Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Potato Sandwich

This years Christmas dinner was comprised of pork tenderloin and sweet potato. The next day I made a very pleasant discovery when fixing a leftover lunch. The Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Potato Sandwich. For the most part I am not a sandwich lover. Sure it is an effective meal, but hardly am I ever excited when I hear that sandwiches are on the lunch docket. I considered sandwiches the human equivalent of dog food. Does the job of filling your stomach, pleasant enough to be eaten regularly, but nothing to blog about. That is until now. The pork and sweet potato sandwich I had the day after Christmas was the BEST sandwich I have ever tasted.

The pork tenderloin was pre-marinated in salt and pepper. Cooked on a grill. Then sliced into thin medallions the size of a 50 cent piece. The sweet potato, actually yams, were cooked in the microwave, finished on the grill and sliced up in the same manner as the pork.

In order for you to experience the same sandwich delight as I, you have to construct yours the exact same way as I. You can not make the tenderloin sweet po sandi to suit your liking, leaving out or substituting ingredients, and disagree with my "best sandwich in the world claim".

So let's put together this little marvel:

Since this is a hot sandwich and I was using left overs, the first step was to heat the pork and the sweet P. I used the toaster oven since I was planning on toasting the bread; this gave it a slight broiled/toasted aspect to the meat and tuber. The only bread I had at the time was a round loaf of a fancy whole wheat type. Sliced up and lightly toasted. On one slice I spread a thin layer of mayonnaise and on the other a healthy portion or dijon mustard. Next I put a single layer of pork on each slice of bread and a single layer of sweet potato on only one side. To finish off this master piece, grind fresh pepper on the sweet potato half and dribbled Sriracha hot sauce on the pork only side. Join the two halves together and take a bite.

The combination of flavors is amazing. Eating them individually does not compare . The mustard and the sweet potato compliments the pork and gives it an interesting pzazz. The contrasting texture of toast, pork and potato adds a physical element of oral adventure.

As my watering mouth is dribbling on the keyboard, I realize that I have not made this sandwich since the initial discovery. I will most likely go and purchase the ingredients for the sole purpose of making PSP sandwiches. This is one sandwich that I would not consider human dog food. Woof Woof.

Eneloop - Rechargable batteries

Nickle Cadmium really gave rechargeable batteries a bad rap. So much so, that many people think of rechargeable and do not want anything to do with them. These last 5 years or so has seen rechargeable batteries develop to a state where they rival standard alkaline batteries. These days most rechargeable batteries are made from nickel metal hydride, like cell phone batteries (not including the lithium type). These type of batteries claim three times the life in digital cameras.

Recently I have discovered the Eneloop battery made by Sanyon. Their claim to fame? They are ready to use right out of the package. This is cause they retain their charge longer than any other type of rechargeable battery, and thus no need to pre charge prior to using. They can hold something like 85% of their charge after one year. They come in AAA and AA sizes. For the larger C and D's they have sleeves which convert a AA to fit a C/D slot. Sure there is not as much life as a D but hey they are rechargeable. It is weird to heft a four D cell mag light with these little guys in them.

I have replaced all of my heavy use items with Eneloop batteries. I still however keep a stock pile of regular AA and AAA's for those items that rarely need a battery change.

Lexus's Carbon Fiber Weaving Loom

I has been rumored for years that Lexus was going to build a new sports car. A super car: The LFA. In the last year details of this $370K car has slowly been released to the public. Most recently this video was released. At first it was taken off of youtube for fear that competitors would steal their new technology. But then they allowed youtube to host it again. This video made my skin tingle as I watched it. Here is Lexus's new carbon weaving loom.

Transfer and Auotmatic Punches

Prior to drilling a hole in a hard surface, it is common practice to mark the center of the hole with a dimple. This dimple is usually made with a center punch and a hammer. Having a dimple to start the drill on prevents the drill bit from wandering, and making a hole not where you want. This is not such a big deal when making large holes in soft material like most woods. But it is much needed when drilling holes in metals and other hard materials, including the top sheet of a pair of skis.

When it comes to making punch marks I relay on two types of punches. If I layout my hole locations and need to mark the starting point I will use an automatic punch. An automatic punch looks like a regular center punch. The only difference is that you do not strike the back end of it with a hammer. Instead you push down on the back end till the punch "automatically" punches the material. How? As you compress the punch you load up a spring. At the end of the stroke the stored energy is suddenly released against the punching ram and it strikes the object. Though the strength of the punch is adjustable, I find that these punch marks are on the light side. Some of the reasons to use such a punch is less tools required, better accuracy placing the punch, and single handed operation. Once established, a light dimple can be made deeper with more hits from the automatic or with a regular punch and hammer.

