Saturday, October 31, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
Happy Halloween And My Beard's Birthday
You may be thinking I know Halloween but beard's birthday? Simple as can be. October 31st is as we all know All Hallow's Eve or Halloween. November 1st is the 2 year anniversary of my not shaving. Now when somebody asks how long did it take to grow my beard I say, "2 years for the length, 56 years for the color!"
Frozen Salmon Tastes Like Cardboard
The store where I work has frozen salmon fillets on sale this week or however long they wish to run it. It's 1.25 pounds for $6.99 in a vacuum sealed bag "to seal in freshness". I bought one, smoked it and it tasted like smoked cardboard. I'm not in a locale that has access to fresh salmon but I must say I'll not be buying frozen again. When I lived in Colorado trout was the fresh from the river or lake fish. Here in Mississippi catfish is the gill breather of choice although we also eat crappie, bass, and brim whenever we rip their lips. Myself, I love a good old fried gar as well as any other finned fare. I've seen on TV some smoke gar and catfish. I ain't tried either yet but am more than open to trying em.
May Have To Put The Quack Pack In At Night
It's Friday morning now. I was off work Tuesday & Wednesday nights. One or both nights I was awake between midnight and 2:30 AM. Not having to be at work I was watching the idiot box and let my canine children, Vlad & Bella out to do their business. Redneck that I am I stepped out to do mine (only #1, not #2) as well. The rain we've had + the cooler weather + the moon being some 3/4 full my ducks & geese didn't know that most humanoids are trying to sleep at that time. They were running about their enclosure honking & quacking as if it were broad daylight.
Almost Like Second Spring
The rain we've had the past few days has brought my gardens back to life even better than the first crop. Tomatoes, okra and herbs are producing like wildfire. Sadly the corn is as dead as a fence post but I've picked a couple of cucumbers and 1 of 5 Meyer lemons off my tree in the front yard. They're rather small, only slightly larger than golf balls but quite sweet and tasty. As much as I want to gobble them all down at once I am limiting myself to one every other day or 3 due to gastritis or what my buddy, Robert calls my "rotten old man guts". The tomato plants are literally covered w/ green maters and yellow blossoms. Tomorrow or the next day we're forecast to get torrential rain so I'm praying that it won't be too much or too hard. I gathered a pocketful of maters the pother day that were split from too much rain and chucked em into the freezer. Waste not, want not!
Monday, October 26, 2015
Veggie Stock
Trying to save a dime whilst waiting on a dollar I started another savings bag for my freezer. I've 2 small chest type freezers, by the way. Anyway, any veggie pieces and parts I don't give the ducks & geese I'm bagging for soup stock. Any over ripe tomatoes (no sun burned, wormy or otherwise possibly nasty) and leftover bits, onion & garlic skins & ends, carrot tops, pepper ends and guts (except seeds for planting), etc all go into the freezer bag. A lot of my herbs are going or have gone to seed so when I cut them down I'll put the leaves in one jar and the stems will go into my stock bag and later stockpot.
Anything like cucumber or carrot peelings (I rarely peel carrots before cooking) lettuce butts or wilted greens go directly to the quack pack after a good chopping as do the shells from the few peas I'm still picking. I read or heard tomatoes are a member of the nightshade family ergo their leaves aren't good for man nor beast to ingest so into the compost bins w/ them.
Next Spring I want to try a few out of the ordinary crops like Salsify ( aka Oyster Root), Leeks, Celeriac as well as native foods most people call "weeds".
Anything like cucumber or carrot peelings (I rarely peel carrots before cooking) lettuce butts or wilted greens go directly to the quack pack after a good chopping as do the shells from the few peas I'm still picking. I read or heard tomatoes are a member of the nightshade family ergo their leaves aren't good for man nor beast to ingest so into the compost bins w/ them.
Next Spring I want to try a few out of the ordinary crops like Salsify ( aka Oyster Root), Leeks, Celeriac as well as native foods most people call "weeds".
