Replies

I knew vinegar in a dish would get rid of food smells, but had not tried her way....granny

Friday, November 28, 2008
The CrockPot as an Air Freshener/ Odor Neutralizer

Day 333.

Happy Black Friday! I hope each of you had as wonderful of a Thanksgiving as I did. It was also terribly easy-—we had 6 crockpot dishes and a turkey-in-the-oven. Lots of food, and a super-easy clean-up.

But.

At about 10pm last night, the house was cleared, and I noticed a funk. It wasn’t bad, but it was a slightly sour smell of old mulled wine, and dirty dishes. Instead of actually cleaning the dishes and emptying the wine crockpot, I eliminated the odor.

With the Little Dipper!

The Ingredients.

—water
—baking soda (for the little dipper, I used 3 T)
—crockpot

The Directions.

Pour water into the crockpot you are going to use. Add baking soda. Mix. Plug it in and turn to low (the Little Dipper and some of the small ones don’t have settings, they just plug in). Keep the lid off.

Let the baking soda do the job of soaking up unpleasant odors.

If you would prefer to use the crockpot as an air freshener, fill with water, and add:

—drops of essential oil
—potpourri scent
—2 tsps of vanilla or other desired extract
—ground cinnamon, and cloves
—a cinnamon stick
—slices of lemon

The Verdict.

I was quite pleased with how the baking soda really did absorb the kitchen odors. I took the mini crock into another room later and smelled the water——it smelled strongly of mulled wine.
woah.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/gluten%20free

[I use coffee or beer, for beef and coffee for pork..granny]

Saturday, November 8, 2008
Java Roast CrockPot Recipe

Day 313.

Nancy emailed me this recipe at the beginning of this week, and since I had everything in the house, I plopped it in the crockpot yesterday.

This is a fun roast! The coffee really tenderizes the meat, and it becomes fork-tender than other roast recipes. I tweaked her original recipe according to what we had in the pantry, and was pleased with the results.

Adam and I ate ours with a spinach salad and the girls dipped their “steak” in barbecue sauce.

The Ingredients.

—3 lb chuck roast, trimmed of fat
—3/4 cup brewed coffee
—1 yellow onion, chopped
—1 red bell pepper, chopped
—8 oz sliced mushrooms
—1 t garlic powder, or 4-5 chopped cloves
—1/2 tsp salt
—1/4 black pepper
—1 T Worcestershire sauce
—3 T red wine vinegar
—4 oz cream cheese (to add at the end)

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart or larger crockpot.

I opted to not brown the meat and onions, and instead plopped everything in to the crockpot. I put the vegetables on the bottom, and then the meat.

Add the coffee, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, and spices.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. I cooked our meat on low for exactly 8 hours, and then it was on warm for another 3.

Carefully remove the meat from the pot, and stir in the cream cheese. I’d cut the cream cheese in slices and add it one at a time, if you can, to help it from separating in little white dots the way mine did. I got impatient. If you do get a bunch of little white dots, they will taste fine, but annoy you.

The Verdict.

Yummy! If I didn’t know coffee was in there, I wouldn’t have guessed that’s what the hint of flavor was. I liked how the gravy was dark brown, and rich. Adding the cream cheese thickened it up nicely, and gave it a creamy texture.

Thank you, Nancy!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20meat

Sunday, November 2, 2008
John McCain’s Rib Recipe—in the CrockPot

Day 307.

Did you know that John McCain had a famous rib recipe? I had no idea, but was excited to see a post on BlogHer listing the ingredients.

These are the most simple ribs I’ve ever made, and they are good. Really good.

Obama’s chili is coming up tomorrow!

The Ingredients.

—4 lbs of ribs (I used beef, but you can certainly use PORK)
—2 T garlic powder
—2 T kosher salt
—2 T black pepper
—3 lemons, juiced

The Directions.

I used a 6.5 qt crockpot. 4 lbs of ribs fit comfortably, but I maybe could have squeezed in another pound.

Cut the ribs to fit your crockpot. In a small bowl, combine the dry spices.

