Another Year in the Books

Today, technically yesterday because I haven't been to bed yet, I celebrated my 32nd birthday. What better time to reflect on your life than when your celebrating it, right?

First off, I want to make mention of the people that are no longer with us. I won't make a list or mention names, because there are probably some that I would forget unintentionally. There are quite a few people I have met over the years and even shared part of my growing up with that are no longer here. I don't just mean family, but friends and acquaintances that I feel have passed before there time. Whether they were good or bad people, they still had some impact on my life, and most of them shall be missed.

Next, I will move on to the people that aren't here yet. Huh? Well, person, more so than people. I'm sure there are more people that I will meet through the rest of my time here, but there is only one that I am waiting for right now. I'm about 9 weeks into being a Daddy again. I'm so excited. I can't wait to meet him/her.

I was spending some time with my wife tonight when my best friend called to wish me a happy birthday. We usually talk for lengths of time and ply catch up on what's been going on in our lives. There's usually a portion of our conversations dedicated to reflecting on the past. Mostly about drunken escapades and basic tomfoolery while growing being young and free. I've been told that people would probably pay to listen to us talk because it would be so funny at times while remaining witty and intelligent. A majority of our talks end up being philosophical at times as we analyse our past and think about the future. I find it very therapeutic to have someone on the same wavelength that doesn't take offense to the truth, which I hope is given in return. I tend to drift off in thought about how things were just mere years ago, and how much has changed. How much I have changed myself. I was barely driving and helping babysit my little cousins when I swore I would never have kids of my own. Now I have a growing family of 7 (in July 2013). I think of past careers and compare myself to teenagers I see working today. I recall every stupid thing I can remember and just take a moment to rejoice that I made it 32 years, and that I learned my lessons thoroughly enough to make it even further. I look back at anything good that I have done or tried to do, and smile knowing that I tried to make things a little better where I could. I try to hold on to the inspirations I see in so many ways, like the entire reason I started this blog. I read a blog entry about "Baby Avery" whose parents documented her time on Earth in a blog which they still run and update even after their child's passing due to SMA. It reached out to me and inspired me to do something. I don't really know how helpful this is to anyone, unless they are using the few recipes I put on here, but it makes me happy and content, so I will continue doing it. If anything, whoever reads my entries to the end will always see the phrase, "Pay it Forward". I know I didn't create the phrase, but it is something I believe in and wish to pass on and maybe inspire someone else to do some good.

Now, on to the future. To be completely honest, no one knows what the future holds in store for us. I know I have sat here and written a little bit about my past and present. I had full intention of writing about my future. But the fact remains that dwelling on the past and hoping on the future only does one thing. It takes you focus off now. I'm not saying to forget everything you've ever done. I'm not saying that it's wrong to dream. Know where you came from and focus on what you're doing, and you'll end up where you're supposed to be. Learn from your mistakes and dream big. Keep your mind on what's going on right now because that's all you really have is right now. One second at a time. Grasp it. Cherish it. Own it.

And while you taking control of your own destiny, do something good for someone else along the way. Pay It Forward.

Taking a Break...Kind of

I have been trying to write on here as much as possible in my spare time.  Here recently I haven't been writing very much.  It's not because I have lost interest.  I still remember my first post on here and my incentive that drove me to do so.  I have taken interest in writing elsewhere though.

I have always had the dream of publishing my own work.  I had researched some options for doing that several months back.  I could try to contact a publisher in person, edit my book countless times, spend up to a year in the process, and still risk the publisher not using my story.  But the money could possibly be better. Like most people, I felt a more reasonable time frame would be towards my liking.  I found a few reputable publishing companies online.  Here's where the differences weigh in and you have to decide what you are really looking for.  Do you want to make a real book, or an e-book?  Do you use their free ISBN number and have them as your publisher, pay a small fee and get a little more freedom as to where you can sell your book, or do you buy your own ISBN numbers and have total freedom of it, but pay more up front?  Do you want your book available in brick-and-mortar stores, online only, in schools and libraries, or all?  I always thought that people just wrote a story, sent it in to a publisher and if it was good enough, turned into a book and sold.  Boy was I wrong.

