Helldini Chronicles

Ramones vs. The Misfits

2012-01-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

Love this...

Check out more of his stuff at http://grayhood.com/

Oh, hi Internets!

2012-01-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

Yeah, been busy and haven't had time to write anything for a while. You know, it's the same shit as everyone... holidays, family, family stress, drinking... No? That's just me? OK, fine! Here's some pics of what I've been up to...

Saw some shows:

Fu Manchu

Boots Electric (super fun show!)

Kyuss Lives (with Nick Oliveri!)

My little boy moved up a rank in the Army and is now a Sargent... Sgt. Sancho!

Went to the Stanford Theatre on Christmas Eve for the annual It's a Wonderful Life showing... so awesome on the big screen! (I love the Standford Theatre; go, if you've never been!!)

Day after Christmas went to SF for the day with Flip & Trixie

New Year's Eve in Big Sur... FUN NIGHT! This is Morgan and Trixie (and Rick giving the salute in the back), who both just dyed their hair red and cut bangs (it's a trend, I have 5 friends who all have the same cut/color!)

Went to the Road Zombie's Car Club night with my Hoes... so awesome to see the girls and spend a night drinking and catching up. I stole this pic from Elisa, but she posted more on her blog: Like a Tree in the Desert.

Sometimes you just need a laugh...

2011-12-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

These texts made me laugh so hard... made me think of the insanely stupid conversations I have with my boss (I think I should start a blog about her and the funny, disturbing things she says).

Read the rest of them here... http://textsfrombennett.tumblr.com/

Rough Day

2011-11-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

First our servers at work crash and we lose our entire database of customers! Whoopsie!

Then I get an email from TicketWeb that the High on Fire show I bought tickets for and re-arranged my Thanksgiving trip for, has been cancelled... awesome.

But then, I get this lil nugget from my favorite band ever...

Amazing... I CANNOT WAIT!!

Italians do it better...

2011-10-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

And by "it", I mean... well, everything! But mostly I'm talking food. It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about cooking… and that’s mainly because I’ve been too busy to cook. It makes me sad. I found and fell in love with this recipe earlier in the year and I make it whenever I want dinner to feel special without having to do a lot of work. The key is to use really good Pecorino Romano and FRESH cracked pepper. Don’t use the shit you have in the shaker… it’s not strong enough to stand up to all the cheese. And make sure you finely grate the Pecorino Romano, if the cheese is too large it won’t all melt at the same rate and you’ll end up with chunks of cheese throughout.

Cacio e Pepe alla Roma Sparita (Serves 2 people)

Half pound spaghetti
About 6 cups well-salted boiling water

For the “sauce”:
About 1 1/2 cups (2 large ladles) boiling pasta water
1 tablespoon freshly, coarsely grated pepper, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for garnish

Cook the pasta according to the directions for that brand. When the pasta is not quite cooked, about 3 minutes before you would normally, take it out of the water.
Add the boiling pasta water, the butter and the pepper to a hot sauté pan. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss through the water mixture until the pasta absorbs almost all of the water. Remove from the heat, and add the grated cheese to the pasta. Quickly stir the cheese into the pasta.
Buon Appetito!

Original recipe (including how to make the Parmesan bowls if you wanna get real fancy) can be found here at Food Lover's Odyssey.

Desert Road Trip Part 4

2011-10-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm wrapping it up here...

California State Route 62. This is one of the most desolate stretches of highway in California... as you leave Twentynine Palms there is a big sign that reads NEXT SERVICE 100 MILES. This place is also known as "Wonder Valley" because tourists often 'wonder' why anyone would want to live out there. I imagine it's for the peace and quiet.

A bit of green after the mid-September monsoons

Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ. This place is weird, it's like going to an airport to see a ballgame.

And then the lights go out... no matter, we were losing anyway.

Vulture City Ghost Town, Arizona

Entrance to Vulture Mine

Cholla and saguaro cacti near Vulture Peak, AZ

The cholla cactus will jack you up! I watched several videos on how to remove a cholla ball because I was convinced I would fall into one (I'm a total klutz and they're all over the ground), but I'm happy to report I didn't fall once!

Ran across this lil fella on the streets on Wickenburg.... just kidding, it's bronze.

Burro Jim Motel, Aguila, AZ

Some creepy house near Lebec, CA

No trespassing... No shit!

Desert Road Trip Part 3

2011-10-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree...

Stopped in at Rancho de la Luna where lots of my favorite artists have recorded albums... such a beautiful place!

Yes, yes... where U2 stayed while recording Joshua Tree but I stopped in honor of my favorite photographer, Anton Corbijn... he's been there, and now, so have I!

A real key to our room!

A storm at sunset. Tried to catch the lightning but missed it each time.

His & Hers... Greatest garage sale find ever; glass flasks that have metal caps that double as shot glasses and a cozy plaid carrier! We'll never road trip without it again!

Sunrise over Joshua Tree

Sky Village Swap Meet in Yucca Valley. This is the weirdest swap meet I've ever been to; tons of strange shit to look at and rummage through (nothing caught my eye) nice people, sweet doggies everywhere, and they were pumping Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and the like through the loudspeaker... a very surreal way to spend the morning.

Dini at the bottom right of the HUGE Saguaro cacti. Those things can kill you, y'know!

Cock-a-doodle!

Yeah, I have no idea either... there was stuff like this everywhere at the swap.

Where Gram Parsons died... unfortunately, we couldn't get to where the rooms are, there's a fence surrounding the property and lots of desert flora blocking the rooms so I couldn't get any shots of Room # 8. I tried to reserve the room for our stay, but it's forever booked. Maybe next year.

Desert Road Trip Part 2

2011-09-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

Pioneertown... Built in the 1940s as an old west movie set so Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and the like could have a place to live while they filmed their movies and TV shows. I'm pretty obsessed with old western towns, gold rush era stuff and anything with a wagon wheel so of course I had to stop here. It's an unincorporated village, but people do live here. Not many, but enough for me. I saw a place for rent on the old "Mane Street" set and I immediately started to plan my relocation until Dini said he would never live there... what a dream crusher! I mean seriously, I could live out my old west fantasies EVERY DAY! Until I had to get in my car and go grocery shopping or something... but we all have dreams!

First stop, the Integratron... this was as far as I got. They were closing for the day and we got kicked out... nicely, of course!

Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace. This was a bar used for filming but then some nice people bought it, added to it, and now serve delicious food and $1.00 beers during happy hour. I could have spent all night there!

Outside Pappy & Harriet's

Walking up to Pioneertown

My new place in Pioneertown... only $550/month + utilities. It comes with a wagon wheel! Score!

Miniature train. It's maybe 3 feet high.

Little Big Horn Ranch... it's for sale and all the memorabilia and antiques come with it! Fancy!

Desert Road Trip Part 1

2011-09-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Last week Dini and I set off for our desert road trip adventure... 4.5 days and 1735 miles of lonely roads, ghost towns, dry heat and amazing scenery from Lancaster, CA to Wickenburg, AZ. I was beyond happy the whole time and it further cemented the fact that I am a desert dweller. Maybe I'm part rattlesnake; content to be alone, chillin' on a hot rock soakin' up the sun and a rattle to let you know "buddy, you are too close"! It was a dream come true trip... well, almost. It would have been better if we had an RV or something similar and got to spend more time on the road and of course if the Giants didn't suck ass and lose Saturday's game and blow their last chance at getting the wildcard position. Oh well!

I took over 500 pictures along the way so I'm breaking it down into a few posts and only showing the best photos.

Somewhere between Lancaster and Hi Vista, CA

Lots of this out there... and by 'this', I mean nothing!

The church from Kill Bill

Gas station with Club Ed in the background. You might be able to see the film crew taking over Club Ed if you click on the picture.

You may have seen this gas station in a Viagra commercial... or countless other commercials/TV shows/movies, etc.

Club Ed... most recently seen on Tuesday's episode of Sons of Anarchy! Also used in The Devil's Rejects as the 'Kahiki Palms' and other movies/videos, etc... On this particular day there was a film crew there so this was as close as I could get! Total bummer!!

Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen from House of 1000 Corpses. Officially known as 4 Aces. Again, stupid fim crew got in the way of MY adventure...

Photos

2011-09-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

Spent some time at the shop this weekend to mess around with my camera and see what I like/dislike and what I need to work on before I hit the road on the Helldini Tour 2011 in a few days. Here's my faves out of the ones I took... Good? Bad? Ehhhh???

Bye # 33

2011-08-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

So sad to hear about the Giants cutting ties with my boyfriend, Aaron Rowand. No, he wasn't doing an amazing job at bat lately, (he was cold, needed to be played MORE!) but he sure as shit was doing better than Beltran (yeah, that was worth it) and he was an awesome defensive outfielder. No one can deny that! He's broken his face twice in his 10 year career. TWICE! I don't know, he'll always be one of my favorite ball players. I'll miss you buddy!

Photo by Pat Sullivan

Here's my last pic I took of Aaron on August 23rd. He made a hit that helped tie up the game against the Padres... but we ended up losing. SUCKS!

My obsession

2011-08-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

OK, since I cannot post any pics about my rad life, how about a post about my favorite clothing line ever? (If they just make t-shirts, tanks and jewelry, is it still considered a 'clothing line'? I don't know, I'm not a fashionista, and I don't know the rules on these things.)

Anyway, BANDIT BRAND is hands down my favorite upper-body-clothing-makers ever!

If you've seen me around in the last 3 years, then you've seen me in one of their tops, in fact I'm wearing one right now. That pic of me and John Doe in that post from last month, yup, Bandit Brad tank. The Ponch & John pic from Dini's birthday... Drifter T from Bandit Brand. Yeah, I live in them. They're so soft and perfectly worn in, and I love the graphics (natch) which are anything from country song lyrics to real logos from now defunct bars to original art.

And I drool over the photos... I get tons of inspiration from them

(hehe, that's Danny - one of my tattoo artists!)

And I hope someone buys this Wagon Wheel necklace for me for my birthday or Christmas...

Every time I'm in Santa Cruz I stop at Idle Hands (their retail store) and buy a new shirt/tank. And so should you. You wont regret it... Idle Hands Dry Goods, 803 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

**All photos were stolen from the internets. Trust me, if I knew who the photogs were, I'd give credit! I love you.

Grrrr

2011-08-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

Nothing is more frustrating that buying the camera you've wanted for over a year and your computer takes a shit so you can't upload anything.

Oh, and I had a dream come true weekend (camping on a farm for a friend's wedding) which I took pics of but cant share... This is bolsheviks!

Mom's 1st Giants game

2011-07-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

She must have been good luck cause we kicked the Dodger's ass 5-0! She was so cute in her Giants gear... she's already planning more games to go to! We've got a new gamer in the family!

Starstruck...

2011-07-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Like a motherfucker!

Summertime!

2011-07-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Been busy... I'm not going to bore you with words. Well, not a lot anyway. Here's some pics of what I've been up to.

A very good friend of ours got hitched... Congrats to Mr & Mrs Choochie!

They had a photo booth... lots of fun! Of course we took naughty pics, but we're not sharing! (FYI - the bride & groom usually get copies of everything, so if you think you've got the only evidence, you're wrong!)

2 sexy bridesmaids and one lucky wedding guest! Haha...

I took Dini to Malibu Grand Prix for his birthday...

Pretty sure you're not supposed to smoke on the course, but that's not going to stop an outlaw!

Looking tough AND protecting your hair from potential nasties!

Ponch & John

Saw Mark Lanegan perform at the Great American Music Hall. Awesome, haunting show. It was just one guitar and his voice... kind of like this video below, but way better!

And of course, art show fun times in Santa Cruz!

Flea Market Score!

2011-06-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Found this at the Treasure Island Flea Market this last Sunday... been wanting a hand tooled leather bag for a while now but I could never find one I liked for a good price. So I was totally stoked when I saw this and even more stoked when Dini was able to haggle it down for $25! TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS!

The inside is all leather (and roomy!)

It does have some scratches and a minor tear, but I'm hoping to find someone that can repair it! And quickly - I wanna use it NOW!

John Doe... swoon!