Rub the rack of ribs with the dry mixture, covering all sides of the ribs. Put them into your crockpot. If you have extra seasoning, pour on top.

Squeeze the lemons (use one of those hand-held juicer things, to make sure all the juice gets out) on top of the ribs.

Cover and cook on low for 7-10 hours, or on high for about 5. The meat will be more tender if you cook it on low.

Serve with corn on the cob and baked potatoes.

The Verdict.

I’ve never made ribs in the crockpot with a dry rub before. I was nervous that they’d get awfully tough and burn. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth. The meat was flavorful, tender, and juicy. The lemon gave a neat tartness I’ve never had with ribs before. The kids ate the meat, and there were happy noises at the table. They’ve asked me to make this again.

CrockPot Red Ribs Recipe

Day 289.

My mom brought over a few Cooking Light magazines this weekend, and this one recipe caught my eye right away. I learned that “Red cooking refers to a Chinese technique of braising meat in a soy sauce and sherry mixture. The ‘red’ comes from the color soy sauce acquires after long cooking.”

I know how to cook things for a long time.

I did change the recipe a bit-—I added more honey. After the meat cooked for a while, the sauce tasted bland, so I quadrupled the honey. This probably means it can no longer be featured in Cooking Light, but now it tastes better.

The Ingredients.
adapted from Jan/Feb 2008 issue Cooking Light, page 130.

—2 lbs boneless beef short ribs (I used 1 lb short ribs, 1 lb stew meat)
—2 tsp ground ginger
—4 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
—1/2 cup cooking sherry
—3/4 cup gluten free beef broth
—6 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari Wheat-Free are GF)
—1/4 cup honey
—1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I used 1/4, and the kids ate it)
—1 (8oz) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
—1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, sliced or whole, your choice
—1 cinnamon stick
—2 cups sliced mushrooms (I forgot these. I bought them, but then forgot them in the crisper drawer)

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart crockpot. Any size 4 quarts and up will work.

Rinse off your meat and add to the crockpot. Open the cans of bamboo and water chestnuts and drain. Add dried ginger powder. Add mushrooms (boy I wish I hadn’t forgotten those guys), and the cinnamon stick. Smash the garlic, chop and add. Do a happy dance that this is the only chopping, and make a mental note to have some of that already-chopped stuff on hand in the future.

Add your wet ingredients.

Stir to distribute.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat has reached desired tenderness.

The Verdict.

We all ate this! Hooray! I am glad that I only added a bit of the red pepper flakes, because there was not one whine of “this is too spicy”——I, actually, would have preferred some more heat, but I’m so glad to know that the kids had some protein this week. Other than peanut butter.
Adam had two servings. I made a big pot of brown rice to soak up the juice. Tasty, without being too sweet.

In a line-up, the Korean ribs would win——the kids really liked those, too.

I will make this again. I really liked the water chestnuts.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20meat

Jalapeño Pot Roast CrockPot Recipe

Day 259.

This is a set it and forget it recipe. I came up with this recipe while I was holding a package of frozen chuck meat and was looking through the fridge and pantry. I’ve never made this before, but I will again. It was easy and quite flavorful.
6 adults ate this last night for Sunday dinner-—while the 2 kids ate buttered pasta.

The Ingredients.

—3 lb chuck roast (frozen solid is fine)
—can of cream of soup (or homemade, or you can make it on the stove)
—2-4 T of sliced jalapeno peppers (a can or two of green chilies would work. We had the jalapenos on hand)
—can of black beans, drained and rinsed
—1 yellow onion, sliced in rings
—1-2 cups plain non fat yogurt (to add at the end of cooking—you can use sour cream, too)

The Directions.

Dump everything into the crockpot. I used frozen homemade cream of mushroom soup-—it took about 40 minutes for it to melt all the way and coat the meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

After cooking, remove meat with tongs, and stir in the yogurt or sour cream.

It’s up to you how spicy you’d like this meal to be. I used 4 T (1/4 cup) of the sliced jalapenos, and then used 2 cups of plain yogurt to mellow the flavor. I liked it like that, and so did my family. There was definitely a kick, but it wasn’t too crazy.

