A Look at Cold Steel Commercial Series Kitchen Knives

I have a set of Zwilling / J. A. Henckels – this set – BUT – the 7″ Santoku is no longer included with the set – to give you an idea how long I have had the set – I picked it up on sale for less than $200 – it was that long ago . . .

One of the issues ( not really – more an irritant ) is they eventually dull down to the point where a pass or two through the Warthog sharpener just won’t do “it” – then it becomes a sharpening day – I mean the Zwilling’s are incredibly tough / hold an edge / not brittle – but damn when it gets down to time to sharpen – it’s time to sharpen . . .

So the other day I was looking for some knives for presents and I bought The Bruce Actual two Cold Steel Kitchen Knives – Really Folks – Doesn’t my Blushing Bride’s husband deserve nice stuff? – the 8″ Plain Blade Commercial Butcher Knife . . .

. . . as well as the Kitchen Classics 3″ Paring Knife . . .

German 4116 steel – good stuff – does a decent job of holding an edge and a breeze to sharpen and dress up with a rod – I mean I really love my Zwilling but the Cold Steel knives are thinner and much more “nimble” to cut with – I have been using the 8″ as an “everything” knife and it’s nimble enough to use as a paring knife!

The 3″ paring knife? Feels every bit as good as the Opinel paring knives – and Opinel makes a great paring knife!

Are single purpose kitchen knives worth it? – It all depends on what floats your boat – Is meal prep a chore – or a part of the the prep / cook / eat pleasure thing for you?? With the right cutting techniques and proper tools it ( meal prep ) CAN be a pleasure and not a chore!

Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!

Red Beans in the Crock Pot

If you don’t follow Pawpaw’s house – get yourself over there and check him out – besides an assortment of stuff – he has some of the bestest simplest recipes out here – here is his straight up red beans in a crock pot recipe – and as it is? – it works GOOD!!

I’ve used this basic recipe as a starter for red beans for a long time . . .

Let’s make a half batch – 1 lb of beans – 1 lb of sausage . . .

The simple, humble red kidney bean . . .

Really good ( REALLY GOOD!! ) smoked sausage . . .

( at this point Dakota Butcher is NOT doing any shipping – but who knows? )

Most of you folks know I couldn’t leave the recipe be . . .

Now we creep over into my version . . .

1 green pepper chopped up fairly fine – you can also chop up several jalapenos in it as well . . .

One onion diced . . .

Heaping tablespoon or so of garlic . . .

Everything in the crock pot – 8 cups of water – clump the lid on – I run it on high for about 3 hours – think get the party started kinda thing – then put it on low for 8 hours or so – I love it because the crock pot does all the work!

Heap it up on a bed of rice – and OH MY MY!

Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!

Jalapeno / Cheese 2 Egg Omelet – Nom Nom!

Simple and GOOD – get your little non-stick pan – medium low fire – tablespoon or so unsalted butter – slice up a jalapeno into “coins” and saute until they soften . . .

Beat 2 eggs and lay them in on top of the jalapenos – lay a 1/2 cup – plus or minus – of your favorite shredded cheese – then be patient . . .

And if your fire is not too high – the magic will happen – the omelet will cook through from the bottom ( and not burn ) and the cheese will melt – then fold it in half then turn it over once or twice in the skillet – and your patience is rewarded!

Seriously as simple as it looks – the only “thing” is how much heat so you don’t burn it instead of cooking it – Enjoy!

Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!

The Story Of Operation Sandstone Atomic tests 1948

From the YouTube page description –

Operation Sandstone was a series of nuclear weapon tests in 1948. It was the third series of American tests, following Trinity in 1945 and Crossroads in 1946, and preceding Ranger. Like the Crossroads tests, the Sandstone tests were carried out at the Pacific Proving Grounds, although at Enewetak Atoll rather than Bikini Atoll. They differed from Crossroads in that they were conducted by the Atomic Energy Commission, with the armed forces having only a supporting role. The purpose of the Sandstone tests was also different: they were primarily tests of new bomb designs rather than of the effects of nuclear weapons. Three tests were carried out in April and May 1948 by Joint Task Force 7, with a work force of 10,366 personnel, of whom 9,890 were military.

The successful testing of the new cores in the Operation Sandstone tests rendered every component of the old weapons obsolete. Even before the third test had been carried out, production of the old cores was halted, and all effort concentrated on the new Mark 4 nuclear bomb, which would become the first mass-produced nuclear weapon. More efficient use of fissionable material as a result of Operation Sandstone would increase the U.S. nuclear stockpile from 56 bombs in June 1948 to 169 in June 1949.

Every single shot involved testing to a degree – some more – some less. In 1963, all testing moved underground and the instrumentation and “stuff” to be tested were all emplaced in a series of side tunnels placed at various distances from the device – depending on what data need to be gathered for a particular test.

Underground testing instrumentation developed to an almost “voodoo” level – because you did not go back into the shot hole after detonation – some of the folks involved were not wrapped overly tight but nobody was going to be talked into going back in after a shot – just saying . . .

A couple of views of Yucca Flats subsidence craters – which are quite an interesting thing to research all on their own . . .

Every crater equals a big bang underground – as the holes cool off – the roof of the chamber formed by the detonation starts collapsing – and the ground above it sags – quite a landscape – Eh?

Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!

Military Preparedness – Fallout – and Shelter Issues

A little grab from 8992 USB ( HFGCS ) to whet your appetite . . .

It’s a little easier (?) to plan and prep when you are dealing with military personnel and their dependents – a “captive” audience so to speak . . .

If you survive the blast? – the wooley booger is fallout . . .

There were multiple studies done – shelter life is not for the faint of heart . . .

And the issues with community shelters were never truly resolved – people were not going to deal with shelter life in a rational manner – can’t say that I can fault them – and that is where the single or small shelter concept stands a good chance of working – but even then there are some issues that a lot of folks just can’t/won’t deal with – a shelter is only so large – the supplies will only last for so long and you need about three weeks right up front – possibly enough supplies for several months – more mouths to feed equals less survival time with a given amount of supplies – the question becomes what are you willing to do so you and yours survive long enough for food/water/medical etc. to return to a quasi normal or even to survivable levels? . . .

Never forget – I am your fucking ray of sunshine – but at least it’s not canned sunshine that some state actor just popped open in your lap . . .

Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!