More Cutting the Cable w/ Tommy

Since Tommy's original post about building an antenna, ditching cable, and watching TV on your computer has been the most popular thing on the blog (most popular by far actually) I asked Tommy to write a follow-up post on whatever he thought cable cutters should know to make the experience even better.  Hopefully I can continue to convince him to write guest posts. - Seth

I’m Using Windows Media Center to Watch/Record TV, Now What?

This post is intended to let you know about some of the best add-ins for Windows Media Center (WMC). Add-ins provide additional functions that are not available in the basic version of WMC, some of them must be purchased but many are free.

Recorded TV HD http://www.recordedtvhd.com/

Price: $20 for single license, $30 for a household if you have multiple PCs running WMC

This add-in pulls in a bunch of “metadata” for all your recorded TV. Basically you get artwork (posters, cast photos, etc.) for each TV show you have recorded it also allows you to sort shows in several ways that you normally can’t. These sorting options include favorite’s lists for the various members of your household so that only the shows they actually watch are displayed when their list is selected. It is also fully integrated with the next add-in My Channel Logos.

My Channel Logos http://www.mychannellogos.com/Pages/default.aspx

Price: Free for MCL 2.0 Lite & $3.40 (or more) donation for MCL 2.0

The basic function of My Channel Logos is to give your program guide channel logos instead of the boring letter descriptions it defaults to. They have a huge database of channel logos but on top of that you can add your own. Up here is Alaska we have a small local access channel called 360 North and I was able to easily pull their symbol off their website and turn it into a channel logo. With the pay version it will automatically assign logos to the correction channels (the free version requires you to do this manually). The pay version also allows you to change the number of channels that show up in your TV guide and your mini-guide (note some of the features of the pay version will not work in Windows 8). When used in combination with Recorded TV HD you can even sort your shows by channel.

Remote Potato http://www.remotepotato.com/

Price: It depends, setting up the server is free but if you want to use it on your mobile devices the app is priced differently depending on whether it’s the Apple, Google, or Microsoft store.

This add-in allows you to remotely access your WMC machine through any internet connected computer. This not only includes accessing your recorded TV and pictures but also the ability to schedule recordings you forgot to schedule while you were at home. The only problem with this program is figuring out what you IP address is since you need it to access your host machine. If you’re a frequent traveler and like accessing your recorded TV from afar you can typically get a static IP address from your ISP (Internet Service Provided) or a domain name from a DNS service. These services usually start around $25/year.

Tuner Salad http://www.mychannellogos.com/Pages/TSdl.aspx

Price: $5

This add-in is specifically designed for television addicts. WMC by default only supports four tuners, so you could record a maximum of four shows at once, or watch one live and record three others. With Tuner Salad you can have up to twelve tuners installed, if you ever use twelve tuners at once you may want to seek professional help.

Show Analyzer http://www.dragonglobal.biz/showanalyzer.html

Price: $29.98 including lifetime upgrades

Show analyzer is an add-in that allows you to identify and delete commercials that appear in your TV shows. It is not the most user friendly program but those who use it swear by it. If you use it in conjunction with DVRMSToolkit you can delete the commercials before you even watch the show or if you use it in conjunction with Recorded TV HD your commercials will appear as red sections on the progress bar (as seen in the screen shot below). Personally I didn’t find it to be worth the price but maybe you hate commercials more than I do. 

Is the add-in you were hoping see missing? Don’t worry there is a whole website devoted to just keeping track of all the add-ins for Windows Media Center: http://www.hack7mc.com/

My favorite one not mentioned is a very little add-in that allows you to switch back and forth between Hulu Desktop (http://www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop) and WMC. Here is the website to download it: http://huluwmc.teknowebworks.com/

Winter CSA Week 7

The weekly CSA post had to move to Monday to accommodate Fail Friday on the blog.  This week we received Delicata squash, leeks, celeriac, beets, rutabagas, mixed braising greens (kale, collards) and dried fava beans.

The dried fava beans were quite a surprised since they weren't something we received last year when we participated in the winter CSA for the first time.  I enjoyed the fresh fava beans this summer so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with them dried.

We have given away some squash, onions, parsnips and beets away to friends because things were starting to pile up in our kitchen.  Luckily the farm takes a few weeks off for the holidays so we will be able to work through these new vegetables along with the ones we already have.

