JULY 2015

Wednesday 2015.07.29

Today's the Day

Microsoft is releasing their latest operating system, Windows 10, today. Number 9 was skipped because supposedly Microsoft wanted to draw attention to this new version being very different from Win 8 and Win 8.1. The reviews I read so far have mostly been positive. I don't need Windows 10. I just want to experiment with it before I build two new computers this fall.

I also read that Microsoft will stop delivering new operating systems every few years. Instead, they will deliver more frequent updates to Win 10. I think they should have done this with XP. Even though it is no longer supported by Microsoft, I'm still using XP. My two desktop computers are dual boot systems, running either XP or Win 7. XP supports my scanner; Win 7 doesn't, and, as I've mentioned before, one program that I use a lot doesn't support my laser printer in Win 7. It works fine in XP.

I have a few concerns. How much of my legacy software will run properly in Win 10? What might I lose? Can I live without it? What about my legacy hardware? I have a perfectly good flad bed scanner that has never been supported by Win 7 or 8. I doubt Win 10 will support it.

Attempting to learn all I could, I looked for books. They're on their way, but few have been published yet. I wasted $3.99 on an ebook that I purchased and downloaded from Barnes & Noble. It is an excellent example why B&N is losing money. The ebook consists of 34 paragraphs on eight pages. The text was obviously written by someone not schooled in English grammar and punctuation. There are no images or illustrations. It is just text, poorly formatted in a large Courier font. I wrote a review, advising others not to waste their money.

Yesterday Was the Day Too

My birthday was yesterday. I'm 64 now. I didn't do anything special. Birthdays are just another day on the calendar. However, I'm thinking of doing some celebrating this weekend because this week my weight has been in the Normal range on my BMI (Body Mass Index) chart. I can't remember when I was last this weight. Maybe 20 to 25 years ago. I sort of remember where I was working at the time. If my memory is correct, that would put it in the 1990s.

I've been planning for a long time how I will celebrate this milestone. In fact, I've been on this diet since April 1 of last year. 16 months. I tried losing weight about 3 years ago, but I never got below 185 at the time. This time I'm below 174. So Saturday I am going to make one of my infamous, devastatingly delicious Pizzas. I make pizza the way I like it best — thick crust and lots of toppings. My pizzas are so heavy that I need to pre-bake the crust 5 minutes so that it will slide off the peel onto the pizza stone. With just a raw crust the dough sticks to the peel, unless I use way too much corn meal, which falls to the bottom of the oven and smokes, ruining the flavor of my pizza.

An interesting side note about my pizzas: I used to have a friend who raved about how delicious they are. When he'd eat pizza anywhere else he'd say, "It's good, but it isn't as good as Dennis makes."

I heard from my twin bother yesterday. We usually write to each other on our birthday. He sent a picture of himself and his wife when I told him I hadn't seen him in so long I might not recognize him. Wow! I wouldn't have recognized him. He has a gray beard. I don't remember his eyes being so far apart. He'd recognize me because he and his wife watch my videos.

Lemon Harvest

I often say something about my neighbor's lemon tree. This year it is producing an especially abundant crop of lemons. I haven't had time, what with the landscaping and other projects, to go pick lemons. (And I'm still using up frozen lemon juice from last season.) On Monday I finally picked the ripe lemons — nearly 60 of them. I left many on the tree because they weren't fully ripe yet. I've been squeezing and giving away fresh lemon juice. I love homemade lemonade, but there is only so much one person can drink.

The best thing about them is that they are tree ripened. The lemonade is delicious. All the lemons, by the way, produced nearly 5 quarts of lemon juice. I gave most of it, in 1-quart jars, to my neighbors, for them to make their own lemonade.

Video

Today I'm shooting another video. Several blogs back I mentioned that Curious.com likes my Minute Meals (but not the name — preferring Minute Meals instead). I haven't forgotten my commitment to them, but what with the landscaping, other projects, and a freezer too full of food, I needed to delay these videos. Today I am doing Soups and Stews. I'm planning to make my Texas Chili and Pasta Fagioli, both of which I'll portion and freeze. I'm also going to experiment with a Fresh Tomato and Basil Soup. I've never made it before, but I love tomato soup. I ate it a lot as a kid.

