Feeding an army at camp?

 This past weekend was our annual Gourmet Weekend camping trip with our Scout Troop. 

 When I first joined Troop 83 with my oldest son, I noticed a large Paella pan in the gear closet.  I really wanted to make something epic in this pan.  This trip, it finally got its first use. 

The adults agreed on me making Jambalaya over the fire for our dinner.   

2 sticks of butter

1 whole celery, coarsely diced

4 whole medium onions, coarsely diced

3 whole bell peepers, coarsely diced

1 small jar of minced garlic in olive oil

2lbs Smoked Sausage, sliced thin (1/4")

A family pack of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed into 3/4" pieces.

4 Tbls Dale's Steak Seasoning (optional, but recommended! )

2 cans of Rotel Tomatoes

4 cans of diced tomatoes

Tony C's Creole seasoning 

2lbs of raw peeled and deveined medium shrimp - tail on

2 bags of frozen okra

2 24oz boxes of chicken stock

2 cups of water

3-3 1/2 cos of white long grain rice

Start by getting a grate positioned over a mix of hardwood and charcoal, running fairly hot.  Place the paella pot on the grate and use rocks to ensure you have a level sturdy setup. 

Melt both sticks of butter and let it start to brown.  Add your trinity (onions celery and peppers) and sautée until the onions and celery begin to become translucent, then add the garlic.  

Continue to sautée for a couple minutes, until you begin to smell the garlic aroma.  Scoot the veggies to the coolest side of the pan and add the sausage and chicken.  Season liberally with Tony C's  Sautée until lightly browned.  

Stir in all of the canned tomatoes, then add the shrimp.  Add the rice and add in the okra, stock, and water. Stir well and bring to a heavy simmer. 

After a few minutes, taste the broth and adjust with additional seasoning as desired.  Continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring often to prevent sticking.  

This should simmer for about 15 minutes or so.  It will be done when the rice is cooked through and has just the slightest al-denté crunch. 

Remove from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Give it one more stir and serve. 

This recipe will feed 10-15 hungry adults.  It can also be halved and adapted for home by using an 8-10qt wide pot.  

One tip for preparing this outdoors... get all your prep work done before you start cooking.  It helps to have one person working the fire and another helper working as your sous chef.  You want everything in reach as soon as you start cooking.  Do NOT leave this alone... it's like preparing risotto!  

I also marinated the chicken with the Dale's Seasoning. It's not mandatory as this can be hard to find.  I get mine from Walmart or Dollar General.  I get the Tony C's at the same place... you can get the okra here too!  I sourced everything else at my local Aldi market. 

Lastly, our Scoutmaster works for a food and seafood supplier.  He provided some chorizo this time and it really deepens the flavor profile.  I worked it into the trinity as it was sautéing.  It's not needed but... WOW! 

I hope you try this! If you do, please let me know what you think! 

Low Carb Chicken Adobo Recipe

One of my Cub Scout mothers got me hooked on this classic Filipino dish and after my wife and I jumped onto the Keto Bus, she mentioned to me again how easy it is to make AND it's also low carb if you stick to Cauli-rice.  In a typical Filipino household, I've been told by many that adobo is usually served just with rice.  No sides.  Boring.  Stick around, I'll cover all the stuff in this picture.

First, the chicken...because it needs to marinate for a couple hours.

Filipino Chicken Adobo

• 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (feel free to trim some of the fat if desired)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (can use liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or Tamari)
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 2-3 green onions, sliced fine
• 1 whole clove of garlic, minced.  I use the pre-minced stuff from Sam's Club.
• 1-2" fresh ginger, peeled and minced fine *optional, but would not recommend omitting
• 2 Tbls coconut oil for cooking - not in the marinade 
• 1 Tbls Chicken Base (or 2 bouillon cubes)

Everyone into the pool! Put all ingredients but the coconut oil and chicken base into a gallon freezer bag and massage thoroughly to ensure the garlic, onions and ginger are evenly distributed.  Leave in the fridge to marinate for 2-4 hours.  This is a good time to prep the cucumber salad below.

Heat a deep skillet and add a couple tablespoons of coconut oil.  Place the thighs into the pan to sear, but don't crowd the pan.  Work in batches if you can't fit them all at once.  Turn them after about 5 mins on medium high heat.  When both sides of all the thighs are GBD (Golden Brown Delicious), pour the marinade (and enough water to cover the chicken) and add the chicken base into the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, and cover to cook for about 30-35 minutes.  At this point, you are done...but I go a couple steps further.  Remove chicken from pot carefully, and then hit the liquid with an immersion blender to emulsify all the ginger and garlic bits, then thicken with a little xanthan gum (keto friendly) or a cornstarch slurry.  After slightly thickened, add the chicken back to the sauce and serve.

Again, this is usually served with just rice.  Since we are low carbing it these days, I got out a bag of riced cauliflower. 


Cauliflower "Sticky Rice"

• 1 bag of frozen riced cauliflower
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• dash of TJ's Umami seasoning or 1/2 tsp salt
• 2-3 Tbls cream cheese

Heat a 10" non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil.  Add the frozen cauli-rice to the pan and saute over medium high heat until all moisture is cooked out (no visible moisture in bottom of pan).  Remove from heat and mix in the cream cheese until well combined.  

Asian Cucumber Salad

• 1 english cucumber, sliced with seeds removed with a spoon
• 1 colorful bell pepper
• 3 sliced green onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbls toasted black sesame seeds

Now...for the dressing, as with most of my recipes - it's a little of this and a little of that.  Soy sauce (or Tamari), sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, S&P, a touch of honey, and a little sriracha.  I go by taste, and sometimes will swap out the vinegar for lime juice. 

And lastly, something I cannot take credit for - the hibachi steakhouse salad with creamy ginger dressing - I got the recipe from Low Carbing Asian

Enjoy!

Macros for the chicken adobo were calculated at https://happyforks.com/analyzer

Preparing for the Apocoly...freezer failure...

With deer season looming on the horizon, and my house having had experienced the fun of a freezer failure, I have worked in canning of some of my venison to preserve my harvest.

PRO-TIP!  Do this RIGHT NOW if you have a freezer.  Take a small solo cup, fill it half way with water and place it in the freezer.  Check in a couple hours, it should be frozen solid.  Now, place a coin on top of the ice in the cup and cover with plastic cling wrap (just to prevent it from spilling accidentaly...).  Now, if you have a freezer failure, the coin will no longer be on the surface of the ice.  Thank me later... I take starbucks and Omaha Steaks gift cards.

My directions are for venison, but you can do the same with any meat (poultry should be hot packed, not cold packed...ask later if you really want to know), even fish.  I've read that some less than palatable critters actually come out pretty good when canned.  Ground hog and beaver are two such critters that supposedly take well to cold pack canning.

