Saturday afternoon- Tex-Mex Grilled Cheese

 

Like many people, my go-to for a quick hot meal is a grilled cheese sandwich.  One of the great things about a sandwich is the ability to improvise with different ingredients to make it new as often as you want.  We had a bag of 4-cheese Mexican blend shredded cheese in the fridge and always have peppers and such around, so I decided to do a nacho/ Tex-Mex sandwich this afternoon. 

Dead simple and tasty, it's the little things that combine to create magic in your kitchen. 

Fatboy Tex-Mex grilled cheese

2 slices bread (I used a multi-grain with some nut flour) 

1/8  cup shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend

4-6 slices pickled jalapeño peppers  

2-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1.  Heat cast iron skillet to medium-high
2. Spread cheese and peppers between slices of bread
3. Butter outside of both sides of sandwich
4. Place sandwich in skillet and place a second skillet or sandwich press on top
5. Fry each side 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted to preference  
6. Remove sandwich from pan and cut in half to serve. 

Alpha Media has a deal for beer drinkers this summer - meet Alpha Pub and Growler 2015

Alpha Media, a company I have mixed feelings about usually (they own 98.7 "The Bull" and  Kink 103 but also killed off KUFO) has created a promotion that the Fat Boy's can get behind: The Alpha Pub and Growler Card. 

The card sells for $60 and gets your growler filled at eight local bars and brew pubs, including Bridgeport, Kells NW, and HUB among others.  You can find more information on their website here, but this one is a no brainer folks.

Amazon keeps innovation moving forward

Amazon has been making the Kindle line of eInk ebook readers for several years now, and have come a long way since the first oddly shaped and hard to hold iteration.

On June 30th they started shipping their latest, the newest Paperwhite, and it makes another evolutionary jump towards becoming the best ebook platform imaginable.  From speed improvements in screen refresh to enhancing the front lighting and reflectivity it is without a doubt the best eInk device on the market. 

Slim, light, ridiculously long battery life and touchscreen navigation that is deceptively responsive given the inherent limitations of the screen technology combine to make this a must have if you aren't using a Kindle already, and worth a serious look even if you are.

Whisky Review: Lagavulin 16yo Distillers Edition

Tonight a good friend that I don't get to spend much time with due to geography came by to catch up, and we decided to sample a few whiskys while he was here.   

As a big scotch guy Lagavulin is one of his favorites, so when I pulled this off the shelf his eyes bugged out.  Labeled bottle 4/504 and distilled and barreled in 1998 this is a double matured Scotch that was sure to meet our expectations. 

As an "Islay" Single Malt Lagavulin is known for a strong smokey flavor, and this bottle did not disappoint.  Straight from the bottle the nose had notes of dried stone fruit and burnt sugar.  The taste started with smooth but strong smoke, which was quickly joined by leather and mild tobaccos before fading into smooth caramel and vanilla.

As my readers know by now I'm not typically a single malt fan, but this will stay in my cabinet for special occasions. 

Monthly boxes of random coolness (and sometimes crap)

I realized as I was sitting in the dentists office waiting for my son and daughter to finish that it had been a while since I had posted anything about the random unsolicited boxes of products I have received.

Some of these boxes I expect every month from subscription services hoping for publicity like the great folks at GeekBox and Wet Shave Club.  Others show up out of the blue, like the tshirt and sweatshirt that arrived with the "Last Star Fighter" logo shortly after I reposted an article about a sequel to that amazing movie being in the works.  Sometimes the contents are worth keeping, sometimes they are worth passing on to Jimmie and other friends, or handing to the wife and kids. Once in a while they are barely worth the room they take up in the trash can. 

Here come the pictures and descriptions, I'll come back through when I get time and add links where I can tomorrow.  Enjoy! 

This liquor infusion kit from TongueSpank Spice Co. was a welcome arrival

This hoodie and matching tee came from the production folks behind the new Last Starfighter movie

These are just some of the tees to arrive from the guys at pop-up-tees this month

Zac Brown Band sent us a few copies of their newest album.  If you haven't yet, buy it now. 

May's monthly box from the guys at Birchbox included no-show liners from the folks at Taft in addition to the normal variety of grooming samples

This month finally brought the release of the Nüüd for iPhone 6 Plus from the folks at Lifeproof.  I've been amazed at how long it has taken some companies to get precision manufactured cases on the market for the 6 Plus, but this is by far the most durable case you will find, especially when combined with a ballistic glass screen protector. 

