La nourriture de Vie

Married

2010-01-04T17:08:00.001-08:00

Married life is good. I am busy.

Three Weeks

2009-10-24T11:58:00.001-07:00

Three Weeks and Four Hours From Now I Will Be Getting Married. Wow.

The Hard Streets of Sac

2009-09-27T21:44:00.001-07:00

Went to Sacramento this weekend for Chanda and I's wedding shower. It was great... Thank you all. On Sunday we went to Apple Hill. I was under the assumption it was one hill but apparently no one has considered renaming it to "A Bunch of Apple Trees in a Forestville". They had great donuts and a stocked trout pond for kids and parents with money.

Chanda and I got to hang out with our friends kids, Ages 6 months - 3 years. I learned as new language consisting of "that", "da", "ma", and "eeeeeeeeeeee". One of my favriote kids is this guy right here. He is a bit of a handful but his mothers stories are priceless... plus look at his shirt.

New Wetsuit

2009-07-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

Check out my new Wetsuit! It has been since the winter of 06 I got my last wetsuit which was a Body Glove 4/3 and since the winter of 04 that I got my last O'Neil 3/2. This was a present from my parents for my Birthday. THANKS MOM and DAD!

Long Time No Write

2009-07-20T22:06:00.001-07:00

Chanda was out of town so I decided to experiment with my cooking. This is a NY Strip with a secret. It was great along with the fried tomatoes and mashed potatoes.
It’s not often I speak too poorly of a beer but this one is definitely worth mentioning. Mark gave this too me for my birthday but I am sad to say I had to dump most of the bottle. It was reminiscent of soy sauce and bitter coffee. Go ahead and buy this beer but I will have to pass.
Luck had it that I had purchased a bottle of Robert Mondovi Cab. A problem I had faced before was no bottle opener. I know these things cost $5 but I don’t have one. Simple solution… Drill, Screw, Hammer. I have less than four months to do bachelor things like this, so I have to do them while I can.

Life Group

2009-06-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

This past spring Chanda and I attended a 12 week Life Group at our church. These are groups of 15 or so people who meet weekly. Groups range from book discussions to bike riding. Ours was a look at how we as christians engage culture. We were some of the younger people in our group which we loved. This was a great 12 weeks that was eye opening as to how other generations veiw the world i live in, in vastly different ways. One of my favriote people was a guy named Ken (white beard, bottom left). He had few things to saw but when he did he spoke with authority and conviction. Here is the group enjoying our potluck.

Cobb Salad

2009-06-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

I just mad Chanda a grilled chicken cobb salad with Gorgonzola cheese and Italian Cesar dressing. It was good. Pictures to come soon.

I'm Engaged!

2009-05-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

Those who read this should have heard the news. Either via phone call, facebook, or my mother’s email that reached to the far corners of the globe a matter of minutes after I called my parents. I am engaged to the beautiful Chanda Chaix. We have know each other as friends for the last three or so years and have been dating just under a year. When you find someone like this you don't let them go. In this case I thought it best to hold onto her forever. The most common questions I have been getting are 1. How did you do it? and 2. When is the wedding?

1. I had the ring made for her from "my ring guy". I couldn't find what she and I wanted in the store so I got it custom made. I picked it up on Thursday night on May 21. Chanda returned that same night and had been in North Carolina for the last few days which gave me an opportunity to get together everything for the engagement.

The following day we had planned a trip to Catalina Island because Chanda had never been there and I had the day off (Chanda worked until noon). We came back around 5:00 and I went home to shower and get the food for the dinner I would be cooking for her.

You see Chanda and I love to cook together. It was our first date, it is where I fell in love with her and I couldn’t think of a better place to purpose than her kitchen. So I showed up and we went to the store to get the rest of the ingredients. I sneaked the ring into a top shelf cabinet in a little green bowl.

We returned and started cooking the food. I asked her to help me prepare some of the veggies as I was cutting the chicken and peanuts. I asked her to peel a carrot for the Pad Thai to which she asked "how much do I need?" I told her to check the recipe. As she was reading a confused look crossed her face. I asked her to read it aloud and she said 1.01 Carats??? (I had printed a Pad Thi recipe I use to look like a cooking light recipe printed off the internet and swapped out the food carrot for the dimond carat.) I got down on one knee, fumbled with my words but came up with something good. I retrieved the ring from its hiding place and returned to my knee. I asked her to marry me and she said yes with tiny tears in her eyes.

