Bologna Supreme

If you’re looking for a hearty breakfast, then here is a recipe that will satisfy any appetite: the Bologna Supreme.

Passed down from my dad’s sisters, this sandwich starts out as a grilled cheese. We then take the humble lunch staple to the next level with the addition of fried eggs and deli sliced beef bologna.

Start with a large (12”) skillet pre-heated on medium-high heat with plenty of butter or margarine. Add an egg or two and begin frying. Separately place two slices of white bread, with either butter or mayonnaise spread on top, into the pan; add cheese. Sear two slices of deli beef bologna. When the egg(s) finish frying, assemble ingredients and press sandwich with spatula making sure cheese is fully melted. Flip occasionally to distribute heat evenly.

For an extra kick I add a few Mezzetta Brand Deli-Sliced Jalapeno Peppers and hot melted Nacho cheese.

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Tip for searing bologna: slice unheated bologna from center to edge so that the meat resembles Pac-Man. This keeps it from “bubbling.”

Stay tuned

©2011 Neal Rhoden, Aircheck blog. All Rights Reserved.

Polar Opposites

Long ago I prepared a show that I intended to air. The goal in my young mind was an in depth expose into the debate hot, at the time, among Christian believers—musical style.

In the final analysis, there was no clear winner. Some felt that my station should play only one genre of Gospel music typical of which was lots of Country twang and four part harmony. Another style rich in tradition; represented by soulful singers such as Mahalia Jackson, the Winans, and Shirley Caesar. Then there was the Top 40 derived Contemporary Christian Music that, at this time, was very hot nationally. Amy Grant was queen and had just seen major crossover appeal into the mainstream (secular) market with exposure on the Top 40 outlets of the day. Additionally, a few CCM artists actually had their hits played on MTV. Arguably, the mid-1980’s was the apex of the genre’s popularity.

September 1986, my station was about to flip to a Contemporary Christian format in the afternoons. Today’s Gospel Rewind Podcast is the culmination of a quarter century of prep work. My listeners were passionate in their beliefs. Hear the debate in their own words for the first time anywhere from the request lines 25 years ago. Down load here or press play below.

Gospel Rewind “CCM Debate”, Episode 1, season 3

Stay tuned

©2011 Neal Rhoden, the Peanut Whistle Weblogs. All Rights Reserved.

CR-48

Last month we touched on the new notebook computer that Google sent out to selected applicants, like me, as a test unit for their Chrome browser and operating system. Its official name: The CR-48.

Unwrapping the unit was a breeze. Safely nestled in cardboard, this 12” x 9” wonder immediately awoke (something Windows OS designers should learn to do). As a precaution, I plugged its handy charging cord into the nearest 120 volt outlet. Within seconds the little notebook has found my Wi-Fi connection and the World Wide Web is at my disposal. A monthly 100 megabytes of free 3G Internet from Verizon is included for on-the-go web surfers.

Its 12” screen (measured diagonally) displays surprisingly good resolution. The built-in speakers, however, sounded thin; lacking good stereo imaging (my CR-48 was biased to the left speaker for some reason.) A good set of Koss headphones solves this problem. Long time readers of Aircheck know my passion for good audio. The Chrome Notebook was designed exclusively for Internet browsing; I just wish more thought had gone into sound quality of the speakers.

I am impressed with the rubber non-slip finish on the little computer. Right away clumsy hands everywhere applaud. Battery life is, at least, 8 hours on a full charge (about a week on standby).

The Chrome Notebook surfs the Internet like nobody’s business. But that is all it does. It has an SD card reader and USB port for uploading your priceless snapshots to Facebook or blog, for instance. However, there is no photo preview. I find myself blindly choosing shots and having to delete unwanted photos only after they had finished uploading. Cruising YouTube is ok until the flash player crashes (which is often.) Lately, the sound card is crashing as well. Instead of the streaming audio I expect, the unit plays back a gravelly static with a persistent high-pitched, bell like ringing. I do not know whether this is an operating system problem or a manufacturer’s defect.

Technical difficulty kept me away from my main computer for the month, so the Chrome Notebook saves the day. Living with the CR-48 is cumbersome, at times. Designing Aircheck’s layout is impossible. Photo editing on-line is a joke. Recording and editing professional audio is not within its designed abilities.

Google’s idea is based on cloud computing; living exclusively on the Internet, storing all your files and memories God knows where. For now, Aircheck needs a more creative tool. I return to my “old” Windows Vista computer today. For now, it is an upgrade. My kids inherit the CR-48: better than a smartphone, not quite a laptop.

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On the other hand, the Chrome web browser, which I have enjoyed since 2008, continues to be my hands-down favorite; better than Firefox, Opera, Explorer, or Safari.

Stay tuned

©2011 Neal Rhoden, Aircheck blog. All rights reserved.

Chicken Little

Our well known snowstorm of 2011 has past. Most people around here follow the forecast religiously in case a repeat performance any time soon. So far, no severe winter weather is expected. Yesterday, my wife Angie entered a local supermarket in order buy a few items for a soup recipe she recently discovered. On her way inside a (presumably) mentally challenged grocery bagger forcefully grabs and vigorously shakes her cart loudly exclaiming, "You'd better stock up! The ice is coming back!" According to Angie the poor girl truly believes the next snow apocalypse is eminent. It seems my wife gets all the crazies while she's out. Baby, next time a would-be prophet proclaims the sky is falling, shop on.

