Blood Orange Tom Collins

The hot afternoon on Hilton Head Island, SC, last month was the perfect time to have the Blood Orange Tom Collins shown below.  It's a simple concoction of 2 oz blood orange gin, 1 oz lemon juice, and 3/4 oz simple syrup that's shaken with ice and topped with club soda.  The venue was the Hilton Head Distillery found on the northeast side of the island.  Tours are available for those interested, but give me a bar seat and a bartender and I'm a happy guy.

https://www.hiltonheaddistillery.com

But I Gotta Go

I apologize for the blurry picture below but I had to share this sign along I-90 in New York.  A parking area one mile ahead is advertised as a "text stop" but without any "bathrooms".  Given the choice of which one I need the most on a long drive, I'll take the "bathrooms", or at least the cover of some thick bushes, cause when you gotta go, you gotta go.  I guess knowing there's a telephone available (as if we don't all carry one) is some sort of relief, just not the kind I need. 

Come on New York, get real!

Knot On Call

People name their boats creatively and personally, like the "Knot On Call" shown below.  Another cute name, also found at LumberJack's Patio Grill on the Niagara River just north of Buffalo, New York, was "Sea E O".  Check out the link below for some more chuckle-worthy boat names like "She Got the House" and "What’s Up Dock?".

https://www.veranda.com/luxury-lifestyle/a41001953/best-boat-names

Niagara Falls

The picture below is of the American Falls on the Niagara River, the second-largest of the three falls that move water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.   While you can see the largest, Horseshoe Falls, from the American side it's not nearly as impressive as the view from the Canadian side.  We drove to Niagara Falls State Park (free admission, but pay for parking) located on Goat Island, and walked to views of all three falls (Bridal Falls being the third) where getting caught in the mist is part of the fun.  A poncho is a good idea.

One thing we learned, as detailed in the link below, is that water is diverted from the falls at night to provide for more hydroelectricity generation and even more than that in the winter off-season.  

https://www.niagarafallstourism.com/blog/do-they-shut-off-the-falls-at-night

Homemade Arepas

Shown below is my first attempt to make arepas at home.  The corn pocket was made using warm water, salt, and precooked white cornmeal as detailed in the YouTube video at the link below.  It's formed by hands coated in oil and water to minimize sticking, shaped into a circle to the diameter and thickness you desire, and fried for a short time in a frying pan to get some color.  They are finished by baking them in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, they are sliced horizontally and filled with whatever strikes your fancy, in the case below some leftovers from last night's dinner at Jorrge's.

The only difficulty in this recipe is finding the precooked white cornmeal.  I found a package of the brand Pan at La Raza in West Carrollton, a small Mexican store and restaurant at 2175 Imperial Road, which was a bit challenging as I don't speak a lick of Spanish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbvh5XaBpJk

Copa Di Vino

I appreciate unique packaging like the Copa Di Vino hourglass-shaped beauty shown below. Holding about 6.3 fluid ounces, it comes filled with one of several kinds of wine. Its splash-proof cap is perfect if you're on the move or just want to keep the bugs out. Gourmet Chef, Elaine, and I agree that drinking from a glass (i.e., made of real glass like these) is the best (i.e. only) way to enjoy a beverage.

I plan to buy several of their white wine varieties.  I can't speak to the quality of their red wine selections, but in my experience, they tend to vary all over the place where white choices are generally at least OK.   I will refill them with some of our better wines or cocktails for our next tailgate party. 

https://copadivino.com

NY Tolls

The sign below is one of two on our way on I-90 in New York on our way to Buffalo, a disappointment because we have E-ZPass transponders and it's a hassle, albeit minor, dealing with a bill in our mailbox.  But after a couple of months and no bill, I didn't know what to think or do.  But just before our second trip, I checked our online E-ZPAss account and voila, the charges were there.  While I can't find anything online that will validate me, it looks like New York sent the bill to Ohio first to see if we were E-ZPass customers and when we were, Ohio took care of the charges and debited my account.  So only half of the sign is true; they don't use E-ZPass transponders, but they do take E-ZPass accounts.  Sigh...

Red, White And Blue

We should all know that the stars on the United States flag represent the current fifty states and the red and white stripes the thirteen original colonies.  But do you know why these particular colors were selected?

