OCTOBER 2021
Sunday 2021.10.31
Happy Halloween
During the past week I tried to watch some Halloween movies, or at least some that are a little spooky. I don't like horror films, but movies like The Comedy of Terrors with Vincent Price and Peter Lorre are fun. I watched that on Wednesday evening. A few other favorites are Hocus Pocus, ParaNorman and, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I will watch this evening.
Halloween is my least favorite holiday — children roaming the streets, begging for free candy. I wonder what Scrooge would have said about it. In fact, instead of filming remakes of A Christmas Carol (there are too many of them, and some are awful), I think Hollywood should do an adaptation set at Halloween. The visitation by ghosts would be more appropriate. Throw in a witch too, maybe three of them toiling over a simmering cauldron. Have Ebenezer go to bed after an early visit by Marley. Do the usual thing of three haunting ghosts over three nights, but when he wakes up it is still Halloween evening with time to rush out and purchase bags of candy. Make it a comedy, similar to Bill Murray's Scrooged.
A Tedious Task Done
I've blogged about my awning gutter in the past. Recently, the new park owner trimmed the tree so that there wouldn't be any debris falling on the awning and making its way into the gutter. I mentioned in Wednesday's blog my effort to remove the debris that was on top of the awning.
The rain we had early last week soaked and softened the debris in the gutter, which was full. So I disconnected the down spout and used the garden hose and a tool I fashioned to push the debris, little by little, down toward the end of the gutter where it could fall out. I was able to eventually flush out all the gunk that was in there. It took a couple hours and made a mess, but it was less messy than it would have been if I had used the pressure washer.
With the tree trimmed back, I might not need to do that chore again, at least not for a long while.
Soup Weather
As the days get shorter and cooler my thoughts turn to soups. My all-time favorite is Pasta Fazool (A.K.A. pasta fagioli, pasta e fagioli, and maybe other names). My mother's parents were from Italy and they pronounced it pasta fazool. It's a soup made with pasta and beans. My Grampy made it when I was a little child and I loved to sit with him eating pasta fazool. He passed away when I was in kindergarten. Now I'm 70 years old and the soup still brings back fond memories.
The pasta for the soup is traditionally short tubes, which might be known as tubetti or ditali. Smaller versions might be tubetini or ditalini. I've seen the short tubes in the grocery store as salad pasta.
I have a Pasta Press attachment for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. It is an extruder. You feed the dough through a hopper on top and it forces it through a die that attaches to the bottom. Mine came with five dies. The medium macaroni disc works best for tubetti.
Yesterday afternoon I made a large batch and arranged them on a lined baking sheet to dry. When satisfied they are thoroughly dry I'll pack them in plastic packets for soup later in the season. I also took a packet of dry cannellini beans out of the shed for making pasta fazool.
And as I cleaned up the mess I remembered why I put the Pasta Press out in the shed. It's a lot easier to go to the store and buy pasta. Maybe it isn't as good as homemade, but for me the soup is the highlight. The pasta is simply filler, a vehicle that helps deliver the delicious sauce or broth to the mouth.
A Follow-up
In earlier blogs I mentioned my interest in getting an induction cooker and a set of induction ready pots and pans. Almost none of my cookware is induction ready. I met a rep from HexClad at a Costco road show and gave her my card, hoping their public relations department might be willing to sponsor me a set of saucepans. I bought a set of skillets. The box of skillets remains unopened on my sofa because the plan is to return them for a full refund if no saucepans are received. I hadn't heard anything from HexClad.
Things changed on Thursday morning. The rep sent me email. She lost my business card, found it, then forwarded my information to the P.R. department. I'm thankful I hadn't already returned that box of skillets. So now I wait again. And now I'm thinking about an induction cooker again.
I'm keeping my expectations low. No effort to reach out to product manufacturers has ever been fruitful for me. I'm not a big deal on YouTube. I have received cooking-related gifts in the past, but those were from companies that reached out to me.
The issue I am most concerned about is contractual commitment. Some companies want a minimum number of videos featuring their product. There might be a time frame obligation, like five videos in 30 days. I'm very independent about promises. I do my own thing.
I'll see what, if anything, comes from HexClad. The box of skillet remains unopened and I still have to store receit.
Wednesday 2021.10.27
Preparing For the Storm
Sunday afternoon I worked to prepare for the rain that was expected on Monday. I climbed a ladder high enough to reach the top of my awning where I scraped off the debris from the tree branches that used to overhang the awning. The new owner of the park was kind enough to have the tree trimmed to remove the problem limbs, but I hadn't yet climbed up there to remove the debris. I did that on Sunday in advance of the coming storm.
I didn't take too many risks. I probably climbed up no more than six feet. It was enough. I also brought my shop vac up with me, which I used to clean up even more debris. Then I got my leaf blower out and cleaned the ground around my deck and tree, throwing everything into the trash. With all the tools put away, I relaxed, enjoying a job well done.