New Blog Feature: Friday Fail

In trying so many new foods and recipes over the past year, we have had our fair share of dishes that just haven't worked as hoped.  From bread with no salt, fight-inducing chile rellenos, and lackluster curried greens, we are no strangers to failed dishes and we have tried not to hide that fact too much because it's all a part of experimenting in the kitchen.  In that spirit, we are introducing a new series highlighting food ranging from "blah" to nearly inedible.  Let's hope it won't be a weekly series!

Our first entry is mashed rutabaga.  We had been getting several rutabagas from the CSA in recent weeks and had already eaten them roasted up in a delicious root vegetable medley.  The rutabagas added some rich meatiness to the roasted veggies so we were encouraged to try them made up other ways. 

Ours looked a little like a geoduck appendage to me.

I followed the Simply Recipes description and it was really easy to make...just like mashed potatoes.  And that's where the similarities ended.  Maybe we were hoping it would taste like mashed potatoes and were put off by the non-potato taste.  Maybe I didn't use enough butter and sour cream, but I doubt it.  Maybe the rutabaga was left in the ground longer than it should have been (a quick internet image search showed rutabagas that were much smaller and rounder). 

It looks tasty...

After filling up our plates with the rutabagas and a big salad, we both dutifully ate as much of it as we could but didn't get too far.  It just didn't taste good.  I think later that evening we supplemented our meal with some popcorn to keep our stomachs from grumbling too much. 

Winter Squash Risotto

Risotto has pretty much become a staple in our house, right up there with tacos, quesadillas, and biscuits and gravy.  It serves as a pretty good mac and cheese replacement, which I would eat nearly every week if I lived by myself.  Risotto takes way longer to make and probably isn't much healthier, but I feel more like an adult while still getting to enjoy the rich and creamy taste and texture. 

I had made risotto with summer squash before (zucchini and pattypan), but this time I used an assortment of winter squash from the CSA (red kuri and acorn) and this recipe.   

I have found out the hard way that winter squash is surprisingly difficult to peel and chop.  Before ever cooking with it, I assumed it was relatively soft because cooked squash is soft and mushy, and summer squash is extremely easy to peel and chop.  I learned that using a vegetable peeler works really well to remove the rind on types of squash that have a smooth exterior (not so much on types like acorn squash that have big grooves all around).

I have also found that our oven needs to roast the squash longer than most recipes call for.  The more roasted the squash is the more caramelized, rich, and delicious it will become.  I could have roasted this batch for 15+ more minutes and it would have been much more flavorful. 

Instead of canned chicken stock we picked up some chicken base from the bulk bins at Winco.  You just mix it with water to form a stock-like substance.  I used too much base for how much water was needed, which made the finished dish a little too salty.  I attempted to compensate for the saltiness with extra lemon, which HH thought made it a bit too lemony. 

Previously, I had made a batch from the same recipe which turned out better but I failed to take any photos.  The differences were that I roasted the squash for longer and used canned broth, so if when I make this again I will make sure to revert back to the old way.

Winter CSA Week 6

With the winter CSA we get more squash than we could ever eat, but other than that we are happy to be getting so many delicious local vegetables.  I'm hoping to make some squash bars this weekend to power through of the squash that has been piling up on the counter and maybe some gnocchi too.

This week we received 3 red onions, cabbage, 4 acorn squash, beets, Tokyo Bekana, potatoes, and garlic.

Chimichurri

After getting flat leaf parsley multiple weeks in a row in our CSA share this summer I began to wonder what people do with parsley.  I had occasionally chopped up a bit to toss in with salad and even once made tabouleh, only because I knew parsley was a main ingredient.

After some Googling of parsley recipes I came across chimichurri and realized we already had all the ingredients on hand if I counted the steaks in the freezer.

The chimichurri came together in a matter of just a few minutes in the food processor.

The steaks were butchered a little oddly so I ended up butterflying them open and grilled them in a hot cast iron pan.  I've been intimidated to cook steaks at home because I feel like it is something I can not do as well as a restaurant can.  I have learned however that if I buy a quality cut of meat, season it with salt and pepper, and sear it in cast iron I can turn out something decent.

This was good stuff.  The bitterness of the parsley is mellowed by the garlic and olive oil.  I enjoyed it so much that I'm looking forward to getting parsley again in the CSA.