GeekFUEL's theme this month was Teams, and featured items surrounding comic and movie teams like the Avengers and TMNT

As I've written about before, one of the most important items in my gear bag is a large battery pack to keep my devices charged.  This aluminum number from EliteBuy was on sale for just $30 on Amazon and is rated at 10000mAh, or around four full charges for your iPhone.  The color didn't win me over but construction was solid

This pack from Aukey, who are quickly becoming one of my favorite accessory companies was on sale for $20 when they sent it for review.  It features auto sensing technology that adjusted the output on the USB ports to charge devices as quickly as they would take power, and more importantly reduce output when your device gets closer to fully charged or is a lower powered device.  Very important to prevent overheating, especially when they are carried together in a gear bag. 

This cool tabletop BX Bluetooth speaker from GoGroove is part of their BlueSYNC line.  While it's dual drivers and multiple input sources are pretty standard, and it's wood grain finish helps it fit in nicely on my night stand, GoGroove is hopeful that what will set this product line apart from the masses is the addition of a removable and rechargeable battery that is interchangeable with the other speakers in the lineup. 

The newest kid on the "lets throw together a box of stuff geeks and fanboys will like every month and see if they will pay to get surprised" block is NerdBlock, and they didn't do too bad with their first box.  I'll reserve final judgment on the company as a service until we get six months in, but I'm not upset by what I've seen yet. 

The Foldio 2 from the folks at Orange Monkie is the perfect mobile photo studio

Well, that was most of the assorted stuff that came in May.  I have some other reviews to get caught up on, and some great recipes to post for you guys.  Stay tuned. 

I'm sitting in church...

Jun 21, 2015 10:23 AM 

It's been a crazy week.  Not just for my family but for our nation and our world.

A madman walked into a church and killed nine of Gods children just four days ago.  I wish as I was writing this I could say this was a unique occurrence but we live in a world where this has happened before, and unfortunately it will probably happen again.  The only thing that made this different was that instead of just walking in and opening fire this young man sat with them, was given a place of honor as a visitor at the Pastor's right hand during the Bible study they shared, and then shot them in cold blood.

As I write this I am sitting in my own church surrounded by members and visitors of my church, friends and family.  Sitting here the real tragedy of Charleston occurs to me:  how many of the people who walked in these doors for the first time are going to be welcomed less warmly because of what that madman did?  Are the greeters at our doors going to be wary of them?  If I'm asking these questions all the way in Oregon, how are the members of "Mother Emmanuel" dealing with these questions this morning as they gather in the sanctuary to tell the world they will not be shaken or moved from that holiest of places?

Our churches are supposed to be safe.  Our culture uses the term "Sanctuary" to mean not just the place where the faithful meet, but also to refer to a state of safe passage free from attack.  For centuries holy ground has been a place of safety for people to meet and find peace.  For many of our children that assurance of safety has now been lost, and with it a part of their innocence we all would have preferred to have there forever.  Emmanuel AME is a proud church with a proud and storied past though.  This may be the first time you or I have had to think about these things but the history of the American South during the Civil War and even during the Civil Rights movement not only features Charleston, SC....it prominently featured this very church.  Look it up, you will be amazed at the history of this church you likely had never heard of before Wednesday night.  They walked on then, they'll walk on in faith now.  They'll pray hard.  We'll pray with them and for them, and just as he always has God will use all things according to his purpose.

 

Life in Fat Boy Heaven

Sorry posts have been so slow in the last couple of weeks.  My father in law came through surgery fine, and is now in short term rehab for a few days while he gets his strength back.   Until Tuesday that meant a lot of driving across town to the hospital to fit around normal life.

Now that life is back closer to normal I can get things caught up.  I'll have some amazing dinners from the last couple of weeks including a Bacon wrapped Blackberry Pork Loin Roast I'm particularly proud of from last night coming your way, as well as reviews of everything from cigars and humidors, to Whisky from the folks at Caskers.com, new journaling systems from BulletJournal.com via their Kickstarter project, and  clothes from Ript Apparel and Dickies.  It's going to be a busy weekend.

Remember last month when I said it was a big year?