This is just a guide...feel free to ask questions in the comments below.  I'll address one small topic again later, but feel it's important enough to address from the beginning.  The USFDA lists only a pressure canner as an acceptable means to canning meat.  I personally have consumed meat canned in the water bath method.  I know many people have.  I also know folks who have oven canned meat before.  that said, I simply will not do it again.  Any time someone offers me a jar of canned venison, I ask if it was pressure canned, and at what pressure and for how long.  Botulism spores can ONLY be killed at a temp of 240 or higher.  To achieve this temp, a pressure canner must operate at 10lbs (at sea level to 2000 feet, higher, follow directions on YOUR pressure canner) so most canned meat recipes say to run at 11PSI or better.  I personally process at 13-14 psi and I process a few minutes longer than required as well.  it's hard to overprocess meat, to a degree.  but UNDERPROCESSING is always a concern.  If in doubt, process longer.  Botulism is the hardest to kill of all foodborne illnesses, and unfortunately it's kinda like rabies.  Noone recovers from it once you get it, death is certain, and I simply will not take a chance with this.  Get a pressure canner to do your meat...they don't cost much.  Note that all pressure canners are also pressure cookers, but not all pressure cookers are pressure canners.  A canner has the means of determining and regulating pressure at a certain level, whereas most pressure cookers operate only at one noticable pressure, usually 10 lbs.  The inaugural trip for my pressure canner was 2 5lb chickens from frozen in 23 minutes at 15psi, and the meat was falling off the bones - used for chicken pot pie, chicken soup, chicken gumbo, chicken creole, chicken salad...i know ever'thang there is to...wait, wrong movie.  we had alot of leftover chicken.  I was amazed how fast it cooked from frozen to DONE and tender in the PC.

Okay...now to the "meat" of this post:

First, sanitation is key.  The purpose of canning is to kill the little nasties that live in our food.  Freezing is another good way to preserve food for a long time when done correctly, but canning does not require additional electricity.  It only takes having to replace a fridge/freezer full of food once to recognize the benefit of having some of your meat stored by this method.  So...lets begin.

Wash the appropriate number of jars for the meat you have on hand.  You can always put clean jars away, or cook up the extra meat if you find you don't have enough jars (like me...)

After inspecting the jars for cracks and rough rims which would prevent a good seal, then wash the jars, rings and lids in hot soapy water - as hot as you can stand the water. Some newer dishwashers have a "sanitize" setting...this should work just fine as well provided you start using the jars as soon as the dishwasher cycle is complete.

Once cleaned, then the jars need to be sanitized - a dip in boiling water will accomplish this. Keep the boiled water handy - you need to keep the lids in this until ready for use.  Not BOILING water, but just below - about 180 degrees.  Let the lids rest here until you need them for the packed jars.  This pic shows the sanitized jars, rings, and the lids are ready for thier dunk.

I will now begin to pack my jars.  What you put in them is entirely up to you.  The proven recipe used by many people every year is simply a single tsp of canning salt in a quart jar, packed with raw meat as tightly as you can get it in without breaking the glass.  Table salt has fillers that will form a cloudy mass at the bottom of the jar.  :barf:

Make sure to leave 1" of head space for cold packed meat.  Do not add any liquid.  You will see soon that the meat will make its own liquid very quickly.

My recipe is 1/2 teaspoon salt or beef bouillon powder, 1/8 of an onion, a grind of pepper, and one clove of garlic in pint jars.

Here are my jars ready for packing (minus the bouillon powder):

When packing the meat chunks into the jars, make sure to work clean, and be sure to leave the proper amount of headspace or when you open your canner, you will have glass and venison stew.  I used a small sandwich bag with the bottom cut out to keep meat off the rim of the jars.  Please go spend the 2 bucks to get a Ball funnel - I was too far into this when I realized I didn't have one.

I've read that batch processing when doing meat is not the way to go but I can't find any supporting evidence.  So i find no need to lid each jar as it's packed, I lid them all at once.  Here's all my jars, packed and ready for sealing.  Note that the lids are ready for the hot water bath to soften up the seals.

Also note that there is more meat...It will get a fine dice and turned into street taco meat.  Recipe to follow.

Here's all the jars in the PRESSURE canner, ready to rock.  Water filled to the line as instructed in the manual for MY canner.  Yours may/will have different levels of water to maintain during the canning process.  An old tip to keep white reside from forming on the jars is to add a couple table spoons of vinegar to the canning water.

My canner suggests that you bring the water inside to a boil, then place the lid, and allow it to semi-pressurize before putting the pressure regulator on.  Allowing the pre-seal to engage and letting the canner vent steam for 10 mins as directed in the manual is seen here:

Process at 11 to 14 lbs pressure (10 lbs will get you to 240 deg F) and process PINT jars for 75 minutes, QUART jars for 90.  I did mine (pints) for 80.  Do not quick cool the canner after the time is finished, just shut the heat off and allow the canner to cool on it's own.  once the pressure vent and overpressure plug drop on their own, check for steam by tipping the regulator.  DO NOT let the pressure gauge be your indication that pressure is gone.  it will still read zero lbs and have a good degree of steam inside. My pressure canner typically takes about an hour to hit zero pressure.

Once the canner has cooled and pressure is gone, remove lid, and using a can lifter, remove jars to a clean towel and allow them to rest for 12-24 hours.  You should hear the lids click within the first 10 minutes if done properly.

I found it interesting just how much liquid was in the cans after the cooking had completed.  be careful not to tilt the cans until they are cool to the touch, this may prevent them from sealing.  I also found it interesting that the liquid inside the jars would continue to boil for some time after removing from the canner.

You are on your own for recipes for the canned product.  Some folks like to put some barbecue sauce into the jars before canning.  I've heard that this is QUITE good.  just be careful to NOT put any flour or gravy or any thickeners at all inside the cans.  You can thicken after it comes out and you are preparing the canned meat.

As for how *I* use the canned meat - most frequently I just dump the can into a sauce pan, add some kind of gravy or thickener and serve over noodles or rice.  another good one is to add some diced soup or stew veggies and make vegetable beef..er...deer soup or stew.  I'm a sucker for a can of mushroom soup mixed in  with a couple dallops of sour cream for some stroganoff served over noodles.

The canned meat is amazing in flavor and texture.  IMO, it's the ONLY way to treat an old buck.  yearling or 2 yr old does will go to the steak and jerky pile, but the old bucks are now going directly into cans.

Last note - the smell of spoiled meat might not be present when the product is cold.  Be sure to heat the meat up prior to consumption just to be safe. Some folks also like to tell us that a pressure canner isn't necessary - that they've canned meat in with the water bath method for years - good for them.  I won't do it.  Botulism will kill you.  PERIOD.  It only takes once.  I'm not big on Russian roulette.

Enjoy...this was easy enough that it is now a permanent part of my deer processing now that I have the pressure canner.

Caring for cast iron

So you got your hands on an old cast iron skillet.  An epic barn find, an inherited piece from a family member or friend, maybe even a flea market bargain, and its condition is less than perfect... I'll help you get that skillet in tip top shape in no time.  The "best" way to do this depends on who you ask, but this is what I do and I find it to be a very quick method.

If you are starting with a very rusty skillet, I like to give it a quick rinse and scrub just to remove any loose debris and place it in a 400° oven for about 20 mins and shut the oven off to let the skillet cool slowly until you can handle it with bare hands.

Now, get your tools ready to go.  Initially, you're only going to need a brass scrub pad,  water,  and a ton of elbow grease.  Scrub all old chunks off,  paying particular attention to the outside too.  Don't stop until all surfaces are clean,  smooth,  and don't worry and any minor pits from rust.  Major pitting cannot be repaired easily and if your cast iron has major pitting, you now own a decoration,  I wouldn't use it to cook with. 

Back into the oven,  at 350 for 20 mins, and then apply a small amount of bacon grease.  You can use other oils like coconut oil, olive oil, shortening,  etc. but part of the allure of cast iron cooking is the flavors you can achieve,  and bacon makes everything better. 