Thank God For Rain
I'm not sure it's true but I wouldn't doubt when heard we haven't had rain here since July 3rd. Yesterday it finally rained thanks to the hurricane down Mexico way. It rained all day and has stopped for the 1st time at about 8:30 AM today. It's supposed to rain most of the day today and into tomorrow for most of the day. Not a hard driving rain but a for the most part gentle, soaking shower. This parched ground was crying out for it.
The quack pack? Lord have mercy! They are loving it! Any of my neighbors who were previously unaware that I have ducks & geese in my back yard and are still unaware have to be deaf! I've only had the pack since I think May of this year when I ordered them online as day old babies but I have never seen (or heard) them this raucous. When they run across their yard their feet slapping in the mud sounds like a standing ovation at a concert. Miss Virginia across the street told me a week or so ago she loves to her them "sing in the morning". Hey, Sunrise to sundown they're singing and dancing!
The quack pack? Lord have mercy! They are loving it! Any of my neighbors who were previously unaware that I have ducks & geese in my back yard and are still unaware have to be deaf! I've only had the pack since I think May of this year when I ordered them online as day old babies but I have never seen (or heard) them this raucous. When they run across their yard their feet slapping in the mud sounds like a standing ovation at a concert. Miss Virginia across the street told me a week or so ago she loves to her them "sing in the morning". Hey, Sunrise to sundown they're singing and dancing!
Fall Festival
Saturday one of the local churches had its Fall Festival. There an old friend whom I hadn't seen in 16 years when we worked together at the zoo was doing an animal show. He'd brought ferrets, hedgehogs, reptiles,etc. We caught up on old times and I must admit I had more fun around people than I have had a many a moon. Part of our jobs at the zoo was doing "touchy~feely" meet & greet the public w/ some of our smaller, friendlier animals which I always enjoyed. PK has long worn khakis and a pith helmet doing his animal shows and now he's sporting dreadlocks past his shoulders. Myself, I wear a chest deep beard and more often than not camo. Kids, we looked like 2 wild men from Borneo ready to go rhino hunting together!
Friday, October 23, 2015
CAVEAT EMPTOR
Caveat Emptor, Latin for "Let the buyer beware". Last week I saw some stuff at the grocery still in the case marked in large red letters "KEEP REFRIGERATED". It had been left out and was room temperature. I sent it to claims to be tossed and be rid of. The next night it was in the mark down section on sale for 1/2 price. I've seen a lot of out of date stuff there before so before you buy anything out of the markdown section check and double check dates and "keep refrigerated" labels. If you find something out of date or possibly rotten take it to the store manager and raise Hell! I don't have kids of my own but I ask, "Would I feed my mama this?"
I love a bargain but please check dates and look for "keep refrigerated/frozen" before buying out of the "bargain" bins. I love you all too much to see you get food poisoning trying to save a little money. Heads up... Also before you buy any animal product, SMELL the package. If you can smell the critter, leave it! If it's rank enough you can smell it through the wrap you do not want to shove this in your grocery hole. Especially fish! If it smells like fish it ain't fresh.
I love a bargain but please check dates and look for "keep refrigerated/frozen" before buying out of the "bargain" bins. I love you all too much to see you get food poisoning trying to save a little money. Heads up... Also before you buy any animal product, SMELL the package. If you can smell the critter, leave it! If it's rank enough you can smell it through the wrap you do not want to shove this in your grocery hole. Especially fish! If it smells like fish it ain't fresh.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
The Front Garden Still Bears Fruit
Every couple of days I harvest a few pods of okra, a pod or 2 of peas and a pocketful of tomatoes. I've almost a gallon freezer bag full as the growing season draws near its end. My melons were quite disappointing. For some reason the flower end didn't "heal up" right and looked like a gigantic hemorrhoid so the fruits more or less rotted on the vine. At least the ducks & geese enjoyed them.
