New Year's Eve Dinner

Have a safe and fun night everyone. As for me, I will be digesting this.

Pictures courtesy of the Boy over at Guns & Coffee.

Bike Rack

As mentioned before, I made a bike rack for the porch today. I was looking for a cheap-o way to tidy up the porch. All the similar floor racks at the home improvement and big box stores were at least $50. I whipped up this for around $20, a little elbow grease, and under two hours worth of time. One could easily complete it in under an hour if power tools were involved.

The rack could easily be transferred from porch, to bed of a pickup truck, to campsite, etc. It's made from PVC pipe and pipe fittings.

A person could add sand or similar to the pipes after construction to make a little more sturdy. You can adjust the spacing pieces as needed to accommodate different tire widths. Bikes can go in front wheel or back wheel first. I find the drop bar bikes fit better when being backed in.

Works great so far (kitten tested, mother approved). Still debating if it needs a coat or two of green paint because green is a good color.

4 little bikes, all in a row.

Here's your parts list:

          30 feet 3/4" PVC pipe
          26 T-connectors
          6   90-degree elbows
          PVC cement (optional)

The cut pieces will be:
          8 - 18.5 inch
          18 – 9.5inch
          8 - 8.5 inch
          12 - 2 inch

Assemble the frame as pictured below. This was adapted from Utah Mountain Biking's plan, found here. They suggest using bungees to secure bikes if transporting in a truck. This plan also includes instructions on a 3 slot rack and how the 5 slot rack can be used to transport 5 bikes in a pickup bed. 

Unloaded and ready for action. 

Mountain bike with 2" tires and Park bike with 2.5" tires. 

The drop bar handles fit best when backed in. 

Weekend Projects

The Task:  Do the weekend projects I've been meaning to.
The Timeline:  Everything needs to be done by 3pm on Sunday.
The List:
- Bake cranberry orange muffins *check* (10am on Saturday)
- Make a four bike rack out of PVC *check* (3pm on Saturday)
- Clean up the porch *check* (3:30pm on Saturday)
- Organize the storage room. (I plead the 5th)

If no one hears from me by 3pm on Sunday send the search party!

November 1st, 2011

Newsflash to businesses. Not allowing concealed carry in your store will only make it easier for bad guys to be bad guys. They will see the little sign that says "No Firearms" and know they can get away with trying to or successfully robbing your business without the worry that a good samaritan will do something about it. Sure, you can call the cops, but what happens when they are in transit?

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

That's all.

Please and Thank You -- Where did it go?

Today is Trick-Or-Treat day in my town. Halloween was always a favorite holiday growing up. Getting dressed up, going around the neighborhood and taking stock of the loot.

It doesn't seem like Halloween hold the same for the kiddos that stopped by my door. Just now I had some kids stop by.  I have a deck with a doorbell that leads to enclosed porch. I was standing in the kitchen and could hear the kids on the deck. It sounded like they knocked but I wasn't sure. They got mad and were about to leave when they saw the door bell. *Ding Dong*

I grabbed the candy and went to the door. I opened the door and the girls just stood there. No trick or treat, no hello. The three girls just stood there.  I asked them what do you say and they just stood there. One finally said trick or treat. One of the other's asked how many pieces she could have (???). As they left (no thank yous) I said You're welcome!  The girls just took a hand full of wet leaves the threw them at the house....

On a plus side, as I was writing this a Cat Fairy stopped by my house. Was super excited for Halloween and very appreciative. She was so cute, she got two pieces of candy!  I guess the Halloween spirit does still exist.

You can learn new tricks when sick.

Like VapoRub makes a great overnight pedi. Slather on feet, put on fuzzy socks and sleep. In the morning super soft footsies await!

Thought of the Day

"We are all a little weird and life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible to ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."


- Dr. Seuss

5 Reasons Why Tactical Boyfriends Rock

So the other day we went to a local drinking establishment to watch the Brewers game. At some point I dropped my sunglasses under the bar. I asked The Boy if he had his flashlight on him. At that moment I realized how nice a tactical boyfriend is to have on hand. Here are some of the top reasons:

5. When looking for your sunglasses in a dark bar you can ask for the pen light in his pants pocket.
4. Asking the boy for the pocket knife is way easier than finding the one burred in your purse.
3. Because of the built-in GPS, they always seem to know where you left your keys.
2. No matter what multitool is within arms reach it will always have a bottle opener.
1. Carrying a purse everywhere is not longer needed due to cargo pants that have pockets inside, the pockets, inside the pockets.

