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Mack's Corner

Saturday, June 17, 2017

This Week

The tool chest

A few years ago the top part of my tool chest was stolen. I had gone out to get the paper and left the garage door open. I was going back out after breakfast and didn't really think anything about it. My wife went out to put something in the garbage and noticed a High school age kid running down the street with something. An hour or so later I was back out in the garage working and went to look for a screwdriver. I had several in the top part of my tool chest. They were the cheap wooden handle kind, I think I bought the whole set for less than $2. The tool chest was one of those Sears roll around types with drawers. The bottom 4 drawers were on wheels and the top 4 were in a separate box that sat on top. The top part weighed about 50 pounds empty so there was nothing really holding it down. At first I couldn't find the screwdrivers, I looked everywhere. They weren't in their normal place. I looked and looked and couldn't figure out what I had done with them. I was just trying to pry something apart so I thought I would try something else, an old file. That was gone too.. How about the broken hammer head? Gone… maybe that piece of rusted pipe? Gone… Maybe that monkey wrench that was missing the top jaw?... Gone … what was going on?  I went in the house and asked my wife if she had moved something or cleaned up the garage and put stuff in a different place??? She came out asked where it was last. I told her in the top of my tool chest as I pointed to it. She said "what tool chest?" Then I noticed the top half of the tool chest was gone. The screwdrivers weren't missing, the whole tool box was missing. Then she told me about the kid she saw running down the street that morning. I thought about going after him to get my stuff back and then started thinking about what had been stolen. Nothing really. I thought maybe I should go after him and tell him what he had.. I pictured myself driving along side with the window down as he ran with this toolbox…"Let me tell you what you've got there…$1.89 set of screwdrivers, a bent file, a broken hammer, a rusty piece of pipe, half a monkey wrench, and a bag of rusted drywall screws and nails. All total about $2.10.…. If you want to just put it on the back of my truck, I'll take it off your hands, I know you've been carrying it for a while"… I thought about it and let it go. He would find out soon enough that his stolen treasure that he had worked so hard for was junk. Plus, who cares? I needed a new set of screwdrivers anyway..


Gods like that: He offers to carry our load of stuff for us. We think it's valuable, but really it's not. We think its treasure but really it's just more to carry.. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I wonder if I can set all my junk in the garage stolen … Then I could skip that trip to the dumpster…
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Cooking 220 - 2 pans, 2 burners, 20 minutes:

Cooking at Home Continued …

We've been eating a lot of avocados at our house so I thought I would give you my best Guacamole recipe. This comes from Rick Bayless. His cookbook "The Mexican kitchen" is one of the great cookbooks of all time. This recipe comes from another cookbook of his called "Mexico, One plate at a time"…

Guacamole by Rick Bayless

2 Serrano chilies
1/2 medium onion
6 oz of  tomatoes (1 medium or 2 plum)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
3 medium-large (about 1 1/4 pounds) ripe avocados Salt
1 to 2 tbsp lime juice (one lime)

First roast the chilies by putting them in a dry skillet over high heat. This will blacken the thin skin. When they a mostly black on all sides let them cool. Scrape the skin off the outside. Cut off the ends and then slice it long-ways down the middle. Scrape out all the seeds and chop.

Chop the onions and rinse under cold water. Chop the tomatoes skin and all..

To open the avocados slice from the top to the bottom until you hit the seed. Then run the knife around the avocado circling and cutting through all the way to the seed. Now twist the two halves and pull it apart. You'll have one half with the seed and the other without. The remove the seed chop with the sharp edge of your knife  (not the point, don't stab your hand!!)  in to the center of it crossways and twist. Then just knock it off of your knife in to the trash (don't try to pull it of with your hand. Just wack the edge of the knife on the side of the garbage can and pull it off. Don't make this dangerous, it's easy). Scoop out the green pulp with a large spoon.

Put everything in a food processor and blend. I like it smooth. Add the salt and 1 tbsp of lime juice and taste it … add more lime juice and salt to taste. Refrigerate. It will keep for a day or 2 but its best when it's fresh, no more than 2 hours old..  If you want to make it right on time for guests, you can have everything in the food processor except the avocados, then cut the avocados and add them and blend. 
 

Mack

 

Posted by Mack Oates at 10:15