My Mobile Home Gourmet Blog
Wednesday 2024.9.11
New Mini Golf Course
Walkabout Mini Golf is releasing another new course tomorrow — Mars Garden. This one is designed inside a vivarium on the planet Mars.
I can already see this is going to be a challenging course. As in the course Alfeim, the walls around each hole are curved. That makes it more difficult to judge how to bounce a ball off a wall at the best angle to get it close to the pin.
My friends in Kentucky and I usually play mini golf each Tuesday during his lunch break. That is one of the features I enjoy about the Meta Quest 3. Someone can be thousands of miles away, and yet we can play as if in the same room. I can hear their voices as though they are standing next to me.
Tomorrow my friend is taking an extended lunch break. For a new course we try to play the challenges together. Each course has two versions — easy and difficult. On the easy course there are 18 lost golf balls hidden somewhere around each hole. As we discover them we help the others find them. When enough are collected, the difficult version is unlocked.
Besides the difficult one being more challenging, the course contains a "fox hunt" challenge. Each clue leads to another one. Although the first clue is placed at the first tee, the others can be anywhere on the course, or even way outside the course. Collecting all the clues makes available a new putter designed from that course. The putters can be used anywhere among all the courses. Again, we work together, helping each other find all the clues.
Another new course, based in Las Vegas will be released this fall. Each course is available for purchase for only $3.99. That's a bargain, almost as good as getting something for free on Amazon Vine. Speaking of which…
Skillets
Yesterday I resisted the temptation of requesting a $119 5-ply stainless steel skillet from Vine. I already have too many skillets, about a dozen. Some are aluminum, some are stainless, some are copper core 5-ply, and one, my favorite, is carbon steel. I mostly use only two, the carbon steel and a nonstick pan, which is easier to clean when I'm cooking eggs.
I watch Vine every day. Mostly I look in the Recommended For You section because those are typically the best bargains. The rest of the site, which can have more than 100,000 items available, is all made-in-China POS schlock. Even that skillet is made in China, and therefore I can't be sure I can trust it.
On Monday I did request a nonstick aluminum quarter sheet for baking. It's made in the USA and I wanted it mostly for using in my dehydrator when working with very wet foods, or maybe even dehydrating liquids such as chicken stock. If I can reduce homemade chicken stock to a powder, that would save a lot of room in my freezer. It's something I want to experiment with.
The Debate
I watched the debate. I wasn't going to. I looked to see what was on the other channels. There was nothing; so, I turned to MSNBC to watch the debate.
I wrote a few notes. Trump kept returning to his pet scare tactic, illegal immigrants entering the country to murder members of your family, and now eating your pets. At first, I was surprised the moderators allowed Trump to commandeer the debate several times to get in the last word. However, I began to think they chose to let him do that because every time he spoke out of turn he said something damaging to himself.
Kamala Harris truly dominated. She took the wind out of Trump's sails and deflated his ego several times. She clearly won the debate. Does it guarantee she'll win the election in November? Certainly not. However, I am feeling more and more relieved that Trump won't be in the White House for another four years. That thought frightens me.
Sunday 2024.9.8
Fire Weather
We have been under a Red Flag Fire Weather Warning for the past few days. The daytime temperatures, especially inland, were forecast to be very high with low humidity and gusty "sundowner" winds up to 40mph. Those are the conditions the arsonists like. The winds blow from northeast, down the mountains to the ocean, typically starting around sundown. It's hot, dry air, ideal for fires.
Not all forest fires are started by arsonists, of course. Lightning strikes, a careless camper, or a downed power line can trigger a fire. I watch the CalFire news page on the internet to be alerted to possible fires in the local region. Thankfully, this past week there were none. I also listen for heavy airplanes and helicopters taking off from the local airport. Those might be an indication of fire fighting aircraft.
As I've often mentioned in this blog, our electric transmission lines come to us through the mountains. A fire beneath the lines can knock out electricity for hours, maybe even a day or two. It has happened before.
Heat Too
It was very warm here on Thursday, 103°F (39°C), and even hotter on Friday 111°F (44°C).
This is the time of year when I need to run the office air conditioner to keep the computers and myself comfortable, but the AC could barely keep up. Iced coffee never tasted so good.
