Category: Uncategorized

Rübenkrautkuchen

  • 750g flour
  • 2 pckg Backpulver (German baking powder)
  • 250g Rübenkraut
  • 250g sugar
  • 1tsp aniseed
  • 2 eggs “if you have them” to quote my grandma
  • some milk
  1. Combine flour, sugar, backpulver and aniseed
  2. Add Rübenkraut and eggs
  3. Add enough milk so the dough is just about “not patschig” – gotta like these Oma descriptions, I think she meant it’s not runny
  4. Grease a bundt cake form (or a loaf or other form) and add the dough
  5. bake for at least an hour at “medium heat” (~350F)

Mango Salsa

  • 1-2 Mangos
  • 1-2 Red Onions
  • 1 or more Jalapenos (or other hot peppers)
  • Lotsa Cilantro (fresh or paste)
  • As much Lime juice as you like
  • Salt and pepper if you want

Cut mix, and let sit for a few hours. Serve with tortilla chips. Maybe next time I make this I will finally remember to add a picture.

Silent Microwave

I was happy to find out that I can turn off the sound on my microwave. Without taking it apart to cut out the speaker, as I did on my UPS. The instructions vary for different microwaves, but for my Panasonic NN-ST663S the instructions are:

  1. Plug it in, “88:88” displays
  2. Press Start button to see the top or bottom bar of the last letter blink next to the kg or lb label; press [Timer/Clock] to choose between them if you want
  3. Press [Start] again to display “Beep” The oven has both Beep On and Beep Off mode. Default is on.
  4. Press [Timer/Clock] to change to “Beep Off”
  5. Press [Stop/Reset] to exit.

Gurkensalat

Ingredients

There is a 30 min – 3hr sitting time in this recipe

  • 3 Cucumbers
  • salt
  • sugar/honey (6 tbsp)
  • dill (2 tbsbp)
  • vinegar (6 tbsp)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • onion (1 small, 1/4 of our usual)
  • cream or sour cream or milk (125ml or so)

Instructions

  • peel and slice 3 cucumbers
  • add a fair bit of salt to let them drain out water
  • wait for 30 min – 3hrs; slightly push water out of the cucumbers and discard the water
  • mix sauce and onions and add

Adjustable gate latch

The soil in Winnipeg is all clay so it shifts a lot between dry and wet times. That means nothing is ever straight and level for long. So, the gate latch needs to be adjusted frequently.
I finally added the quick release from a bike seat for tool-less adjustments. I have a bunch of them around because I don’t like to help out the thieves by leaving them on a bike.

Shakshuka

Shakshuka in a frying pan
  • 1+ onion, diced
  • 0+ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2+ tbsp of prepared garlic
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes
  • 6 large eggs
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 0+ fresh or prepared cilantro, chopped
  • 0+ fresh parsley, chopped
  • 0+ feta
  1. fry up onion and garlic until they start to brown
  2. add spices, pepper and tomatoes and simmer
  3. break up tomatos with a potato masher or similar so they are not too big but still have some texture
  4. make a  hole for each egg and crack the egg into the sauce
  5. cook with a lid for 5-8 minutes depending how you like your egg
  6. Add feta, cilantro and parsley

Tape Gun Masking Tape Dispenser

wall mounted tape gun with masking tape

I use masking tape a lot to label stuff, tack stuff in place mark a spot when measuring. And of course for masking.

Finding the start of the roll is a nuisance.
So, I put some in a tape gun and mounted it upside down so it’s a dispenser when stored.
I was not sure at first how well this would work since the tape is mounted sticky side up. I have had this up for more than 6 months now, and sometimes the tape isn’t used in weeks. I am pleasantry surprised how well it still works after that.