Projects

October 9, 2019

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Well as normal. Monkey see Monkey do. I saw this YouTube Video, and decided it looked delicious. If you don’t want to put in the work you can always head over to Empire Turkish Grill and get their very delicious Lahana Sarma ( Stuffed Cabbage Rolls).

1 lb of ground chuck 80/20
1 cup of cooked brown rice
2 eggs
1 can of mushrooms
3 shredded carrots
1 Head of cabbage
1 onion chopped and Sauteed
Garlic to taste (sauteed with onion)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce.
2 teaspoons of paprika

Core and steam the whole cabbage. I did this in my Instapot for about 5 minutes on high pressure. This makes the leaves easy to peel and roll. I did not want to cook it soft, but wanted the leaves pliable enough to roll. five minutes was perfect and allowed me to not over cook the rolls even after the SousVide portion of the cooking.

The filling ingredients, meat, rice, carrots, mushrooms, and sauteed onions and garlic, are mixed in a bowl until a firm consistency the eggs are used as a binder. Once the filling is ready it is scooped into a peeled cabbage leaf. You can remove the stem of the leaf to make rolling easier. See YouTube link above for more information. I used two loads of a 1 oz portion scoop to make the rolls consistent. A light sauce is made from a can of fire roasted tomatoes and tomato sauce and paprika, or in my case tomato soup as I was out of sauce. I also hit the sauce lightly with an immersion blender to make it a bit smoother.

Once the sauce was ready I loaded three to four rolls and about 1 cup of the sauce into a vacuum bag and prepared it for the SousVide. If you don’t have a SousVide you can place them in a dutch oven or deep casserole dish and bake as it is more traditional. However the SousVide makes a great tool for meal prep. About an hour in the SousVide and they were done ready to store for tasty meals.

mealprep_cabbage_roll_a_pile_of_rolls
mealprep_cabbage_roll_soux_vide
mealprep_cabbage_roll_soux_vide2
mealprep_cabbage_roll_single_serv
mealprep_cabbage_roll_meal_prep3

I really should have made more sauce. It is hard to vacuum seal bags with lots of sauce, but these really could have used more sauce. They were delicious and my official taste testers said I could put them on the rotation.

mealprep_cabbage_roll_to_share
mealprep_cabbage_roll_taste_test3
mealprep_cabbage_roll_taste_test

My only issue is that this makes a ton of dishes.

September 16, 2019

Picadillo

Lots of cultures have a Picadillo, It can be found in Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Filipino food. I have been making a batch weekly to have different flavors added to my rotation.

Sazon Seasoning.

Picadillo starts with Sazon seasoning. I stole the basis from skinnytaste and as usual made it my own. I did not want to get a store bought one. I’m not adverse to MSG but want to control my intake.

Garlic powder
Onion powder
dried cilantro
dried coriander
dried cumin
dried oregano
anatto powder
paprika
salt
pepper

equal parts of all the above added to the mini chop and blitzed until uniform in texture. This dried seasoning blend keeps well in an air tight container.

Making the Picadillo

Ground chuck
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup chopped carrots
1 onion
6-10 cloves of garlic
Sazon seasoning (see above)
cubed potatoes are optional. I omit them.

Brown the beef and then add the onions garlic and saute until tender. The Sazon seasoning is added and bloomed in the oil until fragrant. The peas and carrots are added and water or beer to cover. Simmer until the carrots are tender. Potato cubes can be added for a more traditional blend.

Picadillo Empanadas

The filling once cool can be added to pie crust to create empanadas.

Picadillo Empanads in waiting
Picadillo Empanads air fried
Picadillo Empanads with ready made pie crust
Picadillo Empanads meal prep

August 23, 2019August 23, 2019

Box of fabric shorts learning

Almost every order from Sailrite, I throw in a box of fabric shorts, as it is a great challenge to me to make something from the highly discounted fabrics inside. I never know what I will find inside, but they have been great fun. Previous boxes have yielded trix-or-treat-market-tote market-totes-again The August 2019 box was especially fun, and here are the things I built to learn.

Box of fabric shorts first piece

I got a great solid oak table as a hand me down from a friend, but my backside needed relief. I made some cushions for it. It was great practice for zipper plaques and getting the pattern to line up on the edge consistently. It was odd as the fabric had an 10 inch repeat on an 12 inch cushion.

