Cost over regular nails? About $15 more for a 2,000 sq ft house … anyone looking to build, should talk to their contractor about using these nails.

it really doesn’t matter, if the house was built before any of the most recent codes changes (Since Hurricane Andrew), it would most likely fail if strong enough winds were present.

But hey, $15 is chump change if your building a new house.

Well thats why I said anyone looking to build. Doesnt help those houses that are already built.

I mean, there really is no ONE solution — hell even making everyones home concrete isnt going to make things 100% safe, you are still going to get damage one way or another. Im not really sure how often roofs get redone down in Florida, but someone looking at getting new plywood/shingles or tiles slapped down might want to look into it. Im sure when re-roof jobs are done theres some mandatory thing as far as bringing parts of it upto current codes, whats an extra $15 for a little extra protection? Can you honestly say the items in your home arent worth it?
screws > nails handsdown.

FUCK nails. WAHHHH it takes longer, boo fucking whoo. Contractor doesn’t like it, fire his ass and hire a new one that doesn’t mind the extra work/money.

I glue and screw almost everything. Except framing of course.
And hell, you want some more protection, try getting the builder to use plywood or OSB on the outside walls of the house before putting the foam board up like they SHOULD.
I hate seeing houses going up in 2 weeks and they just put the damn foam board up over the framing. Then tyvek, then siding. I could throw a rock and go right through the fucking wall of the house.
It adds so much protection, and some rigidity/structual support.

Sorry but anyone buying a house that DOESNT have plywood/OSB over the framing deserves whatever they get for being so dumb

How a lot of contractors operate and a lot of places get built around here, I’d bet a good bit just have foam.

There doesn’t seem to be that much quality in new construction right now. My parents have had three contractors for different work on the house being repaired from Katrina and ALL of them have made major mistakes or done something extremely cheaply. They are also all contractors that were here before the storm. I wonder what kind of work all the out of towners do.

Really? I got tools… will travel

Related posts:

1. Basement Finishing – Questions ......
2. Remember when $500k was a lot for a house? ......
3. anyone done trenchless pipeing? ......

Step 2: Get annoyed with quality of basement finish.

Step 3: Gut it

Step 4: Go from Colorado to Florida for work for 2 weeks. Have a problem with furnace and get whole house to freeze. Have 4 pipes burst and get to come back and fix the problem. Luckily my house didn’t flood. In these pics, you can see where the piping originally ran along the front edge of the house where it can get freeze the easiest. Since it burst there anyways, I rerouted the piping straight into the middle of the house then over to the center so there was minimum piping along the front.

Step 5: Finish gutting everything and start laying out new walls. I got enough steel to get me started. Hopefully I can get some walls up by tomorrow.

spoken like a true coke addict
Is that one of those "as seen on TV ladders"? I forget the exact name of it.
hell no it’s not a "little giant" or whatever they call it…those are like $400. This is a Werner, and it was like $200 at Lowe’s. Should come in really handy when I start working by the stairs.
Why metal studs? Are they code for residential in your area?
I’m doing all the work myself and I find metal studs much easier to work with. The basement walls here have to be floating, so with a wood wall you assemble the whole thing then lift it up to secure it to the joists. With a steel wall, you just hang the upper track and put each stud in place. Also, there’s no sawdust. Another benefit is that they won’t warp or bend. That’s a big problem in CO with the dry weather.
You can always build wooden walls in place too… but I guess I’ve heard some guys like steel. I’ve never messed with it myself. Are you using a Hilta Gun to shoot the footers into the ground?
you can also easily work with metal studs with tin snips and no saw at all really. But they suck ass when hanging dryall on it. My friend is building a house and using metal studs. I have stripped more screws than screws that I have actually gone in correctly. I suck at teh drywall

so what are teh plans for this room?
I will be using a hilti gun for setting the slip tracks (footers). For building wood walls in place, you’d toenail them in, which looks sloppy to me. Also isn’t easy when floating the wall.

I didn’t have any trouble at all with hanging drywall on it. I used a Senco screw gun for most of it. Just keep in mind the screws for drywall on metal have a finer thread pitch than the screws for drywall on wood.

The only plans I have thus far are to make what was one huge bedroom into two and build a custom tile shower in the bathroom.
oh, I ripped out the remainder of the drywall that was in the far area. I was going to leave it up, but the wiring was such a mess that I was going to have to rip out half of it to figure out what was done before. In just that area, there were two areas where splices were made in the ceiling with no access. There was no clear layout for it, so I get to rewire the whole basement.
in for updates.. you got your work cut out for ya! looks good

Building floating walls in place is pretty hard to do. Much easier to secure the bottom plate, build the wall, raise it, shim the wall (middle plate) on the bottom plate, drive a few spikes into the bottom plate, secure the top plate….remove shims. You essentially have an upside down wall (double bottom plate) but you can do it reverse and leave the gap (for movement) at the top.