2011-05-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

After seeing The Knitters perform Friday night, my schoolgirl crush on John Doe was reignited. I think he’s aging beautifully, stepping right into that silver-fox sexiness with ease that doesn’t always happen for every guy. Sometimes he wears some weird shit (a burlap vest? Who else could get away with that but John-Fucking-Doe?) but it’s his voice that makes me melt. I swear, he could sing “Do the fucking dishes, Helldini!” to me and I would… after I picked myself up off the floor! Sure, his solo stuff isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and most people have only listened to a handful off X songs (if any), but there’s no denying the greatness that is John Doe!

photo by me, taken 05/20/11 at The Mystic Theatre, Petaluma, Ca

with ex-wife and co-founder of X, Exene... cuties!

And yes, he played Pat McGurn in the movie Road House...

Photos stolen mostly from John's myspace and other sources with the utmost respect to the photographers...

Hello!

2011-05-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Yup, been MIA again... sorry. Somewhere between normal everyday life (work, pay bills, laundry) and running around doing awesome things (shows, dinner with friends, road trips) I haven't been feeling inspired enough to write. Maybe cause I'm not getting enough sleep? I am pretty tired.

Speaking of shows, I started my week off by seeing the Melvins perform. They were doing a residency at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco; 2 nights playing albums in their entirety. My friend Karina did a review of the shows and she's a much better writer than I am, so you can read more here. But I have to say, hearing Houdini (my personal favorite) live all the way through was awesome, especially getting to hear the Kiss cover 'Goin' Blind' live.

I actually like this version more than the original...Buzz's vocals are better on this one (sorry Gene).

Today we're heading up for the wino country, to meet up with the Sonoma Hillbillies (Craig and Julian). Julian and I are huge fans of the Knitters (our husbands are not!), so we're going to see them perform at The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma tonight. I AM BEYOND EXCITED! The Knitters rarely perform and every time they did in the past, I had a commitment I could not get out of (like a wedding). John Doe! Exene! D.J. Bonebrake! Dave Alvin! Whoooo! I finally get to see them live and with someone who really enjoys the music as much as I do. Tonight is my night, bro!

When we get back on Saturday night we're seeing our friends, the Sore Thumbs, play before they leave for the Punk Rock Bowling Fest in Vegas.

Talk about a variety of music... And when do I get to sleep? It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll...

Hollywood... aka Dirtywood!

2011-05-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

So I'm back. Barely made it out alive... I'm exhausted, allergy ridden and a little off kilter. Hollywood is over the top and kinda stressful.

I'm sorry to report that Pink's Hot Dogs did not live up to my expectations. This is quite possibly the worst hot dog experience of my life. I know it's partly because I strayed from my 'no-toppings' rule. I got the Chicago Polish Dog, cause it was the only thing that didn't have fuckin' chili on it. Shit people, just call it Pink's Chili-Dogs... any way, the toppings caused my bun to get soggy (GROSS) so when I tried to pick it up, all the toppings came tumbling down onto the table. I looked like an asshole who doesn't know how to eat. Anyway, I tried to salvage what I could but it didn't taste that awesome, so I was over it. BUMMER! I think the whole reason why Pink's is so popular is cause it's a Hollywood institution. It's like how everyone swoons over Sprinkles cupcakes, even though they taste like dried crap. Yeah, like that.

I did get to meet the teeniest, tiniest person in the whole world... my niece Emme! She is super rad and mellow. Didnt scream when I held her. Got to feed her and she farted on me... proving that she is totally related to Dini!

The opening reception for the art show was AMAZING. There were so many people that showed up! I tried to take some pics, but I was caught up in the moment and it didnt work out like I had planned... There were over 100 paintings and he sold quite a few on the first night!

If you're interested in checking out the show and you're in LA, it's running through the end of May... but I recommended staying away from Pinks.

LA time!

2011-04-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so freaking excited about this weekend!! Let me tell you why:

We're going on a road trip to LA! Taking 101 all the way down... never been south of Solvang on 101 so I'm pretty stoked to see some new roads and places.

Our friend Flip is having his first solo art show!!! Yeah! That's the whole reason why we're going to LA. But I'm so excited for him, so excited I'm gonna wear a skirt!

Pink's Hot Dogs is between our hotel and the gallery... uh-oh! I'm *kinda* stressed about this one though, I mean, what will I get? The menu is over the top and there are some tasty choices. I'm thinking about forgoing my usual plain dogger and trying something different...

All the people I'm going to see on my way down and over the weekend. Family, friends and hopefully get to meet my new teeny-tiny niece.

Oh yeah, the gallery is going to have some of my favorites food/drink items at the opening reception; dirty martinis, grilled cheese sandwiches and cupcakes! Oh, and the cupcakes are from Magnolia Bakery... you know, the place that started the whole cupcake craze. I've always wanted to try their stuff, so how convenient that they will be at the gallery. If you're in Hollywood this weekend, make sure to stop by and see some amazing art (pictures do not do it justice, because there are layers here... layers people):

Saturday, April 30, 2011, 8:00 - 11:00 pm
Tuff Sissy & Co
7367 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles 90046

Thrashin!

2011-04-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hola, senoras y senores! Been insanely busy with awesome stuff (seeing friends I haven't seen in years) and not-so-awesome stuff (spring cleaning). But lately I've been thinking about a certain movie... Thrashin'!

Maybe it's the spring weather and the sound of skateboard wheels against concrete but I've been reminiscing about ye olde memories of skateboarding lately. I remember watching this movie over and over when I was a kid. Mostly so I could look at Velvet's outfits and hair... I wanted to be her when I was a kid. And live in the Dagger's house, too.

If you've never seen it, you need to. Or come over and we can BBQ then watch it!

I have a problem...

2011-03-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

I have a red lipstick obsession. I have 12 (11 pictured, 1 is at work) and while that may seem like a lot to some of you, it's not (OK, it is). I have friends who are not make-up artists who own 30! THIRTY RED LIPSTICKS! I rarely get girly on here, but the other day I noticed that I am constantly on the hunt for a perfect red shade. I know I wouldn't be if certain make-up companies would stop discontinuing my favorite shades... but they do, and that leaves me stopping at every make-up counter and aisle from CVS to Nordstrom's.

Case in point, the pot at the bottom left is Lorac's Lip/Cheek tint in Red Brown. I love this color, and it looks good on me but its been discontinued. Now I carry it around and swatch it hoping to find something similar. It's been years and no such luck. Damn it Lorac!

The closest I have come to perfection: MAC's Lady Bug (4th from the left). Perfect coloring, but it doesn't last as long as I would like and I have to reapply it every few hours. I'm lazy and I find that to be annoying. Hmmmmm...will I ever be satisfied?

I also have a problem with slightly nude but pink, but not too pink, you know, my-lips-but-better lipstick shade obsession. And a perfume obsession. But I'll save those posts for another day. What are some of your beauty obsessions? And yes, guys have beauty obsessions too... I have guy friends who are just as obsessed about hair products and cologne as chicks!

And for those that want to know what colors are pictured, here ya go...left to right:
Back row: Clarins Passion 350, Clinique Party Red, MAC Ruby Woo (note the OG tube!), MAC Lady Bug, MAC Viva Glam, Revlon Matte In The Red 007, L'oreal Infallible Lip Gloss in Rebel Red, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Amsterdam
Front Row: Lorac Lip/Cheek tint in Red Brown, Prestige Creamy Matte Lipstick in Beet, NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Hot Red

The JW Cupcakes

2011-03-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I was craving a piece of my dad's (John William Don't Worry About a Last Name) infamous chocolate cake he used to make all the time while we were growing up. Then I started thinking, how in the hell have I never made that into a cupcake? So I did... behold:

Chocolate cake, mashed banana filling and sweetened whipped cream. I think my daddy would approve!

AC/DShe

2011-03-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

After years of missing their shows, I'm finally getting to see these lovely ladies tonight. Every single time I've planned to check them out something else came up, or I was out of town... But not tonight! I bought my tickets weeks ago so I would not miss it this time. Excited!!

Top 5 Things I Would Buy If I Won The Lotto...

2011-03-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think about winning the lotto (everyone does, I'm sure) but more or less, what would I buy? I mean, what stupid shit would I want to spend my money on? Lets say I won an obscene amount of cash and I already donated some to charity... what would I buy?

For starters, I would hire a mariachi band to follow me around. Not all the time, but definitely when I'm at a party, BBQ, car show... you know, social functions. And maybe when I'm cleaning.

Sometimes I would dress up with them, but most of the time they would just be my live soundtrack. Mariachi music makes me stop dead in my tracks and smile with pure joy. I will follow a mariachi band through a parking lot and into a bar/restaurant just to hear one song.

Secondly, a trip to Italy. And not just the touristy places... and not just for a few weeks. Like a year. Maybe I would get over my fear of owning a home and buy something there? Do they have mariachis in Italy? Anyway, I want to stay in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Maybe find a grandmother who needs company who can teach me her secret recipes...

Third, I would buy a crazy over the top motorhome. I dont know if I'd go as far as this crazy thing:

Maybe something like this...Yeah, life on the road - forever!

Forth would have to be my dream piece of jewelry... 3 to 5 carat Asscher Cut Diamond Ring. I would die...

Fifth... a maid. 'Nuff said!

What's the top 5 things you would buy if you won the lotto?

Justin Townes Earle

2011-02-23T19:06:00.000-08:00

OK, I totally underestimated needing earplugs last night... stood right next to the speaker, but it was worth it. JTeaser (as I call him) is very charismatic and really puts on a great show. He was joined by a stand up bass and fiddle for most of the set, but when they took a break he played some covers and I was blown away! Especially Bruce Springsteen's Racing in the Street and Lightin Hopkins' I Been Burning Bad Gasoline. Loved the interaction with the crowd and story-telling about each song. Some of my favorite quotes of the night:

"I like the alcohol and especially the cocaine but they make me break out in handcuffs."

"My dad was asked to make a comment about me to the press, he said 'That's a hard dog to keep under the porch'."

Here's a couple of pics from the show:

He's playing a show tonight in Santa Cruz and if I wasn't so damn tired and allergy ridden, I would be there!

Toning it down a bit tonight

2011-02-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

No ear plugs needed for this guy but I am excited nonetheless. Perfect end to my anniversary weekend. And Dawn Landes is opening so I hope they perform this tonight... It's not Dolly, but I'll take it!

Packin Ear Plugs...

2011-02-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

High on Fire tonight! I love these guys... second time seeing them this year. If you've never heard of them (and you like metal) check 'em out. They are amazing to see live!

Time for Timer!

2011-02-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

I hanker for a hunk of, a slab, a slice, a chunk of... I still sing this song whenever I want cheese.

The soundtrack of your life...

2011-02-10T22:35:00.000-08:00

My friend Oriana posted this the other day and I thought it was such a bitchin idea. So bitchin, I had to steal it... because like her, I often have a song playing in my head when I go about certain activities.

Hanging with my Hoes... especially when I'm in North Carolina with my Southern Hoes!

At work...

Getting ready to go out...

Being a prankster...

Driving...

Cleaning the house...

Solo dance party...

Cruising with my love... our wedding song (the first song)

When the van is a rockin... hehe

Just kidding, That last one is a total joke! OK, that's enough. Seriously.

Hot Dog... Hot Dog!

2011-02-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

I love hot dogs. I am a hot dog aficionado. A hot dog elitist. I know what's in them, and I don't care. Well, kinda*. When I'm about to eat a hot dog, I always sing the Detroit Cobras Hot Dog song... And I always order em plain. I need to judge that wiener without any bullshit getting in the way. Only after I have established it's worthiness will I think about adding cheese, mustard, relish, etc.

So to commemorate this love, I have to get a hot dog tattoo. It's something I've been wanting to get for a while, but I can't commit to any one design just yet.

I've often thought about this one, but without the text:

Or maybe I should leave the text? I mean, he is awesome.

Or maybe something like this:

Or maybe a hot dog with wings? Maybe several different hot dogs? I don't know. This is hard.

One thing is for sure, I need to get these hot dog shoes to match my hot dog earrings and necklace:

Too much?

*The best hot dog I've ever had was the $5 dogger from Prather Ranch Meat Company. All grass-fed, sustainable, aged hot dog.Yes, aged. And worth every penny!

