Yup it’s Wednesday again and that is Wednesday on the lounge waiting for me.

Since I plan on spending a lot of time checking items off on the To Do (to?) Wednesday (you decide which I mean, the day or the girl) enough with the chit chat. Wadda ya say we gets this ball rolling?

Ginny sends the following under the premise that anyone actually believes there is such a thing as too much coffee.

You’ve Been Drinking Too Much Coffee When..

Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
You lick your coffeepot clean.
You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
You’ve built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
People get dizzy just watching you.
Instant coffee takes too long.
You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
You’re offended when people use the word “brew” to mean beer.
You name your cats “Cream” and “Sugar.”
You get drunk just so you can sober up.
Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
You don’t even wait for the water to boil anymore.
You introduce your spouse as your “Coffee-mate.”
You think CPR stands for “Coffee Provides Resuscitation.”

As I was saying in my opening things are progressing very smoothly here. Shown above is Thursday taking a break from her vacation to spend a little time fondling the barrel of that 50 cal Browning M-2 machine gun and completing the inventory the ammo in my personal armory. She claims long heavy barrels just do it for her.

Oops! I think I feel those coffee powers heading for the dark roast side today! Wow! She really took a face full didn’t she?

Babylon 5 Actor Jerry Doyle Dead at 60

“I’ve seen my country lately. Frankly, I don’t like what I see. Nevertheless, it’s not too late to restore the great and unique wonder that is the United States. We are the beacon of hope for the world, and we will remain so as long as we stand up for our principles.”  – Jerry Doyle

Actor, author and radio host Jerry Doyle, best known for playing Michael Garibaldi on the ’90s sci-fi series Babylon 5, was found dead in his Las Vegas home Wednesday, he was 60. Doyle was born July 16, 1956, and grew up in Brooklyn.

The cause of death is not yet confirmed, but no foul play is suspected. An autopsy is pending.

Doyle’s biggest acting credit was as Garibaldi, the recovering alcoholic security chief on  the TV series Babylon 5.  He also played the character in the TV movie that preceded the series, “Babylon 5: The Gathering.” The series ran from 1994 until 1998. In 1999, Doyle was featured in a follow-up movie, “Babylon 5: A Call to Arms.” During the series’ run, Doyle was briefly married to his co-star, Andrea Thompson, who played the telepath Talia Winters from 1995 to 1997.

Before he began acting, he worked as a corporate jet pilot and a stockbroker.

After Babylon 5, he transitioned into conservative talk radio, and hosted the nationally-syndicated The Jerry Doyle Show on the Talk Radio Network. He also founded the news website EpicTimes.

“It’s not Left vs Right, it’s right vs wrong!” EpicTimes was an idea born from former Babylon 5 star, and top Talk Radio Host. Instead of tuning out from the “noise”, he decided to “tune in” and be part of the solution, not the problem.

“I never realized that growing up in Brooklyn, flying jets, working on Wall Street and starring in a sci-fi series was the prerequisite for the fast-paced demands of talk radio,” said Doyle. “But, if that’s what it takes to succeed, I’m glad I did it all.”

Listeners enjoyed Doyle’s anecdotal humor, satirical observations and well-rounded social commentary. His ability to choose compelling topics provokes lively conversations on the issues of the day. The program is caller-driven, issue-oriented, and fast-paced. Listeners enjoy Doyle’s wit, as well as his ability to seriously engage callers from across the nation in fascinating conversations.

In memory of Jerry Doyle and his choosing to be part of the solution  rather than part or the problem or the apathetic majority, the above graphic (or a similar one) will from now on replace the Parting Shot Header in any commentary I post.

Those interested in reading more about Jerry’s book can do so here:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6620418-have-you-seen-my-country-lately

and you can buy an eBook copy here:

https://www.amazon.com/Have-You-Seen-Country-Lately-ebook/dp/B0035G08NU/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1469991502&sr=8-1

Jerry ya fine Irish lad, this ones for you pal, the proprieties must be observed at all times after all.

Your wit and wisdom will be missed Jerry. I hope I can manage to fill 1/100th of your being part of the solution foot print.

YES, I’m aware that’s Impish’s new ride. Point made.

