Yup, as we speak the wagon is getting loaded up and the cooler packed. There's a dozen El Salvadorean chorizos in there, a pork loin roast (Thanks CB!) and a dozen 1" thick pork chops. I needs muh snacks!

bye bye

dot dot dot, we're baaack! Well, okay we got back yesterday about 11am. I went through some of the images I took and thought I'd share.

Here you can see Z, waaaay up on the top of the dune there. The boys spent several hours climbing up and down these dunes. This was the largest and Tiny E decided that maybe when he was older he'd attempt it. Just so you know, the right side of the dune is far less aggressive and not so scary.

And yes, the aquarium is awesome. Changed a lot over the years though, they have penguins now. When I visited years ago they were showcasing Monterey Bay marine life only, now it's all over the map. And they've added 9 million activities for kids. So, obviously it's packed with tons of families enjoying themselves. This isn't necessarilly a bad thing, but damned those strollers are evil. I counted at least 3 gift shops and 1 of which is about the size of a large market. Ahhh, the mighty dollar wins again. Go during the week, not on the weekends.

xo, Biggles

Ya know, it was really nice to host this little contest for ya'll. It isn't very often that a blogger gets to have a two-way conversation with the readers (that's you). I've found over the years it can really bring a sense of closeness that I enjoy, like coming by for a beverage and a snack treat.

Well, we didn't exactly set a record with the number of entries (you're just not used to it here), but the absolute quality of the entries? Second to none, easy.

Move along ...

9:30pm, sun is down and the bedroom window is open. I removed the screen so I could get max flow of nose flavors. Fresh, wet, weeds, grass, bark, oil, traffic, calm, goodness with a touch of who knows.

The flavor from my bedroom window caused me to grab the tripod and the camera to this shot. Yes there are a few details, but suffice it to say I used a much moved flashlight to highlight the windmill against the barn. The barn is half-lit from the neighbor's rear porch light. Other than that, this is out-of-camera action with all the late spring smells that give me the happy shivers.

Grab the one you're with and make fun, it's worth the effort.

xo, Biggles

ps - Color temperature rules.

On March 25th CajunGrocer.com contacted me and asked if I'd like 10 pounds of mudbugs for 'review'. Oh, let me think, YES. Remember them? They were the ones that sent Meathenge Labs a Turducken, yeah that's them.

The little guys come delivered to your door alive, moving, and making this clicking sound like rice crispies in milk. The party wasn't until Saturday, said crawdads arrived on Friday, not a problem. Hose them down, toss into cooler with a bag of ice (drain open), easy enough. But it didn't say whether to leave them all tied up in their sack or not, I decided to let them out in to the cooler. Free range crawdads ... dumb Californian. Wanna come see how it turned out?

Last year I wandered in to Joya de Ceren and bought this little, tiny red box full of fried chicken. It was 10 bux for just a few pieces, and not freshly prepared. On the side was this little chicken made up like a cowboy with the words, "Pollo Campero" on the side. Country Chicken, that is. As near as I can dig up, it's a chain of places dear to the hearts of our brothers and sisters down south. It's a little slice of home and that, means a lot.

We ain't got that here, so someone decided to make their own! And they live just down the street, oh yes.

Taqueria Las Americas has reopened and is now serving their own version!

Farmer's Market: Sunday April 20th - Parking Lot of Catahoula Coffee.

This Sunday April 20th, 2008 (10am-1pm) Park Guthrie and members of the 5% Local Coalition (Urban Tilth and Richmond High School's YME Club) are selling West County-grown produce, plants (tomato seedlings, edible perennial seedlings) and plant food (worm castings and worm tea). All of the produce will be brought to market by foot or bicycle. All of the proceeds will support food production programs at Richmond High School or the Lincoln School Farm.

A few Local (Richmond) artists will be on hand to showcase their art and crafts. Liana's Cake Kitchen & Grand Finale Flowers by Tracy Weber.

Music: Saturday April 19th -
This Saturday April 19, 2008 (10:30am to 12:30 noon) stop by for a cup of hula and enjoy a local Jazz Trio. John Bob and Playboys will be back. Catahoula Coffee will continue to source local artists to play from time to time.

Catahoula Coffee
12472 San Pablo Avenue
Richmond, CA 94805
(510) 235-0525

Biggles

Yeah, huh. Here in our part of the East Bay, the temperatures rarely go below 40 or above 75, it's just that way. That isn't to say we don't get our heat waves, I remember it hovering over 104 a few times and surely in the 80s. But yesterday, and at least this today, it was 94 in the shade.

My favorite part was when Z came running in saying, "Papa !!! It's 120 degrees outside!"

"Um, the sun was hitting that thermometer there sonny boy. Put it in the shade, ya foo."

