If you’re a fan of the Henge, then you probably hang out at a multitude of other food blogs as well. This means you’ve run in to all kinds of contests and awards: some hosted by major players; some hosted by some of us little people. These include themed cooking get togethers and all kinds of fun stuff. Well, it’s time for Meathenge to step up to the plate and host a contest!
Category Archives: The Orts
Beautiful Meat Photograph – Fatted Calf Mortadella
Today was my first Farmer’s Market in a few weeks and I have to say it felt really good getting back in to the swing of things. My little boy and I did a few walks up and down, pinching, poking and surveying the good stuff. All of it. Thankfully Taylor brought back some sun from Mexico, yeah.
There’s nothing to this post other than a meat inspired photograph and wonderful food. I had planned on giving this Mortadella to Steve, he loves the Mortadella. But I knew, within a few moments, it was mine and mine alone. Warm toast and mortadella, nothing finer.
Xo Xo
Tamale Smeared Mopars in Denver Colorado
This entry submitted by Joe Bob of Denver. Some day I will be able to taste the fabled green chili from Denver, some day.
Each fall there is a mountain bike festival in Fruita, CO. Each year a bunch of bike geeks from Quality in MN come through Denver on their way there. They stop in a Wakeman’s house for a party too. The basic theme is Tamales from La Casita in Denver. Then there’s the Mopars…..besides the bicycles and bike talk is the car thing. Tamales, green chile and cars. Toss in some pierced tattooed borderline sociopaths and you have a great time. Hopefully an annual event now.
Old Jars to Happy Candles
Everyone has them. No one will toss them in to the recylcing bin. We’re always searching for a use and yet, those cool containers made of glass, metal or cardboard usually spend their lives tucked away in a cupboard somewheres. It hit me like a cold beer on a hot day on an empty stomach a few weeks ago, I finally thought a use for at least a few of them.
What to do, what to do.
Yes, that is a Hello Kitty pink microwave. And no, it doesn’t stop there. We have a matching Hello Kitty rice cooker.
Here we find ourselves as the daily temperatures drop and darned if it ain’t getting darker earlier. Thanksgiving (for some) is right around the corner. Ick.
Oh I know, this is a lovely time of year for friends and family to get together and share about the year’s doings. Love & tenderness. Ick.
Some of us have plans to visit others for the holidays, some of us have volunteered to be that destination for our peeps. Either way, this is an excellent time to clean that crap out.
MeatHenge’s Winter 2004 Barbecue “Top Dog” Award
It’s lunch time during the week, Thursday to be exact. I figured I’d wander out to Rick’s Quality Meats in El Cerrito. This way I could get a sammich and a whole chicken, fer dinner. Yeah well, it’s raining here. Pouring really. Really pouring with high water at the curbs. Good thing I grabbed my camera because when I pulled up, guess what I found.
That’s right, Rick’s smoker going full tilt. In the pouring rain. I know I know, we’ve all barbecued in the rain. But it’s Thursday at noon, in November, in the rain. I’m not sure exactly what was in there, he said something about only running 50 lbs this run and something about pork loins and some ribs. In any case,
Rick wins.
Rick’s Quality Meats
510.233.9390
1600 Liberty Street
El Cerrito, CA 94530
Fatted Calf & Hog Island Picnic
The Fatted Calf & Hog Island Oyster Co. Picnic was set for September 12th, 10:30am SHARP out in Marshall California. More specifically Marshall Boatworks right on HWY 1 just up the road a piece from Pt. Reyes Station on Tomales Bay. We’d been having a heatwave, 94 degrees on a daily basis going on 2 weeks. Not Sunday morning it wasn’t, we’re talking heavy over cast with some icky looking darker clouds. Didn’t matter, if Fatted C. & Hog Island were involved I would have taken a taxi out that windy road for one and a half hours.
Barnacle Coffee – Myth or Reality?
Many many leagues ago, back in the time of the vikings, before Starbucks and way before Peet’s coffee, was Barnacle Coffee.
This semi-ancient ritual found the heartiest of souls before 6am brewing a morning beverage. This morning beverage did not include sugars, not creams or fats of any kind (well, okay maybe walrus milk but it was damned hard to obtain, you ever try to milk a walrus?). This morning beverage didn’t have any cinnamon or powdered chocolate. Well then, what was the draw?
The Barnacle! What an amazing little mullusk:
mol
Fatted (ham) Calf (ham) Newsletter (ham) – Special (ham) Ham Steak
Not more than 3 minutes before the Newsletter arrived in my inbox, I remarked that the Fatted Calf Newsletter was late. I almost gave them a call, “whar’s muh newsletter foo?”
I read through the introductory paragraph pretty quickly, all I was interested in was to see if there was a special and what the Crepinettes were made of this week. I was not let down.