Box of fabric shorts cushion plan
Box of fabric shorts cushion
Box of fabric shorts cushion2
Box of fabric shorts cushion twice

Box of fabric shorts second piece

The second piece out of the box was twenty seven inches of a nice vinyl coated fabric. I decided it would be a great protective bag for my folding solar panes for my Off grid Solar setup. Planning and layout was a challenge as the panels even folded are 24 inches square.

Box of fabric shorts twenty seven inches
Box of fabric shorts planning
Box of fabric shorts cut list

Once the plan was done and the pieces cut. I assembled them including a zipper plaque and continuous zipper install. The thin strip is the 24 by 1/2 inch remnant of the original piece it was a tight fit.

Box of fabric shorts zipper plaque
Box of fabric shorts zipper plaque2
Box of fabric shorts leftover

Once I got it sewn I turned it out and tested the panel fit. Perfect all 300 watts, or three by 100 watt panels and the extension cord fit inside perfectly.

Box of fabric shorts folding Solar Panel
Box of fabric shorts panel test fit
Box of fabric shorts cable too
Box of fabric shorts three all fit

Box of fabric shorts Still surprises in the box

There is a lot of learning and fun in the box still.

August 23, 2019

Stuffed Bell Peppers Meal Prep

I tested these last week and they were delicious, so I made a second batch again this week.

1 small head of cabbage
6 Bell Peppers
3 large carrots grated
1 whole onion sliced
6 large cloves of garlic chopped
1 thumb sized piece of ginger pealed and grated
2 small cans of mushrooms
Precooked brown rice
2/3 # ground low fat(90/10) chuck or other protein
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup Mirin (rice wine) or rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons Oyster sauce to taste
salt and pepper

Prep all the Vegetables as this is cooked stir fry style so time is quick. Top the bell peppers and remove the seeds and white membrane to have then ready for stuffing. The tops can be chopped up and added to the stuffing or eaten as a cook’s snack.

Brown the protein and set aside. I browned the ground chuck with salt and pepper. Shrimp or tofu could be used as well. Stir fry the onions until tender and then add the garlic and ginger. Once the garlic is fragrant add the tops of the bell peppers chopped and stir fry for about 1 minute. Next add the carrots and cabbage. Add the juice of one lime and the mirin with a bit of water if needed to steam/stir fry the carrots and cabbage until slightly softened. Once it is at this point return the protein set aside and precooked rice and drained cans of mushrooms. Toss until warmed through and add the Oyster (stir fry) sauce and toss. Turn off heat and place filling in containers as it makes way more that the 6 bell peppers can hold.

Stuffed Bell Peppers 2/3 pound
Stuffed Bell Peppers browned
Stuffed Bell Peppers Stir Fried

Stuff the bell peppers and “bake” for 10 minutes at 250-300 degrees after brushing a light coat of oil on the pepper’s skin. Each pepper can be a meal in itself, so pack accordingly. I had to cook in shifts as my air fryer only holds 3 at a time. Seal the tops of the meal prep containers right away to “steam” the peppers so they are tender, but crisp.

Stuffed Bell Peppers air baked
Stuffed Bell Peppers meal prep
Stuffed Bell Peppers meal prep2

The extra filling can be refrigerated and used in other dishes. Pie crust from the grocery can be stuffed with it to make tasty empanadas. I was told while sharing these that the stuffing would make a great lumpia filling, and I may source some wrappers and give it a go.

Stuffed Bell Peppers Empanadas delicioso
Empanadas delicioso

August 17, 2019

Moravian Workbench part 3 of lots Joinery begins

The Joinery begins now that the cut list is mostly complete with the lamination of the workbench top. I have avoided the tool tray parts as my bench will be longer that the plans. Once it is built I will figure out the tool tray and or extended bench. I got enough extra lumber to laminate a second bench top to make a complete top just in case I change my mind. I suspect I will go with a tool tray as I like having tools handy.

