We went to church today. A breakfast was offered after the service, and we decided to stay a bit. The breakfast was composed of biscuits and gravy, breakfast casserole, plus various sweets and breads. The fellowship hall was quite full.
This afternoon, Jadyn and Chelsea came over as they had been wanting to use the internet. Their computer is presently not working. In fact, the CPU remains in our entryway, waiting for Tara to order the new part. Anyway, I recently connected an older Hewlett Packard CPU that my parents had given me after they purchased a new one. Apparently, they were having trouble connecting to Verizon DSL and as such, bought a newer computer anyway. I knew it was a bit older, having Windows ME on it rather than XP. I have been reading alot about Linux lately, so I decided to load Puppy Linux on it. Linux is essentially an alternate operating system to Windows with a greater emphasis on allowing the end user to modify the system to suit their needs. Anyway, much of its usefulness is beyond my abilities, but I did discover a neat little utility that discovered the drivers necessary to operate via the ethernet card. In other words, we now have a third computer that has the potential to be connected to the network.
Around 3:30pm, Terry Komnick tilled our garden. We didn't take pictures, but we are so happy that the garden is finally near planting time. In fact, we are apparently a little behind schedule for potatoes. I need to be on the road for a couple days, but my father may come over and help plan some potatoes Tuesday.
My brother is gone on a fishing trip, so we decided to cook out on the bbq grill for supper, inviting his wife Melissa and our niece Colby over. My parents also came over. Typically, whenever we cook out, we go to my parents house for supper. But I was intent on staying around the house today, so I insisted that everyone come to our house for supper. Mom cooked some baked potatoes. We grilled butterflied pork chops plus some tenderized pork chops. This was our first use of the bbq grill this year and I bought a single use charcoal bag for cooking.
The meat actually turned out really well. The secret to pork is avoid cooking it too long. Otherwise, it will dry out. Unfortunately, in an effort to promote the health advantages of this meat, pork producers generate a really lean piece of meat that dries out easily. So its essential to not allow the pork to overcook. In some cases, marinading the pork also aids in ensuring it stays moist.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday April 19, 2008
We had a busy weekend. Saturday, we had planned on hitting some garage sales in Heritage Lake. The advertisement indicated that there were nearly 50 garage sales. We were unimpressed. Most sales were composed of only a couple tables with very little 'stuff'. We decided after driving around the area that we would instead take a drive. So we headed on through Mackinaw, hit Allentown road, and crossed over to Tremont and finally Pekin. We went to Menards, Big Lots, and Walmart.
Saturday night we met Tara/Brad and Tanya/Brian at Lone Star Steakhouse. It was a much better experience than Longhorn. I chose the Garlic Lover's Beef Medallions and Shrimp. Julie went with a Sirloin. The meal was enjoyable, unfortunately Tara had fallen ill so she had to leave dinner early.
After supper, we eventually made it back to Tanya and Brian's house, and played Phase 10 for a couple hours. This is a really fun card game. I think we will have to purchase it. There were only four of us playing - Austin, Tanya, myself, and Julie. Here are a few pictures I took of the girls tonight:
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Seeding the yard
I arrived home tonite to find that my father and brother were working in my backyard. Dad brought over his cultivator to till up what was remaining of a dirt pile from last year's pool installation. Given that rain was in the forecast, we took this opportunity to plant some grass over the newly tilled ground. Shown here is a picture of our Crocs. Julie's are original Crocs while mine are imitations. The difference between them - $20. As you can see, Julie's Crocs demonstrate that she is a bit messier in the yard than I am.
Below is a picture of our mighty Simplicity riding lawn mower along with attached wagon. We bought the mower last spring from a shop in Covell, IL. Paid only $600 for it. It several years old, but does have a hydrostratic transmission. The wagon has proven quite useful since its purchase from Tractor Supply Company in Pekin last fall. As you can see, our backyard opens up to a cornfield.
While we are in close proximity to several universities, we are predominantly a rural community. We do not have skyscrapers like big cities. Instead, like most other farming communities, our largest structure in town is the 'elevator.' To avoid confusion, the term elevator normally refers to a vertical motorized shaft used to transport folks from one floor to another. However, in terms of this structure, it is called an elevator because of the action it takes to elevate local produced corn and soybeans. The round structures, both concrete and metal, are commonly referred to as bins. They are used to store either corn or soybeans. Prior to depositing, corn must be dried. After circulating in a dryer, it is elevated to the top of this structure, then deposited via conveyors or other shafts to the bins surround the elevator.
