FoodieWest.com | Food Blog for the West Coast

It's been a  strange summer, not just here in California, but all over the nation too. Even friends of mine that live in Europe have mentioned the climate has been "different" this summer. Fortunately, here on the western side of things we didn't go through the brutal heat spells much of the midwest and east coast had. In fact, it's been a downright mild summer compared to the usual central valley summer days where you are ready to make a deal with the devil for a cool delta breeze. This puts a twist in the ole gardening plan though, where by mid July a garden should be seeing plentiful bounties of summer veg and fruit. In our backyard I have what I like to call nano gardens. Basically, two raised beds 6'x4' and raised knee high with two 2x12 planks. I try to get at least 4 tomato plants in one with a little space left over in from for 2 varieties of chili peppers. and 2 Kabocha pumpkins planted in the middle trained to grow out to the side The other, this year, has acorn squash, pickling cucumber, lettuce and basil.
The tomatoes have been very shy with the oddly cool weather we have had. There are Cherokee Purple, Roma (no fruit set), Lemon Drop, and Oregon Spring. The Cherokee's set fruit first but even with our 90 degree plus days of August, they have not actually turned purple. (insert sad face emoticon here :(  ).

Comment (1) Read More...

Comment (4) Read More...

Comment (1) Read More...

Freedom, is what we here in the U.S. of A. celebrate every year on July 4th.
Tradition is how we tend to celebrate it.
The recipe for a typical American 4th of July involves a parade (usually small), water activities (where it’s warm enough), block parties, fireworks and decorated bicycles.
It is family and friends, both new and existing. Fourth of July is BBQ, watermelon, salads and cold drinks.

Comment (2) Read More...

It’s Fathers Day, of course I am going to write about grilling, and I am going to write about Dad’s. They are like birds of a feather aren’t they?

I learned to grill at a very young age from my dad, well at least I got to watch as he tried his various methods of grilling, rotisserie-ing, kebab-ing and the like. The BBQ was an altar of sorts from what I recall. Back in the 70’s there weren’t the fancy propane, instant flame, cook your meats (or veg) in 10 minutes we have today. Well, maybe there was, but ours was a charcoal cooker. Depending on how you started your coals up, you could be grilling your food in anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. The trick was to get the coals just right. The preferred method was the metal chimney with which you stuff the bottom end full of newspaper and the top with briquettes. There was also the electric wand thing that could double as a branding iron, as long as you were ok with a weird looking “U” shaped scar. Another method was what we then didn’t realize was actually toxic, using lighter fluid. But whenever I was in charge of “lighting the BBQ”, the latter method was the most fun (and I have survived, surprisingly). I want to make sure you know, our Dad never branded us, at least not with an electric BBQ starter. (kidding!!)
As I recall, my dad had quite the arsenal of BBQ hardware, but then, he was a graduate of the 60’s entertaining era:
Fancy cocktail glasses, swanky kebab skewers, and snazzy spatulas. Yes cocktail glasses are in the BBQ hardware category.
Some of the things I remember coming off the grill back then were London Broil, beef ribs with bbq sauce, other cuts of steak and seafood. Oddly enough, I don’t recall much in the way of pork off the grill, chicken yes, but it was usually whole, by rotisserie method (we sure as heck didn’t have boneless chicken breast). Now, I wonder if chicken was actually sold in parts back then, or did the butcher have to cut it up?

To grill is a dude thing, whether you’re a dad or not. Don’t get me wrong, I have had some excellent BBQ from women as well, mom’s or not. But BBQ is a guy thing, it just is.

Myself, I love to grill and I think I have tried almost all of the variations of outdoor grilling. Do people still use Hibachi’s? I love my Weber, and I love my propane convenience. As a father, I have taken to opening up the grilling gates by not only putting the traditional delights on the table, but also claiming success in using the grill for other experiments. One example would be smoking, meat that is. I love smoked meats, and although the method may not be pure, wrapping chunks of soaked wood chips in foil can make for some awesome slow cooked meat.
I remember my first Weber, the traditional charcoal kettle type that is an amazing piece of culinary engineering. The bonus to owning a Weber was the entertainment of reading the manual, which was like half manual, half catalogue. The folks at Weber have always been happy to show you how to cook the entire feast right in the kettle! Thanks Dad, for showing me the way, I hope one day my kids will feel the same.

Have you figured out why I have titled this blog “Culinary Ramblings”?
Here is to the Dad’s today, and everyday. May you get your grill on and teach your kids the art of outdoor grilling so that they too, can pass the electric BBQ starter…uhhh torch.
Happy Father’s Day!

Comment (0) Read More...