New year, new post, new goals

2011-01-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

Been a while but been busy... enjoying life and trying to make 2011 more about me. Hahaha, just kidding. Actually, I think 2011 will be more about music than anything. And maybe a little about me - my body, my choice! I know most people have their resolutions like lose weight, etc etc but mine aren't really along those lines...Its taken me 25 days to come up with some resolutions, or goals, but here's what I want outta 2011:

1. Cut the shit. I mean, cut out the bullshit and high-maintenance people from my life. I'm over it, you're over it. Lets just move on, right? OK.
2. Drink more. I need to step up and move on in my advance drinking course. I'm almost there, but my stomach problems really hinder my ability to drink all the time. This goal might be a bit more attainable once I get a team of scientists and doctors to help make me stronger. Like the Bionic Woman of drinking.
3. Travel more. Anywhere, I don't care. Day trips, weekend trips. Short road trips, long road trips. Plane trips. Yeah, lets do it.
4. Fix up my bicycle. But I'm torn between a theme of bitchin lowrider bike, or Evel Knievel. I'm starting to lean more towards Evel Knievel, since I already have one lowrider bike. I need to change it up.
5. Attend more shows. I already go out and see a lot of shows, so I don't know how I'm going to one up myself here. I don't know, I guess I just wanted to make it official and put it on a list.

I think this post is totally boring. Maybe I should add that to my list of goals too...

Starstruck

2010-11-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

It's not often I get starstruck. I've met a lot of "famous" people and some of them have become great friends. None of them have ever made me feel nervous, or out of place, or weird. Except photographers. Holy shit... I dont know what it is, but when I meet a photographer I greatly admire, I get seriously retarded. I dont know what to say, what to do, I start over thinking every move I make, my hands sweat, I get all shaky... yeah, retarded.

Case in point: this last Saturday night Dini, a few friends, and I headed to San Francisco's 941 Geary gallery to see Glen E. Friedman's photographs at his opening reception. I have always greatly admired Glen's photos and grew up with his images since he photographed a lot of bands that I listen to. We bought a poster for the show and saw Glen walking around signing stuff, so Dini asked me if I wanted my poster signed. I said yes thinking that he would go get it signed for me but he handed me the poster and I froze. I couldn't move. I just stood there and Dini started to yell at me to go get the poster signed. I started whining... Noooooo! I can't, can you do it for me? Dini just laughed and eventually went and had the thing signed, but not without telling Glen that I was too scared... Thanks! But of course, the whole time he was getting it signed, I just stood there, camera in hand, frozen. Didn't even get a pic of him signing the poster or with Dini... DUMB! And then as soon as the signing was over, I wanted to leave!

I did take a couple of pics... not that many since the place was PACKED and I could barely see the photos anyway.

Hey! It's the Fuck You All show...

Here's Glen signing someone else's book... brave soul! Haha!

And the kicker? Seeing the Shepard Fairey collaborations with the original photos!

Shepard Fairey with someone's kid

On our way to dinner, we walked past San Francisco City Hall and they still had the place lit up in orange and all the banners hanging. I wasnt able to make the parade so I was glad they left the stuff for me so I could see it! Thanks again, San Francisco!

Thank you...

2010-11-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Dear San Francisco Giants,
Thank you for winning the 2010 World Series.I knew you could do it. Even though there are haters (including those crappy FOX announcers) that "couldn't believe" it could be done, I knew. The last few years were hard, yes, but I stood by you. I knew this year would be different... I said so in the beginning. So thanks!

Dear Dad,
Thank you for taking me to the 'stick when I was 7 years old to my first Giants game (against the Dodgers no less) and starting a lifelong love affair!

Oh, Hi!

2010-10-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since my last post. Wow! Talk about not having any down time... I'm not even going to try and catch up on everything, just post some pics.

Dini and I went to see The Black Keys play The Fox Theater in Oakland on Sept 29. Amazing venue and even better show!

The following weekend we rented a house in San Francisco with a bunch of friends because we all wanted to go to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest. It's a ton of bands over 3 days and it's FREE! I'm so glad we rented the house because it would have been a NIGHTMARE to try and get into the city every day since there were multiple bands we wanted to see, but the highlight of course (and the reason why friends flew in) was to see Mondo Cane...

The amazingly talented John Doe of X and The Knitters fame (and the bartender from Roadhouse!). I've had a crush on John Doe for as long as I could remember... His voice is beautiful and I was so excited I got to see him perform his solo stuff.

Our hero for the weekend, Dini. He got up super early on Sunday to secure us a spot close to the stage so we could see. Here he is enjoying his coffee and kettle corn at 9:00 AM!

Finally! The sun came out... Dini and Mike

Karina and Danielle being troupers while we waited... We had to sit through some horrible hippie jam band until Elvis Costello and then Mondo Cane came on.

Elvis Costello and The Sugarcanes! Worth the wait and the ENORMOUS crowd!

And finally - Mondo Cane's first US appearance. This is probably my favorite side project of Mike Patton's. It's all covers of 60's Italian pop songs, sung in Italian, and performed with an orchestra. I only got this one shot because I was so spellbound the entire time watching the performance. Hopefully, with the release of the 2nd album they will do a proper tour because their set was entirely too short!! Here's a video of their performance from 2 years ago in Amsterdam and maybe you can see why I was mesmerized... Dini wasn't a fan until he saw them live and now he listens to them all the time!

Hope everyone has a good Halloween! I'm baking and getting ready to watch the Giants win tonight... that's right - WIN!! VAMOS GIGANTES!!!

Busy, busy!

2010-09-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

Just a brief post since I've been up to so much lately: new job, still baking, still enjoying my social life... I'm just doing it all on a lot less sleep! This weekend is the calm before the storm. Every single weekend is booked solid and wont let up until mid-October. Feet, don't fail me now!

Tried a new Mexican restaurant in San Francisco, Nopalito. It's a slightly upscale Mexican place, which is always hard to do around these parts. Every local knows where to get fantastic tacos/burritos/enchiladas, etc at such inexpensive prices that doing the same thing with a higher price point doesn't always work here. North Carolina - sure, California - not really. But this place is amazing and fairly cheap considering they use organic ingredients and a lot of stuff is made on-site like their chorizo, queso fresco, and tortillas - YUM!

Once again, we were in SF on a Saturday night so we went back to what is quickly becoming my favorite bar... The Kozy Kar. I finally got to take some pics before it got too crowded. Enjoy!

You cant really see it, but in the back of that red van is a water bed!

Breaker, breaker - I need a beer!

8-track floor inside one of the 'vans'

The actual bar... so awesome!

Last week Dini & I went on a bike party excursion in San Jose. Hyland Family Bicycles has a bike run every Wednesday while the weather permits. Which means almost every Wednesday here in the Bay Area about 50-75 people show up to take over the streets. It's a fun, easy ride (no more than 30 miles) and the routes are different each time. We meet at the bike shop, ride to a restaurant, eat and hang out, then ride back. Easy! When the weather is perfect, it's so much fun. It's like being a kid on summer break again, staying out all day with your friends until dinnertime. However, I was quickly reminded the next morning that I am not a kid when I had to get up to go to work... ugh, TIRED!

Dini's employee, Javier (aka Jacob from Twilight)

Dini & his other employee, Brady

And now, I'm headed to a friend's BBQ and then another bike ride on this amazing summer afternoon. Hope you're all having a great weekend. I know I am!! Ciao!

FRESH POTS!

2010-08-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

I've been watching this every now and then since March and I can't stop! It never gets old. Maybe because Dave Grohl is so funny? Maybe because I'm a coffee addict? (Just not at his level)

Mark Ryden

2010-08-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

I got to meet my favorite artist of all time, Mark Ryden on Thursday. I have been collecting his stuff (everything that I can afford!) since I was 16. I even got the bee he uses almost like a logo, tattooed:

He was at the SF MoMA to sign copies of his new book, The Snow Yak Show, chronicling his Snow Yak show in Japan.

While we were waiting for him to show up, they (I dont know who, the publisher Last Gasp, SF MoMA, or Ryden's camp?) had hired actors to portray Abe Lincoln and the Snow Yak for people to take pics with. (For those not familiar with Ryden's artwork, he often has Lincoln in his paintings. Actually, I think every show/collection has at least one Abe.) It was really cute and an awesome way to pass the time. The lighting inside the room was horrible, so I apologize for not having better pics...

My friend Shea trying to eat the Yak's ear

Signing my book... which he almost forgot! That's why he's laughing in the pic.

Love the stamp!

AND - as a special surprise, everyone was given a Pink Lincoln lapel pin!

I was really excited to get the pin because it sold out so fast on his website and I was really bummed I didn't get it. I'm so glad I got the chance to meet him, even if it was for a brief minute. He was so nice and seemed like he was genuinely happy to be there. Can you tell I'm still stoked?!?!

Adventure Day

2010-08-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

I love adventure days, keeping plans loose and just seeing where the day takes you. Saturday, Dini and I had plans to go to the Chiseler's Car Show at Thee Parkside, but wanted to head to the city early to bum around and make a day of it. I called up my friend Bonnie to join us and we took BART into the city. So much better than sitting in traffic and trying to find parking! First stop was Phat Philly for some amazing cheesesteaks and onion rings. Holy crap, this place is good. Kobe beef in the cheesesteak and onion rings that taste like onion (as opposed to dirty fryer oil)! I didn't get any pics, too busy stuffing my face.

Since we were in the Mission, and Bonnie had never really been to this area before, she wanted me to take her to some of the yummy places I've been to. We tried to wait in line at Humphry Slocombe for ice cream, but it was ridiculously long and we just didn't have the room in our bellies to warrant the wait. We decided to get coffee instead and made our way down to Pirate Cat Radio Cafe for Maple Bacon Lattes. Yes, I've mentioned them before, but Bonnie has never had one. But of course, like the last time I brought someone there to try the amazing heart attack latte, they were out of a key ingredient. This time it was the maple, last time it was the bacon fat. Yes, fat - I said heart attack. But they still have an adventurous menu so Bonnie ordered the Coconut Curry Latte, and I just got a drip coffee. While waiting for my boring coffee to brew, Bonnie and I were joking with each other quoting lines from Three Amigos and the barista guy joined in without missing a beat! The next thing you know Bonnie and I are performing My Little Buttercup in front of strangers! Hysterical. I should have put out a tip jar.

After our performance and coffee, we made our way towards Thee Parkside and along the way stumbled upon French stencil graffiti artist, Jef Aerosol leaving his mark. If we had taken a car, we would have missed this...

Hi! Oh, sorry - Bon Jour!

Finally we made it down to Thee Parkside and had a blast. Good cars, good booze, good times! My friend Oriana was so excited about this band that was going to play, the Ramshackle Romeos, and now I know why. Playing weird instruments from the saw to the theremin to the kazoo. I loved it. They performed Midnight Cowboy on the theremin and it was so awesome.

After the car show we decided to head to a bar I've always wanted to check out; the Kozy Kar. I know, I know.. they used 'K's to spell cozy and car... I know - drives me up a wall. But I was willing to overlook the grammatical errors because I had heard about the amazing-ness of this place. Not for the faint of heart (70's Playboy centerfolds under Plexiglas as the floor and bar), this place pays homage to the 70's and 80's but centered around van culture. From their site... "Kozy Kar is a bar designed after the custom vans of the 1970's and early 1980's. Eight track players, CB radios, waterbeds, chain steering wheels, shag, mirrored ceilings are just a few of the amenities." Yeah, just a few alright. I would post pictures, but I was drinking so... yeah, my pictures didn't turn out very well. Doesn't matter, you need to just experience it. Needless to say, I'm already planning my birthday party there. It will be themed, so ladies, start learning how to feather your hair!

We left the bar earlier than we wanted because we were determined NOT get stranded in SF like the weekend before! Yeah... sometimes Dini has selective hearing but actually, even getting stranded was fun! A bit cold (stupid San Francisco summers) but still fun.

All in all, Saturday turned out to be an awesome day. I can't wait for the next one! I hope it involves Kozy Kar...

Vacation from HELL!!

2010-07-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

Dini and I made it home yesterday from the vacation in hell. I am not over exaggerating. It was Dini's family vacation and I'm not sure if I've ever told you, but I really don't like being around my in-laws (except for my sister-in-law Veronica & her husband Jack). See, my in-laws are neurotic-passive-aggressive-extreme-left-wing-close-minded-racist-homophobic-'Christians'. Yeah, I put those quote marks around Christian for a reason. So you can imagine the hell I was in for the last 5 days. Uncomfortable doesn't even begin to describe my feelings.