• Red stands for hardiness and valor
• White symbolizes purity and innocence
• Blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice

The flag is usually displayed from sunrise to sunset, but the locations below fly Old Glory 24 hours a day 

• Fort McHenry, National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore, Maryland
• Flag House Square, Baltimore, Maryland
• United States Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima), Arlington, Virginia
• On the Green of the Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
• The White House, Washington, D.C.
• United States customs ports of entry
• Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge State Park, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

More on the interesting history of our flag can be found at the link below.

https://www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/history/old-glory

10X

At the bottom of the picture below, which appeared for less than a second on a commercial for some humanitarian fundraiser I don't remember, is a line that caught my attention.  I had to "rewind" the commercial to quickly snap the picture. It states your donation "can" be used to get government money and that it "can" multiply its impact by ten times.  I suppose that also means it could be a great waste of money and only benefits grant writers or lobbyists.

What irks me more than anything is the use of the huge "10X" which I'm sure is meant to distract you long enough that you wouldn't notice anything else on the screen before it passed.  When an organization tries this hard to get you to miss what I'm sure a line their lawyers said had to be included, I'm inclined to believe I'm wasting my money on this one.

Am I just getting more distrustful the longer I live, or am I just getting smarter?

Mascarpone Limoncello Pie

If you closed your eyes and tasted the Mascarpone Limoncello Pie pictured below, you could easily mistake it for the best Key Lime Pie ever.  The crust is ground-up toasted pecans and coconut crisp cookies blended with butter and sweetened coconut.  The filling starts by whipping heavy cream to soft peaks and then whisking in mascarpone, condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Limoncello.  The filling and crust are combined and placed in a freezer for at least 3-4 hours.  We're not big dessert eaters, but there wasn't a crumb left.

Argon

Way back when Gourmet Chef Elaine and I were dating, we played trivia with a group of friends at a local watering hole named Bosco's.  One of the questions was "What's the third most gas that makes up air" to which I immediately wrote down "argon".  She looked at me and asked, "How on earth do you know that!?"  Well, I'm a geek, pure and simple, and that was my value to our trivia group.  She brings a vast amount of medical knowledge and each member of the group had their specialties, and we always did well.  

The name "argon" is derived from the Greek word meaning 'lazy' or 'inactive', as a reference to the fact that the element undergoes almost no chemical reactions.  And I just had to buy the coffee mug shown below as a remembrance. 

Android Camera Delay

For those of us smart, lucky, or handsome enough who have Android phones, we also have the option to set a camera delay like I posted yesterday for iPhone folks.  Launch the Camera app and click the gear icon to bring up the screen below.  Like the iPhone, there are the same 3 and 10-second delay options.  Pick one, return to the app, and press the shutter to start the countdown.  That's how it works on my Pixel 7 and that varies on the type of Android phone you have, which is talked about in more detail at the link below.

https://www.alphr.com/set-timer-android-camera

iPhone Camera Delay

Perhaps your fingers are so talented that you can take an arms-length selfie while simultaneously firmly holding your iPhone and pressing the shutter button, but the rest of us are at serious risk of taking a terrible picture or worse, dropping our phone.  After recently witnessing a near-disaster I asked myself if there might be a way to use a countdown timer and avoid pressing the shutter, and sure nuf, there is.  As the link below will explain in more detail, you just launch Camera, tap the up-arrow icon at the top of your screen, and tap the timer icon at the upper right.  That will bring up the screen you see below where you can select either a 3 or 10-second delay.  After tapping the shutter button a timer will count down to zero when your picture is taken.

https://www.howtogeek.com/833693/how-to-use-the-iphone-camera-timer

Locking Your SSN

The recent data security breach at National Public Data exposed 2.9 billion records, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and Social Security numbers—pretty much everybody.  As a result, we created free (I love free) accounts at the three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and froze any access to our credit reports.  In addition, we used the U.S. government's myE-Verify service (link below) to prevent access to our Social Security Numbers, which stops anyone from using your SSN to apply for a job and having their wages reported under our numbers.  

Setting up accounts at the credit agencies is pretty straightforward, but tedious.  Setting up a myE-Verify account requires answering four questions that are designed to prove you are who you say you are and those can be pretty difficult, so I suggest you pull one of your three credit reports and have it available when answering those questions.  

https://myeverify.uscis.gov

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Originally published on March 31, 2017.

