My Mobile Home Gourmet Blog
Wednesday 2026.9.9
Labor Day
Another neighborhood potluck gathering was planned for Labor Day this week. I said I'd bring homemade ice cream. I made one of my favorites, Chocolate Ice Cream, made with Nestle's Quik, AKA Nesquik, chocolate milk mix.
I used the ice cream maker machine I bought for myself as a birthday present. It works really well. Churning time was reduced because I made the ice cream base the previous day and chilled it in the refrigerator overnight. That isn't necessary. The machine generates its own low temperature; so, it will work with room-temperature base. The ice cream was done in 30 minutes. I transferred it to the freezer for some additional hardening.
My twin brother likes chocolate ice cream. My favorite was vanilla. Chocolate ice cream didn't taste enough like chocolate to me. Then one day I was drinking chocolate milk and wondered why chocolate ice cream didn't taste as good. That's when I got the idea to make ice cream with Nesquik. Finally, chocolate ice cream that really does taste like chocolate.
I ate well at the potluck, more than I should have for someone trying to lose a few pounds. The main feature was thinly sliced grilled tri-tip on toasted ciabatta bread rolls with guacamole. It was delicious. The company was enjoyable, if a little loud at times.
For the next gathering, if I attend (at 75, nothing is guaranteed), I want to make a salami pie, which I blogged a little about last month. I have since done a little research.
Now that the internet is so ubiquitous and AI is everywhere, you can easily find a recipe for the pie. It is traditionally made in Naples, Italy on Good Friday, but not eaten that day. The Italian Catholics did not eat meat on Good Friday. Instead, the pie was cooled and eaten cold the next day. That's how my Italian grandmother (she was from Naples) gave it to us. I loved it. I eventually figured out my own recipe.
Loona
I rarely use my Loona robotic dog. It sits in the corner, neglected. I was hoping my including her in my cooking videos might generate more interest. I think only one person commented. Then, something new happened this morning.
On Amazon Vine I saw a Loona Desktop Companion.
The retail price is $299; so, it would increase my income tax by about $40. Is it worth it? I wasn't sure. I ordered it, then I did the research. It currently works only with iPhone, not my Android phone. The part that holds the phone is also a charging dock. My phone doesn't charge on a dock. I already have a computer on my desktop, which I can use to ask AI questions.
Bottom line: It's not worth it. I cancelled the order.
Weather
We were under a Heat Advisory again here in SoCal. Late last night the National Weather Service issued an Extreme Heat Warning. I'll monitor my indoor temperature. If necessary, I'll run the air conditioners.
Some Downsizing
The recycling will be picked up on Saturday (a day later, due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday); therefore, I need to use the available space. The last of the blank pads (I saved one) went into the bin.
I moved the tomato fertilizer (mentioned below) into the shed. I try not to enter the shed without taking something out. A cracked orange five gallon Home Depot bucket was easy to discard. There was also a box of six double-walled glass coffee cups with the Henckels brand name on them. I don't know why I got them. I never used them. So, they went into the bin too, but I kept one.
The Tomato Chronicles
As the growing season draws to a close, I have been trying to decide whether or not to grow tomatoes again next year. The harvest this year didn't amount to much. These vines didn't produce as many fruits as the Early Girls did last year. I harvested two this week. Then something happened that sort of changed my mind.
On Amazon Vine I saw a container of tomato plant liquid fertilizer. It wasn't 100% free; the tax value raised my income tax for the year by only $2. So, I ordered it. Maybe I'll look for Early Girl tomato plants in February or March. I'm still trying to decide whether or not to plant next spring.
Meanwhile, the top of the longest vine died. The shorter vine is still alive with healthy leaves. The last time I looked, there were a couple of flowers.
Sunday 2026.9.6
Kitchen Nightmares or Amazon Vine
Something amusing (or maybe not so amusing) happened Thursday Evening. I was watching a few episodes of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares while I was scanning Amazon Vine for items. I wondered: Which is more pathetic, the foods those restaurants were serving or the schlock offered on Vine? The number of available items has more than doubled in the past six months, but the number of quality items has decreased.
I recently blogged about Vine no longer offering large, heavy, and expensive items, like the apartment-size clothes dryer or the portable air conditioner I have. Now, nearly all the items I receive are shipped in a paper envelope rather than a box. I rarely see items that retail for more than $20. I've picked up a few, such as a ham radio, but that's only a few out of many thousands.
At the end of next month my current evaluation period will end. After that, I'll try really hard to request only small items with $0.00 taxable value. That shouldn't be too difficult. Vine offers a lot of dietary supplements. There were five on my Recommended For You page on Friday.
I also learned something new this week. I wondered why so many items on Vine are labeled as "Mahjong." I asked the internet. Many of the items are offered by Chinese companies having no recognizable name. What is "Wuming"? It's not like KitchenAid or Yamaha or LEGO. So, to capture people's interest, they use a popular word like Mahjong, even though the product has nothing to do with the game.