Sometimes a situation arise and you need to transfer a series of holes from a part onto the surface to another. Examples are ski bindings that need mounting or a bracket that you need to pre-drill holes for. The tricky part here is the the center punch is too wide to fit in the hole to make the transfer, or that it will be difficult to determine the center of the hole to be transfer with a standard punch. The solution is a transfer punch set.

Transfer Punches come in a set with many varying diameters of punches. You find the punch that fits the hole best and use it to mark your work piece. Since drill bits come in many different series of sizes (letters, numbers, fractional, metric), a typical hole can be of any size. Transfer punch typically only come in fractional sizes (fraction of an inch). The fit is never perfect but good enough. Transfer punches are not of the automatic variety and thus a hammer is needed to deliver the dimple making blow.

When creating a set of holes never transfer all the holes at once. What I mean by this is do not lay the part down on the work piece, dimple mark all the holes then drill them all out. Instead I typically transfer one hole. Bolt the part down with the one hole, then transfer the next. If the part has more than two hole, I will do the first two holes individually then do the rest at once. Once two of the holes are fixed, there is no chance of that part rotating, and you have a equal chance all the rest of the holes will then line up. I find that this is a much more accurate method of transferring a set of holes.

And there you have it, another chapter in the life of drilling holes. (said with a southern draw, like an instructor I once had did, makes that last sentence funnier)

Dynafit Heel Release Trick

I was BC skiing with my long time Dynafit using friend the other day. On one section he chose different route up a steep narrow ridge than I, and found himself on a very steep section. Locking the heel and side stepping was his only safe option. Once he gained that section he needed to switch back into the tour mode from ski mode. In my G3 Onyx review , I mentioned that one of the primary toted benefits of the Onyx is that you can switch from ski to tour mode without releasing out of the binding completely (staying in the toe portion of the binding) . Since the toe part of the binding is tricky to enter, keeping the toe attached while while switching between ski/tour modes is a plus, especially on dicey terrain.

I thought it was common knowledge that you can pop the heel out (ski to tour) of dynafit bindings if you did not have ski brake equipped bindings; I guess not. So here is a little video for you'all. Watch, learn, practice.

Baby Care - Sleeping 2 of 5

Sleeping-Get a bassinet. There are many types of bassinets with many names but they serve the same purpose; a mini crib. Find one that is stable, and has a decent pad. If it rocks/swings, make sure the pivot is sturdy and without too much play in the joint. A lock out on the pivot is valuable. "Well why not just get them a real crib, then I don't have to buy two items?", you might ask. Size is the main reason. Your newborns should sleep right next to your bed for the first few weeks, even months of its life. A full size crib might not fit conveniently in your bedroom. You might then want to try to move it further away from the room; this could be a little too far. From the babies point of view a full size crib might be too big. Having spent the first nine months of life in very the close confounds of the womb, babies need to feel close. Bassinets have high sides and often a half canopy cover to give them the cozy feel. This can make a difference between sleeping and not. And trust me, you will do anything possible that will make your baby sleep. The bassinet pictured to the right is the one we have: Eddie Bauer, assume it was bought at Target. We bought it from a used baby supply store. Fairly sturdy, however the lower portion of the legs were not. The wood is thin, and when the holes are drilled for the wheels and bolts, it leaves very little material. Our came cracked, and I did not notice until I brought it home. A little bit of epoxy and sanding and it was better than new. I assume that it was abused: dropped and bolts over tightened. It fit all of our requirement otherwise.

So what should your baby sleep in. First off, nothing should be in the bassinet. No stuffed animals, no blankets, no toys. Babies should be wrapped up in a swaddle. A swaddle is a piece of cloth that their entire body is wrapped up in; A baby burrito. This goes back to the confound space of the womb. They are more comfortable this way.

White noise, air flow, and temperature. These are three additional items help fine tune the perfect sleep environment. White noise is often a sleep aide for people who have trouble sleeping. It sounds like static on the radio and drowns out background noise and helps you stay asleep. Babies benefit from this even more than you. Again this goes back to creating a womb like environment. Their ears at the time were filled with amniotic fluid. Which from our experience of being under water sounds more or less like white noise, minus the screaming and splashing sounds of children most pools seem to possess. Sure you might dismiss what you read as "only needed if you have a prissy or fussy baby." But somewhere in your sleep deprived first few weeks of parenthood, these words might suddenly take on a different light. White noise can be generated many ways. The easiest is a small white noise generating machine found at your local drug store. Simply turning on the radio often works. You can even tune it to an "empty" station to get some white noise-ish sounds.

SIDS-sudden infant death syndrome. Though there is not a particular identifiable cause; most experts believe that most cases involves some form of suffocation. Many baby experts recommend adequate air circulation in the babies room. Some even go as far as placing a fan near the bassinet. We have found that using a HEPA filter in the room where the child sleeps kills several birds with one stone. The noise it makes is constant and soothing. Air circulation is good. The added benefit of air filtration can only be a bonus.

