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Fortos Fort

Michele’s New FJ Cruiser

December 18, 2021 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Michele Forto FJ Cruiser Fortos Fort

About seven years ago my husband and I brought home our first FJ. A 2007 that was well worn and completely stock. It took a few years but he finally got it set up the way he likes it. While we both enjoy it, I’m always the passenger. It’s a manual transmission, which I can drive but if I’m honest not that well, like I may have gotten it stuck backing up and falling into a ditch, burned up the clutch. Luckily that is the only major repair that has needed to be done.

I’ve driven a 2001 Chevy Silverado for about 8 years, it’s reliable and has nearly 230k miles. But it’s for work purposes and not modified at all. I’ve been sending hints for years that I want a Tacoma or a Tundra and keep being told – no. Unbeknownst to me that my husband wanted to find me an FJ too!

In October he drove past one of the dealers here and spied this black FJ. He immediately told me to stop by and take a look, of course, I argued and said what for and all that. So I stopped. I noticed immediately how clean it was. Absolutely no rust, no dirt, nary a scratch underneath. What the hell I thought. We live in Alaska, how in the hell is this that clean. Freakin mall crawler? Garaged? What a waste. Sales guy ventures out while I’m looking and asks if I’m interested, uh yeah! Said it was literally just bought by the dealer and hadn’t even been inventoried or cleared by the mechanics. I said I’ll put a deposit on it to hold it while all that is done so I can test drive it and make an offer first.

Done…

Weeks went by…lots of phone calls…so many the sales guy dreaded talking to me and began texting!  Turned out that the lift that was done on this 2013 with 75k on it hadn’t been done exact and caused feathering on the tires (they didn’t go all out here, in fact, the tires are garbage), alignment was out, tie-rods trashed, rotors bent, brakes, AC not cold enough, but zero engine issues. So we agreed to let them fix it all with the agreement we’d purchase with an offer of $32k and they include all the repairs. And…yes we waited on parts.

Four days ago we drove it off the lot and still drove away under blue book at a final cost of $33,284.

Had my husband drive it the 30 miles home in the dark on icy roads – he’s got some concerns and wanted to ensure my safety. Figured out that it’s loose in the rear, tight in the front, tires suck, and he’s used to his 07 manual with mods!

My first thoughts behind the wheel….brought me back to 2000 when we were dating and decided to go into business together and the first purchase was a 1985 Ford Bronco – rode rough as hell. This 2013 FJ isn’t as smooth as our 07 but I certainly felt like I had returned to my natural element behind the wheel of a badass truck roaring down the highway. It definitely has some play in the handling that hopefully can be corrected with better tires. In my defense, I’ve been driving a 2017 Fiat 500xp!

Cannot wait to get it set up with our rooftop tent, put a fat-tire bike rack on the back and take it beach camping this summer in Homer, Alaska.

But the first point of order, it needs some rock sliders so I can climb into it a little better since I’m seriously short at 5’1″. Then address the tires, rear bumper, front bumper needs to be hefty enough for moose remediation and of course outfitted with a decent wench. Our 07 has a snorkel and in our negative temps it helps remarkably well, believe it or not with cold starts and fuel economy. Robert will outfit a classy upgraded sound system and a few more creature comforts inside. We are thinking about adding a mount so I can record some videos with tips and tricks about dog training advice, what to see and do in Alaska, and of course the possibility of a weekly rant.

This one’s got work but we’re gonna enjoy it and it’s my daily driver!  The kid got the 2017 Fiat 500xp that I’ve been driving, zippy little car that I’ll miss but definitely looking forward to finally having my very own Toyota!

Now to convince him to let me black out the whole damn thing!

Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post Tagged With: FJ Cruiser, Fortos Fort, Michele

Perfect Pan Steak

June 4, 2014 by robertforto Leave a Comment

• First, ask your butcher for a 3.3-pound well-marbled bone-in ribeye in vacuum packaging. The bone is important, because it helps to keeps the meat moist. The vacuum part is important too, because it will avoid oxidation.