A few months back, after numerous emails and phone calls, we were committed to a 5 day family vacation in Monterey. Monterey is cool, but it's super touristy. I don't know, maybe I'm jaded. We asked his mom if she had anything planned for the trip, she said no. So I had gotten a list of things/places we wanted to see and do together and Dini and I brought our bikes thinking we would be able to ride around town. She asked us if we wanted to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we said not really (been numerous times), but that shouldn't stop anyone else from going. We said we wanted to ride our bikes around town and we could just meet up later... MIL's (Mother-In-Law) response: "No, this is a family vacation and we're going to stay together." Okay, what can I do alone? Do I need permission to use the bathroom? Needless to say, we didn't do much. We never got to ride our bikes. Never got to explore. I have never spent so much time in a hotel room before. And everything we did and every place we ate at revolved around Dini's niece and nephew... It'd be cool if the kids were cool, but they weren't. Over-sugared and under-parented makes for very annoying public outings. You know those parents, you've seen them in the stores, pleading with their children to behave... yeah, we were with those people. And the food situation was hysterical. We couldn't eat at certain restaurants because MIL insisted that children can't eat there. Of course, what was I thinking? Humans can't eat food. I think it was really MIL's way of saying she didn't want to eat there. She doesn't like anything that isn't Denny's or Applebee's. When I would suggest a place to eat, they would read the menu out loud and make comments about how 'gross' and 'yucky' it all sounded. Seriously embarrassing.

After all the bullshit, the vacation turned out to be a total waste of time, money and a tank of gas. Everything we did could have been packed into 1 day. The only cool thing we did do was go to the Monterey Museum of Art for the Ansel Adams show. I had never seen any of his work in person, and this was a huge collection. But MIL was not impressed. She ran through the museum in 5 minutes and was ready to go. Oh, and we did get to meet John Schneider, AKA Bo Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard, at dinner on the last night. But that was it.

Here's some pics I did get from the worst trip ever:

Coastal Squirrels

Got a nut

San Carlos Cathedral

The doors of the cathedral

Gettin' his pollen on!

See, not really exciting. But I know that this is definitely the last family vacation I will ever go on with them.

Salad of heartburn

2010-07-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

Saw this awesome recipe and made it last night: Israeli Tomato Salad. It was easy and delicious but I think I went a little overboard with the lemon juice (I had big lemons) and I ended up with heartburn. Ugh. Also, I think I'm going to use yellow or orange bell pepper next time, so it's sweeter and not so... green bell peppery?

Israeli Tomato Salad (adapted from Food Network Magazine)
1 cup each diced cucumber, tomato, yellow or orange bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried dill)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste

Add all chopped ingredients and olive oil in a bowl. Start with squeezing half a lemon over the ingredients. Add salt to taste. Toss together. If it needs more lemon, add until you reach the right taste for you!

I served it over some chopped greens, and Dini had it over brown rice but it is intended to be eaten just as a chopped salad.

New camera!

2010-07-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation, I finally bought a new camera. It's nothing that crazy, but a few steps up from my current one. I wanted a bigger camera, like a DSLR, but Dini was concerned that I would never carry it around all the time like I do now. Of course I couldn't just admit that he was right, but after I talked to a few professional photographer friends they all said the same thing: get a high end compact camera. So I bought a Canon PowerShot SX120 IS for less than $200 and LOVE it. I'm glad that I listened to Dini and the photogs!

Down at the shop, a customer's bike and truck.

4th of July!

Lovin the wide angle option!

These last few shots were taken at Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge near my house. It's a pretty cool place in the East Bay to visit. Especially when your power goes out and the lighting is good!

June

2010-07-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

It's funny how so much can happen in one month. June 1st was the high point, June 30th the low. I don't want to get into details about my extreme roller coaster of a life, but here's what we've been up to the last few weeks:

A very close friend of ours got engaged and asked us to be a part of the surprise. He wanted the actual proposal private, but wanted a handful of close friends to be waiting at a bar for a surprise celebration at Swig in San Francisco. She had NO CLUE we were hiding in a private room at the bar and was very surprised. The whole thing was awesome and I am so happy for them. (In case you're wondering, the bar is pretty cool. Drinks are a bit light-on-booze, heavy-on-price side but the place was pretty comfortable, and totally busy on a Sunday night!)

Wall o' booze at Swig (taken from the private room upstairs)

Another shot of the bar

Dini giving a congratulatory kiss to the Groom-to-Be! That's true bromance, folks!

Dini's birthday!! I always ask what dessert he wants for his birthday, and he always requests the same thing: creme brulee. I don't know why I bother asking, but I guess if I don't that will be the one time he wants Tiramisu. So, 10 AM, on his birthday, he rolls out of bed and into the kitchen for a creme brulee. I didn't even have time to brulee it. Obviously, he didn't care. Love the bed head:

We celebrated his birthday by heading out to San Francisco for a movie, dinner and drinks. We saw Exit Through The Gift Shop (excellent - go see it!), had a 7 course Italian dinner at Caesar's and had dessert and drinks at Washington Square Bar & Grill. It was a great day and even better night (even though we had to drop off his cousins in Pacifica - yeah, totally on our way back to the East Bay... ha ha!).

Parking garage fortunes...

Vodka Negroni at Caesar's

FOOD!

The next day we joined the Nearly-weds on their hunt for a venue. Engaged one week and already on the hunt! Anyway, we love a road trip so we joined them down to Santa Cruz, to Los Gatos and then to Livermore. Thank God most of these places were wineries so we could "take a break". I think they settled on Murietta's Well, and it's a nice place, small and intimate with gorgeous views

Where Joaquin Murietta (the Mexican Robin Hood) used to water his horses. I'm pretty sure that fountain with a painting of him on it was not there at the time... although if it was, that's pretty awesome! Just kidding.

The Nearly-weds

So yeah, that's what we've been up to... at least the good stuff. This weekend is my family reunion in San Jose so expect another big post next week.

Sonoma Hillbillies

2010-06-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of months back some friends moved into a new home in Sonoma and this past Saturday we were invited to a birthday BBQ. I rarely get jealous over anything, but sweet-sassy-molassy, I wish I lived in their house.100 year old house surrounded on 2 sides by 120 year old vines... oh, and no neighbors!! After living in what I affectionately call "The Mexican Melrose Place" I could do without some neighbors, stereos and a lot more quiet in my life. (Except when my neighbors hire mariachi bands, then we're all good. But banda music BLASTING all day, everyday? No thanks!)

I named this post Sonoma Hillbillies because we ended up spending most of the day on the front porch shooting shit with BB guns while Sonoma/Napa Valley tourists rode past the house in limos... Hey it was hot and I think we were a bit delirious.

Julian on her amazing front porch.

Front porch and vineyards in the background.

My friend Craig's grandparents are so awesome!

See - awesome! That's Grandma shooting some cans!

Dini & Chief

We still dont know what Craig's aunt was aiming at.

Craig and the 1910 sickle

Birthday wishes (and cupcakes!)

Thanks again to Craig and Julian for the good times. Get the guest room ready, cause I'm coming back soon!!

Strawberries!

2010-06-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

Organic strawberries were on sale yesterday at the store, so I made these:

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes!

You cant see it, but these are filled with mashed and sweetened strawberries... so good!! I used my recipe for Double Vanilla Cupcakes, cut out a cone shaped chunk (cut the pointy tip off), filled and then placed the tops back on. Then I topped the whole thing off with sweetened vanilla whipped cream and a strawberry! It may not feel like summer today, but it sure tastes like it!

Oh, hey...

2010-06-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Just released, look who was interviewed for VonEtte Magazine!

Baseball Game Etiquette

2010-06-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended my second Giants game of the season (both times they lost, maybe I should stay home?) and I noticed that people have turned into complete assholes and have lost all respect for fellow attendees. So I put together a list of dos and donts:

1. DO show up early. Stadiums are big and unless you're a season ticket holder you wont know where your seats are. But that's OK - the stadium employs these rad people called ushers. Ask them for help and they will walk you to your row like a celebrity. Also, if you show up early, you can get your food, do a little shopping, walk around, locate the nearest bathrooms, and take your pics without disturbing others. Stadiums usually open 2 hours before the start of the game and that's plenty of time to figure it all out and not feel rushed.

Todd Wellemeyer, Matt Cain & Sergio Romo, taken during warm-up. Before the game.

2. DON'T stand up in the middle of the game to take pics. You are blocking the view of others. I paid for a ticket to watch a baseball game. I am here to watch the game, not to watch you take pics for Facebook.
3. DO get up between innings to get your food, beer, go on bathroom breaks, etc. DON'T get up in the middle of a play. That's rude.
4. DO apologize if you're rude. It goes a long way.
5. DO bring your kids, IF they enjoy baseball. DON'T bring your infant or a kid who doesn't care about the game. If you spend more time changing diapers and soothing a restless baby than you do enjoying the game, YOU WASTED YOUR MONEY. And yes, you are pissing off everyone in your row, and the rows above you, every time you have to get up. Stay at home or get a sitter.

An example of a well behaved kid at a game. He sat quietly and WATCHED the game. He was more well behaved than some of the adults in the area! Good job, Breeder!

6. DON'T talk endlessly during the game. I don't want to know about your work issues or your family/social drama during the game. You can do that for free at your local coffee shop at any other time of your life.

7. DO tell your party that you are going to make a beer/food run at the end of the inning. DO take their order or ask someone from your party to assist you. DON'T stand up, walk to the aisle and then yell back across the crowd "I'm going to get more beer, do you guys want anything?" because yes, they do and it's distracting and rude to everyone else around you.

8. DON'T act like drunken cast members of the Jersey Shore. You will get kicked out, as I witnessed before the 2nd inning was even over . With the advent of technology, attendees can text "SECURITY" to stadium staff and they will be in your section faster than Andres Torres can run the bases. (I don't know if that's an exclusive feature at AT&T Park, I didn't see that at Oakland Coliseum.) If all you wanted to do was get drunk, go to a bar or stay home. It's cheaper anyway (for the price of one beer at a stadium, you could buy a six pack).

9. DO keep your ticket in your pocket at all times. The ushers wont let you back into your section without verifying that you belong there.

With the cost of going to a game, I am really surprised that people are this rude. Even with cheap seats you could easily spend over $100 for 2 adults. So, if you find yourself going to a game soon, please remember the dos and donts and more importantly, remember that you are not the only one at the game. Be nice.

RIP Dennis Hopper

2010-05-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

No one could deliver swear words like you! A true legendary, bad-ass actor!

Eagle Field - Fresno Drags Reunion

2010-05-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

The little drag racing event that turned into a MONSTER!!

This last Saturday, Dini and I headed out to the valley (outskirts of Dos Palos & Firebaugh) for what I thought was going to be a small drag racing event. WRONG! But despite the dirt, wind, dirty-wind, dust storms, and some general unorganized-ness, the event was fun. I'm sure that if you were racing, it was even more fun - $20 to race all day, and you're only limited to your car's performance. There didnt seem to be any real rules, outside of obvious safety rules. It was a typical 'run-what-you-brung' event. They let the mini-bikes race. And even a pedal bike against a mini-bike. He did pretty well keeping up!

I think the unorganized part came from the fact that this is their 2nd race and I highly doubt they were expecting a crowd this huge. There must have been about 200 cars for the race/show, and who knows how many spectators... maybe 1000?! Hopefully, they can work out the kinks for the next event on October.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

2010-05-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

So delicious...

Thanks to my Aunt Irma and her wonderful friends, Debbie and Teresa, I have an amazing recipe for carrot cake. I would share, but it's not mine... sorry Charlie! Guess you'll just have to come over and eat one instead!

**And yes, I really did shave a carrot and tie knots out of the strands.

Cupcakes and Drag Racing

2010-05-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I had planned on making Tres Leche Cupcakes without realizing that Cinco de Mayo was today... oh well. I seriously did not plan it, but I guess my beaner half knew better. Anyways, they came out great but I want to work on the frosting.

For my birthday, Dini and I had some amazing Tres Leche cake at Espetus in SF but the frosting was not the usual whipped cream, it was this amazing marshmallow cream and made the whole thing just that much better. Sounds weird, I know, but maybe it's a Brazilian thing? I dont know... I tried to recreate that, but it's not the same. I guess I'll have to make this again.

