SAN JOAQUIN ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL

Last year we were very disappointed when we heard the Asparagus festival had been disbanded by the city of Stockton. A new group has revived this festival celebrating the spears of spring resurrecting as the "San Joaquin Asparagus Festival'. A new venue of the San Joaquin County Fair Grounds (Stockton) is the new location of one of our favorite festivals. This is the first year of the new festival and we had to attend. There will be no asparagus eating contest so I will have to step up my eating game.

The San Juaquin fair grounds is an old time step back into memory lane. The entrance spills out onto the midway. The same thrill rides from half a century ago are still there. Carnival barkers still trying to entice you to win the oversize stuffed animal sing their song. A nostalgic feeling brings on a craving of a corn dog slathered in mustard. Instead, we have a scrumptious 'Smoked Dakota' bratwurst from our friends from Lockford Sausage.

We wander the grounds browsing the numerous vendors trying to avoid the temptations. Will I get that henna tattoo this year? I really do not need that time share in Cabo do I?. We are treated to a car show. Lots of pride and chrome was shining at this display. I liked the rat-rod pictured. We happened across the "Asparagus Queen" who graciously put down her 150 ounce soda for this image. (I found out later that she was not the Asparagus Queen. Who reads labels?).

There was a roller derby demonstration. This was my highlight of the day. I used to love roller derby as a child. I still do. They skated a small oval right on the rough cement. These warriors on wheels are true athletes. There weer spills and thrills on this unforgiving track. I do not remember which team won but victory was seen on my smiling face.

The new 'San Joaguin Asparagus Festival' is smaller in scope than past festivals. It has potential to regain its past glory. We had a fun time at this old time venue. We did sample some very delicious asparagus lumpia. We will return next year so I can finally get that henna tattoo.

ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL 2013

It was a beautiful weekend for everyone but Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut. He was forced to relinquish his throne to Matt 'Megatoad' Stonie as 'World Championship Asparagus Eater'. Megatoad  devoured 9.5 pounds of deep fried asparagus in 10 minutes of time to claim his victory. Megatoad is the new King but Jaws still holds the World record of 9.8 pounds. Ms. Goofy and I were not there to witness this culinary upset. We did make an appearance Sunday to take in the festivities of the '2013 Stockton Asparagus Festival". We would like to share a couple of images with you.

It was hot. The thermometer hovered in the low 90's. We were strolling down the food court area when asparagus lemonade caught my fancy. Against my better judgement the greenish/yellow libation was purchased  'Reversal of fortune' did not occur but it was close. Cloyingly sweet with a chlorophyll bite finishing with a bitter aftertaste made the gag reflexes shutter. I can check asparagus lemonade off the bucket list.

Acrobats entertained us with high wire feats. We watched them briefly because we did not want to miss the show at the 'Skyy Dog Arena'. These dogs performed and demonstrated agility that our dogs can only dream about from their comfortable couch. I would like to point out the dog that is leaping over the volunteers in the image below. WOW!!

Today's band was a blast from the past. Foghat rocked the house with hits that reloaded the memory banks.Dancing and swaying with the music was minimal because the heat was relentless. To make things even hotter, I took refuge in the arms of two Oakland Raiderettes. What a great day!!! We always enjoy the Asparagus festival.

ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL

It is that time of year to celebrate our favorite spring vegetable Asparagus. The 2013 addition of the 'Stockton Asparagus Festival' will be held today and tomorrow in downtown Stockton, California. Today at noon, 'Joey Jaw's Chestnut will defend his title of 'World Champion Deep Fried Asparagus Eater". There will be numerous food booths to eat and enjoy the spears of spring. We hope to see you there!

You may ask what does that juicy, smoky,  tri-tip have to do with asparagus? Barbequed tri-tip is the perfect accompaniment for a plate of asparagus.Amen!

2013 Stockton Asparagus Festival

ASPARAGUS HOTDISH

Memories of the church potlucks that I used to attend when I was a juvenile Chilebrown, dance through my memory banks while dining on Asparagus Hotdish. I remember tasting and loving numerous variations of tuna casserole. Today’s dish is simple and satisfying. The green spears of spring will be showcased in a hot tub of noodles and cream of mushroom soup. Believe it or not this dish will be bacon free. Put on your finest Easter bonnet and let’s make some casserole.

I will supply the basic guidelines of this dish because I basically made it up as I cooked.

1.    1 ½ pounds asparagus chopped
2.    1 small onion chopped
3.    1 pound spaghetti noodles cooked (I used spinach chow mein noodles
4.    1 cup cheese cubed ( I used a combination of cheddar, American, parmesan)
5.    1 can cream of mushroom soup thinned with ¼ cup milk
6.     Salt & pepper to taste.