If you’re worried about the heat, stick with 2 T of the sliced jalapenos, and then slowly add the yogurt at the end to taste.

The Verdict.

I really liked this, and so did Adam, my parents, my brother, and his wife. I rinsed the meat off and offered it to the kids, but they didn’t give it a try.

When the cold yogurt (or sour cream) hits the hot liquid, it will separate a bit and create white chunks. Don’t be alarmed-—they will dissipate after heating fully and with some quick stirring.

CrockPot 3-Packet Pot Roast Recipe

Day 239.

I was going through the archives the other day and started laughing when I realized I haven’t made a pot roast yet this year. I usually make pot roast in the crockpot 4-5 times a year——but 2008 has sort of taken on a life of it’s own.

Usually I make pot roast the same way, each and every time: 1 envelope of onion soup mix, and a cup of whatever wine I have open, or some broth.

Back in February, I bookmarked a recipe that I was given by Terri W. for a 3-packet pot roast, and then promptly forgot about it.

I finally made it yesterday. It was simple and easy, and makes awesome gravy. If you wait until the envelope packets are on sale, and stick with chuck roast, this is a very inexpensive meal that can be stretched for a few days.

The Ingredients.

-packet of ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix
—packet of Italian salad dressing mix
—McCormick Grill Mates Peppercorn & Garlic (the original recipe called for a packet of beef gravy or au jus, but all of the gravies and jus packets contain wheat starch. Please read labels carefully a few times if you are avoiding gluten.)

—3 lb chuck roast
—1 to 3 cups of water

The Directions.

I used my 6 quart Smart Set crockpot for this dinner.

I opted to not throw any vegetables into the crock because we had leftovers I needed to use. Feel free to throw in some chopped potatoes, an onion, carrots, and celery.

Trim the roast of any visible fat and place it into the crockpot. In a small bowl, combine the contents of the 3 packets. Pour on top of the meat. Flip the meat over a few times to get it covered with seasoning on all sides.

Add 1 cup of water.

Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5. The meat will be more tender if you cook it low and slow.

20-30 minutes before eating, add 2 more cups of warm water to the crockpot, and flip to high.

The meat only needs 1 cup of water on it to cook properly, but the spices are too concentrated to only have 1 cup of water in the pot when it’s time to eat. Waiting to add the water until the end will help the meat retain it’s shape, and the added water will make a nice juicy gravy.

The Verdict.

We ate this with some leftover curried rice and vegetables while we watched Michelle Obama speak. This was a great dinner.

The kids dipped their meat in barbecue sauce and Adam and I ladled broth over the top of ours.

I will make this again.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20meat

So! This the Americanized version of Haggis. Everyone who tasted it at mom’s party enjoyed it. I did, too.

The Ingredients.

—1/2 pound ground beef
—1/2 pound ground lamb
—1 chopped red onion (doesn’t need to be diced, largish chunks are okay)
—1 cup oats (if you are gluten free, make sure your oats are certified GF)
—pinch each of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon
—1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
—1/2 tsp black pepper
—1 tsp kosher salt
—1 egg
—1/2 cup of broth or stock (I used chicken broth)

The Directions.

In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients, minus the broth, the same way you’d make a meatloaf.

Plop it into your crockpot. I used a 4qt round crock for this. I didn’t spray with cooking spray, but it might be a good idea.

Shape with your hands into a round blob.

Pour in your broth.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for about 4. This is cooked fully when it has browned on the edges and is beginning to brown on top. Don’t overcook and risk drying out.

I cooked ours on low for 5 hours, and then on high for another hour.

Using large spatulas, carefully remove and set on a cutting board. Let rest for a full 30 minutes before slicing.

The Verdict.

I’d make this again! I loved the flavors of the clove and nutmeg, and liked the kick of the cayenne. It was salty, but not too salty, and it reminded me of the Haggis I ate in Scotland when I was twelve.

I don’t think I’d bother with tracking down a pluck again—after speaking with Michael and Kate and learning that no one eats that part anyway, it just seems like an added step. I was pleased with the moistness and tenderness of the meat after it was crockpotted.