Last weekend Dini and I took off to watch some old school drag racing at Dragfest in lovely McFarland, Ca. I had been to the first Dragfest and had a BLAST (Dini couldn't make it, had to work). There weren't a lot of people, the weather was hot (I love the heat) and the best part was, of course, the cars. So many dragsters, sling shots, hot rods, altereds, funny cars and even a top fueler. But the best part was that each car could make several passes in one day, which if you've ever been to a huge nostalgia drag racing event, you get like 1 pass down the quarter mile. I didn't make last year's event because it was rained out. So, needless to say I was excited to go this last weekend.

While mapping our trip, I stumbled across this website Roadside America and found some pretty cool places to check out along the drive. We drove through a small stretch of Highway 33 into Coalinga, Ca and found the Iron Zoo all along the highway. The Iron Zoo are old oil pumps that are painted to look like animals. Pretty cool, but I didn't get to take any pics! I was driving and the oil pumps are a ways from the road. But once we made it into Coalinga, I did get to see this:

A fully restored 1934 Richfield Gas Station. This is as close as I got (I had to stick my camera through the fence) because you have to schedule an appointment to get past the fence. Whatever, Coalinga.

We then made it to our hotel, the brand new Best Western in Wasco, Ca. Yeah, Wasco. I dont even know where to begin with this town. There isn't much there but a prison, K-Mart and they're apparently known for their pastrami? Very weird.

Anyways, on to Saturday - we get to the races and proceed to have a mediocre time. Seriously. There were so many shitty cars that kept breaking down, leaking oil all down the track and every time they have to clean the track it takes them about 30 minutes to do it. So imagine that happening SEVEN times in the SEVEN hours that you're there. ANNOYING. I did take some pics of the cars that were lined up waiting to race... poor guys.

Top Fueler:

This wagon was hauling some ass!! I wish I could remember his time... sorry!

This pic would be so much better if that truck wasn't there...

And this pic pretty much sums up the whole day:

Waiting sucks...

La Mission

2010-04-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Saw La Mission last night. Really good movie, now it's your turn - go see it.

Yes, I'm alive, update galore...

2010-04-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

So yeah, buncha stuff going on right now. I was sick, job hunting like a mad woman (no luck), baking, social butterfly-ing (is that a word?). I made cupcakes last week and just didn't have the time to post about it. I had some friends request something with Nutella, so I made these just for them:

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream and topped with toasted hazelnuts

Which worked out well, since I needed to work on a Devil's Food cake recipe. This one's pretty good, a bit crumbly, but good flavor. I also need to work on my carrot cake... a friend has requested some carrot cake cupcakes for a baby show. So if any of you readers have a good recipe, please share!!

Anyways, while I was nursing a nasty sinus infection, it seemed like I had more to do (socially) than normal:

04/09 - My old friend Devon Blood's art show at Old Crow Tattoo in Oakland. If you're not familiar with his story, check his website and get familiar. After the art show, Dini and I checked out the new bar Heart and Dagger Saloon and loved it. They have a huge backyard and hopefully, come summertime, they'll have some BBQs. And maybe, just maybe, all the hipsters will stay away and the vibe will stay awesome! One can dream...

04/10-04/11 - Santa Cruz weekend with my friend Bonnie. She was running a marathon and I went to cheer her on (I only run when someone is chasing me!). However, the rain only allowed me to cheer from inside the super rad beach house we stayed at:

My view from inside:

Not bad, right? Before all the rain started I was able to hit one of my favorite stores, Idle Hands and do a little damage. Then we had dinner with my friend Darryl at a cute Tiki restaurant Hula's Island Grill. If you find yourself in Santa Cruz, check it out - really good food. I hear the drinks are good, but I stayed away... antibiotics are a killjoy, right?

04/13 - Faith No More at the Warfield. Amazing show... people are still talking about it. Seriously.

04/16 - Took Dini to go see Deadbolt at The Uptown in Oakland. Great venue, but Deadbolt sucked that night. I don't know if it was The Uptown's fault or if the band just didn't have it together. Anyways, we left halfway through their set. They usually put on a good show, so that was a bummer.

04/17 - Dini and I went to go see our friends, The Sore Thumbs play at Thee Parkside in SF. I love these guys. Even if they weren't friends, I'd still go to see them play.

04/18 - Dini and I woke up to a rad sunny day so we packed up and headed back to SF for a day doing whatever we felt like, which ended up being mostly eating... ice cream at Humphry Slocombe; I got Olive Oil - my favorite, Dini got Balsamic Caramel (gross) and Prosciutto (yum). Then Maple Bacon Lattes at Pirate Cat Radio Cafe. Yes, Maple Bacon Lattes. Then cheese pupusas, a nice walk around the neighborhood in the afternoon sun and we took the long way home to enjoy the ride.

We had so much fun we decided to re-do the day this past Sunday with some friends. It was even better! We planned a loose adventure day and basically our only rule was wherever we could find parking is where we got out and found places to eat, have coffee, cocktails, etc, etc. It definitely turned out to be an interesting day since everyone was in the city (nice weather, Giant's game) but we had a blast. I even got to see some Banksy artwork in the Mission:

And speaking of the Mission, we're on our way to go see La Mission tonight. I'll let you know how it is...

Whew... yeah, that's a lot of stuff going on. And I have a big plans for this weekend. Thank God I'm feeling better!

Cupcakes and Allergies

2010-04-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

So I missed my opportunity on Wednesday to post, then yesterday all hell broke loose with my allergies. I'm still not feeling very well, but I have so much planned this weekend I am debating whether or not I am going to allow myself sick time. I dont want to, and I feel better today but... what if it turns into a full blown sinus infection? There's no way to tell. I must keep pushing on.

Anyways, like I said last post, I made the Breakfast Cupcake: Butter Cake, Maple Buttercream and Bacon.

I used Strauss butter again and the cake came out so light and fluffy. Yeah, the cupcakes are probably about 500 calories each but it's worth it, right? Yeah, I thought so!

Going a little old school...

2010-03-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

After trying all these cupcake recipes I have found that people really gravitate towards classic flavors. Sometimes I try a new recipe, like the Tangerine-Wildflower Honey ones I did a couple of weeks ago and I get a good response, other times, people are scared. Case in point, the Breakfast Cupcake (not to be confused with a muffin!):

Butter Cake with Maple Buttercream and BACON!!

Some people were really thrown off by the bacon addition. Like, you can eat bacon for breakfast with pancakes and syrup, but not on a cupcake! How insane! Haha! Trust me, it's good. Lots of people do it... I just do it better! Actually, I'm going to be making these again for a friend soon, so if you're in the East Bay area make sure you stop by.

Anyway, like I said, people really like classic flavors so I am taking this notion and running with it. I need to work on some classics anyway, like a fudge icing. I did a lot of research to find a good recipe, but it still didn't turn out like I wanted. I think it may have been the fact that I used really good butter. I used Strauss Family Creamery Butter which has an 85% butterfat content. Amazing stuff, but I think that may have been too much because the icing was really oily. Not what I wanted, at all. But all hope was not lost, I just added some extra ingredients and turned the whole thing into an amazing fudge. Mmmmm, fudge.

So, feeling a little defeated I put the topless Vanilla Bean cupcakes away until today. I started over again, this time forfeiting the recipes and going by look, mouth feel and of course, taste! What I created is what I am now calling a "Fudge Buttercream". It has that fudge taste, but a much lighter texture than real fudge. Not exactly what I wanted, but, delicious nonetheless. And very rich!

Cute papers, huh? Found them at Raley's, on sale! Now I need to go back and buy up all the rest!

So it looks like I will have to keep working on that Fudge Icing recipe... but I have a feeling no one will complain!

Grandma Elvira

2010-03-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

My Grandma has been in the hospital since early December and yesterday morning she took her last breath. Like my cousin Marissa said, I knew she was very sick and she wouldn't be around for much longer, but the shock of it still hurts.

Over the last few months I spent some time with her in the hospital, doing the small things to make her comfortable, holding her hand, applying chapstick and giving her "un poquito" amounts of water or ice chips. I even got her to laugh a few times. When she did, I asked her when was the last time she laughed? She just looked at me and didn't answer. It broke my heart.

As I spent the last few days of her life with her, holding her hands, my thoughts raced about all the things she has done in her life. I looked at her hands and remembered, like so many of my cousins, the food she prepared for us over the years. Her food was notoriously the best Mexican food, hands down, ever. Even Willie Nelson loved her beans! (My uncle, Abe, who worked at a radio station in Arizona had met Willie Nelson and invited him over for dinner). I thought about her handmade tortillas, teaching me how to make tamales, how to use her molcajete, and chorizo & eggs for breakfast.

I thought about all the hard work she has done and how I'm not sure I could ever do the things she had to in her life. Over the last few years, I had made it a point to spend time with her and ask her questions about her life. I asked my Grandma about how Grandpa proposed, about her wedding, and what did she want to be when she was a little girl? That last question kind of confused her. She told me that she didn't have time to think about such things, that there was to much work to do. You just worked, there was no time for daydreaming. After my grandparents got married, they started having children right away. My Grandpa, being a hard worker, was a typical migrant farm worker traveling from the border of Mexico and Texas all the way up to South Dakota to sheer sheep, and then back to the Bay Area in the summertime to pick fruit. Sometimes my Grandma went with him, sometimes she stayed behind to take care of the children. Her response was, "That's just what we did". To make ends meet she would pick up housekeeping jobs here and there, like the time she worked at the SF Giants spring training camp in Arizona and got to meet Willie Mays. She was an incredibly hard working woman; doing the laundry, hanging it out to dry, sewing dresses for her girls out of cotton flour sacks, making breakfast, lunch and dinner, cleaning the house, and working on the farm itself. All while raising 8 kids! Yeah, 8! She never had a car, and never drove a day in her life. She relied on rides from my Grandpa, friends and neighbors, buses or just walked.

As I think about her life and how hard she worked, I am not surprised by how much of a fighter she was during her last days. I miss her so much, but I know that she will live on in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved her. To my Abuela, I love you. May you you receive the peace you so greatly deserve.

Elvira, Christmas 2008 - the last Christmas I got to spend with her.

Grandpa and Grandma, Christmas 2008

It's still citrus season!

2010-03-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

So I made these:

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with a Tangerine-Wildflower Honey Frosting.

It's getting close...

2010-02-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

I can barely contain my excitement. 9 more days till I'm high on nitro fumes...

Photo from Bangshift.com

Anniversary Snack-Fest!!

2010-02-22T16:58:00.000-08:00

Well, you know where we went and you know what we did, so I'll just get down to it.

First stop, Boccalone for some Tasty Salted Pig Parts! Hey - it's their slogan! We had to start with their world-famous Salumi Cones. Yes, cones of MEAT!! I have no idea what we ate, aside from the obvious Prosciutto, but I dont care. It was delicious. And I want more

Sad, empty cones...

Boccalone's Muffuletta: Mortadella, Cotto, Salame and Provolone with Giardiniera Tapenade

AKA, the BEST Muffuletta I have ever had

Cute t-shirts

Black Olive and Caper Pate. So, so good.

Wanna grow your own mushroms? You can buy this mushroom 'tree' for $19.99 from Far West Fungi.

Did you say organic HOT DOG? I'm there...

Dini and I halved it, but well worth the $5. I love hot dogs. I'll be back for more!

Olive Oil Ice Cream from McEvoy Ranch. Sadly, you couldn't buy any, it was a new product from some other company, but used their olive oil to make it. It was surprisingly good.

Fresh Blue Bottle Coffee brewing just for me... OK, for whoever ordered it. I'll be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with their regular coffee, it was just OK. Better than Starbucks - duh. Better than my beloved Peet's - NO WAY. Maybe it was the roast? I like a strong, bold coffee and I dont know what they were serving on Friday, but it seemed kinda weak.. However, their cappuccino was superb.

Oh yeah, our friend Jay was out visiting us from North Carolina so we dragged him along with us. The more the merrier!

Sweets time!! We stopped at Miette, an absolutely adorable organic pastry shop. Aren't these so cute? And they were actually REALLY good. I'm going to be working on my Italian meringue very, very soon.

Miette also had these tiny lil Caramel Panna Cottas. I think it could have used just a touch more sweetness, but still delicious.