 Rub the oil/grease all over the skillet with a paper towel, making sure to apply a coat to the entire surface, including the handle. Back into the oven for 20 more minutes. Remove it and rub another thin layer of oil to the whole thing.  Back in the oven, repeating this step 2 or 3 times, 20 mins each.  On the last treatment, just turn the oven off, letting the skillet cool slowly until you can handle it. Wipe with a clean paper towel to romove any excess oil/grease. You are now ready to use your iron to create tasty vittles.

After each use, I clean the skillet by simply scrubbing with water and a nylon brush. Usually this is all that's needed.  If you have any carbon buildup that doesn't come off with gentle scrubbing, no worries...just heat the iron up again, adding a bit of grease, and a liberal amount of COARSE sea salt. Using a paper towel, scrub then pan until all then bits are gone. Rinse to remove the salt.

Before storing the skillet apply a  thin layer of grease again to keep the pan from rusting.  I use my skillet so often (it's actually my favorite pan!) that I  don't ever really have to worry about the pan rusting. 

When cooking with cast iron, proper heating and oil choice is key to the success of the finished product and achieving/maintaining the nonstick properties of your pan,  but that is for another post. Happy cooking!

McEggs... at home, the easy way.

So you want to make muffin breakfast sandwiches at home and you want the eggs neatly presented like a McDonald's Egg McMuffin. Using a Mason jar canning ring and a skillet with a tight fitting lid,  it's incredibly easy.

Heat the skillet until butter quickly sizzles with the ring laying rim side down in the skillet.  Spray the ring with non sick spray and then do it over onto the melted butter.  Crack an egg into the ring and break the yolk with a fork,  giving it a 1/4 turn.  Add a few tbls water to the skillet and place the lid.  Allow to cook until the yolk and egg are set,  test by jiggling the skillet.  Once set remove the lid and using a fork to remove the ring.  Voila'! McEggs!

good gravy...it's been a while.

So yeah, i've not had time for random bloggy-ness lately but one thing I've always had time for is cooking. We recently hosted a friend of the family for my "world famous" steak fajitas...this episode of cooking opened my eyes to a few things. First and foremost was my fathers experimentation with chunks of lime rind in his salsa. I quite liked it, but didn't care for the actual chunks of lime but liked the chunks...it's wierd, the flavor and texture were great, but something was off. So we doctor it up a little. Diced tomatoes, onions, roasted jalapeno pepper, lime juice, zest of a lime, 3 cloves garlic, a little chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and the kicker? tiny diced pieces of jicama. Yup...that ugly huge tuber you find in the grocery and have no clue what to do with. It's great for taking on the flavors of the dish it's in, is best served raw (perfect for salsa) and it has the texture of a firm apple like a granny smith or almost as firm as a russet potato, and very light, faint flavor of it's own. It pairs well with lime juice and mexican chili powder as snack, and the little chunks go GREAT in salsa for some added crunch.

I also busted out a batch of my salsa verde, and will eventually post this recipe too, but for now, just know that it's the BOMB.

Another adventure that evening was making my own tortillas. they are impossibly easy to make, and knowing you whipped them up on your own is as gratifying as making your own ice cream in a zip lock bag...well...almost. Recipe to follow. I know, you are thinking you aren't gonna get any recipes here today huh? Back the truck up and remember that I cook by feel and do not use a whole lot of measurements.

Tonights dinner is another southwest item - Fish Taco's. We are using whiting filets - unfortunately they are "previously frozen" but the kids will be glad to have less fishy tasting tacos. The breading is simple. Season the thawed, dried filets with flour, dip in an egg milk mix, into flour again, to lightly coat, and if you like dip once more quickly and roll in panko. Deep fry quickly in 350 degree oil, and serve on warmed corn tortillas, with my Chipotle Cole Slaw. The slaw is SUPER simple to make:
1 head of cabbage, shredded finely
3 tbls Hellmans chipotle mayo (or one chipotle chopped super fine, a little of the adobo seasoning from the canned chipotles, and 3 tbls good mayo...hellmans or Duke's)
Juice and rind of one lime
1 tbls honey or agave nectar
a touch of sugar (preferably Raw sugar) to taste
S&P to taste

This slaw should be savory, not super sweet, and if you like you can cut out a bit of the mayo if making your own and substitute a little plain Fage for some of the mayo. it should end up slightly spicy, a little smokey, cool to tongue, and it's HEAVEN in the fish tacos. We are serving tonight with some more of the homemade salsa, and corn chips made by cutting small corn tortillas into sixths, lay them on a cooking sheet, spray with plain canola cooking spray, dust with coarse salt and toss in the oven. Bake at 450 for a couple minutes just until browned. they take about 5 mins or less. once they come out, i like to drip a little lime juice on them while they are smoking hot, and serve with guacamole, salsa, queso...so much better for entertaining than a bag of storebought chips. Pics to follow, thanks for reading!

Archery season is upon us

I love this time of year. The crisp morning air, the tickle in your throat, how you find comfort in the feeling that first sip of hot morning coffee gives as it goes to your gut. I've spent the past 4 weeks practicing with my bow in the back yard. my bow now groups well. I'm using a 20 year old Bear Whitetail II and frankly, unless it breaks, I don't want to change. It's heavy. It's cumbersome. But there's just something about the way the grip feels as I wrap my hand around that aluminum riser wrapped with camo felt tape.

My family thinks i'm wierd. I'll wear that hat...proudly too. I live for fall, and archery hunting for deer is the one time i get to enjoy this part of nature with only God to sit by me. Don't get me wrong, i can't wait to share it with my boys and sometime maybe even my wife, but for now, it's my "me and God" time.

I came across a poem today on HPA (www.huntingpa.com) and wanted to share it. Author Unknown:

Summer has come and soon it will be gone
The temperatures are cooler at dusk and at dawn
The crops are high, the foliage is green.
But a change in the season, will soon be seen

For some it’s a sad time, for they know what’s ahead
School days, and winter, a time that most dread
But there’s a certain group out there, whose anticipation grows
A special brotherhood of hunters, who choose to use bows.

We’ve practiced our craft, our groups are now tight
Our arrows with broadheads, now steady in flight
We know in our hearts, we owe our quarry this
There’s some things more costly, than merely a miss

We will sit up in trees, in blinds and in brush
Waiting for days, for that split second rush
We’ll go when it’s rainy or snowy or cold
Hoping today, the plan will unfold

There are many outsiders, who don’t understand
But it’s this that completes me, what makes me a man
We’ll leave our loved one’s, family and our friends
We return to them rejuvenated, our souls have been cleansed

Maybe, we are friends, maybe we’ve met
Perhaps we’ve only talked, on the internet
But we go to the woods, together each time
I’m up in your stand and you’re with me in mine

Our worlds are different, some of our views don’t agree
But we are more alike, than different, and that is plain to see
Our passions the same, our success matters not
We pursue this the same, with all that we got.

Be our bows recurve or long, compound or cross
Bowtech or Hoyt, Barnett or a Ross
Hunt an oak flat, a cornfield or a fencerow
Wear Scent-Lok, wear Realtree or wear Ultimate Camo

I wish you success in our shared favorite sport
May your arrows fly true, your track jobs be short
I wish for you brother, a great season this year
Great trophies and great memories, both we hold dear.

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do you ever...

forget to blog for a while and then find yourself NEEDING to write something but then suffer the consequences of having writers block? This sucks. I really need to get something on paper, but I'm just not sure what it is. I know one thing. the workplace is NOT a good scene to set Slacker (http://www.slacker.com/) to the Bloodhound Gang channel. Though good for chair dancing and getting rid of some of the caffeine in your body, the lyrics leave a little to be desired. Unfortunately, they don't really align with my spiritual beliefs either.

