Hello all! I’ve been pretty swamped with the finishing touches on the workshop, client work, and getting Engine Turning classes up and running, but I wanted to share a bit about what’s been keeping me so busy. This week I’ve had the pleasure of David Lindow’s excellent company. We did some fun class prep work – basically dismantling parts of the rose and straight-line engines, truing – adjusting – lubricating… the result was really exciting and incredibly rewarding. Here are some photos of this weeks classes!  Of course the day started off right with local “hand forged” doughnuts (haha), coffee, and a little inspiration.

We made a wax chuck for this 6497 dial blank and then turned it on the rose engine. There was a lot of lead up experimentation….

Students took off on their own projects after a bit of trial and error – figuring out phasing and pattern development. Master Lindow was always on the ready to troubleshoot.

Overall it was a wonderful few days with some great people! So much information learned and imparted by David – who incidentally builds a modern version of these masterpieces. As well as the most gorgeous machine ever made.

The MADE ornamental rose engine

And now for the workshop recipe! I’ve been noodling around a great deal and had quite a bit of trouble figuring out inexpensive, convenient and still delicious meals to have at the workshop. Indeed, my desire to bring “quick, cheap and easy” to  the culinary art form while not compromising my shop standards has brought about the quest.  I thought I’d share this latest recipe with you, in case you too, have experienced the same struggle, as it represents at least some degree of success.

Easy Workshop Ramen

This recipe only requires three fresh ingredients: Kale, garlic, and ginger. Easy items to obtain from your local grocery and they stay fresh for quite a while – with the exception of perhaps the kale…

You only need the following cookware:

Hot plate, small cup, personal wok (doubles as a bowl), small cutting board, knife, spoon, (optional chopsticks or fork). I use a small spoon to roughly measure out the ingredients and a knife to chop and grate the ginger. All of the ingredients should be readily available at an Asian grocery store. Most of them (or a version of each) can be found at a general store. Here is what I use:

Prep time – 5 minutes or less

Cook time – 15-20 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 cloves garlic – minced

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

3 cups vegetable broth (3 teaspoons vegetable bouillon in 3 cups of water)

1/2 cup mixed dried mushrooms broken into pieces

1 package fresh Ramen noodles (or dry – but fresh is AMAZING!)

3 leaves of kale torn into 1/2 inch pieces

optional garnish: sesame seeds, fried shallots, and sriracha sauce

Instructions:

Add the sesame oil, garlic, and ginger to the wok. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the vegetable broth and mushroom pieces. Let simmer for 7 to 10 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. Add the noodles and follow the time specified on the package (usually about 7 minutes). Throw in the kale with about 2 minutes to go. Remove from heat and garnish with sesame seeds, fried shallots, and sriracha. Delicious!