MARCH 2022
Wednesday 2022.3.30
New Glasses
I picked up my two pairs of new eyeglasses on Sunday. I think the computer glasses might be my favorites; however, I don't see much difference between those and the pair I'm wearing right now, which are old glasses I tucked away as spares for future use someday, maybe.
I'm doing the same thing with the second pair, which are tri-focal progressives — reading, mid-distance and distance — putting them in their case and storing them. Mid-distance is for my computer.
The next choice is deciding which pair I'll wear when doing videos. I hated my old pair, which I wore nonetheless, even though I thought they were ugly. However, I never wore them in a video. I like rounded frames. I don't know how to describe the old pair — sort of square-ish, but not quite. I'll probably drop those off at Costco the next time I go because I heard someone say they accept old glasses.
Taxes
I finally mailed my tax forms to the IRS. Even though I have a refund coming, I took a long time to actually put the forms in the mail. I was too concerned I might have made a mistake, but I did them three times in pencil and they looked right. So, I printed the final pages and I put them in the mail.
I also filed my state taxes, which were a lot easier. All the work is done online and they already have all the numbers. All I needed to do was confirm their figures are correct and the web site does all the calculations for me. When finished, I get a PDF of my tax form to print and save. Why can't the federal forms be that easy?
Rain
We did indeed get some rain, finally. It had been about a month since the last storm. The totals weren't impressive, but it was pleasant to enjoy the weather while warm and dry inside my home. San Marcos Pass, which usually gets the most rain, received 2½ inches. The reservoir saw 2 inches. We were among the driest locations, with a little more than an inch of rain.
And it was pleasant to cook something warm and satisfying while it was cold and rainy outside, and that leads to…
Next Week's Feature Recipe
As planned, I made the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. It's another of those recipes that was probably never tested before it was published. It called for half a cup of flour in the broth, which was chicken stock and half-and-half dairy cream (half milk, half whipping cream). The soup was too thick and it kept sticking to the bottom of the pan. I added a little water more than once and I stirred it often. After letting it sit for a day, it was like a cake of paste. I added two cups of chicken stock before portioning it for freezing.
On the positive side, it's delicious. This is a very pleasant soup. The flavor is mild and the texture of the broth is smooth, almost velvety. I enjoy cream soups.
I noted the issues on the printable recipe, which is on this site, and I included a link to the YouTube video on the Home Page. See it at the bottom. (I'll remove that link on Sunday) I'm sure I'll make this soup again, but next time I'll leave out the flour altogether. I keep cooked flour (see below) in my cupboard in case I need to thicken something without adding a raw flour flavor.
Cooking Flour
It's easy. I prefer to use a stainless steel skillet. Heat the pan over medium flame and add about a cup of all-purpose flour. Whisking and stirring often, cook the flour for a few minutes until it starts to change color. You might need to turn down the flame a little. Then transfer the cooked flour to a stainless steel bowl to cool. Don't leave it in the pan, which is hot, because it will burn. When cool, store it in a jar in your cupboard. Use it like you would use corn starch, adding it to a liquid that needs a little thickening.
What's Next?
I still have plenty of chicken stock, and there is a good quantity of lentils out in the shed. And I have some of that Serrano ham in the freezer. So I found a recipe for Lentil and Ham Soup. I might make it this week. Although it is springtime, the weather hasn't yet gotten too warm for soup.
Finally, They're Gone!
This morning the ants were finally gone. There was one, which I squished. Then I washed the area with 409 All-Purpose Cleaner to get rid of their pheromones.
This eradication took way too long, and it had me wondering. Was I breeding a specie of ants that is immune to boric acid?
They're out of my kitchen, at least for a while. The poison formula appears to still be effective; so when they appear again, which I am sure they will, I'll do it all again.
Sunday 2022.3.27
What's With These Ants?
Last week I featured Seasoned Air Fryer Chicken. The raw chicken came from Costco in one of those huge value packs of six packets, each holding three large thighs. I used only three for the video. That left 15 still in the refrigerator. Raw chicken doesn't have a long shelf life; so I decided to cook them all, a few at a time, to use them up before they spoiled.