The kids ate cupcakes.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20meat

CrockPot Layered Dinner—Steak, Potatoes, Corn on the Cob

Day 232.

I made a complete meal in the crockpot last night, and it wasn’t a soup, stew, or casserole. I made rib eye steak, baked potato, and corn on the cob. It wasn’t soggy, nor was it dried out, and I was able to leave the house for six hours.

The crockpot rocks.

I had been meaning to try a layered dinner in the crock for a few months, now, but kind of forgot. I am so glad that Julie emailed me! She made steak and sweet potatoes that way last week, with great success.

The Ingredients.

This is what I used. You can use whatever meat or vegetables you have in the house. The trick is to not use too much liquid when cooking the meat, so the potatoes and the corn (or whatever you’re using) isn’t floating in juice.

—1 1/1 lbs rib eye steak
—1 T of your favorite seasoning rub
—1 T dried onion flakes (a fresh onion would be fine. I wasn’t in a chopping mood.)
—2 T Worcestershire sauce (Lea and Perrins is GF)
—1/4 cup tequila (or broth, apple juice, etc.)

—2-4 potatoes
—2-4 ears of fresh corn
—aluminum foil

In my 6 quart Smart Pot, I used 2 whole brown potatoes, and 4 ears of corn. I could have fit another potato in, probably.

The Directions.

Put meat in the bottom of the crockpot. Rub with seasoning and onion, and flip over to get the other side. Add tequila and Worcestershire sauce.

Wash potatoes and cover with foil. Add to the pot. Shuck the corn, and wrap each ear in foil. Add to the crockpot.

It doesn’t seem to matter if the potatoes are closer to the meat, or the corn. The new crockpots heat from the sides as well as from the bottom, so everything will cook through regardless of location.

Cover and cook on high for 5-7 hours, or on low for about 8. I cooked our dinner for 6 hours on high. My crockpot was quite full.

The Verdict.

This was a great dinner. It’s out-of-the-norm for us to have such a complete meal on a Monday night, which made it fun and new. I plan on doing more layered crockpot cooking-—it’s so nice to have everything plopped in and the kitchen clean by noon.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20meat

Coconut Beef CrockPot Recipe

Day 225.

I bought some really cheap stew meat the other day, and played around with a few different coconut and curry recipes to make a coconut beef. I was concerned that the meat wouldn’t tenderize as much as I would like—because I needed to cook it on high in 4 hours, instead of low for 8. I didn’t need to worry. The meat was tender and infused with a great coconut creamy flavor.

The Ingredients.

—1-2 lbs stew meat
—1 yellow onion, cut in chunks
—1 can coconut milk
—1 juice from one lime
—2 T of butter (optional. I used it, but don’t think it needs it next time)
—2 cloves chopped garlic
—2 tsp brown sugar
—1 tsp curry powder
—1/2 tsp ground coriander
—1 tsp cumin
—1 1/2 T chili paste (or 1-2 tsp red chili flakes)
—1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

The Directions.

I used a 6qt Smart-Pot for this dish. Anything 4qt and up will work.

If using, put butter into crockpot, and turn it on to begin to melt. Add meat, lime juice, and coconut milk. Follow with the onion and garlic. Add the brown sugar and all the spices. Grate the ginger. Toss meat a bit in the liquid and spices to coat.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8.

The coconut milk will be yellow from the curry, and will separate a bit. A quick stir will turn it all creamy again.

Serve over white or brown rice.

The Verdict.

I liked this a lot. So did the kids, Adam, and my in-laws. We will most definitely make this again. Although it looks like there are a lot of ingredients, don’t be intimidated. Once you find all the spice bottles, it comes together really quickly. This can easily be assembled the night before. Like always, if you are going to use a crock straight from the fridge, let it sit on the counter for a bit to warm up before plugging in. You aren’t supposed to “shock” the crock.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20meat

Thursday, August 7, 2008
You Can Use Your CrockPot as a Smoker

Day 220.