Sunday 2015.07.26

One Less Printer

Last week's disaster with the printer toner wasn't all bad. I have another printer (and yet another one, still in the box) in my office. The second printer is attached to this computer, the one I use for my web site and to edit my videos (the other computer is for going on line). This laser printer is network ready, but plugging in the ethernet cable isn't all that is required. It's not a simple plug-and-play procedure; it's more complicated.

Thankfully Hewlett-Packard has a utility for that. On the other computer I ran the utility and after many steps and what seemed like a long time, I finally set up a communication between the computer and the printer through my router-modem. It works, but not perfectly. There is one piece of software that has never behaved correctly on that computer. It doesn't like any printer. Not even a new installation of the software or a newer version of the software solved that problem. That leaves only the computer to blame because the same software and operating system on this computer work fine with my printer. I tried disconnecting the printer and removing the parallel port card, but that didn't help either.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I bought an extra printer when Costco offered an excellent sale price on the HP LaserJet P1606dn. The original price was $215 and Costco was selling them $99 at the time, more than 50% off. A new cartridge is something like $87. So for $12 more I got a second cartridge and a printer. The second printer is stored in my shed.

As for my old LaserJet 4100 — the one that needs a new cartridge — I'll wait before I put that one in the shed too. I want to see if Windows 10 works well with it. If it does, I might just buy another cartridge and keep it a while longer. I still like that printer. If I still have the same problem with that software not liking any printer, I can only wait until I build new computers.

Windows 10

Like many, I am anticipating the delivery of Microsoft's next operating system. I received a pleasant surprise this week — I'll get a free upgrade on all three of my computers. My laptop-tablet computer is using Win 8.1. No surprise about the upgrade there. However, my two desktop computers are using OEM installations of Windows 7. It's that "OEM" that might be a problem for some. I've read what I can find and some OEM installations might not get a free upgrade. One detail I learned is that the upgrade depends on the existence of an installation key on the computer. Both my OEM versions came with a Product Key. That might be the qualifier that got me the free upgrade.

I want to see Windows 10 and experiment with it before I build new computers this fall. The July 29th delivery will give me plenty of time (and July 28 is my birthday; so it's like getting a present). I'll buy two retail versions of Windows 10 later this year when I build my computers. Meanwhile, I'll learn all I can.

A Successful Experiment

It won't come as a surprise to some that many years ago, when I was in college, I learned to tailor. It has been a useful skill. Trying to find colorful shirts to use in my cooking videos is a challenge. Most stores sell boring conservative colors — beige, light blue, light green, etc. What do you do if you want color in your videos? You tailor your own shirts.

They're certainly not less expensive. At the cost of 100% cotton these days, a single shirt can easily cost $50. I've bought shirts in Costco for as little as $6 each, although most are in the $15 to $20 range.

Something fun happened this week. A fan of the web site sent me fabric to make yet another apron. I don't ask for fabric. 19 aprons on the wall are enough for color in the background of my videos. But one more won't hurt. So now there are 20. It got me thinking about shirts again. Costco sells !00% Egyptian cotton bed sheets. It's fabric. Wouldn't it work for shirt? Yes, it does, with a couple exceptions.

The sheets are "Sateen," which has a moderate shine. I didn't want a shine on my shirts, so I used the wrong side of the fabric for the outside. Also, the fabric tends to fray easily along the edges. That just requires a little more care when building the garment. All went well in the end. The shirt is now hanging in my closet, ready for use.

Give Me Not My Daily Bread

A week ago I stopped baking and eating bread. It was standard practice to bake bread every other week for many years. Two slices of buttered toast (328 calories), sometimes with an egg, was my bedtime snack. Bread seemed like empty calories and we can all do better with a little less butter. Now I boil an egg. A hard boiled egg is only 78 calories.)

Baking bread seems like one of the basics of a functional home kitchen, like dough in a pizza kitchen. So far I don't miss eating the bread, but I miss the baking. Maybe when I lose a little more weight I'll return to baking bread again.

