BAO HOUSE !

WOW, I really need to POST more CONTENT eh ?

Gonna head over to me buddy Kham's place for BAO LESSONS this weekend, which has me SUPER EXCITED ! nothing says HAPPY like yummys stuffed into a containment device and is portably EDIBLE ! NOICE !

Stay TUNED !

Jigg's Dinner !

Well HI

Long time, no POSTIES Life is bizzy, innit ? Altho I find THAT a strange thing to TYPE as, now that I am employed, I am posting a blog entry, huh, WEIRD.

AnyWAYS, I find meself in the company of a Large Man from Newfoundland @ work, and we've

been yippin awhile aboot allthings Newfie, this coupled with Jane's gift of a Downhomer Almanac a few years ago and ahm ready to try a JIGG'S DINNER...

Oh boy, sure had a BALL with the kids and their inevitable question of Whats for Sups ? And being able to answer BEEF BELLYBUTTONS is PRICELESS I say !

FIRST, to secure a pail of Beef navels, ENSURE they are packed in St Johns bye says me new Chum, so I do, altho I wonder HOW they can charge almost $20 for a bucket of seeming YUCK, beef spineshanks I figure, and am told that STRONGER MEN THAN I STEEL THEMSELVES with a shot of the brine these baybees are bobbing in. Not today, Keith, oh no. Praps enough SCREECH and I may be persuaded....

I've spared u the AUTOPSY shot of pail contents in favor of a couple of chunks enjoying FRESH water tactics. MUCH prettier picture methinks, scritch that, KNOWS

So, here I post the recipe, lifted DIRECTLY from Pg 258 of the Downhomer :

2.5lbs Salt Beef

1/4lb Junk Salt Pork

350g Split Peas

3.5lbs Potatoes

1/2lb Carrots

1 Turnip

1 Cabbage

Cover salt beef with cold water and soak overnig

ht. Drain and add fresh cold water, salt pork and puddin bag loaded with split peas. Bring to a BOIL, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3hrs. Add veg about 1/2hr before you'd like to EAT. Serves 4-6

SIMPLE eh ? I changed the water out about three times the nite before, had no JUNK SALT PORK so I used a 1/4lb of slab bacon from The Mad Butcher. And, forgive me, my newfie brudders and sisters, couldn't HELP but add a bay leaf or three and a couple of heads of garlic split in harf.

HOURS passed, it started to smell CURIOUS, th

en INTERESTING then DELICIOUSO ! I was getting quite RAVENOUS at this point I must tell youse. Keith said his fam eats Jigg's with a Roast Chook, so roast a chook I did. Jane said hers enjoys it with Fish n Brewis, but, alas, I am out of salt cod ( and thusly, an excuse to GET MORE and writ a BLOG about it too ! )

Chucked ALL the veg in and WAITED SOME MORE, had a few more tins o beer, Dale, Claudia and the kids were joining us for sups, they brought some fine Newcastle Brown, eee-yummy. he and I bilt 2 batches of beer around New Years, one of them being a BROWN ALE and the other a RED LAGER, they've been in secondary fermenter for about 3wks now, stay tuned for bottling shenanigans. Mmmmm, beer. Where was I ? Oh yeah, final producto :

Scrumptious I say, SALT MEAT SWEATS gooder, I ate four bowls...urp.

TOASTY BEANZ

Wow

Toasting yr own coffee beanz is REMARKABLY EASY !

Some common sense, an IR thermo ( thanks again, J ! ) and an olde skool aire popcorn popper, 1200W or better.

AND, greenie beanies are ONE HALF the cost of toasty ones, NOICE !

I ordered 2lb of Fair Trade Organic Costa Rican from me local purveyor, and he was kind enough to tell me some SONGS that HIS BEEG ROASTER has taught him over the 9 + years he's been in the BIZ. Namely, TEMPERATURES, its all about TEMPERATURES with the beanz, summarized below :

DEGREE of ROAST Temp degC

Green 23.8

1st Crack 205

2nd Crack ( City Roast ) 218.8

Full City Roast 234.4

Vienna 240.5

Full French 245.5

Any Yanquis present can DRINK IN the degrees CELSIUS and scramble fo ONLINE CONVERSION

Viddy of 1st Crack Stage + :

Viddy of bloody near DONE Stage :

The ONE NUGGET that coffee bean purveyor passed along that SHOOK me is :

LET THE BEANS SIT FOR 12HRS BEFORE USE !