I thank God for what I have managed to grow this year and am sure that w/ His blessings next year will be better.
Who knows? I may even get a few eggs from the ducks and geese, perhaps a few muscadines. Later I hope for more than 5 lemons from my Meyer lemon tree and some produce from my other fruit trees.
I thank God for what I have managed to grow this year and am sure that w/ His blessings next year will be better.
Who knows? I may even get a few eggs from the ducks and geese, perhaps a few muscadines. Later I hope for more than 5 lemons from my Meyer lemon tree and some produce from my other fruit trees.
Trying For Another Vacation Week
I swear I don't know what my supervisor's problem is. Last week I told him I was ready, willing and able to take my last week of vacation ASAP. This week nobody is on vacation but next week Square Head is. I guess I'll have to draw the dumb SOB another monthly calendar.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Cooking With Herbs
Trying to follow Doctor's orders I am watching my intake of salt and (God help me) spices. I could eat my own weight in my favorite finger foods, grilled cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon and deep fried stuffed jalapenos. I could eat a 6' long BLT w/ fried green tomatoes on it.
But trying to eat better and ergo live longer I am adapting my diet and actually finding things that are palatable... I am easing back on the pork and what I do have is grilled or smoked (no bacon for the past 2 weeks already). Since I am being Shanghaied into cutting back on salt and spice I have turned to cooking w/ more herbs. I smoked a pork loin tother day after rubbing it well w/ olive oil and almost crusting it w/ dried Italian seasoning mix from the grocery (oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary and sage). I'm harvesting a bit of dill & lemon basil from the garden and sassafras leaves from the woods. Hey, why pay for gumbo file' powder when it's free for the picking as long as you ain't afraid if getting ticks? Pick the leaves, dry em and grind em. It's that simple.
A naked baked spud is about as boring as it gets, right? Well, all the stuff that makes a spud worth cramming into my grocery hole is on my "avoid" list. I'm renaming that right now my "watch and limit" list! I clarified some butter (that's fancy pants talk for melting it and spooning off all the foamy stuff) and mixed it 50/50 w/ olive oil, added some Italian seasoning and put it in the fridge for my taters. It's nothing to call Mama and brag about but it's rather tasty especially w/ a bit of fresh dill and/or basil.
Dandelions are considered by most here weeds. After rinsing off the dog pee I see them as food. They add a welcome wild freshness to salads and I encourage their growth in my yard. I've read in magazines they can be boiled like collards, mustard or any other greens. I haven't tried that route yet but maybe next year I can pick enough to make a mess.
I'm still getting a pod or 3 of okra every day or 3 and ditto w/ the cherry tomatoes and even a pod of peas when least looked for. I'm just cleaning em off, wiping them dry and tossing em into a freezer and and into the freezer. Almost have enough for a big pot of boiled okra w/ a few maters and a pea or 3 to throw onto the boil. A lot of people don't like boiled okra because of the slime. Hey, a little slime never hurt anybody!
But trying to eat better and ergo live longer I am adapting my diet and actually finding things that are palatable... I am easing back on the pork and what I do have is grilled or smoked (no bacon for the past 2 weeks already). Since I am being Shanghaied into cutting back on salt and spice I have turned to cooking w/ more herbs. I smoked a pork loin tother day after rubbing it well w/ olive oil and almost crusting it w/ dried Italian seasoning mix from the grocery (oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary and sage). I'm harvesting a bit of dill & lemon basil from the garden and sassafras leaves from the woods. Hey, why pay for gumbo file' powder when it's free for the picking as long as you ain't afraid if getting ticks? Pick the leaves, dry em and grind em. It's that simple.
