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Broke out the EZKabob yesterday - beef & lamb kabobs with serious garlic and onions. Corn was a must. (No phallic ones this time - ha, ha! I just did a baby kabob with the leftover bits.) Plated with orzo sauced with Boursin and Parm cheeses, basil and cherry tomatoes from the garden and a bit of parsley. Too damned hot/muggy to eat outside last night!

Two things that directly lead to my weight loss: I retired. When working, i had a long time between breakfast and lunch and was always very hungry at lunch so I ate too early and too much at lunch. I was then very hungry again at dinner and i are too much then as well as getting take-out too often. I'm sleeping later now which shortens the time between breakfast and lunch so I'm eating less at lunch so i have one "real" meal each day instead of two. I used Noom which helped me with portion control and better balance in my meals; it also helped with strategies for dealing with different circumstances that can lead to overeating. I have some pretty serious back and neck issues as well as severe sleep apnea; i hoped losing weight would help with bit of these but it hasn't. i do feel a bit better overall though and I'm moving better. I'm dreading having to refresh my wardrobe tho - really don't like shopping for clothes. I did make an amazing discovery - losing weight has improved my vision! I'm can now see body parts i hadn't seen in years!

Well done! I'm jealous. I am working out and getting fitter but haven't worked on reducing what goes in my mouth. I might have to settle for my rude but good friend's description of me - "you are the fittest fat person I know". Cheeky or what??

Today with the help of the local brewery Team i moved the KK to his new place. it’s gorgeous and every detail is perfectly made…. Great craftsmanship Dennis Thanks for all your support! GREETINGS FROM SWITZERLAND

I had the urge to have mac & cheese and being able to cook it outside is so nice in the recent heat and humidity.

Looks deeeeeelicious Tony nice cook

I have to wear a belt because suspenders are irritating and my pants will fall down otherwise. They used to be prone to falling due to my belly pushing them down but since I've lost 40 lbs, they fall down because they're too loose; I'm not buying new pants until I'm done with the weight loss program even though it's stalled lately. i solved the belt notch issue by getting a grip6 belt: https://grip6.com/

Great solution. No belt notches to bear witness to one's expanding waistline.

I don't wear a belt, after scratching my Dad's guitar with the buckle. One of my many lessons that adults were idiots; belts are nothing but trouble. I'm on the same waist size for 30 years. But yes, some degree of moderation is called for, actually easier because the food is so good.

Contrary to @MacKenzie - we usually tell newbies to just go out and buy the bigger belt size now - you're going to need it sooner than you think! 🤣

I just did mine last week. Here are the instructions Dennis sent me “Permatex 27037 Optimum Black Gasket Maker 3.35 oz https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-27037-Optimum-Black-Gasket/dp/B072MRCG8W/ref=sr_1_6?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1528048747&sr=1-6&keywords=Permatex+Black+Silicone+Gasket+Maker You will want to put a bead down in the groove on the lid.. place the new gasket in the material. Please cut a piece of cardboard round, a little larger then your damper top.. cut a hole for the big shaft in the middle.. Place the cardboard over the gasket and tape around the perimeter so it does not move.. now carefully install the damper top thru the hole and slowly tighten making sure the cardboard does not move.. leave overnight and you are set The secret to the gasket living forever is not to tighten really tight at high temps then open it up again while hot. the silicone softens at high temps and tears from the torque.. You can close it and open it at temp but not torque it tight which you actually never have to do to cut the airflow//“

Chicken tacos Mexican market marinated chicken thighs cooked on the Trompo King salsa verde from homegrown tomatillos & Serrano peppers salsa rojo with homegrown. Cherry tomatoes & jalapeños homemade guacamole with cilantro, lime, red onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes toasted flour tortillas with melted Mexican cheese bkack beans with garlic powder and dusted with Cotija cheese

This morning I got the call from the transporter that my Ultimate 23 is arriving 2-3 days…. After a couple of years of dreaming I would finally be able to cook on that beauty! Can anyone indicate me a topic or a link where is described how break in in the right manner in order to condition it at best? br Patrik

That's good advice for using a chamber machine to package liquids. I have both a chamber machine and an impulse sealer, and I make stock all the time. If it was faster to use the chamber machine, or even just more reliable or less finicky, I'd use the chamber machine. For me, it's faster and easier to burp the air out of the bag, against a counter edge, and use an impulse sealer. I'd make an exception if the chamber machine was a few feet away from the stock (mine isn't though I like the exercise; I routinely walk each packet out separately as I prefer the walk to waiting). Then, following your advice, dial in the exact seconds needed to reach 0.2 bar of vacuum so the chamber machine can complete its job unattended. Get the next packet ready.. I have three of the steam table trays shown in my earlier post. They're just deep enough to take the weight off a packet of stock, and the metal conducts heat so all packets freeze quickly. My freezer just has room to stagger the trays so each rim supports the next.

My vacuum gauge obviously needs calibrating (see photo). Just to clarify my earlier post - when sealing liquid stock I go down to about 0.8 bar pressure (or 0.2 bar of vacuum) just to ensure a good “squeeze “ on the sealing strip without boiling the liquid.

Trouble, thanks for sending this over. I clicked on the link and ordered the Permatex which is due to arrive on Friday. I don't do much high temperature cooking but appreciate this information, makes sense. Thank you all for your help on this, Paul

That's interesting @tekobo - I've never heard of using Saltpeter in cooking either, just for making gunpowder! For preserving meat to prevent spoilage or worse - botulism, one normally uses Sodium Nitrate. So, NO, you cannot replace Pink Salt #1, (Sodium Nitrate) or Saltpeter with kosher salt. How to Use Pink Salt for Curing Meat (thespruceeats.com)

What I did was use a Dixie type paper plate, the type with the waxy side. Top hat shaft through the middle of the plate, wax side towards the gasket, use the top hat for pressure..hold the plate to prevent spinning. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Tri tip marinated with Montreal steak seasoning, garlic powder, Worcester & soy sauce. Cooked indirect and finished on lower grate. Served with Fred’s horseradish sauce and chimichuri slow baked sweet potatoes with Greek yogurt sweet corn on the cob