Then we hopped on an old trolley from Melbourne and headed over to North Beach. See, our friend Jay is originally from Boston, where they have the best cannoli (Mike's Pastry) but the last time he was here he ran across this Italian pastry shop in North Beach and said they had a cannoli that was very close to Mike's.The only problem was, was that he could not remember the name. He said he would know it when he saw it... no matter, it would give us a chance to walk off what we just ate.

Then we found it... Mara's Italian Pastries. This is just their window display. I couldn't get any pics of the inside because it was so packed!

Their cannoli are definitely a runner up to Mike's. It's nice to know that we have something similar near by. Although, I hear that Stella's Pastry across the street has better cannoli. Looks like another trip will be planned soon!

We ended our trip by stopping at Caesar's Italian Restaurant where Dini's grandparents had their anniversary dinner every year from 1956 (when they opened) until 2000, when Grampy passed away. It was a really sweet way to end the day!

10 Years of Marriage

2010-02-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe that tomorrow is my 10 year wedding anniversary. Time really does fly!

I know that 10 years isn't really a HUGE deal. I mean, 25, 50, 75, etc - those are big deals, but what is amazing to me, is that I got married at 21 and am still married. Looking back, 21 is pretty young to be making a life long decision. What the hell did I know back than? Nothing really, except I was in love... cue the songbirds! It's a huge gamble to get married so young. Hey - are YOU the same person you were when you were 21? Chances are, NO!

But, we managed to make it to here, 10 years after saying "I do". And I wouldn't change a thing. Except, maybe get a prenup. Kidding!

Oh yeah, and you know how we're celebrating? We are going to the Ferry Building Market Place in San Francisco. We're starting at one end and snacking our way to the other. Acme Bread Company, Cowgirl Creamery cheese, Boccalone meats, Blue Bottle coffee, Hog Island Oysters! It's gonna take all day, but I think we'll make it. Wish us luck! And yes, I'll be taking a lot of pics!

C'mon, you know the saying...

2010-02-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

When life hands you lemons... make cupcakes! And a lemon tart. And whatever is left over, make some lemonade and add vodka! Sure, you deserve it! Especially when they're Meyer lemons. A friend of mine has a tree in her apartment courtyard just bursting with lemons right now and she told me that if I didn't come rescue them and give 'em a purpose, they would just die. Right there on the tree... how sad. So, I went and got a huge bag. Then I made these:

Meyer Lemon Cake filled with Lemon Cream, frosted with Vanilla Bean Buttercream and topped with Meyer Lemon Zest.

The recipe for the cake was good, a little time consuming though since I had to put the batter together, then whip up some egg whites and fold that into the batter. Whipping the egg whites today seemed a bit tricky since the humidity was a little high this AM. I had to wait it out and watch the weather report ALL DAY to see if the pressure was rising and about what time the humidity would drop to optimal levels. For the record, it's between 50-70%, but 50-60% is better. I whipped mine at 64% and they came out beautiful.

I still have half a bag of lemons so I'm going to make my mom a lemon tart for this weekend. She loves lemons as much as I do. I think I may get another bag from my friend and make homemade lemoncello! Ohhhh, yeah! LEMON!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes!

2010-01-14T08:56:00.000-08:00

Red Velvet Cake...
Never in my life have I run across a cake with so much controversy and mysterious beginnings. Was it invented in the 1920's or the 1940's? And where did it come from? I've heard everything from Canada to Kansas, the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, or that it's simply a Southern specialty. I mean, I see Red Velvet Cake at almost every southern soul food and/or BBQ joint from here to North Cackalacky (that's North Carolina for those of you who don't know), so is it possible that it truly is a Southern dessert and not a Yankee dessert like so many people believe? I dont know... my people are from South of the Border, our specialty is chocolate and vanilla (you're welcome world!).

I've only tasted Red Velvet three times in my life and baked it once. Boy, was I hit with opinions on that trial! But, since I love constructive criticism I asked probably more questions about a recipe than I ever have before. I also had friends generously offer up their grandmother's and great-grandmother's recipes (one was from "Granny Helen"... I wonder who's recipe I used!). I researched a bunch of recipes to find a common ingredient or ingredients. Let me tell you, there is nothing 'common' about Red Velvet. The bases range from butter, shortening or margarine or sometimes a combo of two or all three. Some call for buttermilk, some don't. Some call for more cocoa, or more vanilla. I think the only common ingredient in all the recipes were the eggs! Not even the flour was the same (all-purpose or cake flour? Or perhaps pasty flour?) And lets not get started on the frosting... cream cheese or butter roux? Ugh...

The research became too much. I decided to throw caution to the wind... just like planning a wedding, I'm not going to please everybody. I decided to follow Granny Helen's recipe for the cake and wouldn't she be proud! I used my own recipe for a vanilla cream cheese frosting.

The response has been good so far. Everyone has liked them. I haven't heard one bad review, but then again, I haven't heard anyone exclaim "OH MY GOD!" either. I'm sorry I cannot post the recipe, I've been sworn to secrecy. But alas, I will be making some minor adjustments to that recipe. I like a bit more of a cocoa and vanilla flavor (it's a South of the Border thing).

And so the controversy continues!

Smoking and stress, or actually, stress and smoking

2009-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Smoking. I used to enjoy it. As gross as that sounds, I really did. Back in early November I decided that I was done, I wanted to quit because, point blank, it was no longer enjoyable for me. I started to realize just how much of my time (and huge amounts of cash!!) are being wasted on cigarettes. Also, I felt like a big ol hypocrite sucking down cigarettes when I am working out and trying to eat better, all the while silently justifying to myself that my cigarettes are "all natural"... Ha! I know, I know. What can I say, I'm a smoker!

So I made the decision. I made the deadline. December 6th (the day after my birthday and celebrations) I would quit. It started out quite easy for me the first day. But I said to myself, (and I know how horrible this sounds) I just knew someone I know is going to die and it's going to throw me for a loop in this department. I also said to myself, I know all hell's going to break loose while I'm trying to quit smoking.

Now, I hope that I didn't will anything to happen, but it all came true. A family member passed away. My car broke down. A fight here and there with the husband. Frustration with some family members because they do not accept, nor are they willing to understand that I cannot be everywhere they want me to be. Letters from unemployment sent from the feds as scare tactics (a paper trail they said, just ignore it!). Getting rejection letters, and still trying to find a job, any job. Our Boston Terrier gets sick, and $200 later no one knows what's wrong with her, but now she's fine... And more! Let's just say my emotions are every which way right now.

I broke down. I bought a pack of cigarettes. I started smoking again. I'm ashamed.

Who knew that all of this was going to happen in the 2 weeks since I quit? I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I figured it would be easier for me since I wanted to quit... yeah right! So I've set a new goal, January 1st, 2010. I will try again. Maybe this time I'll get some gum or the patch. Wish me luck.

Baking trip, Peanut Butter Cupcakes and Thanksgiving AKA a long post!

2009-11-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

About a month back my aunt offered me a trip up north to bake cupcakes for her. She had been seeing pictures of my cupcakes on my facebook and had to have them. I bought Dini a ticket and we were set to hang out in the Northwest. Before I left, my mom talked about my aunt's new kitchen, she kept going on and on about how amazing it is. I said, OK. She said, "No, you don't understand". Yeah, she was right. When we got to my aunt's house I was blown away. There are so many details and hidden treasures, it was amazing. Everything was different (different woods, colors, drawer knobs, etc) but everything flowed. I hope someday I can have a kitchen like that! Here are some pics (sorry some are slightly blurry, I got so excited I forgot to change some of my camera settings)...

So that's what it looked like before, and here's what it looked like during the baking session:

And the end results:

But I have to say, cooking in that kitchen was not a chore! Whenever I buy a house, I'm calling my aunt to design my kitchen.

The rest of the trip was amazing too. We basically ate our way through Portland. Portland is really awesome, laid back and a food lover's city. When I bought Dini's ticket I knew that he would love it. He was reluctant at first (workaholics usually are when it comes to vacations) but by the time we were coming home he was already planning a trip back!

In Portland we tried two cupcake places; Cupcake Jones and Saint Cupcake. I guess if you like dry, synthetic flavors you would love these places. But, I do have to say that they inspired me. If those cupcakes sell, and apparently people like them, *EW* then mine will fly out the door. I don't like to toot my own horn ever, but after this weekend and the positive responses I got from everyone, I think I really have something here. I think it's time to see where this could go... so naturally, I came home and started baking. I made Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes:

Peanut Butter Cake with mini Reese's PB Cups inside and Dark Chocolate Buttercream.
They were so good... and I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter.

Now on to Thanksgiving... Dini & I decided to do Thanksgiving with his family because his baby sister from LA was coming up. Which, of course means that the middle sister and her family will be there. I've already talked about my past experiences with my in-laws and yesterday was like a repeat... it's my own personal Groundhog Day. Right before we got there I told Dini, "Ten bucks your middle sister grabs my hair and says something like 'look at this long hair' or 'you need to cut this hair'. And sure enough, I was right. I dont mind people making a comment about my hair. I guess it's unusual for someone to have really long hair... whatever. But how many times in 5.5 hours can you talk about how long my hair is? And how many times are you going to touch it and play with it? I'm not a doll. AH!! So then the topic of conversation naturally goes to tattoos... and we've been here before people. Ask me if I have anything new. Do I answer 'No'? Then leave it alone. Stop insisting that that you've never seen this one or that one. Seriously - Groundhog Day! At least we had beer this time. I didn't ask how alcohol was permitted in the house, nor did I care... that sweet bubbly nectar saved me yesterday.... Ugh, I should have gone to my family's Thanksgiving dinner. Next year.

Food

2009-11-12T09:17:00.001-08:00

WARNING: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and this is my blog so I'm going to state my opinion. If you want to add your opinion, you can do so in the comments section. I am a mature and most importantly, a respectful adult so I allow any and all opinions. If you think I'm a hippy, then say so... I've got the long hair!

I watched this movie last night, Food, Inc. and I was BLOWN AWAY.

I don't want to go into detailed specifics about the movie, I want you to watch it so that you can come up with your own ideas. I also don't want to go into specifics because I don't want to get sued... watch the movie and you will see what I'm talking about!

Before watching this movie I had some idea about the foods I was eating. I knew that grass-fed beef was better for me and most importantly, I like the taste better! I knew that food items containing high fructose corn syrup weren't good for me. I knew that supporting local farmers is good for everyone. And I know that sometimes, when money is tight, I don't have a lot of options. That's the part that really hits home with me. Why is it that I can feed both my husband and I for less than $15 on fast food, but if I buy food for one meal to cook at home that is grass-fed, free-range, sustainable, hormone free and not genetically altered it costs me around $40? Why is that? Why have we, as a country, allowed this to happen? It seems like big business is in the way of 'our way of life'. I know it sounds cheesy and corny, but when I think about all the people I know who have health problems it's not cheesy anymore. When I was in school, I knew one kid who had diabetes. And I'm talking one kid throughout my K-12 history. Now, I know plenty of children with diabetes. It saddens me. Is it genetics? Or is it the food we eat? I'm not a scientist and I don't have any hard facts, so do your own research...

During the movie, someone mentioned that we should try to eat things that are grown within a 100 miles of us. And in season - duh! Living in the Bay Area, we are spoiled because we can actually do this and eat pretty well. Will it be expensive? Sure. But then I think about people like my brother and his family. They live in the middle of Cali surrounded by farms... but guess what? There are no farmer's markets where he lives! These are big business farms who don't sell to the consumer directly. My brother is forced to go to the local grocery store, of which there is only one. Not a lot of choices there. They are forced to buy things that are trucked in and trucked in from other countries, no less!! I think about the avocados that I eat. California grows a lot of avocados... no, I mean A LOT. So why are the avos in the store from Chile?

I think about people in this country who do not have the same access to locally grown, healthy food and it makes me sad. A basic tool for life is food. And we can't get healthy food. It's crazy.

I think (and hope!) that as consumers, if we knew what we were eating, how the animals were treated, how the workers were treated and what chemicals were being used, we could make better decisions. I know that, although it may be hard, and there will be times when I don't have a choice, I want to know where did this steak come from? Where did these eggs come from? Where were these veggies grown? And how? I'm not going to give up eating meat... I love it too much, but can I request a happy cow? Giving up meat isn't the answer either. I can tell you that after I watched the movie, I wont be buying any soy products until certain business practices are stopped. All those vegans need to stop talking shit about how animals are treated and that meat is murder... Let's talk about how the farmers who grow your soy beans are treated! Look into it for yourself and you might feel the same. Of course, you might not. I'm not trying to sway anyone, just trying to give you something to think about. You may think that I'm full of shit, and maybe that's true. But, it's my money I'm spending and I don't have to spend it with businesses who can't or wont tell me the details. After watching this movie I learned that, as a consumer, I have a lot more power than I thought.