Wednesday 2015.07.22

Summer Sets In

This past Sunday was a scorcher. It wasn't as hot as some areas, but it was hot here for being so close to the ocean. The daytime high was up over 95°F. Therefore, I filled the evaporative cooler with water for the first time this season and sat in front of it to escape the heat. I don't mind warm temperatures. I moved to Southern California from New England to enjoy the warmth. Temperatures above 89°F, however, are outside my comfort zone. Thankfully I have that cooler.

I wished we had received the rains predicted during the weekend. The forecasts kept saying 50% or 60% probability, but all the rain fell east of here. Los Angeles enjoyed some excellent summer showers and a few thunderstorms.

It always takes a few days to acclimate to the summer heat, then I'm fine with it. My father either couldn't or wouldn't adjust. We lived in New England where the seasonal temperatures were much more variable than here in SoCal. During the summers and winters either the air conditioner or the furnace was running. Dad got most of his exercise walking to and from the thermostat. Here in SoCal I like to say we have only two seasons — summer and sort of summer. On Monday when the temperature was already 82°F at 9:15 in the morning, there was nothing to do but shrug my shoulders and say, "Another warm day." The daily high, by the way, was forecast to be 78°F. So much for the meteorologists.

A Vision of Problems Yet to Come?

I'm not a pessimist by nature. However, I can't help but wonder if this weekend's weather-related problems indicate what might happen if the El Niño pattern does become the major winter event some are predicting. The rain storm that moved into Southern California during the weekend damaged a bridge along highway 1-10, a major link between Los Angeles and Arizona. One span collapsed due to water rushing through the dry river bed beneath it. We need the rain, but it doesn't come without a cost.

Rain of Toner

I was trying to come up with a play on words, thinking "reign of terror," and "rain of toner" was the best I could think of. Here's what happened:

Monday I needed to change the toner cartridge in my HP LaserJet printer. It's an old printer, but I really like it. It was an old replacement cartridge too. I bought it as an extra when I purchased the printer, maybe 12 to 15 years ago. Evidently there are gaskets or seals in cartridges that can dry out and decay. There was some crumbly stuff that seemed kind of odd, then the toner started leaking. Panicking, I rushed to the kitchen where my trash has a plastic liner and I tossed the cartridge inside. Big mistake. A black cloud ascended, settling on the floor, counter, and, worst of all, my collection of aprons. The walls were also dusted. What a mess!

It took about three hours to vacuum and wash down everything. The aprons went into the laundry yesterday morning, all 19 of them. All but five came out clean. Those that didn't went into the sink and with dish detergent, a stain remover called Resolve, and some hard work, I was finally able to get the last of the toner out of the fabric. After letting them dry, I ironed them and put them back on their pegs in the kitchen.

OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

OCD is not one of my issues. More than a decade ago I worked for a while as a therapist in a counseling center, fulfilling one of the requirements of my Master's program in counseling psychology. One of my clients presented with OCD issues, recent onset, focusing on cleanliness in his home. He had survived an arson attack on the house. OCD, I learned from my supervisor, often comes from control issues. So we started from there.

In session he brought up his experience living in the house during repairs — the smell of smoke, ash, soggy carpets, no electricity. It was a traumatic experience. That's where the focus changed. Rather than working on the trauma of the arson, we went into the experience of being surrounded constantly by all the filth. This was when he started making progress and soon he was in remission and on his merry way back to a normal life.

I bring this up because, as a final gesture of self-empowerment after the disaster with the toner, I looked at one of my recent videos, especially the end when I say, "Excuse me. I'm going to go enjoy my lunch." I had a clear picture of the aprons hanging on the wall. I jotted down a few notes and then organized them the same way as in the video. They don't need to be in that order. It serves no purpose. But it was my personal way of putting the entire experience behind me so that I could be on my merry way back to my own normal life.

