Quick Fix for Canon Pixma ip1500

 

Thought I’d share this quick tip for resetting your Canon Pixma ip1500 printer.

Mine occasionally refuses to power up, especially after a power outage, and I’ve found this weird little routine that will fix it:

How To Re-set a Canon Pixma Printer

1. Unplug the power cord.
2. Open front of printer.
3. Hold down the Power button.
4. Plug in printer (still holding down Power button).
5. Close the printer cover (still holding down Power button).
6. Now release the Power button.

Awkward, yes? But effective!

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Creator, Happy Hands Hand Creams for Fiber Artists
Sandia Park, NM

What’s for Dinner"? Emeril’s Boudin with Jambalaya Grits

 

First let me confess that although I love both Cajun & Creole food, I was never all that fond of jambalaya. (I prefer Étouffée.) Guess that means I’d just never had a good recipe for jambalaya?  So I was thrilled to find Emeril Lagasse’s Boudin with Jambalaya Grits recipe on the Food Network site.

Not only did Emeril’s recipe sound quicker than Étouffée, it sounded equally tasty. I’d never thought of making jambalaya with grits instead of rice; I do dearly love grits. And I didn’t mind skipping the roux.

So I made this recipe and we absolutely loved it, but I want to note some caveats, quibbles and modifications here.

1. First of all, it’s going to take most home cooks way more than 30 minutes to get this dish on the table. There’s a lot o’ chopping involved, but also I think there’s a problem with the instructions. If you’ve ever cooked real grits, by which I mean stoneground grits rather than instant grits, you know for darn sure they ain’t gonna cook “tender and creamy” in the 4 to 5 minutes Emeril advises.

He fails to specify “instant” grits in his recipe, but by golly that’s what he means. Shame on him, instant grits are an abomination. If you actually own a box, throw it out or feed it to the dogs. If you can’t find stoneground grits in your local grocery stores – that’s certainly a challenge here in New Mexico – then you can get them online. Trust me, it’s worth the effort.

Once you’ve got real grits, adjust your cooking time in this step to about 25 minutes.

2.  Emeril calls for 1 cup veal reduction. Aw, c’mon! If you seriously want to pursue this, Epicurean.com has a recipe for veal reduction; just add 9 hours to your cooking time.

However, not having a ready supply of veal reduction doesn’t mean you should just skip it. That meaty flavor adds a lot to the finished dish, which I think would otherwise backslide into the bland register. Instead, I substituted a cup of good homemade beef stock, brought it to a boil with the milk, and dropped in 3 or 4 beef bouillon cubes. Perfect.

3. I did try poaching then pan-searing the boudin. I think this was pretty much a waste of time. Since you don’t eat the casing, why sear it? (Unless it’s because it looks so nekkid without a little browning, but do you care, really?) I got equally good results by microwaving the boudin, piercing the casing first to prevent explosions. You can deduct 15 minutes from your cooking time, and have 2 fewer pots to wash.

4. And no, I didn’t bother to make Emeril's ESSENCE “Bayou Blast” Creole Seasoning. Making it from scratch would add another 15 minutes to your prep time.

But you do need Cajun or Creole seasoning of some sort; use whatever you’ve got.

My personal favorite is Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, shown here. And I can even buy this in New Mexico.

5.  And my last quibble: what’s up with the “Spoon the sauce over the sausage and serve” direction? What sauce? Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find any sauce in that recipe. Fortunately, we didn’t miss it.

But hey, it was delicious and I’d certainly make it again, even for company. Thanks, Emeril, this one’s a keeper!

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Creator, Happy Hands Hand Creams for Fiber Artists
Sandia Park, NM

Great American Road Trip, Day 2

We decided to make an easier day today, driving from Salt Lake City only as far as Boise. This gave us time for roadside stops, including Shoshone Falls on the Snake River.

Highlights of the day included lunch at Maddox's in Brigham City and our overnight at The Modern Hotel (www.themodernhotel.com) in Boise - now one of my favorite hotels, ever!

Here are some Day 2 pix:

Great American Road Trip, Day 1

How exciting! I'm spending my birthday driving to Portland, Oregon to attend Sock Summit!

We left Albuquerque yesterday morning, and 14-1/2 (grueling) hours later, arrived in Salt Lake City. Yes, it was a tough drive, but I didn't realize that Utah was so beautiful! We drove up through Blanding, Monticello and the Fishkill National Forest.

Unfortunately, by the time we got to the most beautiful parts, I was too tired to take many pictures. But I did take a lot of windshield shots earlier in the day, during the Gallup -> Four Corners -> Moab portions of the trip.

The wireless internet here at the Salt Lake Days Inn isn't the greatest, but I'll see if I can upload some pix ...

Um, is this a rattlesnake?

Oh dear, never a dull moment up here in the East Mountains. I discovered this snake waiting for me at my back door this morning.

I didn't see it when I stepped out the door – it’s actually lying on the threshold of the full-length window NEXT to the door, thank goodness - but one of my dogs went into a whimpering, curtseying dance at the threshold and refused to go out.

