Can there really be a Super Bowl without the Cowboys?

So the NFL is putting on a game today and they are still calling it the Super Bowl despite the distinct lack of Cowboys playing in the game. How can this be? I think they should just call it "Bowl" and reserve the "Super" part for when the Cowboys play.

Yes, Pittsburgh has had some success in their history... they even won a few of the Cowboys championship trophies... You know the ones they named after that coach from Green Bay... I don't recall how many trophies they won, who's counting anyway, but I suppose they are pretty good.

Pittsburgh has that quarterback, you know the one who is always in trouble with the law, Ben Whataburger or something like that. He seems to be as good escaping the opposing teams rush as he is at escaping prosecution! I think he'll have a pretty good day as long as he can avoid that Clay Aiken guy from Green Bay. What a story this kid is huh? From American Idol to the Green Bay Packers! Somebody better check him for roids because he got huge!

Before...

After.

But you know those Packers are always dangerous when Brett Favre is throwing the rock... Hmmm, I don't see Brett's name in any of the headlines... weird... Anyway, they should be fine as long as they don't have to rely on Brett's backup, Aaron "Don't call me Buck" Rodgers.

Whoever is playing QB today for the Pack is going to have to be aware of James "Dirty Harry"son. This guy has received more fines for illegal blows this year than Ben Whataberger has criminal charges filed against him! He is a wrecking machine.

My prediction for today's game is the Steelers by 7. They just have more criminals and thugs on their team than the Packers do. And as the 90's Cowboys teams taught us, the longer the criminal record of a team the better their chances for a championship victory.

Congrats to both of these teams and their fans!

Enjoy the "Bowl"! 

Greek Gyro Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) container plain yogurt 
• 1/3 cup chopped seeded cucumber 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Filling

• 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey (you can also try adding some ground lamb)
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional - but recommended)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 pita breads
• 3 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 22 mins

1. In a bowl, combine first 5 ingredients to make the sauce.
2. Cover and refrigerate.
3. In separate bowl, combine meat and seasonings.
4. Mix well.
5. Shape into 4 patties.
6. Grill, covered, (you can also use a toaster oven or broil these) over medium to high heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, turning once.
7. Cut patties into thin slices.
8. Stuff into pitas.
9. Add lettuce, tomato, and onion.
10. Serve with yogurt sauce.

East Texas Blizzard 2011

Not much sadder than a frozen motorcycle.

This morning I thought I would bring you scenes from the great East Texas Blizzard that the local weathermen have been predicting for the past week. I'm happy to announce that my goal of my first snow-free winter is still on track! The great blizzard only brought some freezing rain! Back in Connecticut, they have received over 6 feet of snow. If this little bit of ice is all I see this year, I will declare a victory!

Icicles?

I must say, as a former New Englander, it is eye opening to see how such a small amount of ice can cause a city the size of Houston to completely shut down. All morning the local news has been treating the result of this storm as a catastrophe. On the scene reporters dramatizing every stuck auto. Extended coverage of the storm is pre-empting the Today show.

*Sniff* this is just so sad.

Icicles on the awning.

Tomorrow, when the sun comes out, the temp is supposed to approach the 60's again, and the great East Texas Blizzard will be little more than a puddle.

Be safe!

Peruvian Roast Chicken

Source: A Bird in the Oven and Then Some

Ingredients

• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• Fine sea salt
• One 4-pound whole chicken
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Using the side of the knife’s blade, scrape and chop the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a paste.

2. Pull off the excess fat around the cavity of the chicken and discard. Rinse and pat the chicken dry inside and out. Place the chicken over the sink or on a plate, rub the chicken all over with 2 of the lemon quarters, and discard the used lemon. Slip a finger under the skin at the edge of the cavity and run it along each breast to gently loosen the skin from the meat of the breasts and thighs.

3. Gently work a little of the garlic paste between the skin and meat, being careful not to tear the skin, rubbing your hand over the outside of the skin to smooth the paste and push it past where you can reach with your hand.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the wine, the oil, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and oregano. Place the chicken in a 2-gallon resealable bag or a baking dish and pour the marinade on top. Turn the bird several times to coat. Refrigerate for 5 to 8 hours, turning the chicken once or twice if you’re home.

5. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220°C). Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

6. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish or heavy frying pan (see headnote above) and pour the marinade into a small bowl, scraping any thick bits of spices into the bowl with the marinade. Squeeze the 2 remaining lemon pieces into the cavity of the bird, place the pieces into the cavity and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Season the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon of salt.

7. Roast the bird in the oven for 15 minutes, then baste with some of the marinade. Reduce the heat to 375ºF (190°C) and continue to roast, basting every 20 minutes with the marinade and the pan juices, for an hour. Roast for 15 minutes more, for a total of 1 1/4 hours, or until the juices of the chicken run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165ºF (74°C). Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven.

For more recipes like this one, click the link below:

One Mans Battle Against.... Moisture!!

The weather across the entire country this week has been, in a word, atrocious. Here in Livingston, we went from sunny days with temps in the high 60's to low 70's to the teens in a matter of a few scant minutes. Tuesday morning when we awoke with the dogs, 5:45am CST, the outside temperature was a balmy 65 degrees. A few hours later, by 8:30am CST, the outside temp was 32 degrees and falling. The actual temperature swing from 65 to 32 happened in about 10 minutes.