Project looks good. I need to post a few pics of the mini bar I did…Im all out of projects now
Permits shmermits.

Seems like you would lay out your footer, hilti gun it in place, lay out your header, nail it in place, and then toe-nail your studs in place. It won’t look sloppy… inside of a wall. Or build your wall flat on the ground and then lift it up in place and secure it.

What about your deal makes either of those options hard? Just curious.

That’s easy japanesey…but in Colorado (and where I live in Canada) basement walls must be floating to allow movement. Usually up to 3/4 to an 1", but it might be more in CO. Because of frost/moisture the basement slab can move up and down and the wall must move with it.

Wait… so where IS the wall attached?

Well it depends where you float it from. If you float it from the bottom, your bottom plate of the wall will have a gap between the bottom plate on the floor. Most people will drill a few holes, every second stud bay or so, and drive in a 4" ardock spike. So the wall is secure, but it can still move up and down on the spike.

With the steel studs, I think he will end up just having the studs sit in the bottom track. So they can move up an down, and once the drywall is on, won’t be able to move side to side. (although I think with metal studs there are usually suports running horizontally keeping the studs on centers anyway)
I left my camera at my parents’ house, but I’ll take pics later. First the slip tracks (footers) are layed out. Then the track will be attached to the ceiling above the slip track. Then studs are put in place using two screws to attach to the top track and one on the bottom. When all is done, drywall is hung horizontally, covering the top of the wall first. When the first panel is hung, the screws are removed from the slip track (footer) so the wall can float.

Probly confusing, but I’ll have something to show later.
Here you can see the process of putting up a wall with steel. I worked from the top down on this one since it had to be centered on the beam. Other walls I’ll lay out the floor and then the top track.

1: Attach top track to steel beam with clamps:

2: Attach top track to beam with screws:

3: Hang stud with clamp and screw other side:

4: Use level to get studs vertical and set base (my base isn’t set because there’s going to be a closet opening there and i didn’t measure for it yet). You can see that I cut the stud 1.5" short of the ground so that it can be attached temporarily to the slip track, then will float later.

Other:

I have a problem with the floor shaking when walking on it due to the joists being at 24" OC. I put some bracing up and have noticed a huge improvement with just the few that are in. I’ll be doing this to most of the joists later.

When I originally viewed this thread I thought the first pic was of a detached garage and didn’t notice the rest of the house.

Landscaping should be another fun project.
I’ll get to the landscaping last…when it warms up in the Spring
Looks good. Just as thought it would be done.

Are you going to drywall the ceiling? Get those wires into a junction box (if its going to be permanent).
So you have a gap at the bottom of the wall that you cover with trim?
I don’t want to sound like an ass – but are you aware of the special wire that needs to be used for electrical when using steel studded walls?

I’ll hang drywall to 1.5" off the ground, then that gap is covered with the trim.

I use standard 14/2 NM-B wire. I Just use a bushing to go through the studs, and there’s no problem.

Lookin’ good Bryan. I’m sure the satisfaction is well worth the effort put into it. You’re doing construction like I like to do it, fast and well thought out.

Good job!
Why are there visible, horizontal studs against the walls?

Oh, and I know it costs more, but if a 2×4 brace helps the floor shaking alot, then a 2×10/12 will help alot more.
the studs against the wall are furring strips…Instead of framing in with studs, the previous person simply attached 2×4′s to the foundation. In the other room, it was done with 1×1′s.

I’d do it with 2x10s everywhere, but I don’t care that much…and I have a huge pile of 2x4s from what I ripped down.

When I’m done with all the work, I’ll be buying another house and renting this one out.
Got a little more done:

The area under the stairs is going to be finished and accessible from the back of the bedroom closet.

Finally got the layout drawn, so tomorrow morning I’ll draw in the wiring diagram and go pull the permits.

Unfortunately I haven’t gotten too much done lately, just spent the last week in Puerto Rico for work. The framing is about 75% done. Hopefully I’ll have a chance soon to get a new driver’s license so I can pull the permit. I either have to be a contractor, or this has to be my permanent address in order for me to get the permit.

damn, resurrected from the dead. I’ll post some pics soon.