After weighing in as many options as I could, I found a company that seemed to suit my *wants* a little better than some of the others.  With the acceptance of e-books today being used on smartphones, tablets, and e-readers, I wanted to primarily use an e-book format.  And for others that prefer to have a tangible item, I wanted the option to have printed books as well.  I also don't have the extra money to purchase an ISBN much less a block of ISBN numbers, so having the option of getting one for free in exchange to a few minor restrictions, works well in my favor.  The restrictions really are minor.  The one's I have found are: You can only sell through this publisher, but in turn, the cover almost everywhere you would sell to start with.  If you use any of there images for your cover design, you can't redistribute it outside of their distribution lines, you would have to design a new cover on your own, and republish the book as a new edition with a new ISBN.  Neither of those, or any other restrictions, were deal-breakers for me.

I have been plotting out a few stories in my head for some time now.  I also feel that it is time to try and follow that dream now.  With a little bit of hope and luck, maybe it will be something that works for me.  I may make a few dollars in the long run, but for me it would be about seeing my work in print with my name on it.  It's not a major accomplishment.  Anyone can write something and get it printed.  But to me, it would satisfy a goal I've had since I was a child.  To me, it would mean something.

If anyone is interested in checking out the service I decided on, you can use the link below. There is no cost to join or use the service unless you want professional services. The whole service is free except for buying proofs of your hardcopy to evaluate. If you don't want a hardcopy, you can use this service to publish to Kindle I believe. Good Luck!

This software can also help you format and upload digital books (eBooks) directly to Kindle.
A great way to make a few extra bucks while expressing your creative side.




I'm not forgetting or dropping my writing on here, but it will be neglected for a little while.  I will try to write on here in my spare time or when I need a break.

Until then...

Remember to do something good for others that are less fortunate.  Pay It Forward.

Love For Your Pets - The Kitty Pillow

I feel that most of my posts have been food oriented, so I want to change up a little.  Well, if you consider going back to what I started out doing as changing.

I snapped this photo a few nights ago, and thought it was cute, but it also held something a little stronger.  I don't usually break down photos like this, but I felt like this was was *talking to me*.

If you look at my Daughter, she is no doubt comfortably asleep.  The blue thing you see in the bottom left side of the photo is her *Bunny* that she normally falls asleep with.  On this night she replaced the *Bunny* with the Kitty-Cat.  She claimed this cat as soon as it came into our home, and has loved it and played with it since.  We named the cat, but we always refer to it as "Her Cat".  We see how she interacts with this Kitty-Cat every day.  Everyone here knows how much she loves that cat.  And I think that it is reflected in this picture how much she loves it.  She fell asleep with it instead of her favorite stuffed animal.  For a child her age, that must be love.

Now on the other hand, and what caught my eye was the cat doesn't seem to mind her holding on to him.  He's not asleep, but I think that's from where I was moving around to catch the picture.  But he's not trying to get away from her.  I think it I had been a little more quiet when getting the picture, I may have caught them both asleep.  He's just laying there, seemingly enjoying his affections.  If you were to see the way he acts towards her when they are playing during the day, this picture would explain it all.  My Daughter will pick him up, carry him like a baby, and then play with him.  And he goes along with it.  It almost seems like he understands her affection towards him and reciprocates it back the best he can.

To most people that may read this article, they will see a picture of a girl snuggled up with a Kitty-Cat followed by the ramblings of a madman.  When I see this picture, I see the epitome of love.  People may have many pets during a lifetime.  They may be cats, dogs, birds, fish, or whatever animal suits you as a person.  But it's those special pets you have during that lifetime that make the biggest impact.  Sometimes you come across that one pet that seems like it was meant for you to meet.  Once that bond has been made, that pet is forever a part of your life.  That bond.  That love. That's what is seen in the photo above.