Workbench 3.1 Top Lamination cleanup

I got to work on flattening the main top and getting it square and true for the wagon vise build and install. I plan to get the top built and ready before starting on the legs. This allows me to use the top as a platform to work on the legs. I used my hand planes and winding sticks to get the top flattened and square on the front and back edges. I don’t plan on flattening the bottom unless I have to. Leaving the factory edge on the lumber on the bottom allows me to get almost an additional half an inch of bench thickness from the available “quarter sawn” parts from the milled construction lumber, therefore increasing the weight. The bench will get a final top flattening once it is done prior to top sealing.

workbench Ugly Lamination
workbench Winding Sticks
workbench top getting flat
workbench top stop and strop
workbench Mostly flat

Workbench 3.2 Wagon vise parts

Once I got the top square and true, I cut the parts for the wagon vise. The wagon vise parts are not really on the cut list but I wanted to get them done prior to going forward. I am going to make an unsymmetrical bench with an end cap on one end to increase the strength of the wagon vise and allow for a future tail vise conversion. This will allow me to fasten the wagon vise screw into something besides end grain, as well as give a bit more depth to ensure a solid mounting. The cap was laminated from 2 by 8 southern yellow pine. The rails and the carriage for the wagon vise are off cuts from the 7 eights white oak, the short stretcher are from. I also found that the pockets for the vise make a handy clamping fixture for cutting other parts since I don’t have a vise big enough to hold them.

Workbench wagon vise rails
workbench end cap glue up
workbench Wagon vise already useful

Workbench 3.3 The Joinery begins.

Now that the top has been flattened and the end cap cleaned up from glue up. I started with the Rabate (Through Mortise) and Tenon that will connect the end cap to the workbench top. I decided to not be fancy here. I could have used a dovetail, but with the size I did not want risk a loose fit. I cut the Tenon by hand with my Ryouba saw and It was a learning experience to cut such a wide lamination to partial depth with this saw. Once the shoulders were cut I cleaned them up with a chisel and then a shoulder plane.

I then used my Cowryman Router plane to cut the start of the rabate. I switched to the Shoulder plane to clean the center of the rebate and due to the depth I had to bottom it out with a chisel. I was impressed by both planes as they made the 1 1/2 inch deep and 2 inch wide through mortise easy to do by hand. Both were very budge friendly vs some of the more well know brands and worked great. I have a power router, but decided against using it. I’m glad I did, and I do not think it could have made the depth with my available selection of bits anyway. Hand tools are very relaxing to me and why i returned to wood working.

Workbench end tenon cleanup
workbench end cap rabate start
workbench how deep does the rabate hole go

I hope to finish the wagon vise build and test fit so I can ensure to plan that into the build of the legs. I suspect, I will have to clearance the short stretchers to accommodate the screw and rails from the wagon vise, as my top does not have the thickness to conceal it all internally.

August 14, 2019August 14, 2019

Every Day Carry Shop Apron Intermission

Triple digit temperatures make me lack motivation to work in the garage on the work bench, so I decided to solve one of my project working issues. I have a tendency to set tools down and have to spend time searching for them. I have decided a shop apron is the solution to this issue. Now my EDC items while I’m working on projects is ready and at hand.

The Internet is a buzz of EDC (Every Day Carry) list, so this is the list of things I built my shop apron to hold while I working.

Pencil I love the old Pentel click in 0.9 mm with soft HB lead.
Utility blade folding knife either the Gerber or the Workpro I switch.
BIC lighter
Sailrite vinyl measuring tape
12″ Steel ruler
A combination square or my scissor holster.
flush cutting side nippers
Sharpie

I forget how much I like my Sailrite Ultrafeed. It has handled everything my mind can come up with, and has only suffered minor setbacks due to my operator errors. However, their support team has always been able to get me sorted either by sending parts or having YouTube videos available to show me how to reverse the things, I have done to make it a mess. A lot can be said in this day in age as companies that truly stand behind what they sell are getting few and far between. It handles going from “cotton duck” fabric to leather and back again without issue. I use “cotton duck” fabric sourced from the big box store canvas paint drop cloths as it is the cheapest way to get the fabric short of bulk wholesale.

Sailrite also have other tools that can be super handy. I got the Vinyl measuring tape on a whim but it has become my go to measure. For the price( under $2 kongbucks), I have started to collect them, so one is always at the ready. It has Metric on one side and “Freedom Units” on the other. This allows me to move towards the future where the world will be all Metric, but with a safety net for “Freedom Units” I know they are “Imperial units” but since America is the last stubborn hold out. I have nick named them “Freedom Units” in jest as us Americans are a stubborn lot. It also self retracts so much handier that the old seamstress/tailor’s tape used in the past.

