Holm Family Cookbook

I recently journeyed with my buddy Patty to the Central American country of Costa Rica. We were visiting our friends Diane and Ernie who live in the small town of Grecia, busy in their missionary Bible education work. You may remember the blog from their going away party where we all cooked Costa Rican foods for the occasion, an all-day affair! Costa Rica was quite an adventure, a scenic country surrounded by the sea, a vast biodiversity of flora and fauna (and bugs!), friendly locals, delicious food, and best of all, coffee is one of their main crops. It’s going to take a couple of stories to cover this sojourn, so I’m going to start with our first home cooked meal with our Tica friend Karen.

Patty, Karen & Diane, on our trek to Los Chorros Waterfalls

A native Costa Rican, Karen volunteered to teach us how to make a local favorite, Chifrijo. It is a fried pork dish that you serve in a bowl over rice, beans, and topped with fresh pico. Chifrijo is described as “the king of Tico bar food,” and is served in la ferias  (farmers markets), by street vendors, and in sodas (small restaurants, not pop!). We began our escapade with Karen on a hike to the Los Chorros waterfalls near her home, an absolutely gorgeous setting found down a steep and narrow dirt road. We only passed one family on the hike (from Ohio!), it was gorgeous.

Los Chorros Waterfalls @ Grecia Costa Rica

On our way home we stopped at la feria for some fresh ingredients from the local farmers. Diane had already purchased some precooked Chicharrón - but hold your horses, this is not the deep fried pork rind you find in other Latin American countries - in Costa Rica Chicharrón are usually made from pork ribs or similar cuts.

Costa Rican Chicarron, fried at the butcher shop

The size of our party had grown, so we needed more pork (yay!), so we stopped at the butcher shop in the market and picked up some posta de cerdo. I can’t quite figure out what it means when translated, pork something, maybe ribs, but it looked like good, fresh pork shoulder cut into 2” cubes.

La Feria, fruiticultura las delicias!

We sorted through a vast array of local fruits and vegetables, and picked up some chayote, corn, avocado and culantro leaves. Culantro is a cousin to cilantro, an herb indigenous to continental Tropical America and the West Indies. It has long spiny, serrated leaves, and a similar flavor to cilantro, only stronger.

The fruits of Costa Rica

When we got back to the house I stepped into the sous-chef position, helping to chop ingredients for Karen’s chifrijo. I was taking notes and pictures throughout the evening on my iphone as Karen was cooking away on a full stove.

Preparing the chayote for the Guiso

I didn’t have time to measure anything, so the recipes below wouldn’t pass our cookbook editor’s requirements, but basic ingredients and directions are listed! I did find a chifrijo recipe from a Costa Rican mother and son on the Latin Street Food episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, an authentic recipe with correct measurements. Let’s get on with the preparations, Por favor deja comer!

CHIFRIJO (FRIED PORK WITH BEANS)

Posta de cerdo, or pork, 2" cubes

Head of garlic, roughly diced

Oil

Salt

Add the diced garlic to meat and marinate for ½ hour to 2 hours.

Posta de cerda and Garlic, that means pork!

Fry the pork in a oil until lightly brown. Instead of just salting the meat, you add salt to maybe ½ to 1 cup water to dissolve, and add the salted water to the browned meat, and simmer.

Adding salt water to the fresh chicharron

Cut the Chicharrón into bite size pieces, 3/4" cubes. While the pork is cooking you can make the pico and rice. Beans were cooked in advance, black beans are a staple, but for this meal Diane had shelled and cooked up some fresh frijoles tiernos (large pinto beans) with oregano, garlic, Chicharrón meat and a bit of salt and pepper.

Not your average chicarron! Cubed and ready to serve

To serve the chifrijo, place a scoop of rice in the bottom of a bowl, a layer of beans, cover with chifrijo and top with fresh pico. Tuck some tortilla chips into the side of the bowl and serve with sliced avocado.

PICO

Onion

Tomato

Lime

Jalapeno

Culantro

Dice the onion and tomato to a small chop, and marinate in lime juice. Add the jalapeno and culantro, salt to taste, and serve

GUISO DE ELOTE CON CHAYOTE (CORN STEW WITH CHAYOTES)

Chayote

Corn

Onion, diced

Garlic, diced

Sweet Pepper, diced

Crema Dulce (whipped cream)

Culantro

Corn, chayote and crema dulce for guiso

Peel, cut out the inner seed and chop the chayote into 1/2" cubes. Be careful handling chayotes, they can cause an allergic reaction - tingling, numbness, rash and peeling of your hands. The safest bet is to wear plastic gloves. The chayote in Costa Rica didn't seem to have as prickly of skin as we find in America, we cleaned and peeled them under running water and didn't have any problems. Cut the corn off the cob. Sauté diced garlic, onion, pepper, corn, add chayote and saute. Add crema and bring to a boil. Add a bit of water to cover, simmer until chayote is soft, about 15 minutes. Salt to taste and enjoy!

Pura Vida baby! (i.e. plenty of life or this is living!)

In the Kitchen with Karen (sounds like a new Food Network Show to me!)

~ Nancita the hungry Gringita

Upcountry in Amador County

It was a beautiful end of winter day and my long-time friend, Lou Ann, suggested going for a snowshoe. We ate a hearty brunch, headed up Highway 88 to Silver Lake, which is referred to as Upcountry in Amador County. The intention of eating a hearty brunch was so that we could head to the Volcano Union Inn on our way back down the mountain.

The snow conditions on the mountain were perfect. There had been some good snow a few days before. The sun was shining and not a soul was on the lake. I enjoyed the peace, the sunshine, and beauty of the pure white snow. When we decided to head back, I noticed my boot was coming apart. By the time we returned to the car, the boot had ripped apart all the way around!

My boot!

Of course during the snowshoe we worked up a thirst and an appetite! At the car we had some chilled Rich Mahogany and Ganja Juice Altamont Beer Works brews waiting for us. Some trail mix and apples and the brew curbed our appetite a bit until we could get to the Volcano Union Inn.

A growlette of Altamont Beer Works beer

I have been following Volcano Union Inn on Facebook for quite a while. Every Monday they have a special that is posted on Facebook – this week’s was Shrimp Louie, Salisbury Steak, mushrooms, horseradish mashed potatoes, and Strawberry Cobbler ala mode for $23! I was so pleased to arrive in time for dinner but we wanted to see the menu before ordering. The special was a fantastic deal – but Lou Ann and I saw other items we couldn’t wait to try! The wine and beer selection was diverse – we started with beer. I chose a Raging Bitch IPA--I'd had it in NY and loved it. The dishes we decided upon were a Mushroom Bruschetta, Beet Salad with golden balsamic vinaigrette, Fried Chicken with sides of smoked cheddar macaroni and cheese along with greens. Everything was delicious!!! So delicious we decided to order some Crispy Duck Wings to take home to my husband Troy. Unfortunately, they were sold out. Though we were full, the food had been so delectable that we just had to each order a dessert. I ordered the Meyer Lemon Crème Brulee with thyme shortbread. There were three small shortbreads, so we took one of those to Troy. Lou Ann ordered the Lava Cake with blood orange crème and candied blood orange along with a glass of Andis Barbera – a perfect pairing.

Mushroom Brushetta

Fried Chicken with smoked mac and cheese

Meyer Lemon Creme Brulee

Lava Cake

The service and ambiance was relaxing and comfortable. One of the servers I recognized from the community fundraiser, Chowda Chomp. I so enjoyed the chowder he and his teammate prepared. It was a halibut and salmon chowder – my favorite. They came in second place overall. I mentioned this to him and Lou Ann said she loved chowder, so he brought us out a taste of chowder!

Our clam chowder sample!

Volcano is off the beaten path; a very small, pleasant community. There is a post office, community hall, a general store, a hotel, a B & B, a bakery, a bar, a theater and a few other businesses I am not recalling. My friend, Jacquie Tarchala, has her Kneading Dough Bakery in the Jug and Rose Bakery, Monday through Wednesday. Should you be heading up to Daffodil Hill soon (it opened March 15, 2013) – the bakery would be a great place to visit. I highly recommend it!

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. – JRR Tolkien

~susie

I don’t have the opportunity to travel as much as I would like, so the next best thing for me is to step out the door of my office in downtown Livermore, head a couple of blocks in any direction, and pop into the nearest eatery … traveling the globe vicariously through the victuals of our local restaurants! The dining scene has done a 360 since our youth; the only worldly choice growing up was Chinese food at the Yin Yin, owned by the Chin Family (40 something of our family just congregated there last week!). What really reminded me of this change was my latest expedition to Afghanistan by means of the new De Afghanan Kabob House (which unfortunately replaced La Papusa House, where I would venture to El Salvador by means their papusas). I had never eaten Afghani food before, so Rebecca and Ed, two of my foody workmates joined me for lunch, and it was indeed a memorable sojourn. We ordered at least eight items, the wide variety of flavors was amazing, and very healthy too.

