KyleK

pm me. I'll get you the contact info of someone who I feel certain would be much less expensive. I use him for all of my dirt work.

When I lived in BR I used to build fences (back in the 90's). Scott Fence out on Highland Road (Don't know if they still exist) is where I would get CYPRESS pickets. Much prettier than pine or cedar, and lasted longer than either. Price wise, the cypress was actually cheaper than the cedar at the time.

I owned a Honda walk behind for about 15 years. The dual blades were great on the clippings. That said, I have a bigger yard now and use a Dixie Chopper 50" Silver Eagle. It doesn't care what type or how thick the grass is. It just cuts and cuts really fast. I can't imagine ever going back to a walk behind.

Before I spent $800 on that Honda, I would look around for a used commercial zero turn. Some good deals can be found for not much more than that and you will have a superior mower.

A chef friend of mine explained it to me this way:

I tried to find out what's really happening with the chemistry of roux and what seems to be happening is that the flour dissolved in oil keeps the starch molecules separate and prevents clumping which would happen if you just add flour to a liquid stock. As you heat the oil/starch mixture (roux) in a stock, the starch molecules absorb the liquid and eventually some of the starch molecules burst and release amylose (which is a simple sugar found in flour. The Amylose, in turn, bonds with the starch molecules to restrict movement of the starch in the liquid. The starch thickens the liquid because it bonds physically with both oil and water to make a type of emulsion.

The more you cook roux, the more polymerization of starch molecules occurs and this lessens the thickening action of the roux because more starch molecules are polymerized (become part of a longer chain) and fewer are available for emulsifying the stock (bonding with both the oils and other organic compounds in stock as well as with the oil).

So lighter roux ends up thickening more than a darker roux. And I'll bet that gluten proteins are also degraded with the high heat of cooking too...decreasing the thickening (emulsifying) action of roux.

So what does this all mean?
1) lighter roux thickens more than dark roux...so if you use dark roux and want a thicker gumbo, thicken it with some blonde roux as well or use a cornstarch slurry, or file , or okra.

2) besides thickening, another equally important function of roux is flavoring the stock...and the more you cook the gumbo, the more the flavor changes. The taste also changes with the amount of roux that you use.

3) There are so many variables in cooking gumbo that affect the final taste that make it very difficult to reproduce. Your method becomes very accurate when you can get a consistent taste at the end. Cooking really is an art that involves some science.

Simon and Garfunkel's Sound of Silence

LINK

Disturbed's Cover:

LINK


Grew up listening to S&G. Amazing artists. However, Disturbed's cover takes this song to an entirely different level. Powerful.

He was my teacher at LSU for TV Production and Broadcasting back around 80 or 81. The first day I walked in and had smoked a joint before the class. Freaked me out when I saw him standing there!

1969 is when I started going regularly. Didn't realize how special it was at that time until the 80's. It's finally come full circle again :)

Paintball Command Inc
21268 Emile Strain Road
Mandeville, LA 70471
(985) 809-7668
paintball-command.com

I made a sales call there once. The facility looked great. I have never played there though.

Call Shane Martinez at KrazyKajun.com as recommended above. I cook jambalaya professionally and get all of my pots from Shane. His prices are fair and he can customize anything you want. His advice on everything from pot size, burner size, and even paddle size is spot on. He is in St Amant. Email me if you need his cell no.

Try this. I love to smoke meats, but since I tried this, I haven't smoked one. This is simple and really good for pulled pork.


Pulled Pork – Slow Cooker

Ingredients
• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
• 1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
• 8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted
Directions
1. Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.