Since we are on THAT subject, this weekends service was one of miracles. Johannes Amritzer stopped by to congratulate our MCM ministry school students for graduating. They had just returned from Tanzania and many of them saw real miracles first hand. Amanda and I also saw a miracle during this service...her dad decided to join us. I'm not sure it was a good service for a new comer...I mean, Amanda and I were shell shocked and we are dyed in the wool believers. We believe in miracles and healings...and her dad...eh...not so much. I think it may have been VERY Benny Hinn for him, but the best part was he actually stopped to text us the following day to ask questions. Miracles DO happen :)

My oldest finishes Kindergarten this week. Time is flying and I don't involve him enough in what I'm doing. Amanda coaxed him to climb the ladder a couple days ago to give me my hammer while i was on the roof. I was PANICKED the whole time...but he did it, and did it well. I don't give him enough credit, and need to let him spread his wings I guess. I'd just feel like crap if he got hurt...that's how it goes I guess.

My youngest is two. Very two. enough said. he finally figured out that if he whines enough SOMEONE will give him that which he whines for. Not daddy. Daddy will give him his room for whining. which makes him SCREAM. Daddy will sometimes give in to the screaming and provide that which was whined for to stop the screaming. It's amazing, and usually squelches the fire whistles.

Gastric bypass recipe and favorite food of this update is simple. You want a pizza fix, but pizza is NOT on the menu. One small corn tortilla, a little sauce, a couple pepperoni, and some cheese. bake at 425 for 10 mins. Oh man...the pizza fix is FIXED.

so it's been a while...

and not so long ago I posted about being an addict. one of the things many gastric bypass patients deal with is a transfer addiction. Since it's nearly impossible for us to truly be "foodies" again post-surgery, many folks pick up new habits to replace the innate desire to crush 4 bigmacs at one sitting. I tried booze. nah...that just makes my pouch hurt. I tried popcorn. Oh the bloat. I tried sex...it takes two to tango and Amanda's transfer is definitely NOT sex LOL...so that left me with COFFEE.

I have turned into my dad. I go everywhere with my 2 dollar insulated mug from Big Lots. I'm not big on fru-fru coffee and starbucks tastes good, but who wants to drop 4 bills on a cup when I can go to big bird and get a POUND of the good stuff for 7? Sheetz has good coffee..and for 99 cents I can fill my mug with that delicious infusion of roasted beans and western PA tap water. Not a BAD deal, but as far as coffee goes, Mickey Dees wins the coffee battle hands down. When you are in the mood for a cuppa joe, nothing beats the arches.

Now onto other matters...Nick got a warning today at school for "drawing a gun." I have to wonder if he was asked at all about the picture and then coached a little or if the teacher just saw a gun and flipped out. I certainly spoke about this with him when I got home and I gotta tell you, the imagination of a kindergärtner is amazing. he drew a picture of himself holding his toy pop gun from Cabelas, and his imaginary friend who was pretending to be a deer, and they were playing "hunting." I asked him if what he thought about pointing guns at people. He said that it was not right and he should have drawn a deer instead of his imaginary friend pretending to BE a deer. Yup. I advised him to not draw guns at school anymore and if he does...make damn sure he's shooting animals and targets...not people.

We then played Wii Hunting for a few minutes. I'm having a hard time even being mad at him...I mean...things were different when I was a kid. I brought my grandfathers old single shot shotgun to school for show and tell one time. I carried a pocket knife EVERY DAY to school from the time I was in the fifth grade up till the day I graduated. I had a really nice lockback knife with a chicken fighting scene on the blade...it was an awesome knife and it gutted countless bluegills. My high school teachers (particularly Mr. Hartell) would often ask me for my knife when they needed one...they knew I had it. That would never fly today. Times have changed and I have to say i'm not thrilled about it. It's harder to be on the "right" side of the world these days, especially when there are whack jobs making it harder every day. Just a couple days ago a state trooper was effectively ambushed by a guy with a 30-30 "hunting" rifle - not a good day for hunters who do things right...and NOT a good day for gun owners. In truth, the "system" failed us - the system took this rifle from the shooter a few years ago and he somehow got it back. And used it to shoot a state trooper at distance, in the neck - right above his body armor. Sick sick people around here.

I teach Nick everything there is to know about gun safety and I'm a bit upset about him drawing a person with the gun...I realize what his intentions were but i have to hold him responsible for what he did draw. Here's to other law abiding gun owners trying to teach their kids about gun safety...

Time for a new addiction. One that my bariatric surgeon may not be so thrilled about, but what the hell...it's for the better. I AM ADDICTED TO VENISON JERKY. Not just any jerky, but my own. and now i'm getting into a full on addiction to making the perfect batch of jerky and I think i have my seasoning mix spot on.

My dehydrator can only dry 4 lbs of jerky at a time on a good day so I limit my batches to that much ground venison. here's my recipe.

1/2 cup Dales Seasoning
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbls garlic powder
2 tbls onion powder
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tbls tenderquick
2 tbls red pepper flakes (flexible with this...do not exceed 5 tbls, it will be TOO hot)
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water

I mix all these ingredients (the Brine) in a large glass mixing bowl, and throw it in the microwave to a boil, and then let it cool to room temp. this gets the red pepper flakes to release their oils and you actually get the heat out of them, and it makes them a little easier to chew.

Once cooled, mix this brine into the ground venison. Here's where if you have your own grinder you can really do some creative benefit to the end product. DOUBLE GRIND YOUR MEAT WITH A MEDIUM PLATE. the fine plate is too fine, but doing a double grind will give you a good chewy texture when dried properly.

Once the brine is completely mixed. cover the meat with plastic wrap, and set in the fridge for 8 hours to allow the cure to well...cure. Mix it thoroughly again, and then put back in the fridge for another 8 hours to finish the cure. Now you can load the meat into your jerky shooter and up until 2 days ago i would go ahead and put the meat on the dehydrator trays and dry as high as your dehyd will go (usually 155 degrees) until your meat is dried completely but not crunchy. Finished product should be about 4-5 percent moisture.

I will now be following a different method purveyed to me by a guy "in the know" - Rodney from Con Yeager Spice Company. Pipe the jerky onto drying racks on cookie sheets and place in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for one hour. This will kill all fooodborn pathogens by heating the product to 165 degrees internally. this sustained temp for 20 mins or so will surely kill alll the little nasties, and THEN you can transfer the product too the dehydrator to dry thoroughly.

This process can be used for beef, turkey, chicken, fish, pork etc...but some people shy away from poultry and pork jerky but in fact, when prepared this way it is perfectly safe to eat. Between the heat and the cure, this dried meat is safe to store for a couple months on the shelf, frozen for up to a year. ENJOY!

A fathers need for legacy

Ever get placed in a job you didn't ask for or possibly think you are not prepared for?  This has been a common theme in my life lately, at work, church, home, etc.  I'm sitting here staring at an unopened copy of Chasing Daylight from Erwin Raphael McManus and right next to it is a little token from my employer that I chose as a future gift to one of my boys.  I want to make sure my boys are exposed to everything I know anything about and especially those things that I feel are important for boys to know.  No boy on this planet should ever not have whittled a stick into a tent peg or pitched a tent with poles made from natural materials.  These are things not taught in public or private school and though we may never truly NEED these skills, they teach many other valuable lessons about being independent, resourceful, and flexible.  

