Packing & Shipping

There are some things in life that people dislike doing. Packing an odd shaped object and shipping it is something my Dad takes a disturbing amount of pride in. When Holly and I got married my folks came down and brought down a picnic table and chairs. The only item missing was the umbrella that went with the table. A challenge was born.

Now you must understand my Dad ships more items than an Internet retailer. I regularly receive packages from my Dad. Especially at work as there is always someone to receive the package. These packages range in size and shape from a simple envelope containing a magazine and letter to a large 3'x3'x3' box containing a 5 disc DVD/CD changer with surround sound speaker system packed so tight with foam peanuts, wrapping paper, and plastic air filled cells I had to disassemble it with a reciprocating saw. The people int he mail room at work love receiving packages form my Dad. It is always a fun challenge to determine what my Dad could possibly be sending now.

I knew that the mail room was in for a surprise when my Dad called me and told me he was going to send the umbrella, but stilled needed to work on how he was going to get it down to KC. Once the packaging material was established he went to work. When it arrived in the mail room at work it looked like this:

The umbrella was packed in two concrete tube forms. To keep the umbrella from sliding out the ends, my Dad decided that nothing else would work except for custom made wood covers screwed into the ends of the tubes. To hold the tubes together another custom option was needed. He inserted two wood trapezoids where the tubes connected together in the middle and screwed four 2" wood screws into the customer wood trapezoids. I have to say that the umbrella was received without any problems, however, the mail room people are convinced that I received a large sex toy. Thanks Dad.

BBQ Season happening

BBQ. What does it mean to you? When I first moved to Missouri, BBQ, to this Chicago kid, meant chicken breasts grilled on a propane grill slathered in a sticky, sweet red sauce. My understanding of BBQ has become altered through my culinary adventures since moving to Kansas City. BBQ meccas = KC, Texas, Memphis, the Carolinas.

Barbequing is cooking a piece of subpar meat using wood powered heat and smoke at a low temp over a long period of time turning the once tough meat tender, juicy and creating "flavorplosions" (yep, I cam up with that) in your mouth. Cooking is done by heating a barbeque cooker (smoker) to 200 to 250 using wood or charcoal which infuses the meat with a smokey flavor that brings out the cave person in all of us. It is a long process, taking anywhere from 4 hours to roughly 22 hours, with a median time of 18 hours. The longest I have cooked something was 18 hours. Cooking "low and slow" breaks down the connective tissue in the meat and melts the fat causing the bbq'ed item to fall apart. BBQ food examples are brisket, pork butt (shoulder), turkey, chicken, sausages, ribs, whole fish and potatoes.

Grilling is cooking food over direct or indirect heat source using charcoal, wood, or anything else flammable on grill. Grilling is quick, convenient, and delicious. Steaks, fish fillets, whole chicken, shrimp, clams, mussels, veggies, fruit, pork chops/tenderloins, and marshmallows.

I like both methods for flavor, but I really enjoy BBQ. What other food is an event and what other food generates such positive reactions.

My smoker is a barrel smoker.

The large part of the smoker is where the meat is placed. The small part on the right is the firebox where wood is combusted. Regional BBQ and wood go hand in hand. Wood used for bbq is based on availability.

Since KC is by the Ozarks, I use Ozark pecan wood from southern MO vendors and apple wood (from Mark W.'s backyard). The wood burning in the firebox is the pecan wood.

When the smoker is in action, I control the heat by controlling the amount of air allowed into the smoker. This is done in two locations. The primary location is an adjustable air vent on the right side of the firebox or by opening or closing the flap on the top of the smoke stack on the left of the smoker. Basically, the heat and smoke flows from left to right going out the top of the smoke stack. This bathes the meat in smoky goodness. The process is long, but yields excellent results. See below.

The pics below are of a brisket which I cooked for 18 hours

The brisket is in a tin after being cooked on the grate for the first half of the process.

The brisket should be covered during the final cooking process as it keeps the brisket moist.

I use a rub whenever I BBQ. A rub is a strong spice blend made of paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar and some extra spices (garlic powder, onion powder, chile powder, cumin, or anything else that sounds good)

Looks like I added some red pepper flakes to this one.

This is the pork butt I made for our float trip. Once the pork is pulled off it is important to pull it when it it hot just because it makes the process easier.
The shoulder/butt develops a nice black crust near the end of the cooking process due to the sugar in the rub used. That outside is nothing but pure flavor. Yum.

This is what the pork looks like when it is pulled. I pull the pork with two large serving forks. This just fell apart. The key is to cook the shoulder to 180 degrees. This melts the collagen and fat making the pork tender and moist. Doesn't get much better than this.