During the winter months we typically keep the thermostat set very cold. We then heat the living area with a wood burning stove. Our baby came on one of the coldest days in February. We naturally needed to provide some additional heat to our bedroom. The ideal temperature for a sleeping baby has been said to be between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to maintain this temperature in our room we decided to use a radiator style room heater. This style of heater heats oil within it cavities and gently heats the air. It is not forced air, and does not require too much electricity. Ours had a simple controller and was cheap (<$50). Some have programmable thermostats and timers. Heating a single room in the house is much cheaper with a room heater such as this one, then trying to heat the entire house up to the proper sleeping temperature.

Due to the freezing winter temperatures the air around here tends to be very dry. The dry air can dry out the soft moist membrane of the your babies repository tract, and nasal cavities. This will in turn cause your baby wheeze and sound like it has a difficult time breathing. This coupled with the knowledge that SIDS is primarily caused by suffocation can lead to many sleepless hours listening to you babies breathing. One thing that can help out a great deal is to humidify the air. Doing so can easily be accomplished with a humidifier. Two basic type of humidifiers exist. A cooling mist and a warm vapor. If you live in a cold climate get the warm one. You should also consider filling the humidifier with filtered water. A cold mist type, uses an ultrasonic vibrator to atomize the air. This puts everything in the water airborne for you to breath; chlorine, fluoride, iron, and other minerals. A warm mist type humidifier basically heats the water and steam is released into the air. Theoretically steam is only water, and other stuff is left behind, this is the bases of distillation. However I swear I can smell the chlorine in the steam from using tap water vs. filtered water. Using filtered water also keeps your humidifier cleaner. The internals get pretty gunky and require regular cleaning. After the first few weeks, I stopped using filtered water. It was too much effort and the negative effects seemed to be minimal.

Wow you might be thinking. This is beginning to be very gear intensive. How did primitive people get by without all these gadgets. Did their babies all just die?? Well that isn't really a joke because infant mortality rates are almost nothing these days compared to what they use to be. Sure, there I go spewing unsubstantiated claims. But this is easily fact checked, if you so desire.

What about co-sleeping? Hey if the baby sleeps in my bed then I won't have to worry about half this crap. Though I know many people that have their babies sleep in bed with them, my recommendation is: DON'T, you'll smoother and kill your baby, and you will not sleep well. Ok that might be going a little far. But sleeping with your baby presents some risk. Rolling over and crushing it is just one. Your spouse can help determine if you are a gentle enough sleeper to even consider it. What is more likely is that you pull the covers over your baby. If those are not good enough reasons then keep reading. A baby, like a puppy, sleeps way more than you; 12+ hours overnight. If your baby gets in the habit of sleeping only when you do, and unless you sleep over 12 hours a day, your baby is sleep deprived. That is bad for development, since growing is only done while you are sleeping.

If a baby sleeps so much, why is it that you always hear of lack of sleep as the number one complaint of new parents. Though babies sleep alot, rarely is it continuous. The fact that they need to feed every 2 to 3 hours makes continuous sleep difficult. I read that we must have a minimum of 5 continuous hours of sleep to feel rested, or gain any benefits of sleeps. With a new born it is just hard to do so. One life saver are baby naps. In addition to his nightly 12 hours of sleep, babies typically take two naps a day. This is a great time for you to get a little rest as well. I know personally it is difficult to take this time and use it for sleep, since it is the only time in the day you have for yourself. I usually take this time to clean, work on personal projects, catch up on e-mail, or just watch some TV. But after a few sleepless weeks, nap time might be the time of the day you look most forward to.

How much of this is fact and how much opinion? Well that all depends on which Doctor, baby book author, Amish Midwife, Mother, or blogger you believe. The best is to gather alot of information and pick your own parenting style.

Silvretta 500 for sale

Seems like there is a heavy interest in the Silvretta Easy Go 500 bindings these days. I guess since this is the season for skiing and the fact that they are the only mountaineering boot compatible AT binding , has lead to a lot of hits about the 500's. I was doing some shopping and came across these two deals. As a disclaimer I am not related to either of the companies or individuals; these are just something I came across today and thought I would share.

First is a good deal on a early model 500 with the old school (better) heel piece. This is a decent deal on e-bay granted they are still in good used condition and the seller is honest. Size Medium. Might want to ask for pictures of the heel piece contact area to check of excessive wear.

The next is a Mountaineering shop in Maine. I initially hit their site cause they share the same name as the local mountaineering shop here in town; Alpen Glow . This is a new binding with the new heel piece. But the price is decent.