I know I have shown my scissor holster before, but it was a quick wet molded leather holster with a belt clip to hold my Gingher scissors that I have had since I was a teenager, and a sharpie. You can still buy them today, and they will last beyond your lifetime and my have been sharp for over 25 years. It is sometimes annoying to have a waist holster to hold things while sitting so I added the leather loop to the Apron front to hold it while sitting, or a combination square if I’m doing woodworking.

Stretchy

I also don’t like the apron to flop in the middle around my beer calorie storage unit, so I have added an elastic stretch gusset to the waist strap. It takes up the apron flap so I can switch between sitting or standing comfortably without need to adjust.

Apron in progress
Apron Straps done
Apron Test fit
shop apron EDC

I still hope to find some cooler times to continue work on my workbench now this brief intermission is over.

August 11, 2019

Happy Accident Moravian WorkBench part 2 of lots

I mentioned how much PBS I watched in my youth. Well as Bob Ross said “There are no mistakes only happy accidents” No amount of planing can correct rushing. I can make no excuse I know better. Layout test fit and ensure you have not only cabinet makers triangles as well as sharpie reminders on the end. What do I do but have a happy accident and laminate out of order. I laid out “top” up but laminate “top down” and so the order left to right got switched. Oops the wagon vise pocket is on the wrong side. Happily I noticed before final lamination, so I can hand cut a second pocket. This is happy because it forced me to ensure the wagon vise is closer to the edge. I had started to doubt using two layers of lamination from the edge. I feel 1 1/2 inches is better than 3 on distance from the edge for the wagon vise and dog holes. I also got to had cut the pocket without the circular saw kerf cheat used on the first one. More traditional and good practice.

Narex Mortise chisel to the rescue Work Bench part 2.1

A happy accident that I had ordered a new Narex Mortise Chisel from Lee Valley when I ordered the wagon vise screw. I know I have a tool hording problem, but it pays off sometimes. It was a great tool for cleaning out the pocket on the correct side of the bench for the wagon vise. It allowed me to make a pretty nice 1/2 inch mortise to aid in chopping out the pocket on the correct side. Practice in a place where it was not visible in the event I was no go with this method the underside of my bench. It came out well however. The final board held back from lamination that was to be the front could now be the front on the correct side.

Narex Mortise Chisel
Ambidextrous pocket clean out
dual pockets

Dual pockets allows flexibility Work Bench Part 2.2

A simple mistake made in a rush turns out to be a great learning experience and not a disaster. It allows me to in the future convert to a twin screw tail vise from a wagon vise if I learn that is not really my thing. I also learned to ensure if you layout left to right and flip. Remember to reverse the order on assembly.

Final Lamination
Clamps off the final

Now on to do the initial flattening and cleanup of the glue squeeze out on the top, so the wagon vise parts can be double checked and cut and test fit. Once that is done. The legs and stretchers can be started from the pre-cut and surfaced parts.

August 5, 2019October 9, 2019

Moravian Workbench part 1 of lots

Well I had hinted at the fact that my mini bench on Kreg mobile project center just did not have the mass for the hand tool wood working I prefer doing. I am not a purist but I prefer the relaxation that comes from working with hand tools. I did use my dewalt 20v circular saw for some of the ripping as I am not a masochist, even if I could use the cardio of rip sawing 12 foot long Southern Yellow Pine construction timber, along the long axis, to usable pieces.

I had been searching for a bench design and ideas and came across the digital set from Popular woodworking. It not only included great reference books by Christopher Schwarz on workbenches. It had videos from Will Meyers on his revisiting the Moravian workbench found in Old Salem. I would love to go to the Moravian Workbench w/Will Meyers class at the Wood Wright school, but could not justify the dollars. I grew up watching Roy Underhill on PBS and was always in awe of his relaxed you can do this attitude. It would have been a great trip, but to be honest my skills are not up to the task of making the bench in a week with pure hand tools.

