Late night early morning
How are you all fairing, I hope well. It's not so much the early spring anymore here as it's shifting into summer already. Kevin already has the 90s and it's 88 and humid up here but better to talk about than 20° below zero although I do not like this sticky crap so much. I really enjoyed the 60s but it was a bit short lived this year.
Jobs in the building tomorrow and off to a late start already tonight Sunday feels the same to me as all the rest of the days of the week anymore and time to hit the rack!
David, your fair-weather friend is just around the corner tomorrow or the next day, I hope
TF
gmpullmanMy son gave us one of those insta-pots two years ago for X-mas and we really enjoy cooking with it. Of course, we old timers remember the pressure-cookers of yore. These are just an updated version of those.
I bought an insta-pot a couple of years ago too. Dianne wanted nothing to do with it! I never even got to open the box! Old fears die hard!
We have a rice cooker. I hate it because it always overcooks the rice at the bottom of the pot to the point of being brown and crunchy. I can do perfect rice in the microwave every time. The rice cooker is marginally quicker but if I get my way it will be going to the curb.
Personally, I think that there are too many gimmick appliances out there that have limited use and take up a lot of space. Our son and DIL wanted to get us an air fryer for our birthdays. We politely declined. We don't eat french fries at home, and how many crispy brown brussel sprouts can you eat in a month? On top of that they are huge and the batch sizes are pitiful! I can do much better with a foil pan on the BBQ or a baking tray in the oven.
Dianne bought us an immersion cooker three years ago. I ordered all the accessories like a cooking rack and weights to keep the bags from floating. We have never used it (although the huge tub has been handy for brining turkey). I can do a buttery soft pork chop on our Napolean grill any day of the week.
We seem to be able to cook just fine with basic tools. We do use our crock pot and smoker.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good morning Diners. The usual tea and toast please, Brunhilda.
TF We need some good weather. This month is the wettest May on record (and there is still a week to go).
No fancy cooking items here, apart from a slow cooker to cook meat. Just a selection of pans.
I cooked a Mexican meal last nite. It went down well.
A busy day around the house today. I might get an hour in the train room.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Our insta-pot sat on the counter for maybe five months before Dee Ann decided to try it. Once she did a few different meals in it we've been using it several times a month.
hon30critterDianne bought us an immersion cooker three years ago.
An immersion cooker is a new one on me. Of course I remember those little coil things you could plug in to heat up a cup of water for tea or Sanka.
Never had a rice cooker. Jasmine rice is a favorite. I just make it in a regular sauce pan with a good lid. Now, the smoker! I love sipping a brew while stoking the coals and adding Mesquite to the smoker.
Smoker_pork by Edmund, on Flickr
Bethlehem Steel was another great source of traffic for the eastern Pennsylvania roads:
One of the products of Bethlehem Steel...
I hope everyone has a safe and healthy Sunday
Cheers, Ed
Good morning, everyone.
It will be a nice day outside today. One of the teachers I formerly worked with is retiring, so we will go to her reception this afternoon after church.
One thing my wife and I don't do is a lot of cooking. We basically stick to simple easy meals. It wasn't always this way; coming from New Orleans, cooking was an all-day affair that we enjoyed. But for the past several years it seems like we just don't go to the effort. If we really want something more, we will go out to eat. That's probably not good, but that is the way things have turned out.
On the railroad front, I'm planning on filling in some more empty parts of the layout. A while back, David had a challenge for us to work on an area that we had been putting off. I still have several areas like that.
Another thing that I am beginning to consider is to learn more about photography. Seeing some of Kevin's and other's photos on Weekend Photo Fun, I think that is something I need to learn. We'll see.
Ed, more thanks for the photos and videos of the Reading and Pennsylvania. It's amazing to watch those Golden Gate workmen walking on those beams with no safety harnesses.
Have a good Sunday, everyone. It's time for me to get out into the sunshine and to quit thinking about things.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Good morning
Thanks for all the entertaining posts you've been providing this month as you've been a great host Ed
Judy was telling me about her friend's little boy over coffee this morning that just turned one year old. Their friend has a hobby farm and apparently the little boy really likes chickens. He tells his mom everyday he wants to go to the farm.