This crock pot is filled with pork shoulder, spices, onion, lime juice and a squeezed orange, and then the orange is thrown in to boot. Eight hours later the meat was shredded and broiled to a crisp, then put on tortillas with guacamole, sour cream and cheese. Shortly after that, I was in the most pleasant food coma.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/scottloitsch/carnitas

1977 Dayton River Corridor Classic

Originally published on May 23, 2018.

My first half-marathon was the inaugural Dayton River Corridor Classic, held on the afternoon of Saturday, October 29, 1977.  My pace was about 8:08 per mile over those 13.1 miles and not being used to that kind of distance, I was sore for several days after.  The soreness fades, but being part of Dayton's running history lasts forever.

Mike Leach On Weddings

Originally published on November 29, 2017.

This is a perfect summary of what happens during wedding planning, with some advice on how us men can cope, delivered by Washington State football coach Mike Leach.  Spot on funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGIap2_tmng

Call Me Maurice

Originally published on October 5, 2015.

My most recent t-shirt addition, which a few people might get, is a line from The Steve Miller Band's song "The Joker".  And no, "pompitous", as in the "pompitous of love" is not a real word.

http://www.zazzle.com

WizTree

Originally published on June 20, 2018.

I've been a big WinDirStat fan for years, but WizTree has won me over with its blazing performance, taking a fraction of the time to display every file on a disk drive in the same three-panel format. The graphical display is the best way to find those huge files you once needed but now just take up space.  WizTree is free (I love free), but you can show some love by clicking on the Donate button at the top right.

http://antibody-software.com

Tomato Tart

Originally published on August 11, 2017.

This is better than the best pizza I've ever had, and a lot less work. The choice of cheese is important, and asiago fresco is awesome.  I suggest avoiding a mild cheese like mozzarella. This is best as a summer treat when tomatoes and basil are at their best.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
• Parchment paper
• ⅓ cup of basil pesto 
• 2 cups asiago fresco (or provolone cheese), grated 
• ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons 
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced (9 slices)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt 
• 5-6 basil leaves, sliced thinly

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Place the puff pastry sheet on parchment paper and roll out to 12" x 12"
• Spread a thin layer of the pesto on the puff pastry 
• Sprinkle 2 cups of asiago fresco (or provolone cheese), then the parmesan cheese over the pesto
• Place the tomatoes in a single layer on top
• Grind fresh pepper on top of the tomatoes
• Sprinkle the additional 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese on top of the tomatoes
• Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the puff pastry is puffed and golden brown
• Remove from oven
• Top with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkled sea salt and basil leaves
• Cut into 9 squares

Mom

Originally published on December 21, 2016.

At Christmas, I miss my mother the most.  1985 was our last Christmas together when I was a young man of 30 years.  Hard to believe I've now spent more than half my life without her.

This picture dates back to Mom and Dad's wedding in 1950. She was a beautiful lady, inside and out.

Squeezing Lemons

Originally published on April 16, 2018.

I've always squeezed lemons and other citrus using a press with the fruit pointed down, like pictured at the bottom right.  But while watching Trisha Yearwood's cooking show, in the blink of an eye, I swore I saw her squeeze it upside down.  A quick back-it-up then play-and-pause and sure enough, I see that the fruit should be pointed up instead, like the picture at the bottom left.  A quick test showed that I get about 25% more juice, and a lot less mess, using what seems to me to be the upside-down way of doing this. 

Stratus Helicopters

Originally published on April 19, 2017.

I don't know how this one didn't get into the blog for so long.  Back in October 2016, I had a 45-minute introduction and safety course about helicopters, then climbed aboard this blue two-seater on a beautiful sunny day for the ride of my life. I got to pilot the helicopter for about 15 minutes as we made a big loop around northern Cincinnati.  It's very touchy, but Matt was there to take over in a split second if needed.

He demonstrated during the flight how a helicopter, without engine power, can float down towards the ground, just like a glider. We, fortunately, didn't test out the final part of the maneuver, which would involve pitching the copter nose-up near the ground to kill the forward speed and falling the last few feet. But it's nice to know you can survive and not end up a splotch on the ground.

https://www.stratushelicopters.com