April Update

April brought about some great things. 1) An end to busy season. 2) Plants emerging 3) Outdoor activities 4) New aditions

Plants Emerging:

The blooming plants along our walkway is the carryover part of my new hobby of gardening. Holly and I planted these bulbs last fall. Weather in KC during spring is a great 60 to 70 degrees most of the time which allowed me to do some needed work on the outside of the house.

Outdoor Activities:

Inspiration came from Powell Gardens, which is a short trip from our house (~30 minutes).

After seeing this cool 'living' wall at Powell gardens I decided that I was going to pull out the landscape timbers that were along the side of the house where the fence once stood. We lost the first portion of the fence to a large pine tree in our yard which fell during the winter. The remaining portion fell because it was rotted at the base and another windstorm came through during March.

New Additions:
The best part of April was the new addition the Mike and Christy received

This is a pic of my niece Lucy! She is so adorable.

This is a pic of proud Uncle Joey. I should mention that Lucy went right for my nips after this pic was taken. Guess my man boobs have gotten large. Might be time to lose some weight. No milk there little Lucy. Sorry!

Here is a pic of Lucy with Grandpa Joe. My Dad is a good baby holder b/c he, like me, has a lot of good natural padding.

I don't have any pics of Holly with Lucy, but Holly spent a lot of time holding this little cute ham loaf.

Webcam

You know is cool? Web cams. See picture at below. This was taken with a web cam that I have set up on top of my computer.

The web cam allows other people to see you while you communicate with them. My family and I have been using Window Messenger to use the web cam feature.

Sometimes I like to mess around with the camera.

This is reading like a children's book. Which is ok because my Sis is about to have a little one come out of the ol' oven. Could be a boy or a girl. No one knows. Holly and I are going to Aunt Joe and Uncle Holly. Wait a minute! Either way, Holly and I went and bought some little outfits for the baby. It should be any day now. I am waiting to get the call and fly up to Chicago on the weekend to see my little niece-phew.

I made the Bacon Explosion for the Superbowl. It was amazing. I used a 6x5 bacon weave as opposed to the 5x5 recommended on BBQAddicts.com. Pictures to follow once I can get Holly to let me know where they are.

We booked our flights to Alaska. Pumped! Holly and Mark have done most of the planning so far. I am going to read a little about the state prior to flying there. We have a nice agenda set up. Nothing says vacation like agenda. Seriously. About +6 years ago, I went to Disney World (DW) with my family and we stayed in one of the hotels in the park. DW would open the park early (maybe 7am) to people who stayed on the property. My Ma was a Drill Sergent about us getting to the park. We got up every day at 6am, sometimes earlier, just to get to the park earlier that everyone else. It was nice to be able to get on all the rides with no line, but sometimes you lose the thrill at 7am because you are half asleep. Anyways, we have a great trip to Alaska loosely planned. I am sure pics will follow.

Busy season is moving along. I hit my first 60 hour week. It was easier to do because Holly was gone and I worked until 5pm on Saturday. Didn't really have anything else to do other than work. Never felt like going home and watching TV. On Saturday I rode my bike (bicycle) to 75th Street Brewery. Locked up my bike at the bike racks they have there and spent a good two hours talking to an interesting gentleman who told me a fair amount about his life. I had my mug club Bears mug at hand and I was ready to listen to anybody and not think about work. I must look like a good listener, because every time i go into 75th someone always tells me their life story. Also, their lives are way more interesting than mine. My story is that I grew up in the 'burbs of Chicago and finished high school and went to college at Missouri, graduated, and got hitched last summer. I was able to relate to the guy because, 1) He was a chef and likes to talk about food and cooking, 2) His wife is a tax preparer/bookkeeper. We had a rousing conversation about Cajun/creole food, dealing with clients and their books, and John's life. After having about two massive beers I said adios to John, paid my tab and left for my bike. Outside it was cold and I realized that I went into the bar knowing the combo to the lock, but coming out blank. I had to call Holly to get the combination. Some guy smoking outside saw me and was laughing. It was a pretty ridiculous situation. I made it home safe and went out with Winiarski to have a beer. Got home around 2am. It was a relaxing Saturday after all.

Michael's White Chicken Chili

The other night I made a delicious treat for Joe and I using a few simple-to-aquire ingredients. The idea came from Michael Hannan, who as an intern at the firm, won the office-wide Chili Cookoff with this recipe. It can be tweaked as necessary and makes enough to fill a 6 quart Crockpot.