Apparently the chickens have gotten used to him as he always likes to go in the pen. He calls them buck bucks I looked on the internet for cartoon pictures of chickens with antlers but didn't find any.
Reminds me of when my daycare lady Joyce would take us to the bus stop for kindergarten every day. Every morning she'd put the mail in the mailbox. Remember those blue ones with the rounded red top. I told her one day the mailbox always says her-rent. Joyce just looked at me with a puzzled look on her face as she didn't understand. Maybe she was mailing the mortgage payment and was overthinking things
Then one day she got it. The hinges on the door flap were rusty. When it was opened it made the sound her-rent
Have a great day everyone
gmpullmanI love sipping a brew while stoking the coals and adding Mesquite to the smoker. Smoker_pork by Edmund, on Flickr
Mike
Track fiddlerIt's shifting into summer already. Kevin already has the 90s.
There is absolutely nothing unusual about that. We have the 70/90 days seven-eight months of the year.
We have out first named storm, "Ana", of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.
It is just a sub-tropical system that will die out at sea, still, the weathercasters are just giddy and so excited. We had another named storm before the official beginning of Hurricane season... big deal... that is not unusual.
hon30critterWe have a rice cooker. I hate it because it always overcooks the rice at the bottom of the pot to the point of being brown and crunchy.
I prefer natural brown rice. My Insta-Pot cooks this kind of rice perfectly and uses half the water of cooking it in a pan. It still takes longer than an hour, but the rice has much better texture.
NorthBritNo fancy cooking items here, apart from a slow cooker to cook meat.
The only specialized cooking stuff I have are the small knock-off instant pot, electric wok, slow cooker, coffee maker, and hot air popcorn popper. All of these get used frequently.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Ana, That is a good name for a storm. In junior high school we had a friend named Anna and everybody just loved her. She was a card and everyone called her Anna Banana and she liked her nickname. It fit her well as there was never a dull moment when Anna was around
I wish I kept in contact with Anna. She was the type of person that always put laughter into your life
gmpullmanBethlehem Steel was another great source of traffic for the eastern Pennsylvania roads:
Great videos. Shipping steel from Pennsylvania to California to build the Golden Gate Bridge is quite a long haul.
York1One thing my wife and I don't do is a lot of cooking. We basically stick to simple easy meals. It wasn't always this way; coming from New Orleans, cooking was an all-day affair that we enjoyed. But for the past several years it seems like we just don't go to the effort. If we really want something more, we will go out to eat.
It is hard to cook for just my wife and myself. Especially a recipe that has a lot of ingredients. It just does not seem worth the bother. It is so much easier just to go out and have it in a restaurant.
York1Another thing that I am beginning to consider is to learn more about photography. Seeing some of Kevin's and other's photos on Weekend Photo Fun, I think that is something I need to learn. We'll see.
With the improvements in cell phone cameras and easy-to-use photo editing software, I don't think putting the effort into learning photography will be worth it.
A lot fo the pictures I share in "Show Me Something" of store and display layouts were taken with a cell phone, and for the most part they look just fine.
I took my first formal photography class at the University Of Florida when I was ten or eleven years old. Back then, there was so much more to know... and it was so much more expensive.
Track fiddlerShe was a card and everyone called her Anna Banana.
One of my daughters had a friend that was another "Anna Banana"! She was a great kid and a ton of fun.
It's a rainy Sunday morning, gives me a chance to stop in, and say Hello!
That smoker looks great Ed. Our son does a lot of smoking, and we get many benifits of his talent. Waiting for a batch of venison sticks.
We don't have the counter space for a lot of gadgets, but, I did get us a small air fryer. Our daughter amazed us at all the different foods she cooks with it.
We've used for frys, onion rings, vegies, warming up left overs, including pizza
I hate using the microwave for anything with protein, just makes it tough and dry.
My appliance of choice is our Weber charcoal grill.
