Acronym Update 03-24-08

Dear Acronym Readers,

Yesterday was one of the most wonderful Easters that I can remember. My daughter and I were thrilled to see such a large number of people at church. Many were from out of town visiting their families or simply attending or the first time. I think that a gathering of 177 is an impressive number for a congregation that is still in its infancy. At the end of our service, our youth group’s Drama Team performed an interpretative dance skit to the song “Stand in the Rain” by Superchick. These teens really brought the song’s lyrics to life.

After arriving home, I began to prepare dinner. Always willing to try new things, I bought a goose at Hall’s Market late last week. Some impressions I have on “Bruce: Our Easter Goose” are,

1) It has a slightly different smell than a turkey as it cooks

2) Virtually all of the meat is dark

3) Adult geese have really large wings….so, in essence, you get 4 very large drumsticks from one bird

4) Geese are rare bird on supermarket shelves, a delicacy, similar to capon. You’ll typically only find them at a meat market or by special order. Expect to pay $6 to $7 a pound. Fortunately, Hall’s was selling this feathered friend at half price. I was forced to decide between Bruce or a rack of lamb. The sale price and the mystique of never having eaten goose meat closed the deal for me. For the record, I’ve eaten bear, elk, ostrich and rabbit during my lifetime.

5) A lot of fat comes off this bird as it cooks, so use a deep oven pan or an electric roaster. If you got talked into buying one of those rotisseries sold by “America’s Inventor” Ron Popeil — that would work also. Use meat ties and make sure your goose is less than 14 pounds, so that it can fit in the rotisserie.

6) I prepared Bruce in an electric roaster made by Rival. Purchased at Sam’s Club for 22.99 prior to Thanksgiving 2006, it was one of the best investments I’ve made in recent memory.

7) I prepared the goose in a marinade of red wine, extra virgin olive oil, honey, and lemon juice. The neck and giblets were discarded. Half of an onion (sliced) was placed in the cavity.

Here is a link to a small photo album (3 photos) from yesterday. Standing next to me in the 3rd picture is my daughter, Diah. She played a very important role in the kitchen yesterday and deserves credit for how well the meal turned out.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kevinbct/EasterDinner2008?authkey=keYFmcQnDqU

Monday, Monday,

Kevin

Acronym Update 03/18/08

Dear Readers,

Today’s Topic:   Legal Loophole

I ventured over to a major supermarket on Friday to redeem some glass soda bottles along with a case of Pellegrino bottles.  I had no problem with the Pellegrino bottles, however the soda bottles were rejected by the recycling machine.   They were clearly  marked for Connecticut (5 – cent redemption), but I soon remembered (as I have encountered before) that stores do not have to accept bottles and cans that they do not sell.

The soda bottles in question were produced by Smucker’s under the Natural Brew label.  Natural Brew ginger ale and root beer are two of the best soda’s I’ve had in a long time.   They are brewed in  a small batch process, similar to  that of a microbrewery in the beer industry.  I feel that if a store accepts bottle returns, especially a large supermarket chain store, they should have to take any bottle or can marked for the particular state where they operate.

If this were made the law, I do not believe retailers would be flooded with an abundance of recyclables that would make their program unmanageable or unprofitable.     I believe the stores  exploiting this loophole in the Connecticut bottle recycling statues are doing so for purely selfish reasons.   They want to force you to buy only the sodas that they carry.

I rarely buy soda at the aforementioned large supermarket (Shaw’s) because they only sell brands that are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.   Whenever possible, I always purchase soft drinks sweetened with REAL SUGAR!!   I can taste the difference and my body knows it too.   Ohhhhhh…..don’t get me going on that high fructose corn syrup…..  I’ll save that for a future Update / newsletter article.

I’d love to know if you’d have similar experiences recycling beverage containers.

Yours truly,

Kevin

Acronym Update 03-11-08

Dear Readers,

Today’s Topic: Recapping Service Sunday

Without getting preachy with anyone, I wanted to share this photo with all of you from my experience volunteering at the Salvation Army in Hartford on Sunday.

My church canceled services this past weekend. What, huh? Yes …. we had NO CHURCH SUNDAY or Service Sunday as some called it. We decided to go out into the community and literally “be the church.” It was a very meaningful experience. Not everyone participated but, about 50 to 60 of us got involved in 7 service projects that sought to better our community.

I led a small team to the S.A. Citadel Corps on Washington Street in Hartford. We served 72 meals for their guests at 3 PM.

I was very thankful for this opportunity and to make contact with Captain Celestin (the pastor) of the Citadel Corps, so that people who aren’t able to volunteer with me during the week at the Hartford Rescue Mission may have an opening to do so on the weekend.

Enjoy the photo (click for full size),

Kevin

Acronym Update 03/08/08

Dear Readers,

Today’s topic: Human Interest

** Before I get to the Update — My Update from about one month ago was dead on about Blu Ray DVD players. Toshiba, the main producer and promoter of the HD-DVD technology, has withdrawn from the next generation DVD market. If you bought one of those $99 HD-DVD players WalMart was selling around Christmas time, it wasn’t a complete loss. Basically, you can think of that purchase decision as buying a DVD player that will up-convert your standard DVD’s to play on your new HD TV in full glory. Standard definition DVD’s will be around for many years to come, so if buying a $400 Sony Blu Ray DVD player isn’t in the cards for you…. a standard DVD player with an up-converting option is a great buy at a typical cost of $50 to 100**

This is a great website and one that will tickle the imaginations of those who wished I would tackle more human interest topics.

http://www.thegoosesmother.com/index.html

This site details the mission and adventures of Nancy Townsend and her husband Alan who travel all around the USA doing performances as Mother and Father Goose. They currently host about 5 large events per year. Nancy and Alan also raise their own pet ducks and geese. They provide very detailed information on how to raise your own domestic duck or goose. Honest truth….. this site thrilled me. I love ducks and would even consider owning one sometime in the future.

Spring forward,

Kevin