Finally Tried An Original at Tommy Pastrami

The address I had was in Santa Ana but I never found that store. Instead, I found the one on Irvine Center Drive. It was a tasty sandwich and I really enjoyed. The rye bread was phenomenal. The meat was tasty, too. I think it’s a toss up between The Hat and Tommy Pastrami. I guess I’ll have to eat at both again to compare and decide which I like better. It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it. It may as well be me. Yummy!

See more progress on: Eat an Original Pastrami at Tommy Pastrami (http://www.ocweekly.com/2008-10-23/food/tommys/)

Made a demo podcast

I got an idea of a podcast I might be able to do with a friend. I put together some theme music that I think is cool. I made a demo last night to give him a sense of what it might be like. My microphone is terrible. I need to get my better equipment out and record with that instead. So maybe, just maybe, I’m actually doing something to accomplish the goal of creating a podcast in my list of (not quite) 43 things.

See more progress on: Create a podcast that is actually worth listening to

How to make pumpkin pie!

"Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got homemade pumpkin pie in my tummy."

How I did it: I got 4 smallish pumpkins (6 to 8 inches in diameter).  I removed the stem, cut them in half, removed the pumpkin guts, and put them innards down on a cookie sheet.  I had covered the cookie sheet with aluminum foil to keep them from staining the sheets and I let the pumpkin skin take the heat.  I baked them at 350 degress like baked potatoes for almost an hour.  I pulled them out when they were soft and peeled the skin off.  I got about 8 cups of mashed pumpkin.  From there I followed the recipe in a cook book using store bought pie crusts.

Lessons & tips: Bake the pumpkin - don't boil it.  Boiling makes the pumpkin too wet.

Resources: Aluminum foil and a cook book.

It took me 3 days.

It made me happy.

See more progress on: Make pumpkin pie!

Learn to cook - Now!

I just read an interesting article from Britian on Reuters titled, "We can't cook for a downturn, chef says".  According to the article, the Brits have forgotten how to cook meals at home and in the economic downturn they're turning to Fast Food because that's the only way they know how to feed their families for less.  Now they want to appoint a "Minister of Food" to work out policies to teach people to cook and to open government sponsored food centers.  Scary.  I'm glad I know how to cook some things - I made* three pumpkin pies from actual pumpkins yesterday.  I'll taste them tonight.

* I did cheat and use a store bought pie crust.  I guess learning to make pie crusts is my next kitchen lesson.  I'll add that to my 43 things.

Fishing Trip

Another thing to do on my life’s list…

Grab a charter fishing trip that goes overnight or even better, Friday night to Sunday night. I hope to put some Tuna steaks in the freezer. Yumm, yumm.

See more progress on: Overnight or Weekend long fishing trip

Boxes! Sheesh.

Boxes, boxes, boxes. Boxes everywhere. Boxes in the Living Room. Boxes in the Garage. Boxes in the Kitchen, Dining Room, and Office. Boxes in the Guest Room, the Master Bedroom, and the Master Retreat. Boxes are even outside. But no boxes in the Bathroom. Boxes in the closets. Working on emptying EVERY box this time.

See more progress on: Empty EVERY box from the last move

Bake Pumpkin Pie

We got 4 baking pumpkins at the store yesterday. Now I need to turn them into at least three pumpkin pies. One for eating now, one for eating on the next campout, and one for Thanksgiving. I’m the only one that eats pumpkin pie in our house so I have to eat the WHOLE pie before it gets moldy. It’s a tough task but someone has to do it!

See more progress on: Make pumpkin pie!

Alaska

I've always thought it would be way cool to be far enough north in Alaska (or anywhere I suppose) to be able to experience a 24 hour period where the sun never sets (mid-summer) and a 24 hour period where the sun never rises (mid-winter). Image a day with no night or no day. What is that like?

See more progress on: Go to Alaska for a 24 hour "day" and a 24 hour "night"