And, speaking of kitchen nightmares…
Scrubbing
There was one task I've been procrastinating about doing. Behind my kitchen trash bin the wall isn't as clean as it should be. I tackled that problem yesterday. And thank you Amazon Vine.
Three years ago I ordered a small electric rotary scrubber. It's battery operated, rechargeable, and small enough to hold with one hand. It made quick work of scrubbing that wall. The area is clean again. Happy, happy.
And speaking of scrubbing…
Vine Again
I use a stainless steel coffee cup everyday. It's insulated and it holds a generous portion of coffee. Over time, the inside builds up a coffee stain. I have some Bar Keepers Friend, which works, but it requires a lot of effort.
I saw something new on Vine. It's a scrubber attachment that fits on a KitchenAid mixer. It's a silicone brush that is supposed to be used for cleaning fruits and vegetables. To be honest, the idea looks really dumb. But, I couldn't help thinking it would work well on the inside of my coffee cup. It's currently listed as "pre-release," but I ordered it. And it's obviously from China. The product description is a poor translation into English.
Potluck
There will be another neighborhood gathering tomorrow. I offered to being homemade chocolate ice cream. I'll make the base today using Nestle's Quik chocolate milk mix. I'll chill the base overnight and then make the ice cream tomorrow morning.
More Downsizing
There was a time when I created my own ebooks by scanning book pages and running them through text recognition software. Then, when I read the books, I would write notes about corrections to make. The software isn't perfect. Therefore, I kept pads of blank paper. That was many years ago.
I still have stacks of pads in the credenza in my home office. On Friday, I tossed about half of them in the trash. I could have put them in the recycling bin, but that might mean pulling out the plastic spiral binding. That seemed like too much work.
Yahoo Less Yucky
Yahoo must have received complaints about their email client bogging down computers. I checked my email yesterday morning and Yahoo was not loading ads. I'm sure they will again, when their programmers have sorted out the problem. Meanwhile, I can leave their page open all day.
Weight
I didn't do as well this week as I did last week. My weekly average went up by half a pound. (It went down by 1.7 pounds last week.) I've been hovering around 198 all week. It's not a big setback.
Wednesday 2026.9.2
New Toy
The ham radio I ordered from Amazon Vine arrived on Monday. It was supposed to be here on Friday. However, no complaints. That gave me some time to download the User's Manual PDF and do some reading.
This radio is a complicated thing. It has way more features than I will ever need or use. Mostly, I wanted the radio to use during power outages cause by fires in the foothills or storms. Actually, I already have a radio I bought for that purpose. It's equipped with a hand crank to charge the battery when it gets low. The one drawback is that it only gets local radio stations and the NOAA weather frequency. The ham radio appealed to me because I can hear what others in the region are saying about local conditions.
The Downsizing Chronicles
This week was the bottom of three cabinets. One place I use for storing empty bottles and jars I might need someday. However, I use them so seldom, I discarded at least half of them, keeping only the few I really might use.
The space at the bottom of the bathroom vanity was used to store bottles of wine (among other things). A former friend would sometimes help himself to my wine if I didn't keep it hidden. He could actually be seen looking through my cabinets for something to eat or drink.
There were cleaning supplies under there too, some of which I tossed in the trash. One item worth keeping is a pumice toilet bowl cleaner. It doesn't work well on the bowl; however, the pumice stone at the end of the wand works great for sanding dead sin off my heels.
New Resolution
It isn't New Year's Eve yet, but lying in bed at 6:00 yesterday morning I made a decision. No more stuff from Amazon Vine unless it is disposable. And, preferably, items that have a $0.00 taxable value. I'm thinking dietary supplements because the bottle can be emptied into the trash and then tossed in the recycling bin.
My current evaluation period ends on October 31st. I am under no obligation to order anything now; so, I even pass on supplements. But, come November, I plan to be extra careful to accumulate no new stuff — not even coffee filters. I have enough of those to last me for many months.
Cute
I saw an amusing report in the news this week. A helpful mnemonic for remembering the names of the Great Lakes is HOMES — Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. With Trump's change of Ontario to America, a new mnemonic was suggested — SHAME. That seems appropriate.
Weather
This is the time of year when the National Weather Service teases us with predictions of rain. There is a "Chance of showers" on Sunday. Usually the probability of rain diminishes as the day comes closer. The following day it changed to "Slight chance of showers." I usually don't expect any significant rain here in SoCal until after Thanksgiving.
Ants
I don't know where they're coming from, nor why there are so many of them, but I'm still fighting ants. I assembled four more poisoned bait packets yesterday and placed them where the ants like to come indoors. The ants are swarming to the bait.