Nick is very inflexible.  If things are not just so, he's ready to blow a gasket and with both of us being as stubborn as we are - it's like oil and water sometimes.  Once I get him (and me) calmed down and try to explain the why's and wherefores he eventually comes around.  Bugs and camping are still not his thing, but we are getting there.  And if time comes that he doesn't want to be involved in such activities, that's fine - he can watch me enjoy them without him.  The legacy trinket i just got him is his first Buck knife.  A Buck Model 110 Folding Hunter - I plan on using it for a few years to establish it as "daddy's hunting knife" and when I think he or Jack is ready and open to the idea, I will hand it down.  Great...now the secret is out...hope they never find these pages :)

I've been thinking about what it means to be a dad...a father is easy - just donate sperm and you are done. Being "Dad" is a little harder - it requires enough loving involvement with your youngsters to keep them as close as possible, mixed with just enough sternness to make them want to move out on their own when the time comes.  I want my kids to love me, but to respect me and the things I stand for as well.  I'm horrified by the direction this world is going and I urge every one of my readers to get involved in preventing our country from having to re-learn historical mistakes.  We found out that ovens are hot during Hitlers world tour - there is NO need to touch the oven door again and re-learn what HOT feels like.  Chairman Mao had his go as well...I hardly feel that our kindergartners need to be singing political chants and ideals.  

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/30/the-obama-childrens-chorus/

Leaving a legacy for your kids means having a legacy to leave.  It means (at least to me) that we should pass on our beliefs and morals.  Morals that built this country from the ground up.  Maybe we are a bunch of tyrants, but I'd like to think the world is a better place because of us.  Obama's thoughts on the Iranian missile launch this week appall me.   We should just be nice to Iran, and ask them to play nice because we are all obligated to play nice on the playground.  I'm sorry...but I think Barry has never been punched in the face, or spit on.  Humanity doesn't work that way.  I know I am to turn the other cheek and I have faith in God but I struggle daily with the thought of Iran throwing a nuke at Jerusalem just for shits and giggles.  Their ideals are evil and Obama supports their actions indirectly by not opposing them directly.  How does that saying go...Stand for SOMETHING or you will fall for EVERYTHING?  It's high time we all take a stand and drop the apathy folks.  Apathy and sloth are both very similar.

We all need to take a good look inside and learn to act on that little voice in our head that tells us to help an elderly person across the street, or to help a person who has fallen or is hurt...and we also need to hear that voice that screams "something is wrong" and act on it.  If your heart and mind are with God - I highly doubt he will lead you wrong - If you act on something that is wrong morally, He will steer you right.  But apathy and sloth - inaction at it's best will prevent you from ever seeing this miracle in your own life.  I'm daily looking for my chance to shine and it looks right now like my kids are where my heart is - It's high time we get them involved with things that will actually teach them life skills down the road.  No propaganda - but self worth, self reliance, and team work.  And now i'm off to find the numbers for our local Boyscouts troop - Nicks at the right age for Cub Scouts - and it's high time he get involved too.  He just don't know it yet :) 

I hope you never have to know or live with an anal retentive over analytical jerk like me. Sometimes, I get so caught up in trying to figure out the optimal result of a particular decision that I forget all about the other things going on around me. A particular thought will consume my every waking moment and it ends up shaping my mood and attitude towards the really important stuff.

Take my latest obsession for instance... I have committed to getting a new deer hunting rifle as a small reward for working hard. I have a good job, with a good company, and I give it my all, all the time I am on the clock. I know to separate work from home and try not to mince the two. This quarter, I have literally busted my ass to get as many jobs completed on time as possible and after reviewing my quarterly numbers, I've done quite well. So I feel to some extent that I deserve a reward to me, and my family also should reap benefits. More on those later...lets talk about my gun.

I'm frugal. I hate spending more than I have to on something that will more than adequately do the intended job. Let's face it, a gun is a gun, right? Wrong. A gun is something that can be handed down from generation to generation, and hunting is a legacy to be handed down as boys mature to men. Nick is showing some interest, and Jack appears to be me, reincarnated...I can only hope that the only remaining future Bashams will enjoy hunting to the degree that their great grandfather did. I have two guns from Papaw and will always cherish them both. I want something to hand down to my kids, and I'll be damned if it's gonna be a POS Rossi single shot cus that's all I can afford. But I can't afford a Remington or Browning. Mossberg makes good guns, but recently there's been a bit of bad press about the Mossy Bolt Action guns, and I like my teeth right where they are. So...no ATR100 for me. But hmmm...Savage makes a good reliable gun...but it's just right out of my range this time around. THEN I find out about the wonderful new gun Marlin just announced last year. The Marlin XL7 is quite a piece of work, and given Marlin's long standing history I think this rifle will do just fine and it can be had just under the 3 bill mark leaving about a hundred bucks for a scope and enough overhead to get a few boxes of ammo to get the barrel broke in and sight in the scope in preparation for this fall.

But what caliber? If not for the restriction of the rifle of choice, I'd probably go for a .257 Roberts, .260, or some of the other low recoil guns that throw effective deer medicine. The Marlin only offers 6 calibers right now and my choices are limited to .243, 7mm-08, .308 for short action and the long offerings are .270, .25-06 and 30-06. I don't want the cannon, and .308 or .270 is the high end of tolerable recoil for a teenage boy. I have a good 8-10 years before Nick will be fostering the idea of hunting deer so we have some time to work up a decent load and put a few notches on the stock so he knows the gun has history. The .243, though a wonderful shooting caliber is on the light end of what I want to use. There is a chance of going to South Dakota to hunt with my uncles for muley and whitetail in the near future and after reading a bunch of writing by Jack O'Conner I think the .270 might just be the cat's meow. So okay...gun and caliber are chosen.

Now the scope. HOLY MOSES there's alot of choices. And did I mention I'm cheap? I mean FRUGAL? Frugality and rifle scopes don't work well together. Good optics and good money go hand in hand. Though I can't justify the $1000 price tags of Swarovski and Zeiss offerings, I know in my heart of hearts that to the right individual, these scopes are worth every penny. Just not on a $300 gun. Tasco, Simmons, BSA and Barska are the bottom of the barrel price wise and though they are okay scopes, with questionable quality, they are the only offerings in my price range. I set 125 as my max on a scope and was about to pull the trigger on one of Tasco's World Class scopes when I found www.swfa.com

I currently have a BSA 4-16x40 Mildot scope on my Marlin 882SSV .22WMR that does quite well for what I ask of it. It's quite a squirrel sniping machine, and delivers a 33 grain Remington V-max pill into a solid .75" group at 100 yards. It does far better than I can do, that's for sure. So I'm not against BSA but I'll never own another adjustable objective scope on a hunting rifle again. It's just not practical. I need something that I can mount quickly and fire, not fiddle with knobs. The PA woods are tight, and your shots present themselves in split seconds, fleeing just as fast. I found a BSA Panther 3-10x40 for 79 bucks. It does all i could want and my only complaint is the stupid sloped scope front that will negate using butler creek flip up scope covers. Though it comes with a goofy bikini cover, I'd rather have the BCSC's.

