More Cookin

I love Sunday nights. My mom used to make a big deal out of Sunday night supper. So now a days, living on my own, I still like to make a nice home cooked meal on Sunday nights.

Heres one I tried a week ago. Home Made Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes (from Scratch not a box you lazy guys!), Creamed Corn and a Salad. Really? There wasn't a lot of prep involved. This was an easy meal to make.

Heres the meal in progress....



And the finished product......





Probably not the healthiest choice with the Fried Chicken, but a nice home cooked meal really feels good on a Sunday night!

2nd Gen Lexus GS300 Valve Cover Gaskets

Heres another technical post for you car nuts out there. This past weekend, I replaced Valve cover gaskets on my friends 2nd Gen Lexus GS300.

"Gasket(s)?" You ask? On a GS300? Isnt that an inline 6? Why yes, yes it is. But Lexus has separate valve covers. One for Intake Side, and one for the exhaust side. So I went ahead and ordered the gasket set from Oreilly Auto Parts, which carries Fel-Pro.

For this project you'll need:

-Standard set of tools, specifically allen wrenches, 8,10,11, 12 mm sockets, a ratchet
-in-lb torque wrench
-Gasket Set
-RTV Sealant
-Brake Cleaner/Carb Cleaner
-Rags

Here you'll see the view of the intake assembly. The intake tube, throttle body and "Y Pipe" all have to come off, but you have to take each piece off, remembering to mark Vacuum hoses and electrical plugs if you can't remember where they go. Note the water bypass hose. Remember to put the clamp back on when you slide the hose back. The "Air intake chamber" Does not have to be removed to do this job.




Now that you have all that out of the way, you have easy access to both valve covers. You may have to unplug some of the ignition coils or the spark plug wires. BE VERY CAREFUL: these plugs are brittle from heat cycles and could crumble!!

This is also a good time to replace the plugs if you haven't done so in a while. I like NGK or Denso Plugs in Japanese cars.





Remove both valve covers and use the cleaner and a rag to clean the mounting surfaces of the cylinder head, paying attention to the front of the cam where the RTV sealant is.

Next, remove the old valve cover gaskets. This car has 180,000 miles on it, and the gaskets were hard and brittle and were no longer doing their job. Clean the seating area of the valve covers well and if you like, apply a gasket sealant to the inside of the valve cover where the gakset rides, and insert the new gaskets.

Go back to the car and apply some RTV sealant where the cams ride near the timing chain to help promote a good seal. Let this set a few minutes (10-15 in warm weather).

Now, we're ready to put the covers back with the new gaskets. Sit the cover on the cylinder head and replace all the bolts and 2 nuts, finger tightening each one and then using the in-lb torque wrench to snug to 95 in-lb. Start from the center and criss cross the bolts all until snug at 95 in-lb.

Now, throw it all back together. The Y Pipe has two very small vacuum lines and a larger one on the firewall side. Dont forget about them. Reinstall the Throttle body and the coolant line, make sure you put the clamp back.

Now for the intake tube. Plug all the electrical connections back in and you're ready to go!

Start the car and check for leaks.

Believe it or not, I love to cook

It may come to a surprise to some of you readers, but I actually DO enjoy cooking!

Recently I picked up some Pork Chops on sale at HEB. I usually grill the pork chops, but now I have an easy and tasty way to make em!

Preheat oven to 350.

Thaw them out, I let them season with Fajita seasoning for about an hour in the fridge, covered.

Rub with olive oil, then coat with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Then put the chops on top of a 2 layered pan, one with the vents on top, to let the juices run into the lower tray.

Bake 15 minutes on each side at 350. Serve em with whatever you like! Sorry boys and girls, no pictures. I'll take some next time!

Still Learning how to bend...

Okay, so some of you (well most of you) know that I'm in a new relationship. This is the best, healthiest relationship I've ever been in, yet we still have struggles, but I have to say, the challenges that are posed sometimes really bring me very deep insight.

