Although its 650 calories seem fairly steep, it does contain a respectably low 12 grams of fat (only 2 of them saturated) and a generous 26 grams of fiber. 
• T.G.I. Friday's®.  The bad news: No matter how good Friday's "Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad" sounds to you, don't do it. It's hiding 750 calories and 10 pats of butter. The good news: With its "Right Portion, Right Price" menu offerings, Friday's became the first casual, sit-down dining chain in the U.S. to offer smaller portions at lower prices all through the day. Among the entrees are "Asian-Glazed Chicken with Field Greens," and "Cedar-Seared Salmon on Field Greens." Two other meals, the "Dragonfire Chicken" and "Shrimp Key West," are included in their "Better for You" section, which lists only those meals that contain no more than 500 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving. This saves you money as well.
• Outback Steakhouse®.  The bad news: Order Outback's "Aussie-tizers Kookaburra Wings with Sauce" and you just served yourself 1,160 calories and 75 grams of fat (15 pats). The good news: I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this restaurant now has "Healthy Weight Loss," "Heart-Healthy Diet," and "High-Protein Low-Carbohydrate" choices. On the "Healthy Weight Loss" link, they offer options for making their traditional items healthier (e.g., ordering their "Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie" without butter, or the "Shrimp and Veggie Griller" without butter or glaze during preparation.  I feel these guidelines of Outback Steakhouse not only help diners cut calories and fat, but also provide information regarding the food's preparation. And perhaps most important, diners will most likely feel less intimidated to ask their server for these modifications since they're listed on the Web site. 
• Ruby Tuesdays®.  The bad news: You just ordered "Ruby Minis," thinking, What harm could 2 miniburgers with fries possibly do? The answer: an injurious 1,122 calories and about 14 pats is what. The good news: I found a menu option online called "Smart Eating Choices," which looks to include some healthy options, such as "White Bean Chicken Chili" (228 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber) and "Grilled Chicken" at 295 calories and only 6 grams of fat. Other choices, however, were a bit higher in fat than I expected, such as the "Chicken Bella" (626 calories and 7 pats), "New Orleans Seafood" (31 grams of fat), and "Grilled Chicken Salad" (30 grams of fat). However, even these last options are most likely much lower in fat and calories than some of the traditional items on the menu, so overall they may be fairly good choices, in moderation.

I'm sure there are many more restaurants out there with healthier options, so I'd love to hear from you if you'd like to share what you've found out. I hope I've given you some tasty and healthy options so you can have your cake and eat it to!

© 2007 Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved. This article from Johns Hopkins University is provided as a service by Yahoo. All materials are produced independently by Johns Hopkins University, which is solely responsible for its content

The New Age of Wireless

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; 
Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; 
We spend more, but have little; 
We buy more and enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; 
More conveniences, but less time; 
We have more degrees, but less common sense; 
More knowledge, but less judgement; 
More experts, but more problems; 
More medicine, but less wellness.

We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, 
Drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, 
Stay up too late, get up too tired,  Read too seldom, 
Watch TV too much, and don't pray often enough.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. 
We talk too much, love too seldom and lie too often. 
We've learned  how to make a living, but not a life; 
We've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, 
But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; 
We've done larger things, but not better things; 
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; 
We've split the atom, but not our prejudice; 
We write more, but learn less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait; 
We have higher incomes; but lower morals; 
More food but less appeasement; 
More acquaintances, but fewer friends; 
More  effort but less success.

We build better computers to hold more information, 
Produce more copies than ever, yet have less communication; 
We've become long on quantity, but short on quality. 
 These are the times of fast foods and upset stomachs; 
More kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; 
More leisure and less fun;

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; 
Of fancier houses, but broken homes; 
Tall men and short character; 
Steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are days of quick trips, throwaway morality, 
One-night stands, and pills that do everything from 
Cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window, 
And nothing in the stockroom.

Think about it. 