I'm lying awake tonight, and as tired as I am after a full day working at The Pantry unloading trucks, stocking shelves, and then doing the other hundred things my father-in-law Alden and Mother-in-law Linda do there while they spent the bulk of their day at the hospital I'm not sure as we near two if sleep is possible tonight.

In about five hours my Father-in-law will enter a surgical OR for a valve and aortic replacement.  The surgeon will literally be replacing nearly a quarter of his heart!  This is major surgery, especially for a 75yo with long history of heart problems.   Ever since the aneurysm that necessitates this procedure was found six weeks ago as both a church body and a family we have been praying that God's will be done to heal him. All along we have felt reminded by the Spirit that sometimes God uses the hands of skilled surgeons in that healing. 

So here we are: In three hours the rest of the family will get Alden checked in while I am home praying and getting ready to go back into the Pantry to make sure that things continue to run smoothly there while waiting for news from that hospital 12 miles away. 

I spoke to Dad tonight for the last time before surgery and he fealt at peace with the surgery moving forward.  The entire family is concerned, obviously at different levels.

My feelings are hard to describe as I lay here writing this.   You see, a little over 13 years ago my father went in for open heart surgery.  30 days later we had lost him.  Part of me really wants to be at that hospital to support my wife and her family, but a big part of me feels guilty that I'm glad I don't have to face that tortuous wait again, because I know I'll spend most of it thinking of my Dad.

I know this is all in Gods hands.  I know the only practical solution is for me to rest and be ready to fill Alden's shoes at the pantry for the next few weeks while he recovers, especially tomorrow while everyone is adjusting to his absence.  Now if I could get my body to cooperate. 

If it comes to mind between 7:00am and 12:00pm PDT your prayers and positive thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

My thoughts on "A Letter To Christians In Indiana, From Jesus"

This is a great take on the way Christianity has become politically and radically motivated in recent years, posed as a letter from Christ to his church.  As we begin what the Christian Church calls "Holy Week" I thought this would be a great article to share with you along with my thoughts, especially given recent court rulings and laws passed in Indiana and proposed in Arkansas and Massachusetts regarding religious beliefs and civil law.

Regardless of your faith, the mixture of religion and politics is dangerous to our system of government.  We can't make laws based on Christian values and then yell about communities imposing elements of Shariah law. Separation of Church and State is an all or nothing proposition, and our constitution clearly calls for total separation.

Those of you that know me well are very aware of how my faith influences my life, my family, and our view of the world.  While that also influences my political views and how I vote on various issues, I have never been one to try and force my beliefs on anyone.  To me it is something personal, a relationship as important to me as my marriage to Carrie, and one I work just as hard to maintain.  

Just like my marriage, if people come to me asking how my relationship with Jesus is still so alive and vital I have no problem talking about it.  I talk about my Dad's theory of "Personal Theology" that helped me shape my faith and find peace and comfort in churches of all denominations.  I talk about being asked to leave the first bible college I attended and how theological differences caused that conflict.  Above everything else though I talk about the peace and joy I feel in those quiet moments with Jesus....from worship on Sunday morning at church, to quiet talks with him at 2am when I just don't know how to deal with my teenage daughter, and from laying in a quiet forest staring up at the tree tops to receiving communion.

Our faith was intended to be something intensely personal, yet so transformative that those around us couldn't help but ask about it.  It shouldn't ever be something we feel a need to force on anyone.  If it is, we are doing it wrong.

Review: A.B.V. Public House

Carrie and I finally had a chance to have lunch at ABV Public House in Hillsboro, and we were impressed by the selection of both food and beverages on offer.  Founded originally as a tap house for Main Brew, the home brewing supply store adjacent to them ABV has quickly become a draw by themselves for anyone looking for hard to find bottled beer, a wide range of taps to fill the ubiquitous Northwest "Growler" from, and increasingly for those looking for a remarkably great meal. 

I had the ​Chicken Hash, which was made from Pulled Confit Chicken Thigh, Potato Hash, Onions, a Sunny Side Farm Egg + Romesco Crema.  Not the kind of dish you expect to find at a small pub that doesn't even have a sign out front.  While I prefer my hash to have crispier potatoes this was a flavorful and satisfying bowl that is sure to please anyone.  The chicken was moist and bursting with flavor while not being as greasy as confit dishes can sometimes find themselves.  The egg was perfectly cooked and when broken open over the hash provided the perfect richness to blend with the Crema to flavor the potatoes.  If you like hash of any kind stop in and give this one a try for brunch.