Related posts:

1. major garage reno. lots of pics ......
2. Load Bearing Wall? ......
3. home reno project – tiling ......

Few questions:

1. For anyone in the Twin Cities areas, what are thoughts regarding house pricing and where it will go in the next year or two. Southern metro area in general, Eagan, Apple Valley, Rosemount, and Plymouth/Minnetonka area as well. I don’t think we’ve seen the bubble as badly as Florida, California, etc., and won’t be upset if I don’t get great appreciation in the first few years, but don’t want to buy something that’s worth 30% less in the next year.

2. How the hell do you find contractors, etc. at reasonable prices? We need to fix up a lot of stuff to sell our current place. Nothing absolutely terrible, but things like new carpeting, hardwood refinishing, etc. Don’t ask me to do it myself, or I will accidentally nailgun my eye. I’m that bad with tools. Everytime I pick some names from the phonebook, I get quotes that even I am smart enough to know are outrageous (I’m also very bad at knowing when contractors are screwing me, etc.). Everyone says find good guys by referrals, but all my friends say, "I dunno, I haven’t been able to find one either."

Other advice is welcome.
I predict that the housing slump is not over yet….prices will continue to decline for another year or two, and lots of foreclosures will happen due to the 5/1, 7/1 ARMs getting jacked up rates.

Also, rising interest rates I predict will stifle new home purchases and force more people into renting.

Anyways, I am a current Saint Paul renter looking to buy in the next 5 years & am going to wait this slump out a bit before buying…

When you have a contractor come do an estimate, have multiple come out at the same time so that they know you are shopping around and will give you their bottom dollar bid.

Related posts:

1. Buying a home in a small town? ......
2. Home Warranty ......
3. Help buying mattress ......

Has anyone done it? Input? Thoughts?
we just put abunch in our garden out front and it looks great

Pics?

Tips?

Ill take some pics later today when we finish it
set a level line around the perimeter of the area, dig down 4" for a crushed concrete or crushed stone base, another 1/2" for sand and the thickness of your stone.

install 4" of your base material (the crushed concrete or stone) rough level it with a rake then tamp it down. then spread some sand to help you level the pieces and then lay out your stones, dont bother leveling until you get them in the way you want. Once you have the pattern you want level the peices with each other and then sweep in stone screenings, bonding sand or just plain sand to lock the stones in. Then if desired pour milk on them to promote moss growth.

something small we did last year (and yes I had to cut that stone to get the moon shape)

Nice. Do you find the sand washes out at all, between the stone?

I’m in Florida – LOADS of rain. Daily..
not if you use bonding sand or they may call it stabilizer sand. google polymetric bonding sand.

it looks fantastic. and you make it sound easier than it probably is. how far in the hole did it set you back?

didnt cost me anything, thats at a job I did so I made money on it

If that’s directed to me, the answer is no.
I used blue dust as the base with sand on top for slate patio and brick walkway. It’s a bit finer than other materials but it packs down real nice and gives you a solid base under the sand. Just be sure to pack it down real good. Most nurseries have it.

If this is going to be against a house or other structure you will want to be sure to use a level and leave a very slight slant away from the house to prevent water from pooling against the house. In general it’s a good idea to do this wherever you build it.

yeah about an inch pitch per every ten feet is good for paved surfaces.
It’s not hard.

Use mortar though..

The one in the picture is pretty shitty looking.

You don’t need a saw for that stone, just a Rock hammer.

1- if you want to use motar in the joints its going to crack unless you set the stones on concrete (which is not a DIY type of job) not to mention the mess an amature trying to joint stone will make.

2-he’s trying to make it look natural and nothing looks more natural than flagstone jointed with motor.

3-show some pics of your work. I did that area with stones that were on the job and had about 2 left over not to mention thats a tight fucking space to try and lay something out and trying to keep the shape of the gazeebo.

Oh you used what was onsite… ok.

Yes I know it would crack, but I figured he would lay a foundation underneath.

I just went by the first sentence " I want to install a flagstone patio. "

I wouldn’t know which pics to take… my company does residential / commercial masonry… and we probably do about 350-400 flagstone patio’s a year on some of the custom contracts we have.

I’ll see where we have done some and get some pics…

Related posts:

1. Paving stones help ......
2. does anyone have silestone countertops? ......
3. Paint Help :wtc: ......

All bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon whiskey is legally considered a "distinctive product of the United States," and no other country has the authority to call their whiskey products bourbon. Even though bourbon can be produced anywhere, for a bourbon to be classified as Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, it must have been distilled and aged in Kentucky for a period of at least one year and then continue to be aged for at least one additional year.