Then I heard the rattle ... a sound I'd never heard before, but made my hair stand on end.

The dogs and I ran away; I came back with the camera.

I assume from the sound that this is a rattlesnake? It was about 2 feet long, but only an inch or so in diameter. I’m guessing from the size that if it’s a rattlesnake, it must be a young one.

The weird thing is, the head isn't as strongly wedge-shaped as other pit vipers I've seen (in Belize, not here). You can see its head better in this closer photo, taken from the safety of indoors:

Soooo … is there another kind of snake in New Mexico that makes a warning rattle? Did I actually hear a rattle, or was it just a hiss? It sounded like a rattle, according to my ancient rat brain.

If it is a juvenile rattlesnake, I’ve just read that they’re considered the most dangerous:

Rattlesnakes are born with fully functioning fangs capable of injecting venom and can regulate the amount of venom they inject when biting. Generally they deliver a full dose of venom to their prey, but may deliver less venom or none at all when biting defensively. A frightened or injured snake may not exercise such control. Young snakes are to be considered more dangerous, as they have less control over the amount of venom they inject. [1] A young rattlesnake will often simply inject all its venom, which might be a lethal dose, depending on the bitten animal.

(1) "Venomous Snakes". National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Topics. Centers for Disease Control.

Aaargh.

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Sandia Park, NM

UPDATE: Thanks to the friendly local folks on the Albuquerque City Data Forum, I now believe that this is NOT a rattlesnake, but a bullsnake, which resembles it.

Bullsnakes are NOT venomous, and I’m told should not be killed as they are of no danger to humans and eat large numbers of rodents.

Bullsnakes may vibrate tail when alarm, which may sound like a rattlesnake, also makes a hissing noise. However, they may from time to time get hit over the head with a hoe for doing too effective a job of acting like a rattlesnake.

I feel better already, especially since I didn’t kill it.

3 Kitties Find New Homes!

I was thrilled to hear that 3 of our 5 foster kitties were adopted at this past weekend’s Animal Humane Adopt-a-thon!

Chubby, Gumdrop and Twinkle Toes have found their forever homes, yay! Thanks so much to the generous people who’ve given them a loving home & secure future.

That means only Buck (male, Animal Humane ID #7198) and Frieda (female, Animal Humane ID #7203) are still waiting for adoption.

Oddly, if I’d been able to pick any of our foster kitties to keep, it would have been these two: Buck for best personality & most playful, and Frieda for her sweet temper & extraordinary good looks.

I think I can understand why Buck might not have been someone’s first choice. He’s a wonderful kitty, but he hates being confined in those display cages.

When we visited him during the Adopt-a-thon, he was yowling and reaching through the bars to snag passers-by. I can see how might have scared off potential new families!

Seriously, once he’s out of the cage he calms down immediately, and returns to his normal fun self. I swear!

But I can’t imagine how Frieda got overlooked! She is the real beauty queen of the bunch, with those wonderful tufted ears & cheeks that make her look like a miniature bobcat.

How could anyone resist this face??

So if you want to make Buck and/or Frieda part of your furry family, please hurry down to rescue them. (We can provide all the baby pictures & video you’d ever want!)

Animal Humane of Albuquerque is located at 615 Virginia Street SE, and their main phone number is 255-5523.

Their Adoptions Department is open 7 days a week from 10:00am-6:00pm (but closed for the lunch hour from 12:00pm-1:00pm). Their website is http://animalhumanenm.org .

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Sandia Park, NM

All 5 Kitties Ready for Adoption!

Well, the big day is finally here. All five of the kitties have reached their 2-pound weight goal, and this afternoon I am taking them back to Animal Humane.

Tomorrow they’ll be spayed or neutered. Then they’ll be ready to go to their new homes by Saturday! They’ll make their first public appearance at this weekend’s Adopt-a-thon, 10:00am Saturday, June 13th thru 4:00pm Sunday, June 14th, at Central and Carlisle in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque.

Here are their mugshots & ID numbers:

 

 Chubby, female, Animal Humane ID # 7200

Shown here with Gumdrop -->.

 

 

 

 

 

  Buck, male, Animal Humane ID # 7198

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Gumdrop, male, Animal Humane ID #7201
What a prankster!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Frieda, female, Animal Humane ID #7203
The beauty queen, with tufted ears.

 

Twinkle Toes, male, Animal Humane ID #7204
The ultimate lap cat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animal Humane of Albuquerque is located at 615 Virginia Street SE, and their main phone number is 255-5523. Their Adoptions Department is open 7 days a week from 10:00am-6:00pm (but closed for the lunch hour from 12:00pm-1:00pm). Their website is http://animalhumanenm.org .

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Sandia Park, NM

P.S. You can find out more about animal fostering, and see the kittens’ baby pictures, in my previous blog post. Links in my blog sidebar will take you to video of us bottle-feeding them when they were tiny. It’s amazing how much they’ve grown since then!