Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

? Doing the happy dance as I got my blood results and staying active, working out and watching what I eat seems to be working.

• Cholesterol is 113, Medical chart says it should be between 100-199
• HDL is 39, Medical chart says 39 or higher is good. Will adjust my proteins.
• LDL is 46, Medical chart says 99 or lower is good.

Overall, happy as all get out. Tomorrow is going to be a good wine day!  ?

[G. David Felt]

Found some cool old photos

[balthazar]

Top pic is a factory-issued promo photo ('64 GP). I added the yellow lines comparing rear axle centerline & the bottom of the rocker chrome. This is an accurate portrayal of factory ride height.

Lower pic is how far too many 'restored' cars todays sit, on 'reproduction' springs ; a mile too high (here about 3 inches).

I find it irksome (and aesthetically offensive) when folk defend this exaggerated ride height as 'correct' because the springs were 'factory spec'... when they obviously aren't. "You've got eyes; use 'em!' I say.

Praise the lowered.
 

Here is my GP from many years ago.
It's a tad LOWER than factory height, due to spring settle; over time, coil spring deflection rate remains the same, but it's ability to hold its load at the same height diminishes somewhat. Me; I think it sits PERFECTLY (still has the same springs in it today).   

[trinacriabob]

I'm starting to get frustrated with what's coming down the automotive pike and what's NOT coming down the pike.

When I sometimes look at (used) car ads, I wonder if I should sell my car in a year or two and get an a) a VERY LOW mileage '94 to '96 Caprice Classic 4.3 V8, or b) a VERY LOW mileage '06 Monte Carlo LT 3.5 V6 (and appease how much I like large coupes).

I don't know what to do, especially when I look at the ads and see beautiful examples of a) and b) for sale.

[balthazar]

^ I've noted ads about low-mileage 20-30 yr old cars popping up, unremarkable other than being in great condition, but kinda being pitched as a collector car. 'Would you put this 35K mile Chevy Celebrity in your driveway for $5000?', but I say - buy it as a commuter vehicle, not a collectible, and use it up. It sure beats spending $15K for something 7 yrs old. 

[oldshurst442]

5 thousand for a Celebrity???   Is that a real price suggestion for one? 

And...why in the world would ANYBODY consider a Celebrity a classic?  Despite the great memories, I wouldnt want one in my driveway today.      Maybe as a commuter car/beater if it was in good working order tho.  

I wouldnt want an '06 Monte Carlo.  Id rather the (4 door) Impala of that vintage with a 3.8.  A 2005 Impala.  The generation after, I would want the 3.6 with the 6 speed auto.  

But in all honesty, the Epsilon Impala  Midnight Edition just flat out beats any W-Body Chevrolet.  Although I Iove my Acura, I kinda wanted to trade-in my Acura for one. But Im also happy I didnt.

 

Maybe I could pick one up for cheap when this chip shortage will be gone and things will hopefully return to normal?   

 

 

 

[Robert Hall]

4 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

5 thousand for a Celebrity???   Is that a real price suggestion for one? 

And...why in the world would ANYBODY consider a Celebrity a classic?  Despite the great memories, I wouldnt want one in my driveway today.      Maybe as a commuter car/beater if it was in good working order tho.  

I wouldnt want an '06 Monte Carlo.  Id rather the (4 door) Impala of that vintage with a 3.8.  A 2005 Impala.  The generation after, I would want the 3.6 with the 6 speed auto.  

But in all honesty, the Epsilon Impala  Midnight Edition just flat out beats any W-Body Chevrolet.  Although I Iove my Acura, I kinda wanted to trade-in my Acura for one. But Im also happy I didnt.

 

 

 

 

I have driven many '05+ Impalas and a couple of the most recent Impalas as rentals, along w/ Malibus of the last 4 generations.  Any of them would be fine daily driver/commuter cars...I'd be inclined to go with the newest I could find, so the cabin tech wouldn't be so out of date.     

[oldshurst442]

The 2000-2005 Impala was easily the best looking W-body Chevrolet.  (Lumina included)

But it had easily the cheapest interior of all of them.   The Lumina Coupe that became the Monte Carlo rivals the cheapness of that 2000-2005 Impala.  But all W-Body cars are great daily drivers.  Ive driven several of these cars from all the divisions from all years.  Despite the small launch hiccups of the early '80s, and the DOHC 3.4 gasket problems and the transmission problems from some of the hotter versions of those cars (the V8s and the supercharged V6s), the W-Body has been a very very good and reliable car for GM.  