• Put the meat out of the fridge at room temperature (not in a hot room, just normal temperature) for 24 hours inside the vacuum packaging. Don’t take it out! It’s important you do this step to have the perfect result.

• On a large, very hot non-stick pan, add a bit of olive oil and put the steak in 3 minutes on each side. Don’t move or lift the steak after you place it. Just let it be and flip it when it’s time.

• Take it out the pan and put it on a metal rack to rest for 10 minutes.

• Let the pan heat up again to the max and put the steak back in 2 minutes on one side.

• Flip the steak and add 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of butter. Continuously pour the resulting melted butter mixed with the meat juices over the top for another 2 minutes.

• Put it on a metal rack to rest for 5 minutes, covering it with some aluminum foil with three holes on it (so the vapor doesn’t condensate.)

• Cut in filets and sprinkle some good quality sea salt like fleur de sel or Maldon.

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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Recipe Rants, Uncategorized Tagged With: alaska, cooking, Fortos Fort, robert forto

Recipe Rants: Blueberry Jelly

August 27, 2012 by robertforto 3 Comments

It has been a busy summer here at the Fort. We filled our freezer the smoked red salmon, we built a greenhouse and picked over a gallon and a half of blueberries to make jelly, BBQ sauce, muffins and more.

Today I want to share a recipe that we found online and modified for our use. It took all of a Sunday afternoon but it turned out great.

Ingredients and Equipment

Blueberries – raw berries: 5 pints (which is: 10 cups, or 2.25 liters, about 3.5 lbs, almost 1.75 kg) preferably fresh, but frozen (without syrup works, too) . to yield 6 cups of washed, squashed berries. You can also use 6 cups of blueberry juice – frozen or canned; if you can find it!

Lemon juice –  1/4 cup.  It’s optional, but it may help reduce spoilage, preserve color and retain flavor – either fresh squeezed or bottled.

Water – 1/2 cup

Sugar – See step 8. Using about 4.5 cups of dry, granulated (table) sugar. It is possible to make low-sugar,  fruit juice-sweetened, or Stevia, (or if you prefer, Splenda)-sweetened blueberry jelly.

Pectin (it’s a natural product, made from apples and available at grocery stores (season – spring through late summer) and local “big box” stores. It usually goes for about $2.00 to $2.50 per box. You’ll get best results with no-sugar needed pectin, whether you choose to add sugar or not!

Jar funnel  or order it as part of the kit with the jar grabber.

Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)- Big box stores and grocery stores sometimes carry them; and it is available online – see this page. It’s a tremendously useful to put jars in the canner and take the hot jars out (without scalding yourself!). The kit sold below has everything you need, and at a pretty good price.

At least 1 large pot; I prefer 16 to 20 quart Teflon lined pots for easy cleanup.

Large spoons and ladles

1 Canner (a huge pot to sanitize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores, sometimes at big box stores and grocery stores.).

Ball jars

Lids – thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They may only be used once.

  • Rings – metal bands that secure the lids to the jars. They may be reused many times.

Optional stuff:

Foley Food Mill ($25) – not necessary; useful if you want to remove seeds (from blackberries)

Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at big box stores or it comes in the kit at left)

Step 1 – Pick the blueberries!

It’s fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality ones!

As mentioned in the Ingredients section; you may use frozen blueberries (those without syrup or added sugar); which is especially useful if you want to make some jelly in December to give away at Christmas!

If you are starting out with blueberry juice (canned, fresh or frozen), just skip straight to step 8.

Step 2 – How much fruit?

Jelly can ONLY be made in rather small batches – about 6 cups at a time – like the directions on the pectin say, DO NOT increase the recipes or the jelly won’t “set” (jell, thicken). It takes about 10 cups of raw, unprepared blueberries per batch. For triple berry jelly, I use 6 cups of mushed (slightly crushed) blueberries, 1 cup of raspberries and 1 cup of blackberries.