She had just cut some green onions and I asked if she was crying because of me or the onions. She replied "a little from the onions a little from you." We called our parents and finished cooking. I had set it up with her landlord to use the back yard to have a candle light dinner. While she was in NC I got tea light holders that she liked as well as other tea light glasses. We enjoyed our Pad Thai and Curry Shrimp and took in the rest of the evening.

The weekend was then filled with a graduation party for my cousin, where Chanda was introduced to many of my relatives and moving me into a new apartment. We are both very happy and have embarked on the great task of planning a wedding. Which brings me to question 2. 2. Most likely it will be in the beginning to mid November. If not it will be in early January. Here are some pictures from the day in Catalina and the night we got engaged. (Thanks to Lara for dropping by and shooting some pictures.)

Post 50

2009-05-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

So here is one of many reasons I love Chanda. # 304: She loves cooking with me. Here we have a great Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast some asparagus and Chanda's awesome "in a pinch" mashed potatoes. The recipe was from cooking light and the sauce was some kind of reduction I forgot now but it was yummy.

A few weeks ago we visited my grandmother in Hollywood. She turned 90 yesterday. Big up to Grandma Margie! I found my Grandfathers old blowtorch in the garage and my grandma said "take it". So with that I set out to find a recipe for Creme Brulee. I have a food of france book with proved a good place to look. lots of cream, sugar, and a 10$ vinilla bean later we had some delecious creme brulee with black berrys. How could you not smile.

Keith Eats a Salad

2009-05-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, I ate a salad last night for dinner. No Meat... honest.

Green Garden and Green Fan

2009-04-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

So this is my garden this year:
Red Bell Pepper (currently has 7 growing bells)
Anaheim Chili (flowers blooming)
Russian Tarragon
2 Types of Squash (struggling in a pot)
Mint
Italian Oregano
Parsley (Heartiest plant from last year)
Snow Peas (Crawling nicely)
Sweet Pepper
Golden Oregano (transplant from Marks garden)
Sweet Basil (growing strong)
Pesto Basil (making it's comeback)
This is a cool fan I found in my grandparents garage, it works too. I spent about 3 hours cleaning it. I think its from the 1950's, its slightly dangerous because of the large holes by the blades and the shotty wiring. They just don't make fans like this anymore.

This is from our easter trip to the hard streets of Sac. Chanda took me on a short tour of down town and made sure to stop at the State Capital (she know that I will work here one day).

Check out the friendly (hatless) wildlife.

Cracker Barrel

2009-03-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

OK people I am tired and need sleep so here is the quick and dirty. Went to AZ last weekend with some friends in an RV ate some Awesome Breakfast at Cracker Barrel which should be renamed Crack Barrel cause i hate paying for breakfast but at Cracker Barrel I was more than happy to. Here is some goodness called Grits. That syrup is amazing.
I was demolishing Chanda in Checkers when our name got called.
More of the Crack-a-licious food.

Three Meals

2009-03-13T08:33:00.002-07:00

I can’t remember when I ate this… sometime last week. It is a simple French Baguette with eggs, Dry Italian Salami, and sharp Cheddar Cheese.
After a long, hard, discouraging day of work Chanda cooked me this amazing meal. It’s Chicken with a Lemon Caper Sauce with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus. She is an amazing cook as well as an amazing girlfriend.
I had a craving for some steak and eggs so here it is. Served with pan seared cherry basil garlic tomatoes and Herb rice. It was pretty tasty. I also enjoyed the Rum Chanda brought me from Vietnam. It tastes like the bubble gum you used to get in ice cream, mmmm.

Good Things About Saturdays

2009-02-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

1. Trump County Club Berry Belgian Waffles and Chicken Jalapeño Sausage
2. 2.5 Hour Surf Session on new Fish (Fun Waist High Waves and No Wind)
3. Trader Joe's Cheese, Salami, and Red Tail Ale
4. Chili Cheese Frito's
5. Chanda is coming home tomorrow!

What's a man to do?

2009-02-20T22:07:00.000-08:00

The answer is: Cook. This is of course in refrence to the prolonged absence of Chanda. Here we have two exhibits of how I have spent some of my time.