We started with Kado Borani, which translated means roasted butternut squash topped with garlic sour cream and dried mint, healthy and cooked to perfection.

Kado Borani, aka Butternut Squash

We tried a half order of both zucchini and leek Bolani, little pastries (well, not so little, it was actually quite large for a half order!) filled with sautéed zucchini and leek with great homemade cilantro chutney, and more yogurt.

Afghani Bolani and Chutney

Feeling adventurous, we opted for a third appetizer, the Mantu, pasta filled with ground beef, onions, garlic and spices topped with a vegetable sauce, garlic sour cream and dried mint. An order of Afghan bread comes with almost every dish, it was light as a hotel pillow, and more than we could ever finish.

Mantu and Afghan Bread

We split the Triple Kabob, Murge, Teka and Chaplee - aka -chicken, beef and a grilled ground sirloin patty mixed with scallions, crushed red pepper and plenty of spices. The meats are soaked in homemade, full-o-flavor marinade, and were moist, tender and delicious. At this point along the journey, I decided that I would like to be adopted by the Afghani family that owns the restaurant, I want to eat like this every day!

Triple Kabob, Murge, Teka and Chaplee

All of the Kabobs are served with Afghan rice or potato salad, we tried both of course! The brown Afghan rice was actually a white basmati seasoned with a variety of spices and onions, and the Shornakhod, or in English, Afghan Potato Salad, was not your average American mayonnaisy potato salad, but an uncommonly light, vinegary, fresh potato salad with garbanzo beans and chili flakes.

Shornakhod, i.e. Afghan Potato Salad

At this point, there was absolutely no room left for dessert, we had a big box of leftovers to go, but according to the 5-star yelp reviews, next time, I'm leaving room for the Sheer Yakh Jhala (i.e. ice cream) and Baklava!

Once you’ve tasted your way through Afghanistan, now it’s time to dig out your passport and cross the border into Mexico. You can find a Mexican restaurant on almost every block of downtown Livermore: Casa Orozco for Shrimp Cocktail Veracruz, Anita’s Veggie Burrito is my favorite choice on the menu at Anita’s Mexican Restaurant, in my opinion El Charro has the best Sope in town, feast on Tequila’s Taqueria’s huge Burrito de Camarones, drop in on Los Caporales for breakfast with Chorizo and Eggs or a hot bowl of Pozole, or for an “uptown” flavor of Guadalajara visit El Sacromonte for their housemade Sangrita Tequila chaser (along with a laundry list of tequilas) and “Comala” Stuffed Avocado.

Book your passage to the Mediterranean by way of Casbah Mediterranean Kitchen for Baba Ganuch (I just like to say that!) or Shawarama, plus, they have belly dancers! Or imagine the blue waters and islands of Greece while dining at Demitri’s Taverna, where they launch your trip with Skordalia, onto Moussaka, and end with the family's Baklava. Hop the gondola to Italy by way of Bruno’s Italian Cuisine with a plate of Linguini Frutti di Mare or their thin crust Pizza; or peddle over to the French Casse-Croûte Bakery for fresh baked crusty baguette or Croissants et Chocolatines, Merci beaucoup!

Since we can't have a home-cooked tiffin lunch delivered to our office by a dabbawala, add some Indian spice to your life by visiting Sansar’s lunch buffet for their Chicken Tikka Masala with a cold bottle of Taj Indian beer or enjoy India Clay Oven’s warm Naan, Parantha or Tandoori. Trek to “The Land of the Rising Sun” at Kawa Sushi for their soul warming Miso, Spicy Spider or Unagi; other stops along the Japanese coastline include Yamota Hibachi Express for tender Hibachi, or steaming Udon at Roppongi Sushi. You can then head east on the Indochina Peninsula to the Saigon Café and enjoy a steaming bowl of Shrimp Pho or crunchy Clay Pot; get your Bibim Bab fix at Korea BBQ & Tofu; feast on the fresh herbs and teas from the Kingdom of Thailand at Lemon Grass with their Pad Thai and Kao-Pad-Goong or up the block to the modern Star Anise for Roti Paratha, where they will treat you like the King of Siam! Travel the Silk Road into China for Chow Mein at the Yin Yin, Lo’s China Bistro for a Sizzling Platter or Uncle Yu’s for Classic Peking Duck with Bao.

Happy trails to you, and Bon Voyage!  Nancy

I was invited to a "Think Performance" session at the Googleplex yesterday (Google’s corporate headquarters), and almost didn’t go…what a mistake that would have been! What a campus they have, it was amazing to say the least.

But what really got me out of the house at 6:30am was the offer to receive Google's Nexus 7 Tablet just for attending, yowza! But why, you may ask, would I be talking about Google on a foodie blog? Because of their lunch of course!

After the 3 hour session pitching Google ads (very effective by the way, I’m in), like cattle to a trough, we all headed to lunch and lined up for what we thought was a buffet, but in actuality, was just the fruit and cheese display. Soon, the service staff began rolling in with small passed trays of lunch items, first, an oyster shooter in a small Asian spoon with a jalapeno mignonette, bang, what a way to start! My hands were full when the first round of Cheddar Burger Bites passed by (animal style with thousand island and grilled onions!), then a small triangle of grilled cheese with an old fashioned tomato soup shot. On this cloudy autumn day that really hit the spot.

Most of us were milling about, so my hands were full again when the roasted beet kabob passed by the first and second round, but I was able to grab one on the third pass, absolutely delicious, red and golden beets on a skewer. I spotted a meatball tray, but heard the word lamb, spicy lamb with cucumber raita to be exact, and chickened out - if you’re familiar with our blog, you know that most of my generation of the Holm family is averse to lamb, we raised them for 4-H and can’t quite stomach it.

Then another vegetarian choice rounded the curve, a mini falafel on a pita triangle with a great tzatziki sauce. And they just kept rolling in, I spotted a chicken skewer coming by, it was tandori with a yogurt sauce, yum.

Everything was so tasty and beautifully plated, I had to go thank the chefs for this unexpected lunch that was way beyond expectation, as was the entire morning. This was Google’s onsite catering team, there is another kitchen that serves their cafeteria. Bravo team Google!

Then, for the pièce de résistance, they had hired Harvey, who specializes in mini donuts, oh my goodness, they were lighter than air. I prefer simple desserts and chose the sugar cinnamon version, but there were plenty of choices, especially for you chocolate lovers.

I grabbed his card, I want Harvey’s Gourmet Mini Donuts to come to an event in Livermore!

Thanks for an incredible morning Google, well worth the horrible 2 hour commute! Nancy

One of the spectacular sunsets at Pajaro Dunes

A couple of weekends ago I stayed at a beach house in the gated community of Pajaro Dunes on the Monterey Bay coastline in California with a group of friends from high school. We had the time of our lives there!

The inside of the beach house was light and cheery. The color scheme inside was white, yellow, and light blue, and there were windows everywhere. A whimsical set of bare toes was designed into the hearth of the stone fireplace.

The front entrance to the beach house

The backside of the beach house looked out onto Monterey Bay

The cheery yellow, white, and light blue color scheme in the beach house

Can you see the bare toes on the hearth of the fireplace?

Pajaro Dunes is on the edge of Watsonville, a farming community where most of the artichokes, raspberries, strawberries, lettuce, and cabbage that we consume in the San Francisco Bay Area is grown. Even if you don't live in the Bay Area, if you have any fruit or veggies in the house, it's a good chance some of it was grown in Watsonville. For me, driving through the Pajaro Valley to get to the beach house was like taking a step back in time. There were miles upon miles of row crops and old trucks loaded with packaged berries leaving the farms to deliver fresh berries. In my younger days, the San Francisco South Bay and East Bay areas used to be large farming communities and most of that fertile ground is now covered with housing tracts, and the high tech businesses that make up the Silicon Valley. 

Miles of artichokes, lettuce, strawberries, cauliflower and other row crops line the bottom of the Pajaro Valley

Acres of raspberries are covered with tents

Sorry for the digression. The beach house was built on a small cliff above the beach. There were Adirondack chairs placed around a fire pit and that looked out onto the bay.  This is where we spent hours visiting, listening to the waves, and watching pods of dolphins and sea lions swim by. I was excited to see the dolphins as I have never seen them off the coast of California. I'll tell you, there is nothing like an early morning of enjoying a great cup of coffee while watching dolphins swimming and frolicking in the surf.