A naked baked spud is about as boring as it gets, right? Well, all the stuff that makes a spud worth cramming into my grocery hole is on my "avoid" list. I'm renaming that right now my "watch and limit" list! I clarified some butter (that's fancy pants talk for melting it and spooning off all the foamy stuff) and mixed it 50/50 w/ olive oil, added some Italian seasoning and put it in the fridge for my taters. It's nothing to call Mama and brag about but it's rather tasty especially w/ a bit of fresh dill and/or basil.
Dandelions are considered by most here weeds. After rinsing off the dog pee I see them as food. They add a welcome wild freshness to salads and I encourage their growth in my yard. I've read in magazines they can be boiled like collards, mustard or any other greens. I haven't tried that route yet but maybe next year I can pick enough to make a mess.
I'm still getting a pod or 3 of okra every day or 3 and ditto w/ the cherry tomatoes and even a pod of peas when least looked for. I'm just cleaning em off, wiping them dry and tossing em into a freezer and and into the freezer. Almost have enough for a big pot of boiled okra w/ a few maters and a pea or 3 to throw onto the boil. A lot of people don't like boiled okra because of the slime. Hey, a little slime never hurt anybody!
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Trying To Eat Healthy
My Sweet Lord, eating healthy ain't easy! I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. The things I have to avoid for high blood pressure are fine for my gastritis but the things I can have avoid for gastritis are supposed to be good for my blood pressure! A baked spud, no salt, butter, bacon or cheesy, greasy (BP) or green onions, tomato, or garlic (gastritis). Popcorn... plain. I'm gonna try a spritz of olive oil and a sprinkle of Italian herb seasoning (not too spicy, I have to watch that)... If it tastes horrid to me I can always give it to the dogs and/or ducks and geese. I did find a hot air popper for my corn regularly $24.99 marked down to $7.99. My old popper cooks the corn in oil so maybe the hot air popper will produce edible results. Y'all please pray for me that I can find something that don't taste like cardboard that won't kill me!
Sunday, October 11, 2015
New Fish In The Tank
For some crazy ass reason one of the first things I set up in my new home was a 55 gallon aquarium. I have another 35 gallon tank in the corner, It's one of the 5 sided tanks made to fit into the corner of a room. Nobody in the 35 yet I'm trying to find some "old school" green sail fin mollies for it but a couple weeks ago I finally got some babies for the 55. A red tiger oscar, red fin (or rainbow) shark and a plecostemus. Feel free to spell check on the pleco! Anyway, the oscar is already visibly larger than when I brung him home. I had several in assorted talks when I lived in Colorado, developed a relationship w/ the pet store owner and would get nickle sized babies, grow them to hand sized and trade them for more babies, tanks, etc.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Decide To Be Happy
Just a few minutes ago I was taking an armful of laundry to the clothesline to dry. Much to my dismay I felt a freshly squeezed dog turd squish up between my bare toes.
I had 2 choices. Either A#1 I could get all worked up over stepping barefoot in dog crap in the back yard or B#2 I could be happy that I didn't step barefoot in dog crap in the living room. Now Vlad and Bella usually do their dirty deeds in the back corners of the back yard by the fence but on occasion they leave me an unexpected and unwelcome present. Sometimes right there in the middle of the floor for God and everybody to see and admire. I chose to be be happy and thank the good Lord I didn't step in their leavings either unshod and know it then and there or even worse shod and track it all over the house until it was all worn off.
That's how I take life. One dog turd or duck/goose butt pudding stepped in at a time. We can get angry because we didn't see it and stepped in it... Or we can be happy it was in the yard instead of the living room. (Ok, the ducks and geese stay outside so have no opportunity to crap in the living room).
When life gives you lemons you can make lemonade... Or get some tequila & salt and have a party!
Yes, I did wash my feet off before I came back inside the house!