If you like this post and want to learn more, check out these other things:

MOVIES
Food, Inc. - lots of links and things to check out.
King Corn - crazy good movie! Watch it and learn how YOU are made of corn! Ahhh... we are all Children of the Corn! Also, a ton of good links listed.

WEBSITES
Eat Well Guide - a guide that can help you narrow your search for farmer's markets, farmers themselves, restaurants, etc...
Food Routes - pretty self explanatory!
Eat Wild - grass-fed beef guide
Hungry for Change - if you are a parent (or you just care about food), you might want to check this one out and sign the petition.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes...YUM!

2009-11-04T17:36:00.001-08:00

Cupcake Wednesday is here again!
So, after all the posts I have made on my facebook in regards to my cupcakes, my aunt has asked me to come up to her house in Washington to bake. I've heard rumors from my mom and other aunts that her new kitchen is to-die-for, so I said, what the hell... lets do it! I remember her old kitchen and was impressed, so I'm curious to know what the remodeled version looks like.
I asked her what kind of cupcakes she wants and she said as long as I make the Tiramisu cupcakes, she doesn't care. Well, I'm not flying all the way there to only make one kind... although, I'm trying to figure out what she will do with all the leftovers (cupcake bath?). Ha!
Anyways, I wanted to work on a really good, dark chocolate cake because I know she loves chocolate. I bought a new cocoa (like I needed a new one) for a new recipe. This cocoa is almost black and much darker than my already dark, dutch processed cocoa. The results? AH-MAZING! So if you're looking for an inexpensive, good, dark cocoa, that you can pick up right now, get Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa... which is more readily available than the coveted King Arthur Flour's Double Dutch Cocoa, or even their Black Cocoa... crazy!

I liked the recipe, but I wish it was a bit more dense. I'll play with the recipe more before I leave, but overall, I think she will really like this cake. Good flavor, good texture.

(This kind of looks like an egg, no?)

To balance out the dark chocolate flavor, I wanted something with a bit more bite than regular buttercream. I made a vanilla cream cheese frosting and topped it off with a dollop of Sweet Orange Marmalade. Then, Gordon reminded me that not everyone likes marmalade (him, specifically) so he requested some plain ones with just the cream cheese frosting. Both are really good (yes, I ate 2, actually 3 - once to taste the cake and then again for each topping... I'll work out for 1/2 hour longer tomorrow, I swear!)

So for the next few weeks, I'll be working on my recipes, getting excited, gathering a list of supplies that I'll need, getting excited and trying to figure out a way to get my special ingredients up there... I guess the easiest way is to ship it. I don't want to check a small box on the plane, then it wind up getting lost. That would SUCK!!

Cupcakes!

2009-10-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't post this last night, got really busy towards the end of the day...

So I have this recipe for a chocolate flour-less cake that I used to make back when I was a chef, it's called Fallen Angel Cake with Sinful Whipped Cream and it's so good. The sinful part comes from the fact that there is bourbon in the whipped cream. So I wanted to make something similar, but in cupcake form.

I made these little booze-laden treasures yesterday. I am pretty pleased with the turnout of the whipped cream frosting (I used Knob Creek Bourbon Whiskey) but I think the cake needs to be more dense. The cake was light and fluffy, but I think it needs to be more like a brownie consistency. Oh well, there's always next time!

On a side note - I'm having trouble trying to figure out what to make for Halloween. I was thinking some kind of pumpkin cake with chocolate buttercream, or cinnamon cream cheese... or red velvet since it would look like a "bloody cake". Then I thought, I could try to make a caramel apple cupcake. I thought I would saute the apples beforehand like the Bananas Foster cupcakes, mix into a batter, then use a caramel buttercream to top it off. But then, would it be like a caramel apple? I mean, the whole wonderfulness of a caramel apple is the bite and tartness of the apple. Maybe if I slice the apples real thin, put on the bottom, then put batter on top?
Hmmm, I dont know... I can't seem to figure it out. Of course, if my friend places an order for that same weekend, I might not make any for Halloween. I don't have enough space!! We'll see.

Cupcake Wednesday!

2009-10-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Short post (my allergies are killing me!) but today I made Banana's Foster Cupcakes with a Rum Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream...

I basically made a banana cake, but before I added the bananas I sauteed them in the same way you would actually make Banana's Foster. This made the bananas so good and it really carried a lot of the flavor into the cake batter. And the frosting is soooo good. Just a hint of cinnamon really made the difference. Enjoy!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Blackberry-Cream Cheese Buttercream!

2009-10-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

I was in Marshall's the other day looking for a cheap, small casserole dish when I spotted some vanilla extracts from the Sonoma Syrup Company. They were blends & super cheap, so I had to purchase. They are both Madagascar Bourbon and Tahitian Vanilla blends, however one is called a 'Crush' because it has beans in the extract. They both smell so delish! Tahitian Vanilla, if you've never had it/smelled it, is more fruity and sweet when compared to Madagascar Bourbon alone. And at $12.99 for 8oz it's worth a try. Usually I pay $9.99 for a 4oz bottle of Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar Bourbon extract. I just hope that I can go back to Marshall's and buy the remaining extracts considering that they retail for $19.95 a bottle! So if you see these bottles of extracts and they're less than retail, BUY THEM! You wont be sorry.

So, since I have new extracts I wanted to remake that vanilla batter I made a few weeks ago.

OH MAN... the new vanilla made a huge difference. Exactly what I wanted. Sweet, fragrant and damn near perfect. To top it off, I wanted to go in a different direction than just vanilla buttercream. Since I'm having a hard time letting go of summer, I made a Blackberry-Cream Cheese Buttercream (made with Blackberry preserves). I think it compliments the fruitiness of the Tahitian Vanilla really well.

Since the cake came out so well I wanted to share the recipe for both the cake and the buttercream.

Vanilla Cupcakes
(Yields 32-34 regular cupcakes)

Ingredients:
3 cups + 4 TBS all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups + 2 TBS sugar
2 eggs + 4 egg whites
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tsps vanilla extract (Tahitian Vanilla or blend preferred)
1 whole vanilla bean

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven preheats cut open and scrape out the seeds of a vanilla bean. Place the seeds, empty bean, and the milk into a small saucepan. Heat to just under a simmer for a few minutes being careful not to scald the milk. Remove from heat and allow the milk to steep and cool. (Be sure to remove the bean after it cools. Wash it and then place it out to dry so it can be used again.)

2. Beat the butter for about 3 minutes on medium speed, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for 30 seconds. Add the egg whites, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds each.

3. In one bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another whisk together the vanilla steeped milk, vanilla extract, and sour cream.

4. Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter sugar egg mixture in alternating additions (dry-wet-dry method), starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined being sure to not over beat.

5. Divide the batter into cupcake papers in a muffin tin and bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Be sure to keep a close eye as these can get over baked quickly. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Frost when cooled.

Blackberry-Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
(Yields just enough to frost cupcakes above)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
4 oz (half package) cream cheese
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup blackberry preserves
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Place the butter and cream cheese in a bowl and whip together until creamy.
2. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix until well combined.
3. Add the blackberry preserves and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Can be refrigerated overnight and re-whipped prior to frosting.

Enjoy!!

I need to motor...

2009-09-29T15:20:00.001-07:00

I don't know why, maybe it's the sudden change in weather, but I want to take a road trip to the desert right now. I want to be looking at this..

In the past week, Palm Springs and Joshua Tree have come up so many times in magazines, conversations, etc ... I think it's a sign I need to go. Hopefully I can make it before the weather gets too cold down south.

Rant of the day...

2009-09-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

I find myself once again actually talking to morons via email thanks to craigslist.

I posted an ad on craigslist to help find Pontiac's owner/s last night. Last time I did this I received emails from people who wanted to take the dog if I could not find the owners. I also received 2 emails from good citizens who asked me not to surrender the dog to the pound, but place him with an adoption agency. I replied to the good citizens with a "you don't have to worry, I would never do that" type of email. I also replied back to the people looking to take the dog with "if the owners do not come forward, you can try adopting the dog from ___ agency".

So, this time around, I thought I would beat everyone to the punch by placing a disclaimer at the bottom of the ad:
**PLEASE NOTE: If you are NOT the owner, please do not contact me about taking the chihuahua if an owner does not come forward. If the owner does not come forward I will be surrendering to an adoption agency! Thank you for your time.

So I thought I had all my bases covered... until I received this little gem of an email:
"Thats a little hypocritical if you can't find the owners you would give it to an adoption agency where it may or may not find a good home and could possibly end up euthanized!"

Really? I'll bet this person actually goes to protests and "stands up" for shit they don't even know anything about... What a moron! What makes people speak, or defend subjects they know nothing about? I don't go around telling parents how to raise their children. I know nothing about raising kids, so I keep my mouth shut. Anyways, I had to reply... I just had to:
"Actually, it's not hypocritical at all. But because you are uneducated on the subject, you made a quick judgment that is far from correct.

An adoption agency (also known as a RESCUE ORGANIZATION) saves animals and places them in a home. They go through a very rigorous screening process to find a good home for animals who are in need. You are thinking of THE POUND. Pounds, or city run animal shelters, are the places where they euthanize animals if an owner does not come forward. Sometimes pounds, or city run animal shelters will try to work with a rescue group to help save any animal before being put down.

No adoption agency, or rescue group, EVER euthanizes an animal if they cannot find a home. THAT would be hypocritical. If they do, then they are practicing illegally. If you know of such a group, you should report them to the ASPCA. I have worked with an adoption agency who follows all the rules and places pets in a home for life. And if the new owners are unable to keep the pets, for whatever reason, they sign a contract stating that they must surrender the pet back to the agency. The only time an animal is put down, is when the animal is too sick, there is nothing more to do medically and they will not make it. But thankfully, the kindness of educated humans who donate time and money help save these animals from having to be put down. The adoption agency I have worked with strives to keep every animal alive, healthy and happy.

These animals live in foster homes (like this chihuahua is right now) until a suitable home is found. Sometimes it takes a few months, sometimes it may take years. But an animal that is surrendered to an adoption agency is never then surrendered to a shelter or pound.

In the future, please refrain from making judgments on subjects you know nothing about."

Hopefully, this person learns something here. I mean, if you had enough time to write up a snarky email, then use that time to google "animal adoption agency" and "the pound". Seriously... some people's kids!

Pinewood Derby car, Enchilada Off and a new stray dog!

2009-09-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a busy one...
Saturday, after Dini put the final touches on the Radiator Hoes Car Club's pinewood derby car, I motored up to SF to drop off the car for next week's race. I wish I had more time, or had better planned my day since it was such a GORGEOUS day in SF, but I had shit to do and a friend's birthday party to get ready for... Here are some pics of the car:

BUT, since I was in the area, I did stop at my favorite hot dog place EVER - O MY DAWG in Oakland to get some amazing dogs and fries. Seriously, they are the BEST. And I'm not a real big fan of french fries.

Sunday was Enchilada Off! Again, I was being the social butterfly and drinking too much good wine to get a bunch of pics... sorry. I did get this one of the entries:

Mine is the one with the orange sword-pick & the winner is the one with the yellow sword; or the bottom right since it's kinda hard to tell. I think he only won because he put bacon on top!!

When we got home, Dini went back to work for a few hours, but then came home with this:

He was closing up the shop and a friend spotted her lying underneath a Pontiac sleeping in a car cover... So of course, he brings her home! This little thing is so frail! She's balding and has some type of bone issues (you can see her little ankle is not right in the pic). This is the 3rd dog we have "rescued" this year.

The first one, we kept. We did the right thing and posted flyers, went door to door, posted on craigslist, local vets, petfinder.org, etc, etc, but after 2 months, no one came forward to claim the little chihuahua. By this time, he had become a part of the family and I just couldn't think of surrendering him to an adoption agency (there's no way in hell I would drop a dog off at the pound!). And you could tell that he was abused since he still gets skittish when you yell, or raise your hand near him... I think someone just abandoned him. So, we kept him and named him Sancho, which is a nickname in Spanish for "homewrecker". Haha...