I dont like any Malibu GM has made since 1978 with the exemption being the latest generation Malibu. I like this current one.   I like the A-Body and Colonnade as well.   

 

 

[oldshurst442]

Ive had this thought before.   It hit me again...

Balthy has driven (and owned) many many cars in his lifetime.   I have driven many many cars in my lifetime too. Didnt own nearly as many tho. But I drove plenty.

Problem is...if we compare what cars Balthy driven and what cars I driven....well...its kinda embarrassing to me to mention the cars Ive driven...   Iron Duke 4 cylinder Celebrities, 2.0 liter Cavaliers and Sunbirds...  Ive had some exciting car and engine experience, but Id rather not delve into this topic too much....  

 

 

[balthazar]

3 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

5 thousand for a Celebrity???   Is that a real price suggestion for one? 

I was riffing off a FB Barn Finds piece on a clean Dodge Aspen coupe for $5500.

To me, the cleanest/nicest one out there (of that) shouldn't be more than $1000, so I feel like someone is trying to say it's worth that much... because I don't know why- I assume because they think someone will want to pamper / maintain it. Like a collectible.  

- - - - -
RE my car list (owned), I've had 23, only 2 were bought brand new.  The average model year of all 23 is 1969, since it's so heavily laden with 60s cars (the '21 GMC bumped it up from -I think- 1966.)
1 from the 2020-on, 0 from 2010-19, 1 from 2000-09, 2 from 1990-99, 0 from 1980-89, [[that's only 4 from the last 40 years]], 3 from 1970-79. The other 16 were from the '40s-60s.

Somewhere I have a running list of other vehicles I've driven, and it's similar, but there are more newer ones.  LOTS of '60s stuff.  Not sure where that list is at the moment...

- - - - - 
My mind : "WTF?!?" -->
 

Edited November 14, 2021 by balthazar

[balthazar]

Here you go, Robert Hall : 16 original miles, pre dealer-prep Cobra ~
https://www.ebay.com/itm/194496528432?mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5337851298&customid=489489&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

 

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

'63 Pontiac Tempest, 'Indy 4' inline 4-cylinder, factory iron head, naturally-aspirated, 4-spd.

1/4-mile : 11.74.

 

[A Horse With No Name]

On 11/11/2021 at 9:27 PM, David said:

? Doing the happy dance as I got my blood results and staying active, working out and watching what I eat seems to be working.

• Cholesterol is 113, Medical chart says it should be between 100-199
• HDL is 39, Medical chart says 39 or higher is good. Will adjust my proteins.
• LDL is 46, Medical chart says 99 or lower is good.

Overall, happy as all get out. Tomorrow is going to be a good wine day!  ?

Tons of hiking myself, blood work is very good for me also. 

31 minutes ago, balthazar said:

'63 Pontiac Tempest, 'Indy 4' inline 4-cylinder, factory iron head, naturally-aspirated, 4-spd.

1/4-mile : 11.74.

 

This is impressive. 

 

On 11/14/2021 at 8:48 AM, balthazar said:

Here you go, Robert Hall : 16 original miles, pre dealer-prep Cobra ~
https://www.ebay.com/itm/194496528432?mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5337851298&customid=489489&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

 

I used to lust after these-now I am all about owning a pickup truck and travelling all over in it. 

On 11/13/2021 at 8:19 PM, oldshurst442 said:

Ive had this thought before.   It hit me again...

Balthy has driven (and owned) many many cars in his lifetime.   I have driven many many cars in my lifetime too. Didnt own nearly as many tho. But I drove plenty.

Problem is...if we compare what cars Balthy driven and what cars I driven....well...its kinda embarrassing to me to mention the cars Ive driven...   Iron Duke 4 cylinder Celebrities, 2.0 liter Cavaliers and Sunbirds...  Ive had some exciting car and engine experience, but Id rather not delve into this topic too much....  

 

 

Enjoying driving and being in the moment is the imprtant part. 

