"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

I’ve enjoyed reading about how our porchmates spent Thanksgiving. Ours was different than planned, in more ways than one, but still very enjoyable.

After we’d done our shopping we found out that our out-of-town guests had a last minute change of plans and were unable to join us. Fortunately it was a life-happens sort of thing rather than any sort of emergency or crisis. My wife and I decided to continue with our menu and had a wonderful day cooking and eating together and spending time with our dogs and catching up with family and friends by phone and text.

I was up at 5:15 AM to feed the dogs and light the smoker for a target dining time of between 2 and 3 PM. I’d never smoked a turkey before, but am a bit notorious for late dinners when making pulled pork or beef brisket. So, I erred toward the upper end of the time range in my planning. Well, as luck would have it, it became very clear during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade that the turkey was gonna finish well ahead of schedule. Faster than the lower end of the projected cooking time, even. So, we kicked into high gear making all the sides and gravy, working straight through the 30 minute rest on the turkey and the carving of half of it according to the method Frank posted. We sat down to eat right after noon.

To our delight, it was one of the best tasting Thanksgiving meals we’ve had. I’m not much for gravy, but my wife really knocked it out of the park. And the old fashioned pecan pie she made using maple syrup instead of corn syrup was to die for.

Today we have enjoyed a low key day, enjoying the soft rain that has been going on all day. I’m not much for turkey leftovers, but I’m actually excited about the turkey noodle soup I have simmering on the stove as I type this.

I hope everyone has a great rest of their weekend.

Update - soup’s on:

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veitsi_poika said:
Found this while researching John Yeomans Cowlishaw. He was knife maker in the mid 1800s specializing in Mother of Pearl / Sterling Silver knives and utensils. Watching these people work with their hands WITHOUT GLOVES is mesmerizing...

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Kevin that was really interesting. :thumbsup::thumbsup: were talking labor intensive.
 
Really enjoyed reading about everyone's Thanksgiving Day :) Thanks for sharing folks :) :thumbsup:

veitsi_poika said:
Found this while researching John Yeomans Cowlishaw. He was knife maker in the mid 1800s specializing in Mother of Pearl / Sterling Silver knives and utensils. Watching these people work with their hands WITHOUT GLOVES is mesmerizing...

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Very interesting Kevin, I've not watched that one before. My old school was just off Cowlishaw Road in Sheffield :thumbsup:

Couple of Cowlishaw silver fruit knives, from 1916 and 1836 respectively, and a Cowlishaw Penknife :thumbsup:

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jc57 said:
You'd be surprised how great those yucky vegetables can be when cooked right and with some flavorful healthy fats. The cauliflower is boiled first, then you add asiago cheese, butter, and cream cheese and then blend it all together (I used a hand mixer but you could use a whisk or potato masher). You adjust the mix to taste. Last time I made it I used purple cauliflower instead of golden, and parmesan cheese and butter, with some lemon juice and lemon zest. Completely different taste and texture, but still really good (though the purple looked weird).

Adding bacon to Brussel's sprouts is a game changer. I do a different recipe than my wife (which I think tastes better) which is stovetop and not oven, where you cut up the bacon, cook it in a skillet and then remove it, then saute the shallots, some minced garlic, and the sprouts in the bacon fat and add the bacon back in before serving. You can also use some chicken or vegetable broth and simmer until fully reduced if you don't want to cook everything in the bacon fat.

The roasted radishes were an experiment from a recipe we found. They turned out pretty good, almost like roasted baby red potatoes. None of that sharpness you get from fresh radishes (which I like anyway).
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It's been great reading about everyone's different Thanksgiving dinners :thumbsup: They all sound really delicious!
But thanks for posting this :thumbsup:; every year I look for different ways to liven up the sprouts for the Christmas dinner and that's the best idea I've seen. :)

veitsi_poika said:
Found this while researching John Yeomans Cowlishaw. He was knife maker in the mid 1800s specializing in Mother of Pearl / Sterling Silver knives and utensils. Watching these people work with their hands WITHOUT GLOVES is mesmerizing...