I've been busy catching up with projects around home. We got rid of our old hot tub, so I'm rebuilding the back porch/deck where the tub used to sit. It was a round tub, and I built a deck extension of our back porch, surrounding the tub.
With the tub gone, I'm redoing it all with stairs, which will give a straight shot into the back door. Originally, our back stoop was a bit awkward, as the door opens to the left, the steps to the immediate right. Coming up the back steps, you stopped at the second step to open the door, then step up to get through the door.
I've also been busy with our place in the north woods. With the wife retired now, we come and go as we please.
A village wide rummage sale will happen this coming weekend, a chance for us to get rid of 30 + years of accumulating "stuff". Of course, around here, Memorial weekend usually means cooler and wet weather. We'll see what happens. If the weather looks to crappy, we'll do the sale some other time, and head north.
Have a great Sunday!
Mike.
My You Tube
I did get a Weber gas grill a couple of months ago. The one that I got with the house was a Brand Z, not even as good as a Brand X.
The GF is a kitchen gadget freak. She has a Ninja Foodie. It does make good stuff. The trouble is, between my deprivation diet for diabetes and her narrow preferences in food, we're kind of limited. I shouldn't eat potatoes or rice or pasta, and she isn't interested in a lot of meats. Fortunately, it's tourist season and the local fish places are opening up again.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
My neighbor has a meat smoker on his patio. It sure smells good when he fires it up.
Good evening all. A coffee please, Janie.
Took a drive to the coast. Rather busy, so took 'the long way home'.
(On a normal cooker ) Soup of the Day, Sunday Dinner, Raspberry Trifle.
Stay Safe Everyone.
We were going through some old photographs today. I came across this one that I thought was long lost.
This is 14 year old me sitting at my model building desk. That is STRATTON AND GILLETTE layout number 1 in the background.
This is me at 17 with my pride and joy 1966 Mercury.
And this is my oldest daughter at 14 with another of my toys, my 1973 Harley-Davidson FLH.
Finding old photographs sure can be a lot of fun.
We used our Bradley electric smoker today to do some ribs and a small beef roast. The ribs were great! We get to check out the beef roast tomorrow.
We used to have a charcoal smoker. It worked great, but it also required regular attention to keep the smoke going. The Bradley smoker uses compressed wood chip pucks that are fed into the smoker automatically every 20 minutes. Bradley offers a wide variety of different pucks. Today the ones we used were infused with Jack Daniels bourbon. The taste was excellent!
We recently discovered a BBQ sauce made with maple syrup and smoked bacon. It is the best sauce we have ever used. Not too sweet, not too tangy. It is made for the Canadian grocery store chain that includes Loblaws and Zehrs, but I'm sure there must be similar sauces in the US.
Good Evening,
Another cool, cloudy day here. At least we had a decent amount of rain this weekend.
My wife used to turn out some meals worthy of a high end restaurant and took lessons from a chef who worked in a michelin star place in France. Sadly after her father passed in 2008 she rarely cooks at all and then only simple stuff.
Dave, what is the name of that sauce? Is it a President's Choice sauce? I want to do something on th BBQ this week. I too have a Napoleon grill and it is great. It is 21 years old and I haven't replaced anything on it.
I have my RS3 pulling a freight. I am enjoying the sound decoder I installed in the winter.
Well time for another tea.
CN Charlie
CNCharlieDave, what is the name of that sauce? Is it a President's Choice sauce?
Hi CN Charlie,
Yes, it is a President's Choice product. In addition to being very tasty, it also comes with a small nozzle so it is easy to get the right amount of sauce exactly where you want it. It glazes nicely too.
Our 'Napoleon' grill was a Canadian Tire special offer. It has the Napoleon name on it but hasn't stood up as well as yours. I have had to replace the burners and the valve assembly, and it is starting to rust internally. The price was great! Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. I will buy another Napoleon when the time comes, but it will be bought directly from Napoleon itself. The factory is just up the road.
hon30critterWe recently discovered a BBQ sauce made with maple syrup and smoked bacon. It is the best sauce we have ever used. Not too sweet, not too tangy. It is made for the Canadian grocery store chain.