Enough Is Enough
I tolerated the heat in the living room. The office air conditioner ran during the hot spell and therefore I spent most of my time in the office. However, on Saturday I wanted to watch college football on my large screen TV.
I recorded a daytime high of 106.7°F (41.8ºC) yesterday. Although slightly cooler than Friday, it was way too hot to sit in the living room. It was time. Yesterday morning I connected the living room air conditioner to the window and plugged it in. It didn't cool the home to a crisp 72°, but it kept the room comfortable enough for watching football on TV.
This week the daily temperatures are expected to return to normal.
Another Food Dehydrator
The Brod and Taylor "Sahara" arrived on Friday. It is better than I expected. Someone asked me how it compares to making salmon jerky in the oven. I ran some numbers to compare drying space and storage needs. (You can skip over the numbers.)
Drying Area:
Home oven (two baking sheets)
12 x 16 x 2 / 144 = 2.66 ft²EpicuTech (ten racks)
10 x 7 x 10 / 144 = 4.86 ft²Sahara (seven racks)
19.5 x 11.5 x 7 / 144 = 10.9 ft²Storage Size:
EpicuTech
12.5 x 13.5 x 15 / 1,728 = 1.46 ft³Sahara
22 x 12.5 x 3.5 / 1,728 = 0.56 ft³
With rack storage bag
22 x 12.5 x 5.5 / 1,728 = 0.94 ft³
The important measurement is that it has four times the drying space as my kitchen oven and more than double the space of the EpicuTech dehydrator I blogged about on Wednesday. And, I can use the Sahara outside if I don't want the odor of drying fish in my house. Comparing the racks of the two appliances, the smaller racks of the EpicuTech look almost cute.
I can store the folded dehydrator on the book shelf where I kept my sausage making equipment. I am feeling less inclined to make my own sausages, so that box will go out into the shed. That leaves the case that hold the racks and silicone mats. And then there is the carrying case, which should arrive tomorrow. I used part of this morning to shift some books around, lower and shelf, and fit everything back in the bookcase. And there was space for my new mandoline.
It was too hot this week to do any work in the kitchen. I froze the remaining salmon fillet. I'll defrost it and make salmon jerky again this week when the days are cooler.
Latest Vine
I've been doing fairly well on Vine lately. I occasionally find a few odd things to request, like that dehydrator I mentioned last week and a mandoline to slice foods to dehydrate. I usually only request disposable items I know I'll use — paper towels, coffee filters and nitrile gloves. However, I'm so well stocked on those items, I probably have enough to get me though the remainder of this year and all the next.
Nitrile gloves are my biggest weakness. I typically use five per day, doing self-cathing. This morning I counted my inventory — more than 1,000 gloves, enough for almost seven months — and yet I ordered another 200 this morning. Note to self: No more gloves!
So now it's mostly single items I might not be searching for, but they're too good to ignore. This past week I found a pair of slippers that retail for $100. I usually buy slippers at Costco during the fall. That unusually expensive pair of slippers grabbed my attention and I couldn't resist.
And, actually, I rarely search for anything expect those three items mentioned above. I look mostly at the "Recommended For You" page because there are fewer items to see (usually fewer than 20) and those are some of the best offers. Even better, they don't disappear quickly. I have time to do some research before I decide to request them.
Blood Glucose
I haven't mentioned it in a while. There isn't much new to report. It remains elevated, but well within the safe zone.
Wednesday 2024.9.4
Pleasantly Surprised, Many Times
I was surprised to see my dehydrator delivered on Monday, the Labor Day national holiday. I didn't know the postal service delivered on holidays. Someone said it is an arrangement with Amazon, to deliver all seven days of the week. Something to do with Amazon Prime, of which I am not a member.
I was also surprised when I opened the box. From the picture on Amazon, I thought the metal case might be painted with a boring beige enamel.
It isn't. The entire outside shell is brushed stainless steel. I was also pleased with the window in the door. Transparent plastic? No, glass. The racks are also stainless. Even the back and bottom are all stainless steel.
My first project, as I said in last month's blog post, was to make Salmon Jerky again. I haven't made it in a long while. Yesterday I drove to Costco to buy salmon and yet again, another pleasant surprise.
