Monkey Wrangler of Sourdough Monkey Wrangler posted about an old family recipe back on the 4th. Something about wanting to recreate a rice torte that his great-grandmother had done years ago. Yeah, I dunno, it didn’t stir anything in me so I passed.
It wasn’t until Cookiecrumb of I’m Mad and I Eat decided to do her own version that I thought maybe I should jump in. What do you think? I know it’s a vegetarian dish, but wouldn’t it be nice to teach an old dog new tricks?
Welcome Alvarado Gardens! – Richmond California
Over a month ago, maybe two now, Alvarado Gardens reopened. The new owners remodeled the aged place that once housed an old-mans bar and barbecue joint. My neighborhood doesn’t have a heck of a lot of excitement going on, so having the chance to eat at completely new restaurant is just too juicy to pass up.
Meathenge lends a helping hand with advice for parking meters and their wily ways.
Sunset over Richmond last Thursday. Jacked levels oh so slightly with a little more contrast, nothing more. Handheld with little Canon p&s, auto-setting. Can you see the little star up there?
Each Saturday I gather my meat sack, camera and some change for the meters in Berkeley. They’ve gone to 1.00 for an hour now, just so you know. Always careful to make sure I have my quarters to park, I’ve got a secret place.
Berkeley can’t possibly be unlike other largish cities in regards to those old parking meters. You know the ones. The ones that look healthy, then procede to take your quarters? Yup, thems be the ones. So of course I always bring a few extra quarters just in case, one never knows.
It was a warm October morning and the boys were with me. The older one watched as I slid in my first quarter only to ge a message on the damned thing, “Error.” Indeed and it cost me 25 cents to find out. I wish they had a button on ’em so we could test first.
“Okay boys, back in the truck! We need to pull forward to another meter so Papa can lose another damned quarter.”
“But Papa, why not just use a nickel instead? That way you only lose 5 cents.”
Well, ain’t that just an ice pick in the forehead. If I were you, take an 11 year old’s advice and use a nickel or dime first to see if that meter works or not.
Biggles
Meathenge goes shopping for ingredients. 6 grocery stores later …
Welp, had some time to myself and decided to jump in to the small frey. The Monkey Wranger and Cookiecrumb have been doing some vegetarian Italian Rice Tort action. It sounded easy enough and I figured if I was going to do it right I’d need to start with some of Fatted Calf’s Pancetta. So, off to the Berkeley Farmer’s Market first thing.
There were a few other things on my food list that I needed and this market didn’t have ’em. These would be milk, panko bread crumbs, rice and whatever else I was forgetting.
Okay so I had a list and I knew what I was up to. But I didn’t figure on the new Halal market next door to the El Salvadrian grocery to be open. It was, I went in.
Ya know, those Middle Eastern countries have an amazing gaggle of spices and herbs. One isle I had to go up and down 4 times just so I could inhale the goodness further. I saw a little package called Sausage Chili, filled with a red powder. I still have no idea what’s in it, mostly paprika smells like to me, but how could you not buy a powder called Sausage Chili? Down a ways spied me a package of Black Cumin seeds, snatch! I had goosemup pimples all over. Thinkin’ to myself, got to get me to these Middle Eastern recipes some day, soon.
This whole time I knew there was a meat counter behind me. I was carefully ignoring, sneaking past. Acting as though I was a vegetarian lost, I slid to far end and turned away, only to glance back as though I didn’t care. What I saw was a hospital clean meat display of some kind of fowl, turned out to be chicken. But what really caught my eye were two fresh 3′ legs of some kind of exceptionally clean red meat.
OH SHIT YEAH BABY !!! I know one of those is goat, just know it. I axed the smiling shop keeper about the legs. One was goat and one was lamb, I found the goat on my own. Her staff person asked how much of the leg I wanted. It took me a few gestures stating clearly I wanted the whole leg, silly.
Well, I’m not sure how my rice tort is coming along. 4 cups of milk and 1 cup of rice seems like an off ratio to me, but I’ve never made a rice tort before. So, what do I know? In any case, I have a leg of goat in the fridge I need to find something to do with over the next 24 hours. I thought about smoking it, but then got a rush for homemade curried goat over rice. After all, I do need to find a use for 10 pounds of Sona Masoori rice. Yup, I bought that too. Anyone know what that is, Sona Masoori? Looks like tiny grain rice.
Biggles
It’s (was) 84 degrees – An absolutely beautiful temperature to behold
To say I haven’t had time for Meathenge is like saying the Titanic was a pretty boat. And it’d be a lot easier if I didn’t sabotage myself along the way. Insert swearing here: “”
My PC at home was getting a little creaky and the operating system needed a boost. Gee, I had no idea Microsoft’s OS’s could be so buggy! Yeah, so Biggles removed the beast, and I do mean beast. It was a tower case that weighed in at over 30 pounds with no side panel. Off to the local computer chop shop we go! Yeah yeah, formatting and reinstalling windows ain’t rocket science, but I’m lazy. And remember, I have no time.