Every fiber in my Southern Soul just exploded.
Hi Everyone,
Ed: who knew that there could be a barbeque rack mount?! What won't they think of next. It all looks very tasty. Has me salivating, and I didn't even hear a bell! How long does meat the size of that steak have to cook in there?
We finally got some much needed rain this evening. Our Irises are blooming. The flowers and trees budding are one of the reasons why this is my favorite time of year.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
I am getting tired, so off to hit the rack for the night.
Everyone please stay well.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
up831How long does meat the size of that steak have to cook in there?
We usually do fatty cuts. If done in the smoker alone it takes about 6 - 7 hours. Sometimes we cheat and pre-cook in a slow oven, then about four hours in the smoker.
Here, Jim, help yourself to the first slice
Smoked-shoulder by Edmund, on Flickr
One of our favorites is smoked turkey. We buy iy when it is cheep. Makes for a full week of meals. Rump roast, pork shoulder, sometimes ribs if they are meaty enough. Depends on what looks good at the butcher shop.
Maybe someday I'll be vegan but for now, pass the A-1. My dad used to say he was vegetarian. Let the cow eat the grass and he would eat the cow.
up831Our Irises are blooming. The flowers and trees budding are one of the reasons why this is my favorite time of year.
Many of our early blooms were killed off by the Mother's Day snow! Right now I do have a beautiful Rhododendron in bloom and soon it will be the wisteria!
Wisteria_windmill by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_4778 by Edmund, on Flickr
Happy MONDAY everyone
SeeYou190Every fiber in my Southern Soul just exploded.
Hi Kevin,
I'm not sure how to take your comment. Does the bacon maple BBQ sauce appeal to you or are you saying that it is too bland?
We have tried many, many BBQ sauces over the years, and this is the first one that does everything right. It does not overpower the taste of the meat. It does form a nice sticky glaze, and the small nozzle makes it super easy to apply. This will be our 'go to' sauce from now on!
Good morning Diners. Toast & Tea please, Zoe.
The overnight storm has stopped. Only a short respite as it is starting again as I type.
Jobs to do around the house, then collect Granddaughter number 2 from school and take to Rainbows.
I might manage to run some trains.
hon30critterWe have tried many, many BBQ sauces over the years, and this is the first one that does everything right.
I just checked Amazon and they will gladly deliver a 500ml. bottle to my doorstep for $25US. https://tinyurl.com/u6k9vdbb
Hummm, maybe I'll just stick with my Stubbs or keep making my own. Some folks around here are enamored with "Sweet Baby Rays". Egads, there has to be two pounds of sugar (more likely corn syrup) in that stuff. Too sickly sweet for me.
Last year I bought a small Weber propane grill and I love it. I have never had a flare-up and cooking temperature is perfect. Previously I bought those cheapy Home Depot throw away types.
Still have two large charcoal grills, two little "Smokey Joes" (by weber) and, of course, the smoker.
We could feed a small army (well, we used to when we had Dee Ann's two family reunions here in the past). The Weber is just right BUT I do miss the old gas grills that had the lava rocks.
Regards, Ed
I would always buy big for cheap when it came to gas grills, until this year. I've always wanted a Weber or Napoleon gas grill, but haven't been ready to pull the trigger on one yet, although I've been working on my wife already so when the time comes.... I bought a Monument grill this year and so far I really like it! It replaces a Charbroil that was flare up city. Terrible. Stupid thing even caught on fire twice as the bottom of the body was too close to the burners. Didn't take much build up there to pose a serious hazard. I was deep cleaning it all the time to keep that feature at bay. I've yet to have a flare up on the Monument and I've already cooked more than enough on it. Between my gas grill, my Weber charcoal grill, and my Masterbuilt smoker, I'm pretty well out of room on the patio given the "counters" I've built in between them to be able to put things. Still, I can cook darn near anything out there!
Have a good day gentlemen!
Good Monday morning, diners. No breakfast yet, Flo. I'll be back after the physical therapist conducts another torture session.