I had to be really careful to immediately wash everything that came into contact with the chicken. An unwashed fork or knife in the sink would quickly attract a swarm of ants. I'd seen scouts out and about and I squashed those when I saw them. This week I decided it was time to eradicate ants again.
I made my usual bait trap of ground chicken and boric acid powder. I have sealed packets of it in the freezer, but those are made with white meat. These ants seemed to prefer dark meat. I put out a small tray of bait and, sure enough, within an hour the ants were swarming to it. This time, however, it must have been a much larger nest because four days and three bait trays later they are still coming and going. What am I doing wrong?
Maybe it was my preparation. I was too lazy to dig through the cabinet where I keep my Vitamix stuff. I have little nut grinder cups I bought specifically for making ant bait. Previously, I mashed the chicken as best I could with a fork before I mixed in the boric acid powder. I did observe some ants carrying away little morsels of poisoned chicken, but maybe some of the pieces were a little too large for them.
On Friday I decided I should stop being lazy; so I stepped up onto an overturned milk crate (the cabinet is above my refrigerator) and rooted around until I found the little cannister in the back. I used it to grind up another small piece of chicken thigh, mixed it with boric acid powder, and set up a new trap. The ants found it, but they aren't gone yet.
This morning I made yet another bait tray. This time I used less boric acid powder. Maybe I used too much last time? All I can do now is wait. Maybe I'll have a success story to blog about on Wednesday.
Wasting Time
There are times of the year when I watch a lot of television. During July there is the Tour de France cycling race, which I record because they race live when it's about 3:00 in the morning here. Autumn is college football season. There are too many games to watch — sometimes three or four being broadcast at the same time — so I record some to watch later. Usually around November the latest season of The Curse of Oak Island starts. I watch those, but I also record them to enjoy again later. During winter the newest season of Battle Bots begins.
Nothing lasts forever. Football season comes to an end. Oak Island comes to a close along with Battle Bots. That's when the recordings are useful. This week I watched a recorded football game and I was pleased I had saved it. The game was between the Penn State Nitany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini. The two teams were tied at the end of the fourth quarter and therefore they went into overtime play. It took nine overtime attempts for Illinois to finally clinch the win.
During spring the only show I look forward to is LEGO Masters. CNN was supposed to release the latest season of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy on March 13th, but they delayed the broadcast so that the network could cover the war in Ukraine nonstop. I'm not ignoring the war, but I'm thankful I have plenty of football games saved.
Experiment
I saw something about cooking eggs in a sous vide setup — so many minutes at a set temperature. I decided to give it a try. The eggs cooked well enough, but they were not easy to peel. Some of the egg white went into the trash with the shells. So, no thanks. I think the Instant Pot does a much better job — the shells come off perfectly — and the eggs cook in less time.
Soup Weather
More on that in a bit; however, I stumbled on a recipe that intrigued me — wild rice soup. Rice soup, even made with good homemade chicken stock, doesn't appeal to me. It needs a little protein. Beans would suffice. I decided I want to experiment with making Chicken and Wild Rice Soup tomorrow, because of the weather. If all goes well, it will be next Sunday's feature recipe.
And, Finally, a Little Rain
It has been more than a month since any measurable rain fell from the sky, and this is the rainy season here. The forecast predicts a 100% probability of rain tomorrow. It won't last long, certainly not long enough to put a dent in our drought situation, but I'll welcome it anyway. The plan is to open the drapes and watch it rain, warm and dry in my home — another reminder of how happy I am to be retired. And maybe I'll enjoy a bowl of warm soup.
Wednesday 2022.3.23
A Little Observance
Today there is a little something to celebrate, maybe something big actually. On this date last year I got my first Moderna vaccination against the Covid-19 virus. I have since received my second shot and my booster; so I feel well protected. I might get sick, but it's highly unlikely I would end up in the hospital or, worse, on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit.