Sunday 2015.07.19

Total Tonnage

A fan of the web site (I knew there must be at least one) asked for some numbers. How much stone, by weight, did I put into my landscaping? Total weight is 18,096 pounds, slightly more than 9 US tons. Five pallets. Most of that stone I shifted and placed myself during the eight weeks of the landscaping project. Besides the stone, there were three cubic yards of top soil and one cubic yard of sand. Dymondia supposedly likes sandy soil; so I assembled my own planting mix. And, as I've mentioned, I dug up all the lawn, sifting the soil to remove the roots.

I hadn't parked my car in my driveway for two months. The driveway was my staging area for my materials. On Thursday I shifted the remaining sand and top soil to the back of my driveway. On Friday I moved the remaining stone. By noon I was able to park my car back in my driveway again. This is important because there are plans to pave the roads in the park. If I can't get my car off the street I would need to find a space outside the park. With many other residents parking their vehicles outside as well, finding a parking place might be a challenge. However, in my driveway my car is out of the way of the pavers. No date has been set for the paving, but I don't want to be surprised and pressed for time.

More About the El Niño

I've had some amusing conversations about the El Niño weather pattern that is predicted for this winter. The optimists are anticipating the rain. The pesimists complain that no one can predict the weather six months in advance. True, it's difficult to forecast the weather six days in advance, let alone six months. However, the El Niño isn't weather. It's an atmospheric oceanographic pattern that generates predictable weather.

It's similar to the seasons. No one would be considered foolish if they predicted snow in January in the northern USA and Canada. Chicago could hardly expect tropical rains during the coldest winter months. The El Niño is a pattern in which tropical moist air is pushed by the jet stream into Southern California. The air runs into mountains and there is nowhere to go but up. As the air thins at higher altitudes, its ability to hold moisture weakens and the result is precipitation. During the drought years and La Niña pattern, dry air flows into the region. No rain.

I like the dry seasons. They're great for people who hang their laundry out to dry. But we really need the rain. And (I can't say it enough times), I don't need to think about rains making my lawn grow and needing to be mowed. It can rain all it wants.

Beans

I have a really nice pressure cooker, a Kuhn-Rikon 7 quart, made in Switzerland, for which I paid only about $150 when I bought it new. They're up over $200 now. It's a beauty, all stainless steel. I had a cheap Fagor, made in China, that survived only about a dozen uses before the plastic pressure regulator — evidently not heat resistant — failed. I wasn't burned and there was no mess to clean up, but it was a valuable experience. You get what you pay for. I bought that Fagor at Costco for only around $40. With the pressure regulator removed, I use the pot now as a big pasta pot.

I used the Kuhn-Rikon on Thursday evening because I wanted to experiment with meat alternatives. Beans. I have a pressure cooker cookbook, Pressure Perfect by Lorna Sass, and according to her, dry beans do not need to be soaked for several hours before cooking when using a pressure cooker. Just put them in dry, add water and seasoning, and bring up to full pressure. Then cook for about 30 minutes. I had some left over dry cannellini beans and some mixed dried beans, both of which I had used in videos. It was time to use them up; so the pressure cooker seemed the obvious choice.

While I was waiting for the beans to be done I opened the computer folder that has more than 300 cookbooks in EPUB format and found a couple of pressure cooker cookbooks. The first recipe, tomato and basil soup, looked delicious. Now I'm feeling fired up to start cooking with my pressure cooker again. I love soups, especially in winter. I'll try the soup even though it's summer, but it will be (if it tastes good) another of those soups I'll enjoy in winter while it's cold and raining outdoors. As a kid, I loved Campbell's tomato soup, from a can, with lots of saltine crackers in it.

So how did the beans come out? Fantastic. Wonderfully tender and creamy, with just a little bit of texture. I'll store some in the refrigerator and put servings aside in the freezer. And I'll never soak beans overnight again. When I feel like making something like Pasta Fagioli (pasta and bean soup), I'll simply pull out my pressure cooker and cook the beans for 30 minutes. Already I'm looking forward to winter.

As for the beans I cooked, I put 21 3-ounce servings away — 16 in the freezer and the remainder in the refrigerator. I'll use them in salads or as a protein substitute in my Minute Meals.

I Don't Know Everything

In fact, sometimes I don't know even the simplest things any cook should know.