It's Done!

Still needs to heal a bit, but here it is. It looks a little funny due to reflections on the lotion. Once it's healed up it will look perfect.  I think the boy's hand survived...

Why I Will Get My CCW License

Wisconsin recently joined 48 other states and made concealed carry of firearms legal as of November 1st. I am all for the option and support the law. As the boy puts it

"Its like a fire extinguisher. I hope I never have to use it but want it there just in case."

This has special meaning to me. About a month before I moved back to Wisconsin from the Washington DC area, I was a victim of a break in an attempted sexual assault. I was alone in my locked apartment in seemingly safe McLean, VA. My work sent me home early (around 2 pm) and I fell asleep while watching TV.  I heard what I thought was my roommate coming home. The next thing I know, I was dragged from the couch and the guy tried taking off my PJ pants.

Instinct set in and I screamed as loud as I could. The guy took off running. One of my neighbors on the 3rd floor heard my screams and saw the intruder take off on foot.

The neighbor told the police the guy had been casing the apartment complex, and specifically our building, for the past few weeks. The indtruder broke my roommates window, which right next to the enterance of the building and in full view of the parking lot. Nothing was stolen. The police think he was after something in my roommate's room but heard the TV and went looking.

He was never caught and the police have closed the investigation.

I share this, hoping that others might learn from it.  There was nothing else I could do to be any safer in the apartment at the time. Both the deadbolt and chain where locked in place. My roommate even had a deadbolt on her room door. In all normal logical situations I was safe. Criminals do not follow logic. Broad daylight, right near the entrance, and using a pry bar to break the window.

Back to the fire extinguisher example. I doubt I will ever carry, whether is it open or concealed, but I will go through a course and get my license. I want to learn the right way stay safe, just in case. The break in, almost 3 years ago, has taught me it's better to safe, than sorry.

Seven Years Later...

.... and I finally got my tattoo.

Its a stylized version of an Ovation Custom Legend C2079AX. I swear this was my dad's most prized material possession. Possibly Ever. A week from now marks seven years since the last time I saw my dad.  

The actual guitar is now on indefinite loan to my Bonus Dad (non-religious Godparent-Type-Person). It sounds too good to sit in a case and he's in the same band that Dad was in. Dad makes his presence felt with a broken string, feedback, or a battery for the internal electronics dying during the closing song of Behind Blue Eyes. Its quite hilarious and all us "groupies" know exactly what is going on.

The tattoo is not quite done yet. It will be shaded with various blues in a starburst pattern. Jonah at Monkey Wrench in Stevens Point does awesome work. More pictures to come. 

Caprese My Way

This warm summery day started with a walk to the local farmers market on the newly re-vamped downtown square in my hometown.  The Mennonite stand had some heirloom tomatoes. *POP* My craving for the classic caprese salad of mozzarella, basil and of course, tomatoes started.

When I got home I took stock of the fridge and had everything but the mozzarella.  Go to the store and come back with Red Bell Peppers too, since they were on sale. I started making it and got a little carried away...  A classic Summer Lunch. For all you bacon or chicken lovers, you can easily add that to make it even better. The recipe is below photo.

Caprese My Way

1-2 T of Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar  (or less if high quality)

2 Large garlic cloves, minced or crushed

Salt and Pepper to Taste

3 tomatoes chopped into 1 inch chunks and seaded
1 cup of Red Bell, 1/2 inch chop
1 handfull of fresh basil, ripped
1/4 of an onion, sliced thin
1 cup spinach, ripped
1/2 Fresh Mozzarella Ball, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
1 stale ciabatta role (hamburger bun size), ripped or cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

Combine Olive Oil, Garlic, Balsamic, Salt and Peper in a large bowl. Add everything but the bread. Let sit for 1/2 hour. Add Bread. Let sit 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Father's Day Ice Cream - In honor of my Daddy.

Today is Father's Day. Most people will be spending it with the man that gave them life.  I am one of those who will not be spending it with my daddy.  He passed away in a car accident 7 years ago this August.
** Side note:  People please wear your seat belts. If my dad had, he would still be with us.**
We were very close so every Father's Day I try to do something that we would have done together.  This could be go fishing, watch the Brewer game on TV or the like. This year I decided to make Ice Cream.

