General
Vodka infusions are exceedingly simple and provide a great way to elevate a cocktail. The premise is simple, you use ethanol as a solvent to extract whatever flavor you want. I made 4 different infusions: chamomile, strawberry, pineapple and lemongrass. I have had improved results by using dried fruits as the end product is not diluted and I find I get faster infusions.
One of the ways to measure furnace efficiency/life is by measuring “temperature rise” (https://hvacrschool.com/furnace-air-temperature-rise/ ) which is effectively the temperature difference between the furnace inlet and furnace exhaust. A temperature rise too low or too high can indicate issues with the furnace and monitoring this can prevent very expensive repairs.
Rather than manually testing this every X months I decided this would be a cool project to automate and set alerts for if the temperature rise ever deteriorates. I bought a couple thermocouples and wired them up to a spare NodeMcu so that I could create a wireless data logger. One thermocouple was put into the exhaust and the other plugged into the inlet. Once implemented I was able to see a 25°c temperature rise which is inline for my furnace model. Next steps are setting up automatic alerts if the temperature difference starts trending out.
This is akin to process control where rather than run equipment to failure we find the key variables (indicators) and proactively measure them to preempt any failure. In a home settings this is relatively benign but in a large manufacturing setting, a fouled heat exchanger that is unable to raise the temperature high enough can cause millions in losses.
It can be said that most of us wouldn’t be alive here on earth without the invention and production of synthetic fertilizers. Though it has been a bit taboo in current culture, fertilizers have a significant impact on crop growth and for the normal individual an answer to the questions “why does my garden suck”.
The problem most individuals have (and I think this speaks to a more general theme in life) is that they don’t measure/monitor their soil health and pH. Test kits can be purchased for ~5$ and they measure pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potash which are all vital to having your plants thrive.
I did a test for a couple of my large grow barrels that have been neglected for a bit and got very low levels across the board with low N (nitrogen), K (potash) and P (phosphorus). To boost the soil nutrients I add a general 10-10-10 fertilizer where each number refers to its N-P-K content.
Not much of a recipe, just a couple notes. Got this from a colleague who is an avid fisherman, the fish tasted great but cleaning and preparing the fish was a fair bit of work and makes you appreciate the convenience of supermarkets.
This is another recipe that is just perfect for a cold winter day. Very hearty and just cures the winter blues.
The beef short rib is fall of the bone tender and the butternut squash risotto is just a perfect fit for a hearty cold winter day.
Taking a bit of inspiration from other recipes this is perfect on a cold winter day. Oxtail is braised in a wine sauce until falling apart and served over wilted spinach and parsnip puree. This is all topped with a meet jus though I probably could have reduced and thickened it up a bit better. I definitely overdid the amount of parsnip puree but it was to die for so no complaints.
This is a particular favourite of my brothers which we first tried at one of my favourite restaurants. Naturally I tried to recreate it and fortunately allowed me to brush up on some of my food chemistry. The general process here is to juice the fruit, sweeten to taste, thicken with agar and puree to the desired consistency.
Drawing inspiration from a personal favourite desert of mine, I wanted to take a crack at my own chocolate/Sea Buckthorn recipe. I went with a decadent chocolate mouse and tart sea buckthorn puree that came together to make a complex explosion of flavour. Since both components are similar in texture they mixed together fairly well and made for an amazing experience.
An exceedingly decadent desert with a perfectly tart (sweetened) sea buckthorn puree. This was prepared by an amazing restaurant and is a personal favourite.
A lovely classic, tuna poke bowls are both incredibly complex and simple at the same time. Tuna was seasoned in a soy/honey marinade (with a bit of ginger, sake, mirin) that makes it pop in the mouth. Spicy cucumbers, avocado and other basic additions as well as some caviar to fancy up the dish. Timeless classic.