Some of you have asked about our weather and seen some of the photos on The Weather Channel of large pieces of hail on the ground after some of our Texas sized Thunderstorms. Well this is a photo of what things look like after sustained large hail blows through an area. This took all of about 5 minutes to blow through and accomplish this.

While we’re on the subject of Texas weather, in the comments section, about a week ago, I mentioned that with out careful attention to things like sunscreen, hats, wearing light colors and keeping your arm off window ledge in your car when driving down here the sun would fry you and/or literally burn the hide off of you. Case in point.

Southern State of Mind – Darius Rucker

Have you ever seen a sign for a business and thought: “What were they thinking?” I know I certainly have. This is a collection of the very best business signs spotted in English-speaking territories around the world. I hope they make you chuckle as much as they made me! Without further ado, let the silliness begin:

OH YEAH! Coffee powers are definitely headed to the Dark Roast side today!

NO! You cannot meet the girl either! YES the dog is extremely protective of her. YES that especially means you too Impish.

Bad Boys Music Video (Parody)

(Sorry about all that moaning coming out of Impish, its just too easy and too much fun tormenting the big lug!)

Ok get these airbag equipped knee pads on Ginny’s knees while Paul k9 gets the backside airbag panties on her. Someone spread them cushions all around her . good now strap her in that rescue harness and hook the ropes to the shoulder points. Makes sure everything is snug we don’t want her taking a swam dive in a minute or gastronomic euphoria since we’re dealing with more than one of ‘those’ recipes today..

Aromatic Garlic Shrimp Pockets

Keep shrimp nice and juicy with a pocket of herbs, butter, garlic and a touch of chili. 

Shrimp is a flavor-packed appetizer that’s still relatively light. Keep it moist and delicious by packing it in a foil wrap before putting it on the grill. It’s as simple as mixing together the ingredients and letting the heat do the rest!

Ingredients:

1 lb. large shrimp
4 cloves garlic, cut into strips
2 red chilies
½ cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp. thyme
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ginger, minced
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sesame oil
4 tsp. butter

Directions:

Remove the shrimp shells, if attached, by working your thumb nail along the underside and pushing upward.

This will remove the shell and legs. Leave the tail section, as this makes for a useful handle if you’re eating with your fingers.

Remove the vein along the back of the shrimp with the tip of a paring knife, then transfer the shrimp to a colander and

rinse under cold running water. Shake off any excess water.

Peel the garlic cloves and shred into thin rounds or strips, then cut off the heads of the chili peppers and chop the chilies until fine.

Discard the seeds first if you don’t like too much spice.

Rough-chop the cilantro, stalks as well as leaves. If you don’t like the distinctive aroma of cilantro, substitute parsley.

Mix the thyme, cayenne, ginger, salt and pepper in a resealable plastic bag, then transfer in all of the previous ingredients.

Add the lemon juice and sesame oil, then the shrimp. Toss until the shrimp are coated and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.

Tips:

Aluminum foil is easiest to manipulate, but parchment paper looks more delicate. If you choose the latter, you will need to fold over the top carefully to create a seal.

Always keep raw shellfish refrigerated until use, and do not refreeze shrimp once they’ve been thawed.

I used half a packet of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes the come with our pizza deliveries instead of the fresh red chilies because we could not find them in our Produce Department and were smart enough to avoid the Thai ones. It worked just fine.

If you are grilling these, skip the parchment, unless you like seeing dinner go up in flames.

Save a clove of garlic and toast some bias cut slices of baguette brushed with a little good olive oil on the  other side of the grill while these are cooking. Rub the toasted bread with the cut clove or garlic  as soon as they come off the grill and serve with the shrimp.

OK! Let’s get a Ginny status check before we move along. Still upright, good. Slight wobble, well that’s pretty much the norm for her so that’s a thumbs up to. Spotters and safety line men in position and ready? Good, we can proceed to the next recipe then.

Black Forest Trifle

The problem with Trifles…

QUICK! GRAB HER SHE’S GOING DOWN!

Nice save support team! Those airbags are damned expensive and only good once. Here slid her into this chair and use the 5 point seat belt on her.

Now, as I was about to say, is nobody wants to make Trifles anymore because they have a problem with them. They are time consuming to make and a bit fussy to assemble. Plus you have to have a special bowl to serve one properly that (if you are lucky you might get occasional double duty out of as a layered salad serving dish or as an ersatz punch bowl for a bridal/baby shower.