Exhibit A: Chicken Apple Sausage with red bell pepper, onions, shallots, salt, pepper, and a little brown sugar on a French bread roll.
Exhibit B (the return of Keith Night): This is a New York Strip Steak with a side of curried potatoes and a captain and coke. This meal was enjoyed with the watching of Swingers.

No Waves

2009-02-13T14:51:00.000-08:00

It has been a little under a month since I bought my new surfboard. Since then, numerous cold fronts have blown through Southern California causing onshore wind. These conditions coupled with steeply angeled (bad) swells have provided me with only one day of surfable conditions to try my new board. Albeit a fun session of surfing, I am feeling a little like the cartoon above.

Here is an epic sandwich from POP'S in Sana Ana. It is the patty melt on rye with grilled onions. I took 1/2 home for dinner last week. POP'S is a great lunch place with good prices and generous portions. I highly recommend it.

Fish

2009-01-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

I decided to buy a used Channel Islands Fish because, well, I have always wanted one. Here it is folks. P.S. Blogs may cease for some time due to no internet at my new living situation.

New Board

2009-01-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

I made an appointment with a surfboard shaper J. Hoffman. I bought a 6'3" off the rack in October of 2005. It changed the way I surf and I still ride that board today. I am getting a Old School Fish Shaped for me and I am so stoked! Stay tuned for updates.

Chanda made a killer meal the other day with baked chicken with mushrooms, which i actually enjoyed (i don't like mushrooms), some green beans, and rice. Chanda enjoyed the Red wine, she remarked "It's so good when it hits your lips".

Aunt Diane

2009-01-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

My Aunt Diane lives in Wisconsin I don't get to see her much but somehow she always gets me great gifts for Christmas. Previously I have received a book about big wave surfing "The Big Drop" which was a great read. This Christmas I received "Great Food Fast". It is a great cookbook separated by seasons and has pictures for everything which i enjoy. Tonight I cooked Chanda and I Chicken Stir fry Wraps. They were pretty tasty although I over peppered the chicken. The Black Butte Porter was a good match for the spicy dish.

I am a little to tired to write all the steps but it has red bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, rice wine, olive oil, soy sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, chicken, and lettuce.

2009

2009-01-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

Well it's New Years Day and I think I have had a pretty good year of Food. I found a new sushi restaurant, mastered Pad Thai, and found a girl who bakes (which i can't). For New Years Eve A few Friends and I took out a Friends Boat in the Naples Bay. Cheese, Bread, Wine, Beer, Hot Chocolate, and Cupcakes were all included. It was more than a little foggy and we silently cruised at 1 knot the whole night. Lucky us, we got to see the New Years Seal catch a Crab as well. I caught a picture of it here, its kinda hard to see through the fog.

This morning I surprised myself with how good my Scramble and toast concoction came out.

1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped
1 green onion chopped
4 slices smoked ham chopped
1/2 garlic clove minced
2 eggs
Dill Cheese
2 Slices Dutch Crackle Bread

Check It Out

2008-12-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

So a while back I did a little "acting" for my friend Adam who needed to make a Video for this then job at the Supreme Court of Orange County. My section is about a 1/3 of the way through. In my defense I had 1 day to memorize the lines and legal jargon isn't something I am very familiar with.

http://www.occourts.org/directory/family/diss%2Dtutorial/index.html

Cold Medicine

2008-12-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

This Tastes Vile. That is all I have to say.

Good Eating

2008-12-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

So I am sick and bored of watching movies and can't sleep so I decided to write about a great meal Chanda cooked for me a while ago. It was this cranberry garlic and onion reduction sauce over a pork loin. It was amazing (our second attempt at cooking pork loin was disastrous to say the least). We also made apple pie which required me to peel quite a few apples if I remember correctly. As an added bonus heres Chanda and I walking around Naples to look at all the lights.

Abrv.

2008-12-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

A word to the wise. Be careful what and when you abbreviate. Today I made the mistake of abbreviating the word "Horizontal" when referring to a piece of artwork. I believe my exact sentence was "Jane is a hor-". Luckily my boss has a sense of humor.

Thanksgiving 2008 Part 2

2008-12-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

The deep fried turkeys were great! I have no pictures unless you want to see a gallon bag of white meat that is sitting in my fridge... I thought not.

