Weird realizations...

I'm on half-paychecks for two weeks because of my recent vacation. Yesterday, I had a startling moment.

I was getting worried about my checking account balance getting low... it had a certain dollar amount in it, and I needed to buy incidental stuff. You know, whatever food isn't available in the house, whatever stuff I run out of that I need, etc..

And then I realized that there were times in not-too-distant memory when I'd have been satisfied having that much for a *month*. I was concerned about having that much for a *week*.

And, okay, next week I get a half-paycheck, but that might cover my current bills, and have some left over. So, that much for as long as *two* weeks. And, yeah, gas is expensive; it used to be that $10 would fill my tank, and now it might take $30.

Still...

And I'm carrying a small balance on one credit card, which means I should wait *a whole month* before considering buying a new PC and a 19" flatscreen monitor. Oh, neither will be top of the line, but both will be decent.

And it's just strange, I don't think I ever realized I'd stepped away from being terrified about money, to feeling extremely comfortable, where even my current worries are things that seemed blessings before.

Weird realizations...

I'm on half-paychecks for two weeks because of my recent vacation. Yesterday, I had a startling moment.

I was getting worried about my checking account balance getting low... it had a certain dollar amount in it, and I needed to buy incidental stuff. You know, whatever food isn't available in the house, whatever stuff I run out of that I need, etc..

And then I realized that there were times in not-too-distant memory when I'd have been satisfied having that much for a *month*. I was concerned about having that much for a *week*.

And, okay, next week I get a half-paycheck, but that might cover my current bills, and have some left over. So, that much for as long as *two* weeks. And, yeah, gas is expensive; it used to be that $10 would fill my tank, and now it might take $30.

Still...

And I'm carrying a small balance on one credit card, which means I should wait *a whole month* before considering buying a new PC and a 19" flatscreen monitor. Oh, neither will be top of the line, but both will be decent.

And it's just strange, I don't think I ever realized I'd stepped away from being terrified about money, to feeling extremely comfortable, where even my current worries are things that seemed blessings before.

Beef jerky

Okay.

Slice the beef, between 1/8" and 1/4". Add 1/2 cup per pound of soy sauce; this has enough salt to cure the beef. Add about 1oz brown sugar per pound of beef, and 1/2 cup red wine per pound of beef. (I like ravenwood, becuase, you know, ravens. Plus, the wine seems to my untrained palate to be a good, kinda cheap wine. $8-10 a bottle on sale is "cheap" for wine, I think.)

Then a good healthy glop of Tiger Sauce. How much? Well... you know, a good glop. About a half bottle for four pounds, I guess.

You can add worcestershire if you didn't toss your worcestershire when your refrigerator died, or if you've bought some since then. And a good healthy glug of cider vinegar, because I don't quite trust the tenderizing potential of the red wine.

Put all this into a well sealed plastic container; it's good if you can pick up the whole container to shake it up for mixing. Every few hours, giving it a good shake makes sure that all the meat is covered.

Then, after at least 24 hours have passed, smoke the meat over a low heat - 200-250 degrees - with hickory (or a mixture of hickory and alderwood - that's all I have), for at least three hours. If you can keep the smoke low (to avoid creosote buildup), and the heat controlled, you can go a lot longer, but I try not to go more than six hours, before moving to the dehydrator.

Dehydrate until you've rendered out most of the fat that will go liquid, and until the meat is dry. The tricky thing here is that there's a lot of fat that can render out. You want the beef to splinter when bent, not to snap, but you can keep drying it when it splinters, if there's still a coating of liquid fat on it.

I tend to store it in a plastic bag; if I'm mailing it (or transporting it) I add rice as a dessicant. Generally, I store it in the refrigerator. Properly cured and dried, beef jerky's biggest enemy is mold; it'll last a year or more in an airtight container, but I'm never sure if I've cured and dried it properly.

This batch should be done sometime this coming week. If anyone from alt.poly would like a small sample, I can accomodate a few folks... I promised I'd make some for Orlando if I had the chance, and I did, so I'm making it, but I still feel kinda funny making it for me and just one other person... the old "don't eat it unless you've brought enough to share" from grade school, you know?

Beef jerky

Okay.

Slice the beef, between 1/8" and 1/4". Add 1/2 cup per pound of soy sauce; this has enough salt to cure the beef. Add about 1oz brown sugar per pound of beef, and 1/2 cup red wine per pound of beef. (I like ravenwood, becuase, you know, ravens. Plus, the wine seems to my untrained palate to be a good, kinda cheap wine. $8-10 a bottle on sale is "cheap" for wine, I think.)

Then a good healthy glop of Tiger Sauce. How much? Well... you know, a good glop. About a half bottle for four pounds, I guess.

You can add worcestershire if you didn't toss your worcestershire when your refrigerator died, or if you've bought some since then. And a good healthy glug of cider vinegar, because I don't quite trust the tenderizing potential of the red wine.

Put all this into a well sealed plastic container; it's good if you can pick up the whole container to shake it up for mixing. Every few hours, giving it a good shake makes sure that all the meat is covered.

Then, after at least 24 hours have passed, smoke the meat over a low heat - 200-250 degrees - with hickory (or a mixture of hickory and alderwood - that's all I have), for at least three hours. If you can keep the smoke low (to avoid creosote buildup), and the heat controlled, you can go a lot longer, but I try not to go more than six hours, before moving to the dehydrator.

Dehydrate until you've rendered out most of the fat that will go liquid, and until the meat is dry. The tricky thing here is that there's a lot of fat that can render out. You want the beef to splinter when bent, not to snap, but you can keep drying it when it splinters, if there's still a coating of liquid fat on it.

I tend to store it in a plastic bag; if I'm mailing it (or transporting it) I add rice as a dessicant. Generally, I store it in the refrigerator. Properly cured and dried, beef jerky's biggest enemy is mold; it'll last a year or more in an airtight container, but I'm never sure if I've cured and dried it properly.

This batch should be done sometime this coming week. If anyone from alt.poly would like a small sample, I can accomodate a few folks... I promised I'd make some for Orlando if I had the chance, and I did, so I'm making it, but I still feel kinda funny making it for me and just one other person... the old "don't eat it unless you've brought enough to share" from grade school, you know?

Had to share...

A blog was asking for sequels that should never be made. I came up with this one:



Old Yeller II: Yeller’s Revenge.

”The zombified, hydrophobic Old Yeller can only remember the massive betrayal at the hands of those he loved and protected.” And because it’s a Disney movie, it’ll probably end with some sappy “but he was saved and redeemed through the power of love”.

Had to share...

A blog was asking for sequels that should never be made. I came up with this one:



Old Yeller II: Yeller’s Revenge.

”The zombified, hydrophobic Old Yeller can only remember the massive betrayal at the hands of those he loved and protected.” And because it’s a Disney movie, it’ll probably end with some sappy “but he was saved and redeemed through the power of love”.