The Packing Rat

Derek’s monthly update.

Spring Pizza.  It’s fall.  Don’t care.  Used a wheat/white flour mix for the dough.

3/4 cups of dark brown sugar. 2 cups of fresh, whole cherries 1 cup of bourbon I recommend dissolving the brown sugar in small quantities of bourbon, as opposed to the entire cup. Unsubstantiated, or otherwise, I was concerned about alcohol evaporating too much.  Last minute, I decided to pit and crush the cherries.  Pulling […]

Hanging around for a two day work related stay. I should have brought the crabbing net.

If you were at the races, San Francisco pride, or just elsewhere all together, then you weren’t at the Triple Aught Design and Imminent Threat Solutions Tactical social event this past weekend. Even without a TAD sale, the turn out was quite impressive. If you’re not familiar with ITS Tactical, it’s a rich source of […]

Grilled chicken breast (skin intact) covered with olive oil, Mrs. Dash and cayenne pepper; topped off with fresh pico de gallo. Steamed broccoli topped with Parmesan cheese.

I had some ripe banana to use, so I baked some banana bread. Not bad.

No shooting today — too sissy to hang out in the rain.  Just imagine my regret when the sun came out.  That’s ok;  I still have bacon. Lady Pirate post inspired creation. Just add bacon. Caramel: – Brown 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar – 3/4 cup water – 1 cup heavy cream – 2 tbs […]

Just created a new page, “TPR Sightings,” with links and photos of folks with their The Packing Rat gear; we’re all “packing rats” of guns, gear and grub.  Check it out at the tab located above!  Are you a TPR fan?  Get your patch (via PayPal)!  Folks can send MO, or personal checks, but should […]

Derek cooks and takes photos.

Uneventful arrival in Las Vegas, NV.  Met up with the crew at CS Tactical and had some dinner at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. For the past two years, I’ve running my SHOT Show coverage solo, but you’ll see a new face this year.   More or so, Matt will be behind the camera, hopefully providing better opportunities […]

I was thinking about this all day long.

Turkey quesadillas with cheddar cheese and red onion soaked in balsamic vinegar.

Olive oil, garlic, ginger, chicken breast, Sambal sauce, soy sauce, frozen mixed vegetables, and 15 minutes.

Give the inside-out lasagna a try instead of the frozen lasagna you might have sitting in the freezer. Faster, healthier, and not all that difficult to cook.

Last weekend was go time to roll out the Sacramento Co. CCW class, so I spent little time doing anything else.  It was a great experience, but didn’t leave a lot of room for other fun things – like the CA State Fair and cooking. I perceive the fair lost it’s appeal long ago, but […]

Had a few riped bananas so I made sweet banana soup.  Not bad.  I added a tablespoon brown sugar and a dash of all spice.  I probably should have had some restraint until I tasted the original recipe, but it was satisfactory nonetheless.

Just using the left over ingredients from the beef and rice stuffed peppers.  1:1 of ground beef and Italian sausage, Italian parsley, garlic, oatmeal, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Jack pepper cheese and mushrooms. It was okay.  If I had onions, I would have added that, too.   Maybe use less Italian sausage, or just stick […]

Can’t tell you how tasty this is at the moment, because I’m full from snacking on other foods that didn’t need preparation.  I’ll find out tomorrow for lunch.  It smells delicious though. Recipe from Food Wishes. In other news, Osama bin Laden is dead.  How awesome is that?

1lbs. of elbow noodles, 1 lbs. sharp cheddar cheese, 1.5 lbs. bacon [1 lbs. on top in strips], Panko bread soaked in bacon grease. This is quite tame compared to Epic Meal Time; however, it’s still a horrible influence.