Well, almost done. There is the gutter to clean out. That requires the pressure washer and the result is a filthy mess all over the deck, the side of my home, and me. That will be next, after the rain has soaked the debris in the gutter and softened it enough to flush out.
During the afternoon I made a big smoothie, enough for a glass right away and another glass later — grape juice, pomegranate juice, frozen bananas, yogurt, and a scoop of protein powder. Yum. Delicious and satisfying.
The Storm
As predicted, the rain started during the night on Sunday and fell all morning Monday, tapering off after noon. By 2:00 the clouds had broken up and the sun was shining. The day was pleasant. There were a few times when the rain was heavy, but mostly it was a steady moderate rain. I went outside a few times to check on the drainage around my yard. Other than two areas where the water drained away slowly, the rain water was draining exactly as planned.
It was, naturally, good baking weather. As planned, I made another batch of mini quiches, 12 this time.
I made the adjustments I planned. I weighed the pastry shell dough — 374 grams divided by 12 equals about 31 grams of dough for each muffin tin cup. They baked 25 minutes at 375°F (190°C), but I think they could have baked five minutes longer for a little more browning on top. Either that, or move an oven rack a little higher in the oven. I also increased the slices of prosciutto from 2 to 3. The flavor of the quiches was excellent. I ate two for lunch and moved the remaining ten to the freezer to keep myself from eating more.
Any Excuse for Pizza
Monday evening I felt like celebrating. During the previous week I started working on my landscaping again and I used two 60-pound bags of mortar mix on my yard. My left hand was feeling almost completely normal again. I made a new batch of mini quiches. And I walked around my yard in the rain to see that all the drainage was working as it is supposed to. So I celebrated with a Griddle Pizza.
It was delicious, as usual, and I saved about a third to eat when I meet with a friend for lunch online today.
The Storm Report
On Tuesday morning I got the rainfall report. The county produces the report most mornings, especially when there is an event with numbers worth reporting.
The guage at the top of the mountain pass recorded the most rain. It always does. 5½ inches. Where I live, we got 11/3 inches. It didn't do the reservoir any good. This being the first significant storm of the season, most of the water soaked into the parched land. The "County-wide percentage of normal-to-date rainfall" is the most impressive. It's at 253% — two and half times normal for this part of the season.
I wish we could get more storms like this last one. However, we are supposedly entering a La Naña pattern, which means lower than normal rainfall. I can't help wondering what the future will be like if global warming continues to worsen. I really think it's time for California to invest in more desalination plants. There is a lot of ocean out there.
Wintering the Air Conditioner
This morning I put the office air conitioner away for the winter. (The other two, one in the living room and one in the bedroom, were never used.) Although on October 26 of 2017, the day I bought my Pedego e-bike, it was 103°F, I feel confident I won't need the air conditioners until next summer.
I used the office AC only once or twice this past summer. That's not enough data to determine any trends, but I'd like to see milder summers.
And Finally, a Success
This past week I ordered a new FoodSaver vacuum sealer. My old one, which I never liked, was starting to fail. It was big and klunky, cheap feeling, and not easy to use. I ordered the space saver model. It arrived yesterday. It's really simple. One lever, two buttons. What could be simpler? Even a 70 year old man like me should be able to operate it.
On the down side: it's narrower and therefore too small to use with the 11-inch wide rolls and bags. However, there is a way. Seal one corner and trim off the excess to leave an 8-inch opening. Then vacuum along that open edge to seal.
The success? I disassembled my old vacuum sealer to put all the plastic and metal into the recylcing bin, and I didn't plunge a screwdriver through any part of my body.
Sunday 2021.10.24
Who Doesn't Enjoy a Little Success?
Wednesday afternoon I experimented with making mini quiches. The goal was to make enough to freeze most of them and heat them later in the microwave oven for a small lunch or as part of a dinner.
I worked with formulas I knew. There needs to be some adjustments for next time — a little less white pepper, a little more nutmeg, and maybe another slice of prosciutto. Although I made only 10, there was enough filling for 12. I should have weighed the pastry dough before I started portioning it and then divided by 12.
It also gave me a good excuse to keep my muffin pan rather than donate it to the charity thrift store.
I cheated a little bit. I used my tortilla press to shape 5-inch wide flat pieces of dough, which I then eased into each muffin cup before filling them with quiche mixture. It worked perfectly. At an oven temperature of 350°F (175°C) mine took about 25 minutes to bake. I will continue to experiment.
I might have mentioned in an earlier blog post that I learned something new about pastry dough. You know when you knead bread dough you hook up the proteins to form the gluten chains that give the dough its elasticity and help it to hold air bubbles, giving bread its tender texture. How do you prevent that from happening when you want a dough for pastry shells? You first work in butter. The fat coats the proteins, preventing them from forming chains, and your dough will roll out well without springing back. That's what I did for the quiches.
