Survival Recipe #2: Irish Soda Bread

I am Irish and therefore...this is a basic needed recipe for survival...


Ingredients

* 4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
* 2 Tbsp sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 4 Tbsp butter
* 1 cup raisins
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 2 cups buttermilk

1:
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in some more flour. Do not overknead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf.

2:
Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about 1/2'' deep in an "X" shape. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped with a knife, about 35-45 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.) Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.

Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.

Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It's easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Cool the handle with an ice cube, or put a pot holder over it.

Transfer bread to a rack to let cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted.

Survival Recipe #1: Pepperjack Goulash Recipe

Ingredients
4 eggs
Milk
Farmer Johns Sausage
Two sticks of Pepper Jack Cheese
Butter
White Bread
Spices

Gear Required
Stove
Bowl
Spatula
Frying Pan (I prefer the heavy duty kind)

Instructions
First, fire up the stove to a medium heat. Start with cooking the sausage to a preferred firmness, I like my rather burntish. Now if you are feeling healthy, drain the grease from the pan. If you like a little extra flavor, leave some in the pan. Make sure you reduce the heat once you have finished cooking your sausage. Next, cut up the sausage into little pieces. Mix eggs and a dash of milk in the bowl and add to the frying pan, with butter if you prefer, or not if you are using the sausage grease. While the eggs are cooking rip apart your pepperjack cheese sticks and add. Stir eggs, sausage and cheese until all is cooked nice and firm. Turn off stove.
Now add goulash between two pieces of white bread and whammo…Pepperjack Goulash Sandwich

Side story the ducks seemed to enjoy my recipe with the scraps I drop, they invaded my campsite the next morning eating the egg I discarded(camping foul) the night before cause I burnt the first batch.

Preparation Photo

Dana Point versus Newport Beach

Well I have to say I am very surprised to find that the less expensive, little more rustic location of Doheny Beach is a much better home than Newport Beach’s more guarded, clean and service oriented environment. First and most importantly, the showers are 10 times better both in pressure and hot water. The sites are huge and even better they have personal fire pits.

The other nice thing is the consistent sound of the waves.

The down side it is 14 miles from work versus a few hundred yards.


Some photos

Man Cave Part II : Normalizing

Now that the Man Cave location is established, it is important to make it a comfortable place and a functional one. What I have learned so far is access to clothes is the most important aspect of the Man Cave.

Two Rules

1. Have a section for dirty clothes that is separated from the clean...lack of separation can lead to redundant washing.
2. YOU MUST buy a clothes rack at Target, NOT Wal-Mart...we are surviving in the OC here not slumming it. Being that I am a working professional, it is very important that my clothes stay nice and organized. The idea is to not be a transient, but a simplified liver of life.

Evolving Man Cave photo below

Step One: Part One...The Man Cave.

The first and most important requirement is creating a central command from which to operate. Storing everything in ones car is not a good idea and lessens the quality of the survival experience.

The best option is to create the man cave, or woman palace. I my case I choose to acquire a 10x15 storage space located near my work. That said there are three important considerations when choosing a location to set up shop.

1. Location to all things important in your life, best option is work.

2. The time the storage unit is open too. Many discourage living in a storage facility, which I do as well, but the earlier one is open and the later one closes makes things so much easier for random access. I found a place that is open 6am to 9pm, which is above standard in the area.

3. Location to a bathroom. As I was organizing my man cave I ran into the issue of needing facilities after their bathroom was already closed. This is more important than it sounds.

Here is my Man Cave phase 1



I will cover man cave/woman palace basic functions in the next blog

Home - Part 1

Home
The most interesting part of this journey is picking your living location. Now there are a few options, state parks or somewhere near work. In my case, I happen to be one block from an amazing resort park that happen s to rent spots to tent dwellers. This location is now my “Home”. A good home has a clean shower, place to sleep, and laundry. By that definition, this has that and much more. There is a pool and spa, arcade, fire pit, a bay view, on site market.
Now being that this location is a little pricey, this Home is my second home…so now I have two homes one in Newport Beach and one in Dana Point. Putting that into perspective, I believe that is some true Orange County living.
I think future blogs might contain recipes that extend beyond the dehydrated nightmare I tried on my first night at home.

Some pics

Introduction

I am a man in his mid thirties. I am a man who has two amazing children. I am a man who has two ex-wives. I divorced both of them. The first was a lesbian that didn’t know it(literally). The second was a combination of fire and ice between us and well …we will get to that in another post.

In an effort not to be a dead beat Dad, I love my two kids with an insane amount of soul, I pay child support and I don’t really complain much, I have gripped a couple times. Because of the situation I put myself in, and trust me I own it these days, for me to survive I have to make $2400 and then make my car payment before I get one dollar for myself. I have an amazing job and realize, in the current economy, that I am very blessed.

I will come back many details later.

So why blog? This is therapy for the soul, pure and simple. This is not a pity party, I enjoy writing and therefore this serves as a great release. While I don't care if any one really reads it, the entrepreneur in me sees many paths I can take this with enough stubbornness.

With this blog I intend to document my journey of surviving in Orange County, California on “limited” means. Through, this process I hope to learn critical survival skills that I can share with others headed towards this very same destination in life.

Why not rent? I have gone down that path, and eventually I will, but every roommate I have met has given me the creeps and paying $1000 for a studio is fiscally stupid. I only say that because I am resourceful and have a very positive attitude about most everything and don’t require many things to be a happy camper...Pun intended.