On 11/13/2021 at 8:08 PM, oldshurst442 said:

The 2000-2005 Impala was easily the best looking W-body Chevrolet.  (Lumina included)

But it had easily the cheapest interior of all of them.   The Lumina Coupe that became the Monte Carlo rivals the cheapness of that 2000-2005 Impala.  But all W-Body cars are great daily drivers.  Ive driven several of these cars from all the divisions from all years.  Despite the small launch hiccups of the early '80s, and the DOHC 3.4 gasket problems and the transmission problems from some of the hotter versions of those cars (the V8s and the supercharged V6s), the W-Body has been a very very good and reliable car for GM.  

I dont like any Malibu GM has made since 1978 with the exemption being the latest generation Malibu. I like this current one.   I like the A-Body and Colonnade as well.   

 

 

Great cars though. 

 

So ugly it is actually pretty, bonus GM content in background. 

This just says get in, sit down and drive me. Love Ford's 1960's interiors. 

[A Horse With No Name]

[A Horse With No Name]

Vintage pic for today

Love the 70's vibe...

[A Horse With No Name]

C1 Vette...

One last vintage picture...

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Photo by Stephen Sproul, rural Indiana. 

[trinacriabob]

On 11/11/2021 at 9:27 PM, David said:

Doing the happy dance as I got my blood results and staying active, working out and watching what I eat seems to be working.

• Cholesterol is 113, Medical chart says it should be between 100-199
• HDL is 39, Medical chart says 39 or higher is good. Will adjust my proteins.
• LDL is 46, Medical chart says 99 or lower is good.

Overall, happy as all get out. Tomorrow is going to be a good wine day!  

You get a 113 in cholesterol, and you take nothing to get to that number?  If so, wow.  Even if you take something, wow.  I am going to guess your triglycerides are also under 150.

That whole health consciousness thing is so Seattle!  And very West Coast in general.

I once read that 'America's fattest city' is Houston.  How can it not be?  Brisket, Tex-Mex, buffets, and on and on ...  You always get good food in Houston ... and plenty of it.

[trinacriabob]

On 11/13/2021 at 1:17 AM, balthazar said:

^ I've noted ads about low-mileage 20-30 yr old cars popping up, unremarkable other than being in great condition, but kinda being pitched as a collector car. 'Would you put this 35K mile Chevy Celebrity in your driveway for $5000?', but I say - buy it as a commuter vehicle, not a collectible, and use it up. It sure beats spending $15K for something 7 yrs old. 

This would be to "use up," as you say.  I don't like the Celebrity at all.  Never did.  It was the ugliest of that set of quadruplets.

I would love to have the 4.3 mid-'90s Caprice.  I love looking at that reliable, centered engine under the hood.  And, their being so many on the road proves that they're heirlooms.  It would be a great road trip car, assuming everything is in good working order.  The way their interiors are decked out are all over the map - from ugly fabric bench seats to leather with nice stitching. Also, it would only be practical where the weather ranges from warm to mild, which would only go up as high as the Mid-Atlantic, the lower Midwest, the low elevation locations in the Mountain States, and the entirety of the coastal West Coast, owing to the rear wheel drive.

The last gen Monte Carlo would have FWD, so it could "live" in more places.

On 11/13/2021 at 7:41 PM, oldshurst442 said:

I wouldnt want an '06 Monte Carlo.  Id rather the (4 door) Impala of that vintage with a 3.8.  A 2005 Impala.  The generation after, I would want the 3.6 with the 6 speed auto.  

But in all honesty, the Epsilon Impala  Midnight Edition just flat out beats any W-Body Chevrolet.  Although I Iove my Acura, I kinda wanted to trade-in my Acura for one. But Im also happy I didnt.

Maybe I could pick one up for cheap when this chip shortage will be gone and things will hopefully return to normal?   

Okay, I was thinking you meant the 2000-2005 Impala with the 3.4.  I once had a 2004 or 2005 Impala with bucket seats and a 3800 V6 as a rental and I really liked it.  Not many of them, nor MCs other than SSs, in those years had 3800s.

I saw a lady in a black last-gen Impala LTZ parking it in a shopping center parking structure.  She was backing into the spot, against a wall.  It took her some adjustments to make it happen.  That model has poor rear visibility.  Reviews by owners on the various sites cite this as being a demerit for them.  Most of them otherwise like the car.

