WASABI

 

Have you ever had wasabi at a restaurant? Chances are you are not getting true wasabi but horseradish with food coloring. Wasabi is a rhizome which is extremely diffucult to grow. The majority of wasabi is grown in japan. A company in Half-Moon Bay California has recently started to grow and sell wasabi. Because it is so difficult to grow wasabi is very expensive. That is why most restaurants substituted horseradish alternative. I pulled the trigger and purchased some. I wanted to try the real deal.

   To use wasabi one must grate it right before using. Freshly grated wasabi's flavor can deteriorate within 15 minutes of grating. It has a wonderful vegetable smell. The fumes are enticing to the flavor jolt you are about to experience. I tried the freshly grated wasabi with some shrimp. Wasabi immediately gives your sinus a jolt. There is a heat to this root but not like a chile pepper. It can overwhelm if you use too much but luckily the heat jolt is very temporary. I would say wasabi is very similiar to horseradish and maybe not even as hot. It does have a wonderful sweetness and green vegetable vibe to it. This is a lot of fun. Expensive fun.

FOSTER'S BIG HORN

 

 Yesterday we judged ribs & chili in Rio Vista California at "The 12th Annual HOG AUGUST BITES Rib & Chili Competition". This was a great local festival with plenty of food, music, vendors, sun and fun. There is a restaurant in town called Fosters Big Horn. I have always wanted to visit to see the wild game trophies on the wall. It was very impressive. 

Oh and did I mention we judged ribs and chili?

WAIST OF TIME

 

My good friend Bob asked me how I liked his new belt made of watches. I told him it was a waist of time.

RED ROPES

 I am sure most all of us have had red ropes at one time or another. It is a nostalgic flavor & texture from my past. It was cheap and every corner grocer had a big jar that one could stick their grubbly little hands in to. At a dinner I attended, red ropes was an edible table decoration. I think my fond memories were stronger than the actual taste. It still was a fun memory.

DESSERT TABLE FOUND

 The Fratalanza Italian Club has several dinners a month. Tonight's dinner was sponsored by the Womens' Auxillary and we attended. They also included a bake sale which included lot's of homemade treats. I knew of this sale and when we entered the door I head straight to the sale. I want to support the Women of the Fratalanza club. I also wanted to insure first dibs on all the goodies.

BGE PIZZA

 It took many years of begging and groveling to Ms. Goofy before she gifted me a Big Green Egg. It is a great bbq and we are having a lot of fun with it. I think I have the pizza technique down. I purchase dough from Trader Joe's. It is very decent and convenient. The sauce was made from home grown tomatoes. The sausage came from the freezer from a previous meat adventure. A hot pizza stone makes this crust crispy with melty cheese and yummy ingredients. So good!

BUGS

 

I am on another social media platform and I wanted to share a recent post. I really did try these creatures.

Tour de France…….21 days of racing & snacks

The Race     

Malemort is the town this rollercoaster ride will start. 18.5 km later the verdict of the break-away will be decided in the town of Ussel. This is not a mountain route but 3.500m will be climbed.

The Snack        

Hold on to the handlebars because today’s snack is no joke. I really did eat and try this crunchy assortment of bug snacks. Before you judge; they do pack a wallop of salty protein. Ms. Goofy did refuse to try this snack. Her loss was my gain of this mix of grasshoppers, house crickets, sago worms, silk worms and field crickets. There is a difference between house and field crickets you know. To sum it up this snack did not taste like chicken. It was more of a texture thing. The sacrifices I make for you dear readers. 

JOEY CHESTNUT

 This is his cathedral, the crystal dome of umbrella blue skies. Whose vaulted ceilings touch the edge of heaven itself. Whose faithful join as one. To honor those who do not falter, those who do not heal. I speak of this man, who stands of the mortal and divine. Shy of a god perhaps but more than a man. His thoughts rise at the vapor of angels but whose charge is here on earth, to teach that intention is the outcome of those who refuse any other outcome. Hold back when forsaken, stand firm when forlorn, press on when weary, beaten, broken or undone. How long will fight? I will tell you; till he stands on the ramparts of glory overlooking a sea of truth. For he is the champion of now and of always of the air, of the fire of the sea from the land of the free of one nation. The Nathan’s famous 4th of July champion of the world……..JOEY CHESTNUT 

66 dogs & buns in 10 minutes make Joey Chestnut the hot dog eating champion of 2026 and our hero.

