DISCONNECTED!!!!!

Well, we've finally joined our kids and the millions of others that don't have home phone service...we got rid of our hard line phone at home. We'd been thinking about it for a while, and this last months AT & T bill pushed us over the edge. We got a bill for $50...$3 of which was for long distance charges, the other $47 was for the privledge of having a phone and service fees!!!!

So we went out Wednesday and bought Nanc her own cell phone and shut off the home phone. But before you get too excited, I do need to tell you that we are not completely "in the '00's" with our new situation. I still did not set up my voicemail, so if i don't answer the phone you can't leave a message...you'll have to try back later (back to the old days before answering machines!). Nancy set her's up though, so you can leave her a message...I'm just too "old school".

SUNDAY'S RECIPE- GREAT BUNS!!

GREAT HOMEMADE BUNS


Add to your bread machine in this order (makes it so easy a 10 year old can do it!...)
1/2 c. boiling water *** 2 TBSP cracked wheat

Let this set for 5 minutes while you gather the rest of your ingredients...then add :

1/2 c. milk *** 1 TBSP oil *** 1 TBSP brown sugar *** 1-1/2 tsp salt *** 2 TBSP sesame seeds *** 1/4 c. wheat gluten (makes for nice tight consistency of buns)*** 2 TBSP wheat bran *** 3/4 c. whole wheat flour *** 2 c. white flour *** 2-1/4 tsp dry active yeast (1 pkg)

Start bread machine on dough only setting, checking after 3-5 minutes. If dry ingedients still on bottom of machine, add 1 or 2 TBSP warm water...If sticking real much to sides of machine, add 1-2 TBSP flour. Let machine go thru mixing/kneading cycle and let rise in machine OR take whole bowl out and rise on counter. When doubled, turn out dough and form into circle and cut into 8 equal pieces. Gather each piece and form into ball, bringing sides to middle underneath. Place on greased cookie sheet and press down (i forgot to today...you can see how tall my buns got!) Let rise till double and bake 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. All natural ingredients and sooo tasty, plus so easy! **If you don't have a bread machine, it works just fine to make recipe by hand

BONUS FEATURE-SUNDAY EVENING RECIPE!!!

for those of you that have dogs, and if they've been especially good.....

LIVER DOGGIE TREATS
1 lb. beef liver *** 1 cup rye flour or combination rye flour/oatmeal *** 1 cup cornmeal *** 1/2 cup wheat germ *** 1 tsp garlic powder

Put raw liver in food processor and puree. In large bowl combine dry ingredients, then add liver and mix well. Grease several cookie sheets and drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto pan, then flatten with bottom of glass that has been wettened. Bake in 350 degree oven 20-25 minutes, then cool. Store in fridge OR we stick in baggie in freezer and just take out what we need for a week.

DO NOT FEED MORE THAN 1 OF THESE A DAY...dogs love em but you can give them too much of a good thing with these. I think one of our corgis has an allergy to wheat gluten and we feed gluten free dog food... and couldn't find a good biscuit to go with it, till we found these. They're easy to make the a good treat for a good dog!

SUNDAY'S RECIPE-ADAM'S GEL

ADAM'S GEL
1 - 24 oz carton plain yogurt *** 1-regular size can frozen juice concentrate(not size pictured)

My son-in-law said he grew up with this stuff and is now a tri-athelete and makes this a lot.
Simply thaw out a regular size(8-10 oz?) can of your favorite frozen juice concentrate (grape, orange, mixed berry, etc.) and stir the yogurt in. We put ours into tupperware popsicle deals and stick in freezer to set. Take one out whenever you need a boost/something cool & refreshing.

HOT, STUPID PROJECT

Well, it was a project that needs to be done. The
concrete pad that surrounded our well that was poured who knows how many years ago was
cracked and heaved up. I decided to demo the pad and straighten the edges, add edging, then backfill with sand, weed shield, and washed river
rock.