Alternative title: CrockPot Smoked Brisket Recipe

I have been reading Jared’s blog, the CrockPot Alchemist, with interest this year. He has the same think-out-of-the-box (crock!) mentality I seem to have when it comes to crockpotting, and not only does he come across as an awfully nice guy you’d like to have dinner with, he is quite funny.

Jared likes things to taste smokey. He uses Liquid Smoke, and has written about how it isn’t a super-scary-chemical-concoction.

But I can’t find it. I’ve looked in about 6 grocery stores around here, and just. can’t. find. it. I’ve emailed a few people who have given me liquid smoke recipes and they can find it at Walmart. We don’t have Walmart here. I guess I need to take a Walmart field trip, which is fine by me, because they have the most comfortable tank tops I’ve ever worn, and I’d like to stock up on layering options for fall. (in case you were wondering. you may have been.)

Anyways-—since I couldn’t find any liquid smoke, and because I was spurred on by the Last Food Network Star when the comedian guy built a smoker, I turned the crockpot into a smoker yesterday.

And it totally worked.

The Ingredients.

—3-4 lbs beef brisket or comparable hunk o’ meat
—1-2 cups mesquite wood chips (depends on size of crockpot), soaked
—favorite spice rub. I used McCormick’s Roasting Rub.
—1/2 cup of water. or beer. or wine. or broth.
—parchment paper

The Directions.

Soak your wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes, and drain the water.
Spread out a good-sized length of parchment paper on the counter, and put the wood chips inside.
Fold over the edges of the paper to enclose the wood chips and make a packet, similar to a foil packet (I was worried foil would rust), that fits inside your crockpot completely.
Put it in.
With scissors, cut teeny tiny holes here and there in the top level of the parchment paper to let smoky steam escape.
Rub all sides of your meat with spice rub. Put it in the crockpot, directly on top of the parchment paper packet (lots of Ps, there).
Cover with whatever liquid you are going to use. I stuck with water.
Put the lid on and cook on low for 8-10 hours. The meat is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired tenderness. I wanted ours to fall apart, and cooked it on low for 9 hours.

The Verdict.

It worked!

The parchment didn’t disintegrate, and the wood chips never touched the meat. The brisket was flavorful and had a definite smoky flavor in each bite.

My spice rub was quite peppery, so after the first few bites, I mostly tasted pepper, but the smoke was infused.

The kids loved it, and called it “the best steak my mom has ever made in the crockpot.” It cracks me up that they included the “in the crockpot” part.

I have POUNDS of mesquite chips left, and am interested in smoking some salmon.

Growing Groceries.com

The Ultimate Tool for Measuring Plant Health

Posted: 09 Dec 2008 09:20 PM CST

I should preface this post with the disclaimer “Serious and Geeky Gardeners Only” as only the most obsessed among us would desire such a garden tool as this. It ain’t yo’ mama’s three prong cultivator.

A refractometer is very likely the best instrument available to measure the health of your plants. Refractometers are used in a multitude of fields ranging from medical to scientific, to beekeeping. They are most often used to measure the dissolved solids (sucrose, for instance) in a liquid substance- the Brix reading. On the surface this seems like it would have no application whatsoever to gardening, but it can be quite a powerful tool to let you know just what’s going on with your plant. It can also give you clues into the nutritional value of your produce.

For gardeners, in the simplest of terms, a refractometer will tell you if your plant has watery cells. Watery cells are bad. Bad watery cells! You want your plants to have lots of dissolved solids like sugar. A high Brix reading means your plant has a higher carbohydrate level than a plant with a low Brix reading.

This is helpful in monitoring the health of your garden crop. Think of the Brix scale as a measurement of a plant’s immune system. A plant with a low Brix reading is more susceptible to disease and even insect damage. By monitoring the Brix, you can identify and correct problems before they become problems.

For instance, if you regularly test your tomato plants with a refractometer, you may notice a steadily declining Brix reading. You can takes steps to raise it mid-season, by side-dressing or foliar spraying to bring the Brix back up again before it translates into a serious problem.