If you are ever capable of having that type of love for an animal, just think if you could love a person the same, if not more.  Try to have that kind of love for your fellow humans and see how much better we could live.  And that my friends, seems like a good note to end on.

Try to practice the love you just read about above.  The best way to start is by doing something nice for someone else.  Pay It Forward.

Something a little different - Don't be scared

I was playing around online today and ended up on a new website.  It's called CreepyFeeling.com.  There isn't a lot on there, but there was an empty section that was asking for true stories.  It made me think about when I was a kid.  There may be ways to explain what happened, but in over 20 years time I haven't come up with anything.  If anyone has any ideas that may explain something mentioned, please share your thoughts and ideas on here and/or at the CreepyFeeling.com site.  So, are you ready to find out what part of my childhood was like?  Here you go...

When I was about 4 or 5 years old, we lived in this 2 story house that was built in the early 1900's.  I never really heard about anyone passing in the home, but I can assure you that many weird things happened in that home.

There was always something knocking on the walls and/or doors.  My parents told of one morning they were awakened by someone beating on the door several times, and each time they answered, no one was there.  This happened a few times in a row that morning.  The last time they checked the door, and saw no one there, they smelled smoke.  Upon tracking down the smell, they discovered an outlet behind the refrigerator that malfunctioned and almost caught fire.  This one, I believe, is the only event I didn't witness first hand.

Aside from the everyday knocks and bangs, there was one thing that made me feel "singled out".  I think I was the only one to experience the "touches".  I don't know of any other way to explain it.  Some nights when I would being laying in bed trying to sleep, I could feel something "tickling" my back and sides.  It was almost like someone was playing with me.  There were times I would be walking through the house and bump into something that wasn't there.  I felt it.  It would sometimes slow me down or stop me even.  Like some sort of imaginary brick wall at times.  Other times it was like bumping into someone at the store when you don't pay attention.

Every once and a while my parents would have friends come over to eat.  I remember a few times when our house was full of people.  On one occasion, we had a full house.  One of the ladies had already gotten her plate of food and asked my Mom when the bread was going to be coming out of the oven.  My Mom just looked at her funny and went back to what she was doing.  She thought the woman was messing with her.  A little more time passed, and the woman asked her again about the bread.  My Mom finally answered her, that there was no bread cooking, in fact the oven had been off for quite some time.  The woman insisted my Mother was playing a joke and went to check the oven for the bread she had been smelling.  She went into the kitchen, saw that the oven was indeed off and cool to the touch.  She opened the door, and found nothing there.  

On the other side of the phantom smells was when all of us would stay away overnight.  We would only experience a certain smell when we would come back home after an overnight stay.  The smell was always of onions and fresh dirt.

As far as things in the house moving, it was quite rare.  The one that sticks out the most would be when my Dad and I were sitting in our living room watching TV.  While we were sitting there the door coming into the living room opened slowly by itself.  We heard the handle turn, and watched it creak open.  We were both shocked at what had happened.  Being just a little kid I didn't know what to do.  I did the first thing that came to mind.  Anytime I left a door opened, I was told to shut it.  So I saw this as my chance, and yelled out, "Shut the door!".  A few seconds went by, and the door started closing even slower than it has opened.  About halfway through shutting the door slammed shut as hard as it could.  The door never moved again on it's own, to our knowledge.  And I never yelled at anything weird in the house again either.  

Like a lot of people today, our TV would come on by itself, change channels, and the sound would go up and down.  The only difference was this was back in the 80's and our TV wasn't remote operated.  You had to pull the knob to turn it on, and push it to turn it off.  If you twist the knob, it would change the volume.  We had the old timey cable box that sat on top of the TV and you had to turn the knob on that to change channels.  The only thing we had with a remote was a VCR.  And somehow the remote kept getting lost and would show up weeks later in a completely different room.