There is one negative issue with these mini quiches. They're so delicious, it is nearly impossible to save some for later.
Landscaping
I haven't blogged about my landscaping lately. That is because I took the summer off. It was too hot outside to work in the sun, even in the shade, and even on cloudy days. I needed a break anyway.
On Friday morning I began working on my mortar project again, filling the gaps between pieces of sandstone with cement. I was surprised I was able to accomplish so much after being lazy all summer. I did an entire 60-pound bag of mortar mix. I did a second bag yesterday. Those were my last two bags. When the weather clears up, I'll go to Home Depot to buy more.
The forecast for tomorrow is rain. I'll check my yard a few times to make certain the drainage is correct.
Rain
As mentioned, it's supposed to rain here tomorrow. It won't put a dent in the drought because this will be a fast moving storm. It's the slow storms, the ones that linger for a few days, that put water in the reservoir. And this being the first significant rain of the season, a lot of the water will soak into the dry soil. But there will be enough to clean the roads and sidewalks, and my landscaping. It is always pleasant to see everything washed after a long dry period.
You might have heard of the "atmospheric river" that will be streaming into Southern and Cental California tomorrow. It's a long narrow band of tropical moist air, high in the atmosphere, pushed along by the "bomb cyclone" up north. The cyclone is sort of like a hurricane. It's called a bomb cyclone because it forms so rapidly. That storm is projected to bring a lot of rain and snow into Northern California. We won't see any of the cyclone here, but we will benefit from the atmospheric river.
I've blogged about this before: One pleasantry I looked forward to in retirement was to open the curtains and drapes and watch the rain pouring down outside, comfortable in the warmth of my home. I will be enjoying that pleasure tomorrow. The current prediction is 70% probability of rain tonight, mostly after 11:00 pm, and 100% tomorrow. By evening the storm will have passed. There is no rain forecast for tomorrow night, nor during any of the following days.
For now, there is a flash flood advisory for tomorrow morning through midnight. I don't live in an area this is prone to flooding. I'm on high ground. The drainage is good.
Maybe I'll bake more mini quiches tomorrow.
Wednesday 2021.10.20
First, Some Updates
The punctured hand is doing very well. I'm using my left hand more and more without babying it. It still gives me the willies to think I drove a screwdriver all the way through my hand. On the other hand (okay, a shameless pun) I feel very lucky. I didn't sever any nerves or tendons. There is also almost no pain. Sometimes when I grab something the wrong way and it pushes on the wound, I feel a slight twinge of pain; otherwise, my hand seems normal.
As I mentioned in Sunday's blog, the Alisal fire is almost fully contained. Each day gets a little better. As of this morning it is 97% contained. There is no smell of smoke in the air and there is no risk to the high voltage lines that bring electricity to this area.
And then there is the shed. I did a little more de-cluttering. I assembled a box of bakeware to take to the charity thrift store (but see below). The pieces are not used pans. Old used pans go into recycling. These are new, still in their original packaging. I bought them a few years ago when they were on sale at a good price. However, they're not a good bargain if they remain unused in storage. So, out they go.
To remove a little more of the food out there, I brought in a 28-ounce can of San Marzano (certified) tomatoes and two 12-ounce cans of tomato paste to make Marinara sauce. And I learned something new today. The word marinara comes from the word mariner, i.e. sailor. It was the sauce fishermen put on their seafood. It had no meat because the fish was the protein. Pasta sauce is made with meat and is also known as Bolognese.
I made the marinara yesterday evening and I'll use it on pasta because I usually add some ground beef or Italian sausage. I put five one-cup portions in the freezer and one cup in the refrigerator.
Quiche
Do real men eat quiche? Not only do they, but the best of them make it themselves.
Among the pans in that box of bakeware I will bring to the charity thrift store was a muffin tin. Did you ever buy those mini quiche things they sold at Costco? Perhaps you still do, but the Costco store here hasn't had them in stock for a long time. So I thought, Why not make them myself and freeze them?
I don't have a mini cupcake pan, but that regular one with 12 cups should be fine. Quiche is super simple to make. Eggs and cream, cheese, and whatever flavoring you want — onion, bacon, spinach, smoked salmon. On this web site I have a recipe for Sweet Onion Quiche. It includes prosciutto, which I have in the freezer. I also have a recipe for Smoked Salmon Quiche. I don't have smoked salmon in the freezer, but Costco is only a few blocks down the street.
I won't attempt a video yet because I don't know how much of everything I will need to fill all 12 cups of the muffin tin. I will probably try making them this week because I have what I need.
