end of the vacation, eBay, good grill recipe
It's Saturday night already and 'vacation' week is over. Me and Mark joke that we know we're getting old bc we took a vacation ... and didn't go anywhere. We instead worked on the house. We'll, I take that back bc it's not entirely true. Last weekend we went camping at my parents place in Andover OH. They have a permanent lot and trailer up there near Pymatuning and it's convenient bc we can just drop by anytime we feel like getting a weekend away and not have to plan much to go. I couldn't stand the thought of not having ANY relaxation time. So then Wednesday is when we started 'the dig' which consists of roughly a 28 by 30 foot square area in the backyard filled with a delightful mixture of gravel, sand, weeds, hardpacked clay and huge freaking chunks of rock. It all needs to come out so we can build our brick patio and garden. Stage 1 is dig dirt, Stage 2 is fill resulting hole in the ground with gravel and then sand, Stage 3 is tamp down and top off sand, Stage 4 is lay brick and mortar. It's probably going to take all summer to finish one moderately sized backyard patio. Our goal is to have it ready for Octobeard '07. So, so far we have removed 7 truckloads of dirt and by the looks of it we have another 4 to go. We took today 'off' bc we are just too tired and we need time to loosen up the shoulder muscles again and let the digging wounds heal. You know the ones, the blisters that turn into sores on the inside edges of your thumbs. Even when your wearing gloves you get them. Or at least weaklings like I get them. Mark doesn’t bc he rides a bike everyday to work and his hands are all manly and calloused and he can crush little babies skulls with them and whatever no problem. Any-hoo, when I look out back it's kind of depressing bc it hardly looks like we moved any dirt back there at all!! WTF we did so much goddam digging! It's like the more we dig - the more dirt there is! Freaking out like that aside I am hoping we do some digging tomorrow and maybe get in one or two more truckloads before starting work again so we can be as close to done as possible with Stage 1. Sometimes I get a little too consumed with just getting something done, but I cannot wait until we are completely done and we have a patio and garden all built and can enjoy it everyday. I think it is going to be well worth the trouble (and look a hell of a lot better than a huge patch of weeds out back). I also cannot wait until I get a deep massage on my back next Friday.
In other news I am becoming and eBay-er. My mom has given me permission to start selling my Grama's estate, in parts, so I am using eBay to do it. And now people at work are asking me to sell shit for them, my parents, plus we started just selling shit sitting around the house. So far it has been slow and what I sell basically has just payed for the cost to list and then some. So it's not like I am making and sort of real profit out of it yet but I kinda hope that it can help me get some things we need around the house and maybe it will even out that way. It's an interesting experience anyway all together. And I am glad to find a new home for my Grama’s things and they don't have to go to goodwill or the trash. I know it's kinda weird to think that way about material things, but I am the sentimental type and wanna see my grama's stuff go to good places. For those of you that 'eBay' I am captainvonney on there also if you wanna look me up and buy sumthin'.
Today I made the most awesome veggie dog sandwiches the world has ever known. Here's the 'recipe' if you wanna try it:
CAPTAINVONNEY's DE-LISH DOGWICHES
1 Pack Veggie Dogs
1/2 big fat green Zucchini
1 large Tomato
Wheat Bread
Swiss or Muenster Cheese, sliced for sandwiches
Soy Sauce or Tamari Sauce (try low-salt soy, it's good)
Olive Oil
Dried Sage, crushed fine
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder (not the garlic salt!)
Fire up the grill (or in my case heat up the 'lectric one to 375) and while it's heating up slice the tomatoes thin and also the zucchini into sandwich length planks about a 1/2" or 1/4" thin. Then make a basting sauce by mixing equal parts soy sauce and olive oil in a bowl (about 1/8 cup or so of each making about a 1/4 cup or more sauce) and then add pepper, garlic powder and the sage to the sauce to taste. Like maybe a 1/2 teaspoon's worth of each if you like it uber-tasty. Blend the sauce with a fork or small whisk to keep it all from separating while you cook. Then grill the veggie dogs and zucchini planks, brushing both of those bad boys well with the basting sauce while you go. Cook until they are all toasty but remember the zucchini should stay a bit firm. HINT: Use tongs to turn them, not an awkward flipper. Once done add a piece of sliced cheese and then a slice or two of tomato to each zucchini plank and let it all melt together before removing from the grill. Place that zucchini melt directly onto a slice of bread, top it with a dog and fold over. Deeee-lish! And don't go fucking it up with any ketchup buddy - it's done!
Well, let me know how you like it :)
In other news I am becoming and eBay-er. My mom has given me permission to start selling my Grama's estate, in parts, so I am using eBay to do it. And now people at work are asking me to sell shit for them, my parents, plus we started just selling shit sitting around the house. So far it has been slow and what I sell basically has just payed for the cost to list and then some. So it's not like I am making and sort of real profit out of it yet but I kinda hope that it can help me get some things we need around the house and maybe it will even out that way. It's an interesting experience anyway all together. And I am glad to find a new home for my Grama’s things and they don't have to go to goodwill or the trash. I know it's kinda weird to think that way about material things, but I am the sentimental type and wanna see my grama's stuff go to good places. For those of you that 'eBay' I am captainvonney on there also if you wanna look me up and buy sumthin'.
Today I made the most awesome veggie dog sandwiches the world has ever known. Here's the 'recipe' if you wanna try it:
CAPTAINVONNEY's DE-LISH DOGWICHES
1 Pack Veggie Dogs
1/2 big fat green Zucchini
1 large Tomato
Wheat Bread
Swiss or Muenster Cheese, sliced for sandwiches
Soy Sauce or Tamari Sauce (try low-salt soy, it's good)
Olive Oil
Dried Sage, crushed fine
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder (not the garlic salt!)
Fire up the grill (or in my case heat up the 'lectric one to 375) and while it's heating up slice the tomatoes thin and also the zucchini into sandwich length planks about a 1/2" or 1/4" thin. Then make a basting sauce by mixing equal parts soy sauce and olive oil in a bowl (about 1/8 cup or so of each making about a 1/4 cup or more sauce) and then add pepper, garlic powder and the sage to the sauce to taste. Like maybe a 1/2 teaspoon's worth of each if you like it uber-tasty. Blend the sauce with a fork or small whisk to keep it all from separating while you cook. Then grill the veggie dogs and zucchini planks, brushing both of those bad boys well with the basting sauce while you go. Cook until they are all toasty but remember the zucchini should stay a bit firm. HINT: Use tongs to turn them, not an awkward flipper. Once done add a piece of sliced cheese and then a slice or two of tomato to each zucchini plank and let it all melt together before removing from the grill. Place that zucchini melt directly onto a slice of bread, top it with a dog and fold over. Deeee-lish! And don't go fucking it up with any ketchup buddy - it's done!
Well, let me know how you like it :)