Tool Recommendation - Tools for Life

So I've been wanting to post a blog post about tools, but I haven't found the time. But I wanted to share a recent discovery (yes, regarding power tools) that I think anyone who plans to buy any power tools in the future should know.

I spent the first five or six years after college investing in power tools. Nothing fancy. A drill, router, saws, etc. etc. Unfortunately I was enticed by low prices to buy at them at Harbor Freight. After three or fours years, all of these tools have died. Depressing. I had to buy new tools. (Great for new tools, but not for the wallet....) Now don't get me wrong, Harbor Freight tools are better than nothing. But they don't last. But is it worth it to save and buy more expensive brands? Usually I'd say no, except for two words: "Lifetime Warranty."

                                   

I recently discovered that Ridgid brand power tools bought at Home Depot qualify for what's called a "Lifetime Service Agreement." Which means if it breaks, they fix it. If the battery dies, they replace it. Until you YOU die. Which means that new drill that I bought may be a bit more expensive than Harbor Freight, but it's still cheaper than many other brands and I never have to buy another one. They have drills, routers, sanders, saws, and pretty much everything one might need.

So next time you need to buy a power tool, consider buying the last one you'll ever have to buy. It may be a bit more now, but it'll save you in the long run!

Hot Chocolate

Liz and I love to eat. Part of our love affair with food includes a nightly snack before bed. One of our favorite snacks is hot chocolate. We think it's wonderful so I thought I'd share some tips in case anyone loves hot chocolate like we do!

Pro Tip #1 - What you make it with makes it

(I call it a Pro Tip not because I'm a pro, but because that's what Home Depot calls their tips and putting Pro before Tip makes it sound much more official.)

Back to the tip. What you make hot chocolate with really makes that hot chocolate. As a kid I would warm up water in the microwave (or just pull it tepid from the faucet!), and that worked fine. But when I discovered (much too late in life) making hot chocolate with milk makes things so much better. So replace that water with milk and enjoy! Make sure not to warm it up too long, however, or it develops a strange film.

If you want to step it up one more notch, use evaporated milk. Make the serving smaller, however, because it is RICH! (Not to be confused with sweetened condensed milk, like Liz's brother....)

Pro Tip #2 - Make your own mix

We've discovered that making our own hot chocolate mix makes it much better. It's more natural (store mixes sometimes have weird stuff in them) and it tastes more fresh. Look at the end for the two recipes that Liz and I use.

Pro Tip #3 - Top it and mix it

You can spice things up by adding extras. We always like to add whipped cream. We make our own whipped cream by whipping (duh) heavy whipping cream with a small amount of sugar, using a hand mixer and pre-cooled beaters and bowl.

It gets even better when you add a bit of spice on top of the whipped cream. Cinnamon is always a classic and a safe bet.  Nutmeg adds a spicy (not hot) sweet side. I sometimes like to add a touch of Cayenne Pepper to give it just the tiniest kick (sometimes referred to as Mexican hot chocolate).

You can experiment and discover what you like.

Pro Tip #4 - Tiny cups somehow mean more

I've recently discovered that sipping hot chocolate from a tiny little tea cup makes it even better. Savor every little sip and imagine you're wearing a monocle and discussing British politics.




That's how Liz and I like to do it! I'd love to hear if anyone likes to do it differently or if anyone has favorite desserts they love to eat!

MIKE AND LIZ'S HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPES

Stovetop Hot Chocolate:
2 - 2.5 cups milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1 oz. chocolate, chopped (we often use chocolate chips, because we always have them on hand, but keep in mind that chocolate chips aren't great for melting, because they usually contain anti-clumping ingredients that don't emulsify well (as an aside, the same is true for pre-shredded cheese), so if you have regular chocolate (i.e. baking chocolate - we recommend Ghirardelli 60% cacao), that's ideal)

Heat the  milk over medium heat in a saucepan. Do not let it boil. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. When the milk is heated to your liking, add the cocoa mixture and mix well. Serve with desired toppings and mix-ins. Serves 2-3.


Instant Hot Cocoa Mix
1/2 cup powdered milk, sifted
2-3 cups (to taste) cocoa powder, sifted
3-4 cups (to taste) powdered sugar

Combine ingredients in a bowl with a lid and mix well.  Store in airtight container at room temperature. When ready to make hot chocolate, mix 3-4 Tbsp. (to taste) of powdered mix into 1 cup warm/hot milk.

People Are Starving

In downtown Las Vegas, between the Federal Courthouse and the State Courthouse, there is a courtyard home to leafy trees in the summer and ambient lighting set into park benches; a few palm trees skirt the edge of the park.  There is only street parking around the Courthouses, so I often found myself walking through this park, often at a nice clip to make sure I got to Court on time.  At first, I would notice the homeless, sleeping if it was early, sitting next to their earthly belongings if later in the day, and, if in the dead heat of summer, crouching behind whatever sliver of shade to which they could retreat.  After a while, they became a part of the setting, just another addition to the park.  I forgot that they were people, and I worried more about how I would be able to convince the judge that morning that the bank's foreclosure was legal.

Just before our move to Virginia, I had been really focusing on trying to develop Christlike attributes.  I wish I could say that it was out of a pure desire to be more Christlike, but in reality it was because I wanted direction in my temporal life and felt like I could be a better receptacle for personal inspiration by focusing more on Christ.  Whatever the reason, as I learned more about the Savior and his deep love for me, I began to feel a stronger love toward those around me, even strangers.  I remember one pivotal moment, returning from an oral argument at Court, as I passed by a gentleman asleep on the sidewalk, a crumpled wad of clothes under his head.  Though I could barely see his face poking out from under a tattered blanket, I could sense profound suffering.  My heart groaned and I audibly sighed.  I raised my eyes upward, wondering at the ache I was feeling for the individual despite us being complete strangers.

What made it even more poignant for me, as I walked by with plenty of food in my stomach and a jacket on my back, is that I felt helpless.  He was asleep so I could not offer him money or food.  I felt ashamed and disheartened and lonely, and as I got to my car, I sat and thought about Christ and his empathy for his children here on Earth.  I felt like I had connected somehow on a deeper level with this man, somehow my Spirit had felt his and the matter between us connected for a moment.

Now, tonight I read an article about how 20 million people are starving in the Middle East and East Africa.  And I thought, "How is this possible?"  How is it possible that so many people can't even find enough to eat to sustain themselves.  And my heart broke again at the suffering of humanity.  I searched the article for some "How You Can Help" link to see if there was anything I could do, but there was nothing.  No donate here.  No adopt a starving human being.  And I felt helpless again.  And I felt selfish that I was worrying about the faint smell of smoke in my new car or that I actually had to cook breakfast for the kids because we are out of cold cereal.  And I wished that I would be sensitive enough to suffering more of the time that I would actually work to reach out and help those in such unfortunate circumstances. 

With 20 mn people starving, world faces greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945: UN: Unicef has already warned that 1.4 million children could starve to death this year

Bean Blog Ressurection

Fine. I admit it. I miss the Bean Blog. I miss people sharing fun things and there's much I want to share. And there are some things that are just better shared in a blog post than a text.

As such, I'm resurrecting the Bean Blog. Even if no one reads or comments or contributes (except me), I'm resurrecting it. Hopefully we can get this thing back up and running! Please post whatever you want. I especially liked the suggestions/recommendations posts.

As my first post, I wanted to share a music video I watched a while back but touches me when I watch it. It's a good song but the video is better. Life is tough. For everyone. But no matter what, the tough times will pass!

Love you all!