Growing up we would always make ice cream from scratch. Sometimes it would be fresh strawberry using the strawberries we got my mom for Mother's day. Other times it would plain jane vanilla or chocolate. Today I decided on combining his favorite cake with ice cream and came up with a modified Black Forrest Cake Ice Cream.

The base is a coconut vanilla ice cream using coconut milk, skim milk and evaporated milk. Add ins are coconut fakes, chocolate shavings and tart cherries. It's churning away now and should be ready any minute.

I miss my dad on a daily basis, but this little tradition makes Father's Day a little better.  Someday, if I ever have kids, I would hope that it can continue with them.  Love ya Dad!

Mosquitoes Suck, Shooting Doesn't

Well it finally happened. The boy was able to put together a very, very impromptu range trip. I would have been more exited about it if I had time for the excitement to grow.

All the kitchen training with the Walther P22 paid off. The target went ping on the third shot.  That was a satisfying "ping".  Or I should say a POP PING. Yes POP, not BANG... for all who don't know, .22 is small caliber so it doesn't make much noise.  The Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 also made cute POP PING. I was a little apprehensive about shooting a rifle but think it won out a little bit over the pistol.  Having a patient, supportive coach didn't hurt either. The good job kisses raised the confidence a bit.

You know that empowering feeling of "holy crap, I just fired a real gun"?  Yeah, it's still sinking in. Even more, the whole "It actually hit the target... more than 20 times" is still sinking in as well.  The pain from the 27 mosquito bites is slowly fading away and will most likely be replaced by the realization that the "mythical" range is no longer a myth but a very real, very addictive place. Oh, and the smell of burnt gunpowder is good.

More about this later.... now it's time to cool off with a tall glass of the delicious RobinAde to celebrate a Brewers sweep of some Florida team.

Walter P22

Smith & Wesson M&P15-22

Pad Thai? Yes please!

On Friday I had dinner at a local Chinese and Asian restaurant called Green Tea. On the menu that night was Pad Thai. I hadn't had Pad Thai in a a few months. This one was tasty, but it was missing a little pop.  


When shopping for sushi stuff I came across some rice noodles and decided to try my hand at my own Pad Thai. I will admit I cheated a little and bought a pre-made Pad Thai sauce from the local Asian food mart.


Below is everything one needs to make Shrimp Pad Thai at home.  I used dried shrimp, but a person could use fresh shrimp or any other protein. If you use a pre-made sauce make sure to check the label for any allergies. This recipe has peanuts but they are optional. 

Shrimp Pad Thai 


Rice Noodles, 1/5 package
Dried Shrimp, 2 tablespoons
Pad Thai Sauce, 1/4 cup (Or a combo of Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce and Brown Sugar to taste)
Lime wedges, 2-3
Cilantro, 2 tablespoons
Chive or Green Onion, 2 tablespoons
Peanuts, crushed, 1 tablespoon
Red Pepper Flakes, 1/2 teaspoon
Egg, one per serving
Water
All the amounts are based on number or servings. This dish can be easily made for one person or a whole crew. The amounts below are for dinner size serving. Approx. 1.5 - 2 cups when all is said and done.


Boil rice noodles and dried shrimp together until noodles are tender. About 5 minutes. 

Drain and place in pot. Mix in lime, cilantro, chive, peanuts, pepper flake. Crack egg directly in pot and let cook. Add water to loosen up if necessary. 

Plate up. Garnish with cilantro, chive and a lime wedge. Serve with green tea and enjoy!

Lovely Friday off of work

As a treat to myself and to use up vacation days I decided to take today off of work.

 The past 3 days of work were spent at the Waterpark Capitol of the World, Wisconsin Dells. No, there were no water slides, mini golf or even walking the main drag window shopping. It was spend in the high school library teaching elementary, middle, and high school secretaries how to use my company's software.We did have a great group of ladies and the district's fearless IT director Larry, all of whom helped to make the days go by fast.

I do want to give props to Gilliy's Island right downtown. When the owner (who was also manning the bar and made our spectacular lunch of hot Italian beef sammiches) found out that we were not tourists, but here on business at the school district, he gave us a deal on our lunch.  Its great to see the one of the main reasons I moved back to Wisconsin from DC in action. I love this state, it's people, and its outdoor activities.