As they have to fart out CO2 byproduct of toasting, neato, huh ?

TTFN

PS _ Blogger AutoFormat-O-Matic SUX BOLLOCKS, must learn HTML

INVISIBL SKRATCH PIKLZ !

Nice !

VERY nice, I missed out on PickleFest 2008. NOT SO THIS YEAR !



After being held HOSTAGE by what I deem CALGARY PRICING @ $9.50/5lb sack o cukes @ The Jungle Farm, I relented after my local MEGA MART BURNT ME, not ONCE but TWICE by receiving SUB PAR CUKES. So, back to The Jungle Farm I went on bended knee and sobbed my way into 20lbs...and two BALES o DILL ! NO JOKE, peeps, the HUTTERITES r phonin the Farm, HARD TIMES I say...

Aiiight, its GO TIME, ah'd like to once again thank Deaner's Ma Clara for providing INTENSE PICKLE PLEASURE the likes of which me own Ma could not JAR in the form of a STOUT BRINE whose recipe I STILL REFER to as GOSPEL. Altho, Ma did find out an inneresting factoid she passed along, the only vinegar worth using is PREZNITS CHOICE NATURAL VINEGAR, can't miss it BIG GREEN LABEL and all. Will advise results...

Also new for 2009, SPEARS o INFLUENCE pickle recipe ( thanks Danielle ! ) which in addition to the standard brine contains, in my case, per 1litre jar, 1/2tsp fresh gnd toasted cumin, 1/2tsp lime zest, and the jus of 1/2 a lime, AH CAN'T WAIT ! Danielle's were SUBLIME and VELVETY, I think due to her use of HAWAIIAN PINK SEA SALT !! While part of me shits out egg rolls for using, like, $16 / lb sel, but she was FLUSH with it as she used to host one of THOSE types of soirees....

And, back for more INTENSE ANAL BLEEDING, I've DOUBLED the tabasco to 2tsp / 1 litre jar in a few jars, will advise results whether u like it or NOT !

Oh yeah, Cecil, its yr FAULT Ima doon pickled carrots this year, CHRIST are yrs FINE Sir !

K, all for now, DIY toasty coffee beaners and Nan King Jelly are on DECK !

Soylent PIG is People

Well, I did it, I effin did it...
$19 gots me :
The Haid of one Market Swine
The Tail of said Swine
The Tongue "as above"
The Front Legs "as above" orwere they the REAR ?

I bequeth-ed the name SNAPES upon my soon to be brined bits of heem, so sayeth we all.

I like a CHALLENGE, so I asked the Butcher to leave Snapes INTACT, haid in one piece as I wanted The Full Experience. The Haid, Tongue, Tail and ForeLegs all came in seperate, neatly lettered bags, bearing SOME EVIDENCE as to their Contents, alas, MY nombre was on the HAID, a source of MUCH GLEE to no less than one Chum in attendance.

FIRST was CLEANING, sounds SIMPLE huh ? Well, I soon learned that Snapes' legs had stubble onnem that would make a virgin prepping for first date BLUSH, so, out came the Gilette Mach3 Vibrating Fancy Boy Razor ( olde blade ) and I proceeded to shave Ole Snapes doon, lest his HAIR gets into me BRAWN ( aka HeadChz )

I found this task, peculiar. I am no stranger to the Follicle Based Arts and I found mesel recalling shaving the Missus legs doon in the tub a few nights prior...ODD I say, ODD. NO to all you NaziFems out there, I am not comparing the Mother of my Chilluns to a SWINE, at least not in a sense unbecoming of Moi.