On 11/13/2021 at 7:49 PM, Robert Hall said:

I have driven many '05+ Impalas and a couple of the most recent Impalas as rentals, along w/ Malibus of the last 4 generations.  Any of them would be fine daily driver/commuter cars...I'd be inclined to go with the newest I could find, so the cabin tech wouldn't be so out of date.     

I agree with the first part, but liked the Malibu prior to the current one, with the high trunk lid, the Camaro-esque rear lamps, and the 2.5 L4.  The current one is more modern all the way around, but I had a great week with a rental of a previous one ... 2015, I think.

Also, the W-body vehicles, and especially the Impala, required too much steering effort while parking and at low speeds.  They should have eased up on it, without necessarily making it as soft as electric power steering.

On 11/13/2021 at 8:19 PM, oldshurst442 said:

....well...its kinda embarrassing to me to mention the cars Ive driven...   Iron Duke 4 cylinder Celebrities, 2.0 liter Cavaliers and Sunbirds...  Ive had some exciting car and engine experience, but Id rather not delve into this topic too much....  

Haha.  Well, were the Iron Duke 4s reliable?  Or did you have any serious issues with the basic engine?  (I'm sure you had all the maintenance under control.)  The thought of losing a tooth / cog on a timing chain, for example, gives me heartburn just to read about it.

9 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 This just says get in, sit down and drive me. Love Ford's 1960's interiors. 

^ Unbelievable!  Cars - even those priced for commoners - had so much personality.  What happened?  It must be that sharp corporate pencil.

Edited November 15, 2021 by trinacriabob

[oldshurst442]

12 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Okay, I was thinking you meant the 2000-2005 Impala with the 3.4.

I wouldnt touch an Impala with the 3.4.  It was a good engine for the Alero and Grand Am.  Not a great engine. Just good enough. But it might be a tad anemic for a bigger, heavier Impala.  And Ive heard that the 3.4 had gasket problems past  100 000 miles.  I never had such issues with my Alero, but have known a few people with Chevrolet minivans that did.  

I owned a 2005 Impala SS.  Ive at least experienced the myth behind that engine.  I also heard that the transmission coupled to a supercharged 3.8 could explode. Again, never had that happen to me. 

A regular late model 3.8 powering any car from any GM division should be a no problems whatsoever experience. I had heard you wax poetic about this engine so Im really not telling you anything you dont know already!  LOL

22 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I saw a lady in a black last-gen Impala LTZ parking it in a shopping center parking structure.  She was backing into the spot, against a wall.  It took her some adjustments to make it happen.  That model has poor rear visibility.  Reviews by owners on the various sites cite this as being a demerit for them.  Most of them otherwise like the car.

As with most GM offerings nowadays. But not just GM, almost all OEMs screw with visibility one way or other.  I never driven this gen Impala. Sat it in plenty of times though.  I could tell just by sitting it in that it had poor rear visibility. The rear window is tiny.   But the interior and dash is great to be in for a daily driver it seems.  Sporty and comfy and roomy.

26 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Haha.  Well, were the Iron Duke 4s reliable?  Or did you have any serious issues with the basic engine?  (I'm sure you had all the maintenance under control.)  The thought of losing a tooth / cog on a timing chain, for example, gives me heartburn just to read about it.

 

Yeah. It was a great engine actually.  Hey, it was not sporty or anything. It accelerated slow like molasses. But I was able to get it past the 140 KM/H (85 MPH) reading on the speedometer.  I did bury the needle so to speak.  It did everything that it was meant for it to do. Relatively economical, reliable and always there to haul a family around.   It started every time in cold weather. Never missed a beat. And lord knows it took a beating. (pun intended). Until I totaled it a few weeks/months after I totaled my Firebird.  

I dont remember or actually know how smooth or crude it actually was, but it did get my dad to work every morning without a hitch. And when I started driving it, beating the hell out of it,  no issues arose from the recklessness.   That would be my experinece with the Iron Duke.  Maybe others would not be so lucky?

I hear and read about all kinds of GM problems, my dad and I, with ALL of our GM products, have NEVER experienced these things.

