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.

 

BISCOFF CHEESECAKE

 

Ms. Goofy made the most scrumdiddlyumptious biscoff cheesecake. I had to ask what is biscoff? It is a brand name of a unique peanut butter consistency like spread from Belgium. It is does not taste like peanut butter at all. It is made with crushed caramelized biscuits and has caramelized flavor with distinct notes of cinnamon and brown sugar. I say it tastes yummy noodles.

KENNEDY'S STEAKHOUSE

 When in Eugene Oregon, I like to stop at Kennedy's Steakhouse. It is the best place in town to get a steak. The service is great and the ambiance is steakhouse fresh. You will get a visit from the crumbsweeper and that is what is all about.

PRIME STEAKHOUSE AND MARTINI GARDEN

 

Yesterday was Ms. Goofy's birthday and we went out to celebrate. We went to Prime Steakhouse and Martini Garden in Walnut Creek, California. This place has been open for over a year and it was time to pay it a visit. We were not dissapointed. The staff was great. The ambience was festive and the food was fairly good. If I have any critique, my prime rib was perfectly cooked but the actual serving temperature was a little tepid and not warm/hot. As a whole we had a very nice dinner.

The Crumbsweeper did make an apperance.

FISH FRY

 Once a year the local church has a fish fry. I actually look forward to this event. The fish is fresh and you get to see all your neighbors attending too. We will see our neighbors in several months at the annual Boy Scout fish fry. I cannot wailt.

META ROCKY

 

I just purchased some Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses. Rocky wanted to try them on. It is pretty scary what these glasses can do. This should be interesting.

BASKETBALL BAKESALE BETTY

In the 80’s, I went to a lot of professional sporting events. It was a lot of fun going to Oakland A’s games, Warrior games and a few years later Oakland Raider games. As I reflect back, I remember complaining about three dollar beers. How greedy where those vendors? We grumbled but still purchased those beers. Let’s fast forward to today and I would like to share my culinary investment from the Golden State Warrior game I just attended.

We went as a group on a bus from my Italian Social club. The price was all inclusive and Ms. Goofy treated me. We had some very nice seats but where fairly high up from the actual basketball floor. I want to share the food and prices I experienced. I ordered a Bakesale Betty chicken sandwich for 22.00 dollars. I have had this sandwich before and it was quite tasty from their original restaurant. This version was a complete fail. The bun was cold like it had been refrigerated. The chicken was crispy like a fried piece of cardboard. I washed this down with an 8 dollar bottle of water. My wife still likes her beer and was charged 25 dollars for a large can; OUCH! I finished off my pre-game meal with a unique and fairly decent piece of Hojicha Basque cheesecake. This cake had a weird texture and was flavored with tea. It was only 14 dollars for a slice.

 

Am, I complaining about the prices? I saw a lot of families at the game. I just wondered how they could afford such a venture. By the way, the Warriors lost the game in overtime. To answer the question; yes I am whining about the prices a little bit. Three dollar beers from the 80’s all of a sudden does not sound so bad after all.