Separating the HOCK from the TROTTER was Easy, splitting the TROTTER was NOT. MUCH PRESSURE reqd to coerce Cleaver thru Trotter was reqd, when success was achieved, into the Brine the Bits went for a sumptuous 15 hr bath in 2c of Salt, 1c of Sucre, two Haids of Garlix, and various herbs in me Garden likes Thyme, Chives, Parsley + some cloves and allspice berries.

The tongue and tail just required a RINSE and a YUCK CHECK for any OFFending bits. HORROR SHOW Pt 1 started when I chucked the tongue and tail in, reached my forearm into the Brine to swish it about, and, the Tongue LICKED ME ! Yick.

OK, Gut Check Time, let's deal with the Haid, The EpiCENTRE, all other bits were Pregame baybee. Decided Snapes could use some Gilette time as well, no DOOT. I had a LARGE DILEMNA on me hands in the form of : How many Teeth per Inch on me Hacksaw blade will slice Snapes JUUUST right ? I went with 24 and 36tpi models, aloth, as The Show wore on, this was MINOR ISH compared with 12" hacksaw blade LENGTH ( aka shoulda bought a MEAT SAW, which appears to start at 16". )

Hacksaw blade length QUICKLY became an ISSUE as Snapes' Haid was praps 11" nose to neck, and thusly, only short, impatient strokes could be used unless the ANGLE of ATTACK was modified. BUT, perserverance soon PAID off and we were left staring at two halves, soon to be quartered chunks o haid.

Out came the BRAINS, and THEN, the most disturbing part of The Program for me, the EYES have it. I pushed the paring knife IN on the LOW SIDE, and Snapes would STARE ACCUSINGLY at EVERY DOWNTHRUST. double YICK. Gots em all cleaned up and slapped into the Brine, kept machillin with icepax, until the NEXT day. Stay Tuned, photos of parting out parboiled pigbits are SKETCHY as Archivist on duty for First Day was not present for Second Day...

wee HIKE ?

Whoa

I'm not 16 anymore, Nossir. Went on a Wee Hike to Headwall Lakes, 40mins ish away in a NW tilt from Canmore. Wow, length of TWELVE KILOMETRES UNVERIFIED since ah didnae pack me GPS ( PPC with BT antenny ( allo ? BATTERIES ? ))

Left RD 0530hrs, arrived at the trailhead 0830hrs, and, well, HIKED. Approximately 1100hrs I was axin mesel what I got INTO. And THEN, the Path thru the Enchanted Forest before Serious Assault on first lake can be analyzed. Picture above is from damn near the top of the first lake lookin doon, nice Eh ?

You sure can be made to feel small and gnat-like in such settings I'll tell you what.

AnyWAYS, more l8tr praps, but LONG STORY SHORT, long ass GORGEOUS HIKE which generated HEIGHTENED FOCUS since we got caught in a SNOWY WHITE SQUALL whilst HAULING ARSE down to BELOW the Treeline, and KNOCK SNOW from Left EarHole. Last 1.8ish kms back to The TickTruck were, in short, long. AAAANDYhow, the BEST shot of House Whiskey and Ale tankard I've tasted in a while, likesay, was had by mesel and chum who introduced me to this portion of God's Country, Scotty, whose almost parting words RANG DOUBLE TRUE once we tried to GET OUT'VE the Unit for said tankard. having 40mins to canmore with which to SEIZE UP, were : " Make Sure you bring someone else back here... " SO, you've ALL BEEN WARNED !

Stay tuned, next post will be JUICY !

ANT FEST 2009

ANTS

ANTS I say, the greenhouse is RICH if the currency of Ye Lande is Ants, Alas, tisnt...

I've tried being NICE, tried the GROUND CLOVES and the CITRUS OIL, don't even get me GOING on INSECTICIDAL SOAP

Nope, the time is NIGH for TOXIC DEATH from ABOVE ( 1979 ? )

Goodbye cloves, ALLO PYRETHRIN ! of a TOPICAL application methinks.

Yknow, I've got some WORK to do on this whole Blog thang, I must re-program bits of the GREY MATTER and have this, my BLOG, my VENTED SPLEEN, in the forefront when I am doing stuff with which to RETAIN and PUBLISH when it suits moi...

allfornow