len_mullen

For those who purchased Air Fryers last year, here is a really good recipe for steak. Probably the BEST thing I have cooked in my air fryer to date. From https://www.myforkinglife.com/perfect-air-fryer-steak-with-garlic-herb-butter/ Perfect Air Fryer Steak Perfect juicy air fryer steak. Ingredients Steak2 8 oz Ribeye steaksaltfreshly cracked black pepperolive oilGarlic Butter1 stick unsalted butter softened2 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped2 tsp garlic minced1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce1/2 tsp saltInstructionsPrepare Garlic Butter by mixing butter, parsley garlic, worcestershire sauce, and salt until thoroughly combined. Place in parchment paper and roll into a log. Refrigerate until ready to use. Remove steak from fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Rub a little bit of olive oil on both side of the steak and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Grease your Air Fryer basket by rubbing a little bit of oil on the basket. Preheat Air Fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, place steaks in air fryer and cook for 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from air fryer and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Top with garlic butter.How I made it better First, I simply mixed and served the garlic butter in a small bowl. It was AWESOME. I served the rib eye with green beans and grilled potato wedges seasoned with a cayenne pepper. The garlic butter melted on the steak and ran into the potato wedges and the green beans. Mouth watering. I only cooked the steak for four minutes on each side. Of course, the thickness of the steak will dictate cook time, but my 5/8" steak was pink and warm after preheating for two minutes and cooking four minutes on each side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk

Gotta beat those tariffs!

As I acclimate myself to the kitchen, I am always in search of a better way. I value versatility and ease of use -- which includes easy cleaning. I inherited a plethora of slice and chop gadgets, but, as I slice, chop, frate, and mix more frequently, I find myself a little dissatisfied with 1) the performance of the devices, 2) cleanup, and 3) storage. I decided to get one device to do these things better than the others. I think (hope) that device is a food processor and believe the best value in a food processor is the Cuisinart DFP-14BCWNY... https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-2941880 The DFP-14BCWNY is on sale for $199.99 at Kohls compared to $159.99 at Amazon, but Kohls has promotions, right? After $10 off for code 'LABORDAY' and 20% off for code 'POPCORN20', the price drops to $151.99. You get $30 in Kohls Cash plus $5 more if you pick up the food processor in the store for a net cost of $116.99. Amazon Prime Card holders get 5% back. But another rewards program pays 6% back at Kohls today. I found this at Kohls trying to get good value for $50 in Kohls Cash which was about to expire, so my math was a little different -- $199.99 - $50 - $10 = $139.99 x 0.8 = $111.99. Only got $25 in Kohls Cash and 6% in other cash backwhich nets to $80.27. I may have to spend my Kohls Cash on some of those throws you guys are always raving about. With my youngest off to school, I have a feeling the house is going to be a lot cooler this winter! One of the things I liked about the DFP-14BCWNY is that you can buy additional/replacement blades. I also like that it kneads dough. Sometimes I just don't want to put pants on to get a frozen pie crust. The manual is here... https://www.cuisinart.com/share/pdf/manuals/dfp-14bcny.pdf Here are some reviews... I always start at consumersearch.com. It's a 'meta-review' site that analyzes other reviews (professional and consumer) and makes a summary recommendation. Consumersearch.com had this to say of the DFP-14BCNY: If you're like most people, you'll probably only use a few basic attachments with your food processor, which is why the Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY (Est. $200) is our top pick. It has a generous, 14-cup capacity and is simple but versatile enough for most kitchens. The DFP-14BCNY includes a chopping blade and discs for slicing and grating. Although it does not include a smaller bowl, in professional tests its well-designed blades were able to handle even small quantities without splattering or pulverizing them. If you need more tools, additional attachments are available for this Cuisinart so you can customize it to your needs. In fact, this food processor is also often referred to as the Cuisinart Custom. The Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY is the top pick at Wirecutter, Reviews.com, Top Ten Reviews, and at a well-respected professional test kitchen; it's also the budget pick at Serious Eats. In testing the DFP-14BCNY performs very well in every job it's given, getting particular kudos for handling pie crust and cookie dough -- two very tough tasks for a food processor. However, it also gets top marks for chopping vegetables, pureeing, shredding, slicing and grinding. It's worth noting, though, that to process larger, bulkier items, you will need to first chop them into manageable pieces so that they fit into the feed tube. Wirecutter was effusive: For the fourth year in a row, we think the reasonably priced Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor is best for most people. It excelled at every chopping and shredding task we attempted. In fact, the Cuisinart Custom does everything that a great food processor should without any unnecessary extras—yet it works as well as or better than costly machines with multiple bowls and more attachments. Unlike some other models we tested, the Cuisinart Custom’s base remained in place while running, even when processing double batches of dough. The Cuisinart Custom comes with just the right number of blades and disks, too, all of which can conveniently stow inside the mixing bowl. And the Cuisinart Custom was among the easiest models to clean. America's Test Kitchen: We still recommend the Cuisinart Custom 14 Cup Food Processor—a powerful, affordable workhorse that produces steller results every time. For the past 2 years we've stocked over two dozen of these food processors in our test kitchen, where they receive extended daily use. Aside from a recall on the blade for older models (more information below), we've found this food processor to be durable, reliable, and consistent. Serious Eats: While this classic from Cuisinart is far from the cheapest machine on the market, it's as inexpensive as we're willing to recommend based on our tests. At about half the cost of larger, 16-cup models, it handles the basics with ease, efficiently grating semi-firm and hard cheeses, pulling doughs together—despite not having a specialty blade—and slicing potatoes and tomatoes without destroying them. But seeing is believing and YouTube is chock full of hands on reviews... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZBn_ZMHLMU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuo3UQdaxZQ (compared to the more expensive food processors) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqirMYIaFB4 (atk summary)