Step 3 – Wash the jars and lids

Now’s a good time to get the jars ready, so you won’t be rushed later. The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a “sanitize” cycle, the water bath processing will sanitize them as well as the contents! If you don’t have a dishwasher with a sanitize cycle, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sanitize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used.

NOTE: If unsanitized jars are used, the product should be processed for 5 more minutes. However, since this additional processing can result in a poor set (runny jelly), it’s better to sanitize the jars.

Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that’s what the manufacturer’s recommend) for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic “lid lifter wand” to pull them out.

Leave the jars in the dishwasher on “heated dry” until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot jelly.

Step 4 -Wash the berries and sort!

I’m sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in a colander of plain cold water.

Then you need to pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the berries as they float.  With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers.

Then just drain off the water!

Step 5 – Crush the berries

To crush them, you can either do one layer at a time in a pan or bowl, using a potato masher..

OR you can be lazy like me and use the slice mode on your food processor or a blender.  I believe you’ll get higher yields this way, because the blender or food processor will reduce the particle size, releasing more juice. It also helps to release the blue color form the skins, giving the jelly a better blue color.

Either way, if you start with 10 pints of berries, you’ll end up with about 6.5 cups of crushed blueberries.

Step 6 – Heat the crushed blueberries on the stove

We just want to bring the blueberries to a boil to help release the juice and break down some of the fruit to help it pass through our jelly strainer. Put the crushed blueberries, with 1/2 cup of water, in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning) for until it starts to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. If you are adding 1/4 cup lemon juice, do so now!

Step 7 – Sieve the cooked blueberries

You can either put the soft cooked blueberries through a jelly strainer which results in the most clear jelly and is easiest to use, or pour them through cheesecloth in a colander. Or if you don’t mind chunky jelly, just let the juice stand for 20 minutes, and Decant (pour off) the clear liquid to use and leave the solids behind.

Step 8 – Measure the Sweetener

If you need a stopping point and want to finish up the next day, this is a good place. Sometimes, jelly gets crystals, called tartrate crystals, forming in the jelly.  They’re not harmful and don’t affect the taste, but some people don’t like the appearance.  I rarely even see them! But if you do, let juice stand in a cool place overnight, then strain through two thicknesses of damp cheesecloth to remove any crystals that have formed.

Depending upon which type of jelly you’re making (sugar, no-sugar, Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda), mix of sugar and Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda) or fruit juice) you will need to use a different amount of sugar and type of pectin. The precise measurements are found in directions inside each and every box of pectin sold (every brand, Ball, Kerr, Mrs. Wages, etc. has directions inside). I don’t recommend using Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda) by itself – plain old sugar makes a big difference in the color and taste.  Unless you’re diabetic, for best results, try the low or lower sugar formula below.

Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar. If you are not using sugar, you’ll just have to stir more vigorously to prevent the pectin from clumping.Step 9 – Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar or other sweetener

Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin (just open another pack and add a little) or else the jelly is runnier than I like. With a little practice, you’ll find out exactly how much pectin to get the thickness you like.

Step 10 – Add the pectin to the hot strained juice and bring to a full boil

Stir the pectin into the blueberry juice and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).

Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin (just open another pack and add a little) or else the jelly is runnier than I like. With a little practice, you’ll find out exactly how much pectin to get the thickness you like.

Another tip: use the low sugar pectin. It cuts the amount of sugar you need from 7 cups per batch to 4 cups! And it tastes even better! On the other hand; I have never had success with the No-sugar pectin. It always turned out runny and bland. You might want to try using the low sugar recipe with a mixture of sugar and Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda); that could work.

Is your jelly too runny? Pectin enables you to turn out perfectly set jelly every time. Made from natural apples, there are also natural no-sugar pectins that allow you to reduce the sugar you add by half or even eliminate sugar.!
Get them all here at the best prices on the internet!

