Sick as a WOOF WOOF

For the record, I've been sick since Victoria Day 2017.  To date, that would be 2 days shy of 6 weeks.  First it was strep throat, which I stubbornly did not see a doctor for until day 5.  Add 10 days of Amoxil on top of that would see my first round of suffering end for all of 4 days.  Round 2 of strep had me almost fainting at my hair appointment that I suffered for 2 days too many because the doctor couldn't believe I had strep back to back.  Before the second round of Amoxil even ended, I started coughing out my lungs.  Two hours waiting for my third doctor's visit saw me out with two puffers, Hycodan and a nasal spray.  F.M.L.

Just now, I almost puked from coughing.  This really sucks.

I hate being sick.

Recipes to Keep

蔥油餅
yields 4

300g      all purpose flour
180g      warm water
1/4 tsp   yeast
10g        sugar
1/8 tsp   salt
lots        thinly sliced green onion
              sesame oil
              salt
              ground white pepper


1.   Dissolve sugar in warm water and sprinkle yeast to activate.  Wait 10 minutes until foamy.
2.   Add salt to sifted all purpose flour and slowly add yeast mixture.
3.   Knead for 7-8 minutes, until dough is elastic.
4.   Lightly oil large bowl and place dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 40 minutes.
5.   Lightly flour work surface and roll out dough and divide into 4 equal pieces.
6.   Roll out each piece with rolling pin and spread 1.5 tablespoon sesame oil, sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt, pinch of white pepper and a liberal handful of green onions.
7.   Roll up carefully, coil dough, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.
8.   Heat oil in skillet, flatten coil and fry until golden on both sides.

(reference:  Carol's Recipes)

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Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe with Herbs
yields 8

Our focaccia recipe is very simple to make - no fancy equipment is needed at all. The secret to great focaccia is great tasting olive oil. Since there is quite a bit used, the bread really takes on the flavor. You don't need to spend lots of money, just use an olive oil you love. We like something light and fruity. For the herbs, we love a combination of thyme and rosemary, but you could use whatever herbs you love - fresh or dried. Or, omit the garlic and herbs all together and use plain olive oil, instead.

A note on pan size: In this recipe we call for a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. If you do not have this, you can use a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking dish with taller sides.

• 1/2 cup (118 ml) olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (substitute 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup (237 ml) warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 envelope)
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 2 1/2 (350 grams) cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. In a cold medium saucepan or skillet, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary and the black pepper. Place pan over low heat then cook, stirring occasionally 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic, but before the garlic browns. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and honey. Stir a few times then let sit for 5 minutes. Now, add 1 cup of the flour and a 1/4 cup of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour and the salt. Once the dough comes together, transfer to a floured board and knead the dough 10 to 15 times until smooth. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. (It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen).
4. After 1 hour, heat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Then, use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. (See note if you do not have this pan size).
5. Transfer dough to the baking sheet then press it down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough then drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic-olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it puffs slightly then bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer focaccia bread to a cooling rack and cool.

 (reference: Joanne and Adam Gallagher, inspiredtaste.net)

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Wheat Pizza Dough
yields 10

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.
5. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

(reference: allrecipes.com)

 

Project Itchy Butt ver. 2.0

Haha, geeky but it works!

HDTV antenna - ver. 2.0

It took longer to watch the YouTube video than to make this thing.  Four bunny clips, two large paperclips, one 75/300 ohm transformer.  Done.  Free TV once again.

That was easy.

Kickoff to Summer

Three years ago, I first heard of Kamado-style grills from RFD where a whole bunch of crazy guys were running around town trying to get a BGE from Costco on clearance.  I was curious to find out more about this thing that people were going bonkers over when they're "on sale" for $900.  I mean, who pays this much for a bbq?  Especially when it looks like this:

The BIG. GREEN. EGG.

That's... one... ugly... thing.  Then I found out that it retails for something like $1,500 and "Eggheads" around the world swear by them.  Never going back to gas.  It's a hardcore community of followers and diehard fans out there.  What irks me even more is that this Egg comes with absolutely no accessories, meaning you can't even use it out of the box.  To make it remotely useable, you'd have to spend a couple hundred more on it and yet people still go crazy.  There must be something I'm missing here...

But it got me interested.  I haven't bbq'd in ages and I was in a condo but I wanted one.  Eventually.  Like when I'm no longer in a condo.  So I started researching Kamado grills and found the one I wanted:

Kamado Joe - just as good as the BGE but with all the bells and whistles.  For less money!