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting that; it's fascinating watching them! If you go on the Pathe news website you'll find a few old newsreels of the Sheffield steel and cutlery industry, which you may find interesting.
 
veitsi_poika said:
Thanks Jack, the link below is for the Cowlishaw one I purchased recently. The hallmark dates it to 1857 :)

"Old Knives"
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Very nice Kevin :) I rarely buy silver fruit knives myself, though I see them often enough. Here, they are almost invariably overpriced, and very often have worn springs, so that the blades are well-proud of the frame. I have one or two though, it's great being able to date them so accurately! :D :thumbsup:

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Jack Black said:
Very nice Kevin :) I rarely buy silver fruit knives myself, though I see them often enough. Here, they are almost invariably overpriced, and very often have worn springs, so that the blades are well-proud of the frame. I have one or two though, it's great being able to date them so accurately! :D :thumbsup:

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Very true Jack... the blade on mine does sit a tad proud of the frame and there is no "snap" but considering the age, I sort of expected that. It's amazing that the pearl and sterling silver stays so pristine :thumbsup: The hallmark mapping system for each of the cities / makers / dates is really awesome... I spent most of last night perusing the hallmarks and watching videos on how to go about reading them; once you figure it out it's real easy to understand. The seller for the knife I bought thought it was an 1881 but the shield on the "duty" stamp is square for that year whereas the 1857 shield is oval like the one on the knife. The "O" is more broad on the knife too like the 1857 font shows. It was a fun experience all around :):thumbsup:

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On the left for comparison is my old BSA knife (or possibly my brother's, if he has mine). The other Western L66 I bought today. It was marked $15, but the guy said he'd take $10. I love catching that guy in a good mood. The Leatherman Kick ($16 (all I know about Leathermans is they're expensive, so I think I did ok)) and the Vic SAK ($3.5) were at the mall next door.
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@r8shell . Very nice gift. If the little guy has a clip, it could be used as a backup money clip. I use something like that (with a "spyder" on it) for that purpose.
 
r8shell said:
I'm thankful to have a loving family. I'm also thankful to have some peace and quiet after they all go home. :D

Dad brought me a few souvenirs from his last cruise. I don't know how traditional that pocket ulu is, but I'll bet I could use the fixed one in the kitchen. :)
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That little folder makes an excellent skinning knife for rabbits & squirrels
 
Well I guess the birdseye is officially my lucky knife and the lockback whittler. :D:)

I was at the grocery store which has its parking lot on a hill above it. I always park at the top of the hill and walk down. Well, I had just loaded in the groceries and a guy a few spaces over was loading his truck. The cart corral is mid parking lot and I was almost to it when....whooosh..a speeding cart filled with cases of pop just misses me, heading for the busy entrance of the HEB.

I had to think fast, it was picking up some real speed and if it hit someone , well ^%@## lights out !!! I aimed my cart for the corral and burst into action. With blazing speed :rolleyes::eek:, at about ten feet, I caught the speeding battering ram and turned quickly to see where my cart was....well it missed the corral and and was heading toward a parked truck with the culprit in hot pursuit. Two saves...I might have been able to catch mine too, :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: but would have had to lay over the cart I just caught with all the cases of soda. Why didn't I lay mine down o_O
Well no harm no foul and I learned I can still put on some speed :cool::thumbsup:
 
Gevonovich said:
Well I guess the birdseye is officially my lucky knife and the lockback whittler. :D:)

I was at the grocery store which has its parking lot on a hill above it. I always park at the top of the hill and walk down. Well, I had just loaded in the groceries and a guy a few spaces over was loading his truck. The cart corral is mid parking lot and I was almost to it when....whooosh..a speeding cart filled with cases of pop just misses me, heading for the busy entrance of the HEB.

I had to think fast, it was picking up some real speed and if it hit someone , well ^%@## lights out !!! I aimed my cart for the corral and burst into action. With blazing speed :rolleyes::eek:, at about ten feet, I caught the speeding battering ram and turned quickly to see where my cart was....well it missed the corral and and was heading toward a parked truck with the culprit in hot pursuit. Two saves...I might have been able to catch mine too, :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: but would have had to lay over the cart I just caught with all the cases of soda. Why didn't I lay mine down o_O
Well no harm no foul and I learned I can still put on some speed :cool::thumbsup:
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Well done Gev :thumbsup: You ARE the Porch Commando ;) :thumbsup:
 
Gevonovich said:
Well I guess the birdseye is officially my lucky knife and the lockback whittler. :D:)

I was at the grocery store which has its parking lot on a hill above it. I always park at the top of the hill and walk down. Well, I had just loaded in the groceries and a guy a few spaces over was loading his truck. The cart corral is mid parking lot and I was almost to it when....whooosh..a speeding cart filled with cases of pop just misses me, heading for the busy entrance of the HEB.

I had to think fast, it was picking up some real speed and if it hit someone , well ^%@## lights out !!! I aimed my cart for the corral and burst into action. With blazing speed :rolleyes::eek:, at about ten feet, I caught the speeding battering ram and turned quickly to see where my cart was....well it missed the corral and and was heading toward a parked truck with the culprit in hot pursuit. Two saves...I might have been able to catch mine too, :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: but would have had to lay over the cart I just caught with all the cases of soda. Why didn't I lay mine down o_O
Well no harm no foul and I learned I can still put on some speed :cool::thumbsup:
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Your story reminded me of this... :D

 
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