I had 2 choices. Either A#1 I could get all worked up over stepping barefoot in dog crap in the back yard or B#2 I could be happy that I didn't step barefoot in dog crap in the living room. Now Vlad and Bella usually do their dirty deeds in the back corners of the back yard by the fence but on occasion they leave me an unexpected and unwelcome present. Sometimes right there in the middle of the floor for God and everybody to see and admire. I chose to be be happy and thank the good Lord I didn't step in their leavings either unshod and know it then and there or even worse shod and track it all over the house until it was all worn off.
That's how I take life. One dog turd or duck/goose butt pudding stepped in at a time. We can get angry because we didn't see it and stepped in it... Or we can be happy it was in the yard instead of the living room. (Ok, the ducks and geese stay outside so have no opportunity to crap in the living room).
When life gives you lemons you can make lemonade... Or get some tequila & salt and have a party!
Yes, I did wash my feet off before I came back inside the house!
Clothesline Or Dryer?
It's getting that time of year I fear. Not only is it dark when I go to work but lately it is well before sunrise when I return home. The temperature is lovely now but will all too soon be ass biting cold (at least to me). When I lived in my mobile home code required that my electric clothes dryer had 4 prongs. Here in a brick home the outlet is only 3. I bought a 3 prong power cord but since I had my clothesline I put connecting the dryer on a back burner priority wise. On a scale of 1-10 it was an 11. The shorter days, cooler weather and increased precipitation that comes with our Autumn becoming Winter has jumped that little rewiring project up to about a 9. I can still hang laundry in spare rooms and such to air dry (and I most certainly shall) but when it's freezing out there's nothing like warm from the dryer socks and britches when I hit the front door.
When I lived in Colorado the weather there was bat shit crazy. One day I was working on the loading dock, took my shirt off and got a sunburn before lunch time. Quitting time was 5 PM but we closed early and all left at 3 because it was snowing so hard. The britches I had on the clothesline I could hold out like a board (after I broke the ice off the line). I only lived a couple of miles from work but still had to time it right, roll down my window, catch and snap my driver's side wiper blade to break off the ice. I made it home safely (obviously or I wouldn't be writing this now) stoked up my Buck wood burning stove and hunkered down. My 2 best amigos were Ken and Dan. Ken worked construction and brought me a truckload of scrap 2 x 4's and such from his job site at least once a week. Dan ran his own landscape business, "Dan's Mile High Landscaping" .... free ad there, Dan! But he brought me any trees he cut down, limbs he'd trimmed and even some sod for my dead ass back yard. In Colorado at the time there was a dump fee for anything you took to the dump. Dan brung his tree cutting timber for me to burn in my wood stove to heat my house and leftover sod to try to build up my backyard. Win/win!
When I lived in Colorado the weather there was bat shit crazy. One day I was working on the loading dock, took my shirt off and got a sunburn before lunch time. Quitting time was 5 PM but we closed early and all left at 3 because it was snowing so hard. The britches I had on the clothesline I could hold out like a board (after I broke the ice off the line). I only lived a couple of miles from work but still had to time it right, roll down my window, catch and snap my driver's side wiper blade to break off the ice. I made it home safely (obviously or I wouldn't be writing this now) stoked up my Buck wood burning stove and hunkered down. My 2 best amigos were Ken and Dan. Ken worked construction and brought me a truckload of scrap 2 x 4's and such from his job site at least once a week. Dan ran his own landscape business, "Dan's Mile High Landscaping" .... free ad there, Dan! But he brought me any trees he cut down, limbs he'd trimmed and even some sod for my dead ass back yard. In Colorado at the time there was a dump fee for anything you took to the dump. Dan brung his tree cutting timber for me to burn in my wood stove to heat my house and leftover sod to try to build up my backyard. Win/win!