And Maybe One or Two More Updates
I haven't heard from HexClad. As I mentioned on Sunday I bought a set of their skillets at the road show at Costco. I was hoping they might sponsor me a set of their saucepans to use in my videos. That hope is diminishing. I still haven't opened the box of skillets. After another week or so, if I don't hear from them I'll return the skillets for a full refund.
And as for the idea of buying an induction cooker, I talked myself out of it. Unless I see a really good Black Friday sale on a model I want, I won't purchase one. It might be fun to use in a video or outside to keep the smell of fish out of my house; otherwise, I don't need it. My stove works fine and I already have an electric griddle and a small electric frying pan is use outside on my deck. So, that's enough.
Sunday 2021.10.17
Who Knew?
I learned something new this week. I was watching a YouTube video about carbon steel pans. I have one, a skillet, that was stored out in the shed. I also have a few cast iron pieces. Cleaning is a bit of a challenge. I need to get it clean without taking the seasoning off. The chef in the video used a stainless steel chain mail scrubber to "remove the carbon" but it didn't damage the coating. I put one on my Amazon wish list.
Impulse or Prudence?
I've been considering portable induction cookers again. The goal for a long time has been to set up a small cooking station on the counter in front of my camera so that I wouldn't need to move the heavy camera and tripod to the stove to show things cooking. The lighting at the stove isn't good anyway.
Induction cookers use magnetic waves to cause the pan to heat. They're weird. They don't heat the pan like a flame or electric coil does. They cause the pan to heat itself.
They require pans with a metallic bottom of iron or steel. Some stainless pans will work, if they have enough iron in them. You can test them by placing a magnet against the bottom of the pan. It if sticks well, it's a compatible pan. If it doesn't stick, or barely sticks, that's a pan that wouldn't work on an induction hot plate.
Cast iron is a given. So is carbon steel. Magnets stick to those like glue. But even a cast iron skillet or pot can be a failure. I have one small skillet on which there is a raised ring around the bottom. It wouldn't work because the entire bottom of the pan needs to contact the induction surface. Aluminum and copper are out, obviously, and, of course, my ceramic saucepans wouldn't work either.
I checked all my stainless cookware. None of it is induction compatible, with two exceptions. My stainless steel Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker has the right bottom. And my old cheap pressure cooker — now used only as a large pasta pot — works too.
So, along with looking at induction cookers, I've been looking at cookware. I don't like the idea of buying another set of pots and pans. Three years ago I bought a set of Calphalon space saving cookware to use in my videos. They're anodized aluminum. And, to be honest, my mismatched collection of old stainless steel pans are from my college days. I graduated in 1983. That's the advantage of stainless steel and cast iron. Take good care of it and it will last decades.
Good quality stainless steel pan sets can be expensive. I really like the All-Clad cookware, but unless they sent me a gift set (the ones with the copper ring near the bottom, please) I don't think I would own them. They're too expensive. And this is where this week's story comes in.
I met a friend in front of Costco because I had two dress shirts to give him. I bought them without trying them on. They're "modern fit," which means they're for thin guys. He's thin; I'm not. When we went into the store I told him I wanted to look at cookware. And LO! There was a road show booth set up featuring HexClad cookware. That was one brand I was considering.
The rep, Denise (easy to remember because my name is Dennis) was very pleasant and informative. She wasn't a pushy salesperson. The pans are beautiful. She seemed honest too. She demonstrated cooking an egg and burning cheese in the skillet. It slipped right out of the pan, "But," she explained, "don't expect new HexClad pans to behave this well right out of the box. They need to be seasoned first and then used for a while. Over time their nonstick surface will improve."
There were two sets of pans. One seven-piece set had three skillets, three lids, and a wok. The other had saucepans and lids. And, of course, the price is always better at Costco, especially at the road shows where they offer an additional discount.
Here's an example. The All-Clad Copper Core 7-piece set from Costco is $700. The same set at Amazon is nearly $1,300. Why?
I told her about my YouTube channel and this web site, and I wondered aloud if HexClad might be willing to sponsor me a set of pans. She took my card, email address, and phone number, along with some of my stats — 50,000 subscribers and the Fish & Chips video having more than a million views — and said she'd speak with the promotional department. They do sponsor some cooks.
And here's where she used a little selling technique. She said they might be willing to gift me the set of saucepans if I purchased the skillets. I bought the skillets.
Am I now obligated to get the induction cooker? Maybe. The pans can be used on the stove, of course. And then there is the problem of storage. Where oh where do I put these things?!?
I've been spending some time out in the shed, looking for space. When I use all the foods I stored during the pandemic I'll have some room. But, really, it's time to get heavy-handed with that shed. I've got stuff, like old computer components, I haven't looked at in years. They need to go.
I feel pretty good about my accomplishments so far. I consolidated two 15 X 20 X 10 inch bins into one bin. That frees up a decent bit of shelf space. There is more to be done.
