Snow, again

[cshenk]

Second weekend in a row though this one isn't too bad.

It's melting off on the roads already. I wanted to get to the store
tomorrow to get Chorizo and Sazon Goya for a Mexican 'stew' recipe. I
really wanted to make it today but went for an alternative.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Xxcarol's Mexi-Portu Stew
Categories: Xxcarol, Stews, Soups
Yield: 6 Servings

1 lb Ground beef
1 lb Ground pork sausage
1 cn Corn
1 cn Black beans
1 cn 'Veg-All'
2 cn Crushed tomatoes
1 ts Korean red pepper
1 1/2 ts Minced dried garlic

So what do you make when it snowed and you can't get out, but are
jonesing for a Mexican Chorizo stew? Grin, grab what ya got and make
something magical!

Brown your sausage and beef then lift with a slotted spoon to larger
pot. Now add the rest (do not rain the cans). Let simmer for 45
minutes to blend.

Optional: add an onion or a stray bell pepper. Keep it simple though,
that's the charm of this one!

From the VB kitchen of: xxcarol, 29JAN2022

MMMMM

A good, simple balance. I'm finishing off the rice and will either top
with the stew, or have it on the side. Meantime, Don made chocolate
chip cookies!

Thank goodness for the fireplace. We've had a fair amount of the time
here at 17F and lower by windchill. Heat pump systems do not function
well with that amount of difference.

[Brozzo]

Uhm, Ghe Ghe Ghe. This is my not frogger. Yes. Ghe Ghe Ghe :)))))))))))

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 1/29/2022 2:23 PM, cshenk wrote:
> Second weekend in a row though this one isn't too bad.
>
> It's melting off on the roads already. I wanted to get to the store
> tomorrow to get Chorizo and Sazon Goya for a Mexican 'stew' recipe. I
> really wanted to make it today but went for an alternative.

snip

> Thank goodness for the fireplace. We've had a fair amount of the time
> here at 17F and lower by windchill. Heat pump systems do not function
> well with that amount of difference.

This morning I talked with my friend in MA. At the beginning of the
call she said there were 50,000 without power. By the end of the call
it was up to 125,000 with no power. 50 mph winds and 18" expected.

I won't complain it is only 49F/9.5C here and sunny.

Leftover smoked chicken tonight. Snack will be rice pudding with rum
soaked raisins. I bought the pudding from a local vendor and add the
raisins.

[Graham]

On 2022-01-29 2:29 p.m., Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 1/29/2022 2:23 PM, cshenk wrote:
>> Second weekend in a row though this one isn't too bad.
>>
>> It's melting off on the roads already.  I wanted to get to the store
>> tomorrow to get Chorizo and Sazon Goya for a Mexican 'stew' recipe.  I
>> really wanted to make it today but went for an alternative.
> snip
>> Thank goodness for the fireplace.  We've had a fair amount of the time
>> here at 17F and lower by windchill.  Heat pump systems do not function
>> well with that amount of difference.
>
> This morning I talked with my friend in MA.  At the beginning of the
> call she said there were 50,000 without power.  By the end of the call
> it was up to 125,000 with no power.  50 mph winds and 18" expected.
>
> I won't complain it is only 49F/9.5C here and sunny.
>

Blimey! It's 8C here in Calgary. Never would have thought that
temperature as Floridian:-)

[Dave Smith]

On 2022-01-29 4:29 p.m., Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 1/29/2022 2:23 PM, cshenk wrote:

>> Thank goodness for the fireplace.  We've had a fair amount of the time
>> here at 17F and lower by windchill.  Heat pump systems do not function
>> well with that amount of difference.
>
> This morning I talked with my friend in MA.  At the beginning of the
> call she said there were 50,000 without power.  By the end of the call
> it was up to 125,000 with no power.  50 mph winds and 18" expected.

Wow. They got themselves a blizzard. No fun.

>
> I won't complain it is only 49F/9.5C here and sunny.
>

You probably won't gloat about it either ;-)

> Leftover smoked chicken tonight.  Snack will be rice pudding with rum
> soaked raisins.  I bought the pudding from a local vendor and add the
> raisins.

Raisins are a must in rice pudding. Some people strongly disagree.