Minutes later we find Biggles in the Toy Store, ideas start to pop in to his red bearded hillbilly mind. (Minds have beards, hahhahahha) The idea was to move the guts to a new, small case and wipe the HD, install freshy fresh OS. “Hmm, well if we’re to wipe the HD, might as well install one of those new, fancy 10,000 rpm Raptor SATA drives, right? Right-o!”
Oh the visions of high speed data transfer coupled with a broadband connection just made him giddy.
It wasn’t until the following morning ol’ Biggles awoke with a start. What the hell had he done? Sure all the data was backed up, you bet. But do you have any idea of the time and effort it takes to put it all back? Tuck it in to all the right places? Reinstall dozens of little applications that make life nice? Let’s not even go in to the sheer volume of little serial numbers that need to be found. Akin to the archaeological dig at King Tut’s tomb, it is.
Know all those nifty little usb devices that make life so handy? Those little bastards have drivers that need to be loaded as well. Insert swearing here: “”
So, while it’s actually Thursday, this was supposed to be a cute little post about how nice the fricken weather was this last Sunday. Some rambling bull about trees blooming and green grass … greening. “Oh how bloody nice it is to be alive and view such splendor!”
I’ve changed the date to make it seem as though you missed a posting, cheeky me.
Insert swearing here: “”
Biggles
No Color, No Flavor. Man, I love browning meat!
Say it again with me, “Maaaan, I looove browning meat!”
It’s got everything in there I like. You get really heavy pans (if you don’t have to use 2 hands to set the fry pan on the stove, your equipment is too small), fresh meat, tons of searing heat and aromatic aromas. Browning meat has it all, right there.
Come have a short look at Tuesday’s little supper.
Shuna’s Baking Classes: March 11 & 25, 2007
Here we see an actual Pate A Choux doughnut from one of Shuna’s classes. And yes, I took it!
Hey you!
Yeah, you. The one on the fence, over there. Get down and come over here. The weather is brightening and the sun is shinier. It’s 2007 and it’s time to get back in the kitchen, you’ve had enough rest.
Quiddit, don’t give me that ol’ line. I don’t wanna hear it. Just because she’s holding these two classes, doesn’t mean they will always be there in the future. You need to contact Shuna directly over at her web site, Eggbeater. Looks like it only costs $100.00 bux. While that’s more than $55, you’re not going to be able to find a fancy pastry chef with Shuna’s credentials and skill set at another venue, nope!
Go now!
Biggles
Meathenge Defines: ambidextrous
ambidextrous : am·bi·dex·trous [am-bi-dek-struhs]
1. able to use both hands equally well: an ambidextrous axe handler
2. unusually skillful; facile: an ambidextrous home chef, able to successfully make a roux and brown off a pound of andouille.
3. double-hot-pan dealing; badass.
[Origin: 1640–50; ambidext(e)r + -ous]
—Related forms
am·bi·dex·trous·ly, adverb
am·bi·dex·trous·ness, noun
A vegetarian reaches out and a grilling class is born
It was more than a few weeks ago that Tea of Tea & Cookies and I started talking about getting together for a grill session.
Oh Biggles, you’re boring me already with this story, you’ve done this before. “Oh, Hi, I’m Biggles and let’s grill today. Blah Blah BLAH !!!”
What if I told you Tea is a 2nd generation vegetarian?
Knife Sharpening Class with Eric Weiss – This coming Monday!
Hey, were you the one with that dull ass knife over the holiday whacking repeatedly in to your roasted meat hunks making a complete mess out of it? Sure your knife skills may be that of a rabid beaver, but it could very well be it’s time to get a new edge on those old rigs. Ya know, you should sharpen them at least twice a year, depending on use.
I can hear you now, “But Biggles, I use that steely thing at least once a month!”
That “steely thing” should be used each time you use your knife and only realigns the hairs on the existing edge. This edge goes away over time and needs to be made new again. Haven’t you always wondered how these surreal & magical people do this to our beloved knives?
Wonder no more my friend! For Eric E. Weiss is here to shead light in to where we only dreamed of going. That’s right, he’s going to show you how to sharpen your own knives. This coming February 26th, in Emeryville, Eric will go in to great detail about all things sharp and how to keep them that way. The cost is only $55.00 bux.
Read on, foo.
Five Things About Me – A mememeemeee
Alright, so here I was minding my own business, in a flu riddled state. You get the picture, right? Honking up small furry animals, eyebrow bone pains & sinus fire. When Christine of My Plate or Yours tagged me for this meme I wasn’t sure when I was going to be able to get to it.