Below is a picture of our mighty Simplicity riding lawn mower along with attached wagon. We bought the mower last spring from a shop in Covell, IL. Paid only $600 for it. It several years old, but does have a hydrostratic transmission. The wagon has proven quite useful since its purchase from Tractor Supply Company in Pekin last fall. As you can see, our backyard opens up to a cornfield.
While we are in close proximity to several universities, we are predominantly a rural community. We do not have skyscrapers like big cities. Instead, like most other farming communities, our largest structure in town is the 'elevator.' To avoid confusion, the term elevator normally refers to a vertical motorized shaft used to transport folks from one floor to another. However, in terms of this structure, it is called an elevator because of the action it takes to elevate local produced corn and soybeans. The round structures, both concrete and metal, are commonly referred to as bins. They are used to store either corn or soybeans. Prior to depositing, corn must be dried. After circulating in a dryer, it is elevated to the top of this structure, then deposited via conveyors or other shafts to the bins surround the elevator.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Top Chef is Tops
Here I am, sitting in front of the tube, watching one of my few favorite reality television shows - Top Chef. If you haven't watched it and enjoy cooking, this is a great show. Its rather light on character development, but very heavy on technique, creativity, and good food. What I really like is the naming conventions that they use. "I made a braised pear wedge marinated in a coriander mango salsa." Anyway, Top Chef airs Wednesday at 9pm Central on Bravo.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Road Trip
I completed a bit of a 'road trip' today. I was scheduled to be in Rock Falls for some case staffings. I had originally intended on traveling to Rock Falls last night, as it's a bit of a drive. But I decided that I wanted to sleep in my own bed, so I started early this morning. On the way up, I took I-39 up to Rt 52, about 10 miles north of Lasalle-Peru. This route shoots to the northwest through Mendota and Amboy. From there, I hit Rt 30 East and cruised in Rock Falls at 9:00am. This trip was exactly 2 1/2 hours. Actually, the trip was a bit longer than planned. The accessibility evaluation that I assumed was in the Rock Falls area was in fact 45 minutes northwest. Near as I can tell, we were about 15 minutes from Clinton, IA and about 30 minutes south of Galena. The only consolation to the trip was that it was an absolutely gorgeous drive, with hardly a cloud in the sky. And we passed through a number of quaint little towns with some gorgeous older homes.
On the return trip, I opted for an alternate route. I took Rt 40 straight south out of Rock Falls, and stayed on this road all the way to Peoria. It was about 70 miles of 2-lane driving. Luckily, I don't think I passed more than one car in the 70 miles, and I was cruising at 60mph most of the drive. About the only highlight of the return trip was a stop at the Casey's in Bradford to refill the gas tank and belly.
On the return trip, I opted for an alternate route. I took Rt 40 straight south out of Rock Falls, and stayed on this road all the way to Peoria. It was about 70 miles of 2-lane driving. Luckily, I don't think I passed more than one car in the 70 miles, and I was cruising at 60mph most of the drive. About the only highlight of the return trip was a stop at the Casey's in Bradford to refill the gas tank and belly.
Sunday Blues
Yesterday was a rather lackluster day. We missed church, getting home rather late on Saturday from our outing in Springfield. A few days ago, we received our 1/2 hog that we had purchased. There was plenty of ground pork so I felt compelled to make meatloaf. There are lots of meatloaf recipes out there, but my favorite by far is one that has been tested thoroughly by the folks at Cooks Illustrated. It is essentially a blend of ground pork and ground beef with a few spices, milk, egg, Worcestershire sauce, a dab of hot sauce and a dab of mustard. Add some cracker crumbs, and the loaf is nearly complete. A glaze on top consists of a combination of ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar. Anyway, that was lunch along with a bit of macaroni and cheese.
We finally ventured out of the house late in the afternoon when we took a drive down to the Talberts in Armington. Julie stayed inside, visiting the girls while I hung around with Brad and Zack. Upon arrival, Brad was welding a deer stand. Apparently the stand had broken last year and needed a bit of maintenance. Later, we ventured down to the timber for a short "walk in the woods". Their stream was up quite a bit, as evidenced by "Reggie", their black lab mix, having to swim through the stream to fetch a stick. Zach was really wanting us to take him to Ming's for supper, offering not only to buy his own supper but ours as well. We were tired from the previous night's venture so we offered a rain check. Apparently, his baseball season begins next week with a game in Atlanta on Sunday. We suggested that, possibly, we could go to Ming's Sunday evening.
