Light em up

One of the first orders of business when we moved in was to change the light bulbs from energy-sucking heat-generating halogen bulbs to more efficient bulbs.  Halogen bulbs are slightly more efficient than traditional incadescents, but they can't a hold a candle (pun intended) to CFL or LED bulbs.



CFLs are a good choice because they are pretty cheap and almost as efficient as LEDs.  But they contain mercury, which means special care needs to be taken when disposing of (recycling) them.  LED bulbs are bit easier to recycle since they don't have any hazardous materials, and with their longer life, we won't be disposing as much of them.

LEDs can be costly, but the $45 price tag that the above chart refers to is from when they first hit the market some years ago; they're cost has come down significantly since then.  Our bigger bulbs cost $17 from Ikea (see below), and smaller 60 watt equivalent bulbs made by Phillips were only around $6 a piece.

We were a little afraid the color of the light would be too "white" and harsh, but we were very happy with the resulting color of the light output:

The color was warm and looked just like the halogen bulbs they replaced.  

Let there be light!

Wangz!

Today was my first day off in the past 7 days (2nd day off in the past 14... but who's counting?!) - Anyway, it was a much needed mental break.

To celebrate this monumental occasion, the best husband in the world (aka. Pat), took a half day vacation to spend time some extra quality time with the wife. And in return, I made him WANGZ!

Dry Rub Chicken Wangz

This was a recipe I stole and slightly modified from my sister who made it the last time she visited Detroit. I love it because it's a no-fry recipe, which automatically means it's healthy ;) PLUS you don't have to get your stove greasy from the oil splatter (although, I'm thinking of getting a deep fryer soon - muahaha!). 

Didn't end up taking step-by-step pictures because it was pretty messy, but here goes:

Sticky BBQ Chicken Wangz

(serves 6)

Ingredients 

• 12 chicken wings
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 handful fresh thyme
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Tabasco hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 
2. Using a sharp knife (or kitchen scissors), separate the flappers and drummets. Set aside in bowl to drain excess water. (You want them as dry as possible)
3. Mix the paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, chili powder, and 3 tbsp of the brown sugar in a large bowl
4. Add wings and rub well. Leave chicken in rub for at least 1 hour (ideally 12 hours in the fridge)
5. Place wings on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. (Most baked wing recipes will suggest placing the wings on an elevated surface,  like a wire rack, to get extra crispy wings, since it won't be soggy from sitting in its own oil while it cooks - but see step 7, special trick I learned that eliminates the need for the wire rack)
6. If you want saucy wings (see picture below) make the sauce now. SAUCE: Mix the remaining (5 tbsp) brown sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire and hot sauces until smooth. Brush onto wings at the end of 30 minutes
7. Prepare for final cooking! Bump up temperature to 475 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.

Saucy Wangz

And because I also wanted to have a backup in case the wings didn't turn out right - I did a batch of good 'ol fashioned salt and pepper wings. The only difference is that you replace step 3 with salt and pepper, and you squirt on some lime prior to step 7.

Salt, Pepper, and Lime Wangz

And of course - you can't have dinner without your side of veggies! Pat made a delicious salad medley

And yes, we finished the course with a new batch of ice cream (post to follow in the next few days).

Best.Day.Off.EVER!

Ice Cream

I don't know what to do with myself now that the two year ordeal of residency is over. Still feel like a resident (although a little more relaxed) - probably because I only got two days of vacation before I transitioned to my new life as a real pharmer, and probably because I'm still wrapping up some projects. heh heh.

Pat bought me two new toys to play with now that I have more "free time" (and because I kind of begged him to after seeing how amazing Ev's ice cream and baked goods were).

For our first attempt at ice-cream making, we decided to try the hardest recipe we could find - custardy pistachio ice cream. Because we are awesome and no recipe is too hard for this duo.

At first, it seemed like we were off to a fabulous start. Bought some delicious pistachios, pureed them, tempered some eggs into the mixture, stuck the batter into the fridge, and poured it into the ice-cream machine. 

You know the ice cream is going to turn our most excellently when it forms the shape of a nice butt.

The ice cream looked, and smelled decent - but when we tasted it, realized it had the consistency of dry soap. The ice cream was rock hard, and we had to leave it out at room temperature for about 45 minutes before it was soft enough to scoop out. Thought it would taste better after it softened up a bit, but it still had the consistency of dry pudding. Made pat eat the rest of the batch because it was $20 worth of pistachios. That guy is a beast. I love him. 

For our next attempt - we decided to try something much simpler (and cheaper). Vanilla custard ice cream and chocolate gelato. This was a bit more successful and now I'm in love with this machine. Will be trying out many more flavors in the near future - and will perhaps post the worthwhile recipes.