Looking back, that was a difficult time for me. I anguished over the difficulty of getting vaccinated, even at my age, 69 at the time. People younger than me were getting shots. They had the right connections, like a hospital worker who worked in her own office at home.
I got through it and I feel a lot safer now.
New Eyeglasses
They're on their way. On Monday I went to the optometrist for an eye exam. My vision has been changing very little, and it has been several years since I had an exam. A bit about that:
My mother worked for a doctor. She told us never to go to the doctor unless there was a problem we couldn't fix our self. So, when I accidentally drove a screwdriver all the way through my hand, I grabbed some clean paper towel and applied pressure until the bleeding stopped. Then I put a bandage on it. What would the doctor have done? I didn't need stitches; it was a small puncture wound. A tetanus booster shot might have been recommended, but otherwise there wasn't anything I couldn't take care of myself.
Here's another example: Several years ago I had a problem with nosebleeds. A sneeze or a sniff was enough to cause bleeding. I went to the doctor. He sent me to an ear, nose and throat specialist. He used a silver nitrate swab to cauterize it. Nothing changed. Fed up, I ordered some of those swabs from Amazon and cauterized my own nose. That was in November of 2017. I haven't had a nosebleed since.
Unfortunately, I can't prescribe and order my own eyeglasses. If I could, I would. I wasn't expecting to spend $360. It's the usual drill. They try to talk you into things to drive the price up. I passed on nearly all of them. The one disappointment was the second set of glasses. The optometrist recommended I bring in an older set of frames and have them fitted with lenses for use with my computer. The eyeglass salesperson wouldn't go for that. I had to buy new.
But, it was all done at Costco and I know they have the best prices. I would easily have spent double, if not more, at the local optometrist in town and end up with only one pair of glasses.
My eyes are almost the same as they were when they were last checked in 2015. The one thing that has changed is my mid-distance vision, specifically when I am looking at my computer. So that was the second set of glasses — specifically for the computer, no distance, but also a closeup setting for reading.
Amped Up
This week I shot a video for my Kitchen Vlog channel on YouTube. I wrote about it in Sunday's blog entry. The little stereo amplifier on my desk was failing. It was time to replace it. I ordered one and it arrived on Sunday. As planned, I videoed the unboxing and I talked about the old one, showing it with its covers off.
I wasn't sure I wanted to upload the video because I assumed there would be too little interest in it. I wondered, "Have I jumped the shark?"
When I was ordering my new eyeglasses, I mentioned my videos to the salesperson. She surprised me. "Do you do reviews? I love to watch reviews." I wasn't expecting that. I also watch reviews, but only when I'm considering purchasing something. I watched several videos before I ordered the Fosi Audio BT20A amplifier.
Encouraged by her, I uploaded the video yesterday. And it doesn't matter if no one is interested in it. It's my Kitchen Vlog. None of the videos are monetized. I don't earn any revenue from that channel. Therefore, I've always had the attitude that these are for my own entertainment, for the fun of making videos. If no one cares, who cares?
And the new amp is so small, it's almost cute. It's only 3½ inches (8.9cm) wide and 4½ inches (11.4cm) front to back. The height is 1½ inches (3.8cm).
And Another Thing — the Weather
It's only March, but the weather here has been hot. Yesterday the temperature rose into the upper 80s and it's supposed to be even warmer today. I set up my office air conditioner and used it for the first time this season, even though we're months away from summer. I'm glad I have iced coffee in the refrigerator.
Sunday 2022.3.20
Happy First Day of Spring
Today is the Spring Equinox. Not only is the sun setting an hour later because we turned the clocks ahead last Sunday (most of us did here in the USA and in some other places), but the days are getting longer. This is the time of year when the days get longer by the most time. Slope of the sine wave or something. I get it, but I can't explain it. Just enjoy it. No explanation is necessary.
Enough of That!
I reached the end of my patience with a little mini-amplifier I keep on my desk for this computer. I bought it many years ago. I only use it to drive sound to two desktop speakers when I am editing videos.