Another requirement to be able to classify whiskey as a "bourbon whiskey" is that it be AT LEAST 51% corn. The other major ingredients are rye, wheat, and barley malt. The "recipe" for bourbon is called a mash bill and differs per distiller. Bourbons made with wheat as the primary (after corn of course) ingredient are referred to as "wheaters." These tend to be less spicy and have less bite than bourbons consisting primarily of rye. An example of a wheater is Maker’s Mark and an example of a (well known) rye is Wild Turkey.

Bourbon must be aged in new, charred American white oak barrels at not more than 125 proof. Also, NO colorings or flavorings can be added. Only distilled water may be added to the bourbon before bottling to achieve the proper bottling proof, which must be at least 80. Distillers of non-bourbon whiskey are allowed to add colorings, flavorings, etc to the barrel during the aging process. Bourbon is actually the most pure of the whiskies so you can’t call it rot gut ya bastards ya!

Bourbon is an American whiskey, and as such is made under strict federal guidelines. Canadian whiskey, for example, is generally considered "easier" to drink than bourbon. This is because it is almost never over 80 proof and it is a blend of several different whiskies. For this reason, products such as Crown Royal have been marketed as premium because of their "smoothness." This is really because they do not have nearly as much flavor as bourbon and are not as satisfying. However they go down easier (for lack of a better term).

There is much more to the wonderful world of bourbon but I would like yous to ask me in person if you have questions or comments. If you want recommendations of wheaters or rye-based bourbons to try please ask! Thank you and good day.
Awesome. Glad to see another bourbon fan. Damn scotch drinkers……
For a rye based bourbon I would recommend Buffalo Trace. It is normally around $20-$23 a bottle and WELL worth it. For a wheater I would say W.L. Weller 12 year old (also around the same price). These are great to start with and will most likely make people want to try other bourbons!
I’m a huge wild turkey 101 drinker, would buffalo trace rock my socks?
WT101 has a bigger flavor than Buffalo Trace. I consider 101 to be a real "man’s" bourbon. I recommended Buffalo Trace as a more entry level type of bourbon. If you’re used to 101 you may find BT "weak." It is still great though and worth the money!
I like Knob Creek but lots of bourbon snobs don’t since you can get it anywhere. In Chicagoland it’s at every major supermarket. It’s very easy to drink and a great one to give to people thinking about starting up a bourbon hobby. It gets them in to bourbon gently. It has hints of licorice and maple.

I think lots of the super bourbon lover-dudes don’t like it not because there’s anything wrong with it, but because in their minds there’s nothing special about it either.

It is delicious, no doubt. However someone just getting in to bourbon would most likely want to avoind starting with WT101 because of it’s bolder flavor.
I’m still not quite sure I understand the difference between Bourbon and Whiskey.

I get what you mean by saying all Bourbon is a whiskey, but not all whiskey is a bourbon. Kinda like all Protestants are Christian, but not all christians are protestants.

So does that mean, the base spirits would just be Vodka, Rum, Tequila, Gin, and Whiskey? (or is it bourbon?)

Sorry this has confused me for many years now.
What the fuck? You named ONE good bourbon there (Knob Creek). Try these out if you’re seriously interested in trying good bourbons:

Evan Williams Single Barrel (ONLY the Single Barrel)
Eagle Rare 10 year Single Barrel
Blanton’s
Pappy van Winkle (any age)

Hi there. Sorry for the slow response. Much of the difference between Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey and non-bourbon whiskey (e.g. Jack Daniels) is how/where it’s made. The differencees also influence the taste therefore setting it apart from other whiskies such as Canadian & Scotch. I hope this helps in some tiny way!

My idea was to ease non-bourbon people in to bourbon. I took in to consideration price, ease of drinking, and availablility. If you think Buffalo Trace isn’t one of the good bourbons, I just don’t know what to tell ya, guy! It’s outstanding and for just over $20 per bottle it holds it’s own against everything you mentioned above. I agree that the ones you mentioned are good (although I never really warmed to Eagle Rare 10), but to say Knob Creek is the only good one is misleading.

BLASPHEMY!

Southern Comfort is FAR from bourbon! Hunt down whoever told you that and kill them execution style STAT!

Seriously though there’s LOTS of misinformation out there about bourbon. That’s why I had to create this thread.
ok thanks man. what would you classify soco as? i love it, its got a nice flavor and bite IMO. got any suggestions that have a simular attributes that soco might have?
I don’t know exactly how SoCo is classified. Liquer maybe? I do know there are several iterations of it and that it ranges in proof strength. Because flavoring and other things are added to SoCo there really isn’t a bourbon that is similar. No bourbon will be nearly as sweet. Maybe try a cocktail made with bourbon to see if you like that? A Manhattan perhaps?

