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!
West Contra Costa grown produce & Catahoula coffee – a farmer’s market is born
Yes, you heard that right, a West Contra Costa farmer’s market hosted by Catahoula coffee roasters in Richmond. Music on Saturday, market on Sunday.
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
Whoa there, it’s 94 in the shade buddy! What’s for din din?
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
Cook for me! A contest to win The River Cottage Meat Book
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!
Pasta Roni, Nature’s Way – Olive Oil & Italian Herb – Um, what?
And I will, repeat. Uh, whatchu talkin’ ’bout Willis?
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
Creepy E’s very own little kitchen
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?
Catahoula Coffee & Jazz – No really, they’ll be there this time!
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.
Food Pr0n – Sharing is Caring
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!
Cook’s Illustrated Magazine – Those bastards sent me another damned free copy
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.
Chicken Creole – A Family Circle Recipe Meathenge Style
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.
Cook for me! A cooking contest, win The River Cottage Meat Book
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.
Powell’s Sweet Shoppe – Lafayette California
Z had been asking to visit a new Candy Shop over the last week or so, being a parent my response was pretty negative. After maybe 3 days I decided to give in and have an adventure.
What you see ain’t necessarily what you gits
As you all know, I spend my time driving about town gazing in to the early morning sky, noon and evening skies. This morning was no different and was able to pull to the side of the road, run to the back of the wagon, hatch open and lens change with shutter snapping.
Um, this IS a color image and taken at 8:15 in the morning. Every detail was lit up and fine. But this is what my camera captured. Man, check out the levels, they all over the damned place. Very cool stuff that light recording is.
Biggles
Happy Easter !!! 2006 Goodness
Happy Easter everyone, it’s been a grand weekend out. Z and I spent most of the weekend on bicycles out and about, along with breaks for meat and happiness (farmer’s markets and family meat smoking). See?
Mexican Creamy Poblano Rice – Rice Perfection
Ya know how you’ll be reading your daily reads? And something passes before you and you point your finger and go, “That’s it, that’s the one.”? This was one of those recipes and I did it last night, oh man did I ever. I had a really good idea as to what it was going to taste like, but it was even better when I actually got a mouthful. You, are, going, to, love, this, dish. Thank you Jerry of Cooking by the Seat of my Pants for having Ben Herrera as a guest writer from What’s Cooking?.