My Diabolical Plan, Maybe
Why is my box of HexClad skillets still sitting on my sofa unopened? Options. If HexClad doesn't come through with a free set of saucepans to sponsor my cooking channel, I can bring the skillets back to Costco for a full refund and then maybe order the All-Clad Copper Core set. The store is only a few blocks down the street. I can walk there.
I've been watching videos on YouTube and the All-Clad appears to be a better option. I don't need three skillets. One is enough, and I have plenty of others out in the shed. The All-Clad set would be easier to store — one skillet, one saucepan, one sauté pan, one stock pot plus three lids.
Payback?
As I said above, I am trying to eliminate unneeded stuff from my shed. That includes taking some things apart to separate plastic from metal before putting the stuff in the recycling bin. Maybe I should have left that job to the recyclers. I literally drove a screwdriver all the way through my hand. The point came out the other side. I immediately grabbed a clean paper towel and applied pressure until the bleeding stopped, which only took a few minutes (then I typed this with one hand). It wasn't a big screwdriver.
It hopefully sounds worse than it really is. I didn't cut any tendons or nerves. I'll keep an eye on it. If there is any sign of infection I'll see a doctor for an antibiotic. Maybe this is payback for my diabolical scheme?
Quick Follow-ups
I pierced my hand on Friday. Today is Sunday. I removed the bandages and looked at it. It looks fine. I can see the hole where the screwdriver went in and the hole where it came out. There is no swelling, no bruising, no redness. I have full use of both hands and there is almost no pain. I am going to consider myself safe, but I will watch it for signs of infection.
And the Alisal fire is currently 17,253 acres and 78% contained. We're in no danger.
Wednesday 2021.10.13
One Puffed
Okay, in Sunday's blog I said I threw in the towel and committed to only cook my homemade corn tortillas in the microwave oven. It's faster. It's easier. And I can live without the puff when I cook a tortilla. And then I watched more videos.
How do they do it? Is it magic? Do they have some sort of Harry Potter magic wand I lack? Is there some incantation I know nothing about? I decided to try again.
I made enough dough for two tortillas. I followed my usual formula (see Sunday's blog entry), with one exception. I used all masa flour, no all-purpose flour. That required a little more water even though the volume of flour was the same.
And then I decided to crank up the heat. I got my cast iron griddle, also known as a comal, up to around 500°F (260°C). I cooked according to the directions in the videos — 20 to 30 seconds on the first side, flip, 1 minute on the second side, then flip again. It puffed.
For the second tortilla I should have turned down the heat a little. The pan got a little too hot. The second tortilla tried to puff, but the surface browned too quickly.
So here is what I concluded: It's about the right combination of hydration (water to flour ratio) and heat. Get enough moisture into the dough and get the griddle hot enough.
I still think it's easier and faster to cook them in the microwave; so that is what I'm doing.
Another Bargain
I get Costco advertisements in my email almost daily. When the store asked for an email address I knew it wasn't to send me happy birthday wishes once a year; so I gave them my spam address. I check it often, but mostly to delete the messages in the In Box.
I do look at the Costco ads because the store is only a few blocks down the road. I can walk there. Sometimes I get lucky, which I wrote about in Sunday's blog. There was a lamp unit for using with a camera or cell phone. It's one of those ring things that surround the lens, providing ample lighting to the face when vlogging or meeting on Zoom or other online video service. I had been considering getting one of those.
The price grabbed me. Normally $70, it was listed at $40 off, the price good for only a few days. I thought about it a while and then decided to order it. With the Costco store only blocks away, a return for a full refund would be easy if I'm not satisfied with it.
It's not exactly perfect. At a maximum height of 54 inches, it's about 11 inches too short for my video camera on its tripod. However, an upturned milk crate (I have a few of those) is 11 inches. Another problem is that I wear glasses. They could reflect the light into the camera's lens. But that's okay too because I actually want to use it slightly to one side of my camera as a fill lamp to remove a shadow that often appears on my face in videos.
At only $30, which includes a microphone I might be able to use with my computer, it seemed like a bargain. It's supposed to arrive this week.
Maybe I'll shoot another unboxing video, but maybe not. Would anyone be interested? Then again, why not? I don't earn any revenue from My Kitchen Vlog; so I don't care whether a video is successful or not.
Speaking of Videos…
I'm falling behind on my video work. For a few weeks I've been thinking about doing a video about the "The Best Ant Bait in the World." I have what I need; I just need to get around to shooting the video.
Again, if you read my blog often, you know what I'm talking about. The ants living around my home simply love my roasted chicken breast (actually from Costco rotisserie chicken). If I chop it up fine enough and then mix it with some boric acid powder, it's an ideal bait. The particles are small enough for ants to carry. If I set a packet of bait near an ant trail, the ants swarm to it and then they're gone in about 12 hours. And they stay gone for several weeks. That means I eradicated the nest.
