len_mullen

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/

I have no budget constraints, but look for value. I want to use the fuel that produces the best tasting jerky. I'd like to learn more about why you love the pellet smoker, what you smoke in it, and why you want a bigger one. Thanks!

I'd like to get a smoker as well and would appreciate any recommendations/learnings you could share.

Packing my youngest for summer camp tonight and then college when he gets home.

Happy August! It's been a little more than a year since I bought my Excalibur dehydrator and almost two years since the first time I first dried food. At this time, the hum of the dehydrator is simply part of the music of my life. Dried bananas and meat are a staple of my diet. We started drying food after my youngest returned from the 2017 Boy Scouts National Jamboree. He asked me to get some of this awesome beef jerky he discovered at the event. I found out 1) jerky can be very expensive and 2) the stuff you buy is not very good for you. We had a Ronco dryer, so I sliced up some steak, soaked it in a marinade, and dried it out. It was good. We tried a lot of recipes. Then we started drying out other stuff. Did not really like most fruits, but we still dry banana slices, grapes, herbs, and peppers. Eventually, we got a better dehydrator. We have had a lot of fun with the Ronco, but, after using it for most of a year, I decided to spend some money on a bigger model with some features that make dehydrating less labor intense... Back mounted fan Dishwasher safe racks Timer Capacity Square trays Replacement partsThe back mounted fan blows the air evenly across all trays so that there is no need to rotate the shelves every hour. This means I can actually sleep at night. The timer allows me to put a batch in on my way to work. Although spraying with Pam makes the trays pretty easy to clean, I think I may consider firing up the dishwasher to clean nine trays. The back fan also means the bottom is a smooth surface which will be easier to clean. Maybe most important with a nine tray dryer, the back fan means (per reviews) that the smell of one tray doesn't become the taste of another. Square trays are better for drying square stuff like jerky. Excalibur sells stainless replacement trays. I have cracked the cover and one of the trays in my current dehydrator, so replacement is good, and stainless is better. Some stuff that may be of interest to you... https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2785/0788/files/DehydrationGuide07617.pdf?3006800927370232280https://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/type/excalibur_dehydrator_recipes A deli slicer saves a lot of times and yields a better product by allowing more consistent food thickness... https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/chefs-choice-premium-meat-slicer/ Here are some favorite jerky recipes... Ghost Pepper1 lb Round Eye cut 1/8th cross grain1/3 Cup Soy Sauce1/3 Cup Worcestershire1 tbs Onion Powder’1 tbs Garlic Powder1 tsp Smoked Paprika1 tbs Honey2 Whole Ghost PeppersTrim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze. While the meat is in the freezer, combine all other ingredients in a medium bowl or ziplock bag. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for a chewier jerky. Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. A dehydrator was used with this recipe and dried for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. Sweet Heat Sriracha Jerky1 lb Top Round Roast or 1 lb chicken breast1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sriracha sauce 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp granulated garlic 1 tsp salt Instructions Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze While the meat is in the freezer, combine the rice vinegar, sriracha sauce, brown sugar, granulated ginger, granulated garlic, and salt in a medium bowl or ziplock bag Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for a chewier jerky Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade Dry with your favorite jerky making method. A dehydrator was used with this recipe and dried for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half Doc's Best Beef Jerky2 pounds beef round steak, cut into thin strips 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons liquid smoke 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon meat tenderizer 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon paprikaMix soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, brown sugar, salt, pepper, meat tenderizer, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika Add the meat and mix until evenly coated Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for overnight Dry for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in halfThe jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half South Texas Jalapeno Jerky1 lb top round roast or 1 lb chicken breast1 tbsp worcestershire sauce1 tbsp soy sauce1/2 tsp garlic salt1 tsp black pepper1/2 tsp salt1/4 cup water1 diced jalapeno1 tbsp liquid smoke mesquitePick a lean cut of beef and trim off all visible fat. Place the beef in the freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze While the meat is hardening, mix worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic salt, black pepper, salt, water, liquid smoke, and diced jalapeno in a large bowl or container After meat has hardened, but is not fully frozen, slice to 1/4" to 1/8" thick against the grain Soak beef strips in the marinade for 6-24 hours Sprinkle on ground jalapeno pepper Dry for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half Jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half Allow to cool for several hours before storing in air tight containersI make a lot of Ghost Pepper jerky. I buy the peppers already dried off ebay and grind (Magic Bullet) to a powder. I have estimated that an average Ghost Pepper yields 1/2 tsp of powder. Carolina Reaper peppers grind to 3/4 tsp per pepper, but are much hotter than Ghost Peppers, so you should substitute 3/8 tsp of ground Carolina Reaper pepper for a similar flavor and heat. A Jalapeno pepper yields 5/8 tsp of powder. All these conversions were determined by grinding hundreds of peppers, measuring the powder, and dividing powder yield by pepper count... 270.9 tsp of powder divided by 547 ghost peppers equals 0.495 tsp per ghost pepper which I simplify to 1/2 tsp per pepper37 tsp of powder divided by 100 carolina reaper peppers equals 0.370 tsp per carolina reaper pepper which I simplify to 3/8 tsp per pepper48 tsp of powder divided by 70 jalapeno peppers equals 0.686 tsp per jalapeno pepper which I simplify to 3/4 tsp per pepperYou can substitute Tofu for meat in any of the jerky recipes. You'll want to use firm tofu. Some people wrap the tofu in a clean towel and apply a weight to press out the excess moisture. I just cut it thick and dehydrate at a low temperature until enough moisture is removed. Then I marinade over night and paint on excess marinade as the tofu is drying. I did this for my vegan niece, but tofu is more expensive (per yield) and not as tasty as top round roast. Anyone else drying food?