Thanksgiving 2008 Part 1

2008-11-26T20:16:00.000-08:00

So it's thanksgiving eve and I have decided that it is best to rest at home instead of fighting the 100's of thousands of people on the I-5. After getting a bag full of fresh herbs from my soon to be roommate Mark I retreated back to the quite confines of Casa de Keith.

I bought a turkey for the first time ever as I am going to Deep Fry it (yes deep fry) tomorrow with my mom's turkey. I opted in a split second decision to concoct a mixture of spice and herb and give the 13.49 lb turkey a rub down. Here I am looking confused as I had to remove things from the bird that looked like my friend's ovarian fibroids.

More to come on the cooking and eating of this large bird.
P.S. My digital camera is broken, most likely from the high amount of moisture in CR and the would be robber dropping my backpack. So this is why you are seeing an increase of iMac photos.

Fooooood

2008-11-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I enjoyed an old tradition known as "Keith Night" this involves a good meal, Captain and Coke, a good book, and a good movie. I decided to make a version of Mac and Cheese, all gown up.
Shell Pasta
Cheddar and Smoked Gouda Cheese
1 Green Onion
1 tbs butter
S and P to taste
Chicken
1 breast cubed and dry rubbed
Fresh Basil
Fresh Oregano
Fresh Rosemary
Red chili peppers
Other things I probably don't remembers

The Next morning (today) I had a GREAT surf session where I recieved the perfect dream wave hat included my first ever Barrel!!! I came home and prepared "The Standard" breakfast.
Eggs:
Cheddar cheese
blackened ham
Baby Potatoes: (red, purple, and yellow)
Fresh Basil Fresh
Oregano Fresh Rosemary
Red chili peppers
Green Bell Pepper
2 Green Onions
Pine nuts
2 Slices toast: (well buttered)

La nourriture de Vie

2008-11-19T22:22:00.000-08:00

A little bird told me that someone mentioned to them that all I write about is food. For those of you who don't speak French, and others who refuse to speak it "La nourriture de Vie" is a rough translation of "The Food of Life". I have written about what fills my stomach but not what fills my soul and my mind. So let me in brief eloquence, elaborate on that which is not food.

I just returned from Beers and Pickeled Eggs with a great friend of mine. We usually talk about funny things and surfing and only go deep every now and again. Tonight was great because we both shared our lives and where we were at and it was good to have a friend to listen to and to be heard by a friend.

I still (despite rough looking economic times) have a job I enjoy and coworkers who appreciate me. Although I am sluggish getting out of bed in the mornings I fully enjoy my work. I have begun to think about the future and my life in politics. This is something that I could see myself getting deeply passionate about.

For the last thing that fills my soul: She is a beautiful woman in and out and she fill my soul with happiness. Large is her caring for others before herself, her arms are always open, and she is always ready to listen. She loves to laugh, even at my less than stellar jokes. She makes a whole batch of cookies on the off chance that I would get sent out to the field for work. She is simply amazing. If you are reading this blog you know who I am talking about. And yes Chanda, I am talking about you!

So as you can see I am more than just food and surfing...well just a little more.

Short and Sweet

2008-11-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

It's veterans day (What the County lacks in pay they make up for with Holidays). A day full of surfboard repair, cleaning, errands, surfing, and eating. Tide was high this morning which allowed me to sleep in and make a good breakfast. Check it out. (I couldn't locate my camera so had to resort to the iMac.)
Cracked Dutch Bread
Cheddar Jack Cheese
Ham
2 Extra Large Eggs
Two baby potatoes (silver dollarded and fried in EVOO)

Back on the Grill

2008-10-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

After returning home I got some much needed time with the grill. Here I have marinated Tri Tip with an Amber beer from Karl Strauss. Along with the beer I added
Salt
Pepper
2 Garlic Cloves
Fresh Oregano
Fresh Basil
and possibly some red pepper flakes.
After letting it sit for 24 hours I threw it on the grill with some green onions and a bell pepper from my garden. Served up with some garlic mashed potatoes (instant had to do as I have not acquired Chanda's recipe). I don't know if the smell or the taste was better. Regardless it was awesome.

Costa Rica

2008-10-13T10:00:00.001-07:00

Greeting loyal food blog readers. I have recently returned from a two week vacation in Costa Rica. Long Story Short: Great Surf, Good Friends, Good People, and some pretty awesome food. Like any trip I have many stories to tell but I will limit them to a few.