First came the special brined, cold smoked ham steaks. You don’t eeven want to miss this one. A month ago or so he sold these 9 pound hams, sure they were amazing hunks of ham leg. But you had to buy 9 pounds of ham leg, which left most people out of the loop. This time he was nice enough to make something Snack Size (probably a few pounds each, maybe a tad less) so we can all have a taste. In a few months when the holidays come by we’ll know what to expect for our Holiday Ham selection.
This week he has Pork Crepinettes with Pistachios, Duck Liver and Marsala. Okay, so I’m not too hip to livers. And usually would pass, but so far there isn’t one thing Taylor’s made that I haven’t enjoyed. So, I will be getting a package and I’ll let you know how it goes. Keep in mind he’s got Mortadella this week too, amazing stuff. So yummy.
Fatted Newsletter – Whole Hog
Clearly Fatted Calf’s Newsletter that included MeatHenge was one of the best, up until yesterday. This weeks newsletter goes on about a wedding in which Taylor and his wife Toponia stuff up an entire pig for a pit fire. There were two problems I found with this right off. First, we aren’t invited to this wedding. Okay there are 3 things a bit off. Second, we weren’t going to get any and Third, there were no pictures to SEE.
MeatHenge Labs grows
MeatHenge Labs has grown another room. Not so good for the rainy season, but just fine for the other three. Count yourself lucky if you have some kind of shade in your back/side yard for the summer. Ours is a wide open area with sun for all. Which may be fine for tomatoes & flowers, but for humans it really burns. Now we have wide open shade, delish.
Outdoor Markets – Fatted Newsletter
Am told it is officially summer, spring is gone. The Farmer’s Market over the last month has really grown, when compared to over the winter (der). I enjoy seeing the changes because it gets continually better and better. Now is a great time to go see what is available. Don’t lose your mind though, you have to be wise in your Shopping Fu just as you do at the local grocery chain. For instance, the peaches (many vendors have them now) are charging $3.50 + a pound for the orbes of wonder. Yeah, they’re really good. But $3.50 a pound is too damned much, sorry. Last week I bought some wonderful 5 seed crusty bread, baked that morning. It was absolutely delightful, if you don’t mind paying $4.50 a loaf. I did find someone who reminded me of Ted Nugent at a little card table sharpening knives for $5 bux a piece. Tomorrow I’m going to take my poultry shears and a few cooks knives in for a touch up. He uses a stone only, no wheels. This is a good thing, one doesn’t want to take too much metal off the poor blades. Anyway, if you have the time take an hour or so and check out your local Farmer’s Market, please do. And speaking of which, here is Fatted Calf’s weekly newsletter (MORE CREPINETTES !!!!!!!!! YEEEHAW);
Fatted Memorial Calf Day
Here we find this week’s Fatted Calf News posted at MeatHenge. The two highlights we see featured are the organic brandied cherry crepinettes and Taylor’s wife Toponia will be working right along side. This is going to be a really great Saturday morning. Count me in for at least two packages of the Crepinettes, maybe 3.
You are planning on grilling this weekend, aren?t you? Maybe even entertaining a little bit? We?re always looking for ways to make entertaining more unique and delicious, and we think grilling Fatted Calf sausages is a great way to do that. You can serve a variety of styles and flavors to suit all of your guests, and our sausages always grill perfectly over medium heat (off to the side from the hottest coals), about 7 minutes per side, maybe 8-9 for crepinettes. And, speaking of crepinettes, ours are extra-special this week, made with organic brandied cherries. The smokiness you get from grilling these will leave them nothing short of sublime. Burgers? Who needs burgers? Also, please stop by the Berkeley Market this week and say hi to Toponia, the very hard working, more behind the scenes partner of The Fatted Calf. She is very excited to meet all of you.
Fatted Calf hits Cafepress
Hey hey hey !!! Fatted Calf has t-shirts and a lunch box and an apron and a tote bag and a baby bib … oh man, how cool. But they ain’t got a trucker hat. Dang.
Fatted Calf at Cafepress.com
MeatHenge, some day soon, will also have these fine product available. But we’ll have our own logo, not f.c.’s.
XO XO
MeatHenge & Dust
The dust still hasn’t settled here at MeatHenge Labs. This last Friday, May 7th marked my wife’s last day at work. She quit that job to take on our home and two chillins full time, including but not limited to home schooling our 8 year old boy. So far the 4 year old has been behaving long enough to let the education fly, we’re both amazed.
Yeah yeah, okay what in the hell does this have to do with M.H. ? Well, I’m coming home a few hours later and not doing the cooking on a daily basis any more. I haven’t quite figured out how M.H. fits in to our daily routine yet. Sure I could write articles and just plain blather, but this isn’t what I do, well. What I do is cook, take pictures of my adventures and force you, the audience to endure.
So, just hang tight and we’ll see where this new turn of events takes us in the near future.
If you feel the need, drbiggles (at) meathenge dot com.
XO XO