Road Trip

I'm going to take a road trip down to North Carolina to do a bathroom for my In Laws in the home they bought down there. We can use the money and I need the work.
I went onto Craigs List to find a cap for the back of my pick up. One of the draw backs of having a pick up is weather conditions and the cargo. I don't need to pull into a rest stop, come out and find all my tools are missing. I found one. It's green and I have mounted it already to my red truck, lol. I'll paint it when the weather warms up.
I will be taking my 13 year old daughter down with me and I must say, she is a whole lot more excited about the trip than I am. Maybe she will get a few extra days off from school.
Hopefully I can get most of the work done in the up coming week. I'll leave the painting for my father In Law. I'll have to hope everything works out well with the plumber and electrician. They are suppose to have the rough done already but the In Laws told me that they don't even have any walls up in the attic where they want the bathroom to be. Ahhhhh, the suspense.

The Christmas Gift

No, not nail clippings, Lol.

I thought things were going to be kind of bleak this year due to me being laid off back in November.  There definetly would not be 2 brand spanking new cars in the driveway Christmas morning. That would never happen any way but I have to poke fun of that stupid commercial on the TV. My employer called on Christmas Eve and we met, He had a 16 lb smoked boneless ham for me and a bonus that was totally unexpected and the best news ever that work will be coming up in about 3 weeks.

My wife and I finished our Christmas Shopping Christmas Eve afternoon.

My wife wanted to get me a gift, Something I have wanted for years. We started in one store where we knew the item should be but it turned out that it could only be had through ordering it. We decided to go to the dreaded Mall. We started at Sears. The gift was an attachment for a Kitchen Aid and Sears does sell them. Again no luck. We had to start going to each Department type store in the mall to search for the thing. I was ready to leave after Sears but my wife insisted we keep trying.I hate the mall because I can't stand being in crowds of people and the smell knock the air out of my lungs. The perfumes and the candle shops are just to much. I like candles but not every scent at one time. I would rather be exposed to the CS gas they made me breath in the Army than have to endure the scents in a mall

My wife took me through each department store for the attachment. We went in order to Sears, Macys and then to JC Pennys. Each store sold Kitchen Aids but none had the attachment we were looking for.

I thought we were done when we left JC pennys but as we exited the store my wife pointed to a Boskovs. I had never neven heard of the place. We went up the escalator to the kitchen appliances, over to the kitchen Aids and there it was, one box left. The gift was mine and the cost was about 20.00 less than any of the other stores wanted and it didn't have to be ordered. As a bonus, I also got a bench scraper for working with bread and pastry doughs. Mine went missing a few years ago and not one store we have gone into since has sold them.

I am very happy with my gifts. Oh, what was the gift? Did I forget to mention that? I did say it was an attachment for a Kitchen Aid.

I have always made homemade pasta by hand. I do have a hand crank roller that I use. actually a pasta roller with 2 cutters. 1 cutter for spaghetti noodles and one for fettuccine noodles. I  used the pasta roller on Christmas Eve night to make homemade lasagna noodles. What a difference time wise to make homemade pasta and I didn't have a flour mess from one end of the kitchen to the other.

The Kinks -- Father Christmas

My Kids Find This Very Amusing

Gotcha

Does Anyone Use The Multiply Auto Uploader?

I have tried to download this thing so many times. I keep ending up with the same results when trying to use it after I download it. I window comes up asking for my multiply ID and pass word. I sign in and it tells me I have the wrong ID.
Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

I am thinking I need a paid account with multiply but It's not telling me this. I am tired of seeing the Install Down Loader on my page, lol.

Snow And Ice Festival

I wish there was an easier way to down load a power point file than to post it as an attachment. If you would like to view this amazing presentation but don't have a power point Viewer you can down load one for free at Microsoft.com.
I searched you tube but the videos there didn't come anywhere close to this presentation.

Attachment: Snow_&_Ice_festival.pps

Merry Christmas. My favorite Version Of The Carol Of The Bells

Carol Of The Bells - By Trans Siberian Orchestra. I love Their Version.

An Ironic Chef Recipe

                         

My Ravioli Making Adventure.

Beefy Ravioli

I have always wanted a good recipe for beefy Ravioli. I have made several through the years but I have always tried a meatball type mix and the filling after the ravioli are cooked have always been very dense.  I finally came up with a good filling recipe and the Ravioli I made yesterday were excellent.

For the filling

1/2 pound of ground beef

1/2 packet of Beefy Lipton Onion Soup Mix. (they are called Beefy Ravioli, lol)

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

7 Saltine crackers soaked in 1/2 cup of water

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.

The trick I learned was to brown the ground beef first, which I did with the Beefy Onion Soup mix. I waited until all the moisture from the beef cook off and then allowed it to cool. I then mixed in the rest of the ingredients, draining off whatever water was left from the soaking crackers. I Mixed the filling very well and then refrigerated it overnight.

Now I have always wanted to make Ravioli pleasing to the eye too. I do have a Ravioli Maker that goes onto my hand crank pasta maker but it doesn't allow for very much filling in a Ravioli at all so I have only used it a few times. 

I usually just lay out a sheet of pasta, put several dollops of filling onto it. Moisten around the filling with water and then set another sheet of pasta over it and seal the edges and then cut the Ravioli into squares. When boiling the Ravioli the seal is very poor. The filling usually leaks out into the pasta water. These Ravioli are always very rough in size and texture. 

I have tried Wanton wrappers which work out very well but I don't usually have onto wrappers sitting around. 