Well, when the temperatures are high, the house is stuffy what meal really hits the spot? No, not watermelon, salad or tofu. It's that good ol' roast turkey dinner. I fired up the gas oven for 3 hours and made us some juicy roast turkey, mashed taters & gravy! The plates were licked clean and that was pretty much that. And today for lunch, turkey sammiches!

xo, Biggles

On March 28th I announced the Cook for me! contest, and right now is the deadline. Well, I got 1 entry, so far. Am thinking to myself, "Do they not love me?" Well, that's not possible. I'm the most loved of all! Then I thought, "Maybe they don't care." I'm not buying that either, you care. What else in your life could possibly be more important that me?

Taxes !!!

So, let's reset and take this contest to April 25th, a Friday. OR, if anyone has a better idea for a contest giveaway, I'm all ears. Oh dear, a cross between Hee Haw and something else just popped in to my mind. Eeek!

We'll let the dust settle and regroup, what you gots?

Biggles

A hearty Thank You! to Ten Speed Press for sending this book our way.

Note 4/15/2008: Here are the entries!

I spied with my little eye, this box on the shelf at our local mega grocer. It's a convenience food, all ready to shorten the time in the kitchen and feed the brood on the quick & easy. But, like it's pasta, olive oil and Italian herb. Couldn't I just take pasta, oilive oil and Italian herb and make my own? Or even do a switchy poo and pull out some French herb? Maybe I should just switch gears and whip out some Hawaiian herb and make it all go away.

Aloha, Biggles

Here we find a little clearing on a pallet out in production, supplies & tools are kept handy. One never knows when that fancy load of product will need palletizin'. Actually, it's a pretty handly little area near the roll-up door with bay air blowing through at a very fresh rate.

A little over a week ago, Creepy E shows up with a few appliances from his mum's garage. One of which is this little chromium, oven thingy. It's not a toaster, no live coils to heat. It's pretty cool actually, gots this slide-out tray that holds things to be baked. Wanna see what he cooks in his very own little oven?

But first, Meathenge news!

It looks as though my sister will have some time next week fo put some real design in to Meathenge and the corporate look will be a thing of the past. Her husband, Meathead, has put together a really cool mascot and that's nearly done.

The picture of the bowls up above there are a few of the bauer ware pieces that my uncle gifted me over the last few weeks. Ain't they pretty? Expose for the highlights baby, tastee.

Weeks ago I posted that there'd be live jazz at Catahoula Coffee Roasters in Richmond. I was wrong, it didn't happen. But it does now!

This Saturday April 5, 2008 (10:30am to 12:30 noon) stop by for a cup of hula and enjoy a local Jazz Trio. John Bob and Playboys will be in attendance, fer sure.

How could I possibly take this photograph last night and not share it with you today. I mulled it over for 4 or so hours and decided, "It's going up!".

The boys and I have taken our local Joya de Ceren market to heart lately and added some kind of taco dish at least once or twice a week. In the past we've used their premade meat/pepper/onion mixes, they're all really good. But they have a chile powder and related in them (yum!). And unfortunately Z ain't hip to them flavors, so I decided to make my own, sorta. Sure I'll be compiling my own lime based marinade soon, but a bottle of La Lechonera Spanish Marinating Sauce did just fine for last night.

Check out the picture of a fat little piggy, in a sling, with the marinade also in a sliing, getting the piggy all ready. Priceless.

We ended up eating 2 pounds of flank steak for one dinner. A little excessive I know, but it was really good. Especially with corn tortillas that get all puffy when you heat them, so good. I'll make up my own marinaddy for next week and see how that goes.

Cheers!

Author's note: There is actually a point to this post other than a poorly written rambling rant.

After giving this another thought, nope. This is a poorly written rambling rant without a point.

Quite a few years ago now, maybe 7, I received my first copy of Cook's Illustrated Magazine. I signed myself up for a few years, was feeling full of myself because we'd bought our first home a year before. Life was going to be grand. Aww, I remember it fondly, one of my first issues and it was spring time, a grilling issue and it was all mine.

Um, this recipe actually turned out really tasty. I pulled it out of a 1968 Family Circle Great Chicken Recipes book, see?

Yeah, that one. I had originally wanted to do a recipe from a recent Food & Wine issue. But after nodding off while reading the list of ingredients I decided this book would do just fine for a Saturday evening. Come see, the pictures are quit tastee.

Jennifer Jeffrey, whom I know very well, recently wrote an article about her love for cooking for others. And, not so whiz-bang excited to do the same for herself. And that's, okay.

The way I see it, I'm going to give you the supreme pleasure of cooking for me! If you're interested, come along and show me your best.