This first meal was prepared by Miguel who was the cook on the Quiksilver boat for a number of years and has now opened his own restaurant in Playa Negra. This was far and away the BEST place we ate all trip. It was a meal you would normaly get at a 5 star hotel. The flavors were extraordinarily paired and the presentation was amazing for being in the middle of the jungle. I watched the fresh fish truck come in around 3:30 and was eating this meal around 7:00.

This is a fillet of Dorado with shredded carrots, squash, and boiled/fried potatoes. It is complemented by a bottle of Imperial, which was the beer we drank in Costa. Drinking Imperial is kind of like drinking water not a lot of flavor but better than Pilsen or the local water which ironically does not taste like water. We also had Ahi Poki, Calamari and rice, Swordfish, Awesome Steak, and Banana Flambe. All for Low Low prices you wouldn’t believe.

This next meal is a normal Tico appetizer that we took on as a full meal. For around 6$ bucks you get. Fish, Chicken, or Beef with riche, black beans, a side salad, and fried plantains. Sometimes you get an egg or mashed potatoes depending on the chef.

This next meal was unexpected. In Santa Theresa my friends saw an add for the best Coffee in town. Being the coffee fiends they are we had to check it out. We found Tres Cabases which is run by two Germans who were very eccentric to say the least. The first night I had the double goat cheese sandwich with a potato soup and side salad. Christa got these pancakes which I tasted and loved.

The next morning we left but stopped by on the way out to grab breakfast. These banana pancakes were very eggey and thick which was awesome with the multitude of crushed almonds and syrup that was sweet and not overpowering.

The trip was amazing and I had a great time. Glad to be home and I am sure to add some of my favorite Costa Rican fare to my cooking repertoire.

Glasses

2008-09-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with food other than I will be able to see it better now (only if it is far away). This being said, after a recent revelation that I could not see things at a distance as well as I could in my youth I decided to get my eyes checked. Turns out i have a stigmatization in my right eye but other than that i have almost 20/20. Wit my glasses I cam see 20/15 which pretty much makes me a superhuman .

So here I am in my fist set of glasses. I have always thought of glasses as something to put on while thinking. So here I am putting on my best "thinking" pose. I think the frames should be called "intimidation" by Iplomat.

Surf and Turf

2008-09-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Fresh off a big win from my Bocce Ball league last night, I started this Saturday morning like every Surfers Saturday morning should be started; at 6:00 a.m. After a 4-5 foot day with perfect conditions (minus the mass of people in the water) at Golden West and the Cliffs I returned home, hungry. I went for the classic Egg Scramble with Red and Green Bell Peppers, Green Onion, Garlic and Tortilla's . I decided to throw in some Roast Beef that I had left over from making French Dip Panni's the other night (they were awesome in case you were wondering). It was kind of like a steak and egg breakfast. So I sat on my patio and enjoyed my two Egg Tacos with some Tapatio. Goos start to the day.

Garden Update: I have become a seasoned Caterpillar Hunter. The spary seems to help a little but they still come back. I have many plant flourishing and some bearing fruit. More updates to come.

Date Night

2008-09-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

My lovely girlfriend Chanda cooked me this simple yet awesome meal. Her garlic mashed potatoes put my instant ones to shame. The flank Steak and the grilled veggies were cooked to perfection. It was also accompanied by a bottle of Gulden Drakk a fine Belgian Style Ale if I do say so myself. If you want the recipe you'll have to get it from Chanda. All I did was bring the Drakk, cut squash, and grilled the meat. Here's how it went down in pictures.

Yum

Not About Food (kinda)

2008-09-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ok all you out there in food loving land (or stalker land) here is an update on the life of Keith. I am enjoying my job working for the County of Orange and can see myself getting more involved in government administration. I am incredibly excited about my surf trip to Costa Rica with Mark and Christa. My Boccie Ball Team "MMM" is 5 and 1 and tied for 1st place. Oh yeah, i almost forgot. I am dating an amazing and incredibly beautiful girl named Chanda. Dating a person in your circle of friends is always interesting. I am stoked I made the choice and consider it one of the better ones I made in 2008. (stalkers, I hoped this sufficed your need for information regarding me)

So I arrived home after a long day of church, shopping, and socializing. I had just returned from the store but didn't really have a solid meal to make. So I threw together some pasta and vegetables and made a pretty decent pasta dish with Pesto sausage.