Speaking of outdoor activities, I am writing this on the blanket in my front yard basking in a warm late spring sun in a cloudless sky. As soon as the boy wakes up (he had the 11pm - 7am shift at work) we are heading to the lake for a little kayaking.  Insanity is sure to ensue.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everyone!

Summery Healthy Dinner - Sundried Tomato Chicken and Roasted Veggies

Tonight's dinner was easy peasy and really healthy.


 I took a little help from the grocery store on this one and bought pre-marinated sun dried tomato chicken breasts from the meat counter. Doing it this way is a good way to get just what you need. Since the boy likes bacon (and what boy doesn't?) I also picked up a couple slices of bacon from the meat counter and wrapped his chicken in it. 


If your grocery store doesn't have pre-marinated chicken or you want to cut back on the sodium level, you can use your favorite vinaigrette style salad dressing. 


Could also be adapted for the grill to turn tailgate or car camping classy.


Grocery List:

- Zucchini, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Carrots, Green Beans (or whatever looks good at the store)

- Salt & Pepper

- 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

- Spices (I used Italian Seasonings, Dill and Rosemary) 

- Olive Oil

- 2 pre-marinated Chicken Breasts
- 4 slices Bacon
- Balsamic Vinegar 


Veggie Method:
Preheat oven to 400. Place a cast iron pan on the stove and spray lightly with cooking spray. Cut up the veggies into 1/2 chunks. Cut the potatoes a little smaller to ensure they cook through. Place on a cookie sheet with edges or sheet pan.  Sprinkle the veggies with salt, pepper, garlic and spices. Toss together to ensure every piece gets a little seasoning love. Add enough oil to coat the veggies but not enough to go swimming in.  Place in oven and set timer for 30 minutes. When they come out of the oven toss with a little balsamic.

Chicken Dance:
Wrap one chicken breast with the bacon. Place in cast iron pan and cook on each side for 4 minutes. Place on plate. Cook other chicken breast in the bacon grease for 4 minutes each side. Return the bacon wrapped chicken breast to the pan and place it all in the oven for the remaining time on the clock. 

Remove everything from the over, plate it up, and enjoy with your favorite beverage. Tonight's beverage of choice was RobinAde mixed with a little club soda. A perfect drink to cheer the Brewers on with.  

Best quote of the day....

"I carry a gun because Chuck Norris wont fit in my holster."


So the boy is a gunny, which can be summed up as a person who has a strong passion for own­er­ship, use, and debate for firearms.  He posted a link on his blog which lead me to this awesome quote. 


He keeps promising to take me out to the range at some point. We have had a few "practice" sessions in the house that all included unloaded firearms and the teaching of the four rules 1) Treat the gun as if it always loaded, 2) Never point the muzzle at something you wouldn't want to destroy, 3) Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot and 4) Be aware of the target and what lies beyond it. 


I've done archery quite a few times before so am kinda intrigued by a range trip.


There ya go Fred. My first post that included guns. Does this make me a gun blogger now?

Kittehs

Lack of inspiration leads to kitteh photos....

Lila, circa November 2009

Simon, circa November 2009

Simon, circa May 2011

Simon, circa May 2011

Oh, and Prince Fielder just hit a walk off homerun into the second level bleachers at Miller Park. Game lasted 14 innings. Thanks dude!

Honor the Fallen

On Saturday I had to opportunity to help out at my first Honor the Fallen event.  For those readers who don't know what Honor the Fallen is, it's a 501 (c)(3), nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to honoring the memory of American service men and women, civilian contractors, and government employees who have died while supporting the war on terrorism both abroad and in the U.S.


This weekend was the first of three of motorcycle rides in memory of three service members, Army Sgt Nathan J. Vacho, Army Staff Sgt Patrick L. Lybert, and Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Matus, from Rusk County in the Wisconsin northwoods who gave the ultimate sacrifice keeping this nation free. 


The ride kicked off with a pancake breakfast, followed by a performance by a local singer/songwriter. The National Anthem was sang and  the sound of 167 motorcycles starting up for the ride soon filled the air. Throughout the day people were selling raffle tickets, filling out silent auction forms and taking chances for hundreds of items that had been donated; everything from tactical goggles to camping gear to sweet smelling stuff to hand made furniture.  Most of the proceeds from the fundraiser went to SSG Nathan J. Vacho medical Scholarship Fund and the Ladysmith High School Health Care Academy. All in all I'd say over $10,000 was raised. Not bad for one of the lowest income and smallest counties in the state. 