Something has been going wrong lately, and getting worse. The sound drops out, then comes back. One speaker goes off, then the other. I keep a wooden dowel on the desk. Giving it a good smack with the dowel helps, sometimes. I don't care about damage because I was planning to order a new one anyway, eventually.
Friday was the limit. I'd had enough. I took the cover off (not an easy task because I did not have the right size allen wrench) and I looked around for loose wires or a poor solder connection. Those all looked okay.
One component might be the cause. There is a clear plastic cover over a set of connectors that actuate when the device is switched on. The inside of the case looks a little cloudy over the contacts. I'm guessing there was a little smoke each time those contacts opened and closed. If I can get the cover off without breaking it I might try cleaning the contacts with some paper and then reassembling the amp to save as a spare.
However, I finally gave up and ordered a newer model on Amazon, a Fosi Audio BT20A for about $80. I got my money's worth out of this old one, a Topping TP22. If the new one lasts as long, it will probably be the last one I ever buy.
There is one feature that might be important. If I had left the old amp on all the time, the contacts might not have become cloudy. The new amp can be left on because there is an automatic sleep mode if the amp is idle for a while.
The new amp was supposed to arrive later this week, but I received a notice saying it was shipped early. It is out for delivery today. If everything goes according to plan, I'll do an unboxing video.
This Weeks Feature Recipe
As I mentioned in Wednesday's blog, I tried cooking Finger Lickin' Chicken in my air fryer. It was awful. The plan was to try again with the coating mix made without flour, now a seasoning mix. It worked so well, I might never fry chicken in oil again.
And, as planned, I shot the video this week. I recorded the voice-overs and edited the video. But I've been dealing with feelings of doubt. This is such a simple preparation, do I really want to upload it to my YouTube channel? It almost seems like teaching people how to boil water. Would I insult the intelligence of too many people?
I called a friend. He said not to underestimate the stupidity of some people. If that seems a little crass, we both have a sardonic sense of humor. He said many people now have an air fryer and maybe some of them are looking for ways to better use it. Also, my inspiration for this video came from one I saw on YouTube in which the cook did almost the same thing I did — and that video has more than a million views.
And a little something about air fryers: I've seen many videos in which cooks say to pre-heat the air fryer. Why? All the heat escapes when you remove the basket to load it. I suspect the practice comes from people learning to pre-heat their oven before baking. An oven can take several minutes to heat up and you probably wouldn't put food into a cold oven. Air fryers are really only small counter-top convection ovens. They heat up quickly. I've never seen any necessity for pre-heating an air fryer.
Wednesday 2022.3.16
You Win a Few, You Lose a Few
Someone requested more air fryer recipes. I have several, but there is always room to expand. I decided to try cooking my Finger Lickin' Chicken in the air fryer rather than in oil. It should work, right? It's frying with air rather than oil.
I did everything as usual, then arranged the pieces in the bottom of the air fryer basket. What came out wasn't even close to the original. It was awful! On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd rate it a minus eleven. I scraped off the coating and ate the chicken anyway. It was cooked and tasted okay. But this was one example of how cooking with air is not better than with oil.
However, there must be a way. I saw something similar in a YouTube video. She also used chicken thighs, but she left the skin on. Mine were boneless and skinless. That gave me an idea.
I made a batch of seasoning mix without the flour (see the recipe), with one minor variation — I used less MSG. In the original recipe the flour helps to create a crispy coating when cooked in oil. The air fryer should crisp the chicken skin. I have a stainless steel dredger (available on Amazon for around $10) that I can use to lightly dust the chicken with the seasoning mix after brushing it with a little oil.
So that was the plan. I tested the idea with some boneless, skinless chicken thighs I had on hand. They tasted really good. In fact, I liked the results so much I might make my Finger Lickin' Chicken this way from now on. Forget the oil.
Now I need to buy more chicken so that I can do a video with the chicken skin still on. I'll remove the bones to make the thighs easier to eat with a knife and fork, but I'll declare that as something optional in the video. Maybe I'll call it Seasoned Air Fryer Chicken.
What's In a Name?
