See Ya

And were off!

Headed to Rankin Texas for a huge chili cook off. Wish us luck.

I will leave you with a view from my job site.

Yup, that's Dallas

See ya on the flip side,
Jerry

Old Time Cooking

This weekend Chili Cooking in the city of West down by Waco turned out to be a bust. It was a quick two hour drive down there with high expectations and a long two hour drive back empty handed. We didn't even make final table and my beans that won first last weekend didn't even place.
Oh well, you can't win them all, that would just be boring.

So to redeem myself, Sunday I invited friends and family over for some down home, old timey cooking.
The weather turned out to be in the 70's and the wind laid at just the right time. Nothing could have been better.

 It was time to fire up the pits. In the Dutch ovens I made a dish called Witch's Brew, one called Ham Bake, one called Skillet Corn and of course Peach Cobbler. One the grill was Herb and Garlic Chicken and in the oven was Drop Biscuits.
  





The rocket stove browned the hamburger meat, bacon and sauteed the onions. I had to constantly feed the small wood chamber but it only took about a hand full of small wood to cook it all. I am sold, this little stove is a must have. It will boil water in five minutes and cook hamburger in about the same time.

 The oven needs a little redesign. As the fire got hotter the more the top warped, even with the angle iron rails. I need to reinforce the bottom by putting three more pieces of angle iron running long ways to keep it from bowing and letting the heat escape. This was the first time I fired it up and was pretty much a test run for the March 22nd party. I'm glad I did because now I can fix the issues.

The food was fantastic. I don't think it would have tasted as good if cooked in the house, it never does.

We got the three F's in yesterday, Family, Friends and Food. I could not have asked for a better day. It sure took the sting out of not winning anything at the cookoff.

Next weekend will be the last of our traveling chili cooking. Last year I refused to cook out of my one hour radius. This year I was wanting to expand some and now we did. I would rather be close to home.

Y'all have a safe week,
Jerry

Scratch It Off The List

I read an article the other day on the top sixty things to do in Texas before you die. I guess you could call it a Texas Bucket List.
Just by living in this great Republic and without realizing it, you could scratch off almost half of the items that are on the list. I am sure the person who wrote it was an implant from some foreign country like Utah or somewhere and was in a state of shock that he had to drive two days straight just to get to the grocery store.
Yea sure, I bet we all have things we would like to do before we finally take the eternal slumber and while reading the list, there were some I didn't care to do and others I would like to do. Then there was some that were not on the list that I have always wanted to do.
Let me give you a "for instance".
One of the things on the list was cook in a chili cook off. Well, you all know I do this almost every weekend

and this weekend we went to College Station in South Texas to cook with the oldest daughter Jessie and her fiance. It was one of the best cook offs we have been to. We also have a good friend down that way who came by to show her support and what did we do, we signed her up to judge. It was really good to see her smile and to hug her neck. To say she is just a friend would be a understatement, she is family.
As you can see in the picture, we cleaned up. Along with the trophies, we won first in beans. This was Jessie's first chili trophy and she was so excited. Just that alone was worth the drive. I could not be more proud at her and her boy for placing. She has the bug now.
If you are wondering, those trophies are made from Harley Davidson parts. How cool is that!

If you know anything about Texas A&M then you know about their traditions and spirit. One thing I have

always wanted to do was go to an Aggie Bonfire. That was not on the list, but it was on mine. I really don't care what college football team you cheer on, if you were at this amazing tradition, you would have been an Aggie. Smaller than it once was, this tower of hand cut logs is still seventy feet tall. The heat was so intense that looking directly into the fire was like looking at the sun. When the tower twisted and the hundreds of people there started singing the A&M fight song, I almost wept. It was truly amazing and I am so proud I was able to stand there with my wife and daughters and have that memory.
Scratch that one off the list.



Twenty three years ago I was able to scratch off "Play dominoes at the Dixie Chicken in College Station" off my list. This is a world famous little place set right off of the main drag,

they call it North Gate. Ask anyone who has ever been through there and I bet you they say something about the Chicken. It's just one of those must see places.
Well this weekend I was able to amend the one I scratched off so long ago and add in "with my daughters". The place has not changed in all those years. It was like walking back in time when I was a much younger me. Her boy's mom and grandma came along and I think they enjoyed it as much as I did.
Dragging my butt back to the camp site at 1:00 AM quickly showed me I cannot party like a college kid anymore, but it was worth it. 


Do these things really matter to anyone else, probably not. But when I am gone, those memories are all that will be left in the minds of those I leave behind. Those stories will be told to their kids and the memory will live on. Maybe, just maybe when they tell these stories, they think of me, sit back and smile.


