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

You ever just have one of those days...
Normal Sunday, got up and had my coffee, then ran off the few miles to the corner store to fetch a Sunday paper for the wife. All settled in for a nice quiet St Patty's day. Watching the birds and browsing the web. Had a nice lunch sandwich with tequila lime marinated chicken breast then put a big old pot of water on the burner for the corned beef and cabbage. I grabbed the brisket from the fridge and sliced the plastic from it to trim a little fat before it went into the pot, and when I grabbed it I suddenly realized ther was a big bone jutting out one end of it! What the!?!
To my utter disappointment I had grabbed a pork shoulder blade roast! We like to play iron chef in our house, so in typical iron chef fashion I quickly assessed my on hand supplies. A quick dry rub and my favorite La Cruiset Dutch oven was on the burner heating up. Searing the roast I quickly cut up some onion celery and carrots for the braise. What was to be a traditional corned beef and cabbage meal turned into pork shoulder braised in Chardonnay, with carrots and turnips braised as well with a homemade warm applesauce side and baked sweet taters. I decided to use just my Opinel #10 Inox for all prep work. Now I sit on the screened deck again watching the birds frolicking at the feeders and thinking...what a nice day:)
 
My wife is of 100% Irish descent. Pork won't cut it for St. Paddy's day. It's Corned Beef and Cabbage, potatoes, and home made Irish soda bread. I may be a bit slow moving tomorrow. It's a robust meal.

Unfortunately, I did not think ahead and take Monday off. Then I could have some Guinness with the meal. No alcohol the night before a work day. I trust some of you folks will have some in my place.

Slainte go saol agat
 
Sounds like you had a good Le Patrick's Day after all. ;)

sitflyer said:
You ever just have one of those days...
Normal Sunday, got up and had my coffee, then ran off the few miles to the corner store to fetch a Sunday paper for the wife. All settled in for a nice quiet St Patty's day. Watching the birds and browsing the web. Had a nice lunch sandwich with tequila lime marinated chicken breast then put a big old pot of water on the burner for the corned beef and cabbage. I grabbed the brisket from the fridge and sliced the plastic from it to trim a little fat before it went into the pot, and when I grabbed it I suddenly realized ther was a big bone jutting out one end of it! What the!?!
To my utter disappointment I had grabbed a pork shoulder blade roast! We like to play iron chef in our house, so in typical iron chef fashion I quickly assessed my on hand supplies. A quick dry rub and my favorite La Cruiset Dutch oven was on the burner heating up. Searing the roast I quickly cut up some onion celery and carrots for the braise. What was to be a traditional corned beef and cabbage meal turned into pork shoulder braised in Chardonnay, with carrots and turnips braised as well with a homemade warm applesauce side and baked sweet taters. I decided to use just my Opinel #10 Inox for all prep work. Now I sit on the screened deck again watching the birds frolicking at the feeders and thinking...what a nice day:)
Click to expand...
 
The wife loved it! I'm pretty sure my Gibbons ancestors are rolling in their graves, and my Bourgeron ancestors are laughing. Me, I really like corned beef and cabbage. They look almost identical in the freezer :eek:
 
knarfeng said:
Unfortunately, I did not think ahead and take Monday off. Then I could have some Guinness with the meal. No alcohol the night before a work day. I trust some of you folks will have some in my place.

Slainte go saol agat
Click to expand...

Don't worry, we boosted the income of Guinness today to make up for you.:thumbup:

Carl.
 
WHoof, I'm still on the back-end of my St. Patrick's Day. Entirely too much whiskey (unless nearly two bottles of Jameson is somehow not too much), didn't get any corned beef & cabbage, but I did have a chance to swap a couple fisticuffs. Headache schmedache.
Philadelphia is a difficult place to celebrate this holiday... ;)
 
We had the traditional corned beef and cabbage, with potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower.

A few drams of Powers blended Irish whisky, as well as some Knappogue Castle 12 year single malt went down as well!
 
Hi,

My Daughter who is studying to become a mechanical engineer, has called and told us that she won't be home at all this year for vacation. She has wrangled an internship to be a part of an alternative fuels research project in Botswana this spring. Seems they need an M.E. intern and she managed get selected for the position. The project will cover all her expenses and pay her wages while there.

Got to wonder what traditional knives they have there?

Dale
 
Goin' South is another great, probably overlooked, western. I think Jack Nicholson only made two westerns, this one and Missouri Breaks. Missouri Breaks was a little strange for me, Goin' South is a western comedy. Christopher Lloyd, Danny Devito, John Belushi and Mary Steenburgen. Great movie with some great quotes.

I wouldn't take you to a dog-fight if you was the defendin' champ!
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goin'_South

Goin_south.jpg
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Very cool and congratulations to your daughter Dale! Are okapi knives a part of the local kit? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi_(knife). The douk-douk? Big fixed blades? Machetes? I think a sodbuster may be in order for the trip? ;).
Click to expand...

Hi,

She's pretty excited about the trip. This girl is going to be somebody.

I thought Okapi too. But not Douk-Douk. She brought me a nice Guatemalan machete from her trip to a small mountain village there. Did I say she's a thoughtful Daughter?:)

Dale
 
Where are my arms?
Where are my feet?
Where is my back?

LOL...

I was making firewood the whole day yesterday while working with the chainsaw and the circulate saw... Today there was wood splittling for making the "wet" wood open to let it dry during the year. I was putting the wood pieces on each other this afternoon and splitting. I can hardly move and every muscle hurts. It´s somehow my favorite work and I was doing it not for a long time. So I realized the work pretty much :D When I did the work regularly in the past nothing was up to me, but now it´s like doing this the first time of life.

What a great weekend! (I´m looking forward the warm house next winter - and the lot of wood I´ll get during that year)

Just wanted to share.
 
Humppa said:
When I did the work regularly in the past nothing was up to me, but now it´s like doing this the first time of life.
Click to expand...

Welcome to old age Andi! :D

I'm sure you've got a few more seasons of firewood left in you yet my young friend! :)

Jack
 
Thanks Jack... I fear - I know what you mean :D

I´m making firewood since I can run, my dad always used to take me to the woods and he learnt me to use the chainsaw safely as well as the axe and all the other tools.

However - this was the first lesson again, but it will get better each time... I love the smell of fresh cut coniferwood :)
 
Sometimes a few aches and pains make the experience richer, and you feel you've earned that beer all the more at the end of a hard day :)

(Edit - At least that's what I thought when I was your age! ;) :D)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top