One change I made recently was to stop baking bread. My weight has been going down and my evening ritual of toast with butter seemed like a waste of calories. I can use those calories elsewhere in nutrient-rich foods. But I need a bedtime snack because I cannot fall asleep if I'm hungry. One low-calorie snack I read about is a hard boiled egg. They're only about 60 calories each and I like eggs. Would you believe I needed to research how to hard boil an egg? It's true.

I don't think I've boiled an egg since my college days, maybe even earlier than that. I've poached eggs plenty of times. I use them in my recipe for Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon. How difficult can it be to boil an egg in the shell? Put the egg in water, bring to a boil, and rotate an egg timer (I don't have one). However, the Internet is a big place and there has to be a best way to hard boil an egg. There is. Put the egg(s) in a pot with enough water to cover by about an inch. Bring to a boil, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Wait 10 to 12 minutes, then drain the pot and fill with cold water. Allow the eggs to cool.

It works. I boiled half a dozen eggs. I tried one and it was cooked to perfection, the yolk cooked through without being too firm.

And, Finally, Videos Again

This week I also stepped in front of the camera again. It has been quite a while. I am supposed to make a series of videos for a company up in Menlo Park. They like my Minute Meals, but not the name. For them, I'm calling them Minute Meals. Yesterday I did Lesson 6, seafoods for the protein portion of the meals. I showed how I section a large fillet for packaging and freezing. I showed shrimp. And I prepared a Minute Meal, cooking a fish fillet while the vegetables cooked in the microwave. From freezer to plate was about four minutes. To finish (but I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in the video — there is a time limit), I showed how I make Salmon Jerky, using wild caught Sockeye salmon bought at Costco. It dried in the oven overnight and was ready for eating and storing this morning.

Wednesday 2015.07.15

Learning (Sort of) From the Professionals

I like to watch professionals cook. There is always something to learn. None of us knows everything (although we might be able to name a friend, or ex-friend, who likes to believe s/he does). I remember watching some professional chefs cook at a demonstration several years ago. I learned to remove the center rib from leaves of romaine lettuce and I learned a recipe for vegetarian risotto. It gave me the idea to research and cook Butternut Squash Risotto.

On Monday of this week I was watching Ann Burrell doing her show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. She juiced limes on the point of a huge, probably 10-inch, chef's knife. I would never attempt that. I know she keeps her knives professionally sharp. I've seen them in action. But for juicing a lime? It was amusing, but that's one knife skill I'll skip.

Another Inch

Several months ago I blogged about joining a program called Prevent. It's a healthy eating/living program that is supposed to help prevent type 2 diabetes and other ailments related to obesity, high blood pressure, etc. I am now in the maintenance program, called Sustain. We still have goals and I'm keeping to my plans to lose weight. This week I measured my waist and I'm down another inch. So I went into my storage shed and moved the next smaller size trousers into my closet.

I pay more attention to my weekly average weight rather than my daily weights. Like most people, my daily numbers can fluctuate up and down from day to day. However, yesterday morning I recorded my first daily weight that is in the "Normal" range on my Body Mass Index chart. I'll celebrate when my average is Normal.

Landscaping

You might be getting tired of hearing about it. If so, you have something to look forward to. I'll stop blogging about it soon. This week I worked the area along the side of my storage shed. It's a difficult area, sort of like an alley, narrow and cramped. But it's done. I have a few stones to level, and then that will be the end of the stone work in my yard.

There is an extra area to work. My space needs proper drainage, now that there is no lawn to absorb rain water. The manager of the park is working on a plan. When finalized, I'll start working on that area next. I'll be so happy when this entire project is done.

One point of pride: The park rules state that major landscaping projects should be completed in 60 days (weather permitting). I started in the middle of May. Here it is the middle of July and I'm finished on time. There is still the Dymondia to finish planting. As I mentioned last Wednesday, because of the drought here in California our designated watering days are Wednesdays and Saturdays. That limits my planting and watering to two days a week; so the Dymondia will take a little longer. That's okay. The major work is done.