Until next time,
Jerry

A Slow Weekend

This weekend has not been very exciting. As a matter of fact , it has been slow.

The rains have been here the past three days leaving a muddy mess outside where if I was wanting to do something I really couldn't except if it was in the shop.

Yesterday I managed to get some much needed burning done. This gave me the chance to burn in the new fire trough I built and see how it was going to work.
I also redesigned the Cajun Microwave. Everyone was telling me it was too deep and the heat would not reach the meat well enough. So, instead of having them say "I told you so" when it came time to cook on it, I took a layer of bricks off the top and raised the cooking try up a few inches. This makes the meat only twelve inches from the heat. I need to do a test run before the big party in March just to make sure it will not be too close now. Further research has shown me they may be right.
Today I plan to fabricate the swing arm for the fire trough so I can swing the dutch ovens on and off the fire if I want to.

Last week I came across a new way to go to chili competitions where we need to stay overnight. The main reason we do not do those now is the cost to haul the camper or the stay in hotels. I am way too cheap for all that so I was able to get a hold of one of these truck tents.
Now all it will cost is the fuel to get there and back. We can stay for free at any of the places we cook at if it is too far to come back the same day.
Our fist outing will be this coming weekend in College Station, then to Rankin for a huge cook off.

All that to get a chance to win this trophy.







Speaking of College Station, my oldest girl Jessie just went back to college today, she has been with us for the winter break. It never gets any easier seeing her leave, but knowing I will see her again next weekend makes it a little better. She has become a chili head with us and plans to cook at the cook off with us while we are down there. After that we will not see her until March.

If anyone is around that area, I would love for y'all to come out and say hey. We will be at the Harley Davidson shop on HWY 6 all day Saturday the 18th. 

Other than that, See down the road,
Jerry

I Got Wood

One of the best sights I have seen in a while. All that hard work these past two weekends is paying off right now, the house is warm.
So much wood, it has overflowed the wood shed, the house is full and there are two more piles almost as big by my shop. The blessing just keep coming.

I want to give a huge thanks to all the family who came and helped out at the wood cutting party. It would not have been as much fun without ya.

See ya on the flip side,
Jerry

Another Piece Of The Kitchen

Just as I scheduled, another piece of the Outdoor Kitchen is close to being completed.

This is the Fire Trough. It sits next to the Cajun Microwave and it will be where the fire is started and burns down. It's where the coals will be shoveled out of and onto the Outdoor Oven. The removable cross bar is a T post and can hold all the Dutch ovens you need to cook in. Once a good bed of coals is on the Oven, then I can spread them out and hang my beans, cobbler, biscuits or whatever else I want to cook in the Dutch ovens.The different length hangers can get you right on the fire or high to keep warm.   On top of all that, this trough is where I will put the potatoes and corn wrapped in tin foil to cook. Once they are done, all you do is dust them off and unwrap a little piece of heaven.
  
Everything about this except the concrete was free. We are taking the old house down on the farm and I am getting these bricks. The metal is fence posts and scrap I have picked up along the way. The concrete cost some but most was from busted bags and were only a buck or so. Total cost of the project was $25.00
I know these bricks will fall apart over time because they are not made for fire, but adding the concrete to the holes will make them last a little longer longer. I plan to get three to four years of cooking out of it. This is the second one I have built like this and it works.

The only thing I plan to add is a swing arm on one of the posts so I can swing in a pot if I want to.
Other than that, she will cook now.
 Plus I made the dimensions where I can add the grate that is in the oven to the top of this. It will cover 3/4 of the trough so if I wanted to cook 50 hamburgers at a time, then I will have the space to do so.

Very simple design, very simple build and a must if you are cooking outdoors for fun or in a survival situation.
  

Tomorrow I will be splitting wood again. All these out door cooking areas plus keeping the house warm is demanding a butt load of wood.

See ya on the flip side,
Jerry

We Brought It In Right

It was all about the family Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a bunch show up New Years Eve night to hang

out by the fire and bring in the new year.We burnt everything that wasn't nailed down. Needless to say, I'm out of old pallets and scrap wood now. Add in boxes of fireworks, beer and good food, you have yourself one hell of a good time right there.

Some slept over and they were not the least bit happy when I got up at 6:30AM and started cooking for the New Years Dinner at my brothers. I saw the "Are you stupid" look many times that morning. We broke tradition this year and instead of having ham, black eyed peas and greens, we had a taco bar with all the fixens. My brother really did a good job with all the food and nobody went away hungry.

I did get to work on the fire trough a little and even got to play with the rocket stove some. I am trying to figure out where to put the pizza oven because my space is getting used up. I bet I find somewhere.

