15 Bean Soup Recipe / Movie Night

 

Song:  Something

Group:  The Beatles

The following InstaPot 15 Bean Stew recipe my wife had used came 

from this web page:

InstaPot 15 Bean Stew Recipe

It is a delicious and nutritious meal...

and...

in the future...

my wife is going to add 1-2 lbs of ground beef to it to make it extra hearty.

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My wife received a box of Japanese groceries today.

It was filled with various sauces and dressings...

and various dessert items.

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Another Japanese YouTube vlog my wife likes to visit to get more recipe ideas

as she cooks.

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It takes about 1.5 hours or so before the 15 Bean Stew is ready in the InstaPot.

We both love hearty stews...

and this recipe is so delicious.

Next time my wife will alter this recipe by adding ground beef to make it

a stand alone meal in itself.

After having eaten my meal...

I had some dessert mochi cakes...

and some blueberries.

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After feeding Bandi...

she loves resting on her doggie bed.

Here she is chewing on her Chewy.

I give her a stick after her meals...

as they help clean her teeth.

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After supper...

I took down some drinks to cool in the entertainment room mini fridge.

I will eventually fill it completely up with drinks for movie nights.

The entertainment room mini kitchenette is so convenient.

I pop popcorn in the micro...

and grab a cold drink...

and then watch a movie.

I am still testing out various brands and flavors of popcorn.

I popped some popcorn and got a drink before lying down and turning on the movie projector.

I can hardly wait for the sofa to arrive.

Even though my wife made it as comfortable for me for movie night...

lying on the floor just doesn't compare to lying on a sofa.

But...

I made the best of it as I ate popcorn and sipped my cold drink 

over the following few hours as I greatly enjoyed my first ever movie night

in our home theater.

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I tried a couple of movies until I finally found one I wanted to watch.

This movie I just couldn't get into...

but...

the colors on the screen were nice.

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I found this movie on NetFlix...

and I really liked it.

I must say...

with the movie theater being almost complete

(just waiting on the sofa)...

if you have the room...

it is a must have.

I had the feeling of being inside a movie theater...

with the large screen...

and with the low bass from my speakers 

adding to the sounds and feeling of the movie...

it was simply so much better than I had ever imagined.

I love...love...love...

our home theater.

If you have the funds...and the room...

having your private home theater adds to so much pleasure 

in watching your favorite movies, dramas, and other shows for entertainment.

Get yourself a good projector, screen, and speakers...

they will make a difference.

It is a completely different experience from just watching TV.

A home theater is completely immersive...

as you aren't merely watching something on a screen...

you feel the vibrations of events on the screen...

your peripheral vision is engaged...

and so...

it feels as if you are there as a participant inside the movie.

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I just came up to type up this article...

and I am going back down to watch another movie.

The full experience of a home theater is just out of this world.

Especially once you are retired...

you simply must treat yourself to one.

I recommend getting at least a 150" screen and a projector 

that can fill the screen

(a triple laser ultra short throw projector is top of the line).

Again...

you can hook up video games (if you are a gamer)...

all sorts of media players from Blue Ray players...

to regular DVD players...

and this particular projector can play IMAX movies as well.

For retired folks...

simply put...

it is so worth the investment in your happiness.

Always remember...

once you are retired...

enjoy life...

you are worth it.

Another Day...Another Dish / Home Theater Sound System Complete

 

Song:  Theme From Mahogany

Artist:  Diana Ross

Today...

I just did some online shopping.

I researched furniture for the entertainment / guest room.

I had found a perfect piece of furniture...

and it should arrive sometime this or next week.

(picture from ordering site)

It is almost 7 feet wide and about 6 feet deep...

so two people can sit or lie down in comfort...

or even fall asleep on it

(It also comes with the 14 pillows).

I will soon be able to watch my favorite movies or drama series

from a movable sofa so I may easily place it at the optimum viewing distance

from the movie screen.

I had also looked at some perfect U-shaped sofas for the great room.

The ends of the U sofa extend from the cross portion of the sofa...

so one may fully stretch out while looking out the windows...

or even sleep upon them on either of the three sections of the U shaped sofa.

We hadn't purchased it yet...

as we are still looking...

but...

that particular one is a strong contender.

We are also looking for more heavily padded kitchen bar stools...

but they will be among the last of the furniture items we plan to get right now.

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My wife decided to have me try a new salad...

Unagi and Avocado salad.

As the unagi comes in its own sauce...

I used no salad dressing with it.

It was delicious...

and my wife said perhaps tomorrow...

she will make unagi udon.

It sounds great...

as I love Unagi.

Unagi / Avocado salad.

Chicken fried rice.

General Tso's Chicken

My wife prepared for this day's meal last night by

dicing up raw chicken breasts and marinating them overnight

 in minced garlic and ginger with everything covered in sake.

And so, today...

 she then put sliced red peppers, onions, and carrots in a skillet...

and then added the below sauce as she cooked the chicken with everything together.

I am still enjoying many different dishes on a daily basis.

