V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!

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We are outta here! I’ll be taking a break from the blog while we’re off to the little island of Nevis for some much-needed rest and relaxation.

We plan to spend some time lymin’, exploring, and enjoying the local food and drink. I hope to bring back some West Indian recipes to share here (and a good deal of rum that I’ll be keeping for myself).

P.S. Just got our photos from the trip finished: Our Adventures in Nevis.

Happy Holidays!

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The storm has left us stranded at home for Christmas.

We really wanted to get home to see my family, but we are well-stocked and happy not to be stuck in a ditch somewhere.

I’m coping by cooking – for Christmas eve it was roasted chestnuts and oyster stew. Tomorrow I’ll shovel a path to the Big Green Egg and make a prime rib roast.

Wishing you all a happy and a merry!

Being Thankful

This was not the Thanksgiving we expected. My dear wife has a case of the crud, so instead of spending it with family as we had planned, it’s just the two of us.

We’ve been sitting around in our jammies, reading the paper, sipping coffee, petting the cats, and counting our blessings.

I’m thankful for:

Said wife, who loves me and indulges my geeky hobbies
The fellowship of friends, family, and fellow foodies
Our 4 furry kids
A career that lets me keep food on  the table and a roof over our heads
Becoming gluten-free and making positive changes in our health

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Big Green Egg Makeover

My Big Green Egg was looking a little sad – we had bought a custom-built table a couple of years ago to give us more room. Unfortunately, the weather had given it quite a beating. So when my felt gaskets finally failed me, I decided it was worth it to pull her out of commission for a couple of weekends and both refinish the table and install new Nomex gaskets.

Thanks to the excellent advice I got on the Big Green Egg Forum and the videos from Fred’s Music & BBQ Supply the removal and installation went surprisingly well.

To get the Egg out of the table I needed to lighten it up. I removed the firebox and spacer ring and cleaned the Egg out. I removed the dome by zip-tying the metal bands together and loosening the top bolt just until I could lift the dome straight off.

I recruited a friend and used a gadget called (appropriately enough) a Potlifter to lift the Egg out of the table. It just clips around the sides and the harder you lift the tighter it grips.

Continue reading “Big Green Egg Makeover”

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