It’s also helpful as a guide to measure the progress of your soil’s health and your elite skills as a gardener. If your tomato plants have a Brix reading of 6 and the next year have a reading of 8, you can pat yourself on the back for being so flippin’ cool. On the other hand, if last year your Brix was 9 and this year it’s 7, you will be able to ask yourself “What was I doing then that I’m not doing now?”

Of course, everything has it’s limitations and drawbacks and refractometers definitely have their fair share. In very small gardens, it’s not practical to test very often. Testing is done by squeezing sap from parts of the plant- leaves, stem, etc. If you only have two tomato plants, the amount of plant material you’d need to collect would hurt the plant if done regularly. If you have twenty tomato plants, then it’s much easier to spread the damage around so no one plant is affected from loss of it’s parts. Capesh? You have to have enough plants to take an average sample from.

How to Use a Refractometer in the Garden

A Refractometer is pretty simple to use, depending on your model. I have a traditional portable refractometer I bought from GrowOrganic.com. Digital refractometers are also available for a higher price, but this one works fine. It consists of a prism, a focusing eyepiece, and a plate over the prism that smooths the liquid across the prism. The reading goes up to 32 on the Brix scale, which is plenty for agricultural use.

They can be pricey. I bought mine for around 90 bucks. If you find a source for a similar refractometer at a lower price, please let me know. For me, I think it was worth the investment.

The liquid extracted from the plant is dropped onto the prism and the plate is shut, making sure the liquid covers the entire area of the prism. You then point the plate towards the sun and look through the eyepiece..you’ll see something like this, but with more numbers.

Am I not a great artist?

You then read the number where the two colors meet and that’s your Brix reading! Nothing to it, right? Note it down in you garden journal,clean of the prism off with a soft, damp cloth and your done!

Extracting Sap

The difficult part is actually getting the sap out of the plant. Try as you may using household devices, there’s no substitute for a sap press (expensive) or a modified pair of vice grips like the ones sold at GrowOrganic (not so expensive). Even with these tools it takes practice. Practice with weeds until you get the sap squeezing thing down so you don’t defoliate all the plants in your garden.

* The Brix number in and of itself isn’t as important as how it compares to the previous number. Although there are guides as to what Brix level is good for such and such a veggie, many different variables can change the Brix. Such as the area of the plant the reading was taken from.
* Be Consistent! Make sure you take from the same plant parts each time or you may get wildly different readings. If you take a sample from the lower leaves, always take a sample from the lower leaves. If you take a sample from stems near the top, always take them there.
* It’s helpful to graph out your results. It’s also fun. Take your seasonal or multi year data and graph your improvement over time. You’ll also start to make connections on what causes jumps in Brix readings.
* Be sure to follow all the calibration instructions that come with your refractometer before using it!

I encourage you to give this thing a try if you have a little extra Christmas cash laying around. Or perhaps give one as a Christmas gift to a beloved gardener!
GrowingGroceries.com

http://www.growinggroceries.com

Today’s Cool Site...

Share videos with the troops

YouTube is one of the hottest Web sites on the ‘Net. But not everybody is enamored with the video-sharing site.

The Defense Department has banned soldiers from using YouTube. Why? It’s all in the interest of national security.

So, military families may be wondering how to share videos. Fortunately, the military has launched its own video-sharing site.

Videos posted to TroopTube are screened by Pentagon employees. They’re checked for copyright violations and taste. National security is also considered, of course.

With Christmas almost here, it’s the perfect time to check out TroopTube. Share your holiday wishes with family members stationed overseas.

Or, simply post a video to all of our troops. Thank them for all their hard work and the sacrifices they have made!

TO VISIT TODAY’S COOL SITE, GO HERE:
www.trooptube.tv

[From the Kim Komando newsletter: http://www.kommando.com
granny]

TOOLS: PANDEMIC BRIEFINGS

[Reports on flu, today and history of..]

http://www.bigmedicine.ca/h5n1timeline.htm

NEWS: BUSINESS

United States: Fibertect wipe best for decon of chem warfare agents, toxic chemicals [Dec 9 Lubbock TX]—A newly-developed decontamination wipe designed by researchers at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech University has proven itself the best for cleaning up chemical warfare agents and toxic chemicals.

