An update on the Sister's Quilt (Bra Quilt)

I forgot to mention earlier that i am still collecting bras for the Sister's Quilt. I have over a hundred at this point. I'm not exactly sure how many it will take as, well to be honest, they do come in a whole bunch of different sizes and styles. Then there is the design. I have a few roughs of what i'm working on and i'll post them the next time i write on this topic. It is very much still in the works. It's a project that i'm passionate about. It's a project that i believe in. Lastly, it's a project i hope will bring about some good for someone other than me and the personal satisfaction i'll get from building them.
At this point, i am very thankful the majority of the donations have been laundered. Though some of them were washed in some pretty flowery soap and so i rewashed them to keep my eyes and nose from falling off of my face.
Again, i want to thank you all for your words of encouragement and for donating your undies to my project. my target number is 500 and i know i'll get them
Until next time, Peace be with you. Dave

Almond Milk and the Pudding Dilemma

Okay, so it's starting to warm up outside and my thoughts magically turned toward "Nanner Puddin" this last weekend. I'm neither bashful nor afraid to say that i make the finest Banana Pudding in Texas!!! The only problem is that dang'd old milk sugar; Lactose. It does ugly things to my body as it does many others. So, the question is, how do i make pudding with Almond Milk or some other milk substitute and have it thicken up. There is an answer. It's not a pretty one, but there is an answer.

In case you didn't already know, instant pudding mixes thicken by way of the casein in real milk. None of the milk substitutes, that i know of, have the casein to make the instant mix pudding thicken. (I said milk substitute, and Lactaid Milk is not a milk substitute. Given that Lactose Intolerance is varied by individual, i'm strictly speaking about alternatives to milk in this posting.)

Okay, so last weekend i made a recipe called, "Tiramisu Bowl" Click here for the recipe. I made it as written except i used almond milk with cook and serve pudding. I cooled the pudding in a large cake pan on a rack and this worked out great!!!(just kinda FYI) I made the pudding as written and it was alright. The desert wasn't bad. My kids enjoyed it more than i did. The pudding element was lacking something. It was a textural thing. The pudding just wasn't as smooth and creamy as i'd have liked it to be.

I got to thinking the texture of the pudding had to have something to do with the protein.Those magical little strings that give body to so many of our foods and drinks. So i looked at the Moo milk jug and it's 8 grams of protein per cup of milk, where as the almond milk is only 1 gram of protein per cup. Instantly, i went old school. The answer as to how to increase the protein in the milk had to be the egg. The average egg yolk only has about three grams of protein in it, but.... and it's a big butt; it was just what the doctor ordered. I added one egg yolk per box or that would be two egg yolks for the big box and cooked it in a double boiler and it was rockin. Again, i used my large cake pan to cool the pudding quickly and i finally got to make my banana pudding. It was really good. It's not ready for braggin yet, but i'm workin on it. The pudding had a better consistency and lets face it, basically i made a custard. It worked out perfectly.

I haven't tried to make the pudding using the egg white yet. I will, but i imagine i'm going to have to turn the whites into meringue first and then stir them into the pudding slurry before cooking. By the by, the white contains a little more protein than the yolk so i have high hopes.

Never fear, i'll keep you posted on this one. For those of you that have asked, now we both know.

Until i'm inspired again, Peace be with you. D

47 with clouds in my coffee (decaf)

Well, I managed to live long enough to hit 47. Honestly, this is nothing short of a miracle. I once saw a movie where one actor asked the other if he would prefer the coroner see his body and remark about how perfectly it had been taken care of or if he'd rather live life without all of his worries he had about taking care of himself. The actor said he didn't know and referred the question back to the first actor who replied, "Shit, i want the coroner to take one look at me and say, this son of a bitch had one hell of a good time getting to here".

There was something about this logic that sang to my Viking soul like a crash from Thor's hammer!!! I think my exact words at that moment were, "Absolutely".