Chicken and Apple Sausage

2008-09-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

So it's labor day and I have a family get together where there will be great food, no doubt about it. I needed a little tide me over meal since i had a late lunch. I had 1 link of Chicken and Apple Sausage left in a pack and made this awesome hot dog. Very simple dish, very tasty dish too.

1 Sausage (insert an inappropriate joke from Mark or Christa here) Some Green Bell Pepper (sliced)
Some Red Onion (sliced)
3 Pepperchinies
1 slice bread (buttered on one side)
Spicy brown mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

I also made this pasta bowl probably like 2 weeks ago. I think there is some sausage, tomatoes, and the usual other ingredients in it. I'm pretty sure it was good, probably not spectacular since I can't remember it.

Ralphs Vs Vons

2008-08-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

So apparently Ralphs and Vons are in an epic battle to be the best in Southern California. I know food is awesome and I love it, but please guys, settle down. After a long day of surfing, trip planning, swiming and bocci ball i headed to the nearest Ralphs to get much needed teepee, eggs, and other random items. Upon my checkout process I accidentally pulled out my VONS card and handed it to the cashier. In a demeaning and slightly afemanent voice the male cashier said "This isn't Vons" I was pretty zoned out and tried to swipe the card (my bad). So again; this time a little louder and with a little more tone the cashier said "This isn't Vons". This time I got the hint and apologized. Even the bag girl commented "oooh double offense". On most other days I would have had a witty comeback or something to say, but I just could really care less.

Look Ralph's, both the cards are gray, ok. I shop at both stores, I like to mix it up. I'm just not a one store kind of guy. I just can't commit to any one major grocer chain right now. I really like Vons but I also might want to check out Trader Joes and Whole Foods. I still want to stay friends and I'll still come and see you. I'm just going to need some space right now. So yeah, I guess I will see ya around.

Remembering Food

2008-08-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

Rob, a friend of min brought a camera to a camping trip I took with my church group. In looking at all his pictures i stumbled upon some from a BBQ we had this summer after the Walk For Grain fund raiser. We had really great Carne Asada, Homminy, spanish rice, guac, chips and a plethora of great beer. MMMMM Summer food.

Grilled Cheese Day

2008-08-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

So today I went to a semi-new resturant in Santa Ana called The Crosby. Had a grilled chese with some diffrent cheese and mushrooms. Got home, worked out, got hungry. So i decided that another grilled cheese couldn't hurt. I threw it togeter in about 5 minutes and was quite pleased.

2 slices 12 grain bread well buttered
1 green onion grilled in butter with Salt and pepper to taste
1 small tomato chopped
1 cup smoked gouda (i love the stuff)
1 slice of ham

In this photo you can see my fondness for eating while listening music on my computer (Heavens: Patent Pending) and my ill taste for wearing shirts.

Enemies

2008-08-05T18:40:00.002-07:00

The enemy has a name and it is caterpillar. Despite spraying my garden with "Bug Repellent" i found two long green culprits gnawing away at my Italian Oregano.... Anger turned to rage and needless to say the caterpillars are no more. I know more will come and I will be waiting, spray bottle in hand. So far here is the score:

Caterpillars: 1 mint, 1/8 of Oregano , 1/8 of Lemon Balm, 1/2 Pesto Basil
Black Bugs: 1 cucumber plant
Mystery bugs: 3 or 4 leaves from my pepper plants
Keith: 7 Caterpillars, over 30 black bugs

Despite the war that rages on in the garden, new life is abundant, the Italian parsley has grown and is flourishing, the sorel is more than i need. Most importantly I have peppers budding. The one below is a hot pepper but sweet ones are on the way as well.

Farmers Market 2

2008-08-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

I woke up a little to late to go surfing before breakfast with the guys this morning so I opted for the Cerritos Farmers Market (surf will come later). I love the smells of the farmers market from the bacon wrapped hotdogs, Carmel corn popcorn, to the fresh peaches. Today I picked up some Buckwheat Honey, Rosemary Garlic Bread, Bell peppers, red onions, garlic, tomatoes, few varites of plums, pine nuts, almonds, and wasabi peas.