Warm fuzzies mixed with tears were common throughout the day. Nothing can make things easier for Sgt Vacho's family, but I know they appreciated those who came out. 


The next ride will be on June 25th, in memory of Army Staff Sgt Patrick L. Lybert at Club 8 in Ladysmith, WI. I will be volunteering at the event; helping with registration and odd job throughout the day.  If you will be in the area, want a good meal, a chance to take home some really nice things, or take a bike ride throughout the beautiful north woods I encourage you all to come out.

Experiment

I just picked up a new computer for a little experiment. The cost of things (and stuff) are rising fast. The gas station down the street has gas for a mere $4.07 a gallon.  I've decided to ditch my cable TV and opt for watching the cable networks online and just using the antennae for my local channels. Over the course of a year I can save around $600 a year give or take. Plan on getting a membership to Hulu as well as MLB.TV so I can watch my beloved Brewers.

After doing some research, I determined I would need at least a 2 GHz processor and 2 GB ram as well as an HDMI port (my TV already has the HDMI port). The key was trying to find a computer within my $400 budget. So I dragged the boy with me to BestBuy (safety in numbers) and started the search. While there I narrowed it down to 3 different machines. The first was a nice Toshiba  that was way out my price range, an HP with good reviews and the one I really wanted, an ASUS but again - way over budget. So I scoured the internet to see if I could find something similar.  Long story short, I found a brand spanking new variation on the HP, that included a Photosmart printer, for under $400.  

Simon just had to be a ham. 

Purdy color. 

So far I've just surfed the web and edited a few photos using the pre-installed photo software. Battery life was almost 6 hours. More info on how it works as a replacement for cable TV to come. 

On the road again

Currently, I am employed as a Customer Service Quality Assurance Specialist for a company that develops behind the scenes software for k-12 schools. Basically that means I get to break the software when in the office and go out into the field to train districts on how to use it. This week is one of those training weeks. 

I headed  down to McHenry, IL later this morning. After crossing the WI/IL border I came to realize that the IL cars were going 10 under the posted limit. Anyone from Wisconsin should be gasping about now. We're use to IL cars zooming past us going north on HWY 39/51, 94 or 43. Weird.

On a lighter note,  Seattle's Best level 4 coffee is almost as good as the coffee from here, my daily caffeine fix provider, and 20 times better than the hotel coffee that awaits everyone. 

The Magic of Dye and Eggs!

Holidays are fun. Where else are going to get an excuse to dye white eggs in crazy colors?

He knows....

Oh Noooo!!!!!

Eggs as far as the lens can see

Bad Ass half Ninja, half Egg, half Irishman. Yes, that adds up to 150%

The Doc says you butter not use butter

Don't be a sour puss, use Sour Cream!  Yes, yes, it's not quite as tasty but it still has the same creamy texture. Use it place of butter in most sauces and baking applications.  It's a fairly delicious stand in for butter in potatoes as well. 

Full fat sour cream can be just as bad as butter, but it does provide a little more calcium. Go with the fat free tub for your sauces and the like. Use the light version for baking applications. You'll still need some fat to keep those cakes and scones moist. 

Feel the need to eliminate heavy(ier) fats all together?  Try using yogurt.  It can take a little to get use to since it has a more tangy bite.

Recipe Time!

Chocolate Dreamsicle Triple Layer Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-3 cups of your favorite frosting with 3 table spoons of frozen orange juice concentrate added.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. 

2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. 

4. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. 

5. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.

6.Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. 

9. Place first layer cake on a plate and top with 1/4 of the icing, add the next layer cake, top with 1/4 of the icing and add the top layer. Pile the rest of the icing on the top and evenly spread down the sides with one of colorful scrapers from a previous post. 

The Worlds Largest Trivia Contest

Things are a little crazy this weekend in my hometown of Stevens Point. It just happens to be the 42nd running of the Worlds Largest Trivia Contest sponsored by the local College radio station, WWSP 90fm. "The Contest," as it is known by, is 54 hours of nothing but a collection of the most eclectic trivia questions know to man.  For example, the questions they just read went something like this:  According to a magazine article this Boardway musical is described as Circus, ballet, musical comedy, minstrel show, clowns, rock concert, magic, vaudeville, spectacle.  Answer: Pippin


Radio DJs read the questions on the air. Teams call in to the station with the answer. Eight questions per hour, the question is read twice, a song is played, question read again, another song is played and then players hear the dreaded "Phone Down in Back!" At that time the calls cease to be answered. The DJ reads the question once more and then the answer is reveled. 