OK guys, I'm not going soft on you here, but I'm really just trying to learn how to do this whole relationship thing. I'm enjoying the challenges at the same time as I'm learning more about this person, I'm learning more about me at the same time. She brings balance to me (aka not work 500 hours a week), and I'm actually enjoying just doing nothing (now and then). Its weird how God works, but this was something that I was joking with a friend of mine about and it ended up turning into something great. I'm still learning how to do this whole relationship thing, and actually COMMUNICATING with her! The good and the bad stuff, and we talk about it! This is amazing stuff because I never was shown this as a kid, so being able to use the tools that I have gained over the years and yield great results is awesome.

This Gary Allan Song was on the radio the other day and I had to laugh, because it's a good description of how things are going, and where I'd like them to go....

I'm still learning how to pray
Trying hard not to stray
Try to see things your way
I'm still learning how to pray
I'm still learning how to trust
It's so hard to open up
And I'd do anything for us
I'm still learning how to trust

Chorus:
I'm still learning how to bend
How to let you in
In a world full of tears
We'll conquer all our fears
I'm still learning how to fly
I wanna take you higher
I'll be there till the end
I'll be your lover and your friend
I'm still learning how to bend

I'm just trying to understand
It's all in someone else's hands
There's always been a bigger plan
But I don't need to understand

Chorus:
I'm still learning how to bend
How to let you in
In a world full of tears
We'll conquer all our fears
I'm still learning how to fly
I wanna take you higher
I'll be there till the end
I'll be your lover and your friend
I'm still learning how to bend

I'll be there till the end
I'll be your lover and your friend
I'm still learning how to bend
I'm still learning how to bend
I'll be there till the end
I'm still learning how to bend

For those who want to hear the song, Heres the Video...

Rebuilding Houston....

Man, After Ike, Houston and Galveston are slowly getting back to normal, but I still see signs all over town.....

Amazes me how Hurricanes make people unable to spell....

Houstons (and possibly the Worlds) Nastiest Apartment!

This is from a Forum that I check out now and then....Man I thought we were messy in college....

This has nothing to do with the Hurricane. We had a resident who had an outstanding balance for over a month and no one could get ahold of her. The Bookkeeper went inside after so many tries to leave a note and this is what we found.

The pictures do NO justice. There is suppose to be 2 cats living here but we cant find them (we think they’re dead somewhere inside the apartment-we contacted the SPCA). The place REEKS to say the least, i gagged non stop.

Why I dont shop at Wal Mart

Howdy All,
Been a while since I posted, been meaning to log in and make a post, just been busy, hurricane and all!

Well, most of you know that I dont like Wal Mart, for many reasons, Most of the stuff there is made in China, the employees just need a pulse to work there, and they squeeze out the local small businessman/woman.

Well, last night I needed some supplies, I was tired, and Super WalMart is closer than the HEB that I usually go to, so I made a quick run to get groceries and some cleaning supplies.

I go to the check out line, where the employee doesn't know ANY of the produce codes, and rings my lettuce up as cabbage, then my Celery as green onions.

When I make large purchases, I pay by check, so I can keep track of it easier than just swiping my Debit card. Back in 2005, when I became very aware of ID theft and cleaning my credit, I started printing my checks with my Initials and Last name, address, and nothing else. No License number, phone number etc, to make it harder for someone to steal my checks and go on a spree.

When she gives me my total, I hand her my check and license. At Wal Mart, when you write a check, they scan it, take your Routing number and account number and do an EFT as your payment and you get your check back. She looks at the check, looks at my license, then at me. "Your name does not match your license." I raise an eyebrow....huh?

"Your drivers license says XXX XXX, but the name on your check is Wells Fargo."

At this point, I'm looking around for Candid Camera's Peter Funt to come out and say "SURPRISE!" but nope. I point out to her my name is on the top of the check.

"Your name is XXX XXX, but your check only says "X. X. XXX".

By this time, the woman behind me is looking at me and looking at the cashier like shes crazy.

I calmly explain, "Those are my initials." She keeps studying the check.

"Your address is 17,600 Katy Freeway, Suite 100?"

Now, at This time I'm losing my cool.

"No, thats the Banks address." My address is below my name up here, and I show her my address, as well as the one on my drivers license. "See? They match."

At this point, she looks at me, like shes getting agitated.

Have you never seen a freakin check before lady? She finally scans my check, it goes through fine and she gives me my reciept.

Once again boys and girls, this is my annual trip to Wal-mart, until I get crazy and decide to go again.