• 1 can navy beans, undrained
• 1 large onion, chopped small
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter – separate into 2 T & 6 T
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups half-and-half OR substitute 2% milk
• 2 T Tabasco, or to taste
• 3 t chili powder
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1 t salt, or to taste
• 1 t white pepper, or to taste
• one or two 4-ounce cans whole mild green chilies, drained and chopped (depends on how much you like them)
• 1 can whole corn, undrained
• 5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds), cooked and cut into 1/2-inch pieces OR 1 large rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack (about 6 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sour cream

1. In a skillet cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter over moderate heat until softened.
2. In a 6- to 8-quart heavy kettle, melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly, 3 minutes.
3. Stir in onion and gradually add broth and half-and-half, whisking constantly.
4. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened.
5. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt, and white pepper.
6. Add beans, chilies, chicken, corn, and Monterey Jack and cook mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, 20 minutes. Can also put it in a Crockpot and let it sit on low for a while.

7. Stir sour cream into chili & serve.

It is delicious and really easy to make, especially if you have rotisserie chicken available from your local grocery store.

Enjoy!

Admire the view

Ahhh, the scenic views of busy season. Take in the sights, smell that recirculated air. Honestly, who would want a window? Seriously! I would always want to be outside as opposed to inside. You know what they say...ignorance is bliss. This is the beginning of a few months of long hour days and little free time. Awesome.

On the plus side the weekends are more precious and have more meaning. On the down side I have to be here on Saturday. Waaa Waaa.

So, the piano was delivered today to my parent's house. I talked with my mom today about gardening, shipping errors, work, my sister's pregnancy, and other general stuff. There may be a chance in her coming to visit and help me plant a bunch of trees. Our ugly fence needs to be covered up somehow. I think maybe a natural fence on the side of our house would look nice and inviting.

I have decided that when I get an office, I may not wear pants. I will however wear a dress shirt and tie. Maybe even a bow tie. I will call it the "drullet". In order to understand the drullet, you must understand the mullet. The mullet is a haricut I will never be able to achieve, but still can laugh at it. Having a mullet means you have cut your hair short on the front half of your head and you have let the back just grow out. The theme is "business in the front, party in the back". Do som research on google or your choice of web search engine. Someone tossed out "Dogpile" as an option. Must be a Kansas thing. Anyways, the drullet is a dress mullet. Business up top and party down below. Whoa! Maybe better redefine party. Ok. Party = Comfort. If someone comes to get me for lunch I would have to respond, "Umm...give me 2 minutes, I just need to finish this client call." Fool proof, and no one will be the wiser.

The best posting...ever...until my next

Hello Inter-web! The lady and I have decided to post things to a website. I have been wanting to blog for a while, but like most things I am a year or more past the "coolness" of telling people you have a blog. It won't even be good to use as a pick up line because all I will be picking up is my wife. Maybe it is a good line, she is kind of a tech nerd. Blogging stilll good.

Today's topic is about disappointment. Dissapoinment about the football games being played today. There are currently four teams competing for a spot in the Superbowl. The worst part about this is not that football is almost over, but the fact that none of those teams are the Bears.

My next disappointment of the day came when I realized Musician's Friend messed up my order for a piano. I got Holly a piano for X-mas. Ordered it with plenty of time prior to X-mas to get it shipped to our KC home. Well, the item that was labeled as "in-stock and redy for shipment" was actually on backorder until 01/17/09. Additionally, only recent noted by me the checkbox that says "Shipping address is same as billing address" does not work. The last known shipping address was to my brother when he was living at my folks home. So currently there is a paino en route to my parent's house in IL w/ attention to my brother. Merry X-Mas Jeff, you are getting a piano!

We celebrated our friend Katie's b-day on Friday by going dancing and staying out until 3am. Holly and Katie did enough dancing for everyone in the bar. I know it is usually going to be a long night when the bar we are at is serving beers in cups which are the size of 7-Eleven Big Gulps.

On Tuesday or Wednesday night we went on a welcome home mission for the Patriot Guard. As in the KC Giammanco Clan fashion, we went and bought things for an event that we didn't use. We planned on riding the motorcycle up to the airport so we we went and bought leather chaps. After we bought the chaps I mentioned to Holly that we needed another American Flag. So I went to H-Depot and bought two big and beautiful American flags. We ended up driving to the airport and leaving our flags in the car. In the end, the chaps got used today and the American flags will get used at somepoint. The best part was that the Marine made it home! We had about 20-25 people that lined up in a flag line to welcome the hero home. The Marine's wife was present to see her husband get off the plane. Hopefully we will be able to make many more welcome home missions. We will be there for the other missions as needed.

I went for a long ride on the motorcycle today. It was 40 degrees so I wore the new chaps, my leather jacket, leather gloves, and full face helmet. I was smoking hot while in the house, but once I was on the road I wish I had worn long undies. I was gone for 2.5 hours in the cold. It took me a while to get warmed up once I got home. Holly and I went and got Chinese food at Bo Lings (Holly's fav Chinese food). I pummelled the hot tea.