Zucchini Omelet

I meant to post this some time ago but it fell through the cracks while I have been only blogging sporadically.  I'm chronicling it now so that I won't forget how good it was so that next summer when we are swimming in zucchini I remember this use for them.

I've gotten decent at making omelets over the years and have found that my large stainless steel pan is the best tool.  I realize non-stick pans are all the rage, especially when cooking eggs, but I've found that with a little bit of fat I can cook eggs perfectly in it.

For this I sauteed zucchini in my trusty cast iron pan.

After the eggs were ready I added the zucchini, green onion, and cheese.

Not the best omelet shaping I've ever had but it still tasted delicious and a good way to get some vegetables in to your breakfast.

Apron

LJ's mom made us some aprons awhile back and I've recently learned it is a good idea to wear them if I'm cooking while I still have my work clothes on.  It only took me ruining two dress shirts by trying to fry while wearing them to learn this lesson.

LJ wishes I wore them more often because I've also ruined a few good black sweatshirts by wearing them while baking.  They are so stained from flour and dough that they look more like a zebra print.

Home cured bacon

Honestly I'm not even sure what to say about this experience.  It was fun, interesting, exciting, slightly disappointing, and totally worth it all at the same time.  I'm totally glad I did it but not sure if I'd ever do it again.  It has given me a new appreciation for bacon, which I didn't even realize was possible since I already held it in such high regards.

A few things came together at the right time to make this project a possibility.  LJ's sister bid on and won the grand champion hog (a hog is a pig with a penis if you were unaware, something I learned while playing Pictonary over Thanksgiving with my family) and I found out an old friend from high school was running an online shop devoted to all things pork at PigSalt.com.  

When the pig was butchered I asked if they could save the pork belly for me so I could process it in to bacon myself.  Everyone thought I was a little crazy and secretly probably were worried I was going to turn what could be good bacon in to rubbish.  Honestly I was worried too.

I've read about curing bacon at home a number of times and the first step is really easy (as long as you can get your hands on a pork belly).  Basically you rub the pork belly with your cure (pre-purchased or made yourself from one of many good recipes online), place the belly on a cookie sheet, wrap the sheet in plastic, and let it sit in the refrigerator for a week or two.  Some recipes instruct you to flip the belly occasionally and pour off any liquid that builds on the sheet, which I did half way through the week (I couldn't wait two).

When the week is up you rinse off the cure, pat dry the meat, and put it back in the fridge to rest one more day.  Then comes the (slightly) more complicated step of baking/smoking the bacon before it can be fried.

I felt obligated to attempt smoking the bacon even though I don't own a smoker so that I could have the most authentic bacon making experience possible.  After reading about some options online I settled for turning my canning rack upside down on top of a jelly roll pan.  Under the canning rack I placed some foil with wood chips on top.

The bacon went on top of the canning rack and I wrapped the whole thing in more foil to trap in as much smoke as possible.

I then placed the jelly roll pan on top of a hot burner until smoke started to come out of the foil.  You can see the first wisps of smoke if you look at the black dutch oven in the background.

As a back-up in case the smoking experiment went horribly wrong I only put half in the smoking contraption.  The other half got rubbed down with liquid smoke and pepper.

At this point everything went in the oven for about two hours.  I found the unwrapped bacon got up to the appropriate internal temperature without any trouble but the bacon that was in the smoking contraption took a lot longer.  Also very little smoke came out of the contraption so I'm calling that part of the experiment a failure.  I probably could have left the jelly roll pan on the stove top longer to build up more smoke but I didn't want to have to open a window since it was quite cold out when I was doing this.

After the bacon had cooled a bit I sliced off the skin side of the pork bellies and I was left with 8 hunks of bacon, each the equivalent of about one store bought package.

Of all the reading I did about making bacon at home, only one blog mentioned anything about slicing it.  The author went in to a lot of detail about how much of a pain it is, and he was absolutely right.  It is nearly impossible to get even slices and the slices will always be thicker than store bought bacon (not really a bad thing).  Mostly though it takes a lot of time.  Half way through I was wishing I had a deli style meat slicer, but then I'd have to worry about cutting a piece so thin I couldn't even see it.

