Home Sick

I've loved my vacation, but now going back to the real world. Looking for work. Managing with colder weather, and a stricter diet, and less guidance, is going to be a real pain. Not to mention there's a bunch of things that we will be getting done. Just the nature of the North I guess. I'm going to take a week to get settled and get a few chores done that I left at Minnesota. Then I'll take a week to update my blog, website, and sales channels. Then I don't know what, but it will involve painting the house, planting a garden, and swimming a whole lot.


I've learned something about myself. Air conditioning is annoying to me. I don't have the same annoyance during winter, so it's not the cold that does it. And heat doesn't bug me. It's actually the air conditioning. And I think I know why. I'm much happier in the heat of the day. I guess you could say I'm hot blooded (song aside). I guess I'll be laying out on a lawn chair a lot this summer.


I've bought a lot of Magic the Gathering cards today. And I have mixed feelings. They are really a fragile collectible as far as collectibles go. They have a small resale market, and are prone to creasing and blotching. I have a hard time interesting a die hard Mtg player, and have next to zero interest in my close family. They are kin to baseball cards, poker, and fantasy themes, but don't really capture a broad audience. Now for the positives. They are an entertaining game. Solo, 2-player, and multi-player, they are thousands of hours of fun. The art is spectacular. Unlike anything else really. And they play to the builder in me. Making decks appeals to making something from nothing. Then being able to play with it. It's a hellish hobby when it comes to price. The way that Wizards keeps the game collectible is by changing out cards. Making the price of vintage deck the same as the cost of a used car. A full set of vintage cards today, a new SUV. I do the best with what I have available to me, but the game is more of a hassle than an entertaining game. I will continue to collect, build decks, and play the game. I'm really hoping my hobby gets cheaper.


I'm really excited by the variety of foods that are available. I'm just learning to cook. And I want to be really good at the few dishes I make. I've got a Taco Soup Recipe that is my go-to dish for basing my other recipes on loosely. I've got the beginnings of a Potato Soup Recipe that is simple and should probably stay that way. I like to load it up with salt and pepper to bring the taste out. I've got a Pizza Recipe that is far more advanced than my cooking level, because of "The Art of Pizza Making Trade Secrets and Recipes" by Dominick DeAngelis. I've got a Lime Chicken Recipe that's really just a way of spicing up chicken breast that makes me think of Arizona. I like to keep the recipes simple, and I'm not really sure what my next recipe will be.

Basic Taco Soup Recipe

2 or 3 Pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 Medium Onion Chopped
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Great Northern Beans
1 Can Vegetarian Baked Beans
1 Can Rotel
1 Packet Ranch Seasoning
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Can Corn

Add ingredients to Crock Pot in order listed and let stand, do not stir. Cook on low setting for 6-10 hours. Chicken should be floating at top of Crock Pot. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks. Stir into Crock Pot and serve.

Basic Potato Soup Recipe

1 container half & half

1 cup skim milk

10 potatoes

1 big onion

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

dumplings

2 eggs

½ cup flour

Simmer onion in skim milk add potatoes – boil till almost done – pour in half & half let simmer. Make and add dumplings. Simmer and season to taste.

Basic Pizza Recipe

(Courtesy Dominick DeAngelis book)
Mozzarella based cheese
fresh ingredients to taste

Recipe Removed due to Copyright Considerations.

This page did harbor the recipe for "The Art of Pizza Making" book. Then I realized if I share the recipe nobody has to buy the book. So, I've removed the recipe and this page will be devoted to reviewing slight tweaks to the recipe and book reviews. Basically everything pizza.

First, I would like to thank Dominick for his great book. It expresses principles of pizza making that are beyond the recipe. Thank You.

And, last time I went to the grocery store I picked up Vital Wheat Gluten by Hodgson Mill, I'm hoping it will work as a dough relaxer and improve dough structure. I'm also, increasing the fermentation phase of my version of the recipe. I'll post another picture the next time I make pizza.

Learning to Cook

Lately I've been learning to cook. I'm so excited to finally be filling in this part of my life that I've neglected for so long. I've got 4 recipes that I'm working on that I'll try to share in their entirety sometime.


1) Taco Soup
2) Pizza
3) Deluxe Omelet
4) Potato Soup


I'll dedicate an entire blog entry to each recipe so you can try them at home.