Not ready to make my 'official' September post, but I did want to share a new recipe. No air fryer this time. This is a flat out unhealthy recommendation that you eat food fried in oil. We only break out the deep fryer about once every two months. When we do, I fry all day. Actually, for a couple days, usually. This week, I fried chicken Thursday and everything else Saturday. It started with deep fried potatoes and banana fritters with breakfast. Then I made potato chips. For dinner, we had onion rings, fried scallops, and fried shrimp -- with a salad to ease the conscience. I just deep fried some sliced ham (yes, I sliced it myself) and another batch of potato chips. Here is the recipe I used to batter the shrimp, scallops, onions, and ham... Fried Clams, New England StyleIngredients1 pound shucked clams cherrystones, littlenecks, or Western littlenecks or Manila clams1 cup corn flour, as in "fish fry" mix1 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon of salt1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper1/2 teaspoon cayenne1 cup buttermilk or evaporated milkoil for fryingInstructionsPick through the clams to make sure there are no bits of shell or obvious grit. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Submerge the clams in buttermilk. Preheat the oven to 200ºF and put a rack set over a baking sheet inside the oven. Heat enough oil to float the clams, about a quart or so. What oil? Anything you feel like, but I prefer peanut oil or, well... fresh lard. You want the oil hot, about 360ºF. When the oil is almost ready, coat a few clams in the breading. Don't do more than your fryer can handle in one batch, as you want the clams to go right from breading into the fryer. If you want super-extra crispy clams, dip the breaded clams back in the buttermilk and again in the breading; I think this is too much, but some people like them that way.Fry the clams until they are golden brown, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Move them to the rack in the oven and repeat with the remaining clams -- make sure the oil gets back up to temperature between batches. Serve with homemade tartar sauce, malt vinegar, remoulade, ketchup or hot sauce.BTW, I have been copying my recipes to a free blog so that I can look at them using Alexa on my Echo Show. It's a work in progress, but here is the link... https://lencancook.food.blog/

When I was in school, I worked at Zayre's Department Store. They had free, year round layaway. They also gave 10% off rain check items, 10% employee discount, and an additional 10% off for employees before Christmas. All year long, I bought out of stock sale items to get the rain check price, put them on layaway, and paid for everything just before Christmas for a cumulative discount of 27% off the sale price. Zayre's was the first place I got a rebate and the only place I ever worked Thanksgiving.

Stopped into my local Staples this weekend. I approached the manager to discuss the changes to the Rewards program. He was completely unaware of the changes. BUT, he assured me that he could make online orders on my behalf if they did not stock an item and apply my rewards to the sale. Crappy company with great employees.

Been waking up to mid-40s this week. Could see my breath one morning. LOVE IT!

I live in a bedroom community just a little distant from everything. A company proposed a project that included an assisted living complex with a pharmacy, a clinic, and 'other retailers'. At the time, my wife was traveling an hour for dialysis. I hoped that would be available locally. Never happened, but I think this is the future of local retail outlets and I am looking forward to it. Maybe a little related, EVERY grocer in my area is offering delivery. When I finally give up my license, I will not go hungry!

I think it's a great idea to repurpose these buildings as service areas specializing in things difficult to do over the internet.

My youngest moves onto campus in two weeks. I have some anxiety, some excitement, but no sadness. Looking forward to pants-optional-EVERYDAY! (the dog doesn't care...has never worn pants himself)