Computers

In two weeks I expect to get my free upgrade to Windows 10 on my Microsoft Surface 3 laptop/tablet computer. Meanwhile, I'm starting to collect components for my new computers, which I plan to build this fall. So far I've bought two Samsung 850 Pro 512GB solid state drives (SSDs), two Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB SSDs, and one 2 Drive Trayless Hot Swap 2.5 inch SATA Mobile Rack. I'll need another of those mobile racks, which I can order at any time. My plan is to build dual operating system computers again. Thus the need for the mobile racks.

Money spent so far — just over $1,000. Already it seems like a lot, but this time around I will be building "dream machine" computers. I'll be 64 years old at the end of this month. I'll be 70 by the time these computers might need to be replaced. Will I still be able to build computers at that age? Or will I be drooling into my lap in some old folks home somewhere? Not a pleasant thought. So, this might be my last chance to build two dream machine computers. I'm pulling out all the stops.

As for my existing computers, this one (the one I use for my web site and cooking videos) is doing well. The other is, well, not looking good. Blue screen of death yesterday and today. I think I need to seat the video card again. Let me repeat: Again. It seems to help. Last night I was watching a BBC Top Gear episode on DVD and it just up and went black. No blue screen. Just black. It booted okay when I started it up again, but this is becoming absurd.

Sunday 2015.07.12

More Hope for Rain

This week NOAA (National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration) raised it's prediction for a major El Niño event this winter from 85% to better than 90%. Although it is too early to know for sure, the current trend indicates this event could rival the one of 1997-98. That winter San Francisco received 47 inches of rain, double its annual average. One season of rain could fill all the reservoirs. And a good snow pack in California's mountains will store even more water for use later in the year as the snow melts.

I've seen it before. There was so little water in our reservoir one year, it had to be pumped up into the pipe that carries it to the water treatment and distribution plant. At the end of the winter the reservoir was so full the excess water was being released over the top of the dam. Residents living downstream were being warned of potential high water. No properties were flooded or destroyed. It was simply a warning not to wander into the river bed.

I remember one winter when there was so much rain the freeway in Ventura, California was closed due to flooding. Beautiful and expensive motor homes were being washed into the ocean because the RV park in which the homes were located was built in a "dry" river bed. Thankfully the people evacuated in time and no one was killed in that incident. In other areas quiet canyons turned into raging river torrents that destroyed homes and businesses. We need the rain, but getting it all at one time can be disastrous. In La Conchita a hillside, drenched with water, collapsed into a residential neighborhood and killed a family in their home.

Closer to Home

On Thursday I purchased another pallet of stone. This will be the last one. It will give me the stone I need to complete my landscaping, with maybe a little left over. I'm working a difficult area along the side of my shed. There isn't much room to manoeuver. And the weather hasn't been very cooperative — sunny and hot. It's an area that doesn't get much shade. However, it's a small area and it will be finished quickly.

As for the back year, it's about 99% done. There is one small patch to fill, for which I'll need to cut one piece of stone. Then a few stones need leveling before I plant the Dymondia. I'm satisfied everything is going so well.

What of the Future?

I don't have anymore home improvement plans. I did the big three — replace the shed, replace the galvanized pipes, and replace the landscaping. It might seem a little mean, but I'm looking forward to watching my neighbor mow his lawn this winter if the rains return and the grass grows again. I can sit on my deck, sipping coffee, and appreciate that I will never need to mow my lawn again. It's gone, as is the lawn mower. I gave it away.

Wednesday 2015.07.08

Landscaping Update

The back yard, such as it is, is nearly filled in with sandstone. There is a small area in the back corner that needs stone, but I need to order another pallet. I used all the stone I had.

The Dymondia is taking hold well in some areas. It is establishing itself so successfully, it is beginning to fill in and spread. In a few months the gaps between stones should be completely filled in. The trick I learned is to water it well. Due to the drought here in California, our designated landscape watering days are Wednesday and Saturday before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM. I soak the ground well during those times and the Dymondia appears to be thriving as a result.

With no stone, other than planting and watering Dymondia I am taking a break away from the landscaping for a few days. I am turning my attention back to a series of videos I am supposed to do for Curious.com up in Menlo Park.

