Meatloaf Sliders

We recently bought the nonstick, 6-cup, mini-loaf pan you see in the first picture below to make manageable loaves of meatloaf.  Not only do they bake faster, but leftovers are easier to wrap, store, and reuse.  We used those to make Ree Drummond's (aka, The Pioneer Woman) Meatloaf Sliders.  In addition to the meatloaf recipe you'll find at the link below, we made a sauce of ketchup, light brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, and mayonnaise, which we slathered on the top half of the slider buns.  The meatloaf was topped with crispy bacon, lettuce, and dill pickles.  Delicious!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/meatloaf-sliders-22080451

My Secret Santa

Merry Christmas to you and your families!

If you're looking for a nice Hallmark-style Christmas movie, my recommendation is "My Secret Santa."  Starring Alexandra Breckenridge (Virgin River) and Ryan Eggold (Blacklist, New Amsterdam), it's a heart-warming story of a single Mom who manages to disguise herself to get a Santa Claus job at a resort.  I'm not saying any more about how the movie unfolds, but it's both hilarious and touching.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35219851

Kitchen Faucet

I've earned a partial plumber's badge for replacing our kitchen faucet.  The old one had been running slower and slower, and after trying to figure out where the clog was, I finally decided that replacing the whole thing was the least risky option.  I bought the faucet shown below from Lowe's and thought of having a plumber install it, but if Lowe's was going to charge a $289 installation fee, it was high time for me to try, and it turned out to be very simple, except for the part of getting my 70-year-old body to lie down on the floor and under the cabinet.  It's just one plate and one nut to hold the faucet in place, and connecting one snap-together fitting.

But of course, the story isn't that simple.  I had to remove a PVC pipe to get to the cold-water line, and I couldn't for the life of me get it back together.  The root cause of that was that the plumber who installed it didn't line the pipes together correctly, but he did manage to force them together.  I called for reinforcements, and my friend Dan came to the rescue.  I learned quite a bit as he explained how PVC pipes are properly fitted and connected.  Thanks and a big Shout-Out to Dan!

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Moen-Georgene-Matte-Black-1-handle-Deck-mount-High-arc-Handle-Kitchen-Faucet-Deck-Plate-Included/5005565305

Cork Puller

There are many corkscrews on the market, from rabbit ears to electric-powered screws to the standard waiter's model.  I use one that I bought years ago at Goosecross Winery in Napa Valley that includes an integrated foil cutter.  But you may not have met the type shown below: a cork puller.  It has two tines, one a bit longer than the other, and you slide those tines down between the cork and the bottle using a rocking motion.  When fully down, you pull up while twisting, and the cork comes out with the puller.

The cork puller is my main way of dealing with difficult corks, particularly ones that are either kind of loose, and a corkscrew may push down into the bottle, damaged corks that a corkscrew shreds, and really tight corks that are difficult to pull out.  You can find a $7 version at the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/EY-Opener-Corkscrew-Bottle-Two-Prong/dp/B072272K47

Using AI For Checking Grammar

One of the first uses I made of AI was to check the grammar on some of my older Life Experiences blogs, and I was shocked at how poorly I wrote back then.  I uploaded my 5-page "Getting Sideways" blog and asked Gemini to "grammar check the attachment".  It suggested 25 changes, the first 3 you can see below.  I've done this on several documents, and I incorporate 80-90% of its recommendations.  My newer writings are much better because, since 2020, I started using the free (I love free) Grammarly extension in Google Chrome and catch the errors as I make them.

https://gemini.google.com

Thanksgiving Dinner

I made dinner reservations for Thanksgiving at The Golden Lamb in Lebanon, Ohio, back in July, just in case another get-together option failed to appear.  Getting a reservation as the date nears is just about impossible, and cancelling our reservation would be no big deal.  Their signature dinner included turkey, sage sausage & apple dressing, vegetables, cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes with two-day turkey gravy.  None of the cooking and none of the cleanup.  Loving it!

https://www.goldenlamb.com

Grinch Mimosa

For a different take on a mimosa, we made the Grinch Mimosa shown below. It's about a half a flute of orange juice, 1/2-ounce of blue curacao, and topped with champagne, prosecco, or another bubbly. The ratio of OJ to blue curacao is important to get the perfect grinchy green, so add a little at a time until it's just right. We opted for a rim of Rainbow Nonpareils Sprinkles, but a sliced strawberry with a piece of marshmallow on top, resembling the Grinch's hat, would be totally cool. The simple details are at the link below.

https://thetoastykitchen.com/grinch-mimosa

60 Watts

When I saw the USB and USB-C outlets on our flight from College Station, TX, to Dallas, I was surprised to see that they could deliver up to 60 watts of power.  But over the years, smartphones and tablets have improved their charging rates, with the Pixel 10 Pro XL supporting up to 45 watts and the iPhone 17 Pro Max up to 40 watts.  I guess Southwest was looking a few years into the future when they decided 60 watts was a good number.  More on all that watts, volts, and amps can be found at the link below.

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/question501.htm

Mug Rug

I like mug rugs so much more than traditional coasters.  They are larger, skinnier, and as you can see below, perfect for this Ohio State football fan.  If you're crafty, you can sew a mug rug perfect for your passion, or turn to Etsy (link below), Amazon, or many others for designs that please.

Big shout-out and THANKS to Mary for this awesome cutie!

https://www.etsy.com/market/mug_rugs_machine_embroidery_designs

Using AI For Research

A few years ago, I heard that Electric Vehicles (EVs) were going to be a problem because they weigh so much more than conventional gas cars due to their large batteries.  That made sense, and because I wasn't thinking of buying an EV, I really didn't care.  Recently, I took some heavy stuff to the dump, and the invoice said my Infiniti QX60 weighs nearly 4,800 pounds, more than I expected, but certainly not the largest SUV you can buy.

With the advent of AI and its ability to produce answers to questions, I asked Google Gemini how Tesla's weight compared to its gas-powered brethren.  The table you see below shows that Tesla EVs and regular SUVs are very comparable.  Using AI for research has made my life much easier.

https://gemini.google.com