I have had an amazing relationship with Staples for more than 30 years. They probably do not feel the same way. Between ink recycling, Discover Cash Back gift cards, and all of their Free-After-Rewards events, I have accumulated more stationary products than I care to remember. Almost all of my printers have come from Staples. Most years, Staples was my first stop on Black Friday. In fact, I got to know a lot of people very well waiting in line outside Staples on Black Friday. Sitting here in my nest, I am staring at a pair of monitors that came from Staples, using a PC I bought at Staples, and printing to two printers purchased at Staples. That PC is tethered to 30t of disks -- all from Staples. When my youngest moves on to campus in two weeks, we will unbox a new HP all-in-one from Staples. He will take a box of Staples paper and ink accumulated keeping my Staples rewards rolling in. But the various deals I have enjoyed as a Staples Rewards Member are fading away. Instead of getting $50 for $25 in Discover Cash Back, we get $30 for $25. Gift cards are limited to five per purchase. Coupons and events are all but gone and the exemptions in the fine print hurt my eyes. No more price matching. The stores only carry a small selection of the items on the web site. The web site is awful. I am getting ready to upgrade the desktop in my nest. I found the following parts... https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-B360-H-Optane-Motherboard/dp/B07CN9V7H4https://www.staples.com/intel-core-i5-8600-desktop-processor-3-1-ghz-hexa-core-9mb-cache-bx80684i58600/product_IM12PQ426https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F6B1CVF/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 The board has six SATA ports and tw m2 slots. It comes with Optane which is just a small ssd for OS files. That leaves one sata port for an optical drive and five more for data. I have $230 in Staples Rewards and gift cards (via Discover Cashback), so my OOP for the CPU will be $21 ($13.50 after 3% cash back). Board and memory will cost me $195 ($185 after 5% cash back). <$200 for a fairly spectacular upgrade to a six year old CPU, more and faster memory, and more efficient computer. Of course, I looked for the system board and memory on Staples.com (stores carry none of these parts). The memory was significantly more expensive and the system board was a lesser model for the same money. CPU was a good deal, but Staples no longer accepts Rewards online and the stores do not stock CPUs. BTW, I had to chat with a CSR to find out that Rewards are only accepted in store. Their pathetic web site simply told me the coupon did not exist. Tomorrow, I will stop at my local Staples to see if they have one of these in stock... https://www.staples.com/HP-HP27SC1-27-Curved-LED-Monitor/product_2720259 So I can burn some Rewards and gift cards. I will get my CPU at Newegg or Amazon. I will stop redeeming my Discover Cash Back for Staples gift cards. I will have one less reason to get up early on Black Friday.

Who is left, Brad? We need to have a watch list for September -- everyone is fully engaged come October.

That price translates to about $10/lb of very tasty, very healthy jerky ignoring my labor.

Black Friday In August. Yes. I said it. Just picked up a pair of 1-1/4 HP Equivalent Corner to Corner LED Lighting Ultra-Quiet Belt Drive Smart Garage Door Opener with Battery Backup for $75 each. Loaded up on Top Round Roast at Market Basket at $1.99. Crazy good deal for people who make beef jerky. Just make sure the cuts are LEAN! Marbled is great for shaved steak or a roast for dinner, but no fat for jerky. Brad who is still in the club?

The answer is, "Why, yes I am. Why do you ask?" Always.

Surprised Salem, NH is not on that list. Hopeless for decades, empty for years. Last time I was in there (on the way to another store), I passed by a table of nice shirts with a sign which read 'marked down' -- no prices, no percentages. When I finally found a cashier, the price was outstanding. I got a bunch and went to the checkout. There were two behind me in line (the cashier may have been the only other person in the building). As she processed my order, one of the two asked me where I found the shirts then both left to plunder the table. That table was right at the entrance to the mall. Imagine if one of the employees had thought to post a sign with price information? If Amazon did not post prices, I would not shop there either!

Get the GPS coordinates of the antenna location and PM them to me. There are lots of free apps for most smart phones that will get this for you. I'll take a look and see what I think of your situation. If you do not have a GPS, just send me your street address.

Ever watch someone enjoy television on a phone? Tablet? Me either. If my phone had a 55" screen, maybe, but squinting at a two inch screen is not for me. I have to admit that I often 'listen' to television on an Echo Show, but that is not the same. There are a couple places where I like to watch television which are not practical locations for a TV. One is my deck. When the insects go away and the evenings are cooler, I will sit outside with an adult beverage and watch a football game from time to time. Another is my whirlpool tub. I can soak through a movie. The Recast/FTV Stick combo put my antenna on my deck and in my tub. I used to content myself with a portable 15" television, but my aren't what they used to be. This morning I mounted a 43" Samsung plasma on mobile TV cart. Totally wireless except for the TV power and very portable.

Funny the things we don't remember!

Pluto is surprisingly complimentary to OTA and Philo. Check out the channel lineups here... https://freetvforme.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/amazon-prime-something-for-everyone/

^^^ I think we need to add a 'don't like' button, Brad. I do, however, feel this year is flying by.

August is when I start thinking about Black Friday -- usually towards the end of the month. I start catching up in here, working on my haikus, making lists, and consuming reviews and 'best prices'. This thread is completely social and not related to BF for me.

Thanks for the link!

Wow! Thank you! I have a lot of work to do, but you moved me from thinking about smokers to looking at pellet smokers. I agree the season for deals is imminent. No nearby RKs in New Hampshire, but a lot of places sell a lot of smokers. What do you think of this list of 'inexpensive' pellet smokers? https://furiousgrill.com/best-pellet-smokers-reviews/