Holy Shit

It used to be more private—just the immediate family gathered after mass, the baptismal font at the rear of the church tiny as a bird bath. The priest would ladle a few teaspoons’ tepid holy water on the bundled baby’s forehead, make a crack about the halo being too tight as the new soul wailed. We’d go home to pancakes and eggs.

These days it’s a big Holy-wood production— midmass, the giant altar rolls back to reveal a Jacuzzi tub surrounded by potted palms. The priest hikes up his chasuble, steps barefoot out of his black leather loafers and wades in like a newfangled John as organ music swells and the baby-bearing families line up like jumbo jets ready for takeoff. But when the godparents handed my niece’s newborn naked to their parish priest, and he dunked her into the Jacuzzi’s bath-warm holy water, her little one grew so calm and blissful she pooped—not a smelly three-days’ worth, explosive diaper load, but enough to notice. As the godparents scooped the turds with a handkerchief, the savvy priest pretended he hadn’t seen, swept through the fouled water with his palm before the next baby in line was submerged.

After mass, my niece sat speechless, red-faced, not knowing what to say— or whether—as church ladies, friends, and family members presented one by one to the tub where the babies had been baptized. As they knelt and bowed and dipped their fingers in, and blessed themselves.

Getting my ass kicked in the shed

My fathers birthday was last month and as the usual overly busy son that i am, i let it go by and did nothing for him, which is what he likes. But I told him I was getting him something even though he doesn't want anything. I told him I would rebuild his run down wood frame shed that we tried to rebuild but were interrupted by the world famous sets of hurricanes back to back and the following year again. We never got back to finish it and it was torn apart and water damaged as well as termites and age. So starting the first weekend of Feb I started work on it for him, he was there of course but at 72 he isn't really able to do too much, aside from be my helper and hand me things and nail when my arm gets tired. He wasn't to happy about how much damage was there and bitched and moaned about getting replacement parts but with hurricanes you don't take many chances allowing high speed projectiles to exist because you didn't build it right. You could easily destroy other things around it, like the house its at (his rental unit) much less a kill someone or worse. The roof was pretty bad even though it was new from 4 years ago when the hurricanes hit, it only had the tar paper when we were cut short of the finish and torn apart. So it leaked and the bugs ate it too. so I had to rebuild the entire front main wall and roof again. simple enough, but rough when you are doing 90% of the work and working with a grumpy old man (he is). He just wanted to get it done and move on, I wasn't about to let it go to pot again and was building it right this time as it was my work that was going into it and damn his ideas of cheeping out and cutting corners.

If you care you can click the pics for the HI-RES versions 4 Megapixel shots

So before he got there on Saturday, I went over in the early morning and started to remove the old shit roof. Everything on the East side needed to be replaced since it was so rotten. Started with the tar paper. I made him get the good stuff to replace it with, same as i did the year before when rebuilding my house. 30# not that cheap 15# crap.

First batch of old 15# paper, it was rotten from being exposed for those years and was not too bad to remove, just clawed it with the hammer. bought a new one for framing and roofing, a 28oz one, really worked well. I bought a new set of professional work gloves, with the grippy fingers, kinda like my mechanix gloves, I gave them to him as he was struggling with the OLD MAN garden type yard gloves. NOT a good idea, cant pick up shit with them. So he paid me the $30 for the gloves and paid me for the hammer too. I've learned over years not to say no. Makes him angry. He did get a new blade for the radial saw i brought, it was rusty and burned the first few cuts pretty bad. almost caught on fire. hahah

After I knocked out the first roof sheets, the beams were in bad shape too, water and bugs, will have to replace them.

Here you can see the top rail for the roof line, double beamed and worthless as it turns to powder when you hit it with the hammer. I cold crush it with my fingers. It was mostly termite poo throughout. Gross that its all falling on me as i was removing the roof.

Other end of the shed on same side, to right of previous pic, wanted to show the kind of water damages to the rafters and the roof sheets of plywood. Note the rot and mold on the wall in the corner. That too will have to go.