I believe it is a liquer. IIRC, it originally came about by blending bourbon/whiskey with peach schnapps. They just bottled the concoction and made it a brand name.
ill get ahold of some bourbon mentioned in this thread. i dont usually like mixed drinks, except like soco and dr pepper or so co and orange juice. i usually just drink it on the rocks.

whoa nigga.. i’m a bourbon drinker but scotch is the fucking shit

buffalo trace is pretty decent for the money

Jim Murray, pretty much the authority on whisky/whiskey rates some lower priced ones pretty high (Check out the whiskey bible by him).. those include:

elijah craig 12 year
evan williams 12 year
buffalo trace

among others

he has a review for a japanese whiskey that’s funny as shit

werd

"If I see Southern Comfort listed as a bourbon one more time I can’t be responsible for what I might do"

Jim Murray

Vodka
Gin
Tequila
Whisky/Whiskey
Rum
Brandy/Cognac
Cordials/Liqueurs

Those are your 7 major types of spirits

There are many types of whiskies.. scotch whisky, canadian whisky, irish whiskey, and american whiskey being your 4 biggest

American Whiskey can be broken down into 3 main segments.. well maybe not main.. but hang with me:

Blended Whiskey .. similar to Canadian, it can be a blend of different whiskies, aging, etc.. not a lot controlling that

Bourbon: read guidelines set earlier

Tennessee Whiskey: there are 2 distilleries in Tenn.. Jack Daniels & George Dickel.. the biggest difference between Tenn and Bourbon, well 2.. Tennessee Whiskey has to consist of at least 51% of any single grain (doesn’t have to be corn like bourbon) and it goes through a charcoal filtering after distillation

So under whisky/whiskey you have your different types of whiskies.. and typically sub-categories of each

Good choices.. I like some Eagle Rare SB..
Fawk, I’m thirsty now and it’s way too early to be drinking bourbon!

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

Truth!
no mention of makers mark. i find it a bit more smooth than knob creek. opinions?
Makers Mark isn’t worth the premium price IMHO. It’s marketed extremely well (probably the best of any bourbon) and is the top shelf bourbon choice at just about all supermarkets. I don’t hate it yet I’ll buy almost anything before I buy Maker’s Mark for what it costs.

The reason it tastes so "smooth" is because it’s what they call a "wheater." The main ingredient (after corn of course) is wheat instead of rye. Rye tends to make bourbons more spicy and have more of a bite (Wild Turley). Many wheaters are known for their smoothness or drinkability.
makers and knob creek are about equally priced here, but i see what you are saying.

i love their marketing

Too mellow for my tastes.. and too expensive to be a mixer bourbon

Agreed. I prefer the rye based bourbons to wheaters such as Maker’s Mark. However, most people think they like bourbon if they like Maker’s because it’s so mellow (hence the wide appeal). Yes, it’s real bourbon but it’s pretty low on flavor as bourbons go.
Oh and I bought a fresh bottle of Buffalo Trace on Monday for $17.99 @ Binny’s. I’m still surprised how excellent this bourbon is and how cheaply attainable! GET IT TODAY!
The Buffalo Trace sipping yesterday went marvelously. Also had some Jim Beam Black today. Much different than the white label. Good stuff if you get a chance.

The Black Label is sort of like a late model Camaro SS. Obnoxious, loud, fun as hell, and goddamn does it ever get the job done.

BTW, whoever tried to break down American whiskies didn’t do a very good job. Tennessee whiskey shouldn’t be on there – the only reason it could be considered is because one of the top selling whiskies in the world is one (Jack Daniel’s). The sad part is that JD is one of only two Tennessee whiskies, the other being Dickel.

I’d replace Tennessee with Rye – which truly does differentiate from bourbon and blended alike.

why not? where does it go then?

so, the whiskys are scotch, canadian, rye, and irish?

Scotch, Irish, Bourbon, Rye, and Canadian blended are the typical examples of legally defined whiskies. Tennessee whiskey is not strictly defined – it’s a marketing label, to the point where the only thing that makes JD a "Tennessee Whiskey" is that it’s made in TN, and that it calls itself such.

And you could EASILY make a case for Soju, Sochu and the like to also be classified as whiskies.