And Speaking of Bargains — or Not
What do you do when you want something that is way too expensive, but you still want it anyway? I don't want people to laugh at me and say, "You paid how much for that!?!" I decided the trick is never to tell anyone. Just buy it and keep it a secret. So don't ask.
The Nights Are Getting Colder
I don't know what the nighttime temperatures are like where you live, but here it got cold quickly, at least for a while. I was seeing 50 degrees at night fairly regularly. There were a few nights in the 60s. However, the last few nights I saw the temperature dip down into the 40s. That's the coldest it has been at night since spring.
And Smokier
Maybe you heard on the news about the fire several miles west of here that shut down the 101 freeway for a while. It's far enough away to be of no danger where I live, yet, but the wind often blows from the west. I can see, and smell, smoke in the air.
Because the wind typically blows from the west, the fire is moving to the east. I'm not worried about my home being destroyed. I live in a densely populated residential area. The fire would need to destroy many homes before it got to mine. However, the high voltage lines that supply electricity to this area are up in the mountains north of here. Fire has burned beneath them in the past and it knocks out the power for hours, sometimes a day or two.
I'm prepared. I lit one of my oil lamps to burn off any wax that might have accumulated in the wick during the past year or so. I have some battery-powered storm lanterns as well and I have plenty of charged batteries. And I also have a wind-up battery-powered radio that I use during blackouts. The crank charges the battery and there is a solar cell on top for charging in sunlight. I'm ready, I hope.
Sunday 2021.10.10
Sometimes I Get Lucky
Those who read my blog regularly might remember I tailored several shirts for myself during the stay-at-home order earlier this year when the pandemic was spreading rapidly. I used fabrics from queen-sized flat bed sheets, 100% cotton, bought at Target for $13 each. Each sheet had enough material to make two shirts. I made 10 shirts during that (sort of) lock down.
This past week I went to Target again for something different, but while in the store I looked at the sheets again. The price is now $25. They nearly doubled in six months. Why? Target is probably using the delays in the supply chain, with dozens of cargo ships anchored offshore near Long Beach, California (the nation's busiest harbor), as an excuse to hike prices. I didn't buy any sheets. I was only browsing anyway.
Then I happened to notice a Costco advertisement in which one of the items listed was 100% cotton bed sheet sets. Each set contains a top sheet, bottom sheet, and four pillow cases. That is probably enough fabric to make five shirts if I use the pillow cases for smaller pieces, such as collar, cuffs, pocket, etc. I went to Costco and, luckily, I found the last two sets on the shelf. The size is cal king. The price? $24.97 each. Amazing! And considering how much 100% cotton sheet sets cost these days, $25 is an undoubted bargain!
Needless to say, I bought them both. The colors are man-ish, medium blue and medium gray. And so this winter when I might feel more inclined to stay home during flu season (I get a flu shot every November), or if there is another spike in COVID infections, I'll have another project to keep me occupied for a while. Yes, I'll have five shirts in each color, but who cares? I wear only one at a time anyway; so who will know?
Meanwhile, I was out of iron-on interfacing (the stuff that adds a little body to collars and cuffs); so I ordered more from Amazon. It arrived yesterday. And I already have matching thread, enough to get started.
Tortillas
I made my first corn tortillas on Wednesday. The tortilla press arrived earlier than expected. There is a learning curve and it seemed kind of steep. The videos on YouTube make the process look so easy. Although my first attempt yielded half a dozen usable tortillas, some were not usable — they went into the trash.
I learned that my tortilla press makes really thin tortillas — maybe too thin. They tore easily and they didn't puff while cooking.
I wasn't done experimenting yet. I tried adjusting the hydration — a little more water added with each attempt until the dough was too sticky. Still, no puffing. Actually, I take that back. The last tortilla puffed a little. Next I tried adjusting the thickness. Maybe I was making them too thin. They were easier to handle, but still no puffing.
In the end, however, I did end up with some delicious homemade corn tortillas. If I can get the formula and preparation right, these might be something I make often, even if just for a snack with a little butter.
Next I want to try flour tortillas. Supposedly they are not made in a tortilla press but are shaped with a rolling pin instead. However, I saw a recipe for something else in which the flour was kneaded between the fingers with a little butter before the liquid was added. The reason given was that the fat encases the protein molecules and that prevents the formation of gluten chains, the things that give bread dough its elasticity. By eliminating elasticity, the dough might press well in the tortilla press without shrinking back. It's worth a try.
Let's Get Weird
What would we do without modern conveniences? I saw one "keto" tortilla video in which the host cooked his tortilla in the microwave. I had to try it. Using a standard corn tortilla formula, I assembled only enough dough to make one tortilla, which I then cooked 1 minutes in the microwave oven. It works! While it was still hot, I spread it with a little butter and folded it. It tasted good and it was pliable and moist — maybe a little too moist. The bottom was wet.