I went online to see what I could find for Ravioli Makers. I came across molds that kind of resemble ice cube trays. They are metal and come in different designs for Raviolis. The prices ranged from around 26.00 to 69.00. Sorry, I'm not paying that much for an ice cube tray.

I decided to make my own version of a Ravioli Mold. I went to work and came out with a pretty good first attempt invention. You will see it in the following pictures. Yes, I did do pictures.

Before those though, My pasta dough is very simple, 3 cups of flour, 3 eggs. I Always use 1 egg for each cup of flour. Just a bit of olive oil. I combine these ingredients to form a crumbly mixture and then slowly add up to 1/4 cup of water to form a nice stiff dough. I then let the dough rest before rolling it out. I use my pasta roller for this. I have done it by hand but the pasta roller makes the process a whole lot quicker.

                             

 

My old Pasta Roller. This is what I used back in the day. Today I use the sme concept of a roller but it mounts on my Kitchenade. 

 

My Invention, Ravioli Mold. It Doesn't look like much but what did you expect? 

                            

The Filling

Sheet Of Pasta

                     I then pushed the meat filling into the pockets and

                              Brushed water around the filling.

                              I place a sheet of pasta over the filling.

                             I roll over the pasta pressing everything into the mold and 

                              sealing the pasta.

Roll the pasta to seal the pasta and then flip over the mold. 

Roll over the mold to seal the Raviolis

Lift off the Ravioli Mold and trim the outside edges with a Pastry Cutter. 

Cut individual ravioli

Place Ravioli on a sheet pan that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. 

I just make a plain Marinara type sauce and kick it up with some hot pepper flakes. I cook the Ravioli at a gentle boil until they float to the surface. Give them about five more minutes and then add them to the sauce and allow them to simmer in the sauce for a good ten minutes. I gently stir them every few minutes to make sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. This recipe makes fifty 2"x2" Ravioli. When I get a chance I will do my recipe for Butternut Squash  Raviolis.

If these ravioli are to be saved, once they are all cut and placed on the sheet pan, just set the sheet pan in the freezer and freeze the ravioli. Then place the ravioli in a freezer bag for later use. Just remember, even if frozen. When placed in boiling water, once they float, they are cooked. 

Butternut Squash Ravioli Recipe. 

Very simple. 

Half the squash and brush with olive oil or butter and bake at 375 until soft. About 30 minutes.
Allow squash to cool and scrape out squash into a mixing bowl.

Process about 10 gingersnap cookies in the food processor to make coarse crumbs and mix them into the squash mixture. I also add a 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon at this point. The squash mixture should be stiff enough to hold its shape on a teaspoon. 

Fill ravioli as done above. 

Here is the twist that will make anyone's day.
Boil the ravioli until they float and remove them from the water and let them cool. Set up a dredging station with 3 stations, the 1st with flour, the second with a bowl with an egg mixed with just a touch of water and the 3rd a cup of plain breadcrumbs.
Dredge the boiled and cooled bread crumbs in the flour 1st, then into the egg wash and then toss and coat with the breadcrumbs. Do about 10 ravioli at a time and then deep fry them in 350-degree oil until golden brown. 2 minutes top. Remove them from the oil and toss the fried ravioli in a sugar and cinnamon mixture. I usually use about a half cup of sugar with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
These fried ravioli are amazing and I have never met a kid that does not like them. 

Gunsmoke's Ken Curtis

I am a major fan of an old TV show called Gunsmoke. My favorite character on the show was Ken Curtis, better known as Festus Haggen. I swear that some where in the branches of my family tree we are kin, lol. Any ways, I thought I would share that Ken Curtis was also a pretty good singer. I am sure you that have seen the show can remember a few of his diddies while riding old Ruth.
Ken Curtis had actually been in a pretty good group called the "Sons Of Pioneers". Here is a little sample of his talent,

Bumper Stickers

Bumper Stickers If You Can Read This, I've Lost My Trailer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'IF YOU CAN'T FEED EM, DON'T BREED EM!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Constipated People Don't Give A Crap. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Horn Broken...Watch For Finger. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Earth Is Full - Go Home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So Many Pedestrians - So Little Time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If We Quit Voting, Will They All Go Away? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eat Right, Exercise, Die Anyway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Illiterate? Write For Help. ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Honk If Anything Falls Off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cover Me. I'm Changing Lanes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He Who Hesitates Not Only Is Lost, But is Miles From The Next Exit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I Refuse To Have A Battle Of Wits With An Unarmed Person. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You! Out Of The Gene Pool - Now! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies tell Me To. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fight Crime: Shoot Back! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ (Seen Upside Down On A Jeep) If You Can Read This, Please Flip Me Back20Over... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stop Lights Timed For 35 mph Also Are Timed For 70 mph ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guys: No Shirt, No Service Gals: No Shirt, No Charge ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If Walking Is So Good For You, Then Why Does My Mailman Look Like Jabba The Hut? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ax Me About Ebonics. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Body By Nautilus; Brain By Mattel. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boldly Going Nowhere. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Caution - Driver Legally Blonde. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Heart Attacks: God's Revenge For Eating His Animal Friends ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Honk If You've Never Seen An Uzi Fired From A Car Window.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ How Many Roads Must A Man Travel Down Before He Admits He is Lost? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GROW YOUR OWN DOPE --- PLANT A MAN. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 'POLITICIANS & DIAPERS BOTH NEED TO BE CHANGED OFTEN, AND FOR THE SAME REASON.'