Snarktoberfest

[cbwoods67]

I found a pretty bad-ass mug in the back of the cabinet at work this morning.

Sweet.

It isn't every day you find a coffee cup with a knife on it. It even kind of matches. The Amish are making pretty nice knives these days.

 

[Dave from State Farm]

Still at the mercy of the train, but I bought a new pack:

 

[DerekH]

Made a sheath for the G10 Stabby Device.

 

[Yetidayhiker]

Still at the mercy of the train, but I bought a new pack:
View attachment 784313

That's just plain fantastic. Nice pumpkin morale patch.

Anyone here remember "the trunkmonkey ad clips?"

 

[DunkEm]

Spent yesterday evening fishing with a friend.

Caught an undersized speckled trout, a few brown trout, the obligatory catfish, one flounder and these guys...

It was a good evening.

 

[Xr6x]

Spent yesterday evening fishing with a friend.

Caught an undersized speckled trout, a few brown trout, the obligatory catfish, one flounder and these guys...

It was a good evening.

What are kind of fish are those guys?

 

[MarriedTheMedic]

What are kind of fish are those guys?

I believe those are red fish, also known as channel bass.

 

[Dave from State Farm]

That's just plain fantastic. Nice pumpkin morale patch.

Anyone here remember "the trunkmonkey ad clips?"

I remember the monkey ads! I am a morale patch addict (I need all the morale I can get!). I've been acquiring patches for a few years now. That's why I jump at the opportunity any time a Becker patch comes available.

One thing I've noticed about PVC patches is that the brighter colors tend to fade really quick- the pumpkin patch in that picture used to be really bright. I think that's why I've liked our BH patches in thread, but would never say no to a PVC BH patch.

Enjoy the Saturday Beckers, I'm on the train again but wishing I was skiing.

 

[Xr6x]

I believe those are red fish, also known as channel bass.

Thanks MTM

 

[MarriedTheMedic]

Thanks MTM

You’re welcome!

 

[91bravo]

You can tell the Redfish by the obvious dot on their tail.

 

[DunkEm]

What are kind of fish are those guys?

I believe those are red fish, also known as channel bass.

Correct, though I've never heard them called channel bass. I think they are formally named red drum.

I call them fun. And then tasty.

 

[GSO1962]

Long time, no snark!

I figured I should drop by and let you all know that I am not dead... I went on another Army adventure to El Paso in July, and found out while I was there that my wife and I were able to get our dairy goats a year earlier than planned. It's been hectic ever since getting set up, settling them in, milking the one currently in milk, making cheese, a short trip to Twenty-Nine Palms MC Base, etc.

Got to go clean the stalls right now, but a quick teaser... We got six goats (including a high-end buck) for the price of two; an opportunity we couldn't pass up.

Texanna Twin Sisters (Twinsey) is the one in milk right now. Snowden Family Goodnight (Goodie) is her doeling that was kidded in April and being weaned. We've got her penned with a companion goat (Maydelle), and Twinsey shares a pen with Rosebud and Buttermilk. We are fairly sure that we successfully bred all three adult does with Lindera (Lindy), the buck, who has his own spacious quarters. The does are closed up in the barn each night; Lindy has a 20'X40' pen made with medium bull panels, and a 3.5 sided run in shed. At 195+ pounds, the coyotes won't bother him...not to mention the smell since he's in rut right now.

Just finishing my break after mucking the stalls, so now I've got 17 or so cubic feet of high quality goat manure and straw to take up to the every growing pile in the corner of the pasture...

Snark you all a bit later.

 

[DerekH]

Good to see you! Congrats on the deal on the goats!

 

[Aikiguy]

Nice to see you around again GSO. Kewl goat herd you've got going on!

 

[Jonny1280]

There’s a very reasonably priced BK9 on the exchange right now.

*not anymore.

 

[1066vik]

that didn't last long!

 

[GSO1962]

Good to see you! Congrats on the deal on the goats!

Nice to see you around again GSO. Kewl goat herd you've got going on!

Thanks Gents!

Things have settled down somewhat, but I have been "forced" to add cheesmaking to my resume...

The start of queso blanco...a simple cheese made by heating the milk to 185 degrees then adding some acid (white vinegar is common, but you can use lemon juice or other acids) to cause the milk to curdle...and voila...curds.

Drained and pressed into a mold.

I added a few Italian herbs to one batch and served with some roasted red pepper tapenade on a water cracker.

The plain one was cut into strips like paneer (or panir, an Indian cheese that can be used like tofu). It has a really high melting point, so I pan fried the strips (in bacon grease, so it wasn't quite vegetarian...haha) and added to a tomato and goat milk yogurt curry with peas. Served over jasmine rice...yum!

 

[1066vik]

key lime juice works pretty well, too - and adds a subtle but interesting flavor.

another fun one is to heat it to 95*, add yogurt culture, then let sit overnight in an insulated cooler -- the next day add your acid and heat it up to about 110, then let it sit for an hour while the curd form. cut the curd once it's solid up and press it against the side of the pan before dumping it in your cheesecloth to drain.
adding smoked paprika during the overnight incubation adds color and a subtle smokiness.

 

[GSO1962]

key lime juice works pretty well, too - and adds a subtle but interesting flavor.

another fun one is to heat it to 95*, add yogurt culture, then let sit overnight in an insulated cooler -- the next day add your acid and heat it up to about 110, then let it sit for an hour while the curd form. cut the curd once it's solid up and press it against the side of the pan before dumping it in your cheesecloth to drain.
adding smoked paprika during the overnight incubation adds color and a subtle smokiness.

I have taken some of the whey from one cheese I'm working on (cabra al vino...I'll have to do a post dedicated to it later) and used citric acid to make ricotta. Also my wife and I have done two 1-gallon batches of yogurt, the first from a starter culture, the second with a half cup of the first batch as the starter. Half of the first batch was hung in butter muslin and drained to make labneh, a traditional middle-eastern cheese. A short drain will yield Greek yogurt; longer and it is labneh, which is like a slightly tart cream cheese. We ate it with fruit or honey like yogurt, on bagels like cream cheese, and as a dip for pita chips spread on a plate and drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with za'atar.

And for Becker content... One of the web sites with cheese recipes suggested using the technique described in Rombauer/Becker's "Joy of Cooking" to pasteurize your milk if you felt compelled to do so. We've been drinking our goat's milk raw, and only heating it when needed for the recipe in question, but I picked up a copy of the book anyway. I used their recipe to make sausage gravy for biscuits from goat milk yesterday for breakfast. No photos...you'll have to take my word for it that it was delicious.