Same roof sheets after throwing on the ground, you can see the rafter lines.

This one was the worst of them

Up top, the beam with the wire is the one that was totally eaten away by bugs, they ate all the way around yet left vertical beams alone, strange things termites. Must have been old damages as I didn't see a single one alive or dead.

The last roof sheet before beating the shit out of it from below to knock it loose

Well here it is later in the day, been working a while and had to rest a bit, no time for pics in between sorry. I had to rest as after swinging hammer for first time in a while my arm totally cramped and locked up on me. My muscles were so tight I had to fight to keep my arm from curling up and my hand from closing. Not a good start but I took an Ibuprofen and it helped. After a short self induced massage and break I was able to get back to work without any more cramping.

It was getting later in the day, I got the Framing done after removing all the bad wood, much more damage that i originally expected, but i pushed on. So much for a few hours Sat and Sun. It was all day for both. Dad did buy lunch on both and took me out for BBQ on Saturday at the local joint, he was so tired. But, again at 72 and a pencil pusher, its no wonder. He doesn't do this kind of stuff much.

The new roof line and main beam, looks so much better. I'd honestly would have like to just rebuild the whole roof, but it wasn't bad on the West side, a few pieces of top rail needs cutting and replacing with braces. I will do that later.

The new wall studs and corner with the new hurricane approved bracing started on the corner. pretty damned stable if i do say so myself.

Another few of from above, the apex joints were bad too, so i replaced what needed it and added the same spaced short cuts in between the rafters on the exterior walls top rail, so in effect its 3 2x4 stacked with the rafters nailed to it all. pretty damned strong. I used southern prime pine and not that white board crap that you can dig with your fingernail. That stuff is pure crap and I cant believe people use it and don't realise how bad it is to build with. no wonder some homes just blow apart in 120mph winds.

My original base with the new corner, I used red bolts into the concrete when i put in the base years back during the first rebuild, the pressure treated base is still looking good and solid as hell, no worries there. A few braces and brackets later it was sound as a pound.

Well here it is the end of day two, late Sunday and i finally go the roof boards started and half the roof done, need to cut a few pieces of 3/4 to finish the roof wood. I was however pretty damn ass tired by then, my arm was giving out from hammering so much. Dad was having a hard time climbing the ladder to help. I kept telling him to go sit but he didn't want to. Stubborn old man.

I called in some friends to help hand me up the sheets of plywood, I sure as hell couldn't do it by myself and Dad couldn't either. Hell we couldn't do it together by then, I was ready to keel over.

Well here is the new rafters with the roof sheets on. Note my handy dandy bracketing for the hurricanes. That shit works, between the 3 inch nails at angle into the top rail and gap stops the strapping will keep the roof from lifting in winds. I did a better job here than my house.

Here's more to the left of the previous pic. My dads head as he pulled down the tarp to cover as we closed up for the coming week. That's the doorway. It was about 6.30pm on Sunday. He only wanted to go to about 2pm, yeah right. I got the major shit done. Had to go for supplies 3 times over the weekend aside from trip #1 on Friday night. Damn termites ate that shit up. That should have been replaced the first time but he didn't want to, i gave him no choice this time. He was pitching a fit all over the place, it was hard to work with him at times. But after 41 years I guess I'm kinda used to hearing it and tune it out. Just don't like it when it gets directed at me. That when i bark back and tell him to take a break.

Well that's what I have done so far, this coming weekend I was supposed to go to Orlando but looks like that isn't happening. I will finish the shed. Just a little bit more roof work and then on to tar papering the entire shed and the eve work, did i mention i HATE eve work? I am not into the hammering up it requires and hanging over roof isn't a choice as its a long eve. Then the final sheeting on the outside. Drywall and wiring after, but that's the simple stuff as its all just BANG and go. But I may have him hire out for that since its such a small job. I did the hard part. I should send him a bill hahahah. Why not? I bill him for the IT work I do for his company.