And this brought up a seemingly important distinction. I'm not an English grammar nut, although I do try to avoid using split infinitives. As I was writing the recipe for this new idea I realized it is important to refer to the original recipe as having a "coating" mix. The new recipe has to use "seasoning" mix.
Maybe you're wondering what is a split infinitive. An infinitive is the word "to" followed by a verb — to cook. You split an infinitive by sticking an adjective or adverb in between. The most famous one was at the beginning of the episodes of Star Trek. "To boldly go…" It's considered bad grammar. A common joke that came from that one was "to boldly split infinitives…"
I notice them because I used to split infinitives all the time, until a teacher brought the error to my attention.
More About This Week's Feature
My Cold-Brewed Coffee video enjoyed a brief but brilliant spike this week. My videos usually do well in the first 12 to 24 hours. However, the coffee video shot upward for a few hours. It peaked at 783 views in one hour. Nearly all the traffic came from outside YouTube. Maybe someone shared the link on their social media page. Since then, the interest has dropped to normal again, with only one or two views per hour.
More About Daylight Saving Time
Here in the USA the Senate approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which makes Daylight Saving Time the standard year round. If approved by the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Biden, it would take effect in November of next year. Whatever.
It's okay by me. There were times in the past when I didn't like getting out of bed to get ready for work when it was still dark outside. And there were times when it seemed too dangerous to ride my bike home from work in the dark. Now I'm retired. I don't use my alarm clock. I go to sleep and wake up naturally.
Sunday 2022.3.13
Happy Daylight Saving Time
If you haven't already done so, remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour today — spring forward — if you live in an area that adjusts to Daylight Saving Time today.
This blog entry was also planned as a reminder for me, knowing I'd probably forget. This morning I proofread this blog before publishing it and it reminded me to change those clocks that don't adjust themselves automatically.
Bees
I'd rather have bees than ants. The bees stay outside.
Thursday afternoon my neighbors alerted me to a swarm of bees in one of my potted trees. It was relatively quiet, a few bees coming and going, but mostly a dense cluster of bees in the branches, protecting their queen. Those neighbors, however, were a little nervous.
I've seen this before. Maybe 15 years ago there was a swarm in a rosemary bush in my backyard. I left it alone, although the neighbors on that side were freaked out. A day or two later the bees were gone. The swarm killed a couple branches of rosemary, but those grew back.
This type of cluster, if I have my facts straight, is temporary because it's a colony on the move. Maybe there was a second queen in a hive somewhere and she had to leave, taking some of the bees with her. Off they go, looking for a place to establish their new hive. These look like ground bees; they won't build a permanent nest in a tree like wasps do. They probably chose that tree to rest or escape the heat, preparing to move to another location.
Up near the railroad tracks there is a lot of undisturbed ground, except for squirrel holes or gopher mounds. The bees will probably go there to live, taking up residence in an abandoned squirrel hole.
I did the responsible thing. I made a few phone calls. To have them removed would cost me $250 and the exterminator wouldn't be available for two days. By then, the swarm would probably be gone anyway, so let Mother Nature take care of things.
And, sure enough, the following day, Friday, the swarm was gone.
This Week's Feature Recipe
As you likely already know, the feature this week is Cold-Brewed Coffee. I needed to make more for my iced coffee; so I decided to video the process and write a recipe for this web site. From my research on the internet I learned the procedure has been around for a long time. But I discovered it only recently.
There are two important factors, for me. Cold-brewed coffee typically has a lower acid content than hot-brewed, making a smoother, more pleasant beverage. It also has a higher caffeine content, and thus I drink a small glass of it, about half the amount of my morning coffee mug.
And, if you're wondering, I use a burr coffee grinder to grind the beans. Burrs produce more consistently sized particles, eliminating most of the dust that makes its way through the coffee filter and into the bottom of your cup. Spinning-blade grinders do chop up coffee beans for brewing. I used them for many years. Now I prefer the output from a burr grinder. You can find them on Amazon and the price varies a lot.
Wednesday 2022.3.9
Make an Addict of Me
I can't believe how much I am enjoying cold brewed coffee.