So I juggled the idea of getting a Kamado Joe when I moved but didn't realize (until recently) that they are still $1,300!!  When I first started my research, they were around the $1,000 mark but mind you, that's when the Canadian Dollar was less pathetic.  Trying to get 文生 to agree to a $1,300 bbq would probably mean it'll never happen so I just kept the thought on the back burner and hoped for a sale.

Thanks (or no thanks) to the RFD community, I found out that Can Tire was clearing out their Vision brand of Kamados.  Online reviews seem to be quite positive and the more important part, it was less than half price of the Joe!

Vision Kamado Pro C

The first step was to get 文生 to agree to the new addition.  Check.  Kinda.  Then it was trying to find one.  Check-ish.  Well, apparently Vision ended their agreement with Can Tire so hence the clearance, meaning the entire GTA was pretty much out.  Stores were showing phantom stock or only have heavily damaged floor models left.  I really wanted to have a Miss Vicky Day bbq this year so the Friday before the long weekend, I decided to look further away from the center of the universe and found a brand new in box one in... get ready... Peterborough!  Okay, Peterborough is far, but not unreachable right?  So I called the store, told them I'm driving two hours to get there so please have the bbq on hold for me because I don't want to show up to find out it's not there.  Great, all set.

I proceed to borrow a van because yes, this thing is a monster and weighs 200lbs (240lbs with the box) and there was no way it'd fit in my buggy (right?).  Fast forward to Saturday morning, when I woke up both 文生 and CLM at 6am to begin our long scenic drive into cottage country, all was fine and dandy until we got to the Peterborough Can Tire and... they... sold... my... bbq.  OMG#@^*@!#(*&#$(&@@!!!!!  Needless to say, I was NOT a happy camper.  The attitude at the store just did not help the situation either.  We were told there was only one more in the area so fine, we'll go to yet another store.  Apparently "in the area" meant BANCROFT, an hour away from OTTAWA.  I was not only livid at this point, but in much disbelief that the Bancroft store, which showed only 1 in stock (usually that meant floor model or non-existent), actually have it brand new in box as well.  文生 was actually the one to make the executive decision to go to Bancroft so another hour and a half later, they were lugging the big box into the van.  *Side note:  I thought people in the 'burbs are generally more pleasant and it was true up to the point when they see you in person and realize you're not white...

Took us what seemed like forever to get back into town and I really didn't feel like assembling the bbq so I waited until Sunday to finally put it together.  Thanks to YouTube, where this guy basically did a complete unboxing of the same Kamado, I was able to set up the grill with Tinlop in a relatively short period of time.  We did a test run the same night and grilled peppers, zucchini, wings, pork chops and stuff.  Boy it was yummy!  There is absolutely no comparison to gas/propane grills.

On Miss Vicky Day, I fired it up again and made steak, pineapple, more wings and chops, zucchini, asparagus, potatoes, roasted garlic... it was good!  I'd say it's well worth the money for the grill, even when we had to drive to Bancroft.

Twenty Fourteen Just Couldn't Go By Faster

Wow, I just realized that my blog was pretty pathetic for 2014.  Have I been lazy?  Were there a lack of life to document?  Did I get more and more bitter about life so I don't want to remind myself of the bitterness?  Oh, oh, oh....does this all have anything to do with... get ready... 犯太歲?

I've never been a superstitious person, at least I don't think I am, but honestly 2014 couldn't just go by any faster.   太歲年 = 事幹多.  I was told several years ago that 犯太歲 doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing.  It just means lots of things will happen, whether good or bad.  Well, 2014 was certainly eventful.  Unfortunately, it wasn't for the better I'm afraid.

Reflecting upon the last few new years posts, I realized that I've become quite bitter in 2014.  I can tell from the lack of bubbly flair while writing this post compared to those from a few years ago.  If I need to choose One Little Word for 2015, it'll probably be FREE.  I'd like to free myself from the bitterness that I'm currently feeling; freely pick up my hobbies again; free up my soul from all negative fields and bring my life back to something more mentally manageable.  How's that for a New Year's Resolution?

One thing I'm proud of achieving in the past year, is the ability to get myself into bed around midnight.  Compared to that of a few years ago, when I was going to bed at 2am every night, it's a drastic change.  For the better.  Now if only I can haul my ass into work at the decent hour, that would be just dandy.

Time flies not only when you're having fun, but believe it or not, it also flies by when you're having a shitty year.  It's now 6.5 months since I've left Harding and 2 weeks until I move again.  Brings back fond memories of all the stress I went through to settle into the condo back in 2010.  Only now in tri-fold or so it seems.  I really should be excited to finally move into the townhouse, but I guess until all the deficiencies are rectified and we settle in, I don't expect to feel the excitement.  Heck, I haven't even started packing yet! 

Twenty Fifteen:  Please be nice to me.  Please.