Stay tuned

Cabin Fever

During all this downtime in Atlanta with all of this snow and ice Aircheck should have more posts. In a word: no. Over the past 4 days this dad has been keeping the kids entertained. They have no desire to go outdoors and enjoy the snow (too many electronic distractions). Today, Angie and I have had enough. The kids are going to make a snowman, like it or not.

Stay tuned.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

We spent the overnight with a broken furnace. Now it is a waiting game for the repairman. I suspect that the heating element is bad. We are in a total electric residence, so there is no pilot  to relight. This news is especially comforting since a huge snowstorm is on its way. It is all good though; The New Orleans Saints are eliminated from the playoffs thanks to the Seahawks  41-36 victory, last night.

Stay tuned

©2011 Neal Rhoden, Aircheck blog. All rights reserved.

Winter Wonderland

Once again, there is snow in our local forecast. A huge snowstorm is headed our way this weekend and will cover most of the state of Georgia. One TV meteorologist compares the possible storm to 1993. The media called that one Storm of the Century. I remember it as a real monster of a blizzard. While I love the white stuff; it's the ice that stops us cold (sorry for the pun.)

Stay tuned.

Pep Me Up

What I miss most about high school is the fun we had every Friday during football season. All four classes, freshmen through seniors, united in a pep rally. The troops all gathered to cheer on the team and jeer our opponents that week. It makes me want the grown-up equivalent. The whole city of Atlanta needs to assemble in an old fashioned pep rally as the Falcons enter the upcoming NFC playoffs: rah, rah, sis boom bah!

Stay tuned

Say it Ain't So, Joe

Heard on ESPN radio today: New England Patriot's quarterback Tom Brady has made 335 consecutive pass attempts without a single interception. An impressive feat, to say the least. What I take issue with is his saying the Pat's QB surpasses (wait for it...) Joe Montana. I threw up a little in my mouth. Montana is my all time favorite athlete, no matter the sport. The commentator made a very strong case for Brady with other compelling stats, and tried to paint this generation as the best ever for any sport, except college Basketball. Bull! I see the San Fransisco 49ers football dynasty of the 80's as the best club to have ever lined up behind a pigskin. Period. Joe Montana's was more than statistics, he was part of the best football team of all time; never again to be equaled. 

Stay tuned.

One Piece at a Time

Long ago Country music icon Johnny Cash sang One Piece at a Time, in which he was a Detroit assembly line worker bent on owning a new Cadillac. The hero of the song obtained a new car by slowly embezzling it, part by part, home in his lunch box. The automobile was assembled in his driveway; a Frankenstein's Monster of Cadillac parts. I often find myself humming the song while thinking of getting rid of oversize items too big to leave for the trash man. A reverse of the famous song, in February 2010, I rid myself of eyesore living room furniture by sawing wood components into little pieces on its way to the curb. I have promised Angie that my 2011 resolution is to shed the junk around here. We were well on our way becoming featured on the TV show Hoarders. Sooner or later the mess was going to take over the house, so we began the offensive, one piece at a time.

Stay tuned.

No Football, No Problem

It is on to the playoffs with home field advantage for the Falcons thanks to their decisive win over Carolina yesterday. I am preparing for football withdrawals for the next two weeks as Atlanta has a one week bye to rest up for the challenging elimination games on the way to the Super Bowl.

Stay tuned.

The Credenza

December in Aircheck we posted a blurb on my Hi-fi project. Small details left unmentioned in the article is that the cabinet is currently being used as a TV stand. The console stands at 30 inches, is 16 inches deep, and about 54 inches long; more than adequate as a make-do entertainment center. And, the main problem with it is the low quality materials it is made of: ply-wood and mystery wood skinned with a rosewood veneer. Frankly, the cabinet is not worth saving. However, it serves as a superb prototype for woodworkers interested in mimicking early 60's style. I have drafted plans for a new credenza/entertainment center based on the hi-fi. It would be a great project. I have yet to work out the internals; but, inspiration is found on certain furniture store websites. Most of the credenzas I have seen are superior to our model in question in terms of materials.

A skilled craftsman could render a cabinet better than mass produced retail offerings, I'm sure. I will donate the console to anyone with a proper wood shop interested in bringing the project to completion. What is learned from this experience is: because it is old furniture does not necessarily mean it is better made.

Stay tuned

Fresh Air

Today marks a new era with this blog; started in March of 2009. Along the way it has gone through numerous changes: layout, title, focus, and now a new home with the domain name www.myaircheckblog.com 

What will not change is its author. Not that I won't change. That is a "given." The new domain name reflects the shift to a more generalized world view Aircheck has adopted. Some time back we dropped the "Gospel" from our name. I feel that implies that this a a weblog about religion. Don't put me in that box, thank you very much. Aircheck is simply my perspective: my testing of the air, so to speak. A view that is topical, opinionated, and reflective. My beliefs are presented from time to time. How can you separate a man from his beliefs? I do promise that one thing will never change: I will keep it real.

Stay tuned

Black Eyed Peas

Happy New Year. So we begin 2011 with a traditional southern feast of collard greens and black eyed peas. Yum. The main course: Italian Chicken (breaking away from tradition a bit.) I am hungry. Dinner will be served shortly, so today’s Aircheck post will sign off for now.

Stay tuned

©2011 Neal Rhoden, Aircheck blog. All rights reserved.