Cook your onion in a skillet with a little olive oil until translucent. Add asparagus and season with salt & pepper. Cook for only one minute and add rest of ingredients. Place all in a oiled casserole pan. Bake for approx. 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

This dish was served with some home made sausage. Simple and satisfying. Next time I will have to add some bacon. Happy Easter!!!!!!

PEAS PASS THE ASPARAGUS

As some of you may know Ms. Goofy and I have started a new journey in life. We have both officially retired from our  places of employment. Ms. Goofy worked 35 years and I 32 years in our respective jobs. Ms. Goofy is learning to sleep in and I have stopped shaving. We now have a lot of time on our hands for our hobbies and hope to share them with you.
   Pizza was on the menu tonight. The fresh peas and asparagus was harvested from the Richmond's farmers market. The dough was proofed with Zoomie sour dough starter and fortified with whole wheat flour from 'Green String' farms. Five different cheeses from Ms. Goofy's cheese vault was the yummy glue for the peas and asparagus. Home made sauce completed this 'Spring' pie. A kiss of fire from our wood burning oven made this a wonderful meal. Peas pass the asparagus.

ASPARAGUS WRAPS

We needed some food to sample the latest hot sauce that I reviewed on 'Peppers & More". As many of you may know, I love Asparagus. This was a simple creation that was just thrown together and turned out pretty decent. A couple of spears of Asparagus, green onion, a slice of ham, and a dollop of hot sauce was drizzled with olive oil and dusted with salt & pepper. They then were wrapped in puff pastry. The pastry was painted with melted butter. These wraps were then baked in a wood fire oven.

Almond wood was the fuel of choice. After listening to the 'Sex Pistol's" I felt brave and did not even check to see if it was a "Spare the Air" day. The fire roared. My carbon foot print would make 'Big Foot' proud. The fire smoked and bellowed until it transformed into hot embers. These embers would bake our Asparagus creations. The oven crisped and colored the puff pastry to create one special dish. Our creation did not disappoint. The Hot Sauce was very good also.

Please Read Review Here



CHRIS

It started out to be a beautiful day. A trip to the Marin farmers market and jumbo asparagus was on the plan today. I arrived at the Zuckerman farms booth and asked; Where is Chris? A dark cloud formed and sadness rained. Chris, I am going to miss you brother.

ASPARAGUS EATING WORLD RECORD

 Stockton California's Asparagus Festival was the venue were history was created this weekend. Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut set a new world record of eating deep fried asparagus. In 10 minutes time Joey devoured nine pounds and 10 ounces of breaded and deep fried asparagus. Congratulations Joey, You are my hero!

SPEARS OF SPRING

 It is raining cats and dogs goes the saying. We have little glimmers of sunshine, like this past weekend. Spring is just around the corner. Locally grown asparagus is here and 'Boy O Boy' am I happy. Asparagus could be a new meat group as far as I am concerned. Steamed, boiled, grilled, and even raw is my favorite way to cook these green shafts of flavor. With Asparagus comes the "Asparagus Festival'. This is a must do event in the Chilebrown household. We are looking forward to seeing Joey 'Jaws' Chestunut' reclaim his title as the 'World Championship Deep Fried Asparagus Eating Champion'. We cannot wait.

Asparagus Festival
April 15-17
Stockton, California

JOEY CHESTNUT

It took 10 minutes for Joey Chestnut to devour 8.7 pounds of deep fried breaded Asparagus. This was just enough for Joey "Jaws" Chestnut to regain his title of "World Champion Asparagus Eater'. We were privileged to witness this gastronomical feat. This contest took place at the 25th annual Asparagus Festival held in Stockton California.

It was a beautiful sunny day. A wild and crazy marching band snaked its way through out the festival to celebrate this joyous celebration of the 'Spears of Spring'. Bubba Paris was so happy that he signed autographs for a fee. Martin Yan demonstrated how to cook Asparagus in his amusing presentations. All these jubilant events worked us into a ravenous state of hunger.

We headed to "Asparagus Alley and ordered some deep fried breaded Asparagus. We could not duplicate "Jaws" record, but we did our best. I am not sure if this booth was selling Turkey or Vulture legs.

It was a beautiful day to celebrate Asparagus. 'Blue Oyster Cult' took the main stage and rocked the house. They probably could of used a little more 'cow bell'. This is an event that entertains. We are all ready thinking about next year.

ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL 2010

It is that time of year to head to Stockton California for the Asparagus Festival. The weather is forcasted to be in the high 70's. This will be the perfect temperature for Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut to regain his Asparagus eating crown. Joey lost last year to Patrick Bertoletti's consumption of 7 pounds 5.81 ounces of deep fried Asparagus. This contest will be held at the Main Stage at 12 noon, Saturday.