Recently, while having my constant distraction (facebook) open, I saw a posting by one of my cousins of their family cabin in Big Bear, California. I spent time there when I was little, and even though that was some time ago, the pictures instantly brought back memories. Amazing how these things happen, and its things like this that make me thankful for the ability to share things via the web with people we don’t always get to see. The days of going over to another family’s house to watch slide shows now has a new angle for sure. (Anyone remember those times?)
Two things’ I have taken away from those times at Big Bear are these;
My cousin Bill who taught me how to clean and scale the fish I caught in the outside sink. He even showed me how to tell what the trout had been eating by dissecting it’s innards.
My Aunt Ruth who taught me one of the most important things, which to this day I consider the Zen of fishing. She used to walk with me out to the round granite rocks, bait a hook with me and just wait with me. I don’t recall catching much with her but  the reward of learning how to sit still and take in the surroundings is huge.

My kids have been away this week spending time with their mom’s family in Graeagle, which is an old resort nestled up in the Plumas area of the Sierras.
I will mention that both of them have not been fans of eating fish, (to my chagrin)
most of 12-13 years, but my daughter has been turning that around as of lately.
They both though, were introduced to fishing at an early age; since fishing is something I really enjoy doing. It is kind of tough to teach sportsmen’s ethics to kids that want to partake in the sport, but don’t want to eat what they catch. I mean, you want to encourage them, but you know it’s also necessary for them to learn a hunter’s code. They were thoughtful enough to call me in the evening to let me know how their day went and what they had for dinner. Graegle is known for it’s lavish menu in the lodge restaurant called Firewood’s. On Tuesday night I get an enthusiastic call from my daughter. “Hi Dad, you’re gonna be so proud of me!!” Now this is a girl who just graduated 8th grade with 4 honors, so naturally, my response was “yes I am already quite proud of you, what is it now I can be proud of? She went on to tell me of the 5 trout she had caught, how she cleaned them and had one for dinner. I was stoked!
Add another fish item to her menu! but more importantly – she has become a full fledged fisherman/fishergirl!! I am very proud, and am hoping the sibling ripple flows to her brother soon. I asked her who taught her to clean the fish, since that was an important thing to me as I mentioned above. Her response was, “I just kinda knew since I have dissected so many things in biology class”
That works for me, and if you get some time this summer, take a kid fishing.

Comment (1) Read More...

Fruit stands are a fixture in California, it’s easy enough to classify them as small, medium and large. The small classification could be anything from a table with an umbrella and chair to a small shack or stand that serves a purpose of displaying the goods off the ground. The large can be classified as the medium one that at some point took the next step and is now a full-fledged building with convenience store qualities and usually a lot of offerings that aren’t actually “local” at all. The medium class, well, that’s just in between the small and the large isn’t it?
As a child I have memories of the fruit stands in southern California, that was when there was still agriculture in Orange County. Tiny little shacks on the side of the road selling fresh strawberries, many varieties of citrus, tomatoes and avocados etc.
Growing up on the central coast of California, the fruit stands take on a double duty, featuring more fresh vegetables, as the area is known as the salad bowl of California. Lettuce (of course), broccoli, artichokes, stalks of Brussels sprouts (I am a fan) commingle with strawberries, ollalieberries, apples and more.

Comment (3) Read More...

It's the weekend, and anyone who has kids will probably understand the weekend pancake (or waffle) tradition. OK, sometimes french toast too. In our home, the pancake can have many variations, mostly in the batter. Rare is the time, if ever, has a box of Bisquick or Aunt Jemima type mix been a starting point before the batter hits the griddle. If a mix is going to be used, it's either the Trader Joe's whole grain, or something from the co-op or health food store. Other times, it's a basic recipe from Joy of Cooking or another resource that offers a foundation to get creative on. My personal flair is to throw in some last minute partial substitutions for the grain flours i.e. almond meal, quick oats, corn meal etc. I usually prefer not to cook in bigger items like fruit and nuts, instead, add those things later as a topping or accessory.

Comment (0) Read More...

In preparation for Father's Day... 

Comment (0) Read More...

In a search for foodie links this morning (way too early thanks to Mr. Horny Mockingbird outside my window) I tried the generic food.com url in Google. Whaddya know? The Food Network has grabbed the Holy Grail of domain names in the culinary web world! food.com
The Napolean Dynamite in me is saying "Luhhhckeeeeee". This link is in beta and they are apparently looking for testers.

In wondering how or if I would incorporate a recipe database in FoodieWest, I was inundated with all the coding examples out there that other sites use. I decided not to take that step right now, but instead, use the forum for the time being. I like the features of some of the magazine sites that allow you to print various formats, but I am wanting something more, something more universal. So check out the food.com see if it's something that works for you as I will be doing too.

Comment (0)