Christmas Eve Ride 2009

Today is December 24th and the temperature is a few degrees below freezing. It is sunny in Happy Valley and we await the arrival of Christmas. I just could not pass this opportunity for a last motorcycle ride of 2009. All of our presents to each other are under the tree, including a gift for Connie which is a heated vest for riding on the motorcycle. Connie had already tried the vest on and even connected it to the motorcycle to be sure it warms up as it is supposed to do. When she suggested that I take a Christmas Eve ride and use her vest, I had to do it! Long johns all around, two wool layers under the vest, boots, fair weather riding pants and a red wool sweater saw me ready to don the helmet and gloves.

What fun!! The only cold parts were my fingertips, even with the heated handgrips. The gloves are summer gloves and even though there are hand guards breaking the wind my fingers became very cold. The bike ran great after taking a long time to warm up and I had a great time enjoying the sunshine.

Merry Christmas to all!!

P.S. -- I am back at home and enjoying my wood stove more than before :-)

Handmade Entertainment Center (Furniture)

After several years with housing my audio and video equipment in a leftover floor cabinet, we recently purchased a custom made enclosure. The old one was grey/black, about knee-high with glass doors. It worked well with the old 32" tube TV, but for the last several years we have been enjoying a 40" flat LCD TV. It looked out of place with the low cabinet and the jury rigged platform and black cloth cover necessary to approach some measure of aesthetics and attain an acceptable viewing height. Now that winter has settled in and we spend much of our late evenings in this room with the wood stove and TV, we decided a change should be made.

After some discussion with my friend Dave, measurements were taken and a project diagram was created. Dave has a big wood shop and is a gifted carpenter. As it turned out, he called three days after receiving the diagram and asked for me to come to the shop and pick out material for the project. I was stunned to see the framed and nearly complete piece awaiting the first steps of finishing. We applied tung oil and trimmed a few details. Two days later he stopped by to deliver the finished product.


A beautiful piece which fits the electronics very nicely. Complete with wire paths down the top rear, through the first shelf; as well as power and signal paths to hide wiring behind the lower skirt and back. I am awaiting an HDMI DVD player and will finish with hiding all visible wires when Santa finally delivers.

Finished in satin polyurethane and done in real oak and oak veneer, this entertainment center is a great addition to the living room.

Dave says to let you know that custom cabinets are available and pricing is reasonable. If you are interested, respond to me with a comment.

Cascade Hops

This year we tried growing Cascade hops. Hops are related to the cannabis family but do not contain THC and they are used to flavor fermented beverages, such as ales and lagers. A good crop was offered and we dehydrated all of the harvest to the tune of approximately 2 1/2 oz. An ounce was added to the boil of a William's Brewing Pale Ale and about a 1/2 oz. was dry hopped after fermentation produces alcohol and reduces the chance of introducing any wild bacteria. The result was a very smooth slightly over-hopped brew - excellent. The same amount of boil hops was added to a batch of William's Brewing Guillermo's Imperial Pilsner to great success. It reduces the sweetness and created a lingering subtle hop flavor.

Lazy Cook's Halupchi (or Galupki)

INGREDIENTS

1 medium cabbage chopped
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of chopped onion
3/4 cup of uncooked rice (such as Basmati)
1 10 oz. can of condensed tomato soup
2 10 oz. cans of Rotel tomatoes and chilis

Brown ground beef with onions in a tablespoon or two of olive oil
While browning, stir in uncooked rice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place chopped cabbage into the bottom of a lightly oiled baking dish (10"x6" or taller)

Carefully place the ground beef and onion mixture evenly on top of the cabbage in the baking dish.

Mix condensed tomato soup and Rotel tomatoes and chilis together, stir well
Add salt and pepper as desired
Pour the mixture of tomato soup and Rotel tomatoes and chilis over the chopped cabbage.

Cover with foil (or lid) and cook for one hour

After one hour, remove from oven and carefully use a fork to probe to the bottom of the mixture. Spear a cabbage piece and allow it to cool. Try it for doneness. If crunchy, then put back into the oven for thirty minutes.

At the end of thirty minutes, test again.

Hummus Spread

INGREDIENTS
1 can of light tuna, 6 oz., drained
1 can of white beans, northern or cannelini, drained
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce
1 Tbsp. of flavorful parsley, medium grind
3 Tbsp. of capers, drained
1 Tbsp. of lemon juice
1/2 lemon, zested

Mix ingredients well, serve spread with pita bread bits or crackers.