And so that led to another experiment. I cooked the tortilla in the microwave, then I place it wet side down on a hot griddle. It worked fine. It didn't puff like so many of the YouTube tortillas do, but it was delicious and I used it to make my lunch. I cooked some pork longaniza, maybe about ¼ of a link (skin removed and the meat broken up in the skillet) and then scrambled an egg in with the cooked meat. I then transferred that to my tortilla, seasoned it lightly with salt, shredded some Monterey Jack cheese on top, then folded it in half to make a soft taco. I don't like tacos, but this was delicious. I'll be making these again.
And Another Thing
Watching so many tortilla videos on YouTube, I learned of an important trick. Don't use plastic from ziplock bags in the press. Use plastic from those thin — and free — plastic bags you see in the produce or meat section of the grocery store. The thin plastic peels off the raw tortilla much more easily, making it possible to get the tortilla to the griddle without it tearing.
And what if you want to make just one tortilla to experiment with, whether it's a different source of plastic film or cooking in the microwave? Or what if you simply want to make one quick snack tortilla? I've been experimenting with that too. It's a simple formula.
3 tablespoons Maseca (or other brand) corn masa flour
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons hot tap waterMix well, then knead until smooth, several minutes. Shape using a tortilla press. Cook in a skillet or experiment with your microwave oven.
I am thoroughly pleased with the final tortillas and I'm thinking this might be the perfect way to make a quick snack, such as the soft taco mentioned above. The only requirement I can see is to keep some prepared filling in the refrigerator, not the freezer, for easy use.
But I give up. I surrender. Trying to cook them in a skillet is too difficult. They tear or fold and don't puff up. However, if usable, they taste good. So, from now on, I'm going to cheat. I'll cook them in the microwave oven and then finish them in the skillet to brown a little. That's what microwave ovens are for, aren't they? To cheat a little?
Finally, a Milestone
My YouTube channel reached 50,000 subscribers this week. Now I have 49,000 subscribers who do not watch my videos. Actually, that isn't quite accurate. The average number of views for my most recent 30 uploads is 2,000 per video. The most popular is Air Fryer Pizza at 14,500 views. Of all my videos, Fish & Chips remains at the top with more than a million views. It's my only video to top one million.
Wednesday 2021.10.6
Rain!
We enjoyed a pleasant period of rain here on Monday. It started in the afternoon and continued into the night. It included lightning and thunder. There was no hail and there were no heavy downpours, which can sometimes happen during a thunderstorm. Instead, it was a light but steady rain for several hours. It wasn't enough for me to check the drainage off my updated landscaping, but it was certainly enough to reveal a potential problem.
You can't cover your entire yard with stone and mortar without cracks developing somewhere. The hardened material needs to expand and contract with changing temperature. Cracks are where seeds can gather and eventually germinate and sprout when they get enough water. So, during the next few days I'll look around my yard for sprouts. I have some liquid crack filler to squeeze into the gaps where necessary.
In terms of measurable rain, there wasn't much of it. About half of the county's stations reported some rainfall. Of those that did, none of them received as much as a quarter of an inch and four of them reported less than a tenth of an inch. Where I live 0.14 inch of rain fell. And, of course, we are still woefully behind on our usual rain. The current statistic is 16% of normal-to-date rainfall. The forecast is for more rain, maybe, on Friday — currently 30% probability.
Another Toy
Can anyone have too many toys? Yes. The determining factor where I live is storage space.
I ordered a tortilla press. As mentioned in Sunday's blog entry, I've been experimenting with taquitos/flautas again. I want to make my own corn tortillas. They look so easy and, according to the many videos I watched on YouTube, they taste a lot better than the packaged tortillas sold at the grocery store. According to Amazon's shipment tracker, the press is "out for delivery" and therefore it will be here today.
As usual, I have been watching videos on how to make corn tortillas. In fact, there are so many on YouTube I feel discouraged to make my own video. I'll do an unboxing for my Kitchen Vlog channel and maybe include my first attempt at using it, but I don't know that I'll do a cooking video for my Mobile Home Gourmet channel. Maybe.
As I said in Sunday's blog, I already have a recipe/video for Flautas. I fry those in oil. After seeing some videos of cooks "frying" their flautas in an air fryer, I tried it and it works fine. So a video might be a possibility because it can include both the preparation of the tortillas and then the making of the taquitos.
I would call them "taquitos" rather than flautas for two reasons:
- They would be slightly smaller than the flautas I made because the press I ordered typically makes 6-inch tortillas, which is about the width of the tortillas used to make the frozen taquitos I bought at the grocery store.