I wish you all a wonderful new years
 Until next time,
Jerry   

Not So Young Anymore

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I know we sure did.

It was a busy one, that's for sure. We had another wedding this weekend, some friends of ours married off their son. We jumped in and helped them out as much as we could. I took some tools over to their house last Thursday night and we built the decorations for the reception. Then on Saturday while they were all at the reception we helped set up for the after party and had the fires going, the beer iced and the food cooking. This way when the wedding party came back to their house everything was done.

Somewhere in all that I was able to get down to the old farm and cut up about a cord of wood. I had a lot of help form the family so we were able to get it done quicker than I thought.

Even with all the help, that saw got really heavy. My old back is not as young as it once was and all that bending over just about got me. I had to force myself to get out of bed the next morning.

It's always better when my dad brings the loader down. He was able to get the trees in a good location to cut, plus loading the wood is a lot easier. Check out the homemade log splitter in the pic to the right.
That thing is over thirty years old.

Next weekend we need to go back down and split up what is left. There is about another cord to split. 
This wood will last us the rest of the winter. I was almost out of wood and the house was cold. My heater just don't heat like it should and needs to be replaced. It just runs and runs burning electricity. I think at best it will get the house up to 58 degrees. The fire place keeps the house at a comfortable 68.

I got some more materials for the fire trough yesterday. Just another piece of the outdoor kitchen. This is where the dutch ovens will hang and it is where I will make the coals for the Cajun Microwave. I should have it done by the end of the week, I hope. I will show you what I'm talking about when it's done.

Please be safe out there this week. New Years Eve is for the amateur alcoholics to be out and being they don't drink all the time, they don't know how to handle themselves.
The professionals stay at home.

Saying that, I plan to stay at home and have some family over. The plan is to sit around the fire and have a good time.

Stay safe,
Jerry

 

I Made It Through

First off I want to say a huge thank you for all the comments, thoughts and kind words everyone sent this way. I also want to thank the ones who sent me very heartfelt and personal e-mails. I will respond as time allows. You folks mean so much to me and have been a rock when I have had nothing to stand on. I can't thank you enough.

Well, I made it through the wedding. There were a couple of bumps in the road, but in the end it turned out to be a beautiful event. Talk about being out of your comfort zone, friends let me tell you what, I left my comfort zone at home, locked away.

Some say I sighed  really loud when she said, "I Do." I don't remember doing that but they said it was really, really loud. 

Both sides of the family hugged, shook hands and got to know one another. I'm not saying we will be best buds or anything but at least we all smiled and were nice.

After the father daughter dance there was not a dry eye in the room. I don't even know what song was playing. I offered my last little bit of fatherly advise and we talked all the way through it.

Did she make a mistake, well my opinion is just that, my opinion. If she thinks this is what she is suppose do and she thinks this is the path laid out for her life then I have to respect that and support her.

Hannah knows we love her, and she knows we are here for her if and when she needs us. I made her a promise to be the best grand parent I can be. These two things are who we are and they are what we are suppose to do. 

Sunday morning I woke at peace. I thanked the good lord for the opportunity to be apart for her life, and thanked him for the blessing to have this memory with her. I know there will be many more to come.  

 Sometimes life gives us limes, I say, we need to find the folks that life gave tequella and have a party.

Thanks you all again,
Jerry

The Hard Parts Of Being A Daddy

I can tell you with certainty that I have enjoyed being a daddy. My three girls, Jessie, Hannah and Kylee have been my breath, my drive and my inspiration for so many years now. I have enjoyed every memory we have created together, every moment spent and every lesson we have learned. Some not as much as others but in the end I think my maker every day for the opportunity to have been in their lives and ask for just one more day . 
The hardest parts, I think, are the ones where not only they grow and mature, but I did as well. Having to dig deep to hold back the tears of sadness, anger and joy or stopping myself from not letting them grow into who they will become because it wasn't my plan. Those are the hard parts.

I remember the first hardest thing I ever had to do as a daddy was when I watched all my girls drive off for the first time without me. The first two killed me and it did not get any easier when I watched the last one's tail lights disappear over the hill. I was a nervous wreck that I was not in the car with them, to protect them and to keep them safe.

The second hardest thing I ever had to do was when I dropped my oldest daughter Jessie off at college. It was so hard for me not to beg her to come back home with us, but I knew I could not do that. It was so hard to start the truck, put it in drive and leave her standing there crying, waving goodbye, but this was something that had to be done.