I sat here and watched pods of dolphins and sea lions swim by

At night we made a bonfire in the fire pit and sat around the fire telling stories and laughing until we ran out of wood. We found sand dollars during our walks along the beach in the morning.  We ventured away from the beach house once to go up the coast to Capitola for lunch and to visit some of the little shops there.

There are condos and beach houses (including the one where we stayed) in Pajaro Dunes for rent.  Here is a link to the website where this particular beach house can be rented:  House 6 - At the Dunes Rentals

What a wonderful way to spend a weekend and to get a much needed attitude adjustment. And, only about an hour and a half from home!

~merry~

Holm Family Cookbook recipe testers and Susie Calhoun all set for a food and history tour of Murphys, California

This past weekend, some of our cookbook recipe testers and I, gathered in Murphys, California "Queen of the Sierra" to experience a food and history tour. A tour was booked with LocalRoots Food Tours. We met Lara, our tour guide, at the gazebo in the Murphys Community Park. Tours usually accommodate ten people. Ours actually had seven, five friends and a fun foodie couple from Sacramento. The couple have been to various cooking classes internationally and shared some of their travels with us as we walked through Murphys.

Melanie, chef & co-owner of Newsome-Harlow (standing) and our tour guide Lara (sitting)

The first historical stop was the Murphys Pokey, where Lara shared the early history of Murphys. Off we walked to the Newsome-Harlow tasting room, one of my favorites in Murphys. Melanie Klann, chef and co-owner, is known for her use of local produce. She had prepared a butter roll, with fig jam, Swiss cheese and bacon; paired with Newsome-Harlow 2010, Calaveras County Zin. The tasting room would be both the beginning and the end of our tour.

Butter roll, with fig jam, Swiss cheese and bacon at Newsome-Harlow

Next stop was the Aria Bakery. FRESH and delicious would best describe their products. The bakery is very small, but full of delicacies. Here we picked up our potato onion thyme focaccia and then moved to the patio of the Marisolio Tasting Bar, a tasting bar of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The variety of oils and vinegars was extensive and flavorful. They provide the opportunity to taste all the oils and vinegars and once you make a selection of oil or vinegar to buy, they will bottle your selection.

Aria Bakery (left) and the Marisolio Tasting Bar

At the historic Murphys Hotel, we learned about all the dignitaries who stayed at the hotel on their way to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Next stop was the E Clampus Vitas Wall of Comparative Ovations. For those of you who have not heard of the “Clampers” or seen one of the ECV plaques, I suggest you check out this website for a bit of history: http://www.yerbabuena1.com/history.htm.  I have been to Murphys many times and known many Clampers, but had never seen this wall – it's an outside museum!

The E Clampus Vitas Wall of Comparative Ovations

Off we walked to the far end of Murphys to Val du Vino Winery. The winery is owned by Jonathan and Jeannine, a well traveled and diverse couple. Both were behind the wine bar, but Jonathan was our host and winemaker. We tasted five wines, concluding with the 2009 Spanish Dragon. The multi award winning Spanish Dragon is a Tempranillo with a touch of Grenache. It was definitely my favorite. On Fridays during the summer Val du Vino is host to a Farmers Market, and on this day, was host to a wedding.

Johnathan our host and winemaker at the Val du Vino Winery

Upon leaving Val du Vino, we walked back into town via a back street to The Spice Tin. This shop is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Murphys and had a tunnel that led to the bar of the Murphys Hotel. The walls were lined with fresh spices and some local food products. Of particular interest to me was the Himalayan salt. These slabs can be used for cooking and chilling. For tasting was Dukkah, an Egyptian inspired blend of nuts; which is great for coating over fish, fowl or veggies. I loved the toasty flavor, which was intensified with the olive oil it was served with.

The Spice Tin shop (left) and the Himalayan salt display

As we traveled back down the main street, we walked down an alley on the way to V Restaurant Bar and Bistro at the Victoria Inn. Known for their fine dining; Dan Murray the chef, buys the best and changes the menu weekly. We were seated at the quaint bar and served a delightful plate. Presented on a picturesque plate was a petite Caprese salad on a skewer, a succulent BBQ pork rib resting on a mixed potato salad, and a Devil on Horseback (blue cheese stuffed date, wrapped in bacon and deep fried) – a personal favorite! Fabulous!

The delightful plate served at the V Restaurant Bar and Bistro at the Victoria Inn

On our way to Alchemy we stopped in at Nelson's Candies.This is owned by the same people who have Nelson’s Candy Kitchen in Columbia.The candies looked delightful, but this group was saving ourselves for the Cupcake Wars winner!

Lara guided us down to the Alchemy Restaurant and Market at the opposite end of Murphys. Alchemy Chef, Jason Wright served us black mussels, fries with scallion aioli. This traditional Belgian fare was paired with a De Proefrouwerij Flanders Fred--a Belgian beer. This unique beer was a collaborative effort of two breweries using a wild fermented sour lambic and wood aged Hair of the Dog. I loved that we were served food paired with beer!

Black mussels and fries paired with a De Proefrouwerij Flanders Fred

Our last food stop was at Lila & Sage. Waiting for us was the award winning Honey and Lavendar cupcake. Owner Karen Henderson’s creation helped Murphys see a surge in business when Cupcake Wars brought the Food Network to Murphys!

Lila & Sage, home of the Food Network's Cupcake Wars' winning cupcake

After three and a half hours of touring, feasting and enjoying history; our tour ended with a more extensive tasting at Newsome-Harlow. I purchased Train Wreck, a blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine I enjoy drinking and sharing with friends. It is here we said good bye to Lara and thanked her for generous hospitality and knowledge.

My friends, former colleagues, and I retired to one’s home in Saddle Creek to watch the sunset. Here we reminisced about the tour and the wonderful time we had on the Local Roots Food Tour. Based in Auburn, Local Roots gives tours in Sacramento, Murphys, and soon Nevada City.

The sunset in Saddle Creek

What a fun and filling way to spend a day!

~Susie

If you see this truck on Highway 191 in Montana, be sure to stop by for some eats

Last month my daughters and I took a spur of the moment trip to Montana to stay with my cousin Becky and her daughter at their family's cabin in West Yellowstone, Montana. One of the day trips we took was to Bozeman. As we were cruising along Highway 191 to Bozeman we stopped for coffee at the Coffee Pot in Gallatin Gateway, which is an all in one bakery, cafe, and pottery shop.

The Coffee Pot is in a quaint log cottage with a front porch equipped with rocking chairs. Outside an old rock chimney and colorful flowers add even more charm to the place.  Inside to the left is a small dining area staged around a rock fireplace. To the right is Mountain Arts handmade pottery displayed for sale on antique cabinets.

Some of my favorite flowers, hollyhocks, grow in the yard

The dining area

Mountain Arts Pottery displayed for sale

The cafe and bakery is in the middle of the cottage. The food and coffee is served in the beautiful handmade pottery.

The cafe menus

Check out the cinnamon roll in the bottom shelf!

Big surprise, we ended up ordering more than just coffee once we got inside the Coffee Pot. It was, however, nearly lunchtime so we had lunch. The sandwiches we ordered in the cafe were made with soft rolls baked in the bakery. Besides the sandwiches, Laina and I had to try some of the blueberry crumble pie. I think I just drooled on my arm thinking about that piece of pie that I split with Laina.

Instead of potato chips, I had grilled zucchini chips with my sandwich

Egg salad sandwich and tomato and basil soup

Pulled pork sandwich and vegetable soup

Iced tea served in handmade pottery

This wasn't our only stop at the Coffee Pot during our vacation in Montana. Whenever we were in the area we stopped by for refreshments. Online reviews about the Coffee Pot indicate they make the best cinnamon rolls around. I didn't try one, but they sure did look good.

Sitting here wishing I had a piece of that blueberry crumble pie right now,

~merry~

Next time you have a layover in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport , tack on a couple of hours and find your way over to the Hard Eight BBQ in Coppell, Texas. Do whatever it takes – rent a car, hail a taxi, call a cousin – whatever…the brisket, and the experience, is worth the effort!

On our flight back from New Orleans, we had a layover in Dallas. Fortunately, our cousin Lori lives close by, so we arranged a 4-hour layover (any longer than 4 hours and you pay a fortune in air miles) to sneak in some Texas BBQ and see her Texas home. Like we didn’t eat enough in New Orleans, but that’s a whole other story to be told later!

Lori picked us up from the airport and had her daughters Jamie and Jessica and their families that live close by meet us at Hard Eight Pit Bar-B-Q in Coppell, a 10-15 minute drive from the airport (depending on construction!). With 5 little grandsons, this is definitely the place where you feel comfortable bringing the kids. Hard Eight is amazing, from the moment you open your car door in the parking lot, the smoke from the Texas mesquite BBQ pits puts you in its spell!! You start outside under the huge barn roof covering multiple smoking pits, and the line snakes around until you reach the pit master, where pulls the meat off the pit and slices it to order on the spot.