You’re always right in alcohol threads, nevermind that we broke it down in different ways

Tennessee whiskey is on there because of the production method and I already stated that there are only two distillers

rye is still a bourbon and rye is in many bourbons, not always straight, but yeah.. you don’t see a lot of ryes… jim beam rye (yellow label), old overholt, etc

and the charcoal filtering

you could make a case, but many of the type are watered and sugared down ethanol.. and not all are aged in wooden casks/barrels, or at all, which is pretty much a staple for any whisky/whiskey around the world

it would depend on the grain liquor itself

Uncorrect.

If you wanna try a great rye try the bottled in bond 100 proof Rittenhouse. Great stuff. Don’t let the cheap price trick you.

I’ve heard that, unfortunately, we don’t get that in TX, as far as I can tell

I respectfully disagree.

Tennessee whiskey, if not for the charcoal filtering (and the fact that both JD and Dickel have made it a point to differentiate themselves from bourbon as a marketing ploy), is essentially bourbon.

Bourbon, by law, is 51% or more corn. Rye, by law, is 51% or more rye. The base grain is what differentiates the two, more than anything else. Rye is not bourbon, and bourbon is not rye, it’s a legal distinction.

If you REALLY want to try a bottle perhaps we could work something out? Me buy a bottle and ship it? It’s really easy to get up here. OT is family OMFGhey!
Anyone here try any of the Four Roses bourbons? It’s only been available in Kentucky (in the US) for many years but they’re branching out to NYC next month. From what I gather the yellow label isn’t anything spectacular but the single barrel and small batch are quite good. I really wanna try all iterations.
I love Evan Williams Single Barrel…. You simply can’t beat it for the price.

I fucked up on the rye thing yeah.. I don’t know why I put it from 2 diff theories within the same thread

boubon can contain rye though

and the tenn whiskey thing, already said that
I may be getting my hands on some Four Roses in a coupla weeks! A co-worker is driving to Florida and passing through Kentucky. I asked him if there was any way he could visit a liquor store. He said he’d do what he could
While biding my time waiting for the Four Roses I bought a bottle of Fighting COCK 103 proof today. Doesn’t have nearly as much flavor as I’d expect for a 103 proofer but it doesn’t suck. I think it’ll be good for Manhattans. High rye content and high proof. I give it a C+. Nothing special but not shit.
I like Woodford Reserve.

I’ve also had the original Weller and the 12 year old Weller,…I would say Woodford is quite a bit better.

But I’m a Glenlivet man at heart.
I’ve been going through my bottle of Knob Creek quite nicely lately, it seems to be growing on me.

How do you usually drink your bourbon?

p.s. This is the first bourbon i’ve tried and it sat nearly untouched for almost 2 months after my initial taste.

I normally drink it "neat" (no ice or water) but occasionally I slam a bottle in to the freezer for a bit and then pour.

Yeah thats what I had been doing, as well. Apparently knob creek has a bunch of recipes on their website but I’m not sure if i would be down for any of those.

edit: Although I might use their eggnog recipe when winter comes around.

I actually did that this past winter! It was OK. Not like the store bought super sweet eggnog most peeps are used to. Manhattans are good for a mixed drink with bourbon.

I’ll still give it a try.
home made manhattans are yummy..

also good (i know, not purist!) is makers mark (or knob creek) with ginger ale, over crushed ice with lime..

Highballs are great and I agree, lime goes well with bourbon. Doesn’t matter if it’s not a purist drink, drink what you like!

I usually just drink it straight or on the rocks, depending on the bourbon. But I LOVE Manhattans!

Something about the vermouth and bourbon goes so good together.
Fuck I love Manhattans – they do me right I’ve been using orange bitters in my manhattans lately, and experimenting with Perfect Manhattans and multiple brands of bitters.
enjoyed a nice 15YO macallan the other night… mmm.
still have a thing for makers mark though, no other seems to have that smoothness.

I never could get used to Scotch. Dunno why

If you like Maker’s Mark please try WL Weller 12 Year Old. It’s very good, probably about the same price as Maker’s, and I think better (although I’m not a big fan of MM).

finally got a bottle of wl weller old weller 107. only thing i could find. its not bad. nice smell to it, more oak than MM, but not quite as smooth. there is just something about MM that makes it soft on the palate. id probably put this at number 2 though, above knob creek and woodford. also tried some woodford. pretty good, but just lacking in all areas. had a bit of oak, but not enough. no tannin effect to it, and with ice, it watered down too much.

finally, not a bourbon, but tried some 12yo glenmorangie. very complex, but not my cup of tea. ill stick to bourbon. lol

Tannins? You’re not likely to find tannins in bourbon…

If you want a definitively GREAT bourbon, pick up a bottle of Blanton’s.

actually, if its aged in wood (isnt that a requirement of a bourbon?) then it can have tannins. all barrels used for storage of alcohols use wood that contains tannins. either way, i was using it as a taste quality – slightly astringent.

it has to be in new charred white oak barrels.. white oak is pretty low in tannins as compared to other woods used for barrel aging, but they’re not void from the bourbon either

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My signature dishes are usually fish with some sort of homemade salsa. Last night I made a variation that ended up being really good so here goes.