Squeeze Bottle, Condiments & Deli Ware
Since my blood pressure has been high as of late I decided to buy a squeeze bottle to squirt oil into my frying pan instead of just slopping it in straight from the jug and then trying to eyeball how much I want to keep and pouring the rest into a jar for later. Hell and high water! An empty squeeze bottle carried a $2.99 price tag! EMPTY! A squeeze bottle with not so fine a tip fill of mustard costs 89 cents. You know which road I took! I have a jar of mustard that was nigh onto empty, now it's nearly full again. Smells like it'll take a couple more washings to get all the aroma, taste and taint out of the mustard squeezer but I wash a few dishes nearly daily (unless I opt for paper plates and plastic ware) so it's no big deal. I got a bigger bottle albeit w/o the fine control nozzle and saved myself $2.10.
I see that a taco joint that I won't name is now selling their taco sauce in grocery stores. For the price of one taco I can fill my pockets with about 3 bottles of sauce. At the deli I get 1 or 2 packs of mustard and mayo for now and a pocket full for later along w/ any other condiments ( salad dressing, hot sauce, etc) they may have for my convenience.
Hey! As long as I'm there I may as well pick up enough plastic forks, knives and spoons to last me a couple days or so. Cheap is good, free is better!
I see that a taco joint that I won't name is now selling their taco sauce in grocery stores. For the price of one taco I can fill my pockets with about 3 bottles of sauce. At the deli I get 1 or 2 packs of mustard and mayo for now and a pocket full for later along w/ any other condiments ( salad dressing, hot sauce, etc) they may have for my convenience.
Hey! As long as I'm there I may as well pick up enough plastic forks, knives and spoons to last me a couple days or so. Cheap is good, free is better!
Friday, October 9, 2015
Helping My Neighbor
Ms. Virginia, across the street and up one house has one of the must lush lawns and some of the best plants on the street. Palm trees, banana plants, flower beds out the wazoo, it's quite obvious she loves digging in the dirt and watching things grow. After an hour or so of taking care of my critters and sech I stepped out the front door and seen she had a running butt load of sacks of soil & such in the back of her SUV. Nice guy that I am I went and helped her move it into her back yard. As tended as her front yard is her back yard reminded me of my dear little grandmaw's. Every which way I looked there was something else to see! She mentioned maybe moving some of her "nanner" plants come springtime so I'll let her know any runners or shoots can find a home in my yard.
She did say she loved hearing my ducks "sing" every morning and as a light misting of rain was falling the quack pack was indeed singing! Her grown son is wheelchair bound and as such can't get out and about very much. Ergo one of my next higher priority projects is making my back yard more handicapped friendly. It would take a Herculean effort to make it to where he could get up close to them but I figure it's the least I can do to at least make a ramp and pad so we can wheel him in to see the quackers from across my back yard.
She's a nice lady and I reckon it takes so much work on her part to care for her son (and the zoo closest to us is run down and in a rough part of town) a little (or little more) effort on my part is worth it to see them smile. I can put out extra feed corn for the tree rats aka squirrels and if not make his day I can at the very least entertain him for a little while.
She did say she loved hearing my ducks "sing" every morning and as a light misting of rain was falling the quack pack was indeed singing! Her grown son is wheelchair bound and as such can't get out and about very much. Ergo one of my next higher priority projects is making my back yard more handicapped friendly. It would take a Herculean effort to make it to where he could get up close to them but I figure it's the least I can do to at least make a ramp and pad so we can wheel him in to see the quackers from across my back yard.
She's a nice lady and I reckon it takes so much work on her part to care for her son (and the zoo closest to us is run down and in a rough part of town) a little (or little more) effort on my part is worth it to see them smile. I can put out extra feed corn for the tree rats aka squirrels and if not make his day I can at the very least entertain him for a little while.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Back From The Doctor's Office
Well, I finally went to the doctor's office to get checked out. I hate going there because at my age I know I probably won't get any good news. But I finally concluded that not knowing about a problem don't mean it ain't there. I spent about 4 hours there, didn't get all my questions answered but enough that I know I probably won't drop dead anytime soon and after 4 hours was ready to get the Hell out of there.