ABV Public House is typical Portland.  Unmarked, unknown, and uncommonly good.  A little piece of Fat Boy Heaven in a tiny strip mall between the gun range and the home brew store.  It doesn't get anymore Portland than that.  You can find ABV online here, or just go visit them at:

23588 NW Clara Lane 

Hillsboro, OR 97124

Update: April 1st, 2015

We went back a couple of weeks later with the kids to get another picture of how ABV really behaved on a weeknight.  While food quality was just as great, service dropped severely.  At 6pm on a Wednesday night we had a 40 minute wait to be seated, even though there was an open table clearly visible from the podium. 

It took nearly another hour before appetizers (Fried Cheese Curds) were brought out, and 29 minutes past that we finally got our meals. 

The fried cheese curds are served in a large bowl.  Plenty to share and perfectly breaded and prepared. 

​I ordered the 50/50 Burger, while Carrie went with the Green Chile Burger.  Both were excellent.  Both kids ordered ABV burgers, classic 1/4 pound cheese burgers.

The 50/50 Burger has a patty that is 50% Beef and 50% Bacon.  This is topped with bacon, blue cheese, and grilled onions.  Amazing. 

The cross section of my 50/50 Burger.  Look how thick and juicy that burger looks! 

1. The kids both had the ABV burger.  A classic example 1/4 pound cheese burger

Carrie's Green Chile Burger was huge, and she said full of flavor. 

It's a big week in a big year at our house....

As I write this post I'm waiting for Carrie to get home from work.  Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of a judge signing paperwork making us parents of two amazing kids, and today marks our 15th wedding anniversary.  Just a couple of months ago we celebrated the fact that Carrie had reached the 5 year mark after surgery and was "officially" cancer free.  Carrie has a birthday coming in a few weeks and then less than a month from today I turn 40.  It's a big year around here.​

Adoption Day, March 3rd 2005

Looking back to where my life was 16 years ago I never could have predicted the twists and turns life would bring.  

I knew the first time I met Carrie that I was going to marry her.  It was April of 1999, and we met for dinner one evening after work.  We had met online and were getting together just as friends since we lived so close.  At the time neither of us was looking for a relationship, but in talking with so many couples over the years that's usually when God decides we are ready.

We both had busy work lives and finding time to get together was hard​, but convincing Carrie that I was worth making time for was harder.  Somehow I was the first guy this amazing woman had ever dated.  Less than a year later we were married, and in the words of Jerry Garcia "What a long strange trip it's been".

The fifteen years since have had amazing highs and heart breaking lows.  From the low of learning we couldn't have children to the high of adopting the two most amazing kids we could ever hope to have call us Mom and Dad.  From the torture of Her cancer diagnosis a week before Christmas to the joy of successful surgery and being declared cancer free five years later.  From the pleasure of seeing our kids grow from the broken kids they were when met them to the amazing Man and Woman they have become.  The loss of family members to disease and friends to time and distance. Through it all I have known the comfort and love that only she could bring to my life, knowing that God brought her to be the perfect anchor for me in the storm of life.​

Over the years I have had friends get married and have families, and heard numerous sermons preached on marriage and family by some amazing speakers.  I have heard people complain about traditional marriage vows that included "honor and obey" in the wife's vows and not the husbands, and even my Mother had questions about the words staying in our ceremony.  When Carrie and I talked about it she said something that has never left my mind.  I don't even know that she remembers saying it that night, but she said "If I had any doubt you would die for me like Jesus did I wouldn't be saying 'I do'.  If you can keep your vow I can keep mine."​

I have no idea what I did to deserve anything that life has brought my way, but as a great Rabbi once said to his student "I don't ask God 'Why Me' when the good things happen, what right do I have to ask 'why me' when the bad things happen?".​  

The only answer I need is that God brought her into my life 16 years ago because he knew I couldn't have made it to where he wants me to be without her.  

I don't think we are there yet, but I know we are closer than we have ever been.

How can soup get any easier?

I'm sure you have all seen the adds for this device in newspapers and on TV for months, but I never knew anyone who actually had tried one until I received the Big Boss Blender & Soup Maker from Amazon this week.​

I decided to use one of the recipes included in their cookbook instead of one of my own to make sure I gave a product I was pretty sceptical of a fair chance.​

Soup the easy way: add ingredients and press a button.  The Blender & Soup Maker heats, cooks, and blends automatically. 