No Time

2008-07-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

So as of late my fun has increased and the cooking of good food has decreased. Food of note in the was week or so was: corn dog, lemonade, and cinnamon bun at the fair, decent (not great) chili at E.J. Malloys, a 10$ bud light at a concert, Chocolate cake made by HD, and that's about it. I did plant a new tomato plant and another pepper plant. I still am at odds with caterpillars and will use my catakilling skills to beat them out.

It's 8:00 p.m. and I am hungry

2008-07-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

So I got home late tonight (at 8:00). I had one of those hungers where i wasn't going to wait for the grill to heat up or my rice noodles to soak for 30 minutes (for Pad Thai). So I went for the spicy chicken breast strips which i put in a little too much paprika and they came out rather salty. The Artisan bread with a Tomato, Basil, Thyme, Garlic and EVOO topping was top notch and complemented my Tooheys New quite well. I think I rushed the chicken and didnt think about my spice combinations enough. Oh well... better food tomorrow... I am thinking Arepas for lunch (Post to follow).

2 Surfs and A Roll

2008-07-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today started at 5am. Breakfast burro via Marks early morning cooking, good, filling, warm. Surfed mushy backwashed Anderson Street, grabbed a HUGE cinnamon roll at Hoff's Hut, it was HUGE and had some hot coco. Bought new booties at Bruce Jones, surfed the cliffs, really really fun session, although no one got pitted. Went to BevMo where Mark dropped over a bill on beers and liqures so I indulged as well and bought Some Delirum Nocturnum Belgian Ale, Tripel Karmeliet, and a 6 pack of Tooheys New for old time sake... I miss Aus. And this was all before 1:30 pm. Awesome Saturday and there is more to come.

Chicken... No Sauce

2008-07-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to cook a little chicken and pasta and switched it up about 1/2 way through. Planned on cooking chicken with some tomato sauce (pre-made) and shells. I switched to a cheese-EVOO-pine nut sauce. It was pretty good, not bad for a last minute throw together.

1 Chicken Breast Cubed
2 Pinches Red Pepper flakes
S&P to taste
Fresh Basil, Thyme, and Oregano

1/4 red onion
2 large cloves garlic
handfull pine nuts
1 1/2 tomatoes
Some Spaghetti

Ahi

2008-07-16T21:33:00.001-07:00

Fresh Ahi
1/2 handful of sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 cloves garlic finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
5 fresh basil leaves
2 fresh sorell leaves
2 Green Onions
Long grain rice with seasning
Served Rare and Delicious

Bowl of Health

2008-07-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, hung out with Adam, drank some Sam Adams Summer, and I made Chili Cheese Fritos. This has been a healthy weekend.

1/3 bag Fritos
1 Can Chili
2 Handfuls grated Cheese
3 Pepperchinies
1 Fork

Yum.

Spaghetti Carbonara & Buttery Coffee Cakes

2008-07-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

So my latest endeavor into cooking was a team effort with Chanda the baker. We decided on Spaghetti Carbonara and Coffee Cakes. Spaghetti Carbonara is an awesome semi-easy to make dish i encountered in Venice. The tricky part is adding the eggs at the end without letting them fully cook. Both dishes turned out pretty good. We both agreed that the coffee cakes could have used more flavor possibly apple. The next morning I got together with 7 of my buddies to make breakfast burro's (not pictured). They were quite good an filling. The only down side of the morning is I used salt in my coffee in place of sugar... Not a good taste, i do not recommend trying it.

Spaghetti Carbonara

1/2 pound spaghetti

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 lb. Pancetta
3/4 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.

2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped Pancetta until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of Pancetta fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more.

3. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add 2 beaten eggs and 3 tablespoon heavy cream and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again.

4. Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.
Coffee Cake Recipe at FoodGawker.com

UPDATE: The war on Buggerism continues, Sadly my cucumber plant died. There are some bugs on my leaves of my other plants so i need to do something i dont know what. I will not be washing them with garlic and soap again.

Salmon with Avocado Salsa

2008-07-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

This was my first venture into trying a new recipe from Foodgawker.com. I had to change a few things around as the recipe fed four and, well, I am cooking for one. Here is the altered recipe:

Salmon:

1 lb salmon
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp black pepper

I forgot the coriander but the dry rub was quite tasty and different than my normal garlic lemon salmon.