[Hank Rogers]

I reckon it's global warming that done the deed.

[GM]

"Global warming" is one of those leftist "canards", Hank...

IMNSHO we should replace ALL forests with parking lots, ALL power should come from
soft brown open - pit coalmines, Olde Mudder Urth should be DRENCHED in DDT, and even
MORE non - biodegradable plastics and other noxious litter should be dumped into the ocean and
ALL remaining wilderness areas... and ALL "rare" animal species should be hunted into
UDDER extinction...

--
GM

[Bryan Simmons]

The jet stream dipped way south in the USA. Omaha, NE is
warmer than Orlando, FL right now, according to the temp map.
Last year the jet stream moved way south, further to the west,
and folks in Texas froze their asses off.

--Bryan

[Hank Rogers]

Most people don't even give a shit.

[Hank Rogers]

What happened in da Loo?

[cshenk]

Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> On 1/29/2022 2:23 PM, cshenk wrote:
> > Second weekend in a row though this one isn't too bad.
> >
> > It's melting off on the roads already. I wanted to get to the store
> > tomorrow to get Chorizo and Sazon Goya for a Mexican 'stew' recipe.
> > I really wanted to make it today but went for an alternative.
> snip
> > Thank goodness for the fireplace. We've had a fair amount of the
> > time here at 17F and lower by windchill. Heat pump systems do not
> > function well with that amount of difference.
>
> This morning I talked with my friend in MA. At the beginning of the
> call she said there were 50,000 without power. By the end of the
> call it was up to 125,000 with no power. 50 mph winds and 18"
> expected.
>
> I won't complain it is only 49F/9.5C here and sunny.

yeah, others have it rougher.

[Joe]

Ghe? Uhm, can you go into more detail? I don't get it

[Ed Pawlowski]

Going down, coldest weather in 4 years. Will be about 32F/0C in the
morning. North of us a few degrees lower.

[Dave Smith]

On 2022-01-29 10:58 p.m., Ed Pawlowski wrote:

>> Blimey! It's 8C here in Calgary. Never would have thought that
>> temperature as Floridian:-)
>
> Going down, coldest weather in 4 years.  Will be about 32F/0C in the
> morning.  North of us a few degrees lower.

If it makes you feel any better, it is currently -22 C here, -8 1. F.
By Tuesday we are looking at +4C/39F.

[Josh]

[Gary]

On 1/29/2022 5:44 PM, GM wrote:
> "Global warming" is one of those leftist "canards", Hank...
>
> IMNSHO we should replace ALL forests with parking lots, ALL power should come from
> soft brown open - pit coalmines, Olde Mudder Urth should be DRENCHED in DDT, and even
> MORE non - biodegradable plastics and other noxious litter should be dumped into the ocean and
> ALL remaining wilderness areas... and ALL "rare" animal species should be hunted into
> UDDER extinction...

LOL!

Don't forget...after they all witness this horror firsthand, then
eliminate all the crying liberals too. No more "save the earth" concerns
for them.

[GM]

;-D

Gary, my rant above was inspired by a similar outburst from Peggy Gravel, a suburban housewife who
goes insane in the John Waters flick "Desperate Living"...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperate_Living

Plot:

"Neurotic and delusional suburban housewife Peggy Gravel and her overweight nurse,
Grizelda Brown, go on the lam after Grizelda kills Peggy's husband Bosley.
A cross-dressing policeman arrests the pair and gives them an ultimatum: go to jail
or be exiled to Mortville, a filthy shantytown ruled by the evil Queen Carlotta and her
treasonous daughter, Princess Coo-Coo.


Peggy Gravel Quotes:

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Desperate_Living#Peggy_Gravel

You know I hate nature! Look at those disgusting trees, stealing my oxygen!

[the phone rings] Hello? What number are you calling? You've dialed the wrong number! SORRY? What
good is that? How can you ever repay the 30 seconds you have STOLEN FROM MY LIFE! I hate you,
your husband, your children and your relatives!

[the children are playing doctor in the nude] Sodomites! Caught right in a sex orgy! You dirty filthy...! Is that
what you learned in private school?! Nude, nude, nude! You could be pregnant, Beth! And as for you, I
never thought you would rape your own SISTER! Oh God, the children are having SEX!