My main concern was high blood pressure and chest pains. My pressure wasn't too high while I was there so they seemed more concerned w/ my chest pains. They took blood & urine samples, EKG and chest x-rays. The EKG looked great so we know my heart is still healthy enough for sex! LOL They didn't mention seeing anything horrific in my chest x-rays so I'll assume I still have 2 functional lungs.
I did almost have a heart attack when after insurance paid 80% I still had to cough up $430 and another at the pharmacy before they said insurance would cover the $102 for my 30 days' prescription.
For those of you who have never had an EKG it is painless except for one thing. The stick like a dozen sensors mostly on your body. It takes longer to place them than to perform the test. I am admittedly a hairy chested man. Ripping them damned sensor stickers off was almost as bad as having the needle stuck in my arm for blood work. 4 hours and the most pleasant thing was peeing in a jar and I paid $430?
Anyway I guess they thought my chest pains were more urgent matter than blood pressure and I was finally diagnosed w/gastritis. No problem, right? Not for me! They expect me to have no more than one 12 oz beer a day? No caffeine? No mint, garlic, onions, spicy food, citrus, tomato based, fried and/or fatty? Just slice my damned throat if I can't shove that into my grocery hole! My diet is salty, spicy, cheesy and greasy! I reckon I can either eat them rice cakes I first thought were coasters or buy a box of Hamburger Helper, dump it into the compost bin and eat the box!
My main concern was high blood pressure and chest pains. My pressure wasn't too high while I was there so they seemed more concerned w/ my chest pains. They took blood & urine samples, EKG and chest x-rays. The EKG looked great so we know my heart is still healthy enough for sex! LOL They didn't mention seeing anything horrific in my chest x-rays so I'll assume I still have 2 functional lungs.
I did almost have a heart attack when after insurance paid 80% I still had to cough up $430 and another at the pharmacy before they said insurance would cover the $102 for my 30 days' prescription.
For those of you who have never had an EKG it is painless except for one thing. The stick like a dozen sensors mostly on your body. It takes longer to place them than to perform the test. I am admittedly a hairy chested man. Ripping them damned sensor stickers off was almost as bad as having the needle stuck in my arm for blood work. 4 hours and the most pleasant thing was peeing in a jar and I paid $430?
Anyway I guess they thought my chest pains were more urgent matter than blood pressure and I was finally diagnosed w/gastritis. No problem, right? Not for me! They expect me to have no more than one 12 oz beer a day? No caffeine? No mint, garlic, onions, spicy food, citrus, tomato based, fried and/or fatty? Just slice my damned throat if I can't shove that into my grocery hole! My diet is salty, spicy, cheesy and greasy! I reckon I can either eat them rice cakes I first thought were coasters or buy a box of Hamburger Helper, dump it into the compost bin and eat the box!
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Well Rested & Getting A Little Done
I've been off work since Tuesday morning and finally feel like a well rested semi-human being again. I've gotten a few put off little chores in and out completed... mostly just rearranging boxes (and emptying a few). I patched the Quack Pack's 5' diameter pool w/ some plastic sheeting, glue and duct tape. Not the cheap cloth crap from WalMart but real construction grade metallic duct tape. They're happy, happy, happy!
I smoked a batch of chicken thighs but all the commercial BBQ sauce is loaded w/ high fructose corn syrup so I made my own. It's a little sweet, spicy and smoky. A couple more tries and it should be good enough to share. Hint #1: No corn syrup is in it. Hint #2: Tomato paste, honey and pickled jalapeno juice are in it. Hint #3: I slow cook it in my smoker.
I smoked a batch of chicken thighs but all the commercial BBQ sauce is loaded w/ high fructose corn syrup so I made my own. It's a little sweet, spicy and smoky. A couple more tries and it should be good enough to share. Hint #1: No corn syrup is in it. Hint #2: Tomato paste, honey and pickled jalapeno juice are in it. Hint #3: I slow cook it in my smoker.
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