I’m thinking here, thinking back. I believe out of all the memes that’ve been around, this is the first one I’ve ever joined in on. Why this time, you axe? Well, me thinks it’s time to start posting again. My sinus fire has embered, the eyebrow bone aches have ceased for the moment and to be honest, I miss Meathenge!
1. As amazing as I sound on MH, as brilliant, motivated and larger than life I seem, I would rather hang out at home than travel the country. When the weekend arrives, I’m more than happy to lounge about the house and yard. Maybe start a project I know I’ll never finish, use gas powered lawn implements or tear in to something and clean it out. Using a ladder really gives me a thrill, you can get to places that are otherwise out of your reach. Plus looking down in to your neighbor’s yard when they aren’t looking makes me feel naughty.
2. This isn’t new to some of you that know me, but I think it needs official mentioning here. Butter scares me. Well, okay scare isn’t quite the right word. I don’t like butter on my bread or vegetables or any place I can really smell it. I can bake with it as long as I don’t pay too much attention to it. And if I can detect ghee in a dish, I’ll wretch and want to rinse my mowf with Everclear.
3. I buy vehicles based upon whether they make me smile when I drive them or not. Safety, quality or durability have nothing to do with it (read: common sense). If I can smoke the tires through 2 or 3 gears, that’s good enough for me. I enjoy engines that sound huge when you play with them. This is NOT because they have some huge muffler, no. They must sound huge because they ARE huge. If you see some red bearded hillbilly doing 90mph with the window down in a dusty old Dodge truck, that’s me. Flip me off if you like, I enjoy that.
4. I had the side of my house landscaped only because I felt bad that my neighbors were looking at old weeds. Why didn’t I do it myself? Because it’s hard and they got it done in a few hours.
5. I keep friends for a long time. I work with my friend that I’ve known since 1972. I spend weekends with a friend from the same era. I keep track of roomates I had in 1985. I met someone in a class I was taking in 1990. He got me a job where he worked, that was 16 1/2 years ago and I’m at the same company today. Neat, eh?
Well, there we are, 5 things about me. I hope you’ve enjoyed this time together on this wet Thursday morning. Now it’s time to go take a nap.
Tootles!
Meathenge and the flu
Last few weeks been painfully busy taking care of 2 boys that were/are sick. Now my throat is scratchy and starting to feel wierd. Taking tons of vits and liquids, we’ll see how that goes. I’m sure I’ll be fine, what could possibly go wrong?
On a lighter side. Many of you have known for quite some time Meathenge’s comment system hasn’t quite been up to snuff. In fact, it basically junked good comments and I never knew you stopped by. This was especially obvious to Shuna and Kevin. In any case, sister is working on it this very moment. We’re getting there, eh.
Except for Tea’s visit on Sunday for Meathenge’s first Grilling Class, here’s how much I’ve been cooking. See? That’s the last onion I bought. Yes, I will be posting about The Visit, you bet.
xo
Who are you? Dear Readers, stop by and comment. Who are you?
Here I find my conscious choice each day. Which feeds the soul?
“A view out muh bedroom winder”
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well, i just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn’t notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They’d seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from the house of lords
I saw a film today oh, boy
The english army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But i just had to look
Having read the book
I love to turn you on.
Woke up, got out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, i noticed i was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
Somebody spoke and i went into a dream
Ah
I read the news today oh, boy
Four thousand holes in blackburn, lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the albert hall
I’d love to turn you on
(Lennon/McCartney)
MEAT ALERT !!! – Rosie Organic Chickens on sale !!!
I snuck in to EC Nat today to find a little something for dinner tonight, made my way back to the meat counter pronto. As I was ordering my pound of ground chuck, I looked straight down and noticed the Rosie birds were only $2.55 a pound. That’s nearly a buck off and only 14 cents more than the Rocky Jr. birdies. Aroo?
“Add a Rosie to that order, my good man!” Said Biggles.
The sale is going on until about the 16th of this mumf and could very well be going on at other markets. I didn’t ask why the lower price, sorry. I’m such a naughty reporter, BAD BIGGLES !!! No chicken leg for you!
Go now.
The Natural Grocery Company
10367 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530
510-526-1155
100% Organic Bay Leaves – Whoopie?
While I’d like nothing better than to find out why and how “100% Organic” Bay leaves are different or better than what I get from any other most excellent purveyors in my area. I think I’ll take turn with this post. See, Creepy E bought these fine leaves from our local Raley’s market for about $7.29. The recipe he had called for Bay Leaves, and he needed some. Being as picky as most of us food types are, he opted for the organic ones. Wanna know what caused him to call the company?