Bring Me My Kumquats

I never knew what a kumquat was until we moved into our house with a tree in our backyard. I only thought it was a gag from a W.C. Fields movie. . What do you do with kumquat? They are sweet/tart and make good snacks or jam. I found a hot sauce maker that wants to ferment them as an ingredient into his special hot sauce. I gifted him 14 pounds from my tree. Stay tuned.

MAD

The term second childhood has two meanings. It can mean the decline of an eldery persons mental and physical cababilities to the level of a child. It can also mean and refer to a joyful carfree retirment phase of life. I chose the later definition. That is why I just subscribed to Mad magazine; "What Me Worry?". Today's version of the magazine has; old classic articles, some new material and the iconic foldout. I enjoyed this magazine as a kid and I hope to enjoy it now.

 

RIC'S BACKYARD INVITATIONAL

 

Ric Gilbert is a respected bbq promoter, competitor, guru, Grateful Dead loving, bbq judge, zen master and friend. He also throws hell of a party once a year under the guise of a bbq competition at his house. We have been invited for years and finally were able to attend. This was the bomb diggitty bomb of a party and or competition. I hope these pictures share the fun.

 

BUON TEMPO

 

Did you know that 20 dollars can buy you a three course meal with wine included? Twice a month a dinner is sponsored by the Buon Tempo Italian Club. The cost to members is 20 dollars. I scratch my head in amazement how they are able to pull this off. The kitchen and wait staff is all volunteer. The dinner starts with anti-pasta.

 

Bread and butter is included as well as sodas and carafes of wine.  The salad is next to be followed by a pasta dish. This is served family style and you help yourself. They will bring you refills of any plate if it is available. The main course comes out and this usually is a protein with vegetables. If you still have room; coffee and an ice cream novelty will be your dessert. Wow! It is wonderful to still go out to dinner and not have to mortgage the house.

TADICH GRILL

 

We are in San Francisco visiting Tadich Grill. Tadish has been around since 1849 and I can attest they are doing things right. This establishment is old school elegance. The waiters are professional, the place is historic & just plain cool and the food is excellent. My waiter had an Andy Warhol vibe that just added to the fun of this San Francisco landmark.

   Parking Karma was not needed today. We took the Ferry across the Bay. It is kind of fun playing tourist in you own backyard.                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                     

McClendon's Meats

 

Last month coming home from the Oregon knife show, I stopped at McClendon's Meats in Roseburg. This was the most fantastic meat shop. This was a one-stop shop for meat lover's and almost  put this Mad Meat Genius to tears. They had bacon, sausage, in-house smoked meats, jerky, cold cuts, fish, condiments and even a tiny pit of produce for garnish of your meat purchase. I bought this 3.5 pd USDA prime for almost half the price I would pay in the Bay Area. The people in Roseburg are very lucky to have such a meat palace.

BOY SCOUT FISH FRY

  The local Boy Scouts have a fish fry every year and we attend. It is a fun event and the whole town shows up. They have a nice club house with a great out door seating area. It is all you can eat and I am no stranger to over indulgence.

   On a sad note we have found out the local Catholic Church is on the list for closure  decreed by the Vatican. This was another venue for several great dinners a year. We attend their fish fry and polenta dinner every year. It would be sad to see them go.

CUPCAKE

 

I do like pie............with a few cupcakes now and again.

CINCO COOK-OFF

 

We were in Dixon Ca. for a Cinco Cook-Off to prepare for Cinco-de-Mayo. The categories were ribs and Wild card shrimp. This was a small contest held in the parking lot of a Mexican Supermarket; Super La Favorita. This market has a fantastic meat market and I would love to be a frequent shopper but I live an hour away. Here are a few shots of the shrimp entries. This was another tasty bbq judging day.