I like Mildots - they are easy for judging distance and if you have the formula memorized you can quickly calculate distance to target...if necessary. With the .270 and typical deer hunting distances as what they are in PA, a rifle sighted at 2" high at 100 will hit dead on at 200, and 4 inches low at 300. So just put the crosshair where you want the bullet to land and squeeze. A deer kill zone is about 8" circle centered on the elbow joint on the shoulder when standing still. So I don't need mildots. I just need a good quality hunting scope. Low and behold, SWFA has 2 3-9x40 Nikon's for 99 bucks each. Sold. Thanks for listening and helping me decide. The extra scope budget now allows for me to get the covers and the extra cleaning jags and brushes i'll need for the .27 caliber tube. I have lots of .22 caliber stuff, but nothing larger. I suppose I should pick up a couple brushes for the 12ga shotgun too...that poor thing hasn't been cleaned since I blasted the last two deer this past season.

I'm addicted...

to tea - www.tropicalteaco.com has a free tea club and a great blog - check it out

to hugs from my kids and wife - it's nice to FEEL loved

to dogs.  Cats are for tormenting

to the internet.  Mail a letter - the post office needs you.

to FPS games.  Look, it's either them, or real people...a great stress reliever

to nature.  my favorit subject for taking pictures...you don't have to tell mother nature to smile, she does it on her own

to microfiber - it's the new cotton

to mp3's - I used to think as a kid how cool it would be to digitize music and keep it on a chip you could put in a player.  Hmm...kinda missed the boat on that one.

to fast cars - I really miss my CRX

to tall trucks - I really miss my Amigo

to knives - to some a weapon, to me a tool.  Never without one.

to messes.  It's my mess, i'll clean it up when i can't find something i forgot i needed

to food.  that's about to end very abruptly in a couple days

to tea - oh, i mentioned that already - did you know one cup of rooibos tea has more anti-oxidants than a whole bowl of blueberries?

to venison jerkey - the last batch lasted all of 3 days...4 lbs of meat in 3 days.  I blame my coworkers.

to cooking.  I fear that I may lose this part of me after my surgery

to fishing.  I love teaching Nick about fishing, and soon Jackson will be following in his footsteps

to memories of dad before he got sick - he's just not the same.  I still love him dearly, he's still Dad, but not.

to memories of high school - if i only knew then what I know now.  

to directional tires.  My random thought of the day.

to noise isolation headphones.  All i can hear right now is the calm cool melody of Andrei Krylov's classical guitar.

to the first three StarWars movies.  the rest suck.

to church.  Even though i feel like the people can be very clickish and I don't belong, i feel the calling and cannot stray alone

to God.  He's awesome, in SO many ways.

to native american art.  I don't have enough, and probably never will

to writing, can you tell?

Addictions come in all shapes and sizes.  some good, some bad, all consuming.  I once thought that an addiction to something meant that you consumed that something....but in reality it consumes you...it eeks its way into your every thought and shapes the way you prioritize your day.  Addictions can be great motivators.  Just like the parent that bribes her child with a treat or something yummy, you can bribe yourself with your addiction.  

But what about your anti-addiction?  Those things you HATE to do?  Those things that consume your thoughts so that you may avoid them?  they consume you just as bad, but are more easily overcome.  Just eat your frog.  

Your frog is that thing you don't want to do and if you eat your frog first, then the rest of the day is simple.  do that which you loathe to get it out of the way and your day will run much smoother.  I once saw a program about a Marines survival camp.  During their stay, the soldiers were able to capture (snare) a coyote.  The instructors made the soldiers eat the lungs and liver cooked in a little water first.  The thought was that if they could make it through that little ration, then when presented with a true survival situation, they would be more willing to do what it takes to survive.  They already accomplished the worst they could ever do, it's all down hill from there.

Kinda like fire walking.  I want to do this really bad and hope to get Amanda to go with me.  We could both use the confidence boost from time to time.  

I'm addicted to being Big Jay.  I'm addicted to being the center of attention...not because I seek it (well...maybe I do just a little) but moreso because I just simply command attention when i'm around.  What happens when your addictions are taken from you?  The smoker finds another high.  the drinker finds another high.  the lard ass will find another "high"...

I hope it's a productive addiction.

Sounds good...

Recently started reading about speaker design again and my wallet can't afford to build the floor speakers I have in my head so for now I'm going to continue listening to my BA-635's on the computer and jot down some great tracks to test my eventual speaker system

Tribal by Benise on the album Mediterranea - 

great tambourine and other percussion, with crisp guitar.  Even on MP3 you can hear some of the guitar nuances.  Typical GREAT classical guitar with southern italian feel, almost flamenco-esque.  Great separation in the recording too.  Can't wait to pump this one thru some morel highs and mids.

Recuerdos A Zucarados by Gipsy Kings on Pasajero - 

another powerful acoustic guitar piece with at least 3 separate guitarists and rapid punchy percussion and some DEEP bass.  This should separate the wheat from the chaff with the right amplifier.

Stay tuned, more coming.

Little Things in Big Places

One month and counting till my RNY GB-WLS.  Yup, there's a mouthful.  Literally.  So this post will be dry and maybe a bit bitter like a good wine.  What is RNY GB-WLS? It's a Roux en-Y Gastric Bypass Weight Loss Surgery.  Hereon called my WLS.  This procedure is done thru 4 or 5 laproscopic holes in the abdomen (small things in BIG places) and aside from a new set of rules to follow, will allow me to re-embrace life. 

People who have never really fought the fight with weight just don't understand.  Diets work short term, as does working out.  My buddy Mike and I were religious about going to the gym and working out HARD for 4 or so months.  All I did was stay flat...the weight stayed the same and my muscles got big.  not huge, but definitely noticeable.  I'm still strong but I weigh one hell of a lot more now than I did then.  Proof again that lifestyle and diet are not the only keys to the battle.  sometimes genetics play a BIG role - both my families sides are large people - EXCEPT for my mom and dad.  They got the recessive genes.  We used to joke that my dad had a tapeworm.  He could put some food away...and yet he's never been over 190.  I doubt he's ever been over 180...not even in the height of his physical peak in the late 70's-early 80's in the USAF.  

What am I gonna miss?  

Holiday feasts, stuffing, ice cream, sweet things (i don't like alot of them...but once in a while I really like a good brownie), being able to chug some water...beer...diet pepsi...

I'm gonna miss standing in the spectator crowd while my sons ride the amusement park rides.  It's gonna be a real drag not being able to take their pics while I ride the roller coaster next to them.  It's gonna SUCK not being able to see the fishing boat drift out into the lake with my sons on it because I'm so caught up in the shore shrinking away.  I might miss being able to rest a beer on my belly when sitting in a camping chair.  Picking belly button lint used to be a comforting thing for me.  Scratching that big ol' buddha was pretty relaxing and felt very manly too.  I'm gonna miss being the poster boy for a Swanson Hungry Man meal.  I'm really gonna miss checking for load limit stickers on chairs at friends houses.  Blowing the airsoles out in running shoes.  Sweaty moobs. 

Until you are fat, you never really grasp just what a bad place the underbelly of the world is...I have one now...and the underbelly is a bad bad place.  I'm going to miss taking all them blood pressure drugs.  I'm gonna miss making my kids rough-house with me in the living room on the floor because I could not chase them.. They are SCREWED.  I'm gonna miss my pack of hot dogs on the back of my head that makes it hard for me to do my own hair cuts.  I'm gonna miss cutting my own hair.  I'm gonna miss judging a meal by the size of the plate.  I'll miss being Big Jay.  I'm gonna miss calling my skinny friends to come over and climb the ladder to clean out my gutters and fix my house because i can't find a ladder that has a 400lb weight limit.  I'm gonna miss walking on the roof for fear that I'll fall thru.  Telling - and hearing - all the fat jokes.  People assuming that I want that last piece of pizza.  I'm gonna miss not having the will power to pass up that piece.  I'm gonna miss the way my ankles swell up.  I'm gonna miss buying a new bed mattress every 5 years because my wife and I wear it out.  I'm gonna miss the way my wife turns me down because we must appear like walrus' getting their groove on.  Yeah, and I'm really gonna miss mis the hot sloppy walrus sex when she doesn't turn me down.  I'm gonna miss wearing out the mattress from sleeping on it.  I'm really gonna miss the way I can feel that slab of back fat whip around my side when I throw a football to my oldest son.  He's 5 now...I hope he doesn't miss his "fat daddy" and grows to like his new daddy quickly...I'm sure he will as it will be alot easier to keep up with him.

