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GottaDEAL 2019 Black Friday Prize Club Posting Thread

Brad

By Brad
in 2019

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bluebear

bluebear

Posted
Posted

I bought 4 last night. Even paying shipping they were just a little over $9, close enough to BF to know those are bought! And that I won't miss out on those prints.

 

"I cannot buy another Kohl's throw, I cannot buy another Kohl's throw, I cannot buy another Kohl's throw"...……..I've already started this on constant repeat in my head. I still have one left over from last year that I never gifted or opened. :)

  • Like 2
Gator Pam

Gator Pam

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm uncertain as to where to post this on the forum, so decided to do so here...

 

Is anyone else a fan of Olive Garden's Never Ending Pasta Pass? OG posted on their Facebook page today, apparently with cryptic hints regarding it to be sleuthed out. I'm terrible at that sort of thing, but I think they're hinting at 24K passes being available on August 15th at 2:00. Since there is what I think is a University of Central Florida pennant on the wall, I'm guessing it means eastern time.

 

...but, this is strictly my guess. If anyone else is better at deciphering this sort of thing, please take a look and let us know?

Edited by Gator Pam
tyreejames

tyreejames

Posted
Posted (edited)
Well since I’m still up, Happy August!! I am so ready for fall. So far, this summer has been heat and torrential storms in South Jersey. Almost done w/ school shopping and I have already brought a Christmas present [emoji320] Edited by tyreejames
  • Like 4
len_mullen

len_mullen

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

Ten months, ten topics...

  1. Feb: CES 2019 should give us some ideas about what Black Friday 2019 will be all about.  A review of what they hope we'll buy.
  2. March: Best Air Fryer recipes/uses.  Going to try a blooming onion tomorrow.  Jury is still out on this counter top wonder.
  3. Apr: In 1999, I took a job in a group called Architecture Technology Organization (aka ATO).  These were all the geeks and those who managed them.  On my first day on the job, I learned about X10.  Within a couple weeks, I was living in a smart home.  Not a lot of X10 in my house these days, but the house is even smarter thanks to Alexa.  Some thoughts on getting started with automation.
  4. May: In May of 2010 I fired Comcast.  A lot has changed over nine years.  This is how I would cut the cord in 2019...
  5. Jun: Cash back for dummies.  Best credit cards and loyalty programs for people who do not want miles.
  6. Jul: Prime Day Primer.
  7. Aug: Drying food on purpose.
  8. Sep: Televisions.
  9. Oct: Laptops.
  10. Nov: Time to talk about Black Friday 2019!

 

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...

  1. Back mounted fan
  2. Dishwasher safe racks
  3. Timer
  4. Capacity
  5. Square trays
  6. Replacement parts
The 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...
 

 

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 Pepper
  • 1 lb Round Eye cut 1/8th cross grain
  • 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/3 Cup Worcestershire
  • 1 tbs Onion Powder’
  • 1 tbs Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tbs Honey
  • 2 Whole Ghost Peppers
  1. Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze. 
  2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine all other ingredients in a medium bowl or ziplock bag. 
  3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for a chewier jerky.  
  4. Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator. 
  5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade.
  6. 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. 
  7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. 
 
Sweet Heat Sriracha Jerky
  • 1 lb Top Round Roast or 1 lb chicken breast
  • 1/2 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 
  1. Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze
  2. 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
  3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for a chewier jerky
  4. Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator
  5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade
  6. 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
  7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half
 
Doc's Best Beef Jerky
  • 2 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 paprika
  1. Mix soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, brown sugar, salt, pepper, meat tenderizer, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
  2. Add the meat and mix until evenly coated
  3. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for overnight
  4. Dry for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees
  5. 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 Jerky
  • 1 lb top round roast or 1 lb chicken breast
  • 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 diced jalapeno
  • 1 tbsp liquid smoke mesquite
  1. Pick 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
  2. 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
  3. After meat has hardened, but is not fully frozen, slice to 1/4" to 1/8" thick against the grain
  4. Soak beef strips in the marinade for 6-24 hours
  5. Sprinkle on ground jalapeno pepper
  6. Dry for 1 hour at 160 degrees and an additional 3 hours at 145 degrees
  7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half
  8. Jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half
  9. Allow to cool for several hours before storing in air tight containers

I 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 pepper
  • 37 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 pepper
  • 48 tsp of powder divided by 70 jalapeno peppers equals 0.686 tsp per jalapeno pepper which I simplify to 3/4 tsp per pepper
You 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?
Edited by len_mullen
  • Like 5
bluebear

bluebear

Posted
Posted
Happy August. Not only is today the first day for my school system, but it's also move in day for my youngest for college. The first day of school was about the worst day to have to be off. That just means a lot of catching up tomorrow!
  • Like 1
Kash

Kash

Posted
Posted

August already?!?! Wow.  Hoping today is better than yesterday. My wallet (which I normally never carry one) was taken out of the basket at the store.  Not, much cash in it.  But, boy what a pain in the you know what to cancel all the cards and replace them and my DL and stuff. UGH!!! If ever I wanted Karma to be true it would be on whoever took it and gave me this mountain of stuff to do today.  Hope the $21 was worth it. 

 

 

that means it need company so it’s not lonely. You need at least one more then.

 

I agree!

 

I'm uncertain as to where to post this on the forum, so decided to do so here...

Is anyone else a fan of Olive Garden's Never Ending Pasta Pass? OG posted on their Facebook page today, apparently with cryptic hints regarding it to be sleuthed out. I'm terrible at that sort of thing, but I think they're hinting at 24K passes being available on August 15th at 2:00. Since there is what I think is a University of Central Florida pennant on the wall, I'm guessing it means eastern time.

...but, this is strictly my guess. If anyone else is better at deciphering this sort of thing, please take a look and let us know?

 

I'm not on facebook. But, if you post a pic here maybe someone can help figure out what they mean.

  • Like 1
bossy1

bossy1

Posted
Posted

Wow August !! It's the first time in 28 years I haven't had a child heading off to grade,middle or high school. The "baby" starts college at end of month.This feels so strange, GOOD but strange....LOL

  • Like 5
Gator Pam

Gator Pam

Posted
Posted

Rabbit!

Rabbit!

Rabbit!

 

len, I haven't tried drying food, but have always been curious. Do most recipes include sugar or honey? Would an artificial sweetener work instead?

  • Like 1
giz

giz

Posted
Posted
Heading outside to mow and work in my beds.. those weeds won't pick themselves. ;-) Hope everyone has a great August.
berry1014

berry1014

Posted
Posted

Another month closer to BF and those leaked ads.. My kids do not back to school for another month so we still have some time left to finish up the back to school shopping.

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