Workbench part 1.1 Sourcing Lumber

Since I decided to be budget conscious as My return to woodworking is still new. I decided a laminated top is the way to go. No full thickness hardwood for me. Roy Underhill and Will Meyers both have noted that good lumber can be had from wide 2 by 12 boards to be budget friendly. Mr Meyers also stated that the bench could be built for the approximately $500 range including hardware. I believe that as the materials cost for the class is $475. I will post my budget spreadsheet in a later update. It is looking very close so far. I am the cost of the fresh gallon of Titebond II I got on sale, over at this point including wagon vise parts.

So off to the Big box store I went. I went through an entire bunk of lumber and really should have considered the 2 by 12s like Mr Underhill recommends to get more width on final boards. I did find some that will do but once ripped down they were a bit narrow at a true 4 1/4 inches. One not so safe trip in a borrowed Pickup truck with a standard bed and twelve foot lumber. The lumber is at the house ready for the build.

Workbench part 1.2 Filling the Cut list.

Ripping down the lumber and filling the cut list. Plans and cut list are provided free by Will Meyers via Wood and shop. Since I am using Southern Yellow Pine Construction Lumber, I have to rip the 2 by 10s to near dimension and then laminate up pieces. I will use hardwood, as advised in the DVD video, for the short stretchers for durability, and have sourced some 7 quarter oak about 4.7 board feet for that and the additional wagon vise parts. I did use a handheld circular saw and Milescraft guide to rip the 12 foot boards down so only the “quarter sawn” style lumber was utilized for strength and durability. I am surprised how well the $9 guide works if you take your time. Yes a table saw would have been more accurate, but nine kongbucks cannot be beat. Then I laminated up some legs and the leg vise chop and back. Once the glue is set I will plane them down square and true ready for use.

Workbench part 1.3 Wagon Vise and Top Lamination.

I decided I wanted a wagon style vise in addition to the leg vise, as it fit the way I like to work wood. So I sourced a screw from Lee Valley who had the best price and in stock availability. You can get a wagon vise setup directly form Will Meyers or he has supplemental videos on his site, on using the very nice but expensive benchcrafted.com tail and crisscross vises on the Moravian bench. I did a quick scale drawing to incorporate the Lee Valley screw into my bench and did some basic clean out of the recess prior to lamination to reduce the size and depth of the mortise I would have to chisel. You can see the pocket in the partial top lamination below.

This is a bit longer that I should have gone, so until the next update.

July 13, 2019

Market Totes Again.

I made the Trix or Treat insulated roll top market tote, It was a hit so I made some more roll top market totes. I gave those away as a gift, so it took me awhile to make some more. I went for the classic open top and make them with canvas for simplicity.

Roll Top Market totes revisited.

I made some non insulated roll top market totes from some some of the fabric i found in my favorite Sailrite Box of Fabric Shorts. The box is a great fun as it holds lots of possibilities.

RollTopToteRevisitedPair
RollTopToteRevisitedLayout
RollTopToteRevisitedBuild
RollTopToteRevisitedClosed

Basic Market totes

I have based all of these totes on the Sailrite Market tote, but have adjust the bottoms and the pleats to remove the flap. The latest version is a basic duck canvas with the same black vinyl found in the box of fabric shorts. I also used webbing for the straps as I was too lazy to make the straps from scratch like on the last two. I also made these in a practice production run to improve my sewing skills and planning for making items in volume.

MarketToteParts
MarketToteDetail
MarketToteLayout
MarketToteLayout2
MarketToteDone

July 5, 2019

Trestle Style SawHorses

It was over a month in the making as I got distracted by everything to avoid the heat and humidity out in the garage. I did finally get the pair done. The first was finished almost a month before I got the second done. They are a custom sized slightly short to allow for hand saws. I have been using Japanese style pull saws, so need a slightly lower platform than the Kregg Mobile Project Centers I have been using. They will be much better that stooping over cinder blocks like I have been until now.

I selected the Trestle style to get to practice my joinery. The legs are mortice and tennon jointed with pegs. I included tusk tennons on the stretchers, so that they can be broken down into flat pack a bit thinner that folded “A” frames. The top rail is also on cross halving joint so that the can be replaced when worn out, or they are sacrifical during rip cuts.

I suspect my next project will be a heavy wood worker’s bench. I have been watching this video on Will Myers’ moravian Workbench, and I plan on building myself one as it is portable. The mobile centers are nice but lack the mass to do hand wood working even with my mini bench on top.