The pit master wields his weapon

This is the real deal, mesquite smoked Texas-style barbecue, cooked low and slow over open (and closed) pits - a cooking method the German settlers brought to the Texas Hill Country over a century ago. These pits are smokin’ 24 hours a day. I’m not sure if it was the humidity from New Orleans and Dallas, the heat, or the smoke, but all of the photos on my iPhone came out in a haze!

At the beginning of the line is a small grill where you can order up a rib eye or sirloin steak, but we were waiting for the meat by the pound! There’s no china or white tablecloths in this establishment, they slice and serve up your meat from the pit to your paper-covered tray!

Mesquite smoked meats cooked low and slow at the Hard Eight

They tried to warn us ahead of time to not ask for too much meat because you really do want to try everything: brisket (gotta have that, we’re in Texas for crying out loud!), “fall-off-tha-bone” ribs, chicken, turkey, sausage that’s mild or HOT, pork chops, and these delectable little chicken nugget popper things that have jalapeno and cheese in the middle and bacon wrapped around the outside, yowza! You can also get corn on the cob and baked potatoes right off the pit. They have two barbecue sauces to choose from, sweet and spicy, and oh yeah, they were good (not that the brisket needs it!).

The long awaited brisked sliced to order

After moving through the line in the 90+ Texas heat, along with the fires from the pits and the smoke, you enter the swinging wooden doors and find the family style air-conditioned dining hall, whew. Great log cabin, cowboy themed setting (we learned that Hard Eight can be defined as the eight seconds of a bull ride), I knew I was back in Texas. Your next lineup is the “fixins” where you can start with sliced white bread to soak up any stray juices, potato salad, jalapeno sweet corn (my favorite), coleslaw of course, roasted cornbread salad or Mac-n-cheese.

And then there’s the dessert lineup, pecan pie, cobblers, “slap-yo’-gran’ma-good” banana puddin’ and more. At the end of the line, they put your tray on the scale and check you out. But that’s not really the end…they have a station with great tasting all-you-can-eat pinto beans with jalapenos and bacon (very dangerous for me, especially when heading back onto an airplane!). Where does a girl begin? I felt like I was on an episode from the Food Network!

The tray is full, and I will be soon

The family style dining is great, you can spread out on the table, spin a yarn with your friendly Texan neighbors (this isn’t uptight California dining!), the kids can run around and be loud (and so could I), it’s not just dinner, it’s an adventure!

We summarily devoured all that we could eat (yes, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, Lori had leftovers), the food was far beyond expectation, and my yelp score would definitely be 5 Stars!!

Don’t Mess with Texas! Especially their brisket!

- Nancy

Cathy, Kyan, Sheri, and Merry with Chef John Ash

I have a bucket list that's about a mile long and it's not often that I get to check something off the list. OK, maybe I should shorten the list and make it a bit realistic, but it's good to have unobtainable dreams. Gives you character.

A couple of weekends ago I actually got to check "Learn to cook with a chef from the Food Network" off my bucket list. This adventure started when my friend Sheri asked me if I was interested in taking a cooking class at River Myst Haven in the Healdsburg area. At the time my mother was not well and my sisters and I were spending a lot of time either at the hospital or at our parent's house helping out on the weekends. When I found out that Chef John Ash was teaching the class, I made it clear to my sisters that I would not be available on that Saturday to help out.  So, I guiltily told Sheri, Yes! (Unfortunately, our mother passed away shortly before the class.)

Chef John Ash was a host of two TV shows on the Food Network. He now travels the world teaching cooking classes and is an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in the Napa Valley. He is known as the “Father of Wine Country Cuisine." In 1980 he opened a restaurant John Ash & Company in Santa Rosa, which was the first restaurant in the Northern California wine country to make dishes from the local, seasonal ingredients that complemented the wines made in the region. He has published three cookbooks and his fourth, Culinary Birds, will be released in the fall of 2013. 

Chef John Ash's "Culinary Birds" cookbook to be released in the fall of 2013

River Myst Haven is a small event facility in the hills of the Russian River Valley outside of Healdsburg, which is in the Sonoma County wine region. It's about a two and a half hour drive from Pleasanton, where my friend Cathy and I picked up Sheri and her next door neighbor Kyan.  We were a bit early when we arrived at River Myst so we did a bit of exploring outside where we ran into Percy the peacock and some wild turkeys that just happened to be cruising by.

River Myst Haven

The view from River Myst Haven

Percy the Peacock

One of several wild turkeys cruising by

The day of our class there were thirteen students and five dishes to cook. All of the dishes were made with chicken and the recipes were from the Culinary Birds cookbook. The chicken that we used in our dishes was produced at Pepper Ranch Poultry in Petaluma. The chickens raised at Pepper Ranch are heritage meat chickens that are smaller and slower growing than the chicken we buy in the grocery store. The Pepper Ranch follows humane practices where the chickens are on pasture and are free to go in and out of chicken houses.

Pepper Ranch Poultry in Petaluma (photo borrowed from PRP's Facebook site)

In addition to Chef John Ash, there were a couple of other culinary experts on hand that day to help answer questions and teach cooking methods. Mei Ibach a chef and culinary instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College was one of the helpers. Another creative women, whose name I did not catch, beautifully arranged the veggies that we would be using that day.

The fresh veggies, herbs, and spices we used in our dishes

When it was time to start preparing the food, the chef split us into groups with people we did not know. My group was responsible for making grilled chicken kebabs with tzatziki sauce and flatbread. The chicken kebabs were seasoned with a marinade made with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, rosemary, kosher salt, and pepper.  The chef made the dough earlier for the grilled flatbread and it was my group's responsibility to roll out the dough and grill it. These kebabs were the best kebabs I have eaten. I have since made them at home and my family loved them as well.

Grilling tip from the chef:  Before placing food on the grill, the grill should be oiled. The chef said that he uses a rolled up towel to evenly oil the grill and to prevent the grill from becoming over oiled. When a grill is over oiled it can cause fire flare-ups that will burn the food.

The chicken kabobs ready for grilling

The flatbread on the grill

The plated kabobs being prepped for serving

The finished chicken kebabs with tzatziki and grilled pita bread

When we were done prepping our dishes, we got to enjoy a glass of wine. Once everyone was done prepping, we all sat at a nicely set table and one by one each group got up to finish cooking their dish and serve it to the class. All of the food was incredible and it was almost thrilling to know that I have the ability to make all of these dishes myself.

Sheri's group made a chicken and shrimp meatball soup with cellophane noodles.  Just before serving, fresh lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro was added, which really finished off the soup with a fresh flavor.

Chicken and shrimp meatballs

The chicken and shrimp meatball soup

Kyan's group made 5 spice chicken in rice paper and with a dipping sauce. Her group actually made the 5 spice powder themselves by using a coffee grinder to grind the spices. Kyan passed around the freshly prepared 5 spice powder along with an older bottled version of five spice powder so that we could smell the difference. The freshly prepared five spice was much more fragrant than the older bottled powder, which makes me more inclined to want to grind my own 5 spice just prior to using it.

FRYING TIPs:  A couple of good tips we learned from the chef when he talked about making this dish was that the range for frying foods is 350 - 375 degrees F.  If food is fried below 350 F, the food will absorb the oil and become oily or mushy.  Also, food should be cold before put into the hot oil. The cold will help create a barrier that will prevent the food from absorbing the oil.  You should however, monitor the temperature of the oil when adding the cold food to the hot oil to ensure that it does not drop below 350 F.

Chef John Ash demonstrating how to roll the chicken filling in rice paper

The prepared chicken rolls prior to frying

5 spice chicken in rice paper

Cathy's group made Vietnamese salad with grilled chicken. This salad was great. It was especially nice eating this salad freshly made. In the past when I have ordered this salad in restaurants the salads were not freshly made, so the vegetables were not crisp and the flavors had fused in an undesirable way.

After Cathy's group softened the rice noodles the noodles sat for some time before the salad was served. We expected the noodles to be stuck together and served in clumps, but they were all easily separated.

Cathy chopping the ingredients for the Vietnamese salad with chicken

The freshly sliced and julienned veggies

The grilled chicken thighs used in the salad

The Vietnamese salad with chicken

The last dish that was served was a chicken slider with watercress and caramelized onion jam. This too was very good. Ginger poached chicken was used to make the sandwich.

Chicken slider made with ginger poached chicken and dressed with watercress and caramelized onion jam

The class participants enjoying the dishes made during the class.