Toward that end, i was giving myself the once over in the mirror after my shower tonight and could barely recognize the man in the mirror. (No it's not the lack of hair, i've been good with that since before it was gone) I was simply acknowledging the aches and pains that seem to be chronic at this point and naturally the changes in my appearance. Being fat doesn't bother me too much as i still get around alright and it hasn't seemed to limit me. Though, i got this way within two years after i had heat stroke in '95. I knew going in, the medication would put weight on me, but not being medicated was not an option. I did notice i have developed Jowls. I could have done without that. My tattoos still look good and aren't all blurred out. I'm really glad i shopped tattooists before i got them. The artist makes the difference. I've always had heavy eyelids and bags under my eyes. Some day i'm sure i'll have to have the lids trimmed back so i can see, but that's a ways off. My hands and neck and their bone loss?? Well, the hands still work, but the neck is getting to be really bothersome. It sounds like a maraca when i shake my head. I guess my only real complaint i have is my eyes. I've always loved the color i was given (bloodshot), but i'm not a fan of this arms length seeing thing. sure i have two different pair of glasses, but i'm too much like the librarian i knew as a younger man. Hers were on a string around her neck and she'd put them on and take them off constantly. It annoyed me when she did it and now i'm doing it. I guess the important thing is, i can still see.

All in all i'd say i have a lot in common with an old chevy truck. I may look like hell, but i still run fine. Remember to live everyday as though it were your last and enjoy it.

Till i speak with you again, Peace be with you,

Dave

Perfect intro

The angry smell of sex, hairspray, and an acrid shot of perfume swirled about him like a swarm of bees. Even the half eaten bison burger, a test product some food hawker left her, added its voice to the ensemble and they were all saying the same thing. She'll never stay for good. Which wasn't all that bad, was it? Did he want her to stay? If only she weren't such a contemptible pain in the ass. It's like the whole Buster thing.

Why do you call me Buster, he'd say, instead of Coyote like everyone else? She'd answer back with something like, Look Buster, it's not my fault your parents were mental irregular. If you want to be called Coyote, that's your cross to bear. One thing though, i don't lie down with dogs. You got that? Unfortunately, every couple of weeks he didn't mind being Buster for a few hours. It was a wonderfully warm diversion from the everyday loneliness that accompanies a person that doesn't enjoy where they are, but has nowhere else to be. Then again, circumstance was closing in on him. The where he is and the where he should be were nothing more than two trails on the same path headed for an intersection. The problem was further complicated by the intersection being collocated with a cliff and three women, each of whom there to exact their pounds of flesh.

It wasn't good enough that one was a shotgun toting, tequila drinker, with no impulse control or that another was a county judge, with a lifetime of unresolved anger and yelled so much she kept the town virtually bird free. Clearly, that was too easy. So, why not include a nurse, with a predilection for pain, that showed signs of harboring a death wish.

Many times he'd thought, just how the hell did i get here. The short answer would be by bus, but the longer one, the real story of how Perfect became perfect is a much longer tale.

This time Wednesday: Alicia's Burrito!!!

For those of you who don't know, in my home town, there is a hole in the wall eatery called Alicia's Burrito. The place has a drive up window and seats about 25 if you're friendly. This place has the best food. I'm partial to the jalapeno cheese burgers and let me tell you; they cut their own fries with the peel on and fry them until they are brown. I mean brown! I could make a meal out of the fries alone, but why when the burgers are so good.

I was heading home to Alpine, because my mother was supposed to have back surgery. However, as is the case with people over a couple hundred years old, her blood sugar went kaflooey (it's an industry term) and her surgery has been put on hold. In the interim, i bought a car and a half.

As some of you know, i am a rabid fan of the aerodynamically challenged Isuzu Trooper. I have one that is a '91 and have been driving it for ten years and i LOVE her. Well, with two boys approaching driving test age i put out feelers and low and behold guess what was hiding out in Alpine. That's it, you guessed it. A 1990 Isuzu Trooper, only this one is white and it came with a parts car that is also a 1990 trooper that is purple. The white one is lovely, so i'm told. I haven't seen it yet. The purple one is rough. The doors are gone and the windows are out of it and the grill and hood are missing, along with the top half of the engine. One thing though, the inside of the trooper is filled with trooper parts. From what i have been told there are doors, windows, a grille, a hood, and various other parts. Are you thinking what i am thinking?? Probably not. If i get there and the vast majority of the parts are there i'm going to put it back together. The purple one even has a manual transmission (mad desire for one of those). So, i guess i'll know what i have to work with in the next 48 hours.

I must apologize for the typing tonight. This keyboard is about four years old and has gone through the dishwasher about a zillion times and the keys don't go down and up right anymore. I'm getting a new one tomorrow, but i felt like writing tonight, so please forgive any Grammatical malfeasance.

