Lil' Joe Games

Blog

  • Making Progress

    Been working to try to figure out how I want to lay out the blog. Attempted to create a theme from scratch, utilizing ChatGPT, but that kept failing. I would make some decent progress and then the next update I would make would end up breaking things.

    I’ve decided I’m going to take an existing theme, and try to modify it for my use. I’m currently using the TwentyTwentyFive theme, although I’m not thrilled with some of the spacing. I do like the built in styles, and will try to create my own style versions with color palettes that I like.

    The main reason for copying/customizing the theme is that I wanted to create my own shortcode to display a mood indicator and a now playing section. The moods are like LiveJournal’s. It’s a feature that I had forgotten about, but really liked when I thought about it. I’m using the mood images from LiveJournal, and will need to credit them somewhere. The now playing feature will display links to Spotify for anything I may be listening too. That is currently a manual process, but I hope to be able to mature it where the system can automatically grab what I’m listening to (if anything) when I publish a post.

    So all-in-all, I’m making progress. I’m happy with where the blog is at the moment, and can’t wait to get into the habit of posting more.

    …till next time.

  • Sausage balls

    Sausage balls

    Serving Size:
    ~40 pieces
    Time:
    17 minutes
    Difficulty:
    Easy

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb ground pork breakfast sausage
    • 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
    • 1 cup Bisquick baking mix

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. In a large bowl, mix together the sausage, cheese, and baking mix. Make sure to combine the mixture gently, without packing it too tightly.
    3. Scoop the mixture into 1 tablespoon sized balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
    4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the sausage balls are golden brown.
    5. Remove the sausage balls from the oven and place them on a paper towel to drain any excess grease. Serve either warm or at room temperature.

    Additional Notes:

    • I prefer to use hot sausage. The cheese will help cut the spice.
    • Use sharp cheddar cheese.
    • Serve with mustard or ranch for dipping.

    Credits

    I’ve used various recipes over the years, but this one I took from Belle of the Kitchen.

  • Hello, World!

    Yet again, I find myself starting something over from scratch. I had this site up before, but had no clear direction and intention behind it. The entire domain was an attempt to start growing a brand around gaming and streaming, but like most things that didn’t last long.

    Then it hit me… I missed the old days of livejournal! Yes, it still exists in some form, but I deleted my account long ago, without saving my content. I thought Facebook was the wave of the future, but look at the shit show that has become. I like the idea of being able to share long or short stories on what’s going on with me. I prefer typing over writing, so an online journal of sorts seems to make sense.

    I don’t expect anyone to find this blog or to read it. I’m really just doing this for me. But if someone does manage to pop by and find me, hopefully you’ll enjoy my ramblings.

    So Hello, World! I’m still building things out and getting my thoughts together on what the site will be. Until then, enjoy this inaugural post.