[trinacriabob]

27 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

As with most GM offerings nowadays. But not just GM, almost all OEMs screw with visibility one way or other.  I never driven this gen Impala. Sat it in plenty of times though.  I could tell just by sitting it in that it had poor rear visibility. The rear window is tiny.   But the interior and dash is great to be in for a daily driver it seems.  Sporty and comfy and roomy.

Yeah. It was a great engine actually.  Hey, it was not sporty or anything. It accelerated slow like molasses. But I was able to get it past the 140 KM/H (85 MPH) reading on the speedometer.  I did bury the needle so to speak.  It did everything that it was meant for it to do. Relatively economical, reliable and always there to haul a family around.   It started every time in cold weather. Never missed a beat. And lord knows it took a beating. (pun intended). Until I totaled it a few weeks/months after I totaled my Firebird.  

I dont remember or actually know how smooth or crude it actually was, but it did get my dad to work every morning without a hitch. And when I started driving it, beating the hell out of it,  no issues arose from the recklessness.   That would be my experinece with the Iron Duke.  Maybe others would not be so lucky?

I hear and read about all kinds of GM problems, my dad and I, with ALL of our GM products, have NEVER experienced these things.

Very true about the cabin environment of the last-gen Impala.  The dash is great and a big improvement over the last W-body's dash.  However, while the window is actually sort of large, it's the rake of the roofline and the thick C-pillar that screw up the visibility.

Interesting about the Iron Duke.  Well, they were around for over a decade.  Maybe it was a hit-miss with years and manufacturing batches of them that had quirks and reliability issues.

[oldshurst442]

10 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Enjoying driving and being in the moment is the imprtant part. 

HA!  

LOL!

Its hard to enjoy driving when:

1. 

 

2.  Gas prices are through the roof!  

But I do enjoy, have always enjoyed driving. fast. slow.  Especially cruising.  No matter what car I experienced.  The simple task of driving was always a positive one.  I love driving.  Especially when Im all alone on the road. Rain, sleet or snow, If Im alone on the road, regardless what car Im driving and what powers it, Im having fun!   And if I have my family in my car, well, sometimes Im having fun. Nothing beats being alone, with my thoughts and my thoughts alone, with my music or the engine noises and the open road!  But I do love my family and enjoy sharing my thoughts with them. But, there is something to being alone in a car, alone on the road and just driving! 

On another note, my 16 year old daughter has started her (is in the midst right now as I type this) first driving lesson!!!    ZOOM call theory.  Her first actual driving will be next month I think.  

 

 

[oldshurst442]

36 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Very true about the cabin environment of the last-gen Impala.  The dash is great and a big improvement over the last W-body's dash.  However, while the window is actually sort of large, it's the rake of the roofline and the thick C-pillar that screw up the visibility.

Interesting about the Iron Duke.  Well, they were around for over a decade.  Maybe it was a hit-miss with years and manufacturing batches of them that had quirks and reliability issues.

 I googled the rear for the Impala. And sure enough, it is big enough. And sure enough, I see the rake being steep.  Just sitting inside it, to me, the rear seemed tiny, but I see that its the rake that gives that illusion.  Like I said, I never driven it.  I wish I did though. 

About the Iron Duke.   The car reached 198 000 KM  and change (123 000 miles) with literally no issues.  Lots of little bangs and dings and busted headlights because of me looking at a really hot girl and not realizing there was a car in front of me... and flat tires and the rear suspension letting up and my dad having to Frankenstein a repair using and welding airplane parts to it, but the Iron Duke roared along. 

I finally totaled it. Put it out of its misery by  wrapping the car around several miles of highway fence.  No front or rear bumper. Headlights and taillights nowhere to be seen. The car squished between the 2 doors left AND right side. Im lucky to have NOT been impaled or decapitated by any of the fence.    Long story short, because the story does not finish there, I started the car and the Iron Duke did what she always did. She fired up like any other time ready to be driven again.  Too bad the body that she was in was a phoquing mess...  LOL

Edited November 16, 2021 by oldshurst442

[A Horse With No Name]

GTO pics...

