Dungeons and Dragons Tool

This is the best OSS tool I have seen for D&D 4e. You'll need to have a DDI subscription and the Adventure Tools installed to make it really worthwhile. Once those prereqs are met, you can create combat encounters for an entire adventure of about 30 encounters in a little over an hour.

D&D 4e Combat Manager

Here's the link to the wizards site to get the DDI subscription:

D&D Insider/

Converging my apps

Just a test. Converging blogger, live, facebook, linkedin, etc. Will be posting more recipes soon:

Salmon Stuffed With Crabmeat
SAN--Scallops, Asparagus and Naan
Swordfish Tacos
Flank Steak Tacos
Leg of Lamb
Easy Pot Roast
Chicken and Dumplings

How to create a Windows 3.11 virtual box

1. Follow the steps in this post: How to create an MS DOS virtual box.
2. Reboot the virtual machine. It should start MS DOS and load the CD driver
3. Next insert the Windows 3.11 iso image into the CD ROM drive
4. Change to the CD ROM by giving the "d:" command (assuming you mounted the CD ROM on d:)
5. Run the SETUP.EXE program
6. About 15 seconds later Windows 3.11 will be installed.

I recommend powering down this virtual machine and copying it somewhere so that it can be the basis for a Windows 95 upgrade install or a Windows 98 upgrade install.

How to create an MS DOS virtualbox

Before starting, make sure that you have:

1. img files for each of the MS DOS disks so that you can load them into your virtual floopy drive
2. an MS DOS boot disk with CD drivers (due to a bug in virtual box you'll need this for formatting the HDD (and for me since my MS DOS img files have no CD ROM driver, I needed to get it from this iso))

Now, follow these steps to set up the virtual box. Create your virtal box with a configuration like this:

1. 64 MB RAM
2. CD Drive
3. Floppy Drive
4. 250 MB HDD

Next,

1. load the MS DOS boot disk (that has the CD Driver built into it) into the CD drive and start the virtual machine.
2. Issue the "format c:" command to format the HDD
3. Remove the CD from the CD drive (i.e., the iso image) and put MS DOS floppy #1 in the floppy drive (i.e, the floppy img file) and reboot
4. Install MS DOS
5. Remove the floppy images and replace the MS DOS iso into the CD ROM
6. Restart the machine
7. Copy the needed lines from AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS as well as the CD driver file from the iso disk to the HDD.
8. Remove the iso image and reboot the machine

You should now have an operating MS DOS system with CD ROM support.

How to create an ISO in linux to use with DOS

1. use the mkisofs command.

2. use the -o option to denote the name of the output file to create. e.g. -o myiso.iso.

3. use the -N option to ensure that version numbers are not appended to the file name

4. tell the command where the root directory of the files you are looking for is.

E.g.:

mkisofs -o zork.iso -N ~/games/Zork

The above will copy all the files (and subdirectories) beneath the games/Zork directory underneath the home folder of the user and store the image in a file named zork.iso

Chicken Chili (Gluten Free)

10 Chicken Tenders (~2 packages from Costco) OR 4 Chicken Breasts
1 large Vidalia Onion
2 Jalapeno Peppers
2 cups Whole Grain Rice (gluten free)
2 cans Dark Red Kidney Beans
2 cans Light Red Kidney Beans
1 can Garbonzo Beans
3 cloves Roasted (microwaved) Garlic
2 can Tomato Sauce

1 Tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Creole Seasoning
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsb Bridgeport Seasoning (optional)
1 tsp Lake Shore Drive Seasoning (optional)

Directions:
Rinse beans under cold water. Place into a large pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Let stand for 1+ hours. This will ensure that the beans are very tender.

When you are ready to cook the rest of the chili, bring a pan of water to a boil. Place Chicken Tenders in the water and boil for 10 - 15 minutes until done. Take out of the water and let stand.

Add the Rice and Seasonings to the chili beans and bring to a boil again. Once at a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. I usually perform this step at the same time I am boiling the chicken.

Dice the onion and jalapeno and saute in olive oil until tender. Dice the garlic. Once done, transfer the onion, garlic and jalapeno to the pot with the beans.

Once the chicken has cooled, shred by hand and put into the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Add the 2 cans of tomato sauce and simmer for a few minutes until the temperature you desire is reached.

Feel free to alter the amounts and types of seasonings as desired. Makes about 12 servings.

Grits with Summer Sausage

Ingredients
1 Cup of quick cooking grits
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of salt (black hawaiian lava salt or kosher salt preferred)
2 eggs (well beaten)
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
1 jalapeño (seeded)
7 1/16 in slices of summer sausage (1 perfer Pinio Grigio White Wine Salami Recipe #5)
1/3 cup of green chiles
1 t galic powder
1 t Lake Shore Drive seasoning (optional)

Directions
Cook the grits (with the salt and butter) according to the directions on the package.
Remove from the heat and let rest while you prepare the next ingredients.
Remove seeds from jalapeños and dice.
Beat those eggs.
Slice the sausage and then dice the slices.
Add all the remaining ingredients including the cheese, chiles and the seasonings to the grits and stir well.
Pour the grits into a greased 8 in casserole dish.
Bake for 1 hour.

Optional:
Top the casserole with additional cheese and cilantro leaves as it comes out of the oven.


Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Spices are available in Geneva, IL at The Spice House

Frickin' Easy Slow Cooked Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts or thighs (4 breasts or 10 thighs)
Rice (I use 2 packages of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice, Wild Rice variety)
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Spices:
Creole Seasoning
Salt
Black Pepper
McCormick Caribbean Seasonings
Paprika
Emeril's Original Essence

In a crock pot, place chicken and cover with soups. Add spices--use amounts to suit your taste. Cover this with the rice. Turn on the crock pot to whichever setting required for the chicken to cook to your schedule. For example, use the low setting if you are going to put the chicken in the cooker before you go to work. If you are starting cooking after noon, then you may want to use one of the faster settings.

After chicken is done, stir well and serve.

Butternut Squash Soup

Great dish for late fall and early winter.

Ingredients:
2 Butternut Squash
3 Sweet Potatoes
1 Vidalia Onion
2 Jalapenos
1/2 block of cream cheese
1/4 c Pecans (chopped)
1 qt. Chicken Broth
1/2 c Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tbl Olive Oil

Spices:
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
Emirel's Essence
Red Pepper Flakes
Paprika
Saffron
Moroccan Seasoned Salt
Splenda Brown Sugar
Creole Seasoning

Directions:
Roast butternut squash in the oven (if you are unfamiliar with butternut squash, click here: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Cook-Butternut-Squash ).

Cook sweet potatoes in the microwave.

Dice onion and fry until tender.

Once the everything is cooked, skin the squash and potatoes and place the meat of them into a large pan. Add the spices and the chicken broth. Using an immersion blender, puree everything finely to your liking. If you do not have an immersion blender, use a standard blender--you may have to make 2 trips.

Once blended, simmer the soup on low to medium heat for 30 minutes or longer. Add the cream cheese and let it melt.

When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls and pour a small amount of whipping cream on top. Swirl the whipping cream slightly to give a nice presentation. If you want a little more eye candy, add some fresh parsley to the top of the soup before serving.

This dish goes very well with lightly toasted Italian, French or Artesan breads.