*Apologies for the picture quality, my camera broke recently so I am forced to use my phone. But you will get the idea.

Fish Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa.

To start off, we have to make the salsa. This is kind of a bitch due to all of the chopping. But if you are quick with a knife or have a helper, its a breeze. Crank the stereo and get started.

First off peel and get the meat of the mangos off. I am still figuring out the best way to do this. Any advice? Dice them up into small pieces. Toss them into a large bowl.

Do the same with the avocados. If you don’t know how to properly work an avacado, give it a quick google search.

Somethings not right….a yes…a little RGB will help with all of this chopping. Make it nice and milky now

Now that you are nice and focused…back to the chopping.

Dice up half of a large red onion. Mix it in with the avocado and mango in the bowl. Save the other half. Should look sorta like this by now…

Depending on how much heat you want, finely dice up a Jalape?o like so and toss it into the bowl.

Zest your two limes into the bowl

Add the juice of one of the limes but save the other one. Add in one good sized clove of garlic chopped finely, a big pinch of kosher salt, some ground black pepper, a couple of shakes of olive oil, and a handful of chopped cilantro.

Mix it all together and it should look pretty damn good. This salsa is great for anything. Have some black bean chips handy to dip while you cook the rest of the meal.

You can also use tomatoes instead of avocado, or both for all I care. Ive used the tomatoes before and it came out great as well.

Set the salsa aside and let whoever is with you feast on it while you start the rest of the meal.

Lets prepare the fish. You can cook the fish a number of different ways. I find some sort of spicy seasoning is great with the cool salsa. For this one, I just laid out the fish in a baking pan (foil for easy cleanup, olive oil coated on the foil). Season BOTH sides of the fish with a lot of kosher salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and squeeze that left over lime on them.

Another variation is to blacken the fish. Try that next time.
Let those chill while you cook some other shit…

Take the other half of that red onion and chop it into strips like so..

Do the same with the yellow and orange peppers. Why yellow and orange? Because fuck green and red thats why. I think the yellows and in particular orange taste way better and the others are over done because they are cheap. Sure they have their place, especially fire roasted reds, but pay the extra buck for these and you will be pleased.

Now is when you have to start organizing the timing of everything. I find most people struggle with this, just give it all some thought and things will get done in order.

I started making my black beans here. Use good dried black beans and follow the directions to soak and whatnot. When cooking them, I thrown in a bunch of cilantro and Cavenders seasoning.

here is what Cavenders looks like. Pick some up, it goes well on anything.

Have your beans simmering and start your rice. I like brown rice. It has more fiber and other crap they say is good for you, so why argue. I use the quick kind in the bag…because it pretty much tastes the same and its friggin rice so who cares. Once the rice gets to boiling, you have 10 minutes to finish everything. No sweat.

Throw your fish into the middle rack of the oven and put it on high broil.

Have a large pan heated up to medium-high and shake in some olive oil. Start to saut?e up your onion/pepper strips. Make sure to add plenty of salt and pepper.

Heat another pan up to high and start toasting your tortillas. Should only take about a minute per side to get a nice crusty texture.

Here we have the stove top. From top right going clockwise we have the rice, tortillas cooking, the onion/peppers grilling up, and the beans simmering.

While all of that is working, chop up a bit of cabbage to top your tacos. Cabbage works well with all of these ingredients and its different from your standard lettuce. As you can see, I saved a bit of the cilantro to top off the tacos as well. Ive been finding a lot of cilantro haters lately, but fuck’em because I love it.

(I am kind of messy, but who cares)

After about 8 minutes your fish should be nice and golden on top and should flake easily with a fork. Pull’em out.

Drain your rice and turn the heat down on all of the burners. The onion/peppers should be nice and grilled up to your taste, I like a bit of caramelization on them and a semi-soft texture.
Lets prepare the tacos!

Chop up some of the fish with a spatula and layer it on the bottom of two of the toated tortillas.

Toss on some of the grilled onion/pepper mix.