I only hope that once I'm back to my highschool size/weight that my personality makes up for the stage presence I have.  I hope I never become bitter because of the way the world treats obese people.  I hope that others can look to me for hope and guidance to a healthier lifestyle.  I hope that I can still eat venison...some people have strange inabilities to digest certain "favorite" foods post-op.  I hope I can afford all the new clothes.  I'm gonna miss spending $20 extra per pair of anything because it's in a 3 or 4x size.   I'm gonna miss joking about shopping at Ahmad the Tent Maker for my clothing.   I'm gonna miss being able to give the scary fat guy stare at people to intimidate them.   I'm gonna miss them thinking "what the heck is that fat fawker staring at?"...

I'm gonna miss being a fat fawker.  

Yeah right....I'm a walking Dodge commercial right now.  Grab Life by the Horns! :)

Big things in small places

If ever there was a person who had a red phone straight to Jesus - My Aunt Linda has that priviledge, hands down.  She's one of those insterestingly eclectic people that if you didn't know her, you probably wouldn't know her, and I'm glad I do.  She's alot like me in many ways, and taught me much about following dreams.  I rarely heeded her advice and kick myself often for it.  She championed my individuality, creativity, and nurtured the little artist within me.   I still remember how she endured many a pot of ramen noodles in which I had dumped a plethora of spices and seasonings with never a bad word to say.  I knew she was nuts then...I too have tasted some of my early creations.  

We call her...no wait...she asks that we call her CAL - Crazy Aunt Linda.  I love her to death.  She's one of those people that when you get a hug from them...you just KNOW it's for real.  She has had a life of trials and tribulations - many of them self wrought but who am I to judge...I just know that with a life of sparse materialism she has gotten to a place where the small things mean so much to her.

Last week an ice storm took over much of the midwest, much like the storm my father and I endured when I was moving my family back to the 'Burgh in the winter of 2007/2008.  CAL has been without power for 4 days.  Her biggest concern?  She wasn't gonna get to watch the Steelers play in the Superbowl.  CAL loves her sports.  Living in Kentucky, she sports the Wildcats colors every saturday and loves to watch UK basketball.  With her little baby brother and her little JayBird (my dad and I) living in Pittsburgh - she's a die hard Steelers fan.  I can't imagine what life was like in her house with the pending game looming closer and closer without power.

I remember staying at her apartment once...the cold never really bothered her.  Her oldest son told me once that she is part Polar Bear.  I'd believe it.  There was a time when we would open her fridge to warm up.  All she cared about yesterday was how she was gonna be able to watch the game.  Luckily, I have a buddy who has put together a home brew DVR and has recorded the game for me to burn as a DVD and send her a copy.  Just a small token of appreciation and admiration I have for her, it really doesn't seem enough but it's perfect for her.  She would want nothing more from me.  I hope someday to get into her camera bag and start scanning some of her photos...she is a WONDERFUL photographer and still shoots old school.  I need to send her some film.  

Back to God for a minute - Yesterdays church service was incredible.  Prayers do get answered, and needs met - Amanda has been given the courage to start a Womens group at church.  Another big thing...in a small place.  She's the best EVER!

Jesus Freaks and Steeler's Fans

Every time I have a conversation with someone about having lived in Las Vegas, I always get asked "What did you do in Vegas?" to which my usual quick witted reply is "I was a pole dancer."  Those who have seen me, get the joke right away and laugh nervously because it would be funny to see a 350 lb guy shakin' his..well...everything, 'cus at 350, everything shakes...and then they get a little nervous because of the visual they just had.  (BAD BRAIN!!!!)  Then I drop the Bomb.

My wife and I found Jesus in Vegas.  Yup, no joke.  The nastiest cistern of filth in the United States...one of the places on earth KNOWN for it's less-than-holy set of virtues and values has a very bright and shining star.  We first attended Central Christian Church on Easter in 2005 and I immediately felt as though we were finally "home."  Not HOME as in with family, the place you grew up, but like my SOUL was home.  

Over the next couple years we grew to really love this church and what it did for our relationship with Jesus.  Amanda was baptized there and I have fond memories of the Central Family.  Upon moving back to Pittsburgh in December 2008, we immediately set forth to find a church to fill the empty shoes left by Central.  It turns out, those were VERY hard shoes to fill.  We tried many churches in the area, and none of them felt...well...right.  Then one day, Amanda and I were seeing a relationship therapist/counselor to re-learn how to talk to one another, and our rugrats were with a friend of ours in Mars.  She had taken the kids to Mickey Dee's for lunch and we had a few minutes before they were to return so decided to go check out a "flea market" at a little church just back up the road.  We looked at the knickknacks and spoke to a few people in there for a few minutes.  

Turns out that one of the guys I was talking to happened to be the Pastor at this little church.  I had just got done telling this not so tall guy with a shaved head and well defined beard that as a pastor (talking about the pastor at our last church) you should not be afraid of pissing off the congregation.  If you always clean up the message to the church on Sunday, you are doing a huge disservice to the church.  Turns out, this is JUST the conversation Pastor Dan needed and he kinda felt like we were angels sent to help him get over himself for the sermon that following weekend.  We attended - not thinking we would like such a small church - I mean come on...Central is HUGE.  Central had 9 Christmas services the year we left, each near capacity of 3200 a shot.  YOU do the math.  Christian Community Church of Mars is barely 250 strong.  But they have heart...and they are all genuine, and they care about one another. 

We were immediately invited to join a small group - something we struggled with in Vegas - and I really like what God is doing in our lives.  Our small group is awesome and it's not really small anymore but it's not unmanageable either.  Last night marked our 5th(?) meeting with Dave Gilson leading the small group through many relevant chapters in the Bible.  It also marked the Division Championship win of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Small group last night was less about the Bible, and more about Football but in the end it all relates.  

God expected much from Jeremiah, and tested him often.  The ever present message when reading about Jeremiah is that we should  be obedient, and waver not from the plan.  Amanda and I have been battling with this lately and jumped back in with both feet.  

At many times during the game, we witnessed many players praying.  We saw alot of pain and struggle and we saw one team find victory over another.  One team - one way of playing the game - one method of making decisions came out on top.  At the end of the game last nite Big Ben stated in his post game interview "We had a game plan and we stuck with it" but he started with "the Lord is Good..."

Yes He is.

GO GOD!  and GO STEELERS!

Sexting?

so the news comes on right after American Idiot I mean Idol.  This show is a train wreck...why do I watch it?  Maybe it's my morbid sense of humor to watch humanity degrade itself for the sole purpose of having 10 minutes of fame and glory, and to hold on to that dream.  Some of these people actually believe they have a chance, and they walk to Simon and Dawg and team (who's the new chick, and what happens with a tie?) so proud and full of confidence...

