Kitchen DIY:Golden Eggs

Kitchen DIY:Golden Eggs
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Once again I have to say I believe that the foundational idea behind crowd-sourcing is capabilities at its best – people have ideas that they beleive in and ask others to contribute funds with the promise of rewards when the project is completed.  Now I do have anecdotal evidence that my “favorite” crowd-sourcing platform has a liberal bias, but I still believe in helping people invent new things when the reward strikes me as worth the money.

Golden Eggs was one successful Kickstarter project that I helped fund.

Golden Eggs, are hard-boiled eggs that are scrambled in the shell before they are boiled.  Its a neat concept, and I had seen (and planned a video around) the process using a tea towel, but when I happened upon the kick starter project I decided to postpone the video and get the device.

Basically the golden goose is a silicone and hard plastic shell that fits around almost any sized egg (any egg you will get at a grocery store) which cradles the egg as it is spun very rapidly allowing inertia to scramble the egg.

It took me a couple tries to get the technique down – I had to figure out how to get the device spinning, and then when to stop (I spun a couple to failure breaking the egg in the goose.

When I boiled the eggs and peeled them to find a yellow egg instead of a white one I felt good.  Good enough to want to share, but not so ecstatic that I will do all my eggs this way – its a fun novelty, but I got TIRED….

Kitchen DIY: 2 Great Grilled Cheese Sandwich Techniques

Kitchen DIY: 2 Great Grilled Cheese Sandwich Techniques
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Feminists have no fear, as I am the sammich maker at my house.  I mean I do tell Genny to go make me a sandwich, but she tells me to get up and make it myself….

Having a toddler means I have plenty of time to get my grilled cheese skills refined – so much so that I want to share 2 Great Grilled Cheese Sandwich Techniques that I have perfected.  One is faster, one tastes better – but hey its a grilled cheese, so all recipes are fast and good enough…

First, instead of using butter on your bread – try mayonnaise – the fat content fries the bread beautifully, but it gives the sandwich a nice taste, plus it is much easier to spread.

the second is to heat the over to 350 and pour a little oil in a cookie sheet and lay out an even number of slices of bread in the oil – layering a single slice of cheese (or grated cheese) on each slice.  Bake for about 10 minutes and then combine two slices to make a nice set of sandwiches all at once.

Like I said, these 2 Grilled Cheese Sandwich Techniques are easy, there isn’t much to them, but they are tasty and fast.

How to Make a Homemade Cable Snare

 

Building a Homemade Cable Snare
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My friend William Smith, who used to trap in Alaska and now builds very inexpensive, but quality snares.  He agreed to show me how he builds homemade cable snares.

The Parts are Pretty simple

  • 3/32 aircraft cable
  • Sure-lock snare lock
  • Double ferrule
  • Single ferrule.

To Build a Homemade Cable Snare:

  • First, you run the cable through the sure-lock device, make a loop, and then run it back through
  • Next, lock it in place with a single ferrule on the loop end.
  • Then, run the long end of the cable through the double ferrule, loop it around, and put the free end back into the ferrule to make a loop for a swivel or to attach to the tree.

As you can see it is pretty easy to make a homemade cable snare.  When Smitty gets his shed wired so we don’t have to yell over the generator I want to show how to make a snare lock using a penny.

I plan on buying some of his snares, but before I do that, I have to get him to show me how to wax and dye them so I can actually catch some meat with them.

Recipe: Potato Fan

Recipe: Potato Fan
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I have seen this recipe on multiple websites under a variety of names. This Potato Fan recipe is a great recipe for kids, both because it is a simple recipe that most kids can do with a minimum of supervision, but also because it is something kids will eat. I know I have a toddler that loves them.

From my research into this recipe, I have come to the conclusion that the proper name is probably Hasselback potatoes, since this recipe has most likely originated at A Swedish inn named the Hasselbacken.

Since this nothing more than a fancy baked potato, the best potatoes to use are Russet or Idaho potatoes. I have tried others, but I always get the best result from baking varieties.

Once you get the basic variety down, feel free to add any additional like herbs, crusts, or cheese toppings during the baking process.

Ingredients:

  • 4 (8 ounce) baking potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 Tablespoons Oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated cheese

Procedure:

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  • Wash Potatoes
  • Cut a thin slice off off bottom of potatoes so they will stand firmly on table
  • Place potatoes next to a large wooden or metal spoon.
  • Using a sharp knife, make slices across the potato the short way about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart, making sure to cut down to the lip of the spoon, not all the way through the potato.
    • The slices should stay connected at the bottom, and the spoon helps keep the depth even.
  • When all of the potatoes are cut, place them cut side up in a shallow baking dish or small roasting pan.
  • Drizzle with half of the butter/oil mix
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.
  • Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the remaining butter/oil mix
  • Sprinkle cheese onto the tops of the potatoes, and season with a little more salt and pepper.
  • Return to the oven, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until done

The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving

Book Review: The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving
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In step-by-step, illustrated detail, John Hoffman shows you the The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving.

If you want to learn how to use dumpster diving for food, clothing, appliances, furniture, books and other treasures then you should read this book

Discover how to dress for dumpster diving success, work your neighborhood dumpsters, dive a restaurant, use a “bag blade” and “dive stick”, handle run-ins with the authorities, convert your trash to cash, and much more!

While you are learning all these professional secrets, you will be entertained by outrageous anecdotes from a life-long master diver.

Frankly, while there is some interesting and possibly useful ideas presented in this book, I am skeptical of its use for preppers.

To me, most of the content of The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving is common sense or easily learned tradecraft.

I guess some people need to be told that id you want cheap bread you can look in the dumpster of a bakery or day old bread store – and those people may need to be told to only get the bread that is sealed in bags.

There are practical statements on close to wear, what kind of car to drive, and how to deal with police and dumpster owners, but as I said before, most seems to be common sense.