Sunset in Marysville

I was doing more testing with my camera the other evening and snapped some pictures of the sunset – now that the rain is gone for a bit.  I thought I would share the pictures I took.

NOTE:  Click the pictures for the larger version.

Wildlife Cam

For those of you who don't know, David has been building Wildlife/wild game camera cases which he then takes and modifies a regular digital camera by hooking up things like infrared and heat sensors and the like to make the camera take pictures and short movies whenever something steps in front of it. He also camouflages them so they don't stick out either. For a quick example of how these mods look, go to SnapShotSniper.com and take a gander.

Here's what the finishing results end up looking somewhat like.

Basically, he then straps one to a tree in the woods (preferably near a drinking hole or game trail) and let's it go for a couple of weeks. After a time, he then retrieves the camera from the woods and collects the images it has taken by hooking it to his computer.

Here are a collection of images he and Madyson (father and daughter) found when they went retrieved the most recent two!

German Pancakes - Take 2

I made German Pancakes today!

Check out the photos!

View Full Album

Email is Up!

Flaming.ws/Feely.ws Email is back up and working.

Maintenance was successful.  I moved the virtual machine which is the email server to another virtual server host and was able to power off one of my hosts.

So now my office is much quieter and I don’t have to pay the electricity for that host to run just one virtual machine.

Now, everything comfortably resides on one host.

Next move is to see if I can get Zimbra to replace Exchange for email services.

Note in the above picture how much memory and CPU Exchange (FlameMail1 VM) uses vs. how much Zimbra uses.  Both VMs have been allocated 2GB of RAM (Memory).  Exchange uses nearly all of it (note the bar graph in the right column is in the red), Zimbra uses almost none.

But, that’s another project for another time. 

Happy emailing for now and thanks for your patience!

Email Outage

Flaming and Feely Email is currently down for maintenance.

Upcoming Email Outage

Sometime over the next couple of days, I will be attempting to move my email server around for maintenance.  No email will be lost and any new incoming emails will be queued up for delivery as soon as the server is back up.

The email server doesn’t run too well (it’s Microsoft...what else can I say) and I’d like to ensure it runs solidly before leaving on extended vacation to Italy this fall.

I’ll likely start the move tomorrow (Thur) so please be aware you will be without email while the move is occurring.

For updates, please check the Flaming Family website!

Breakfast Burritos

One of the things which I'm well known for among friends and in-laws is my German Pancakes. But another one of my "masterpieces" is Breakfast Burritos!

Here is how I make those....

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Diced Ham
• 1 lb (aprox) of Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausages (the regular sausage – not the breakfast links).
• 1 Jimmy Dean’s Sausage (reduced fat or regular both work well - others should work but I've not tested anything else)
• 1½ to 2 containers of Cherub Tomatoes or other Nature Sweet tomatoes.
• 2 bundles of green onions
• 1 bag of Hash browns (½ lb bag)
• 24-28 eggs with a bit of milk (depending on how many eggs used).
• 3 lb (aprox – to taste) of shredded cheese – usually the Mexi-blend (mixed in after heat turned down to low).
• 1 large volume package of largest flour tortillas available.

Seasonings to flavor:

• Salt
• Pepper (black, ground)
• Pepper (white, ground, light amount)
• Mrs. Dash (Table Blend)
• Minced Onions
• All Spice (light amount)
• Oregano (light amount)

Cooking Instructions:

Break eggs into hand mixer or blender with salt, pepper, minced onions (if used), and Mrs. Dash (if used). If using milk, pour in small amount of milk to eggs and mix in. Do not over-mix (or whip) eggs. Cook scrambled eggs in pan by themselves most of the way. Then combine with below vege/meat mix.

In a separate pan, cook Jimmy Dean Sausage fully first before mixing into below pan.

In another separate larger pan, start slowly cooking up the onions (if used), tomatoes, and Hash Browns/Jimmy Dean Skillets with some oil and seasonings. Once warm, stir in chopped up ham/Aidells Sausages/and cooked Jimmy Dean Sausage and finish cooking.

Combine mostly cooked scrambled eggs from first pan into vege/meat mix and finish cooking together. Continue seasoning to flavor.

Once completely cooked, taste test and add shredded cheese to mix. Fold in slowly until even consistency is achieved.

NOTE: Below is of the mix all cooked up with cheese folded in and ready for placing into flour tortillas.

