Ramen Fu Episode 1: Coffee In My Ramen

     Hey folks, it's been a long time coming but I've finally decided to write about my misadventures in ramen experimentation. Yeah I cook other things but I usually end up using ramen noodles because I just can. This Section is meant for anyone who maybe wants to learn(along with myself) the many different things that are possible with this versatile, and most importantly cheap, every day product the American-Japanese marketing geniuses have provided us.

     So this particular experiment started out with me having some afternoon coffee. Relax, it was decaf and I just felt like having a cup of coffee. Now when I make coffee for myself, I don't feel that there's a point is using the pot. I'd just have to wash it later along with the cup. So I just skip a step and use the cup to brew straight in to. I'm usually good with measuring out exactly a cup plus evaporation but this time I added too much water for whatever reason and I swapped out the cup with another so I would't have a mess. To make a longer than necessary story shorter, I went and sat down to watch TV, finished my cup, and then realized I had my fix and didn't want more coffee. Life. But I was hungry. By the time I fanned away my brain smoke I decided to put it in  dinner!

     All great ideas start somewhere and coffee started this one. And yes, I know it's not that unusual for people to put coffee in food so no flaming, OK?

Coffee In My Ramen

Ingredients:  

1/2 cup coffee(fresh, no creamer or other crap mixed in)

3 cups water

frozen chicken breast fillet

ramen noodles(surprise!)

3/4 cup chenin blanc wine or other somewhat sweet white wine

1 tbsp minced onion - I used the dried stuff

1/2 tsp garlic salt - SALT not powder

2 tbsp lime juice(or 1 tbsp lemon)

1 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp corn oil

rosemary?? - will explain later

1 sq in parmesan cheese - for lack of better measure

Start out by putting your breast in 3 cups of water(haha. Deuce Bigalow flashback). Add your oil. Set the heat on max and wait till the water boils. This is meant to be a really quick prep so I didn't bother thawing.

Add your coffee and ramen noodles. Wait for the noodles to get re-hydrated.

Add everything else except the cheese and rosemary and turn down to med-high heat.

etc. etc.. look at ingredients list.

At this point I figured that I didn't want to be biting chunks out of the chicken while I was eating to I took it out and sliced it up. Plop the pieces back in right away, it's not cooked through yet.

Let the liquid cook off until things get a little thickened. The wine, lime juice, and even the soy sauce have sugar in them which acts as a thickener.

Now here's where it got interesting. Up to this point I still didn't know what kind of flavor I was looking for. All I knew was that I added too much lime juice and it overtook the other flavors. In my scramble for something to tone that down I went out back and cut 2 8in sprigs of rosemary. I added it hesitantly because now I'd be locking into an herbal/Itallian/Mediterranean flavor but I thought, eh, what the heck.

At this point the mix is pretty thick. Now is the time to add the cheese to make it even thicker. Again, easy prep - no grating for me. Notice block of cheese in center ---->>>

Let that melt until only about 1/4 of the block is gone then turn off the heat. Fold everything around constantly to make sure you get that cheese spread evenly.

And that's all there is to it. 15 minutes and throwing things in a pan(I used a wok)! 

***NOTE: I had 2 different plates - one that I used to cut the chicken and the serving plate. DON'T USE THE SAME PLATE!!! What you wanna die or something?

Bokurano OP Theme: Chiaki Ishikawa - Uninstall

One of the better themes I've heard from an anime OP in a long time.

And here's a badass band cover!!!

SC2 BattleReport 4

Get hyped with me for Starcraft II with SC2 BattleReport:

Aged Cohiba Siglo IV

     Hell, it's been a long time huh? I still pick up a stick every now and again, but I've been way too busy to hunt for new brands. I've just been sticking with my staples like this one. Now I've reviewed the CSIV before, but the difference with this one is that it has been aged for 3 years in my humidor. So here we go again:

     If you've read my other review, this is one of my cheap-enough-for-every-day smokes from JRC. Mind you that it's not a  true Cohiba, just a copy from JRC that is actually pretty damn close to the real deal in my opinion. The second I picked up this stick I gave it a sniff and it had a slight smell of, uh, cheesiness. There were very small traces of white speckles which are a good sign of a properly aged cigar. I can't describe the smell except for that it made my mouth water. The foot lit readily and very evenly as any humidity controlled cigar should. Right away there was a toasty, creamy, smooth aroma that just made me want to hang a bucket under my mouth. The taste was the same except, suprisingly, there was a bit of pepper to it, sort of like a Joya de Nicaragua. It took me completely off guard and I liked it. The aging seemed to have loosened the filler which allowed for any easy, but not too easy draw.

     No burn burn outs, no funny taste at random points of the stick, just an overall good smoke that makes you appreciate it's age. Though, having had these at various points of aging, I'd have to say that it peaks at about 2 years and further aging will not add much except loosen the filler more. 

4 out of 5

The Drip System

     OK, I got sidetracked again. Though I did have this system setup with .5 gallon drippers, I decided to upgrade to a mini sprinkler system. See Below:

It works just like those old style spitting sprinklers with the spinning and everything. In the 6 ft. planter, I have a line of 3.