River Myst will be hosting a cooking class with Chef John Ash in September and October (go here to see the schedule: http://www.rivermysthaven.com/food_wine_education.html). I highly recommend signing up for one of the classes. Opportunities for a hands-on cooking class with a chef of his caliber don't come often!

~merry~

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness. ~Elsa Schiaparelli

The Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue at Disneyland; an outdoor, sit down and be served, all you can eat family style restaurant

Every November my family and I go to Disneyland and California Adventure. We usually head down to Anaheim the first or second Thursday of November when the kids are out of school for a teacher workday or Veteran's Day holiday. November has worked out well for us for a few reasons: cooler weather, the park is not too crowded, Christmas holiday specials are filmed during this time so we sometimes see stars performing, and the park is decorated for Christmas.

Cinderella's castle decorated for Christmas

Disneyland's Main Street decorated for Christmas

New Orleans Square

We especially like the Haunted Mansion at this time of the year because it is decorated in a Nightmare Before Christmas theme and it is a lot of fun to experience. One of my favorite parts on the ride is when we pass by a holiday party with a decorated Christmas tree and a festive table set for the party. Transparent ghosts dance around the room and you can smell gingerbread as you pass through the area. My youngest daughter had only seen the Haunted House decorated in this fashion until she went to Disneyland with a school group during the month of May a few years ago. She was disappointed by how drab it was in comparison to how it looks in November.

The Haunted Mansion decorated in the Nightmare before Christmas decor

We have encountered rain a few times, but rain usually means no crowds and shorter lines, so we almost welcome it. However, a lesson we learned several years ago is to bring a few pairs of shoes. If your shoes get wet, they are not going to be dry by the next day and a new pair of shoes at the park will cost you about the same price as a ticket into the park.

We usually park hop and eat most of our meals in California Adventure (besides good food you can also get craft beer, wine, and margaritas there), however, there are a couple of food stops that we make in Disneyland. Bacon wrapped asparagus is served at the Bengal Barbecue across from the Indiana Jones ride. Good stuff.  The other "must get once during our visit to Disneyland" is the Dole pineapple whip sold at the Tiki Room. More good stuff.

Two favorite foods at Disneyland:  bacon wrapped asparagus and pineapple whip

Last November we discovered the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue in Disneyland. I'm sure plenty of people had discovered it before us. It just had never caught our attention before. It is an outdoor, sit down and be served, all you can eat family style restaurant. Barbecued chicken and ribs, cole slaw, beans, and corn bread are served by some young folks in hokey western garb (but we liked the food anyway).  After hours of walking and standing in line, sitting down and being served is a welcomed relief. Reservations can be made in advance. If you go to Disneyland during peak season, you might want to make your reservations early in the day or before arrival. Click here to find out more about making advance reservations.

I had the recipe for the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue cole slaw and had been making it long before I ate there. I like the recipe a lot--it's is not mayonnaisey and has a bit of a zip. I have provided the recipe for you below.

Guests at the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue sit at tables under canopies

Barbecued ribs and chicken (left), corn bread (right)

Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue cole slaw

Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue Cole Slaw

Serves 6 to 8

1/2 cup white-wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound shredded green cabbage (about 1/2 large cabbage)

1 pound shredded purple cabbage (about 1/2 large cabbage)

2 carrots, shredded

1.  Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne in a blender; blend on low speed until sugar is dissolved.

2.  With blender running, slowly pour oil through top of lid, processing until dressing is combined. Set aside.

3.  Combine shredded cabbage and shredded carrots in a separate large bowl. Add dressing, tossing to combine. Refrigerate for 2 hours, tossing occasionally before serving.

Reporting from the happiest place on earth,

~merry~

My husband and I met Dave the Butcher at a hog butchery class in Berkeley, and he happened to mention a happy hour that involves pork, held every Wednesday night at The Fatted Calf Charcuterie in San Francisco.

Second take…a “Butcher’s Happy Hour,” featuring a whole hog?? Say what?! My ears perked up, I’m in! Pork has always been my flesh of choice, we grew up on my grandmother’s huge pork butt roasts (it’s really from the shoulder) that melted in your mouth and fed the entire family at our large Sunday lunches. But where do you find a date for a porcine happy hour?? Not the faint of heart…no vegetarians…wait, my sister-in-law Paula, the perfect choice! She raises a pair of organic Berkshire hogs every year for home consumption, and she learned how to slaughter and dress a turkey last year, she would be game for this hoggish adventure!

So we’re off to Hayes Valley in San Francisco, I’ve never been to this neck of the woods in the city, a cool foodie Mecca tucked away just off Market. Outdoor cafes, pubs, coffee shops, ice cream stand, food trucks, and much, much more. I’ll be back to this neighborhood when I have more time, and am not weighed down with a bag full of piggy products.

We were welcomed by butchers Matt and Gus, with half of a hog laid out on the butcher block,

Butcher Matt working away on the hind quarter

and the rest hanging from the rack. Again, this is not an event for everyone!

It’s a very casual affair; there are pork snacks to nosh on, along with complimentary tastes of local brews to wash down the appetizers, my favorite was the Denogginizer from Drakes Brewing.

Where have I been? Who knew there was an urban brewery in San Leandro? Well, my sister Susie did, so much to learn at the Butcher’s Happy Hour!

We met other lovers of the other white meat, Chris and Paul. We shared some freshly marinated cauliflower and pickled beets while talking pig, and Paula and I split a hearty meatloaf sandwich from their deli as we watched the butchers wield the weapons.

Paul, Paula and Chris - look how happy they are at happy hour!

While Matt was taking the half-a-hog down to the cuts we are more familiar with, like pork chops, Gus the butcher was working on the Porchetta (doesn’t that just sound delicious?!), an Italian style marinated rolled pork roast, it was a work of art! 

The roast is about 2 feet long,

and then they cut it to order, so I was able to bring home about an eight inch roast,

along with a bag full o’ goodies. The Fatted Calf also carries a wide variety of local organic products, Paula and I both came home with a small crock of butter from McClelland’s Dairy in Petaluma. We keep our butter soft and out of the fridge, just like Granny did, so the little crock will come in handy, and the butter is delicious.

With the industrialization of meat processing and beef now being sold even at Walmart, over the past 3 to 4 decades came the demise of the local butcher. Fortunately, there seems to be a renaissance in the making with the corner butcher, charcuterie and boucherie.

Behind the scenes at The Fatted

Along with The Fatted Calf Charcuterie, these artisans of meat are popping up across the landscape in the bay area, The Local Butcher Shop in Berkeley, Barons Meats in Alameda, Olivier’s Butcher in San Francisco, el Salchichero Handcrafted Charcuterie in Santa Cruz and Main Street Meat & Fish in Pleasanton. Focusing mainly on local, sustainably raised meats, organics like SunFed Organics (family member Pat Byrne was one of our cookbook recipe testers!),

SunFed Organic New York Strip

and some on the whole animal. There’s even a butcher shop on wheels, Avedano’s Meat Wagon can be found, where else but Hayes Valley, Thursdays through Sundays! So get out and support your local butcher, who supports your local rancher, who supports your local economy and your scenic views! And don't forget the Happy Hour!

THE FATTED CALF’S PORCHETTA

3-5 pound boned pork shoulder roast, fat and skin on

Fresh garlic, pounded with a mortar and pestle

Lemon zest

Salt and pepper

Toasted ground fennel seed

Chopped Rosemary

Lay the roast flat on a cutting board, skin side down. Sprinkle the interior generously with the herbs and spices. Roll up the pork and tie tightly with butcher's twine. Sprinkle the outside with more fennel seed.

Marinate the porchetta for up to 4 days.

Rub the roast with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt prior to roasting. Cook at 375 to 400 degrees until the outside is browned to a golden hue, then, lower the temperature to 300-325 for 3-4 hours. Let the roast rest for 15 minutes, remove the string and slice into spirals to serve.

We cooked up a batch of homemade applesauce with cinnamon and brown sugar to serve with the porchetta, it’s a must! Along with some red cabbage and roasted potatoes.

~ Yum, Nancy

Yesterday my friend Kim Bonde and I attended the 11th Annual Cowgirl luncheon in Oakdale, which was a fundraiser for the Oakdale Cowboy Museum and one of the events kicking off rodeo week in Oakdale. Tickets for this event went on sale February 15th and the 460+ seat event sold out in less than four hours. Kim drove the hour drive to Oakdale the day the tickets went on sale to get our tickets. The luncheon was held at the Oakdale Community Center.

Oakdale is also known as the "Cowboy Capital of the World," which is a title the town claimed long before its rodeo cowboys won 24 world championships. The small Texas town of Stephenville also claims to be the cowboy capital and says it has more cowboys per square foot than any place in the world. Hmmm. Wouldn't want to be the referee in that battle.

