FOX BROS, BAR-B-Q

 Atlanta Georgia has been my home for this weekend. It was mandatory to try some local bbq. Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q has numerous locations and I visited the original location on DeKalb Av. This was a tree shaded fun looking place with indoor and outdoor seatimg. There was lots of mandatory bbq kistsh adorning the inside walls.

There were four housemade sauces to choose from. They all were decent but the white sauce really had me giggling with glee. It was the perfect sauce to annoint my deep fried pork ribs. The sauce was mayonnaise foward with just the right ammount of cayenne. I was in deep fried rib heaven. These ribs and sauce would be my last meal request if I was on death row for commiting the crime of guilty pleasures.

The rest of the meal was a very good offering of bbq. The sides and cornbread was unremarkable along with decent ribs and brisket. I may have been still relishing my deep fried experience to not appreciate them more.

I still had room for chocolate/caramel cheesecake. It was the perfect way to end my visit at an Atlanta bbq destination.

THE TOUR

 

The Tour de France begins next month and I am ready. My friend from England sent me this official race guide. For some unknown reason this guide is not sold in the United States. I am preparing for 21 days of racing and snacks. Stay tuned.

ROARING CAMP BBQ

 

We did a lot of driving this weekend. We spent two consecutive days for two seperate bbq competitions at the Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton California. This venue is a family fun train themed park which is located in a beautiful Redwood tree grove. We were there to judge bbq. The first day was a pro-competition and the second was the backyard division. Needless to say we ate some fantastic competition bbq. The public also got there fill by some competion bbq vendors.

Saturday welcomed a team visiting from Japan. They were visiting the United States and decided to give competition bbq a try. The picture below shows them cooking 4 different meats on a kettle grill. We all applauded and welcomed them for giving the contest a try.

I hope everyone has a meaniful Memorial Day today.

FISH FRY

The Crockett Boy Scout Troup had their annual fish fry this Friday. It is a fun event that brings out the whole town. Yours truly was a Boy Scout for a brief moment in time. I was a Boy Scout until I discovered girls and beer. We like to support our local Scouts and it just so happens to be a good meal.

You pay your admitance fee and proceed to a buffet style line to get your dinner. They had two options of regular fish and cajun fish. I had both. These fish had a flaky exterior and a soft yummy interior. The fish was some type of white fish. The cajun flavor had a very pleasant spicy dark crust. There was no heat per se but it had a slight warmth. The fries had a very crispy bite which I enjoyed.

After we were done, Scouts cleared our table promptly and offered us cookies and ice cream. It does not get any better. I am looking forward to next year allready.

 

MAGIC THEATER

 

Ms. Goofy and I went out to the California Magic Club for dinner theater. This was a fun dinner and show in nearby Martinez California. We made our reservations several weeks in advance because this is a small venue of 40 seats and they sell out all the time. We arrived at 7:30 and were seated immediately in front of the small stage. As we waited for dinner to start several magicians walked throughout and entertained us with parlor magic tricks.

Dinner only had two options of the offered plate or a vegetarian version. It arrived to our table and frankly it was a little dissapointing. There was chicken, tri-tip and rice & vegetables. This made airline food appealing. There was nothing wrong with it per se, but, I detected liquid smoke.

The chocolate covered fruits were good. It was on with the show. We saw several acts which were very entertaining. The magicians dazzled and performed with great fanfare. We laughed and were amazed. This was a lot of fun. Overall, this was a fun evening. The dinner was not the best but the whole package of dinner and a show was a winner.

PRESERVED LEMONS

We have a new Farmers Market in town. We paid it a visit and I bought some preserved lemons. To be honest I have never had any experience using preserved lemons and bought this on a whim. I took it home and sampled the lemons. It is salty, soft and "surprise"; lemony. What can I do with these. I did the usual searches and asked for a couple of suggestions from friends. This is what I came up with.

Fresh fava beans are at the market too. They are only around for a little while and I love to take advantage. To quote my father; It is a lot of work for what you get. I peeled and blanched the favas. I then popped them out of their protective membrane. I chopped one preserved lemon and combined all with extra virgin olive oil, splash of white balsamic and salt & pepper. This was wonderful. The lemon adds a tart savory pop to the fresh fava beans. Preserved lemons, where have you been my whole life?

 

PAUL'S FRUITCAKE CORNER

  Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we will try fruitcake so you do not have to. Fruitcake is not just limited to the Holiday season. Today I would like to share a very, very special cake. It is an Orange/Kumquat fruitcake inspired by my mother. My mother handed this recipe down to me and I believe it originally came from the “Sunset” magazine. I have used it as a guideline and put in my own twists. When my mother made fruitcakes it was quite the event. It took time to gather the ingredients. She would use quality fruits and nuts. My mother was a teetotaler but she would add alcohol to this very special cake.

  This light (colored) orange/kumquat flavored is a boozy moist treat of a cake. I used almonds, dried pineapple, dried apricots, dates, golden raisins, brown sugar and golden syrup. Fresh kumquats picked from my backyard tree and boiled in simple syrup were used in this recipe. Orange peel and its juice also sang in this choir. The cake was baked in a low heat oven and then thoroughly cooled. At this time in my life, I am a teetotaler too but made an exception for this special cake. I bought a bottle of Grand Marnier. I slowly added copious amounts to this cake. This was the icing on and throughout the cake. It just adds warmth and reinforces the orange flavor.

  The cake sat wrapped for 2 weeks before I cut into it. This gives the alcohol a chance to mellow its harshness and let all the flavors mingle. This cake was moist, sweet with dried fruit, rich and boozy. It has orange/kumquat flavor throughout. The flavor triggered food memories and happy times. I may be biased and am probably tooting my own horn but this is one fine fruitcake. Thanks Mom!