Am I living in hell?! Is that it?! Have I gone straight to hell?!

You're just like the rest of the common dykes in this town!


Production:

Art director Vincent Peranio built the exterior sets for Mortville on a 26-acre farm in
Hampstead, Maryland, owned by Waters' friend, Peter Koper. The exterior sets were
largely constructed of plywood and rubbish Peranio and Waters had collected from
around Baltimore. Production manager Robert Maier recalled the challenges of
shooting without adequate facilities, how the cast and crew overwhelmed the
farm's septic system, how heavy rains nearly washed away the set, and
how "charmed" Waters seemed through it all..."

</>

[Hector]

Since we're talking about a hotel in your price range, that's probably
correct.

[Harry]

Uhm Yes. Ghe Ghe Ghe :)))))))))))

[Harry]

[cshenk]

Dave, Ed lives in Florida. 'My area is colder than yours' means
nothing when your homes and heating systems are built for it. His is
built to make your home no more than 80F when it's 100F outside. Now,
translate that.

It's frickin' cold in Florida right now and most folks there, have NO
heat.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I'd say many, not most, mostly older homes and trailers. New homes are
well equipped for cold. They all have AC so a heat pump is common.
Early this morning i saw 30 but my weather station says the low was
26F/-3C.

My estimated electric bill before the cold snap was $46.50 but now is
close to $53. No complaints here.

[Michael Trew]

Wow... I bet people on citrus farms are running around like chickens
with their heads cut off trying to cover their orchards to protect from
a freeze.

[Bryan Simmons]

They use helicopters. I hope it works. I adore citrus. Fresh Thyme
has blood oranges, 2# bags for $2.99. We bought a bag a few days
ago, and I'm going to blow some money on a few more. Yeah, that's
expensive, but they are a thrill, and they *do* have very nice sirloins
for $3.99/#. This was tonight's meal, the last of the sirloin that I
bought there a few days ago.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15522299@N08/51852979661/in/dateposted-public/
The potatoes were cooked whole, skin on, in the Power Quick Pot,
along with the green beans.

Fresh Thyme opened up a yuppie version of their store, in a stupid,
trendy location, where they don't have an ad circular, and they sure
as Hell don't have $3.99 sirloin steaks. Tomorrow I'll be going to
the one out here in the County to buy the pricey blood oranges, but
also another one of those excellent $3.99 USDA Choice sirloin
steaks.

I often buy cheap, ungraded ribeyes and t-bones. You can tell that
they are pasture fed until slaughter, which admittedly means they
are a bit more healthful, but they're not as delicious as corn
finished beef. Cooked well done, especially cut up for carne
asada, the grass fed stuff is fine, but for less than medium well,
there's no comparison. I know that some folks have a distaste
for rare beef, but it's psychological/cultural. Pan seared or fire
seared steak, cooked rare, or even almost medium, USDA Prime
or Choice, or even Select corn finished beef is a thrill. Every bite
is an I'm-lucky-to-be-in-the-USA moment.

--Bryan

[Romario]

Uhm, Ghe Ghe Ghe. This is my not frogger. Yes. Ghe Ghe Ghe :)))))))))))

[Ed Pawlowski]

Yes, along with strawberry and other farms. On the news this morning
many said they think they did OK.

This is a poor year for citrus even without the freeze.

[Dave Smith]

Wow. I was not aware of the problems Florida orange growers were facing.
I just looked it up and learned about the citrus greening and how they
had predicted this year's crop to be the worst in 75 years.... and now
this freeze. Good luck to them.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Affects a lot of people as the price of OJ will go up. This time of
year I often see the bit dump trailers on the road loaded with oranges.
The biggest Tropicana plant is about 12 miles from me.

I have some local lemons that look ugly and people would not buy them in
the supermarket. Ugly as they are, the juice is very good. Huge too,
the size of a baseball or larger.