Lastly, i have been working on a USB charger to recharge my sons phone while he is on those long football bus rides. I did a fair amount of research on this one and consulted my Uncle the electronics Guru and whiz bang. A part here, a battery there, add in a couple of LED's and shazam, phone charger. I charged my samsung and donna's blackberry one one battery pack charge. I think that's good enough for a boy on a football trip. Now i'm going to upgrade it so that i can charge the battery pack without removing the batteries. That will be something. The next thing i'll make will be an interface to go from my laptop to my radio so that i can play with sending digital messages out there and see who picks them up. BUT FIRST,,,,, To Alicia's!!!!!!!!!!!

Until i speak with you again, enjoy the day and peace be with you, Dave

Viva Memphis Turkey Rub

I am posting this for Mother T ( Who definitely seems to be my number one fan) because she missed it the last time i posted it. Then again, i'm not sure if i posted it here or if it was on the now defunct Yahoo 360. I have something in the order of 500 posts there that are gone forever and this could very well be one of those.

So without further delay, This one if for you Mother T:

Viva Memphis Turkey Rub

Ingredients:

1C Brown Sugar (the darker the better)

3T Kosher Salt

2T Chili Powder

1T Jalapeno Powder*

1t. Cayenne Powder

1t. Celery Salt

2T My Home Seasoning or some type of Cajun Seasoning

2T Thyme

1T Rubbed Sage

Combine the sugar, salt, and spices. (There is a difference between spices and herbs) and mix well with your fingers. You have got to get this mixture, at this point, well integrated. Now add the herbs and continue mixing. As you get it better mixed the stickiness should ease up a bit and not stick to your fingers quite so much. Then comes the important part!!! YOU HAVE GOT TO TASTE IT!!! It should be sweet and then the heat should show up almost like an after thought.

You want the heat from the peppers to be a bit on the hot side. Cooking and the meat will mellow this out a bit. Make sure the sweetness hits you right away and that there is a delay between that and the heat in the back of your throat. I'f it isn't quite sweet enough a little salt sometimes does the trick. Now for the * on the Jalapeno powder. I dehydrate my own Jalapenos and mill them up. Some times you can find it at the store, but really any hotter pepper powder will work, even if you can find some chipotle powder, if not just use a bit more cayenne. Remember that cayenne's are four times hotter than jalapenos so i'd divide the amount needed by four and go by taste after that.

I use it as a rub mostly, put it on your bird. Let it sweat for 10 to 15 minutes and add some more. This works well on anything with feathers and not bad at all on pork. The thyme works with beef, but the sage really doesn't. So, if you want to adjust this for beef, substitute corriander seed, or rosemary, or plain old black pepper instead of sage. It's really up to you.

The other thing this seasoning works on, well that i use it on is to shake it onto sandwiches, salads, and even pop corn.

I sure hope you find this worth the wait,

Until i speak to you guys again, Peace be With You, D

Krail destruction began as planned in 2012

For a very long time i have been collecting and nurturing barriers in my life. This isn't anything different than what we all do in some form or another, but in my case, I've been reluctant to clear any of them away. In recent years it has become apparent that i have accumulated enough of them that my life has entered a de facto pause. Hence causing my life to become tacit and i am anything but that. So, as is not my usual custom, i resolved to rid myself of as many of those things holding me back physically and emotionally as i am able to in good conscience.

For the last week i have been kicking elephants out of the living room like a mad man. Some of them were no brainers. Simple things I'd been stepping over for years. Yet others have been emotionally draining because i don't remember what life was like before they were erected and even now it's hard to envision what life will be like without them. I have a few left to clean out but the major ones have been dealt with and if i could take care of those, what's left shouldn't be a problem.

Last year i wrote about 18 entry's. That averages out to one every twenty three days. If i am barely scratching out those few lines, can i still claim to be a writer?? At present, i have five novels and a kitchen guide in various stages of completion. Unfortunately, they are in the same state of completion they have been in for the last decade. I haven't published in twelve years. I have lost my voice and my passion for those things i love and a years worth of reflection as to the why on the current state of affairs has led to this rampant clean-up. I'm mad. I'm sad. I let this happen and I'm the only one that is going to be able to reclaim my mission in life. It hurts. It's sad. I have talked to the principles involved in this and have come to a consensus on things. It doesn't make it easier, but it is no longer hidden away. It is out there and it is the way it has to be.

I am undoubtedly going to be doing some things this year that may seem a bit strange or disturbing to some of you. Please, know that these things are all part of a larger agenda and my cheese hasn't slid completely off of my cracker. To the contrary, I'm simply attempting to put the cheese back in the center.

Till i speak with you again, be well and Peace be with you, D