I got a 2018 8" with 32GB for $59.99 from Woot.com a month ago. A couple days later they lowered the price and refunded me $10. How cool is that? I really like the free shipping for Prime members. On Prime Day, I bought a current gen 10" model from Amazon.com for $139.99. I traded in a first gen 7" with a cracked screen that would not take a charge or run off AC. They gave me $5 plus 25% off the 10" unit for that, so the net cost was $139.99 x .75 = $104.99 - $5 credit = $99.99 (never mind 6% back for using my store card).

Crumbed Fish: another easy and tasty air fryer recipe! https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/260624/air-fried-crumbed-fish/ I did this with Cod. Enjoy!

Not at my house

No, but I have a friend who is relentlessly browbeating me about installing a Ring system. His wife LOVES the Ring devices. He loves them too. The thing is I never actually answer the door. Still < $100 is tempting...

If anyone bought a Recast, I am looking for a volunteer to attempt to do initial configuration with the Bluestacks Emulator before using an android or IOS device. https://www.bluestacks.com/

And I thought it was HanShOtFirst... I bought a... 4k Fire TV Stick plus an Echo Dot for $21.99$25 gift card for the $5 credit10" Fire HD Tablet for $99.99 minus a 25% discount for a trade in4k Fire TV Stick for $24.99 I had the $400 75" TCL Roku TV from Best Buy in my cart, but could not pull the trigger. I would have been all over the $179.99 Recast had I not already bought one for $229.99 last sale. I am still talking myself out of the Ring doorbell at $99.99. I still may get the $4.99 smart plug and the $4.95 LED four pack. $69.99 for the FTV Cube is a great deal. Ditto on the $20 Echo Connect. (Got one, love it!) The $14.99 128GB Sandisk micro USB thumb drive was a great deal. Great way to do automated back ups of a laptop -- any PC, but especially a laptop... Schedule SyncToy Sync Task in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8 or Windows 7 In Windows Windows Vista or Windows 7, click on the Start menu, then select All Programs – Accessories – System Tools – Task Scheduler. In Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, search for Task Scheduler. In Windows 10, you can also click or tap on Start -> Windows Administrator Tools -> Task Scheduler. Click on Create Basic Task in the “Actions” pane on the right. In the “Create Basic Task Wizard”, type in a Name and Description. For example, SyncToy Synchronization. Click on Next button. Choose the frequency of when do you want the task to start. If you always make changes to the files, Daily is a good choice. Click on Next button. Choose date and times (if applicable) to trigger and run the task. Click on Next button. In the “Action” step, select Start a Program as the option for the task to perform. Click on Next button. Under “Program/Script”, click on Browse button and locate the SyncToyCmd.exe. Normally it’s located in “C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1/SyncToyCmd.exe” for SyncToy 2.1. In the “Add Arguments” textbox, type -R. –R will run all folder pairs that are active for run all. If you want to run just a single folder pair, add –R”folder pair name” to the end of the command line. Note: there is a space before the hyphen but not one after the R. If the folder pair name contains a space, surround it with quotation marks, as the example above shows. For another example, assume that SyncToy is in the folder named C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.0\ and that you want to run a folder pair named “My folder pair.” Enter the command line as follows, including the quotation marks: “C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.0\SyncToyCmd.exe” -R”My folder pair.” Note that there are two sets of quotation marks in this case: one is around the path to the SyncToy program file and the other surrounds the folder pair name.

Tater tots in the Air Fryer tonight. Best I've ever had. Spray the basket with oil Cover the bottom of the basket with tater tots Cook at 400 F for five minutes Shake basket Cook for five minutes Serve