These are on a timer to come on twice a day for one minute each. In one minute the entire system so far uses about one gallon of water/fertilizer solution. Here's a closeup of a sprinkler head in action. Those white blurs are the water spray.

Each head has a knob on the side to adjust flow. I have mine set to half flow or less. At full flow they have about a 3.5 ft. diameter spray -- on my setup.

And speaking of my setup, here is the heart of the system - a five gallon bucket with a 330 GPH fountain pump. I went with a .5 in main line and of course, .25 in for the drip lines. That white thing hanging above is a programmable 14 setting timer with auto DST and battery backup for the clock.

The heart pumping away.

And that's it. But why adapt it for a pump and bucket system? Well first, I don't have a hose spigot on my balcony(thought that will change soon). Second, I like to be able to have exact control over the amount of water I use. Third, it's easier to measure out and mix the ferts right in the bucket and easier to keep track of. And that's the last unless I think of something else later.

Happy Farming!!

Decking Out My Balcony

     So Here I am starting another project when I'm not done with the dozen or so of the others. This time around you can't blame 100% on me. Blame the FedEx guys that delivered them to me crazy fast. And when I got these I had that sort of new toy syndrome where all your interest is suddenly diverted ADHD style.

     Deck tiles, if you're wondering, which no doubt you are, are the objects that I have here:

Again, I was so excited that I forgot to take a before pic, but you can easily see from above that my balcony was cobbled in with ugly, easily dirtied pavers. ...and so it will remain - under my spanking new shorea(wood) deck tiles, that is.

You can see below that these have a sort of hook and loop assembly. They just snap onto each other. At the top is my 6ft cedar planter. Be sure to take a look at how I made that in the woodworking section too.

I'm getting there -- I'm getting there...

Around the corner and...

DONE!

Deck tiles are cheaper and movable compared to a standard deck. This is a great option for renters who want to be able to walk out in bare feet and still be able to take their deck with them when they move. 

Remember to get a bucket of wood sealer and protectant to keep the colors as vivid as the day you received them!

More shots:

  

An Evil Monkey for Your Entertainment

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Make Your Neighbors Think It's Drunken Family Night with Natal

     Microsoft's Project Natal turned a lot of heads when they're promotional video came out. "Oh my, what's that? It looks like wholesome family fun for everyone!" ... or so the actors portraying the perfect family and Microsoft would have you believe. Watch the official video below and be amazed... temporarily.

     The whole premise of the project is "controllerless" gaming. Users interact by moving their body, for example, if you were in an in-game fight you'd actually have to punch and kick so your avatar could take out the enemy in front of you. In the video below, a Parade Magazine employee gets probably way too into the whole thing, swatting, swimming, convulsing.

     What the heck would you think if you were outside watching your neighbors through the living room window? You know what I'd think? I'd think those guys must be pretty rich to have a living room that big... oh and to have a random crack party.

Getting Started with the Drip: part 1/2

     Alright, so now that I have things settled as settled as they're going to be I figure that I should properly put together my drip system. For the first try I decided to use the little 1/4" sprinkler heads. Also, I don't have the plumbing to hook directly into the water line I decided to use a 320 gph fountain pump hooked up to a timer. Usually these come with many fittings and chances are one of them will allow you to easily connect you 1/2" or 5/8" main line. I really do have to apologize for the lack of pictures at the moment. I just got so into it that I didn't think to take any I guess. I'll get em up in the next couple of days.

That dripper isn't hooked up to anything. It's just leftover from experimenting.

A closer shot of the sprinkler heads I used.

Studio 4°C to make THUNDERCATS ANIME!!!

Warner Brothers have announced that popular eighties cartoon ThunderCats is to be revived, and Japanese animation studio Studio 4°C has been tapped to animate the series.

Cartoon Network is set to air the series, and they are quick to cash in on the anime connection.

Sam Register, Cartoon Network’s Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs,was quoted as saying the series will be “Warner Bros. Animation’s first anime series,” conveniently forgetting that the original was also animated in Japan by Pacific Animation Corporation, which would go on to became Studio Ghibli.

Indeed, they lay it on quite thickly in their press releases:

Roaring to life through WBA and Studio4°C’s use of the Japanese animated artistry of anime, “ThunderCats” characters Lion-O, Mumm-Ra, Panthro, Cheetara and others will spring off the screen with realistic cat-like characteristics inconceivable in previous incarnations.

Studio 4°C already has strong ties with Warner Bros., as they are also working together on the anime adaptation of Halo.

via: sankakucomplex

From Hydro to.... Hydro?

It's true. Ever since my move to my new condo I've taken down the good old hydro setup that used to live by the closet. I've decided to use the space on my new balcony to grow... whatever it is I decide to grow. But in essence what I'm doing is still hydroponics. Instead of a recirculating nutrient reservoir I have a non-recycling drip system. In stead of pumice(what I was using in the hydro) I use a spongy potting mix. I'm not using any actual dirt but as you imagine it sure does act and pot up like dirt. *twinkling sounds* --So follow me on this new adventure through the trials, errors, success, and failures of my new container-bound mini farm!!-- <-- hint. go to the farm page -->

P.S.
It's not that I officially quit hydro. I just literally have to get my stuff and furniture sorted out to see if I'd even have room to build a new setup. I don't even have a bed yet!!