Obviously after such a long process I couldn't wait to toss a slice in the pan to see how it fried up.  It was as spectacular as you would expect though not exactly what you would expect from bacon.  I may have put too much cure on mine because it was a little on the salty side, and I may not have let the bacon cure as long as I should have because the texture seemed a little spongy (closer to fried SPAM than bacon).

Neither of these things were necessarily bad but it made me realize I may not actually know what bacon is supposed to taste like.  That is one of the problems with being so separated from how our food is grown/raised/processed/cooked.  We don't know what is right or wrong but instead we just know what we are use to.

I shouldn't say we don't know what is right or wrong because our taste buds tell us when something is obviously better or worse than another version (like a store bought tomato versus a home grown tomato).  However it becomes much more complicated when one isn't necessarily better than the other, but just different.

I would argue that this homemade bacon is much better than the vast majority of store bought bacon, but that is probably because I often buy crappy bacon.  This experience taught me that if when I'm going to buy bacon I should spend a few extra dollars and get the really quality stuff.

 The experience was completely worth it, but would I do it again?  If I had a smoker and a meat slicer I would want to give it another shot to see if I could improve on the final product but I don't see either of those things in my future.  Plus, how often am I going to get my hands on a pork belly?

P.S.
Storage of that much bacon presents some problems.  After slicing the slabs it was hard to wrap and store in the freezer.  If I were to do it again I'd probably leave it in the small blocks and move one from the freezer to fridge whenever it was needed.  Or find a vacuum sealer for food storage.

Winter CSA Week 5

This week we got leeks, kale, chard, a red kuri squash, onions, rutabagas, and a bunch of potatoes.  We already have plans for the red kuri squash, but are still looking for good ways to use the rutabagas as our last attempt (mashed rutabagas) was a big bummer. 

Chile Relleno

I don't think either LJ or I have blogged about our attempt to make chile rellenos for a number of reasons.

1. We had very high hopes for them
2. They didn't turn out well
3. And we had one of our biggest fights in the process of making them

To be fair, it wasn't really a fight, just a few tense moments as we realized our attempts to make them were failing pretty horribly and we both were pretty bummed out.  Harsh words were said and apologies were quickly made and we got back to trying to salvage something to eat for dinner.

The attempt to make these started when we received a bunch of peppers in our CSA.  The farm had a touch of frost that week so they harvested all the peppers at the same time to distribute to the CSA members.  We had leftover taco meat in our fridge and I had just made my first batch of lard, so frying chile rellenos made sense.

LJ prepared the peppers by putting them under the broiler to blacken the skin and remove the peels.

It was as we tried to stuff the peppers that things got tense in the kitchen.  The peppers had lost their texture from the roasting so now were mostly a pile of gunk and impossible to stuff.  We tried one, hoping that the batter would hold it all together.  It disintegrated in the hot fat and we thought we might have to eat cheese slices, raw onions, and cold taco meat for dinner.

Luckily we had a few uncooked peppers left in the fridge.  We decided to forgo the oven and toss them on a hot burner on the stove top for a few seconds to blacken the skins.  This step was crucial because it allowed the skins to be removed which was necessary for the batter to stick (I tried battering a raw pepper but the batter didn't hold when I tried to fry it).

At this point we were able to stuff and batter the peppers and they fried up nicely in the wonderful lard.

Probably not something we will try again, so that it won't bring up the bad memories, but at least we learned our marriage can survive a few failures.

Potato Pancakes

My mom always sends us home with leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving and this year was no exception.

I told my mom there was no way we could eat that many leftover potatoes but she insisted.  "You could make potato pancakes out of them.  People do that right?" she suggested, though not confidently.  Occasionally blogging about food experiments sort of painted me in to a corner where I couldn't refuse the leftovers at that point.

After some Googling at home it does seem that people do sometimes use leftover mash potatoes to create potato pancakes.  So probably about once a year.  All the recipes were pretty similar and contained egg, flour, onion, seasoning and baking powder.

I mixed everything together until it came together in a batter.  It was unclear if the batter should be thick or thin for the best results.  After experimenting a bit I think it best to error on the side of being too thick.

I fried the pancakes in a bit of lard until they were brown and crisp on both sides.

I served LJ hers with sour cream and I ate mine with hot sauce and sauerkraut.  They actually weren't bad at all and seemed easier to make then latkes.  I'll keep them in mind for the next time I find myself with way too many leftover mashed potatoes, which I'm sure will be just less than 12 months from now.