The evaluation of the nonwoven dry wipe product, called Fibertect™, was performed as part of a study by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using mustard gas and other toxic chemicals. Researchers found that the Texas Tech-created product out-performed 30 different decontamination materials, including materials currently used in military decontamination kits.

The results are published online today (Dec. 3) in the American Chemical Society’s peer-reviewed journal, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research and titled, “Next Generation Non-particulate Dry Nonwoven Pad for Chemical Warfare Agent Decontamination.”

continued, and more reports on page...........

http://www.bigmedicine.ca/business.htm#United_States:_Fibertect_wipe_best_f

NEWS: RESEARCH [Medical related]

http://www.bigmedicine.ca/bioscitech.htm

http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/081210.aspx

Intelligence Note

Prepared by the Internet Crime
Complaint Center (IC3)

December 10, 2008

Flurry of Spam Targeting the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Consumers continue to be inundated by spam purportedly from the
FBI. As with previous spam attacks, the latest versions use the names
of several high ranking executives within the FBI and even the IC3 to attempt to
defraud consumers.

Many of the spam e-mails currently in circulation claim to be an “official order”
from the FBI’s Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, from an alleged FBI
unit in Nigeria, confirm an inheritance or contain a lottery notification, all informing
recipients they have been named the beneficiary of millions of dollars.
To claim the large sum, recipients are instructed to furnish their personally identifiable
information (PII)
and are often threatened with some type of penalty, such as prosecution, if they
fail to do so. Specific PII information requested includes, but is not
limited to, the recipient’s name, banking information, telephone number, and a copy
of their passport.

The spam e-mail allegedly from the IC3 states that the recipient has extorted money
and will be given a limited amount of time to refund the money or face prosecution.

Do not respond. These e-mails are a hoax.

The FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. FBI Executives are briefed
on numerous investigations but do not personally contact consumers regarding such
matters. In addition, the IC3 does not send threatening letters to consumers demanding
payments for Internet crimes.

Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded
links associated with such e-mails, as they may contain viruses or malware.

It is imperative consumers guard their PII. Providing your PII will compromise your
identity!

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at
www.IC3.gov.

For previous PSAs concerning e-mail scams targeting the FBI and other government
agencies:

http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/081205-2.aspx

Intelligence Note

Prepared by the Internet Crime
Complaint Center (IC3)

December 5, 2008
Updated on December 8, 2008

New Technique Utilizing Private Branch Exchange (PBX) Systems To Conduct Vishing Attacks

The FBI
has received information concerning a new technique used to conduct vishingi attacks. The recent attacks were conducted
by hackers exploiting a security vulnerability in Asterisk software. Asterisk is free and widely used software developed to integrate PBXii systems with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP),
digital Internet voice calling services; however, early versions of the Asterisk
software are known to have a vulnerability. The vulnerability can be exploited by
cyber criminals to use the system as an auto dialer, generating thousands of vishing
telephone calls to consumers within one hour.

The vulnerability referred to in this alert is a known vulnerability. Digium, the
original creator and primary developer of Asterisk, released a Security Advisory,
AST-2008-003, in March of 2008, which contains the information necessary for users
to configure a system, patch the software or upgrade the software to protect against
this vulnerability.

If a consumer falls victim to this exploit, their personally identifiable information
(PII) will be compromised.
To prevent further loss of consumers’ PII and to reduce the spread of this new technique,
it is imperative businesses, using Asterisk, upgrade their software to a version
that has had the vulnerability fixed.

Further, consumers should not release personal information in response to unsolicited
telephone calls. Providing your PII will compromise your identity!

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at
www.IC3.gov.

1. Vishing utilizes caller ID spoofing via VoIP to contact potential
victims in order to gain access to their PII by convincing the victim that the criminal
is associated with a legitimate business with a need to know the victim’s PII.
2. PBX Systems are used by companies to allow telephone calls
between VoIP enterprise users on local lines while allowing all users to share a
limited number of external lines.