Two Flat Tires Fixed

Yesterday afternoon I replaced two tires on our convertible. They'd burst when Hawk hit a bad pothole while driving on I-880 Monday. The tires are run-flats so she got to work and back home okay, but by Monday night the front tire especially looked low enough that we agreed not to drive the car further. That meant I got to stay home for lunch for a few days. It also meant when our replacement tires were ready on Friday I called AAA for a tow.



The local tow service AAA contracts out to in this area is awesome. The drivers are always courteous and skilled, and they arrive fast. I didn't care so much about waiting 10 minutes vs. 45 on Friday evening because I was home, but that difference is huge when you're sitting in a parking lot or on the side of a road.

Well, getting two tires replaced was relatively drama free... other than all the time it took. And it definitely wasn't cost free. Two tires with all the associated fees and taxes set us back over $650.

Definitely No Pigs In These Blankets!

When we were shopping at Costco last weekend we spotted this little number I've never seen before:



The idea is pretty obvious. Think "Pigs in a blanket" for people who don't eat pork (as it's against religious dietary laws). I call it "Definitely No Pigs In This Blanket!"

The idea is so obvious we've already made it ourselves at home. We've combined Hebrew National's kosher hot dogs with ready-to-bake dough like Pillsbury croissants, rolling them up together. The results of that have been... a little spotty. It's hard to get the hotdog cooked the right amount (not under, not over) while also getting the dough baked the right amount. We figured a ready-made dish like this might be designed to have both parts bake correctly together.

How did it turn out? Well, the first thing we found is that that these Definitely-Not-Pigs-In-A-Blanket are small.



It takes about 4 pieces to equal the size of one normal Hebrew National hotdog. I guess that's good if you're serving them as appetizers, though I gotta say: the picture on the box makes them look not tiny.

So, again, how did they turn out? They were okay. As we hoped, they're designed so that the meat and bread both cook up appropriately. As for the taste... well, there's something just more special about when we crafty it ourselves than when we pour it out of a box straight onto a baking sheet.