We finally ventured out of the house late in the afternoon when we took a drive down to the Talberts in Armington. Julie stayed inside, visiting the girls while I hung around with Brad and Zack. Upon arrival, Brad was welding a deer stand. Apparently the stand had broken last year and needed a bit of maintenance. Later, we ventured down to the timber for a short "walk in the woods". Their stream was up quite a bit, as evidenced by "Reggie", their black lab mix, having to swim through the stream to fetch a stick. Zach was really wanting us to take him to Ming's for supper, offering not only to buy his own supper but ours as well. We were tired from the previous night's venture so we offered a rain check. Apparently, his baseball season begins next week with a game in Atlanta on Sunday. We suggested that, possibly, we could go to Ming's Sunday evening.
Longhorn Steakhouse
Saturday evening we met Julie's parents, Grandma, plus Jennifer, Edward, and Jake at Longhorn Steakhouse in Springfield. I can sum up the meal in one word - overrated! Our goal was first to locate a restaurant that took reservations or at least had call ahead seating. The only two that came to mind were Red Lobster and Longhorn.
It was a good thing that Julie called ahead. Even with the call ahead seating, we stood for nearly 45 minutes waiting for a table. For those who have never been to Longhorn, its easy to get confused. There are many other similarly named and themed restaurants including Lone Star Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, and Logan's Roadhouse. We prefer Texas Roadhouse over others both for the price and atmosphere, but alas there was not Texas Roadhouse in Springfield, the optimal halfway point for all of us.
With 8 of us in the group, the orders ranged from the Rocky Top Chicken to Top Sirloin. As for Julie and I, Julie opted for the Cheeseburger and fries, adding a salad. I have a soft spot for Prime Rib, so I went with the longhorn sized Prime rib - 10 ounces, I think. The steak came with au jus for dipping, plus a horseradish sauce. I ordered my steak medium with a baked potato, butter and sour cream, and a salad with honey mustard dressing. The salad was fine, nothing to write home about, but good none the less. The prime rib was average. It had quite a bit more fat that I would have expected. The horseradish dip was a pleasant surprise and had an eye opening flavor. My biggest disappointment of the evening was the baked potato. It was rather blah. If you're gonna be known as a steakhouse and everyone who orders steaks usually asks for a potato, you'd think the would place some emphasis on good potatoes. The potato was flavorless as was the sour cream. At least at Red Lobster they have a bit of salt crusted on the skin. I found myself continually dousing the potato with salt and pepper, giving it what flavor I could. In the end, I did clean my plate, but I doubt I'll be returning for another round at Longhorn unless someone else is paying. I've had better prime rib at St. Croix Casino in Turtle Lake or Gil's Restaurant here in Minier.
It was a good thing that Julie called ahead. Even with the call ahead seating, we stood for nearly 45 minutes waiting for a table. For those who have never been to Longhorn, its easy to get confused. There are many other similarly named and themed restaurants including Lone Star Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, and Logan's Roadhouse. We prefer Texas Roadhouse over others both for the price and atmosphere, but alas there was not Texas Roadhouse in Springfield, the optimal halfway point for all of us.
With 8 of us in the group, the orders ranged from the Rocky Top Chicken to Top Sirloin. As for Julie and I, Julie opted for the Cheeseburger and fries, adding a salad. I have a soft spot for Prime Rib, so I went with the longhorn sized Prime rib - 10 ounces, I think. The steak came with au jus for dipping, plus a horseradish sauce. I ordered my steak medium with a baked potato, butter and sour cream, and a salad with honey mustard dressing. The salad was fine, nothing to write home about, but good none the less. The prime rib was average. It had quite a bit more fat that I would have expected. The horseradish dip was a pleasant surprise and had an eye opening flavor. My biggest disappointment of the evening was the baked potato. It was rather blah. If you're gonna be known as a steakhouse and everyone who orders steaks usually asks for a potato, you'd think the would place some emphasis on good potatoes. The potato was flavorless as was the sour cream. At least at Red Lobster they have a bit of salt crusted on the skin. I found myself continually dousing the potato with salt and pepper, giving it what flavor I could. In the end, I did clean my plate, but I doubt I'll be returning for another round at Longhorn unless someone else is paying. I've had better prime rib at St. Croix Casino in Turtle Lake or Gil's Restaurant here in Minier.
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