For most of my life I occasionally enjoyed iced coffee in summer. When I was a child my mother would usually bring a large thermos of iced coffee to the beach for the adults. We kids got Kool-Aid, but if asked sweetly, we would sometimes get a little of the iced coffee.
I've been making it the same way for decades. I use double the amount of ground coffee to make a really strong cup of hot coffee, which I then pour over ice cubes. The hope is that the melting ice will dilute the strong flavor just enough to provide a pleasant glass of iced coffee. It didn't always work out the way I wanted.
With cold brew, I follow a simple formula — 80 grams freshly ground whole-bean coffee (coarse grind) and four cups (950ml) of room temperature water (because my jar isn't large enough to hold six cups of water). Mix the water and coffee in the jar (use a really big jar if you have one), cover and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
The following day, drain the coffee through a coffee filter in a funnel to remove all the grounds, which can then be discarded. I pour my strained coffee into a large liquor bottle (1.75 liters) and then I add the two cups (475ml) of water I wasn't able to fit into that jar. Keep refrigerated.
I still have my cup of hot coffee when I get out of bed in the morning. However, in the afternoon I crave my iced coffee, unless it's a really cold day, for which I enjoy a cup of hot coffee or tea.
I drink less though. My coffee cup holds 16 fluid ounces (~475ml). For my iced coffee I use an 8 ounce (~235ml) drinks glass. That's probably a good thing because supposedly too much coffee is not a healthy thing. In fact, that lesser amount, half a coffee cup, helps me to feel less guilty if I pour myself a second glass of iced coffee later in the afternoon.
It is still winter. Spring won't arrive for another ten days, and summer is more than three months away. However, I'm ready.
Continuing the Coffee Theme
As I said above, I still start each day with a cup of hot coffee, but I tend to sip it slowly. It doesn't take long for it to cool to the point at which it isn't enjoyable any longer. I decided to try making a thermal cover for my cup, which is a stainless steel thermal mug. It has a plastic lid, but I don't use it because it's difficult to clean.
I started with a piece of thin dense foam. I cut that to fit inside a piece of the 6-inch poly tubing — the stuff I use for packaging some foods for freezing. Then I heat-sealed the foam in the tubing. I place this on top of my cup to hold in the heat. And if it needs to be cleaned a quick wipe with a damp cloth is all that is needed.
It works fine. It doesn't hold in 100% of the heat. No system is perfect. But it keeps my coffee hot a lot longer.
Sunday 2022.3.6
Anticipation
It was with much anticipation I looked forward to my first taste of cold brew coffee. On Wednesday I assembled it — see Wednesday's blog entry for the formula. I put the glass jar on the top shelf in my refrigerator. Every time I opened the door I saw my jar of cold coffee brewing. It remained in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Sweetener
I like my coffee a little sweet, but I was concerned the sugar would take a while to dissolve in the cold liquid. While the coffee was cold brewing, I prepared some simple syrup. It's a basic formula — equal parts sugar and water, measured either by weight or volumetrically. Combine the two in a little saucepan over heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. It doesn't need to be brought to boiling. And I Googled it — 1½ teaspoons simple syrup equals about 1 teaspoon granulated sugar.
Storage
How to store? I couldn't leave the coffee in the jar, even if it is a nice French canning jar. Thankfully, I had an empty liquor bottle tucked away in the back of a kitchen cabinet.
For the simple syrup, a little oil bottle, well cleaned, and fitted with a stopper was good enough.
Filtering
That was easier than I thought it might be. The following day I fitted a coffee filter in a funnel and positioned that in the neck of the bottle. Then I started adding brewed coffee, a little at a time so as not to overflow the filter. It took less than five minutes. Cleanup was easy too. Just dump the filter and grounds in the trash, wash the jar and funnel, job done.
Tasting
As I write this (it's actually Thursday afternoon) I am sipping a glass of cold brewed coffee, with ice, a little simple syrup and a splash of half-and-half creamer. It's a little strong. The ice cubes should help smooth down the flavor a little as they melt. But it's good. I can imagine this being a pleasant way to drink coffee on a hot summer day.