[Plato]

A la carte... McDonalds... :)

[Dave Smith]

On 2022-01-30 11:41 p.m., Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 1/30/2022 11:33 PM, Dave Smith wrote:

>> Wow. I was not aware of the problems Florida orange growers were
>> facing.   I just looked it up and learned about the citrus greening
>> and how they had predicted this year's crop to be the worst in 75
>> years.... and now this freeze.  Good luck to them.
>
> Affects a lot of people as the price of OJ will go up.   This time of
> year I often see the bit dump trailers on the road loaded with oranges.
>  The biggest Tropicana plant is about 12 miles from me.

I love oranges and orange juice but I find it really hard on my guts.
The increase in price is not likely to affect me directly, but if orange
juice drinkers switch to pineapple juice, that might drive up the cost
of my preferred juice.

Just wondering how much impact it will have considering that, as
important a crop as it is in Florida, is not the biggest producer in the
US, with a little better than 1/3 of the nation's produce. Brazil is the
biggest producer. One thing for sure, it is likely to devastate the
juice industry in Florida... the farmers, the people at the processing
plant, the trucking etc.

> I have some local lemons that look ugly and people would not buy them in
> the supermarket.  Ugly as they are, the juice is very good.  Huge too,
> the size of a baseball or larger.

I am envious. Lemons are pricey here and often die of old age on the way.

[Catullus]

Uhm, Ghe Ghe Ghe.

[Catullus]

Big Mac Sauce

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Sweet Relish (Diced Pickles, Sugar, High
Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Corn Syrup, Xanthan Gum,
Calcium Chloride, Spice Extractives), Water, Egg Yolks, Distilled
Vinegar, Spices, Onion Powder, Salt, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Garlic
Powder, Vegetable Protein (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy and Wheat), Sugar,
Caramel Color, Turmeric, Extractives of Paprika, Soy Lecithin.

<https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/big-mac.html>

Sugar, the dreaded HFCS and sugar again. Yay! And of course xanthan
gum, yay! And Propylene Glycol Alginate is a lovely touch, yay!

And people who eat prefab food consume more soy than vegetarians.

(And they say I don't post about food enough!)

[Juliette]

Uhm Yes. Ghe Ghe Ghe :)))))))))))

[Michael Trew]

On 1/30/2022 20:26, Bryan Simmons wrote:
> On Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 6:29:58 PM UTC-6, Michael Trew wrote:
>> On 1/29/2022 22:58, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>
>>> Going down, coldest weather in 4 years. Will be about 32F/0C in the
>>> morning. North of us a few degrees lower.
>> Wow... I bet people on citrus farms are running around like chickens
>> with their heads cut off trying to cover their orchards to protect from
>> a freeze.
>>
> They use helicopters. I hope it works. I adore citrus. Fresh Thyme
> has blood oranges, 2# bags for $2.99. We bought a bag a few days
> ago, and I'm going to blow some money on a few more.

> https://www.flickr.com/photos/15522299@N08/51852979661/in/dateposted-public/
> The potatoes were cooked whole, skin on, in the Power Quick Pot,
> along with the green beans.

Looks good, although I prefer fresh green beans to be more crisp, fried
up quickly with butter and garlic.

> Fresh Thyme opened up a yuppie version of their store, in a stupid,
> trendy location, where they don't have an ad circular, and they sure
> as Hell don't have $3.99 sirloin steaks.
>

> I know that some folks have a distaste
> for rare beef, but it's psychological/cultural.

You might be correct. Notwithstanding, I still can't tolerate a bite of
it. I have tried on a couple of occasions. I almost gagged when you
posted that you've eaten completely raw steaks before the other day. I
only eat cheap cuts of beef braised; I cannot do red/pink in the center
meat.

[Michael Trew]

On 1/30/2022 23:33, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2022-01-30 11:16 p.m., Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>> On 1/30/2022 7:29 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>
>>> Wow... I bet people on citrus farms are running around like chickens
>>> with their heads cut off trying to cover their orchards to protect
>>> from a freeze.
>>
>> Yes, along with strawberry and other farms. On the news this morning
>> many said they think they did OK.
>>
>> This is a poor year for citrus even without the freeze.

I've heard of news reports in the past, where farmers would spend all
night lighting small fires around the trees in the orchards (of course
not too close to foliage) and tending to them to keep it warm enough so
the trees will live through bad freezes. I don't recall where I've
heard this, or if the method is still used. I think it was an old book.