It's raining here. On the prairie, every rainy day is a good day.
hon30critterI'm not sure how to take your comment.
I am not much of a Southerner, nor do I have any "Southern Pride" at all.
However... when it comes to Barbeque... suddenly I get all ruffled up and all my Southerness swells to the surface.
The worst part of driving North out of Georgia is that you know you left all the good barbeque behind.
I was at a corporate event in Indianapolis about five years ago, and the lunch was catered in by a place called "Indiana Barbeque". Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, but it was not good at all. It tasted like a Yankee made it. At one point, the vice-president of my organization was talking to me and said "Good stuff, I bet you can't get barbeque like this where you are from". I replied the "You mean the South, yeah, one thing you always hear people say is that whenever you are in Georgia make sure you avoid the barbeque, Southern style barbeque is the worst." I guess the sarcasm was either lost or ignored because he said "Yeah, I have heard that too". My heart filled up with hate.
Sauce: I grew up in Gainesville, Florida in the 1970s. At this time, Sonny's Barbeque was brand new, and it was our local barbeque joint. Sonny Tillman, and Tom Petty, were our local celebrities. I remember when I was very young that any event worth attending would have Sonny's Barbeque, and Tom Petty's band would be playing. It was great.
Sonny's sliced smoked pork tenderloin in Sonny's signature sauce was an amazing experience. Sonny's signature sauce was bright orange and tangy, not sweet at all. I have always thought it was the perfect sauce for smoked meats.
As Sonny's grew, became franchised, and the menu evolved, they lost their sauce roots. The Sonny's sauce I knew and loved became the "Tangy" sauce, then the "Mild" sauce, and has now disappeared completely. All the sauce offerings at Sonny's now are very sweet. They even have an "Original" sauce that tastes like it is just corn syrup and brown food coloring. Calling it "Sonny's Original" is blasphemy. They do not offer the orange Sonny's signature sauce anymore.
Smokin' Pig Barbeque in Valdosta, Georgia has a sauce that is similar.
In the store, Stubb's sauce is about as good as it gets for me. Sticky Fingers Carolina Classic is also very good.
I would never, ever, buy a barbeque sauce made in Canada, or Salsa made in New York City. That is just wrong.
Maple Syrup... Canadian all the way!
I hope I put in enough laughing emojis so you know this is light-hearted fun.
SeeYou190or Salsa made in New York City.
To each their own!!! I wouldn't buy Salsa made anywhere! Hate the stuff....
Haven't had time to post here for a few days. Spent the weekend working as a Car Host/Brakeman out at the museum, and last Friday a lady i like and I went to Niagara Falls to visit the wax museum and enjoy the falls for a bit. That was a longer trip than my Tesla has battery to do, so we stopped and had lunch where there is a bunch of V3 tesla Superchargers. Had about 39 miles of range when I pulled in and a half hour later the battery was basically full. That sucker can put out 1000 miles o0f charge in an hour! Technology is gettingt there.
People often ask how long the car takes for me to to charge it. My answer is usually 10 seconds. 5 tgo plug it in and 5 to unplug and get in the car. Nope, don't stand there and watch it charge for hours on end... Nope!
73!
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
howmusTo each their own! I wouldn't buy Salsa made anywhere! Hate the stuff.
There was (maybe still there) a Mexican Restaurant in Statesboro, Georgia, where they had about 20 kinds of salsa at a "salsa bar", and an employee making all of it fresh right behind the counter.
That place ruined all other salsa for me. Some of those options were just amazing.
I went in there one time and ordered one of everything from the ala carte menu section. Then I pigged-out on the salsa bar. The bill was less than $40.00 and I was so happy! I tried some offerings that were delicious and new to me.
Salsa from the store will never satisfy me again.
howmusHad about 39 miles of range when I pulled in and a half hour later the battery was basically full. That sucker can put out 1000 miles of charge in an hour! Technology is getting there.
This is all very good to hear. I am 90% sure that when we replace the Impala it will be with an electric car. All the reasons not to get one are disappearing quickly.