Nancy, being the wise one, tried to talk me out of doing this in the 107 degree heat we're having...but no, I am/was too bored/too dumb to just sit around doing nothing/staying inside/doing housework?!?!?! So I listened to her somewhat...I decided to just do the demo today and then do the rest of the project next weekend...or the next.






"Holy schmazoli" was that a hard, hot job...even at 6:30am! And don't you know, when I was just about done throwing the chunks into the wheelbarrow, I pulled a muscle in my right shoulder (was going to go on a scooter ride/poker run later this morning-that's out now!) Thank goodness my lovely wife helped me go unload the chunks out in the country! I guess I get to stay inside in the AC now anyhow...and help clean house(didn't gain a thing, huh!)

p.s.- thank goodness for painkillers

SUNDAY'S RECIPE- SMOKED CHICKEN & KILLER SALAD

No recipes today...just pictures of "food at the Funks!" First we see Nancy's Killer Salad, with leaf lettuce, spinach, sprouts, carrots, onion, fresh picked grape tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, and some creamy Italian dressing....

and then we have a picture of the chicken I rubbed with Bad Byron's Butt rub and smoked for 5 hours on the grill. Tender and juicy, "to each his own...."

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER????

...walked into the house Thursday nite after work, and Nancy announced that we were going to have dinner with our son!

Michael had flown to KC from Denver on Wednesday for meetings/a presentation, and was supposed to drive a truckload of promo materials back to Denver on Thur/Fri. So he calls Thurs. afternoon and tells us to meet him at Salina for dinner...great idea!

So we met him at Grandma Maxx restaurant at the truckstop in Salina and enjoyed a meal and conversation...boy are he & Sara busy! His schedule make my head spin, but he's into his job big time.

FUNK vs. FUNK - FLEET COMPARISON

A fleet comparison of bikes...the Colorado Funks & the Kansas Funks.  Here is our fleet...a 15 year old $300 Trek 700 Sport hybrid and a 4 year old $400 Giant Sedona comfort bike.  We ride our bikes every weekday...Nancy 10 blocks to work & back twice a day and me for 30 minutes every morning about 5:30 am, probably for me about 40 miles every 2 weeks.  The Colorado Funks do that in an average Sunday afternoon ride! 

...and here is my other bike, that I put on about 5-6K a year, 10 miles each way weekdays going to work, plus pleasure rides on the weekend.

4TH OF JULY VISITORS

 Sadie had such a hard day meetin her new relation...had to catch a quick snooze on the loveseat.

 Sutton decided he should wear a hat out for sun protection..."How's this one look on me?"

 Diesel decided "if she's going to get a nap, than so am I.  This K-State blanket looks comfy..."

The Sutton-bear down for the count...and sweating up a storm on Mom's arm, he's a hot-body!

SUNDAY'S RECIPE - KANSAS SHRIMP BOIL, CONTINUED

This is a continuation of the recipe of a couple of weeks ago...got around to making it tonite. At the table ready to chow down.....a little butter & some salt, mmmmmm!

Fresh out of the pot, with shrimp, clams(added), smoked sausage, ear corn, new redskin potatoes and onion right out of the garden, baby carrots and a little green & red pepper (added) and Old Bay Seasoning(i used a generic Dillons Cheasapeak Bay Seasoning), even my non-seafood eating wife loved it!!!

TANGANYIKA WILDLIFE PARK- 07/02/2011

The famous white tiger cubs that you can watch online! They must have sensed it was about feeding time, as they were pacing back & forth in their cage. The zoo keepers have to "burp" them after their bottle Getting up close and personal with a ring-tailed lemur. Cute looking fellows looking for their favorite treat...raisins.

"Get in my belly!" wonder if Austin Powers saw this sight to get that idea for the line in his movie??? Look real close and you'll see the joey sticking out of the pouch.

The kangaroos coats were very soft...kinda like a cats fur, and they didn't mind us petting them at all.

In the bird cage exhibit...even though I didn't have any nectar for them, this larakeet landed on my shoulder and started picking at my sparse hair. <')))><