Cooking Notes:

I usually use the salt and black pepper when cooking up the tomatoes, onions, and hash browns in oil for flavor. I use other seasonings throughout the cooking process to have them absorbed at different times and rates. I will sometimes cook in two Jimmy Dean Breakfast Skillets instead of hash browns. Doing so requires they be cooked in advance of the eggs.

Add the cheese slowly and stir it in slowly as quick movements will fling it about. Add it in to desired flavor and consistency.

Substitutes:

Ham, Sausages, Bacon, and other meats can be substituted in and out based upon flavor and tastes desired.

Green Onions can be replaced with Minced Onions to flavor.

I have used Jimmy Dean Breakfast Skillets in place of Hash Browns with good results. Usually, I will use 2 of the Jimmy Dean Breakfast Skillets in substitute of one large bag of hash browns.

Preparations:

Wrap about a cup (give or take a bit) in a large slightly warm flower tortilla.

For instructions on how to roll a burrito, see this Google link.

To store, wrap breakfast burrito in plastic wrap and freeze individually.

Serving:

Re-heat on high in Microwave for approximately 1.5 minutes on each side (depending on Microwave strength). May need to slice up for easier heating.

Good with South West Salsa or Tabasco Sauce!

Enjoy!

Peonies Flowers Are In Bloom!

Our Peonies Flowers are in bloom!

Here's a shot from our own in our back yard.

Note: Click on image for large detailed version!

Memorial Day

Folks, just a reminder, this coming Monday (the 31st of May) is Memorial Day.

So...

Raise a flag...

Tip a glass...

Bow a head...

Say a prayer...

...or just take a moment to remember all of those who came before us without whom we would not have the blessings and benefits we have today.

And please, have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

German Pancakes...MMmmmmm!

Who knew that German Pancakes (a.k.a. "Dutch Babies") originated in the Pacific NorthWest!? Apparently, according to Wikipedia, this is true.

German Pancakes have been a staple of the "Flaming Family" diet ever since my sister brought the recipe home from her High School Homec/Cooking class 30-some-odd years ago (back in the day when they "taught" housewife skills in school).

Our Flaming Family "Secret" German Pancake Recipe:

German Pancakes (a.k.a. “Dutch Babies”)

• 2 eggs
• ½ cup half-n-half
• ½ cup flour sifted
• ½ tsp salt

Mixing Instructions:

Mix the above ingredients into a blender, Kitchen Aide with wire whip, or food processor with wire whip. Blend/Mix on high for approximately 3 minutes or so making certain that all of the ingredients get mixed together. If using a blender, make sure not to run the blender much longer than 3 minutes and to remove the container when done blending as the hot motor will make the batter rise – which can be disastrous if you have a full blender.

Add about 1 TBSP of butter in pie plates for 45 – 60 seconds before pouring batter into pie plates. Make sure not to burn the butter. Margarine can be used in place of butter and doesn’t burn as easily. Its recommend to not use lard (such as Crisco) as the Margarine/Butter also adds much needed flavor.

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Add about ¾ Cup to 1¼ Cup of batter per pie plate (depending on size of plate) after butter has melted. Cook for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the Pancakes to make sure the top edges are not getting burned. You may need to adjust the time and/or temperature to get them to rise to your liking.

Toppings:

Powdered sugar and fresh squeezed lemons are a standard and excellent. Other fruit can be used such as most any berry (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc.), bananas, watermelon, etc. Tart berries such as strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries taste better on German Pancakes when sweetened with a little bit of sugar to bring out the berry juices. Most any fruit will go well with either powdered sugar or whipped cream (or both!). Other toppings such as syrup or jellies, including peanut butter have also been used. I've also tried Fried Apples (made with Cinnamon, Butter, and Brown Sugar) as a topping - which is quite wonderful!

Serving Sizes:

This recipe makes just barely enough for two pancakes. If you want to make enough for four people, quadruple the recipe so there are enough for most everyone to have seconds. We can’t let the fruit go to waste! ☺

Baker's Note:

The recipe will not work with milk. It has been tried and the pancakes do not come out correctly. Also, I like to sneak in a couple of table spoons of powdered sugar into the batter to help them rise when cooking. It also makes the pancakes sweeter and balances out the salt.

It’s a messy job both in and out of the oven - but well worth the effort! ☺