Our friend Martin Yan will be demonstrating his celebrity cooking skills at various times of the festival. We definitely will be watching and standing by in case Martin needs a hand in his demonstration. There will be plenty of Asparagus treats at 'Asparagus Alley'. Pete Escovido, Blue Oyster Cult, Loverboy and Sha Na Na are several of the scheduled music performers.

Hope to see you there!

25th Annual Asparagus Festival

April 23-25 Downtown Stockton, California

P.S. I do not think the Ross Sisters will be performing, but I sure wish they were.

BRINGING IN THE SPEARS

Last Sunday was a great day at the Marin Farmers market. We ran into two of our favorite vendors. Chris from Zukerman Farms had some wonderful fresh asparagus. This is the official vegetable of Spring in our book. We purchased a couple of pounds of the largest spears he had. Thick is better. They are more tender and flavorful. In theory the thinner spears get wind blown, hence they become tougher. We also ran into Larry from Peppahead. He is the 'Picasso of the Pepper World'. Larry had some Bhut Jokolia powder to sell today. This is an extreme pepper that is not for the pepper novice. This pepper originated in India and is 5 times hotter than the habanero pepper. We took a tiny, tiny taste and were rewarded with a huge rush of heat. Chris broke out into a sweat when he sampled this powder from Hell. We purchased some 'Yuppie, Marin, Grass Fed, beef ribs from 'Marin Sun Farms'. We took our bounty home and fired up the barbeque.

The asparagus was wrapped in some home made buckboard bacon. It was sprinkled with some olive oil, salt & pepper, lemon juice and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The ribs were rubbed with salt and pepper. Both the ribs and the bacon wrapped asparagus received a very light dusting of Bhut Joklia powder. You really need to be careful with this powder. Everything was cooked on a mesquite charcoal fired Weber kettle grill.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the grass fed beef ribs. 'Grass Fed' beef has not been my meat of choice. The beef was very tender and had a beefy taste. The flavor stood out and satisfied a corn fed beef lover. The chile powder created a very warm glow over both the dishes. The buckboard bacon wrapped asparagus made me feel so good that I hugged myself. A lot of Asparagus will be consumed while the season lasts. Bring on the Spears!

Peppers and More

HAPPY BIRTHDAY / ANNIVERSARY

Yes, I got married on my Birthday. Chilebrown is no dummy (?) I will never forget the date. We are going to celebrate by going to a local 'Crab Feed". We will be cracking crustaceans with some good friends.

The next morning we are going to the Marin Farmers Market in search of the first Asparagus of the season,. Hopefully, Chris of Zukerman farms will have the green spears of spring. Asparagus is our favorite accompaniment for all things of meat. Bacon wrapped, stir fried, deep fried, salads, and so many other recipes to create. We have our fingers crossed.

My sister, Nancy,"The President of Cookies" sent me this card.

CHICKEN VERDE

We have some Pollo Verde in the house tonight. This is a special grilled chicken dish with some dried green chile powder as an ingredient. This powder is from "Havasu Spice Merchants". This dried green pepper is mild and will add a special flavor to a grilled chicken and onion stew.

Cut up a bird and coat it liberally with salt, pepper and a little splash of green chili powder. Cut an onion and season with the same.

Fire up a grill with your favorite charcoal. When the fire is hot. Place your onions and chicken and sear on both sides. You do not need to cook the chicken all the way. When you have color on both sides of the meat and vegetables, Reserve.

Take a large Dutch oven and bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add green chile powder, 1 teaspoon oregano , 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon honey, salt and pepper to taste.Bring it to a boil and add onion (chop onion), and grilled chicken. Lower to a simmer. Cook until chicken is done and sauce thickens.Add some chopped cilantro.

Cook some rice and some Asparagus and clear a spot on the Couch. Something about grilling just kicks everything up a notch. Oh, Man, Oh Man!

ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL

Joey "Jaws" Chestnut was dethroned by Patrick Bertoletti in the Asparagus eating contest.. Patrick ate over 7 pounds of deep fried asparagus in 10 minutes. It was a feat of gastronomical fortitude. This was a monumental event that was witnessed by Chilebrown, Ms. Goofy and a massive crowd of asparagus enthusiasts. Bertoletti did not break 'Jaw's' record of 8.9 pounds that was set last year. We noticed that Jaws fell behind early in the competition. A couple of times he almost lost his payload . Ms. Goofy is going to start practicing so she can enter next year. I bought her some asparagus to practice.

It was a pleasant day in Stockton California for the festival. The temperature was in the 70's. It was a perfect day to celebrate the spears of spring.

Ms. Goofy was attacked by "Britney Spears". Luckily 'AsparaGus' came to her rescue'

Joey Chestnut is in the middle, waiting to hear the results of the eating frenzy. He lost to Patrick Bertolleti on the left.