A goofy thing at work just made me smile, but it probably wouldn't translate. I still smiled, though!!

Awesome:

In his workshop in Mekele, just 120 km from Ethiopia's border with Eritrea, Azmeraw Zeleke is turning burnt-out shells into cylinders used in coffee machines.

"The shells were dropped in Ethiopia during the war with Eritrea. They were dropped so people hid them in their homes and now they sell them," Mr Azmeraw says.

He uses old mortar shells, which stand about one metre high, to make his coffee machines.

He cuts off the pointed ends, seals them and puts holes into the aluminium cylinder. The cylinder channels the water, coffee and milk.

He told me he got the idea nine years ago when he was doing maintenance work.

"I saw some shells being sold for a different purpose and I studied them.

"They were used for washing clothes or crushing things. After studying them I came up with the idea of using them as a cylinder for a coffee machine."

You know how sometimes the sound that wakes you up gets incorporated into the dream you were having?

It was bad enough to be home sick in bed. I did not need to be awakened from a fever dream by someone starting up his chainsaw outside my bedroom window. *&^%$#@!

It did not help that today is the day after Halloween.

It seems work has resumed (after a five week hiatus) on repairing the damage to my upstairs neighbors' balcony. Grumpf. Bad timing all around.

What's the last thing that made you smile?

Loading the NYTimes site and seeing this: [link]

Oh, and Maddy Gaiman dressed up as her dad for Halloween.

Ded.

Oh, and Maddy Gaiman dressed up as her dad for Halloween.

Bwah-ha-ha! Oh, that's great.

I need help from the cooking hivemind: I'm making beef stew. What level should I have the burner at for it to cook down/thicken over the next three hours or so?

Low. for the most tender meat, low and slow. you want slight bubbles. Remember that the more vigorously the outside liquid bubbles, the more vigorously the liquids inside the meat will bubble, which can cause tough meat.

Damn. Now I want beef stew.

That's what I thought. I'm just worried that I've put too much liquid (stout and beef broth) in the stew pot, and it won't thicken enough.

That's what I thought. I'm just worried that I've put too much liquid (stout and beef broth) in the stew pot, and it won't thicken enough.

you can solve that three ways

1- just remove some of the liquid (give it some time though). Save for another use.

2. remove a ladleful of liquid, add a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch to the liquid. Stir to combine, then add back to stew.

3. remove some of the potatoes, mash to pulp with a fork (you can add flour or cornstarch here as well), and add back to stew.

I'm actually having leftover beef stew from this weekend. First, I made a stock of sorts with leftover beef ribs and mirrepoix. Then added beef, carrots, onion and celery.

I don't add the potatoes until the last 30 minutes or so, they get too mushy, IMHO.