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My wife had decided on a treadmill

(The best NordicTrack model...Commercial Treadmill with a 24" interactive screen)...

and she decided that instead of placing it in the exercise room...

she would like to place it up in the loft...

so she could enjoy the views from the great room windows...

the octagonal window...

and the third deck door windows...

as well as enjoying the much greater cross breeze as she works out there...

as well as having the expansive feel of the loft

(I will be using it sometimes as well).

She ordered it with a complete delivery and assembly service...

as the unit weighs about 330 lbs (150 Kilograms).

They will deliver it to any place in the home...

set it up...

and then haul away all of the shipping materials.

-----------

Tonight's sunset was mostly occluded by overhead clouds...

as we were expecting a light thundershower...

but it never happened.

--------------------

I had a look at the surround sound system that had come installed in the house

(Bose system).

It is decades old technology...

and so...

the hookups are all wrong.

And so...

I took the 2nd floor fireplace mantle speaker system

and placed it as the speaker system for the movie projector...

as it easily coupled via bluetooth.

As my wife now does the cooking...

she just uses her laptop in the kitchen as she cooks...

so she can watch YouTube videos or listen to her favorite music.

And so...

as it would no longer be used on the second floor...

it is now the sound system for the projector on the first floor.

The Sonus speaker system sounds so much richer...

and as it has built in multiple speakers which fire in different directions...

it has a deep bass you can feel...

 with all the middle and high ranges coming out crystal clear...

and with a much fuller and more separated spatial sound...

making the whole experience far more immersive than with the projector's speakers...

and so...

the volume can be set lower and still have a far superior sound.

It fits perfectly on the stand behind the projector.

My wife set up some comforters and pillows on the floor

for me to use until the sofa arrives

(about one week).

And so...

I can enjoy more of my Asian dramas in semi comfort until then.

I will be sitting up higher on the sofa

(at the recommended height for viewing)...

and I already know I will sometimes end up sleeping on the sofa...

as the entertainment/guest room is always cool...

and the sofa is sure to be comfortable...

and so...

I will always keep a comforter on the sofa

for those marathon Japanese or Korean Drama viewing nights.

Home Theater Screen And Projector Installed

 

Song:  Journey To The Magical Kingdom

Group:  Future World Music

Earlier today...

I mounted the screen on the wall...

and calibrated the projector.

I had the projector table and the projector by the potbelly stove to keep them out of the way

while I drove in the mounting screws for the screen.

But I first had to take measurements and find the studs...

and then drill the preliminary holes in the studs before I drove in the screws.

I moved the screen out of the way before I took measurements.

I found the studs with no problem.

This particular stud finder is the best I had ever used.

Upon finding the middle of the stud...

it lit up.

After marking the middle of the stud on the wall...

I then measured down from the ceiling...

and where the two intersected...

I drilled and then drove in the first mounting screw.

I checked the level and proceeded to mark and drive in the final mounting screw...

after I had measured down from the ceiling to ensure an exact placement for it.

After having driven in the final screw...

...my wife helped me attach the screen onto the mounting screws

(I centered the screen off the wall speakers...

 not off the outlets).

My measurements were spot on...

so, the installment of the screen went without a hitch.

I then unpacked the projector.

I had at first...

put the projector onto a small stand.

The remote control for the projector.

The built in speakers were plenty loud.

 I had to turn it down when I had my wife look at the completed project earlier this night.

I first had the projector on the stand...

but it was too high to match the projection on the screen.

So...

I took it off the stand and placed it directly on the floor

(it has adjustable feet keeping the projector off the floor by over an inch...

which still allows adequate airflow underneath...

and I won't have to worry about knocking over the projector).

As it is an Ultra Short Throw projector...

it sits a little over one foot away from the front of the screen.

I tried out various streaming sources after registering the device to them...

as well as seeing how everything looked during the daytime.

Everything looked good...

but at night...

that is when the projector really shined.

After putting up some YouTube videos earlier this night...

I called my wife down to see how everything looked.

I sat on the floor about 10 feet away...

 and took photos of the resulting videos on the full screen.

The projection was crystal clear...

and the color saturation was superb.

I may hook up the Bose surround sound system I had gotten with the house...

 tomorrow...

but...

as for volume...

out of 100 steps in the volume control for the projector's speakers...

I had to turn it down to 25 as my wife thought anything above that level was too loud.

The video was violet...

as it was an artistic rendering of a beach sunset...

and so...

the colors were true to the video feed.

We now have to shop for some recliners.

My wife liked the view from across the room at the far wall.

I liked it best at about ten feet back.

And...

 as I was sitting on the floor when I took these photos...

sitting higher up in a recliner should really feel as if I were in a movie theater.

I am really looking forward to getting those seats for the guest room.

I already have the popcorn ready...

and I will stock up the guest room's mini fridge with my favorite drinks as well.

And...

whenever we have guests...

I will place the bed in front of the potbelly stove

so they can watch the screen from the comfort of bed.

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Another mini project down...

and many more to go.

We have so many more things to complete...

but...

just a little at a time.

My wife is still worn out from unpacking and arranging things to her liking.

And...

as always...

I only operate on Toller Time...

for I am the King of Camelot  :)