Listing for car, not mine, but cool. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/233243705429073/?ref=product_details&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks&tracking={"qid"%3A"-7405151231343302861"%2C"mf_story_key"%3A"63832755779443980"%2C"commerce_rank_obj"%3A"{\"target_id\"%3A63832755779443980%2C\"target_type\"%3A6%2C\"primary_position\"%3A0%2C\"ranking_signature\"%3A8166832222595186688%2C\"commerce_channel\"%3A501%2C\"value\"%3A0%2C\"upsell_type\"%3A21%2C\"grouping_info\"%3Anull}"}

[G. David Felt]

16 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

You get a 113 in cholesterol, and you take nothing to get to that number?  If so, wow.  Even if you take something, wow.  I am going to guess your triglycerides are also under 150.

That whole health consciousness thing is so Seattle!  And very West Coast in general.

I once read that 'America's fattest city' is Houston.  How can it not be?  Brisket, Tex-Mex, buffets, and on and on ...  You always get good food in Houston ... and plenty of it.

Thanks, yes Triglycerides are at 99 so good there too. The daily gym working out and cooking with the wife from our garden helps greatly in our quality of life.

Will post about our family annual pot sticker making party.

We love to eat here and plenty of good food, but we also love to be active in outdoors life from hiking, skiing, mountain biking, etc. being physically active while eating yummy food is a way of life here.

Totally agree some great BBQ in Texas, just missing the physical fitness from what I observed living there for a year.

[G. David Felt]

Status on the Felt Household. My 62 year old sewer line finally failed and so had to have them replace a section of the line and then 52 feet of liner from the cleanout in the garage to where it connects to the cities 6" line.

 

Then the liner went in:

Then the repair section was installed.

Now awaiting inspection this Wednesday between 9-11am and they will then fill it up. You can see my bigger natural gas line and the water line.

[G. David Felt]

Even with a sewer line problem and also had to have the hot water tank replaced, we still had our annual Pot Sticker making party at the Felt House hold. We made a bit over 600 pot stickers and other than the meat, Tofu and vermicelli noodles, everything else in them was from the garden.

Plenty of prep work as the wife and I spent Friday night and Saturday prepping everything and then Saturday night making the filling for the pot stickers. Most people are not aware that water is death to a pot sticker and as such, you have to squeeze as much water out of the ingredients as possible. So Tofu was in a vice for 24hrs being squeezed dry, water chestnuts were squeezed, Monge bean sprouts were squeezed. Next came the cutting up of Spanish Sugar Sweet Onions, green onions, fresh garlic, cooking of the vermicelli noodles and then cutting them up, seasoning everything to proper taste before mixing in a 50/50 mixture of ground sausage and beef and adding some eggs.

You start by breaking up the tofu and then in goes the cut up noodles and the rest of the veggie ingredients and then season to taste.

Then you have a finished veggie mixture that allows for veggie only Pot stickers if you like.

This is a carnivore household so in goes the meat into containers to keep it chilled only taking out a small amount as the pot sticker making process goes.

Then you have the assembly of the pot stickers and finished uncooked pot stickers.

From here you steam them for 15 min, cool and start to freeze them on cookie cooling racks in the freezer so they stay individual in the bag for use across the holiday season.

End result is gallon freezer bags of yummy pot stickers to be pan fried, put into Ramen and many other wonderful soups / dishes.

Bon apatite 

Yes we do take breaks while they are being steamed to enjoy some fresh hot out of the pot, pot stickers with home made sauce on them.

 

[A Horse With No Name]

22 hours ago, David said:

Even with a sewer line problem and also had to have the hot water tank replaced, we still had our annual Pot Sticker making party at the Felt House hold. We made a bit over 600 pot stickers and other than the meat, Tofu and vermicelli noodles, everything else in them was from the garden.

Plenty of prep work as the wife and I spent Friday night and Saturday prepping everything and then Saturday night making the filling for the pot stickers. Most people are not aware that water is death to a pot sticker and as such, you have to squeeze as much water out of the ingredients as possible. So Tofu was in a vice for 24hrs being squeezed dry, water chestnuts were squeezed, Monge bean sprouts were squeezed. Next came the cutting up of Spanish Sugar Sweet Onions, green onions, fresh garlic, cooking of the vermicelli noodles and then cutting them up, seasoning everything to proper taste before mixing in a 50/50 mixture of ground sausage and beef and adding some eggs.

You start by breaking up the tofu and then in goes the cut up noodles and the rest of the veggie ingredients and then season to taste.

Then you have a finished veggie mixture that allows for veggie only Pot stickers if you like.