Weeds keep popping up. Mostly clover. When the Dymondia is all filled in, it will hopefully keep the seeds away from the soil where they might germinate. Meanwhile, I just look around and pop out any weeds and grass while their roods are still shallow.

Yet Another Advantage

Besides the few benefits I've listed in earlier blogs, I now have more room in my storage shed. Today I gave away my lawn mower. With that gone, I have the room I wanted for another 36–inch 5 shelf shelving unit, which I ordered from Amazon moments ago. I have stuff stacked on top of stuff out there. This will give me plenty of shelves to organized that stuff in a better way.

If it's Edible is it Food?

Curious asked me to do a series of lessons on my Minute Meals, calling them "Minute Meals" for their site. Yesterday I shot video number five of ten. This lesson and the previous one were about the protein portion of my meals. One video is about cooking chicken and meat; yesterday's video was about buying precooked foods. One of my typical choices is the rotisserie chickens they sell at Costco. They're only $4.99 each and they will each yield about ten 3–ounce portions for my freezer.

For those who do not cook, there are alternative sources. Most stores sell cooked sliced meats. I'll buy sliced ham to cut up and put in salads. Some brands are 98% fat free, which makes them a good choice for those who are trying to lose weight.

One item I bought, for the first time, was Tyson Panko Chicken Nuggets, sold in a 5-pound bag at Costco. Hmm. Interesting. They do contain chicken and there are not a lot of negative ingredients in the list — mostly chicken, flour, and water. At 40 calories per nugget, they're not a diet breaker like pizza might me. The flavor is, well, kind of good. They would probably benefit from something like a honey-mustard sauce or one of those sweet bottled sauces — plum sauce, for example — sold on the Oriental foods aisle in the grocery store.

I only bought them for the video, but I have been eating them, leaving me to wonder: If it's edible, is it food? Yes, because they are mostly chicken breast. However, the texture is a little spongy and rubbery. I'd rather eat a plate of my Finger Lickin' Chicken. For a snack, however, they ain't bad.

Sunday 2015.07.05

Milestones

I missed one opportunity to celebrate and I've added another one. Wednesday was the fourth anniversary of my retirement. It makes me smile to think I haven't had a job in four years and the retirement system is still paying me. I could go on like this forever.

I might have celebrated Wednesday, but I didn't think about it. The landscaping has been too much on my mind and I am usually too tired and a little sore at the end of each day anyway, which brings me to the other milestone…

I am now lawn-less. Thursday morning I dug up and discarded the last of the grass in my yard. No more lawn to mow. I donated my lawn mower to the trailer park. The gardener will enjoy using it. It is rechargeable, battery operated. Just hold the on-off bail and push the lever. It starts up instantly. Let go the bail and it shuts down. An internal brake slows the blade. It's easy to use.

I could have listed it for sale somewhere like Craig's List, but after mowing my lawn for the past 21 years (I've had three lawnmowers), I figured I got my money's worth out of it. There are two benefits. No more grass to mow and I'll have a lot more room in the shed when the mower is gone. The park gardener will pick it up on Wednesday of this week.

Meanwhile, the landscaping is going well. Most of the yard is now covered in stone. There are some edge areas to work on, but the bulk of the work is done.

Tour de France

Yesterday was the beginning of the annual Tour de France cycling race. I watch it every year. Like in any sport, the fans have their favorites — mine are Chris Froome, Peter Sagan, Mark Cavendish, to name a few. Bradley Wiggins is not competing this year. He is training again for the next Olympics.

Yesterday was a time trial stage. I can't remember when I last saw a Tour begin with a time trial on the first day. The last two Tours opened with a sprint stage and there were two significant collisions near the finish on those days. Last year's crash took Mark Cavendish, recognized as the world's greatest sprinter, out of the race with injuries. The previous year Cavendish was involved in another pileup close to the finish, which also took down another important sprinter, Peter Sagan. This year the Tour began with the safest of opening days. In a time trial each cyclist goes out alone, racing against the clock rather than bunched up on the roads, competing against each other. With 198 cyclists in the Tour, the race gets crowded and a simple touch of wheels is enough to cause a crash and send half a dozen or more athletes down onto the pavement. Thankfully, most injuries are minor and the cyclists are able to continue.

