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Mack's Corner

Saturday, June 3, 2017

This Week

Great Stuff

We had a bunch of cold air leaking around some pipes in a mechanical room a few years ago . You could stick your hand up by the hole and feel  nice cool air being sucked out it. That's bad, I don't really want to cool any mechanical rooms. So being the "Do it yourself" kind of person that I am, I went over to the hardware store and bought some "Great Stuff". I had seen the guys on "This old house" use this before, it looks so easy. They would have a gap between two 2x4's and squirt this stuff in there to fill the gap.. nothing to it, right? Their gap was in the wall, mine was in the ceiling. I bought 6 cans and got up on a ladder and started squirting.  Great stuff goes through 3 phases: Phase 1 it's the consistency of whipped cream coming out of a Jiffy whip can… Phase 2 it turns in to Jiffy whip with super glue added and it starts to get very elastic.. Phase 3 its hard and rubbery and swells up… I had hoped it would get to phase 3 quick. So I'm standing on a ladder and as I emptied the whole can above the ceiling above the big gap around the pipes. This was going to work great!!! I was soooo smart!!! .. I was all ready to move to the next place and here it came,  oozing out, the whole can, looked like a gallon of it. Like yellow whipped cream everywhere. I tried to push it back up in the gap, but it just kept coming and coming. It was on the floor, on my shoes, up and down the pipes, down my arm… I just knew it was going to stop any minute and get hard… Then when I was almost covered, Phase 2. It stopped oozing, but now it won't let go… arm hair does not work with Great Stuff. It was like I had been covered with hot, chewed bubblegum. Soon after that: Phase 3. Phase 3 was good for filling the gaps but not on my hands and arms. I was encased in Great Stuff and it wouldn't come off.  At least I didn't have any gaps …..

God's like that: When he becomes part of your life, he totally covers you and never lets go. He encases you in his love… You can't screw up bad enough to make him leave .. 

I think I've invented a new kind of boxing glove. You cover your hands with great stuff and you've got boxing gloves for life. Plus your hands will stay really warm… it's just hard to use a fork …        

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Cooking 220 - 2 pans, 2 burners, 20 minutes:

Cooking at Home Continued …

There are lots of things I like to make just to have around. It's great to have a relish or sauce or flavored butter that's always ready when you need a little more flavor. This is from Suzanne Goin's "Sunday suppers at Lucque's" cookbook.

Gentleman's relish on toasts:

1 baguette
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp minced anchovy
2 tsp minced shallot
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp lemon zest
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp minced chives
Salt & Pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 375

Cut the bread in half long-ways and then in to smaller toasts. Brush the cut side with olive oil. Arrange on baking sheet and toast 10 - 12 minutes, till brown and crispy… let cool.

Combine butter, anchovy, shallot, lemon juice, zest, cayenne, parsley, and chives in a bowl… mix well. Season with salt & pepper to taste …

Spread on toasts…

Sitting on the porch before dinner with a cold drink eating this and you'll feel like you're in Dublin Castle ….

Mack

 

Posted by Mack Oates at 12:17