This is a carnivore household so in goes the meat into containers to keep it chilled only taking out a small amount as the pot sticker making process goes.

Then you have the assembly of the pot stickers and finished uncooked pot stickers.

From here you steam them for 15 min, cool and start to freeze them on cookie cooling racks in the freezer so they stay individual in the bag for use across the holiday season.

End result is gallon freezer bags of yummy pot stickers to be pan fried, put into Ramen and many other wonderful soups / dishes.

Bon apatite 

Yes we do take breaks while they are being steamed to enjoy some fresh hot out of the pot, pot stickers with home made sauce on them.

 

You all eat well. 

 

Shirley...

 

[ccap41]

22 hours ago, David said:

Even with a sewer line problem and also had to have the hot water tank replaced, we still had our annual Pot Sticker making party at the Felt House hold. We made a bit over 600 pot stickers and other than the meat, Tofu and vermicelli noodles, everything else in them was from the garden.

Plenty of prep work as the wife and I spent Friday night and Saturday prepping everything and then Saturday night making the filling for the pot stickers. Most people are not aware that water is death to a pot sticker and as such, you have to squeeze as much water out of the ingredients as possible. So Tofu was in a vice for 24hrs being squeezed dry, water chestnuts were squeezed, Monge bean sprouts were squeezed. Next came the cutting up of Spanish Sugar Sweet Onions, green onions, fresh garlic, cooking of the vermicelli noodles and then cutting them up, seasoning everything to proper taste before mixing in a 50/50 mixture of ground sausage and beef and adding some eggs.

You start by breaking up the tofu and then in goes the cut up noodles and the rest of the veggie ingredients and then season to taste.

Then you have a finished veggie mixture that allows for veggie only Pot stickers if you like.

This is a carnivore household so in goes the meat into containers to keep it chilled only taking out a small amount as the pot sticker making process goes.

Then you have the assembly of the pot stickers and finished uncooked pot stickers.

From here you steam them for 15 min, cool and start to freeze them on cookie cooling racks in the freezer so they stay individual in the bag for use across the holiday season.

End result is gallon freezer bags of yummy pot stickers to be pan fried, put into Ramen and many other wonderful soups / dishes.

Bon apatite 

Yes we do take breaks while they are being steamed to enjoy some fresh hot out of the pot, pot stickers with home made sauce on them.

 

This all looks so damn great! Do you have a recipe you follow? Or have a link to a good recipe?  

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

9 hours ago, ccap41 said:

This all looks so damn great! Do you have a recipe you follow? Or have a link to a good recipe?  

Hey CCAP, our recipe is not written down, it is in my wifes head. She tells me what to get and I get everything and then just play the good Suo chef.  Ours is so large, the amount of cans of water chestnuts to the 5 lbs of Tofu that I would have to spend some time thinking on how to reduce it down to a small amount recipe, but can do it during the holidays once I have my work done.

Here are two very good authentic Korean Mandu recipes that you can use as a guide.

Korean Dumpling (Mandu) Recipe (thespruceeats.com)

Mandu (Korean Dumplings) - Korean Bapsang

Use one of the above recipes and you can copy my ingredients I list above to get close to from the mother land Mandu mixture.

[trinacriabob]

On 11/16/2021 at 10:53 AM, David said:

 

It's too bad when stuff like this happens; however, it lasted a long time. 

When looking through the photos, the first thing that caught my eye was that robin egg blue house across the street.  What were they thinking?  You sometimes see wood sided ranch homes in this color or apple green in the West.  Do people consider subsequent buyers ... and curb appeal?

[G. David Felt]

6 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

It's too bad when stuff like this happens; however, it lasted a long time. 

When looking through the photos, the first thing that caught my eye was that robin egg blue house across the street.  What were they thinking?  You sometimes see wood sided ranch homes in this color or apple green in the West.  Do people consider subsequent buyers ... and curb appeal?

They are very retro 1960's and the wife is a very odd duck. The official color of the house is Cotton Candy Blue. Weird right! 

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

Woods Auto Wrecking, outside of Binghamton NY, dissolved in the late '60s ~ 

Today : 

[A Horse With No Name]

18 hours ago, balthazar said:

One car to die for, one car to die in. Seems like a great pair!

 

12 hours ago, balthazar said:

Both the truck and the lumber, please.