The Cowgirl Luncheon was held at the Oakdale Community Center

This was the first time Kim and I attended the luncheon--or even heard of it for that matter--and we wondered if we would know many people. When we got in the line in front of the community center, we stood behind Bobbie Telles, who we have known for many years. Bobbie told us she stood in line for two hours to buy her tickets for the luncheon. Throughout the day we saw at least 25 people we that we knew and hadn't seen in a long time, so we had a great time chatting with everyone. We even saw my cousin Stacie Holm Brown.

We saw my cousin Stacie Holm Brown at the luncheon

As we walked into the event, we were served champagne by some of the local cowboys and they continued to pour champagne for us throughout the luncheon. When it was time for lunch to be served, the cowboys lined up and began serving lunch to the female guests. The lunch was catered by Steve Medlen's House of Beef in Oakdale. This was one of the best catered lunches I have ever had.  If the lunch the House of Beef catered for nearly 500 people was so good, I'll bet the restaurant is great.

The cowboys lining up to serve lunch

Lunch consisted of grilled steak with peppercorn sauce, garlic red potatoes, and salad

Bottles of Cowgirl Sisterhood wine were on each table

A few of the cowboys serving lunch were world champion cowboys while I was in high school. I have to admit it was a bit of a thrill to see these folks that we looked up to when we were kids.  One of the servers sat at our table to eat his lunch when he was done serving. He was Daniel Green, who was a world champion roper around 2008-2010 (many years after I graduated high school). Daniel told us his daughters' year-round softball games and his son's sporting activities currently keep him from competing nationally. Good man, that Daniel--making his children a high priority!

World Champion Roper Jerold Camarillo filling my glass with champagne

Ace Berry, champion roper and bronc rider

Champion roper Daniel Green

For the last few years a woman involved in rodeo has been honored by the Cowboy Museum at the luncheon. This year the honoree was Emma "Pee Wee" Burge Ott.  Emma was born in 1919 in Giswil, Switzerland and immigrated with her family to the United States when she was 9 years old. After passing through Ellis Island, her parents found work on a dairy farm in the Imperial Valley of California. Emma became proficient in riding dairy calves and at the age of 17 was hired to ride steers in an exhibition.  Three years later she was roping competitively.  She was taught to ride saddle broncs and it was the thrill of her life. She was only 5 feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds, which earned her the nick name of  “Pee Wee”.  She took up trick riding, bronc riding, and relay and flat races for six years--riding at some major rodeos, which included the Pendleton Round Up.  She retired from her career in rodeo at the age of 27.  Pee Wee married a dairyman, Joe Ott, and they had four daughters. At the age of 50, she went to college and became a licensed vocational nurse. Pee Wee died last year at the age of 92. Her daughters and granddaughters were at the Cowgirl Luncheon to accept her award. What a story and what a gal that Pee Wee must have been!

Saddle bronc riding Emma "Pee Wee" Burge Ott. Photo borrowed from Oakdale Cowboy Museum's Farewell Facebook Page.

Kim and I sure had a great time at the Cowgirl Luncheon and have plans to attend again next year. On our way home we encountered some bad weather, including passing through extreme rain, hail, and winds that had accompanied a tornado in the area! 

Funnel cloud seen in the area we were driving through on the way home

Besides the Cowgirl luncheon and the Oakdale Rodeo, which by the way is this weekend, Oakdale is also the home of the Testicle Festival. The American Cowboy Magazine lists the festival as one of the top 101 events to attend in the west.

~merry~

A sample of the some of the things to do in this area of Sacramento

A couple of weekends ago I attended the California CattleWomen's Spring Meeting that was held at the Embassy Suites on the edge of Old Sacramento. I looked forward to a weekend out of town, however, I either had a cold or really bad allergies and took naps some of the free time we had when we were not in meetings. I was also recovering from a surgical procedure that I had on one of my big toes and could not wear shoes or walk long distances, so I was not able to venture very far from the hotel.  

The Embassy Suites in Old Sacramento

I love staying at Embassy Suites, especially when kids are involved. The rooms are very spacious and the kids can stay in one room, parents in the other. I was sharing the room with my friends Kim and Melinda, so it was nice to have all of the extra space and the living room area with a couch and chairs where we could sit and visit. Nearly all of the Embassy Suites that I have stayed at have been very clean and well decorated. They also have complimentary cocktail receptions every night with some receptions being better than others. The Sacramento River runs right by the Embassy Suites and there is a riverwalk along the river. When standing in front of the hotel you can see the State Capitol just blocks away.

The Sacramento River runs along side the Embassy Suites

The California State Capital can be seen from the front of the Embassy Suites

One of the speakers at the California CattleWomen's meeting was an expert in certified meat products and the co-owner of a family owned broadline food service distribution company. His primary focus was to teach us about cuts of beef and he provided a demonstration on the difference between USDA Beef Quality Grades. The demonstration turned out to be quite tasty as we got to taste the difference between steaks that were choice and select grades. He had the steaks prepared and cut up into pieces in the hotel's restaurant.

Since we had an expert at our disposal, someone asked the question to the answer everyone wanted to know, "What exactly is the pink slime we have been hearing so much about from the media?" The expert told us that "pink slime" aka Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) is lean meat that has been separated from fat using a process similar to the process used to separate milk from heavy cream. Ammonia hydroxide, a natural occurring compound is used in the process. The ammonia hydroxide is a microbial inhibitor, which is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans. It makes the meat safer and is used in the processing or production of many other food products such as dairy, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, breakfast cereals, eggs, fish, sports drinks, beer, and other meats. Hmmm, I think the media forgot to tell us that. By the way, the fat that is separated from the LFTB goes on to make soaps, cosmetics and other beef by products. So, enough about that.

Kitty corner from the Embassy Suites is a Joe's Crab Shack. Kim, Melinda, and I had never been to a Joe's Crab Shack before and made plans to go. The guy that checked us in at the hotel told us to get there before 7:00 because later than that the wait is 2 hours or more. We got to Joe's at about 6:15 and at that time there was a 1 hour, 20 minute wait. No worries. They take your cell phone number and call you when your table is ready, so you can hang out in Old Sac until your table is ready. Joe's Crab Shack is a fun restaurant. It's loud, lots of parties going on, and nearly every 30 minutes the servers break into dance. Some of the fun loving customers get up and dance with them--we weren't some of those customers. Joe's has an exciting drink called a Shark Attack made of Barcardi Limon, Skyy Vodka, Blue Curacao and sour mix. There is a vial of grenadine "blood" the server pours into the drink when the drink is served along with bells being rung and the servers shouting about a shark attack.  The popular foods served at Joe's are steam pots and buckets of crab. We enjoyed our dinner at Joe's.

Joe's Crab Shack in Old Sacramento

Our other dinner during the weekend in Old Sac was at the Embassy Suites. During the cocktail reception I ordered an onion soup. The soup was served in an hollowed out onion that was sitting on top of rock salt. It was really quite tasty. We also ordered prime rib French dip sandwiches that we took to our room.  The bread on the sandwiches got a bit mushy in the to go boxes, so we would recommend eating them in the restaurant.

The onion soup at the Embassy Suites is served in a hollowed out onion

Well it was nice to get away for the weekend and get that pink slime mystery cleared up. I hope to get back to Old Sac again soon since I didn't get out to see all of the sights during this trip.

~merry~

Wine tasting at the Brice Station Winery in Calaveras County

It has been a tradition for several of my friends and I to go to the mountains over President's Day weekend. Since everyone's kids have grown, one of the snow days has turned into a wine tasting day. We have been heading up to Calaveras County in the California Gold Country and attending the President's Wine Weekend for the past several years. This wine country continues to mature! 2012 marked the 16th Annual President's Wine Weekend with 23 participating tasting rooms.

Brice Station Map

The President's Day Wine Weekend is a two day event and we attended on Sunday, which is day two of the event. Our first stop that day was the Brice Station Winery where we picked up our glasses for $10. This was one of the few stops with glasses left. I limited my tasting as I was the designated driver. The favorite appetizer here was the seeded baguette with almond and Gorgonzola spread, broiled and topped with a fig orange peel jam. Also on the Brice Station Winery property is a blacksmith shop that offers blacksmithing classes, and Quyle Kilns. This cooperative kiln offers a variety of pottery and styles. There were various animals around the property including chickens, dogs, geese, and llamas.

Brice Station Tasting Room

We drove on down the hill to Murphys, where the main street is lined with shops, restaurants, and tasting rooms. We stopped at the Vina Moda Winery, which is in a unique building. Across the street was Tanner Vineyards where they were serving the guests out in their gardens. I tasted the Syrah, which complemented the sausages hot off the grill.