Well here is one that is a bit faster to make, though doesn’t address the need for the special bowl. However wait until the end and I’ll tell you what I figured out to do to make this extra fancy dessert fast enough for everyday and to do away with the need for the Trifle Dish.

Black Forest Trifle

This Black Forest Trifle combines rich, fudge chocolate brownies with tart ruby red cherry pie filling for the ultimate chocolate cherry dessert. Whipped topping provides a light creamy finish to the entire treat.

Ingredients:

1 box (18.3 oz) Fudge Brownie Mix
¼ cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 boxes (3.9 oz.)  Instant Chocolate Fudge Pudding and Pie Filling
    3½ cups Skim Milk
    1 can (21 oz.) Cherry Pie Filling
    2 tubs (8 oz.)  Whipped Cream Topping, thawed
    ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Prepare brownies with water, oil and eggs according to package directions and allow to cool.
2. While brownies are baking, mix pudding mix with skim milk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Cut brownies into small 1″x1″ squares. Layer half of the brownies into the bottom of a large trifle dish or clear glass bowl. Top with half of the prepared pudding, half of the cherry pie filling and one tub of the whipped topping.
4. Repeat layering with the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle the top of the trifle with mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate the trifle until ready to serve.

Ok, lets remember our 2 basic issues with making Trifles shall we? Time consuming and special dishes.

This one is a wee bit faster because your not making a cake from scratch for the Trifle you’re using a brownie mix instead so you pick up  about 10 minutes there even if you used a box cake mix. How’d you like to be done with the cake/brownie part in that saved 10 minutes and have zero mess to clean up instead?

Simply hit the bakery at your favorite large chain grocery store. They sell brownies in 8×8 foil pans premade! All you need to do is chop them up! Often times they’ll also sell something called ‘Brownie Bites’ round little puck like two bite brownies that you can quarter just as easily for this recipe. This works well if you are make 4 or less servings.

As for the bowl, We have Pyrex ramekins (they can as part of a set with plastic lids) which are about 4 to 4.5” across and about 3.5” high. This is just about serving size anyhow so we just make them directly into the bowls. This has the added benefits of presenting everyone with a pretty individual Trifle and being far easier to store than the unwieldy Trifle bowl in the refrigerator.

But Lethal I don’t have any Pyrex ramekins and Pyrex is expensive! True dat, but you really don’t need them.  While at the store picking up your prebaked brownies, just hie thee over to the party aisle and get you some clear plastic 10 to 12 ounce cups. BOOM! instant disposable individual Trifle bowls that still fit far better in the fridge than the big specialty bowl! Plus who can argue with the added benefit of not having to wash the Pyrex ramekins?

OK let’s have a Ginnster check please! Continual knee tremors? Salivating? Slight moans. Ok tip the chair back to 45 degrees, get her a drool bib and a glass of our next recipe. This feast need a drink and we’re going for it. Steady now Ginny.

Spiked Watermelon Lemonade

Watermelon is always a big hit for the kids at summertime barbecues. So why not turn this delicious and juicy fruit into a cocktail adults will love? This make-ahead, refreshingly cool drink blends sweet seedless watermelon with freshly made lemonade and finishes it off with a punch of vodka.

Ingredients:

5 cups seeded watermelon, cut into chunks
2 cups water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup sugar
2 cups vodka [I recommend Tito’s if you can find it outside of Texas, otherwise consider Lemon Vodka]

Directions:

1.  Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until combined.
2. Pour the drink into a serving pitcher and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3.  Give it a good stir and serve over ice with a wedge of lemon.

I find the seedless Personal Watermelons work best for this as the watermelon particles blend up finer/smoother than their giant cousins.
Therefore you eliminate and potential need for pressing through a strainer.  Also any seeds you do come across will be few,far between and immature so not nearly as bitter if one does sneak into the blender.

Ginny? You still with us? Ginster? Uhh…We’ll check on Gin later, she apparently needs a minute…and possibly another glass of Watermelon Lemonade for Adults.

Toby Keith – As Good As I Once Was

I’ve got the neighbor from hell above me. Found this today. I think I might be sneaking up there with a copy and some tape soon.

Gabriel Iglesias Work for Disney on Ron White Salute to the Troops

That’s Thursday, and I can’t wait for tomorrow!