It should pop my eyes open too. Supposedly, cold brewed coffee has a higher caffeine content than hot coffee.
Something New
I learned something new this week. There was a minor earthquake up in the Bay Area. I didn't feel it here. A TV news report recommended having a wind-up radio with a USB port for charging a cell phone as part of earthquake preparedness. I have such a radio, a Midland ER310, but I never noticed it has such a port. I can keep my phone charged in the event of a power failure.
I don't know what good that might do if a quake is strong enough to knock out the cell towers. Also, when there is a major quake all the available cell bandwidth is overwhelmed because everyone is using their phones. But it's nice to know I can charge my phone during a normal electrical outage, even though they are rare here.
Weird Dream
I dreamed I was in school. It was the first day. It was freshman year of college. I was late for class and the only seat was in the back corner. The teacher was the late Alan Rickman, although he was not dressed as Snape.
We were given an assignment. Color a piece of food. It did not need to be edible. Leave it in another classroom and include a note to describe how it was colored. I don't remember what I did, although I know the food was a boneless chicken thigh.
A female student who knew I could cook asked me to help her. We did something together, also with chicken, but again I can't recall what we did. That was because as I continued to dream I wished I had done something different. That I remember clearly. I wished I had prepared a chicken thigh like my Finger Lickin' Chicken, cooked it, and then rolled it in the Day-Glo orange powder that comes in a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
I might try that. Cheezy Chicken? Who knows? It might be a video on YouTube someday. April is coming soon. Maybe I'll do it for April 1st as an April Fool's Day stunt.
Wednesday 2022.3.2
Predictions
I've never been any good at predicting which of my videos would be successful on YouTube. I thought my Freaking Hot Party Wings might soar to the top of the list. It didn't. One prediction I seem to be good at — foreseeing which videos might be highly unpopular.
I told a friend my latest video — Smoked Salmon Crêpes — would not do well. It didn't. I told him I was doing the video to add some depth to my body of work on YouTube. I want to be known for doing more than fried chicken or pasta.
Speaking of Which…
What do you do with a half gallon of buttermilk? I only needed ¼ cup to make the crème fraîche. I returned again to my Finger Lickin' Chicken 2 recipe, which requires soaking the chicken pieces in buttermilk for several hours. I made the chicken for my Sunday dinner. It's always good.
However, I can't say the food was better than my original Finger Lickin' Chicken. I actually prefer the original.
Comfort Food
Sometimes you know when you need comfort food. I've had CNN on my desktop TV everyday all day. I occasionally take a break to escape the stress. I watched the movie Top Secret! It's a silly comedy, but it was a good escape for two hours. I also watched one of the college football games I recorded during the summer.
I also needed some food to provide comfort. I think I mentioned in one of last month's blogs my plan to make Mini Quiches, using my recipe for Smoked Salmon Quiche to use up some of the smoked salmon I have in the refrigerator.
They freeze well, but these won't last long. It's not just because I need the comfort food — they are absolutely delicious. They're convenient too. Rather than one 12-inch (30cm) pie, I made a dozen little ones. Besides the flavor, you might have wanted to be here just to experience the aroma in my kitchen while the quiches were baking. I put nine of them in the freezer. I have enough smoked salmon to make another three dozen, unless I find something better to do with the fish.
Cold Brew Coffee?
I've been doing some research on cold brew coffee lately. Part of the reason has been the heat. It wasn't exceptionally hot here this week, but it was warm enough to make me feel a little ill. The first heat of the season always leaves me feeling a bit queasy. A mug of cold iced coffee might had been refreshing.
This morning I experimented. I mixed 40 grams of coarse freshly ground coffee with 3 cups of room temperature water in a large glass jar. I gave it a good stir, covered it, and placed it in the refrigerator. The videos I saw said to let it steep 12 to 24 hours, then filter. Tomorrow morning I'll know what I have. This could be a whole new summer treat for me.