Rapper Soulja Boy Rips-Off Deathnote

Chart topping rapper “Soulja Boy” has been accused of flagrantly ripping off the Death Note OST in one of his latest releases, imaginatively called “Death Note.”

He is but the latest in a series of minor American celebrities caught plagiarising the works of Japanese artists with the evidently misplaced hope that nobody will notice, a practice since termed “Simmonsing” in honour of its foremost and most shameless practicioner

The track in question, “Long Journey,” which listeners should be warned is exceptionally bad even by contemporary rap standards:

The track from the Death Note OST he is alleged to have flagrantly ripped off, the “Near Theme”:

Whilst liberally “sampling” the music of others is an accepted staple of hiphop, generally it does not extend to stealing entire songs, series names and even fonts, all without credit.

Presumably the rapper, a barely literate 19-year-old who came to fame through such sites as YouTube, thought nobody would notice. He has previously been sued for allegedly stealing the name “Soulja Boy” from another performer, and even amongst other rappers has been dismissed as “garbage.”

As the album in question is merely a freely released “mixtape” it may escape any legal sanction, but this hardly makes it any less ethically dubious.

Homemade Cedar Planter: part 2

I finally got around to getting some potting mix(60lbs) for the new planter but before I filled it, I needed to make some drainage holes. I just eyeballed 4 1 inch holes spaced evenly apart. Then I lined it with 20 mil pond liner to protect the wood.

And here’s the new planter in action!

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Homemade Cedar Planter

Hey everybody. Wondering where I've been? The simple answer is that I was busy with the new condo and other random projects.

This project started because I wanted to really get my balcony farm going. I call it a balcony farm, not a garden, OK? I soon found out, however, that redwood and cedar planter prices are crazy. Like 50 bucks for a 16x16x12 inch box crazy. A few days ago I got an OSH ad and saw they had 6"x1/2"x6' cedar fence planks for sale. They went for about 2.80 per plank, so for the box that I built which was 6'wide, 16.5" long, and 11.5" high, I needed 8 planks for about $24. I also needed some drywall screws for $5 for a box with way more than I needed. Why drywall screws? Why not? So for $29 and about an hour of time, you can make a 6 freakin' foot long cedar planter!

The space before with 2 store-bought redwood planters @ $50 each:

First things first, get your cedar or redwood fence planks. The dimension marked out is 6" wide but usually they are 1/2" less. I don't know why they do that but that's how it is.

Grab 3 pieces and put them on a flat surface. Line them up so the ends are even and clamp them together at both ends. This will be the bottom. Remember these are rough cut so you might want to wear gloves if your hands aren't use to woodworking.

I had some 1 1/2" leftover redwood post from a previous project so I grabbed those for the feet. Have at least 1 screw going into each plank. I used the appropriate screws so that the points would not go all the way through the planks. It's a good idea to raise your planter up from the ground to allow for better drainage and so the base will not stay soggy,  which could shorten the life on the planter.

A minimum of 3 feet is required due to the length of the box. I simply eyeballed the 2 on the outside to be about 1ft in from the edges. The third was roughly in the middle.

Now we start making the front and back walls. I used some leftover red oak for the corner supports. These were 12" but I recommend you get about 10" pieces for this. I just wanted to minimize cutting. Just square up the edges and put in 2 or 3 screws. In my case I was going through soft cedar and into hard red oak so drilling pilot holes were necessary to avoid splitting. After you get one side, of course, do the other.

Now square up your partial wall to the bottom corners. I used a single 1 1/2" screw right into the end grain of the red oak. This time I drilled a pilot hole to the entire length of the screw. Normally you never want to screw into the end grain because it just won't hold up, but red oak is so hard that I think I'll be ok here. Repeat on the other side. hint: clamps help out a lot if you don't have another set of hands to help.

What I forgot to take pictures of was additional 1" screws drilled along the bottom edge into the first wall plank. Smack the plank with a hammer until you get it flush with the bottom edge and use 5-6 short screws to keep it there.

Now line up another plank right over the first one and screw it in on both sides. Your first wall is done!

Repeat the wall process for the other side.

Doesn't that look SWEEEET?!

But wait, we still have 2 more sides to do! Measure one side of the box  from outside to outside, close to the bottom, and mark your last plank. These pieces should overlap the edges. Cut that piece and use it as a template for a second. You might not want to do this for all 4 pieces as you carpentry skills may differ and there may be differences in materials. When you get to the other side, measure and cut in the same way for the last 2 pieces.

Screw those puppies in. See what I mean by "overlap the edges"? Also make sure you're screwing into the support and not the endgrain of the bisecting planks.

Lather, rinse, repeat, go use the bathroom because you haven't in the past hour...

...and come back and take a look at your brand new 6 foot long planter!

SWEEEEEEEET!!!

 Plants and soil coming soon...