- They would be made with corn tortillas, which some people can be more than a little opinionated about. As mentioned on Sunday, the frozen taquitos are made with flour tortillas, not corn. But what do I know?
Actually, I might know the reason why. One video said the corn tortillas are more brittle and delicate; therefore, flour tortillas are used more often in restaurants or for commercial foods because they are more durable.
And that leads to this: What if I were to buy, say, a rotisserie chicken at Costco and use some of the meat to make a large batch of taquitos? I could freeze them, package them in pairs, and store them in the freezer. I have to go shopping for masa harina anyway, so I'll pick up a chicken too. I can also use a little of the breast meat to make more ant bait packets.
And that leads to…
Ants
I need to do a YouTube video titled something like "The Best Ant Bait in the World." On Sunday evening I saw a few ants in my kitchen. I took one of my bait packets out of the freezer, punched a whole in it and placed it near the ants. Within an hour they were swarming to it. On Monday morning there were no ants. It really does work.
Sunday 2021.10.3
Flauta or Taquito?
Once again I am researching the question. The two names are used interchangeably and with the exception of an opinion or two, they both mean the same thing — meat filling wrapped in a tortilla and fried until crisp.
Its more of a regional issue, like the name for Pasta Fagioli. My grandparents were from Italy and they pronounced it "pasta fazool." If I ask an Italian fan of my YouTube channel she'll insist it is pasta e fagioli. And in some parts of Italy the word fagioli (beans) is pronounced fazooli or fazoli. That's why I do research.
Another question about taquitos is the tortilla. Corn or flour? Therein lies more opinion. Some will argue that flautas are made with flour tortillas and taquitos are made with corn. I found this on a web site: "Taquitos are made with corn tortillas, always, otherwise it's a flauta." Wikipedia says: "Corn tortillas are generally used to make taquitos. The dish is more commonly known as flautas when they are larger than their taquito counterparts, and can be made with either flour or corn tortillas." This past week I bought a box of frozen taquitos and they are made with flour tortillas.
I also bought a package of flour tortillas. They are slightly larger than the ones used to make the frozen taquitos; so if size really does matter, what I am making are evidently flautas.
Why am I researching these again? I already have a recipe for Flautas on this web site. In it I specify either corn or flour tortillas. However, as mentioned above, I bought a box of frozen taquitos to enjoy for an occasional snack with a little guacamole on the side. The filling is so sparse, it is almost undetectable. I want a fuller taquito. It doesn't need to be thick like a Burrito, but I want to taste more than the tortilla.
Another reason I am experimenting with taquitos/flautas again is that in my original recipe I fry them in oil. I've seen YouTube videos in which taquitos are "fried" in an air fryer rather than oil. I have an air fryer and I wanted to try it.
And there's also a story:
When I was in college (University of California Santa Barbara) we would occasionally order flautas at a Mexican restaurant in Isla Vista. They were so good, we didn't mind fighting with the cockroaches on our table. What I remember most was the guacamole-like flavor added to the chicken. It was delicious.
The story goes further: The restaurant came to its end when the owner's boyfriend shot him dead during a dispute.
This week, when shopping, I found a bottle of guacamole salsa. I also bought a bottle of salsa verde. I want to experiment with them both.
On the down side, the guacamole salsa includes cilantro (the salsa verde does not). I have the OR6A2 gene that makes cilantro taste like soap. I tasted the salsa. The label says "Mild" but it tasted spicy hot to me. I can only imagine what the caliente version might taste like. It also tasted of dill and vinegar. Those are not mentioned in the ingredient list. To experiment, I mixed a little of the salsa verde (it really is mild) with a little guacamole. It was better.
And so prepared, I tried making my first taquitos/flautas my way. Initially, I thought I made too little filling. It didn't make for thick taquitos. However, after cooking them for seven minutes in my air fryer, the filling was just right. Only a little guacamole was needed for garnish on the side. The flavor of the taquitos was good enough not to require much extra. I made five; two were enough for a meal. I wrapped the others in foil to heat later.
And that leads to this: What if I were to buy, say, a rotisserie chicken at Costco and use the breast meat (I prefer the dark meat for eating) to make a large batch of taquitos? I could freeze them, package them in pairs, and store them in the freezer. That's an idea for the future.
Got LEGOs?
In previous blogs I mentioned a friend who collects LEGO kits. He estimates he has about half a million bricks. I sent him five car kits on Wednesday. I had built those, but I didn't want to store them.
In an email he mentioned his envy that I lived so close to several thrift stores where he used to search for used LEGOs before moving to Kentucky. I decided to venture forth, mask on, to see what I might find. Only one store had a bin of things that sort of looked like LEGO pieces. I recognized some base plates. The bin was marked $150.00. Is it a thrift store or an antiques emporium? I passed.
That's the problem with living in Santa Barbara. Even the thrift stores are high-end luxury boutiques.