And then they sing.  Dear Lord, they sing.  The belt out show tunes from years passed and stereotypical melodical monologues only to call in a goose or three.  And then they have the odacity to get MAD when they are denied their glory?  They go down in a ball of flames as they yell at the camera guy, sobbing and whining, mad at the world.  Only to find out that Simon and team kept the chick in the bikini because Simon could not stop drooling.  

Then the news comes on.  6 kids in Greensburg PA got in trouble for sending cell phone text messages with pictures of themselves..or their PARTS to each other.  The news reporter called it "sexting", a curious play on the word "texting."  Seriously, what the hell is this place/world  coming to?  Idol is evil.  I never would have thought that something so hope driven and healthily competitive would be brought down to the point that some chick flashing her sweater puppies would get a fair shot along with the girl that could actually sing.  And 6 young teens feel the need to play show and tell with each other using their cell phones.  It's disgusting.  

My kids will learn to hate me someday.  I only pray that I have the strength to get through those years.  I've read and been told that raising teens is like nailing jell-o to a tree.  My boys have the wonderful priviledge of having a very tech savvy dad, they will NOT do something on the computer/internet that I won't know about.  They have the pleasure of having a dad that got into plenty of trouble, and was smart enough to avoid the trouble the rest of the time.  I lied my way out of most times I got caught, and as the saying goes, you can't fib a fibber.  They are SCREWED.  Whatever they can do, I probably did it.  I won't be a helicopter dad though.   I subcribe to the theory that everyone needs JUST enough rope...not too much but just enough, to hang themselves.  They will not have the freedom of being able to text message and send images.  They will do as I do, take the pic, and download it to the computer.  On that note, I really endorse Sony Ericsson phones on the AT&T network, as they seem to be the only ones that don't neuter the functionality of the Bluetooth on the phone.  I can use my W580i as a remote control for the computer for crying out loud...this may come in very handy when I get the S-video and audio extension cable so I can play web content on my TV in the den.  My birthday is coming...

Back to the kids...the only option we all have as a country and parents is to get God back in the picture.  Amanda and I have been letting Jesus lead our lives since Easter of 2004 and we have not turned back.  We occasionally need a nudge from Him, but for the most part His influence has greatly shaped our lives and choices.  Every day we learn from Him and we both hope to be walking in His steps for the rest of our lives and then some.  

I think we need to ban Idol.  I think we need to ban cell phones for kids.  What 14 year old kid needs a cell phone?  I think we need to have uniforms in public schools.  I only wish we could afford to send both our boys to private Christian school, but aside from that we'll do our absolute best to keep God front and center in all our lives.  And finally, we won't lose sight of the small things.  

I read yesterday about a boy who was believed to have had a stroke, only to be released and returned...to be diagnosed with a tumor and given only days to live.  He's five years old.  So is Nick.  Nick called me today to tell me he knew his phone number...God I love my boys.     

I recently found out that my good friend in high school has a boy with autism.  At first, my heart sank for John, and I felt bad.  But after reading his blog, I was reminded of John's sense of humor, how good and fair his parents were, and just how big all their hearts were.  I've lost touch with John over the years...the last time I saw him he was shaking a hangover in Lincoln Nebraska where he was attending college.  We had lunch at denny's or perkins and have barely spoken since.   John's sense of humor and his strength will carry him through the difficult times ahead with his son William, and he has been given a wonderful gift to be able to bridge the gap between our world and how his son sees things.  I'm happy for John, he has found a woman who at least in part seems his equal in strength and vision.  They also believe.  Here's a prayer to John and family for continued strength and joy through all times with their kids.  Maybe we can have lunch again some time.  

I wonder what an autistic boy would take pictures of with a cell phone?  I've seen my son's artistic eye with a camera and no subject is avoidable.  I have pictues of a single chunk of dog food.  I have lots of pics of mommy, a couple of daddy, a couple of daddy's hunting boots, JayJay the Jet Dog, and countless random shots of things around the house.  I'm curiously reminded of the time when I got my first camera at graduation.  It was a Pentax K1000 with a couple lenses.  I taught myself photography (and fly tying and fly fishing and other things)  from various library books and my only artistic leash was the cost of film and developing.  Mom didn't understand what bracketing (thank you Greg Hartel!) was, and she lightly ribbed me for having 20 shots of the same thing.  My, oh my, how digital has changed all that.  Nickolas can take THOUSANDS of shots and our largest expense is some rechargeable AA batteries.  

Maybe what this world really needs is to go back to being able to see thru the eyes of a child.  Oh, and a few more black grandmas.  I can't imagine some of the things going on in the oval office going they way they do if a black grandma was watching over things.   I'm out.  Here's to seeing thru the eyes of a child.  

Frugality and Frivolity

Many years of experience have jaded me.  For the longest time I thought those really fine things, the memorable things, the enjoyable things came at a price higher than most.  The past 12 hours have put a huge hole in that theory.  

My wife and I (and the kids) have been trying to lead a healthier lifestyle.  At the same time, we've noted that it's much more difficult (at least on the surface) to be frugal at the same time.  It seems many of the healthier choices are far from frugal - downright rediculous if you ask me.  How is it that "natural" peanut butter (ground peanuts) is more than the processed goo that is half sugar?  DO peanuts cost more than sugar?  Then why don't we say "that guy is working for sugar?" instead?

Amanda has us hooked on a no sugar, no flour diet (well...she's hooked, I still sneak a little once in a while) and we had nachos for dinner last nite.  Yup, nachos, the healthy way, and not only was it delicious and healthier, it was CHEAPER too?  How'd that work?  I'm so glad you asked!

Venison Nacho's

Ingredients:

1 lb ground venison (or beef)

2 packets taco seasoning(low sodium if you can, or make your own)

1 can Campbells Fiesta Nacho Soup

10-12 corn tortillas (the big bag is about 4 bucks for over 50 6-7inch corn tortillas)

some cooking spray

lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa verde for garnish

Brown the venison in a sauce pan, and once browned add the taco spices and the soup can, along with about 1/4 cup water

cut the tortillas into 1/6th's with a pizza cutter or knife and arrange on a cookie sheet sprayed with a touch of pam, then spray the tops of the "chips" if desired.

Bake the chips @ 400 for about 8-10 minutes until they start to brown.  Remove, and serve warm with the taco meat/cheese mixture adding the condiments as desired.  

In the mood for something along the same lines, but different?  How about venison taquitos?  Same recipe, butdon't bother with the making of chips, unless you want some to snack on.  Rather, put about 2 tbls of the taco mixture on a warmed tortilla, roll, and then bake at 400 for about 12 mins - just until they start to brown.  Serve with shredded chedder or monty jack cheese, sour cream and guacamole. 

Okay, how does this fit into the original chat?  Simple - what could be nicer with a southwestern dinner than fresh chips, right?  and to be able to make them for less than 1/10th the cost of tortilla chips?  Yeah.  That's frivolous AND frugal.  

Want more?  How about Steel Cut Oats?  We all know oatmeal is good for us, but damn if I'm not sick and tired of textureless gloop in the bowl.  I just don't like quick oats anymore.  So last nite my wife and I spied a box of "steel cut oats" and I grabbed it to see if they were any different.

Yeah, they take a little longer to prepare, but the first bite was heaven in a bowl.  they are SO much better than regular oats, and they were very affordable too as hot breakfast cereals go.  Where Cream of Wheat is ~$4 a box now, the Hodgson Mill Steel Cut Oats were only $2.  I like saving money on my health.  

Got any tips of your own?  Drop me a line!