[Samson]

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 1/31/2022 4:01 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
> On 1/30/2022 23:33, Dave Smith wrote:
>> On 2022-01-30 11:16 p.m., Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>> On 1/30/2022 7:29 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>
>>>> Wow... I bet people on citrus farms are running around like chickens
>>>> with their heads cut off trying to cover their orchards to protect
>>>> from a freeze.
>>>
>>> Yes, along with strawberry and other farms.  On the news this morning
>>> many said they think they did OK.
>>>
>>> This is a poor year for citrus even without the freeze.
>
> I've heard of news reports in the past, where farmers would spend all
> night lighting small fires around the trees in the orchards (of course
> not too close to foliage) and tending to them to keep it warm enough so
> the trees will live through bad freezes.  I don't recall where I've
> heard this, or if the method is still used.  I think it was an old book.
>

Smudge pots
https://tinyurl.com/5n822rcd

[Dave S]

On 1/31/2022 5:09 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 1/31/2022 4:01 PM, Michael Trew wrote:

> Smudge pots
> https://tinyurl.com/5n822rcd


> https://www.syracuse.com/weather/2020/05/how-beak-and-skiff-tricked-mother-nature-to-protect-apple-trees-from-frost.html


--
Dave S

[Dave Smith]

I thought those things were for frost. If it is under 32F for a few
hours that is more than a frost. That is a freeze.

[Mike Duffy]

On Mon, 31 Jan 2022 17:26:08 -0500, Dave Smith wrote:

> I thought those things were for frost. If it is under 32F for a few
> hours that is more than a frost. That is a freeze.

Would it not be more cost-efficient to put a few magnetrons in the orange
grove so that you're just heating the trees and not the air?

You could give the hired help aluminum foil to wrap around their 'nads.

[Hakan]

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

You beat me to it. I can remember seeing on the news when I was a child
that severe weather would be expected in Florida. Then they's show the
farmers in the fields putting out and lighting those smudge pots. The ones
I remember seeing were about the size of a bowling ball and shaped like
them.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I remember them too. Now with modern irrigation it seems the spray
water. A thin coating of ice can protect them from even colder temps.

[Dave Smith]

The wineries around here have a different method for fighting frost.
Since hot air rises and light frosts tend to affect only the things
close to the ground, they use frost fans set about 20 feet above the
ground and have fans blades 5-6 feet across. They make wind to circulate
the air and drive the warm air back down.

I had a friend who had a small vineyard and he used a small plane. He
would fly about as low over the air as he dared and the airflow would
force the warmer air down.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Good excuse to buy an airplane. I've not seen the fans but makes some
sense.

[Habburabbi]

Did you know that frost doesn't descend down onto things, but comes
rolling in like water would?

(Sorry, just checking if Greg's still paying attention.)

[Gary]

On 1/31/2022 5:09 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Didn't seem like they would help much but I guess they did.

[Haberdoedas]

[Michael Trew]

Nifty, thanks! "Noxious smoke from burning diesel and gas"... I guess
that's why they no longer use them. It doesn't sound like residue that
I'd want on citrus that I purchase.

[Leonard Blaisdell]

Own a business, buy an airplane to improve that business, write it off.
Free airplane!
I remember the old smudge pots that looked like a bomb that Wile E. Coyote
would use. Our utility department used them around construction sites in
the Fifties. Apparently, the newer ones provide heat and look way, way
different.

[Zebediah]

[Michael Trew]

I knew that I recognized the name "smudge pot" from somewhere. Yes,
I've seen those before (not in use), the round ones that acted as
warning indicators for construction. Those were for light, like a
flare, not heat.

My grandfather worked on the construction crew building what is now
I-376 4-late freeway (it was I-60 when built until circa 2007). They
started outside of Carnegie, PA where he lived at the time, in the 50's
after he got out of Korea, IIRC. It was rather cold outside for the
brief stint that he worked there. He told me that his only job was to
build a fire to keep the workers warm, and maintain it. He had to walk
around and scavenge for wood for the fire. He recalls being paid well
for that job. Sounds reasonable enough, I'd do it, but I imagine that
construction crews have more advanced methods of keeping warm nearly 70
years later.

[Bruce]