A couple hours the number of questions vary slightly. In addition to the call in questions there the Trivia Stone (a scavenger hunt/rally done in a car), Music Snippets, Running Questions (scavenger hunt done on foot) as well as a collection of 24 random pictures in which players must identify in one way or another. 


As of hour 39 my team is in 169th place out of close to 394 teams with 2160 points. The top team has 8950 point. Yeah, we'll never reach that, but a top half finish would be stellar!  The number of points is based on the number of teams that get the question correct. The more people who answer correctly, the smaller the point value. Max point value of a question is 500 and the lowest value is 5. 


Only 13.5 hours to go!

Kitchen Utensils Anyone?

Kitchen Utensils can make or break a good cooking experience. You don't need everything under the roof of the kitchen specialty store. Just a few items and you'll be cooking like a pro.

Wooden or Bamboo Spoon and Spatula

Why are these on the list?  They don't conduct heat, won't scratch non-stick pans, and will only catch fire is if placed in direct flame for a few minutes.  I like bamboo the best. It is lightweight and stands up well to washing. Plus it's a renewable resource. It wouldn't hurt to keep a ladle and non-slotted spoon in the drawer or canister either.

Bowl Scraper

The bowl scraper is handy to have in the kitchen. Use it to get the last bit of pancake batter from the bowl or scrape bottom of the mayo jar. Commonly made from silicone, rubber or plastic but can be made from bamboo and wood as well. Plus, the come in endless numbers of colors. 

Tongs

These are great for tossing pasta, turning meat and easily moving string beans from pan to plate.  Plastic tipped ones won't harm pans. Just don't leave them sitting on the pan for too long. Plastic does tend to melt on hot surfaces after all.  (Kitten optional)

Whisk

The whisk. Love this little gadget for everything!  Take making brownies for example. You can froth the eggs, sift the flour with the baking soda, mix everything together and whip the cream for on top.  Find one with a  sturdy comfortable handle to make life easier on your hand.

 

Can Opener

Having a good can opener when you're cooking in the kitchen (or at the campsite) is important in order for you to be able to quickly open up any can. The best kind for your pocketbook is the hand held variety with a serrated wheel and large handles(pictured below). This was first introduced in the 1920s and still remains popular today. Never submerge your can opener in water and thoroughly dry after cleaning. I don't recommend the chrome style with pencil thin handles. They are hard to grip and tend to slip off the can.

Over the Stove and Cooking

Living on ones own is a big step for most young adults. They can find it difficult to adjust to this new world. No parents to do things for your or offer help, going out and getting the right tools for the job and then following through with it.
When starting out in the kitchen there are a few key items a person should have. Over the next few days key kitchen gadgets/essentials will be posted.

A well seasoned 10 inch cast iron frying pan

 

Learn to use a cast iron pan and it will be your best friend. They are useful for everything from dry toasting nuts and warming tortillas to making eggs (yes, eggs). The pan retains heat which can help ensure even cooking. Another great thing is that they can go from stove top to oven to grill to campfire.
Lodge is well known name in cast iron that comes pre-seasoned.  Along with this  is a higher price tag. The best cast iron pan I've ever had is one I picked up for $5 at a garage sale and restored myself.
To easily "restore" a cast iron pan follow these steps:
1. Wash the pan with hot water. Use steel wool or a coarse pad to remove any rust or really stuck on debris. You can use soap if desired because later on the pan will be seasoned. Don't soak the pan in the water/soapy water. Rise thoroughly.
2. Dry completely. It helps to put it in a hot oven to be sure.
3. Use some form of plant oil (vegetable shortening, corn, canola, etc) to rub the pan down on all sides. Let it sit for few minutes to "soak" in.
4. Place the pan upside down in your oven at 300F for at least an hour to bake on a "seasoning" that protects the pan from rust and provides a stick-resistant surface.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4.
Ongoing care:
1. After using the pan rise it out with hot water and a sponge. Never use soap as this can strip the non-stick coating yo worked so hard to create.
2. Spray pan with a bit of cooking spray
That's it! You should be able to cook with the pans for years to come.