Good Neighbor House

Made a donation this week of towels, blankets and clothes to Good Neighbor House, another of the organizations around Dayton that provide assistance to the less fortunate. As you switch your closets from summer to winter, you always run into items you haven't worn in years and probably never will again. Pack them up and help out your community.

http://goodneighborhouse.org

Turkey Trot #38

This is the 38th year for the Miamisburg (Ohio) Turkey Trot race where 10,000+ brave (some say not-so-nice other things) men and women will make room for an extra helping of turkey and dressing by running and/or walking 5 miles. This year we receive this official 2016 Race Hoodie, a nice upgrade from the usual sweatshirt.

I began running this race back when only a couple hundred serious runners participated and watched it grow over the years into an overflowing mass of folks.  It's still fun, but except for the few who start at the front of the pack, it's more a game of dodge-em than running.

http://orrrc.org/orrrc-turkey-trot/

Mini Stereo Amplifier with Optical SPDIF

We had a older, but awesome, set of wired speakers that we wanted to connect to a TV.  This tiny solution, shown next to a K-cup to gain the proper size perspective, filled to need. Connected the TV's optical audio output to the front and the speaker wires to the back. Only downside is the volume control, which is controlled manually by a wheel on the front.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RXC9VXA

St. Vincent de Paul

We're updating the furniture in the basement, freeing up a couch, end table, lamps and a few other things, all still in good working order, which we donated to St. Vincent de Paul. We moved them to the garage and they loaded them from there.

https://stvincentdayton.org/

Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata

Meyer lemons are smaller and less acidic than your normal variety, but either can be used to make this delicious dish. The capers, those green, salty, pickled flower buds from a caper bush, add a nice punch. Clocks in at just over a half-hour, making it a good choice for a mid-work-week delight.

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/meyer-lemon-chicken-piccata

Jamboard

Google last week introduced Jamboard, a 55-inch 4K collaboration system with a built-in HD camera, speakers and Wi-Fi.  All for under $6,000 plus a G Suite subscription.

https://www.blog.google/products/g-suite/jamboard-whiteboard-reimagined-collaboration-cloud/

Carbon Dioxide To Ethanol

I really wish one of these types of technology would reach mass commercial stage, and this one is at the top of my wish list.  Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have created a process to directly convert carbon dioxide into ethanol with common materials at room temperatures. And like many discoveries, this was an accident.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/green-tech/a23417/convert-co2-into-ethanol/

Cyndi's List

This is a great place to start your genealogical research with its hundreds of thousands of links to hundreds of web sites with historical information on people categorized by geography, religion and numerous others.  It's not limited to people, so if you're searching on obscure topics such as Ireland Dog Licence Registers, you can find links to help you out.

http://www.cyndislist.com/

Tailgate Grill

We're getting towards the end of tailgate season this little grill has served the cause well.  It's a good tradeoff between portability and grill surface.  One person can easily load, unload and setup and I've cooked 8 burgers and 8 hot dogs simultaneously.  It uses those quart-sized propane cylinders and gets plenty hot.  Just need to remember to bring something to handle the grease tray.  Gee, Christmas is just around the corner...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009V1BDA

Bacon Tomato Parmesan Hasselback Chicken

Another version of Hasselback chicken, this one from my imagination.  I love the taste of tomato paste and use it when I make from-scratch pizza in lieu of another sauce.  Add bacon and cheese and you have all the yummy food groups.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

8 bacon strips, cut into 2” long pieces

½ pound block of hard Parmesan cheese, cut into thin 1 ½” wide by ¾” high slices

1 small can of tomato paste

Garlic powder

½ cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Slice across the chicken, about ¾ inch apart, but only cut about 80% of the way through.

3. Cook the bacon over medium heat until about halfway done, then cool enough to handle.

4. Fill the slices in the chicken with tomato paste, then bacon and finally Parmesan.

5. Sprinkle the chicken with garlic powder and top with mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes (or more) until the chicken is completely cooked.