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Winter 2023


NewTricks

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This reminds me of dear old Dad-who went to Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute at the tender age of 17. He graduated, enlisted in the Air Force, came home from WWII in one piece and started a family.

He never lost his zeal for solving engineering problems of all kinds and applied that thinking to a new purchase of a lakeside home in 1961.  This 2 story structure had an abandoned coal cellar, still filled with coal. The ground level contained a rudimentary kitchen, and in order to expand, the cellar had to be dissembled and eliminated. This task brought out his most creative thinking and still entertains me 62 years later. After dragging cinder blocks, in part or whole, outside to the edge of the property, we were faced with a problem. 

What to do with the debris?

Either it could be hauled up 3 flights of stairs to the road, or......................it could go into the lake. Since it was the dead of winter and the lake was frozen, it was solution #2, with a twist. Not just dumping it off from the break-wall, but transporting it out to the middle, where it would sink without a trace. Every block was securely roped and then dragged out to a far point directly opposite the property. When the ice melted, it disappeared.

We all enjoyed hearing that the neighborhood busybody had called the State Police, and told them about getting rid of "bodies." Naturally, they couldn't prove what kind.

(I was too young to participate, but watched from the shore)

 

Lake Superior.jpg

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This is not my kitchen, but oh, how I wish it was. And if it were, I'd invite y'all to come here for a New Year's Day breakfast, complete with homemade jam, unsalted butter, and whole grain homemade bread. When reality won't do, imagination creates something "better." If it's gray and gloomy, I wish you sunshine. If it's cold, I wish you warmth. If it's noisy, I wish you quiet.

Whenever you wake up, no matter how, no matter your condition, we each have a new day to live. That's something.

tracey-hocking-unsplash.jpg

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Aldi has broken my heart. My intuition was correct about those Sweet Mashed Potatoes~ it is indeed a seasonal item. Years ago, I ran into the same problem at Trader Joe's, again, with potatoes! That time it was a "cheesy escalloped" product. And since I learned about it while stock was still on the shelves, I bought in volume, This time, no such luck.

Aldi has a very different "business model" as well. All their individual store numbers are unlisted. Two 800 numbers are featured on their main sites, but the caller is met with recorded messages, with no option for human beings.

So, breakfast at NewTricks is now devolved into cooked cereal. What could be more boring? Prunes?

In December, I revisited a long lost love, BARLEY. Ten years ago I was a clean eater, and had NO sugary carbs anywhere in my diet. NONE. I've tried many times to return to that state, but no go.

The photo below shows differences in Barley flakes and hulled Barley. Both need soaking in water overnight and a slow cooking speed. Both are chewy, hulled being more so. The only problem here is that my memory now craves brown sugar on top. I have resisted.

Barley_flakes_pearled.jpg

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9 hours ago, AdvancedSetup said:

Carbs triggered it

Scunthorpe strikes again, 🤣

Overnight soaking is energy efficent, but I often forget.
So I cook my barley this way.

I use Pearl barley, it's the easiest to get here.
Put in a 1/2 litre (1 pint) Pyrex jug up to the 100ml (4oz) line, add boiling water to the 250ml (9oz) line, stir, and stir again at 5/10 minute intervals, ie. as you are passing oer as you remember.
When cooling, say after half an hour, microwave on 3/4 power for a couple on minutes, stir.
Top up with more water as required as the barley absorbs it.
After an hour or 2 of this it will have absorbed enough water and expanded to almost fill the jug.
It should be edible by now, with a chewy texture, but stand as long as you like and just reheat in the microwave, or eat cold as a salad.
The longer you stand (or keep heating it) it the softer the texture gets.

I'll add stock, herbs, diced vegatables.etc. as the mood takes.
Maybe throw in some diced/chopped cooked meat just before reheating, or having as a salad.
Curried barley is good, just add curry powder/paste during the heating.

Once cooked it keeps well in the fridge until you want it, or can be frozen in portions for later use.

TBH I had never associated barley with sweet dishes, although we drink fruit barley waters and have barley sugar boiled sweets.
Your mention of sugar has got me thinking though.
Once cooked then stirring in some warm milk/cream should not be dissimilar to a rice pudding or tapioca.
I don't think I'd try to microwave it in milk, could get messy.
Or just cook it plain and pour custard, or a flavoured sauce over it.
I'll have to try a few

PS. To liven your barley your breakfasts have you tried stiring in some chopped fruits and maybe nuts to make a kind of soaked barley muesli?

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Doesn't even like me quoting it in AdvancedSetup's post. 😄

Of course that just shows the filterers are being thorough and scanning within quotes as well as just the body text.

(As I am a mod on a different Invision Community run forum, I expected that the filteres here would object to my quote).

Edited by nukecad
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13 minutes ago, nukecad said:

he filterers are being thorough and scanning within quotes as well as just the body text.

What would we do without continual scanning and monitoring?

 

14 minutes ago, nukecad said:

I am a mod on a different Invision Community run forum

So, mind numbing problems all day long? or just when you "feel like it?"

My Chromebook behaved very well yesterday when I slid the shutter OPEN and joined a video call! Whew! Back to basics!

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15 minutes ago, NewTricks said:

So, mind numbing problems all day long?

Mainly spam and idiot control and warning/banning, redacting and removing any personal details that get posted (it's amazing what some people will put on an open forum for anyone to see, from home addresses to credit card details). with ocassional moving/splitting/merging of posts.

We also flag up certain things for attention by the company staff.

Much the same as you see the mods doing here, of course if we are good enough then you won't see much of the spam removal because we'll get it down quickly.

On Invision mods can also but up banners and announcements, I've used them a couple of times when we've got a lot of new posts about a new version bug that is being fixed and or the update has been pulled, etc.

We have a good team of mods there from the UK, USA, and Austrailia, and we jump in and out all day so most of the day gets covered and things dealt with fairly quickly.

BTW My post that is currently hidden here is about barley, and cooking it, with a few tips and ideas.
Hopefully a mod will approve it soon.

Edited by nukecad
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Just now, nukecad said:

it's amazing what some people will put on an open forum for anyone to see, from home addresses to credit card details

AAARRRRGGGGHHHH! (perhaps pot calling the kettle black, as I have inadvertently allowed service tag number and computer name to escape as well!) The things you describe sound kind of boring. But no doubt there's entertainment and a couple moments of "aha" along the way.

 

2 minutes ago, nukecad said:

BTW My post that is currently hidden here is about barley, and cooking it, with a few tips and ideas.
Hopefully a mod will approve it soon.

🤣🤣🤣 you are TOO "phunny"

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