Tanner Vineyards Tasting Room

My friends really enjoyed the Zinfandels at Milliare Winery. They particularly enjoyed the Clocksprings from Amador County. In fact, they picked up a bottle for our Kale Soup dinner. It was a wonderful Zinfandel!

Frog's Tooth Winery offered a wide variety of red wines. For food they were serving meatballs in a Tempranillo cranberry sauce.

Frog's Tooth Tasting Room

There were so many tasting rooms in this area, that even though I was driving, my friends could not stop at all of them! My "must visit" wineries are Stevenot Winery and Newsome-Harlow. Chuck Hovey, the winemaker at Stevenot and Scott Klann, owner and winemaker at Newsome-Harlow are judges at the Alameda County Fair's Best of the Bay Wine Competition and Zin Challenge.  I bought a bottle of Viognier at Stevenot and a Syrah at Newsome-Harlow.

Entrance to Stevenot Tasting Room

Inside the Stevenot Tasting Room

Both the Stevenot and Newsome-Harlow tasting rooms are very friendly. The owners of Stevenot, the Oliveto family, were pouring that day. They were serving delicious sausages from the Big Trees Market in Arnold. At Newsome-Harlow, Scott Klann was pouring. His wife, Melanie, was busy with The Kitchen at Newsome-Harlow. They offered fried root vegetables from their garden, a colorful variety of treats. The Courtyard has seating, a gas fire pit, and heated tubes, offering an alternative to the busy street and tasting rooms.

Newsome-Harlow Tasting Room

The courtyard at the Newsome-Harlow Winery

The last stop of the day was the Black Sheep Winery where Jane Drummond–Mullarkey purchased the Raspberry Sparkling Wine. Her Bunco group loves it!

Should you have an opportunity to visit Calaveras wineries – do so! You won’t be disappointed.

~Susie Calhoun~

Don't be fooled by outside of Knickerbockers in Greenwich Village, the food and decor is not like T.G.I. Friday's inside

Last October I attended a conference in Jersey City, New Jersey and right across the Hudson River from my hotel was my favorite city, New York. My sister Susie happened to be right across the river too, but we never did meet up.

The conference organizers coordinated a group of us to go to dinner together at the Knickerbocker Bar & Grill in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York one night. To get to the restaurant we took a ten minute PATH train ride from Jersey City to Greenwich Village. From the PATH train station we had to walk a few blocks (city blocks) to the restaurant. We were so focused on staying together, finding the restaurant, and getting to the restaurant on time that we really did not look at our surroundings. After dinner we were able to walk at a more leisurely pace back to the train station and although it was dark and drizzling, we really enjoyed the sights. At one cross street we looked down the street and saw the arch at Washington Square Park. We walked to the park, took some photos, and continued on our walk back to the train station. As we walked we saw small upscale restaurants in the basements of some of the buildings we passed by (check out the Lion restaurant). Limos and town cars lined the streets waiting for their passengers dining in these restaurants. Many of the buildings are over 100 years old and have ornate hand railings on the staircases leading up to the buildings. Some of the apartments had beautiful glowing chandeliers that we could see through the windows. There were window boxes with flowers on other buildings. I would sure like to go back during the daylight to see this charming neighborhood and check out some of the restuarants.

The arch in Washington Square

When we arrived at Knickerbocker's I thought we had been misguided and would be dining at a T.G.I. Friday's type of restaurant. The outside of the restaurant was quite deceiving as the inside of the restaurant has the look of a classic New York eatery with an old school bar, piano, and caricatures by the legendary caricaturist Al Hirshfield.

Caricatures by the legendary caricaturist Al Hirshfield.

Knickerbocker's bar

The group that I went to dinner with really enjoyed Knickerbocker Bar & Grill. A couple of the guys started off with the French onion soup that was served in the traditional soup crock with melted cheese over the top of the soup and a slice of bread. It looked great and the guys that ordered it said it was great. I had some of the best pasta ever. It was housemade pasta with linguine, shrimp, fresh chili, garlic, breadcrumbs and just incredibly good. Others had the filet mignon and the giant T-bone steak. One guy had a gianormous burger. For dessert I had the key lime pie that was also incredibly good.

My incredibly good linguini and shrimp at Knickerbocker Bar & Grill

The filet mignon

Knickerbocker's famous T-Bone steak

Key lime pie

I had always heard that New Yorkers eat late. As we were leaving the restaurant around 9:00 pm there were several groups of people waiting to get seated--this was not the case when we arrived at 7:00 pm. In my hometown the restaurants are starting to close at 9:00 pm on a Tuesday night. 

I love New York.

~merry~

The "Quaint" Mohonk Mountain House

If you read our blog with any frequency, you know my husband Troy and I traveled to New York in October. Our trip was inspired by the nuptials of Betty Higdon and Brendan Lovett. Betty, who was originally from Fairbanks and later Juneau, Alaska, moved to New York and became a Paramedic for FDNY. It was there that she met Brendan, an EMT for FDNY. Now residents of Brooklyn, they chose Mohonk Mountain House resort in upstate New York for their nuptials.

When telling her father about the location that she and Brendan chose for the location of their wedding, Betty described the Mohonk Mountain House as “quaint."  At first glance of the Mohonk Mountain House, you think grandeur, but once inside you see the quaintness.  Inside the hotel off the main passages are little rooms with fireplaces, comfortable chairs and couches . . . and just the right lighting.  The resort, described as a Victorian castle built on the spectacular cliffs above the deep-blue waters of Lake Mohonk, is located in the midst of the Mohonk Preserve and was built in 1869. The abundant porches have rocking chairs that look upon the lake, beautiful boulders and foliage.

One of the many seating areas inside the hotel

Just a sample of the Mohonk Mountain House's beautiful grounds

A few of the rocking chairs on the abundant porches at the Mohonk

Being the second weekend in October, the fall colors were making a grand appearance. The wedding was held inside due to the weather—it  wasn’t cold, but the fog hugged the mountainside. Betty's brother, Ben, played guitar as the wedding party walked down the aisle. A short, meaningful service was officiated by Brendan's grandfather. Betty and Brendan had special vows they whispered into each other’s ear.

While the wedding party was down on the dock having their pictures taken, the guests were up on the deck enjoying cocktails and appetizers. One table was set with a beautiful plate of cheese, crackers, and crudités with a variety of dressings. Another table had the warm appetizers that included sautéed mushrooms, a smoked duck with cranberry on a raisin crostini, and coconut shrimp.

While the wedding party was being photographed on the dock, the guests were served cocktails and appetizers

The appetizers

The newlyweds share a laugh with guests

A sit down dinner was served in the West Dining Room. Betty had paid such attention to detail! Each of the round tables were set with a birch vase filled with lit branches. There were candles, along with our name cards in birch holders, a small tree encased in a tube, and an ornament with their names and wedding date in a small organza bag. Betty and Brendan had their own smaller round table at the front of the room, providing family and friends an opportunity to visit with them. Of course, the newlyweds were up mingling with the guests as well.

Each table setting included a small tree encased in a tube and an ornament

The newlyweds had their own table at the reception

The dinner was absolutely delicious! A loaf of sliced artisan bread was served with two spreads – garlic and sun dried tomato. Next a roasted sweet potato and cranberry bisque, a delectable combo! The guests had their choice of entrees: a grilled New York strip steak with shallot mashed potatoes and Chasseur sauce or seared swordfish with eggplant puree and sweet tomato compote. There was also a vegetarian option, which was mushroom ravioli. I was privy to taste a bit of each and they were all bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection.

New York Strip Steak

Grilled Swordfish

Father of the Bride Greg Higdon, Bev Munsterman, Susie Calhoun, and Troy Bowers

Many toasts followed the dinner. The two best men, the maid of honor, bridesmaid and fathers each shared their emotional and reflective sentiments. Rather than tossing the wedding bouquet, Betty did something unique. There were four women among the guests that will be getting married in the next year, two of them sister-in-laws. Betty had a special bouquet made for each of them, which she handed to them as she said, "We already know who is getting married!"

The three tiered wedding cake was an Osnes family recipe, Betty's mom being Pauline Osnes. It was a zucchini cake, filled with lemon and iced with Bavarian Cream. Dancing followed the cake, with song titles provided by guests. They even played Troy's and my wedding song, Tequila!

 The wedding cake

Most of the family and Betty's personal assistant, Scott, traveled from Alaska. One uncle traveled from British Columbia, another uncle with her cousins from California. Brendan's family, mostly from the New York area didn't have quite the trek. People joyfully came from far and wide to celebrate the marriage of Betty Maria Higdon and Brendan Gerald Lovett! Here's to the newlyweds . . . and a gracious thank you for including us in an inspirational wedding celebration.