Rapid cooling like this can be a nightmare for full-time RV'ers. In this part of the country, humidity off the Gulf of Mexico from the south is the norm. The front that caused the dramatic cooling came in from the north. This leaves you with warm, humid air inside your RV and cold, dry air outside. That combo is a recipe for heavy condensation. The kind of condensation that, if uncontrolled, leads to, at best, musty odors, discolored walls and shades, or at worst, rot and mold.

The places that need the most attention in these circumstances are the metal frames around windows and doors, the windshield, and outside walls within any cabinets (especially those on slides). You need to be diligent in removing any condensation that forms in these areas or face the consequences.

Once condensation forms, it is imperative that you absorb it fully and not just push it around. I find that paper towels work best as their rapid absorption rates soak up the water on contact. Rags and towels tend to push the water around letting a large amount of water stay on the window, wall or door/window frame or worse fall into dark spaces that you cannot reach.

Obviously, the best way to avoid this situation is to prevent it from occurring in the first place, and since we cannot control the weather we need to control the humidity within our rigs as best as we can.

Preventing moisture.

• Keep internal RV temps cool. Doing so will generally maintain a lower dew point and thus keep your rig dryer.
• Use your air conditioning. Your air conditioner is a great dehumidifier. As the warm moist air in your rig passes through your air conditioner condenser the water vapor condenses on the coils and eventually winds up on the ground under your rig leaving the air inside your rig cool and dry.
• Use your vent fans when cooking, showering or doing laundry. Cooking, showering and doing laundry releases a lot of water into the air.
• Keep a close eye on the weather. If you know there will be rapid temperature changes, you can prepare by avoiding activities that have the potential to add moisture to the air. Take steps such as, avoid cooking, use the shower at the campground, hold off on that load of laundry or go to the laundromat. You can also actively try to remove any current moisture in the air by running the A/C or any dehumidifiers you may have.

As I briefly mentioned above, another way to combat moisture buildup is to use dehumidifiers. We have found a few that work well for us that are compact and quiet, perfect for RV's.

Eva-dry EDV-E-500 Renewable Wireless Mini Dehumidifer - We use this one in our wardrobe. In our Vectra, our entire bedroom slide is a wardrobe. It's great for clothes storage space but having a fully enclosed wardrobe on a slide is a recipe for moisture and mold. If you know there will be a rapid temp change and you have a similar fully enclosed space on a slide-out, it is also a good idea to open any drawers or doors to allow air to flow between the living space and the slide prior to the temp swing. Doing so will prevent drastic temperature variants between the living space and the storage space and prevent moisture buildup.

Eva-dry Electric Petite Dehumidifier - This one we use in our bedroom. It works sufficiently in a space about the size of an average RV bedroom. It is capable of removing 8 oz. of water from the air a day.

Sunpentown SD-652 86-Watt Mini Dehumidifier - We have this one on our counter in the kitchen. It's about the size of a coffee maker and comes with a hose that can be attached to allow it to self drain. Simply plug in the hose,  put the other end in the sink and you have a virtually maintenance free dehumidifier for your main living space.

Want an easy way to see how much water is in the air in your rig? Simply take a can of soda out of your fridge and rest it on the counter for a few minutes. You can quickly judge your moisture risk level by observing how much "sweat" forms on the can. A few drops and you're probably OK. A puddle and you had better start taking some steps to reduce your moisture levels.

As the old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Hot food, cold night

A cold front came ripping through Livingston early this morning.  We went from 65 degrees to 35 in a matter of 10-15 minutes.  They say the cold will last through Friday and we may even get a little snow Friday morning.

We were trying to have a snow-free winter - so hopefully the forecast will change by then.

In the meantime - there's nothing like a little spicy Thai food to warm you up.  We used to love to get Drunken Noodles from a little Thai restaurant back in Connecticut - so tonight Nancy tried to make it for us.  It actually turned out better than we expected.

Link to recipe

Drunken Noodle (Pad Kee Mao) Recipe

Drunken Noodle (Pad Kee Mao)

Note: we purchased our ingredients at GroceryThai.com and were very happy with the products.  We have included links below to products on Amazon.com so that you can see what the products look like.

Ingredients:

• 1 14-16 ounce packages 1/4-inch-wide flat rice noodles
• 2 T. vegetable oil

• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2-3 chopped fresh Thai chiles (or substitute 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek)
• 2-3 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts (or 1 can of bean sprouts)
• 1 T. fish sauce 
• 4 T. black soy sauce (not ordinary soy sauce!)
• 4 T. Golden Mountain sauce (or Maggi sauce if you can't find Golden Mountain)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 large plum tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
• 4 Anaheim chiles or Italian frying peppers, or 2 green bell peppers (about 12 ounces total), cut into strips
• 1/2 cup fresh Thai basil leaves (or regular basil leaves)

Preparation:

Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and Thai chiles; sauté 30 seconds. Add chicken and next 5 ingredients and sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add noodles, tomatoes, and Anaheim chiles; toss to coat. Transfer to large platter, sprinkle with basil leaves, and serve.