The last thing I want to share is the only "physical" weirdness I witnessed.  It was early one morning.  I was in the living room once again watching my morning cartoons and getting my stuff together for school.  Then it happened.  Right there in the middle of the room.  It looked as if someone had taken a gigantic drag off of a cigarette, and exhaled it right before my eyes.  The white smokey-looking cloud came from nowhere.  It just swirled in from the middle of the room from thin air.  It filled a good portion of the room and then just dissipated back into nothing.  I was speechless because I didn't know what was happening, but I also felt no need to be scared.  It was truly something that has stayed with me through the years.

That house eventually burned down in the early 90's.  Amazingly, we were in the effort of moving into another home on the other side of town.  My Mother and I were staying at the new home the night the fire happened.  My Father was finishing up at work.  No one was in the house.  The gas furnace we had malfunctioned.  The explosion was strong enough to lift over half of the roof off of the second story of the house.  The room that was effected the most was the room my Father would have been sleeping in.  The explosion would have killed him instantly.  

I guess luck was on our side.


Everything mentioned here is true.  I could go into more detail, but then this post would be incredibly long.  I just wanted to get the main points across.  If anyone wants any further information, I'm willing to answer anything I can if it can solve what happened back then.  


I anyone wants to share their stories, you can do so at CreepyFeeling.com and/or below.  I can't wait to read what other's have experienced.


Until we meet again folks, remember to do something nice for someone else.  Pay It Forward

Homemade Chocolate Cake Covered with Ganache

I was sitting around the house today, and became bored with the TV and internet.  Most of the time when that happens, I end up in the kitchen.  I know I'm a "big boy", but I didn't go to the kitchen to eat.  I was on a mission.  I was there to cook.  But what was I going to cook?  I like trying to make new things just to see how it turns out, and if I want to change it around or add my own twist to it.  Well, if you made it past the title of this blog, you know I ended up making a Chocolate Cake.  When I got done, I posted this picture online:

Chocolate Cake covered with Ganache and dusted with Powdered Sugar.

I was proud of how it turned out and wanted to share it.  A friend of mine also thought it turned out well, and wanted me to post the recipe on here for her to try out as well. Before I go on, I want to take a moment and give my friend, Kim, a plug for her own blog at:http://kimberlydpegram1981.blogspot.com/.  She requested this, and has been a good friend over the years.  So when you get done drooling here, click on over and drool on her pages for a while and thank her for getting this recipe put up.

Now, on to the good stuff...

Ingredients for cake:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Ingredients for Ganache:

• 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions:

We'll start off with the cake.  Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. 

Now add in the wet ingredients except for water..  Milk, extract, eggs, and vegetable oil.

If you are hand whisking you should do this next part VERY slowly, as you do not want to cook the eggs already in your batter. Electric mixer should be okay, but still go slow, don't just pour the water in.

Start mixing your batter, and slowly pour in the hot water.  Allow each portion of water to be completely mixed before adding more.

Once all of the water has been mixed you should have a slightly runny batter.  

You can use 2 9" round cake pans, a regular bundt pan, or if you have another cake pan of equal volume.  Either spray them down with Baker's Joy (or equivalent I'm not picky) or butter your pan(s) with butter and a paper towel and lightly flour them afterwards.

Distribute your batter to your pan(s), and place them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven on the middle rack for 30-35 minutes.  All ovens were not created equally, so start checking you cake after about 20 minutes.  I test mine with a bamboo skewer but toothpicks, and quite possibly for the older crowd that still uses "the broom whiskers" all will work.  Pull your cake from the oven, and when you put your skewer/toothpick/broom whisker into the cake and pull it out, it shouldn't have any wet batter on it.  If it does, put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes and test it again.  When I get a clean test, I test several areas across the entire cake, just to make sure it done evenly.

Now on to the Ganache.  This is really easy.

Pour you semi-sweet chocolate chips into a medium mixing bowl.