The third hardest thing I have had to do was just last week when the same daughter's boyfriend came by the house and asked to talk to me. I knew it was coming, I thought I was ready, I had already prepared what I was going to say when it did happen. Then, when he asked for her hand in marriage my mind went blank. All I could think about was her at 10 years old and telling me I was the best daddy in the world. It was so hard to say yes, but I did it because that is what she wanted.

Now, the fourth hardest thing I will have to do as a daddy is Tomorrow night. I will have to walk my middle daughter Hannah down the isle and give her away to a guy that does not deserve her. This is her choice to get married so young and so so fast. I have done everything just short of going to prison to keep this from happening, but I can't stop it. We just found out this week she is having a girl sometime in the middle of June. I didn't want it to be like this and tried everything to teach these girls to have a better and easier life than I did. I don't have to do this. I can stay at home, crack open a beer and work in the shop. But she asked me to and it's my job to. So, I will put on my suit, I will put on a smile, I will walk down the isle with her arm in mine and I will do the hardest thing I have ever had to do as a daddy and give her away to this guy.

Maybe there will be growth in all this. Maybe something will click and I will learn from this experience. As it is now I would rather take a beating than see my daughter go down this path of hard times. Even though me and her momma got married at eighteen, we waited two years to start having kids. We were so poor and those times were so hard I don't know how we made it through.  I only wished Hannah could have remembered all those hard times when she was so young, maybe then she would have waited.

I will let you know how it went.
Until then,
Jerry
          

Rocket Stove

Here is the rocket stove I have been wanting to build. I finished it last night and fired it up. It works great and it will be used to cook on this weekend.

Before I got too excited, I set it up in my shop to see how it all fit together. It took 21 fire bricks I picked up for $5.00. It helps that I have a brother in law that works at a brick yard. The brick base was free because they came from the wife's flower garden.
In the wood chamber there is a wire mess that divides the fire from the air chamber on the bottom. I had this material left over from another project.








 I built a base for it to sit on from scrap wood I had laying around. There is no worries about the wood getting too hot through those thick base bricks.
The 21st brick is used as a damper for the air flow and heat control by sliding it across the front.
This was a easy build and a great survival tool. It takes very little wood to cook on. A couple handfuls of twigs and small pieces of scrap wood will give you enough heat to cook on for a long time.
Total project cost - $5.00, Time - 1 Hour, Benefits - Priceless   

This weekend I will be cooking about 10 pounds of potatoes on it for Potato Salad. 
The wife calls it cute, I call it a necessary survival tool, Aww, who am I kidding, it's cute. 

See Ya,
Jerry

Under A Hundred

I have a book that is full of projects. Some are finished in the design stages and ready for construction and others are just a simple idea wrote down waiting to be worked through.
This book is filled with some costly projects, some cheap ones, some that will take months to complete and others that will only take a few hours. I often go to this book when I am bored and want to dream a little.

Saturday morning was just one of those days. I was in my shop tinkering around and got bored. I picked up my project book and flipped through the pages until I found one interesting enough to hold my attention. The outdoor kitchen was what I stopped at. I studied the elaborate plans I drew up many months ago and looked at the cost column and mumbled to myself, "there was no way."
I asked myself why I needed something so costly and over built just to cook on so I started scribbling on the page again. I don't need the sink right now, I don't need the built in fish fryers at the moment either. I also did not need to sink my grill in the counter top and I really didn't need to cover the whole thing with stone and tile. I also didn't need to have it wrap all the way abound the patio at the moment either. So what I ended up with was a project under $100.00 instead of one that cost $1500.00
On top of all that, this is a lot more piratical for what I need at the moment.

A friend gave me the counter top cook stove a year or so ago. All I had to do was buy a Propane regulator for it and adjust the needle valves to change it from natural gas to LP. I already had the granite for the counter tops and most of the wood. I did have to buy the plywood and a couple of boards. Total cost was $40.00.
All the wood is sealed from the weather and sure, it would look better with doors and stone wrapped around it but why? It will serve it's purpose just the way it is.
Instead of doing the whole project at once, I have broke it into sections. This one being the first and the next one being a drop down corner section that my little upright smoker will sit on. Then on to the other sections after that.

I built it yesterday and last night we had some friends over and gave it a test run, everything worked great. We had grilled chicken and pasta with home made aristocrat sauce, unbelievable on how good this food was.  
 I am so happy to have a gas stove again making where I am not so dependent on the electric one in the house or having to start a fire to use coals to cook off of.

I already have my Cajun Microwave so next on the list is the dutch oven cooking area, then the pizza oven and then maybe a rocket stove. Maybe the rocket stove first.

Thanks for reading, talk to ya later,
Jerry