Step 11 – Add the remaining sugar and bring to a boil

When the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar (about 4 cups of sugar per 6 cup batch of blueberries) or other sweetener, and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Step 12 – Testing for “jell” (thickness)

I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jelly is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1/s to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute.

Step 13 – Fill the jars and put the lid and rings on

Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jelly off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into the boiling water canner!

This is where the jar tongs and lid lifter come in really handy!

Step 14 – Process the jars in the boiling water bath

Keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. In general, boil them for 5 minutes.  I say “in general” because you have to process (boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea level, or if you use larger jars, or if you did not sanitize the jars and lids right before using them.  The directions inside every box of pectin will tell you exactly.  The directions on the pectin tend to be pretty conservative.  Clemson University says you only need to process them for 5 minutes.  I usually hedge my bets and start pulling them out after 7 minutes, and the last jars were probably in for 10.  I rarely have a jar spoil, so it must work.

Note: Some people don’t even boil the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, put the lids and rings on and invert them, but putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage! To me, it makes little sense to put all the working into making the jelly and then not to process the jars to be sure they don’t spoil!

Step 15 – Remove and cool the jars – Done!

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don’t rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that’s a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it’s usually ok.

Once cooled, they’re ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren’t as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them!

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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Fortos Fort, Recipe Rants Tagged With: alaska, Ball, Blueberry, Canning, Fortos Fort, Michele Forto, robert forto

Honey, can I quit my job and start a blog?

May 2, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Me: Honey, can I quit my job and start a blog?

Wife: What job?

Me: You know, the one that you call the house-husband musher guy that does an awesome job dog training and hosting our radio shows with tons of great guests.

Wife: Oh yeah. THAT job!

Me: Yep!

Wife: Of course you can honey just make sure your blog is a good one!

All that aside rabid readers, After much trial and tribulation I have decided to go back to my WordPress blog. You can find it at http://robertforto.wordpress.com/

Why you may ask? Well, I am a numbers guy actually. No not really. But anyhow I posted a picture on Friday on my wife’s recommendation and it got literally 1000s of page views and even a few comments. So that being said, people must have really “liked” it, right?

No, I don’t really make money from my blog. Not directly anyway. I have gained a client or two who have (actually) read my rants and raves AND paid me money to train their dog. I guess that could count as a job.

Anyway, check it out. It will only get better. I promise, and hey, if you DO want your dog to be trained to be the best in the world give me a call…

____________________

Robert Forto is mushin’ down a dream in the wilds of Alaska. He and is wife are raising two teenagers at Forto’s Fort. 

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Filed Under: Daily Post Tagged With: blog, dailypost, Fortos Fort, Michele Forto, Page view, Publishers, robert forto, wordpress

Enter Sandman: Bluegrass

February 16, 2012 by robertforto 4 Comments

We started something new at the Fort last night. Before we lay our heads down to sleep, Michele and I are going to pick a new channel on DIRECTV to listen to before we fall into slumber.

There is such a wide variety to choose from and I think it will be cool to wind down to some genres that we aren’t used to listening to.

Our first choice was Channel 812: Bluegrass

I grew up with Bluegrass living in West Virigina when I was very young and my grandparents lived in the Ohio River Valley of Ashland, Kentucky.

For those of you who don’t know, Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish and English traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of Appalachia, and was influenced by the music of African-Americans through incorporation of jazz elements.

In bluegrass, as in some forms of jazz, one or more instruments each takes its turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others perform accompaniment; this is especially typified in tunes called breakdowns.

I love the steel slide guitar that is often used in Bluegrass as well as the banjo.

I don’t know if this was a wise choice for Night 1. I was toe-tappin’ and rocking’ out while Michele was groaning “make it stop, please!”

Stay tuned!

 

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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Fortos Fort Tagged With: alaska, Appalachia, Arts and Entertainment, Banjo, Bluegrass, Bluegrass music, DirecTV, Fortos Fort, music

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