Add the powdered sugar to the chocolate chips.

Add the cocoa powder to the chocolate chips.

Put the butter and cream into a small saucepan and bring it almost to a boil.  Be sure to stir the entire time to prevent burning or scorching.

You can tell it's almost ready when you start to see it let off steam, and it continues to do so as you are stirring.  If you get it to boiling for a few seconds, don't worry, all is not lost.

As soon as it is ready, pour the cream and butter mix in with the other ingredients.

It might be tempting, but let it sit for about a full minute before starting to mix.  This will give the chocolate chips time to soften and allow an easier mix.  Now is also the time if you want to try out some of your extracts.  Maybe a touch of vanilla, or strawberry, maybe even a touch of coconut.  You don't have to, but it may just add another level of complexity to you tastebuds when it's time to eat.

Once it is fully mixed, drizzle it over the top of the cake.

I can see it now.  Someone has done this with a bundt pan and is thinking, "Why do I have all of this Ganache left over!".  You may have some left over with the other pan assortments as well.  It's not a mistake.  Don't flood your cake with the Ganache.  It is already a rich flavored cake.  The remaining Ganache is for plating the slices.  If you serve on small plates or saucers, spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of Ganache onto the plate, and then place a slice of cake on top of it.  As you can see in the picture above, I also dusted mine with a little powdered sugar after adding the Ganache drizzle.  You can add more powdered sugar to the slices, or whipped cream.  Pretty much anything that goes with chocolate.

I admit that I like sweets.  This cake sits pretty much in the middle of the road for me.  It's very rich tasting, but it's also not overly sweet.  Be sure to have an ice cold cup of milk on standby as the perfect drink to go along with this.  

If you think this may be too much chocolate, you can swap out the Ganache for a simple glaze.  In a small mixing bowl add 2-3 tablespoons of milk.  To this you will add powdered sugar a little at a time while whisking until the mixture thickens.  It is a very quick glaze.  You can also add a touch of vanilla to the glaze for a little extra flavor. You would then drizzle it over your cake like the Ganache, but I wouldn't sprinkle the powdered sugar on the glaze.  

If you have anything you would like to add, change, or remove, then share it below.  If you have tried this one out and want to share your opinions below please do so.  You can also request me to write about almost anything.  I read every comment that goes into this blog, and I regularly check my social networks.  Feel free to contact me at any of these places, and the next article I write, might just be on your idea.  I will also give credit like I did at the beginning of this article.

As always, remember to do something good for someone else.  Pay It Forward.

Beef Stroganoff Made Easy

Beef Stroganoff may not be on the top of your family meal list, but I think it makes a great meal that should in turn be made at least every other week.  Most families that I have noticed will make the boxed dinner version, but if you were to ask them how to make it, they wouldn't know quite what goes in it.  I going to give you a very simple recipe that can be made in less than 45 minutes and tastes amazing.  Are you ready?

Ingredients:

• Ribeye Steak (preferred, but other beef can be substituted)
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• approx. 1/2 box of Beef Broth
• All Purpose Flour
• Olive Oil
• Butter
• approx. 1 cup of Sour Cream
• Minced Onion flakes, or fresh onion to taste
• Fresh Mushrooms (diced) to taste (can substitute canned mushrooms, but drain first)
• Salt + Pepper to taste
• 1 Bad of Egg Noodles

Directions:

• Cut your Ribeye into small strips or chunks.
• Thinly coat a sauce pan with the olive oil and about 2-3 tablespoons of butter. Your stove should go on MED - MED-HI.
• Brown the meat in the sauce pan.
• Add your onions and mushrooms to the pan and allow them to cook for about 10 minutes.  Both of these items are to taste.  I used about 2 tablespoons of minced onion flakes and about 1 cup of fresh mushrooms, diced.
• Now add about 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour.  This should cause the oil and the butter to thicken up. Continue Stirring.
• Add in the cream of mushroom soup.  Continue stirring  The contents of the pan should be thoroughly mixed together, but the stirring is to help keep the mixture from sticking to the pan.
• Add in the beef broth.  This should thin the mixture out.  If you want it a little thinner add more broth.
• Once it has a texture you are happy with, turn it down to warm/low, and cook your bag of egg noodles.
• Right before you add your beef mixture to the strained noodles, add the sour cream to the beef mixture.  The amount of sour cream can also be adjusted according to preference.  I find that it adds a sharp creaminess to the meal.
• After the sour cream, mix the beef mixture and the noodles together. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

I have tried this a few times.  I have tried different meats.  Ground beef works very well, but I still prefer the small pieces of ribeye.  The ribeye tends to add more flavor from its drippings in the mix, and also has a tenderness to the meat.  I have also substituted the beef broth for the small packs of Knorr Beef Stock (here's a link if you don't know what I'm referring to: Knorr Beef Stock)  If you use these, you will have to play around with your liquids. I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of water, but I also think the taste is worth the hassle.  I would have used it in the recipe above, but I decided to make the one above as simple as possible while still tasting great and just added my 2 cents after the fact.  Also if you find that you're not getting enough onion flavor while your cooking, but you don't want to add more onion flakes or cut more onions.  I used the amount of minced onion flakes stated in the recipe, but later added onion powder.  I like strong full flavors in my food, while others don't, which is fine.  For other that do, that's why I'm adding this at the end.  

If you have any other twists on this recipe that you would like to share, or maybe another way of doing it altogether.  Please, share it with everyone else by adding a comment below.  I'm always on the lookout for new ideas and techniques.

As always remember to do something nice for someone other than yourself.  Pay It Forward.

Guitar Lessons: G, C, D - Chords to Live By

This is a short starter video I did to share with anyone that wanted to learn how to play the guitar.  These are very basic chords that are used in many popular songs.  It's even enough to make your own song if you wanted to.  If you're learning how to play, I'm going to make the assumption that you are learning how to read Tablature (a.k.a. - tabs).  I'll "tab out" the chords below so that you can see them along with the video, or study them afterwards.  If you haven't learned how to read tabs yet, there are many great resources out there to read or watch how to read them.  YouTube would be a good starting point, and reading tabs with greatly further your playing.  So here are those chords:

                           G            C              D

e ---------|---3----|---------|---2-----|-#1-|  <---Smallest String - #1

B ---------|---3----|----1----|---3-----|-#2-|

D ---------|--------|---------|---2-----|-#3-|  The numbers represent the frets to hold down.

G ---------|--------|----2----|---------|-#4-|  The "#" numbers are the string numbers.
A ---------|---2----|----3----|---x-----|-#5-|


E ---------|---3----|----x----|---x-----|-#6-|  <---Biggest String - #6

Now for the video part:

I know personally that learning to play can get frustrating at times.  Be prepared for that.  There will be times that you want to give up, sell your guitar and anything that goes along with it, that is, if you haven't broken it yet (Don't break it!).  I have been playing for many years.  I'm not a guitar master, or anywhere close to being one.  I can play most songs that I set my mind to, and play them well.  Even in different keys or tunings.  I still get caught up on some of the easier songs and get frustrated.  If you get mad, put your guitar down and forget about it.  It's nearly impossible to learn something while your mad.  Go watch a show, catch a snack, ANYTHING but think about playing.  No matter how fast you learn, you won't become a rockstar over night.  This is something that will take time and desire.  With that in mind, take this little bit of information and run with it.  

If any other guitar players have anything to add, please do so in the comments below.  If anyone uses this information and wishes to show me what they learned, please go to YouTube and post a video response.  My YouTube channel can be reached using the tab at the top of this page.  If you just want to tell me, and everyone else, what you learned, leave a comment on here, my YouTube page, or both.

Remember to do something good for someone else, Pay It Forward.