PS – you can see a picture of Betty and Pauline on page 150 of our cookbook, with Pauline's Oak Run Zucchini recipe.

The sight of lovers feedeth those in love.

~William Shakespeare - As You Like It, 3.4.54

~Susie Calhoun~

Bacon Date Tapas, easy to make and delicious to eat

My husband Troy and I had the opportunity to stay at the historic Casa Munras hotel in Monterey, California. The Estéban restaurant just off of the hotel’s lobby offers Mediterranean tapas and Spanish inspired cuisine. During the weekend we were there, the Sunday special in the bar was tapas. My favorite tapa was a date stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon. Knowing this would be a great appetizer to take to parties, I searched the Internet for the recipe. With only three ingredients, it is very simple to make.

The three ingredients: dates, blue cheese, and bacon

Last weekend one of our cookbook testers, Pat Byrne, had a gingerbread house making party, which these tapas were just perfect for. And, they were a hit! I thought our readers would enjoy them as much as I do. They are the perfect appetizer--simple and delicious!

Hey, maybe Pat will share her gingerbread recipe with us!?

The gingerbread house making party was a perfect event for the tapas

One of the gingerbread houses at the party

Bacon Date Tapas  -  Makes 24, prep time 30 minutes, bake time 30 - 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound bacon, medium thick slices work best

24 dates, fancy Medjools work well

8 ounces of blue cheese (I prefer Point Reyes Blue Cheese)

24 toothpicks

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan with non-stick foil. Split the dates open, remove the pit. Fill the vacancy with blue cheese. Cut the strips of bacon in half and wrap the filled date in the half slice of bacon, then secure it with a toothpick. Place on cookie sheet/jelly roll pan. Put on a higher rack in the oven—the bottoms tend to burn when on a lower rack. Check after 20 minutes, if needed, turn them. Continue checking until golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. These may be served at room temperature.

Removing the pit from the dates

The dates filled with blue cheese

The stuffed and bacon wrapped dates ready for the oven

The tapas are almost done cooking!

Enjoy!

~Susie

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon."  ~Doug Larson

As Livermore's downtown continues to grow with new wine bars, pubs, and restaurants, one of the best is hidden out in Livermore's wine country

The first few miles of Tesla Road in Livermore is blanketed with vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms. Hidden among them is the Underdog Wine Bar, which is one of my favorite places to go to unwind with friends and family or have a light leisurely lunch. The Underdog Wine Bar is adjacent to Concannon Vineyard's tasting room.

The decor at the Underdog is modern and tasteful

The wine distribution system keeps the wine at the optimal temperature

The decor in the Underdog is tasteful, modern, and leaves you with asking, "Is this really Livermore?!?" The decorator has also done a great job of incorporating grapes and vines into the decor.  One of the Underdog's assets is the outdoor patio that looks out on the Livermore hills, vineyards, and Concannon's grape arbor. The patio has heaters, so you can sit out there in all seasons and enjoy the view. There are tables, chairs, and couches for seating that can accommodate a fairly large group of people.

With views of the vineyards and Livermore Hills, the patio is one of the Underdog's assets

The wine can be ordered by glass, flight, or bottle. I usually order a flight which is three glasses on a wooden stand, with a fairly substantial pour. Ordering the flight gives me an opportunity to try a variety of wine. 

A flight of wine at the Underdog

The small plates served at the Underdog are incredible and designed by gourmet chef Barbara Llewellyn. The menu changes throughout the year and the items removed are replaced with seasonal foods. Currently on the menu is a braised short rib dish with seasonal vegetables that is out of this world. On a recent night when my sisters and I were at the Underdog, we could smell the short ribs cooking and it was a dizzying experience for the Calhoun sisters, especially since we were so hungry when we arrived. One small plate of the braised short ribs led to another . . . .

Homemade potato chips

Seasonal flat bread with walnuts, prosciuto, cheese, and grapes

There is an ahi tuna tartar tower that is always on the menu and is made with cucumber, avocado, radish, wasabi aioli, and coriander oil served with lightly salted wonton chips. Most of the people that I've been to Underdog with have ordered it and loved it (I don't do raw fish).  The desserts are not to be missed. One of the static menu items and always the best is the valrhona extra noir chocolate tart that is served with coffee bean caramel and sprinkled with grey salt. During the spring we took our cousin Becky and her daughter Kelsie to the Underdog for wine and dessert. My teen daughters and Kelsie thoroughly enjoyed the desserts especially the buttery strawberry shortcake that was on the menu at that time.

Valrhona extra noir chocolate tart with coffee bean caramel and grey salt

The seasonal straberry shortcake is made with a buttery pastry

The next time you're looking for a great place to spend some time enjoying a glass of wine, good conversation, and good eats, venture out to Livermore wine country's gem. You will be happy you did.  ~merry~

If all be true that I do think, There are five reasons we should drink:  Good wine— a friend— or being dry—Or lest we should be by and by—Or any other reason why.

~Henry Aldrich (1647–1710)

My husband, Troy, and I were able to attend the Brew Angel’s 63rd Annual Pub Crawl. The crawl was well attended, with 31 people boarding the bus for our trek to Moylan’s Brewery and Restaurant, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Third Street Ale Works and finally, Bear Republic. The back of the bus is reserved for the homebrews that members brought to share, very popular and tasty. It was a bright sunny day with beautiful views as we drove across Highway 12 from Lodi to the North Bay. This bus was equipped with a restroom, which we were discouraged to use for obvious reasons and “hold on” if we did!

Moylan's Brewery and Restaurant in Novato

Our first stop was Moylan's Brewery and Restaurant in Novato. The bartender lined up a plethora of brews for us to taste: Hopsicle Triple Hoppy IPA , Celts Golden Ale, Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale, Ryan O’Sullivan’s Imperial Stout, Irish Style Red, Orange and Black, White Christmas Spiced White Winter Lager. I would say my favorite was the Orange and Black, a special brew commemorating the San Francisco Giants World Series win. I first bought this beer in a bottle – a stout with hints of orange. All the beers were delicious and well balanced. Moylan’s has won many awards, both nationally and internationally. This was voted as our favorite brewery so far!

Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma

Up the road in Petaluma, we stopped at the Lagunitas Brewing Company.  A trip to the TapRoom and Beer Sanctuary is something to experience. A brewery that has always pushed the envelope, their facility is so very unique and artistically eclectic. Brian, our Lagunitas historian and tasting guide, shared much of their history and the story behind some of their beer names.

One such story would be the release of a brew to commemorate the Undercover Sting in their early days. They are in the process of a multimillion dollar expansion. We had the opportunity to taste Hop Stoopid, Pils – Czech Style Pilsner, Maixmus and a few others. Most of their beers I would consider “big beers” with high alcohol content, very well hopped.

Loved this stop! You may want to check out the Beer Circus in May. There was a great write up in The Celebrator Beer News about this now annual event, check it out!

Third Street Aleworks

Next stop was the Third Street AleWorks in Santa Rosa. This being our lunch stop, we were in need of food. The almonds and jerky I brought along were not holding up to the big beers! They had an extensive beer list, with lists posted on the wall, including alcohol content. We were offered a limited lunch menu with plenty of choices. Most popular at our table was the fish and chips.

At our table there were also grilled tri tip steak salad ,

and the Italian Pizza.

I ordered the Bird on Third - grilled chicken breast with bacon, avocado, pepper jack cheese served on a toasted French roll.

What do I like best about pub food? French fries! They were cooked to perfection, with the skins on. Some of the beers we tasted were: Annadel Pale Ale, Bodega Head IPA, Stonely Oatmeal Stout, Cascadian Dark Ale and American Wheat Ale. The service was remarkably smooth for a large group. Some people took the opportunity to run over to Russian River Brewing and taste some of their famous Pliney the Elder.

Bear Republic Brewing Company and Restaurant

Our final stop was Bear Republic Brewing Company and Restaurant in Healdsburg. Known for their Racer 5 we tasted that along with Big Bear, Red Rocket, Peter Brown Tribute Ale. Brian, a brewing assistant, gave us a short tour and took us over to the Barrel Room. The Barrel Room was set up for a dinner that evening. Bear Republic has won many awards, is home of the Best IPA in the US and has expanded their brewing facility to Cloverdale. The beer was tasty, well hopped. You could tell the day was wearing on us by this stop and it was time to load up the bus. As we were leaving Bear Republic, the dinner crowd was filtering in.

The bus ride back to Lodi was quieter than the ride over. There was still beer in the back for those that wanted it. As we pulled into the Flying J lot at the intersection of I-5 and Hwy 12, designated drivers met the bus. All headed home, looking forward to next year’s 64th annual Brew Angel’s Pub Crawl.

Susie

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer."

- Abraham Lincoln