The recipe was for Corn and Chicken Soup, and the directions were pretty simple.  Add the ingredients, hit a button and 30 minutes later I was supposed to have soup for four ready to eat.​

The first soup from our new soup maker actually came out amazingly good with almost no effort. 

It seemed a ​little thin, but actually was pretty decent, and was cooked through and blended in exactly thirty minutes.  The family was quite impressed, and I was blown away that it actually worked as easily as described.

If you love soup and want a way to make it easier and with almost zero effort, this is an awesome idea that deserves a spot on your counter top.​

Is Echo the beginning of home automation or Amazons bid to take over the home?

For a couple of weeks I've been using the new Echo from Amazon, training it in different rooms of the house and finally settling on the kitchen as its home in our house.  ​

While it looks like just another Bluetooth speaker the technology behind this little cylinder is Amazon's next bid to change our lives, ​and unlike the Fire Phone this one has the potential to shake things up.

When you see it in the plain black box, you really have no idea what you are in for when you start using Echo. 

Once you plug the Echo in you go through a process with either your Kindle Fire or iPhone to configure it to connect via your wifi network.  Once it is on the Internet it is really just ready to work.   

You can fine tune its ability to recognize your voice commands by going through training sessions, but it worked amazingly well right out of the box.  As the software improves more features will be added, including the ability to interact with more content services and the ability to change the keyword used to wake it for commands. 

For now you are limited to iHeartRadio, Prime Music, and Tune In Radio for audio.  I would think the Amazon owned Audible will be next to be supported (and I hope so, as audio books are what I listen to most while doing chores around the house). 

When they are available to everyone I would encourage anyone who has bought into the Amazon ecosystem to snatch one up.  Echo is going to be the center of the home soon. 

Can Beauty change the world?

I've spent the last couple of days at this years Global Legacy conference at New Horizons Church in McMinnville, OR.  Among other topics the main subject last night and today sparked some interesting discussion.  "What makes rivers flow from the Temple in scripture, as in Ezekiel 47?".  Paul Manwaring's argument is that perfect beauty was the key, and will be the key for the modern church to bring about change in our world. 

It raises an interesting idea, and one that I think will work at the minds of the church leaders at the conference for quite a while.  The biggest challenge is who or what defines beauty in a world corrupted by the fall of man?  To some it is limited to the physical but obviously it was intended to be much farther reaching than just human physical presence.

For too long the church has seemed to wait for permission from somewhere or someone to allow modern technology or art into our churches, never taking time to wonder why it ever left?  In the renascence art was central to every place of worship, and the church sponsored more art than any king or queen yet today we are afraid to have a picture on the background of our overhead. 

We need to first redefine beautiful, and then acknowledge that it needs to come back to our community and our churches in godly ways for the Kingdom to move forward.

Will SlingTV kill cable

In January at CES Sling announced a partnership with several cable television networks including Disney and CNN to offer a monthly subscription service which promised to bundle together the most popular cable television networks into a single streaming service they dubbed "SlingTV". 

Including such popular networks as ESPN, FOOD Network, and CNN into a $19.95/month service the announcement rocked the internet and cable television worlds at the same time. 

The promised service launched today with a 14 day free trial, and I've been using it on a variety of platforms for a few hours to see how it works. 

My first notice that SlingTV was live today came via my FireTV, not a press release.  This ad greeted me when I turned my TV on this morning. 

The biggest limitation for most families is going to be that only one device can be logged in to the service at a time.  Logging in on my iPad deactivated my viewing on my TV, actually logging me out and forcing me to log back in with email and password to begin watching again.  For families with a multitude of screens like ours this is a serious limit with such a hefty price tag.  A $20 subscription per family member would make cable television cheaper and give us a wider range of programming. 

That being said there is a lot to like here.  Even with what I am sure is a huge look-in audience on launch day there were no quality issues on any of the devices I tried.  Playback is smooth and full HD quality, a must at this price point. 

At launch Sling also offers a sports add on pack featuring 10 additional channels including ESPNews and Universal Sports for an additional $5, with the promise of more add on packs such as family and movie packs to come as deals are made with production studios. 

In all it is a compelling if expensive service that delivers exactly what it claims if not anything more.  Give the trial a spin and if you find yourself using it enough it may be worth the price tag for your family.