This morning the stage was fascinating to watch. Vincenzo Nibali, who won the Tour last year, was caught in a chase group that finished about 1½ minutes behind the leaders. It will be very difficult for him to defend his title this year. Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan, TeJay Van Garderen, Chris Froome, and Alberto Contador — all top cyclists — were in the lead group. It's only the second day, but already the Tour is becoming a fun race to watch.

Fourth of July

Yesterday I also watched the fireworks display celebrating our Independence Day. They are launched from a park that is less than a mile from my home. I can watch them from my deck. They don't last long, about 20 minutes, but it makes for a pleasant evening. I set up my lawn chair. I prepare a drink. I sit and relax. Yesterday I had the advantage of sitting there looking over my new landscaping. I felt satisfied.

Pork Spareribs

A friend who claims I taught him how to cook* invited me to dinner on Friday. He prepared my Pork Spareribs recipe, only he slow-grilled his ribs rather than roasting them in the oven. They were delicious.

*His cooking skills were already good before he started asking questions. If anything, I taught him a trick or two and shared a few recipes. If there is one trick I surely taught him, it was to use seasonings in balance so that none of them declare themselves but they all harmonize into a pleasant flavor with depth and breadth. He understands balance now.

Congratulations to Me

This week I felt as though I deserved a reward. 1) The landscaping is nearly done. 2) I completed the Prevent weight loss program yesterday. I lost 23 pounds in the program. Combined with the weight I lost last year, I shed nearly 60 pounds. 3) In the 16 week program I never missed a single daily weigh-in. The Prevent scale reports the weight via the cellular network. And 4) I didn't do anything to celebrate the anniversary of my retirement. So I purchased the Larousse Gastronomique Culinary Encyclopedia. It's a beautiful hardbound book, 1,200 pages, and filled with almost everything I might ever want to know about food. It will be an excellent reference when I do research for my recipes and this web site.

And, Finally, I Think I Might be Getting Old

I'll be 64 toward the end of this month. Today I was going to feature Pork and Bean Chili. I created the video, wrote the recipe, and began making the updates to my web site. Then I discovered I already had Smoky Pork and White Bean Chili on the site. I created the recipe and video in October of last year. It's the same recipe. All I can say is that I'm glad I discovered this little lapse of presence of mind before I published the duplicate recipe. I did check to make certain my current feature is not a duplicate also.

Wednesday 2015.07.01

So Close

A short blog today. I put a lot of hours into the landscaping and I'm tired.

I've been working on my backyard for more than a week. It looks small, and it is small (this is a mobile home park), but it was a lot of work digging up the grass and sifting out all the roots. A small patch of grass is all that remains to be cleared. I can probably dig that out in a day or two.

It is going slowly because the sun has been very warm lately. Even in the shade the temperature has been in the lower 80s during the warmest part of the day. I'm not bound by any contract. I have until the middle of July to get the work done, or at least the bulk of it. So there is no need to push myself more than I need to. I work in the early morning and late afternoon when this area is shaded. Besides, I'll be 64 years old this month. I feel great, and I'd like to keep it that way. Therefore, I work at a comfortable pace.

If I can believe the weather forecasts, by the end of the week the daytime temperature is supposed to be in the low 70s and stay that way through the weekend. Today was forecast to be overcast all day — a good day to work outside.

Most of the dirt in the back is now graded. Today a friend helped me lay down stone. He enjoys that kind of work; so we covered nearly all the graded area in a single day.

I am beginning to think the entire yard area will be completed by the end of next week, at least the stone. There will still be Dymondia to plant, but that should be easy. And I need to work a drainage area beside and behind the shed. Those are small areas and they will take time, but my yard will be finished and I can look forward to enjoying it. My plan is to donate my lawn mower to the park.

Home | Recipe Archive | My Blog | Minute Meals | About My Recipes | About the Cook