Avocado Salsa:

1 avocado sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
2 Serreno peppers, seeded and deveined
Juice from 1 lime
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 handful finely chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

Rice:
2 tbs EVOO
1 green onion [white part]
diced, 1 clove garlic
minced, 1 cup white rice
1 1/4 cup water

I put the rub on the salmon (wild caught) about 45 min's before I put it on the grill and did my prep work in the mean time being mindful of my last encounter with deveining and de-seeding peppers I put plastic bags over my hands. The Salsa tuned out good, 1/2 a lime would probably be ok in my book. The rice could have used more garlic but then again it was light enough on the palet not to overpower the salsa or salmon. Overall it was a success and my roommate Dave enjoyed the mini portion I made him. I think this would be a crowd pleaser and perhaps I will cook this for some friends in the future.

Farmers Market and Two Brunches

2008-07-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July started great with a solid South swell at 3-4 feet with sets of 5... wave heaven at Golden West for about 2 hours. I decided to mix up a little Bfast burrito action for lunch (1/4 cup red bell pepper, 1/4 cup green onion, pinch of fresh basil, graded smoked Gouda cheese, splash of Tapatio, 3 eggs, and two tortillas. )
Attended Chanda's (one of the best desert chefs I know) BBQ and some great burgers, salad, and beers (Sierra Nevada summer lager, Tap Room #20 Amber Ale, and Fat Tire. Here is Mark grillin Burgers and sporting a new haircut I gave him the previous night.
Then next morning after a decent surf I ran over to the Cerritos Farmers Market. I picked up a great bunch of produce for under 20 bucks (carrots, purple onion, shallots, garlic, sweet cherry tomatoes, baby red potatoes, Avocado, rosemary garlic bread, and some white peaches that are simply amazing). Upon finding that my bread actually had slivers of garlic in it I knew I needed to cook something up.
Much like my brunch on the fourth I made an Egg sandwich. (2 slices of bread, 1 egg, 2 slices of smoked ham, 5 cherry tomatoes halved with s&p to taste, and as is becoming a habit, fresh basil.) The bread was amazing and had the perfect balance of garlic and rosemary and for not much more than supermarket bread you can rest easy that the bread does not contain a long list of chemicals that I can't pronounce and probably don't want to eat.

Leftover Meal and Black Bugs

2008-07-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

After a long day at work I came home, worked out, and then realized I was low on food. So I put some leftover asparagus in the oven with some S&P, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), and sorell leaves which give off a lemon flavor. I had de-thawed a breast of chicken so I took

some red pepper
fresh sweet basil
fresh oregano
some green onion from the farmers market
a pinch of cilantro
a handful of diced red bell pepper

and pan fried it all up. I also deiced midway thorough to cook up some shell pasta (favorite pasta) and make a sauce out of some smoked Gouda cheese and EVOO. All in all it was alright for a thrown together meal. Still trying to eat more fruits and veggies to make mom and Micheal Pollan proud.When eating this dinner out on my patio I found a mass of black bugs hiding on the back of my Cucumber plant. After some research earlier today I found that spraying the plant with soap water mixed with minced garlic for three weeks in a row does the trick. I am skeptical as all the cocktail has done is make my hands and now this keyboard smell of garlic. More updates on The War On Bugerism to come.

Joe Jost's

2008-06-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Joe Jost's is a great place to meet with your buddies, grab a fairly cheap brew, and dine on some good old American pub grub. On the menu is the Special which is a hot dog sandwich with pickles, liverwurst sandwich, cheese sandwich, and salami sandwich. Not to mention their delectable pickled eggs served with banana peppers and pretzels. I opted for the Salami sandwich, pickled egg and to wash it down a few glasses of Busch, the house beer as Pabst has gone off tap. Joe Jost's will never reach the heights of French cuisine or rank among restaurants with the best selection of beer, but they know what they do, and they do it well. This has to be one of my favorite dives in Long Beach. Probably because of the beer, shuffleboard, and for the memories I have shared with friends there.

First Blog

2008-06-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

In recent history I have started to actually eat healthy and cook more nourishing foods for myself and sometimes others. This all started after reading "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan and planting an edible garden on my patio. Gone are the days of the deep fryer, in are the days of fresh fruit breakfasts and pat thai dinners. What will the blog bring... Food

Food from my gorilla garden

Food from farmers markets

Food from my friends

Food from restaurants in the Long Beach and surrounding areas.

mmmmm foooood.