When I went to Costco late last week, they only had farmed Atlantic salmon. It's okay, but I prefer wild caught. It has better flavor. Yesterday there was fresh wild caught Alaska coho salmon in the store. It was expensive, $48.25 for two filets, $10.99 per pound. But, another surprise, it cost less than the farmed salmon, which was $12.99 per pound.
If things go according to plan, I'll upload a review video to My Kitchen Vlog channel on YouTube later today. Meanwhile, I'm nibbling on salmon jerky.
How About Another Pleasant Surprise?
I received a delightful email from Brod & Taylor. They are sending me a Sahara dehydrator to review in a video. I like the Sahara because it folds up to about the size of a briefcase — so much easier to store than the boxy EpicuTech I requested from Amazon Vine.
Mandoline
I used to have a very good, and expensive, mandoline. I cut myself several times. I could use the protective pusher to keep my hands away from the blade, but try to wash the thing without cutting yourself. I donated it to a charity thrift store.
I was pleasantly surprised again to see one offered on Amazon Vine. It isn't an expensive one, but it's stainless steel and it comes with safety anti-cut gloves. I ordered it because I expect I'll use it often when slicing things to put in the dehydrator. And I'll wear the gloves when I wash it.
If it lasts long enough for me to know whether or not I really would benefit from having one, when something breaks on this cheap one, I'll order one of the expensive all-stainless mandolines sold on Amazon.
Finally, Some Weather
The National Weather Service is predicting high temperatures in the US Southwest. Thankfully, I live near the ocean. Although it will be warm here, it will be mild compared to areas inland.
Sunday 2024.9.1
Still Recovering
It was one month ago, on August 1st, that I fell and dislocated my right shoulder while crossing the avenue. I'm feeling much better. I can almost fall asleep lying on my right side now. I still can't reach up high above my head, especially when holding something heavy (such as when trying to place a box on a top shelf), but everyday gets a little better. From what I learned online, it can take two to three months to fully recover from a dislocated shoulder injury.
New Morning Routine
I'm developing a new morning routine for my coffee. As mentioned in my last blog of last month, I like iced coffee on warm summer afternoons. I have a Cold Brew Coffee pitcher, and a recipe (more of a procedure) on this web site. It works, but it requires too much effort.
As I mentioned last month, I set aside the first cup of brewed coffee in a heat-sealed pouch to chill and enjoy in the afternoon. The next cup is my morning coffee. The routine has been working well for me. And it's so easy. I am really enjoying my afternoon tumbler of iced coffee. Why did it take this long to come up with the idea?
You can do the same thing for yourself, if you enjoy iced coffee in the afternoon. You don't even need a heal-sealed pouch. I use one because I have an impulse heat sealer. Simply make your first cup in a mug, cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Use another cup for your morning coffee.
As for that huge Keurig coffee maker that I wished I hadn't ordered from Vine, I gave it to a neighbor. I never even plugged it in. It was still new in box. I was happy to get it out of my home. I didn't want to store it in the shed. Speaking of which…
Shed Purge
I continue to work on the shed. Not every day. But when I think about it I go out to the shed to look around for something I know I can live without. Typically, it's something I haven't used in years, or maybe never used at all.
One example: I have a spare laser printer in my shed. I bought it because it was on sale for about $15 more than a replacement cartridge. My thinking was I'd have both a new cartridge and a new printer, all in one box, when I needed it.
I did a little research on line. Toner degrades over time. Most laser cartridges have a shelf life of two to three years. That printer has been out in the shed a lot longer than that.
Returning to LEGO
I hadn't build a LEGO-like kit in more than a month. They're available on Amazon Vine. I built so many in the past, many are listed on my Recommended For You page. This past week I saw one I couldn't resist. It's the Eagle 5 from the movie Spaceballs.
It was fun to build and it is one of the best LEGO knockoff sets I've seen. The pieces fit together so well, I was able to assemble the entire kit without glue.
And, Finally, Football
Yesterday was the beginning of college football season. There were as many as six games on TV at the same time. I watched most of the day. I don't have any favorite team this year, but I'm sort of leaning toward the Penn State Nittany Lions. They won yesterday.