Get a good few spoons of the salsa on there

Add some of the cabbage and cilantro. Good to go!

Eat with a bowl of the rice and beans on the side. I like to pour a bunch of Lizano sauce on the beans and rice. Lizano is like ketchup in Costa Rica, you put it on everything and it is delish. Its a mild chipotle sauce that you can find in most specialty salsa places.

Here is the spread. Starting from top left going clockwise is the salsa, the Lizano sauce bottle for your reference, the tacos, and the beans/rice.

Eat up and enjoy! Christmas time Florida style.

For desert, I fried up some plantains. Goes great with it all.

It looks like a big pain, and you need a bit of skill to get it done, but its nothing you cant figure out. Shit is delicious I wouldnt lie to you.

Shopping List:
-1.5 pounds firm white fish (I used Tilapia)
-1 bunch of Cilantro
-1 Jalapeno
-2 ripe Mangos
-2 Avocados
-1 large red onion
-1 orange pepper
-1 yellow pepper
-1 clove garlic
-2 limes
-1 head cabbage
-Whole Wheat Tortillas
-some instant brown rice
-black beans
-kosher salt, pepper, Cavender’s seasoning
My signature dish is Thai curry. I have a habit of tasting amazing ethnic dishes at restaurants and such and wanting to replicate the same flavors. So I go out and get all the authentic ingredients-fortunately I live in LA so finding Thai and Asian markets is rather easy. I’ve refined my curry over the years and I’ve gotten really great reviews on it from some of our Asian friends who grew up on these dishes.

Another dish I love to prepare is Korean short ribs or Bulkogi/kalbi/galbi depending on who you ask. Hawaiian fastfood joints sell a signature beef shortrib that is almost identical in taste. The secret is in the sauce and the cut of meat. Once you get the sauce right, this dish is an easy favorite. I always keep a vat of the sauce ready in my fridge because it keeps really well and its always on hand when I need it.

Korean short ribs or Bulkogi/kalbi/galbi
1 cup soy-I use reduced sodium soy sauce
1 cup sugar-Its a lot but it really does make the sauce
1-2Tbsp seseme oil
1-2Tbsp honey
1-2Tbsp rice vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have on hand)
1tsp red pepper flakes (if you have those little fiery Thai red peppers fresh, mince those instead)
equal parts minced fresh garlic and fresh ginger to make about 1 rounded tsp of each

Mix it all together and make sure the sugars are desolved. You can nuke it in the microwave for about a minute to make sure the sugar is desolved and the peppers sweat into the sauce a bit.

I put all the ribs in a ziploc and pour enough sauce for everything to be nicely coated and then I let them marinate in the fridge for about 2 days. The vinegar, helps tenderize the meat so the longer you allow it to be in the juices the better. You can either grill or broil the ribs and serve with a side of the sauce for dipping.

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I worked 11 hours this week! Ok that?s the most I?ve ever worked there. I got $79 for this week though. But every time I get tips there all in 1?s. I have $27 of all one?s now. I made $7.50 an hour tonight though. I have to work tomorrow again and next Saturday. I took Proms and Florida off tonight. Looks like Barry is not going to have many hostesses left on the 18th, 4 of the 5 hostesses took that night off and he usually has 3 on Saturday nights. Oh well for him.

Doug went to the florist today. He got a pink rose for him and 2 pink roses and a white carnation hand thingy for me. It?s the same for is Prom but in purple.

Oh my god, I woke up this morning at about 7 and everything was moving. My whole bed was shaking. Well it was a 5.1 earthquake. The epicenter was 15 miles southwest of Plattsburgh.

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Dee got the job at Cumberland Farms. She started tonight and works Saturday and Sunday. Oh no “I won’t get to see my boyfriend all weekend.” That still pisses me off though. Well I got something on her, I probably make more, and I take it she’s in the $5 range for a first job and at that place.

I got the phone bill today. Calling Doug is a local call , that means I can call him whenever I want now. But what I think is weird is that I can call down the road 5 minutes to C&R and be charged for long distance, but then call Doug 45 minutes away and have it be a local call. But it’s a long distance call for him to call me but not C&R.

I have to get up early tomorrow and clean the house. Then we are going to the mall to Liberty Travel to pay for our Florida trip.

Eric found a date for the Prom; I guess he?s going with one of his friend’s friends that he hasn’t met before. Now our limo is full. J We are all meeting at Doug?s house between 5:30-6. I called for my hair appointment today, May 4th, 2:00 PM.

People who try get less, people who don’t get more.

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