 

16 hours ago, David said:

They are very retro 1960's and the wife is a very odd duck. The official color of the house is Cotton Candy Blue. Weird right! 

The whole Aesthetic of the PNW is kind of cool though. I could really see myself retiring out there. 

[ccap41]

19 hours ago, balthazar said:

And they both probably have the same garbage crash safety ?

[trinacriabob]

This new livery for the airline replacing Alitalia is sophomoric and a disappointment.  The Italians can do better.  This looks very "11th hour."

However, it has just been announced that ITA joined Sky Team.  That means your Delta miles will work on Air France, KLM, and now ITA to get you across the pond.

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

This new livery for the airline replacing Alitalia is sophomoric and a disappointment.

I kinda like it.   Its simple, yes.   But I like that shade of blue. Its reminiscing of the Italian football club's colours.  The Azzurri I think is the term?   

 

Come to think of it, because it mimics the Azzurri's colours, I have gone from liking it to loving it.

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

The Italians can do better.

That is what they say....  Italians do it better!   

 

I agree!  

 

 

 

[trinacriabob]

17 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

I kinda like it.   Its simple, yes.   But I like that shade of blue. Its reminiscing of the Italian football club's colours.  The Azzurri I think is the term?   

Come to think of it, because it mimics the Azzurri's colours, I have gone from liking it to loving it.

That is what they say....  Italians do it better!   

I agree!  

Yes, Azzurri.  But, back to the livery, the stupid stripe on the ITA tail doesn't work.  When you get close to the blue graphics, they're dumb. 

And, yes, seeing the Sistine Chapel is an incredible event, as is going to the top of the cupola and seeing 360 degrees of Rome.  I haven't done either in a long time.  

This is what a good livery looks/looked like:

[ccap41]

I like the blue way more... ??‍♂️

[A Horse With No Name]

22 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

This new livery for the airline replacing Alitalia is sophomoric and a disappointment.  The Italians can do better.  This looks very "11th hour."

However, it has just been announced that ITA joined Sky Team.  That means your Delta miles will work on Air France, KLM, and now ITA to get you across the pond.

It would be great for a lite beer can and hell, they are both made of aluminium. 

[A Horse With No Name]

What do a burnt pizza, a frozen beer, and a pregnant woman all have in common?

An idiot guy who didn't pull out in time. 

[balthazar]

[oldshurst442]

10 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Yes, Azzurri.  But, back to the livery, the stupid stripe on the ITA tail doesn't work.  When you get close to the blue graphics, they're dumb. 

And, yes, seeing the Sistine Chapel is an incredible event, as is going to the top of the cupola and seeing 360 degrees of Rome.  I haven't done either in a long time.  

This is what a good livery looks/looked like:

 

I also like the fact that on the new livery, the Italian colours are also on the engines.  But you do make a valid point that on the vertical stabilizer on the old design, the Italian colours are better presented than on the new livery.  

[oldshurst442]

10 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

And, yes, seeing the Sistine Chapel is an incredible event, as is going to the top of the cupola and seeing 360 degrees of Rome.  I haven't done either in a long time. 

The wife and I, along with our kids,  are planning to visit Italy in the next 2 or 3 years.  My daughter's high school trip to Italy and Switzerland  last year was canceled. (Covid) 

We really wanted her to go. And she also.   We will make that experience happen for her with a family trip seeing that my wife and I never visited Italy either.    We will just see how things work out with my son's high school trip which is supposed to be next year.  Again...global situations with Covid might put a damper on school trips, but nothing says that family trips cant happen! 

 

 

 

[Olds Guy]

Found this browsing earlier... I don't why, but I kind of like it...

[trinacriabob]

10 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

The wife and I, along with our kids,  are planning to visit Italy in the next 2 or 3 years.  My daughter's high school trip to Italy and Switzerland  last year was canceled. (Covid) 

We really wanted her to go. And she also.   We will make that experience happen for her with a family trip seeing that my wife and I never visited Italy either.

And, as you already know, and for anyone else, no wallets in back pockets and leave the Rolexes and fancy jewelry at home.  That's all of Southern Europe, even Paris, and, while I'm at it, New York in North America and all the big cities in South America.

[trinacriabob]

Oh, yeah, random thought:

One of the funniest people on the planet!