The second one was a sweet pit bull that was left at our shop, but thankfully someone claimed her within a few days. Now we have this one, and Dini has already named her... Pontiac. As soon as I laid eyes on her she was already pulling on my heart strings... I really can't keep another dog, so I hope someone comes forward to claim her. She is so sweet. We're taking her to the vet tomorrow to make sure she is OK to be around our other dogs, who were scaring the shit out of her last night! If someone doesn't come forward, I hope we can find someone we know to adopt her, so we can have an "open adoption" and visit her. Wish us luck!

Solvang trip!

2009-09-15T12:16:00.001-07:00

Our friends, Flip & Trish (aka Trixie!) wanted to take a day trip down south to Solvang for, yup, you guessed it - EATING. Seriously, the point of the whole trip was to get down to the Solvang Restaurant and have Danish Aebleskiver, which are these little amazing balls that taste just like pancakes, but better. And since I'm ALWAYS down for a road trip no matter how long or short, Dini & I went along. It was a long day; up at 5:30 am, got to Watsonville to meet Flip & Trixie at 8:00 am, had lunch in Paso Robles, got to Solvang and walked around and had dessert for a few hours, checked out the mini horse ranch for a bit, stopped in Pismo Beach and walked around to look at how incredibly dirty it was there, had dinner at The Whole Enchilada in Moss Landing (really good Mexican food), stopped at an awesome liquor store in Watsonville to take pics with the raddest donkey ever, then made it home at 10:00 pm where I tried like hell to stay awake for Mad Men but that didn't happen. Shit, no wonder I am still tired. Here are some pics from our adventure day.

The aebleskivers with powdered sugar and raspberry jam-sauce-syrup-stuff. I stole this pic... sorry! But I didn't get a chance to take a pic of mine.

Dini & I (yes, that's all my real hair)

Dini buying chocolates...

Trixie in a large clog!

These guys must have been my fans, cause they just kept staring. I mean, flat out staring and kept staring even after I have established eye-contact. Kinda creepy. Actually Solvang was full of my fans who were too scared to ask for an autograph but preferred to stare. What can I say, I guess I'm huge in Solvang!

Dini at the Solvang Bakery trying to make a decision... it was tough - just look at their second case:

Checkin out the goods from the bakery... Dini & Flip gettin' happy!

Dini & Flip gettin' happier!

Dini & Flip at their happiest! Nothing like a good ol' fashioned bromance and pastries!

Flip & Trixie in front of the windmill...

I totally look like a midget here, but I couldn't get any closer... my boobs would not allow it. Ha!

We took a little side trip to go see some mini horses because I love all mini animals and want a mini farm of my own one day. But this guy was not having any of my love.

Flip & Trixie do the chop at Pea Soup Andersen's

Dini & I do the chop...

Trixie & I gettin it done!

Scary turns...

Dini on the kids ride!

In Watsonville on the raddest donkey I've ever seen! I LOVE donkeys. And, he speaks Spanish! How cool is that?

So that was pretty much it... a long day of driving, eating and getting stared at. I don't think I will make a specific trip to Solvang ever again, but if I am in the area I will stop by for some yummy dessert foods.

Yeah - I'm PMS'ing, so what?

2009-09-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

That's why I made these awesome lil things:

Chocolate cake made with buttermilk so they are super fluffy, frosted with a very rich chocolate buttercream made with dutch cocoa (it really does make a difference!) and topped with toasted hazelnuts... It's just what I was craving!

Double Vanilla Cupcakes

2009-09-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

Ahh, vanilla. Sometimes you just have to reel back your ideas and revisit the basics. It seems like I am forever on the hunt for the prefect vanilla cake recipe. I have tried a lot in my lifetime (almost too many to count when I was pastry chef for 3 years) but I have yet to find one that blows me away. To me, if you can master that perfect blend of vanilla and sweet, but not too sweet or too bland and the balance of moist, sturdy but smooth cake texture - you are a genius. Seriously, it's a lot harder than it looks. I can whip up homemade creme brulee, tiramisu, cobblers, Neapolitan and Chocolate Guinness cupcakes, but when it comes to regular vanilla cake, I am never satisfied. I've had perfection once and I'll keep striving for it again and again.

So I found yet another recipe to try and it's just ok. Damn... I really thought I had a winner this time.

At least my pics came out great!

Tiramisu Cupcakes!

2009-08-27T16:51:00.001-07:00

Ok, so these took a lot longer to put together than I expected. The problem was soaking the cupcakes with enough liquid. I don't have the right equipment, but I made do. Next time I know it will be better. And less messy... I got espresso all over the counter! Oh well, a little counter sacrifice never hurt.

And the Marsala-Mascarpone frosting is so freakin good! It's true these are not 100% like my regular tiramisu, but it's a close second!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes!!

2009-08-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right! PB&Js baby!
These taste soooo good... I'm not a big fan of peanut butter and even I loved these. There are only 3 PB items I enjoy; PB&Js, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and peanut butter cookies. These cupcakes taste like big fluffy peanut butter cookies with that perfect blend of sweet and a bit of salt. Oh man, wish you were here to have one... all of you!!

Before frosting...

And after... with a creamy peanut butter frosting and dollops of strawberry or grape jelly (cause everyone has a favorite jelly on their PB&Js!).

Next time I make these I'm going PB & Chocolate, with little Hershey Kisses inside and a chocolate frosting. Yum!

Back in a baking mood...

2009-08-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make an olive oil cake since I've been seeing a lot of recipes lately. I remember my mom bought me this awesome Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil, so I thought I would use that and add some orange zest to the batter. Then I made an orange juice glaze for the top since anything heavier would be too much. Let me tell you - THEY ARE DELICIOUS! Seriously. I want to make these again, but use the lime olive oil with a key lime juice glaze! Mmmm...

Oh yeah, those are little individual cakes. I used a pan almost like a cupcake pan, but this one has little squares instead of cups. The olive oil I used is Sciabica's. Also, I made the whole thing in a blender... bitchin'! Thanks Food Network Magazine!

Here I am! Huge post... lots of pics!

2009-08-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been MIA lately... Been really busy and out of town a lot. I had the pleasure of house/cat sitting for a friend out in Santa Cruz for a week. I had a great time, even though I don't like cats... haha! Santa Cruz has changed a lot, and I'm not sure if I like it. Lots of hipsters. Lots of guys in tight, skinny jeans riding fixed gear bikes with the single tattoo on their neck. Not cute. Call me old fashioned, but I really like men to dress like men. Unless you're a drag queen or tranny, it's unacceptable to me. I feel bad for single ladies out there... seriously! Thank God Santa Cruz still has some of the best coffee houses and restaurants around. It made up for all the androgynous people. Rude? Maybe... but I really can't stand hipsters. If you don't know what I'm talking about check out this pic:

Anyways, last week Dini and I took off to Arnold, Ca for a family vacation at his uncle's cabin. I don't know about you, but when I hear the word 'cabin' I think of a little A-frame cutie in the middle of the woods. Well, this 'cabin' is not a little A-frame. It's a pretty huge 4 bedroom cabin complete with a 2 car garage and all the fixings that you need! Want to go fishing? They have all the fishing gear and the boat. Want to go skiing or snowboarding when it's snowing, yes - they have all that equipment too. Seriously, it's more like a hotel/lodge. Needless to say, we were spoiled. It was a far cry from the cabin we used to stay at when I was a kid... I didn't take too many pics, because I always had a glass of sangria in my hand which made it less steady... but here are some shots of what I did get:

Dini's cousin Ehren & Benicio aka Chunk

The man-made lake in the middle of the neighborhood where we spent Saturday afternoon lounging.

Little Jenna capturing the guys' attention... from left to right; Dini, Matt, Jason and Jason's daughter Jenna.

There was a gorilla at the lake...

Benicio maxin' and relaxin'!

Dini would ask Jenna if she could share the cheez-its to which she replied "How many do you want?", Dini would say 4, so she would count out 4 and hand them over... hysterical!

Group shot of the kids...

We took off for a few hours to the town of Murphys to walk around. If you've never been, you should go. This little town is really cute. And TONS of free wine tastings. Yes, FREE. All the local wineries set up store fronts along Main Street, so just about every other shop is a wine tasting room. No driving to different wineries, just walking! How cool is that? And if you're too drunk to walk, the town has a small two-horse stagecoach with a sign on the back that says "Murphys Cab Service".

We stopped into a little coffee/pastry shop (can't remember the name) but it was awesome. So many pastries, fresh breads, sandwhiches, etc. It was funny though, I walked in with Dini and two of the cousins who are all super macho men, then when they saw all the good food, they started acting like total foodies. Maybe it's because we're from Cali and we're spoiled? I dont know...

Buying cinnamon-swirl bread for breakfast the next morning

Jason being funny...

On our way back, Dini and I decided to take the long way home and venture through some of the towns we've never been to. One of the town was Columbia. Through the middle of town lies the state park, and it's all the original structures from the gold rush era. As soon as we parked the car we started walking up and I saw this:

I seriously got super excited! I love the gold rush era... I don't know why, but I do!

Cute house that's now a cafe

Wells Fargo building and the stagecoach

Gold panning in the middle of town...

Dini gave it a whirl... no gold, but we did get some garnets!

Stagecoach rides! You can ride shotgun for $9 ($5 for kids).

Then we headed down to Jamestown... and the only pic I took there was of this crazy sight

How does that not scare the crap outta the kids?

Well, that's about it for our little trip. Sorry there are no cupcakes!!! Hopefully it will be cool enough next week and I can get back to making them!

Burger-Off!

2009-07-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

You know how it is... one day you're talking about how your meatloaf is the best, then your friend chimes in that their meatloaf is the best and soon you're placing bets to see who really has the best meatloaf. You pick a date, invite a few friends and then a few more people want to enter their meatloaves, yadda yadda...
Well, this is what happens when you have a bunch of food lovin' friends who are all amazing cooks. We have food competitions instead of regular BBQs/dinner parties! We even have our own trophy (Stanley Cup style, it travels back and forth). Back in March we had a Meatloaf-Off, and this past weekend we had a Burger-Off. It was so much fun... until the sunburn set it.

Darryl and Loren (the Rib King!), grilling up their burgers:

Darryl made a great burger with a Jalapeno-Feta-Cilantro stuffing and Loren made an incredible burger of grass fed beef* patties topped with cheddar cheese, home smoked/thick sliced bacon and a fried egg! This burger was DELISH! I think the only reason he didn't win was because a few of the judges were scared of the egg. Who gets scared of eggs? I don't know...

Scoping out the competition:

Gordon (and the beard) sauteing our home grown onions:

He finally gets to grill...

Gordon's burger...

He made a beef-bacon burger (he ground up raw bacon and added it to the beef before forming patties) topped with cheddar cheese, sauteed onions, more bacon and his own special sauce... He put about 10 different things in there and I don't remember what they were.

Here's another shot of the burger (under a red tent - sorry) and you can see Flip's burger in the upper right corner.

Flip made turkey sliders - they were awesome! Super juicy and topped with swiss cheese, a slice of radish and avocado.

All the tallies were counted (twice) and Gordon won! He was seriously excited. It made my horrendous sunburn worth it! The whole drive home he kept asking me, "Was my burger really that good?" Yes, honey it was. Loren almost had my #1 vote until I tried Gordon's...

We decided to have our competitions every 2 months instead of every 3-4. Apparently we have have too many friends who make the best 'fill in the blank'. Then we have the sides and desserts... This last weekend Flip and I decided to make complimentary desserts, I made Snickers Cupcakes and Flip made a deconstructed Twix ice cream - chocolate ice cream with caramel swirl and cookie pieces. So good! I didn't get any pics of the desserts because I was too busy stuffing my face.

Our next competition is Enchiladas and I'm entering this time. I have some things the other competitors do not - Mexican blood and my grandmother's recipe! Boo-Yah! I better win, or someone might "fall" on my shiv! Haha...

*Grass fed beef really is worth it. It's so much better!

I need this...

2009-07-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Someone please buy this for me... It's the Executive Marshmallow Blaster... that's right, Executive (cause it's in black and chrome, otherwise the less expensive model is blue and red).

From Amazon:

Shotgun mode:

Load with a regular marshmallow then close
Re-open and fill the space again with minis
Close the chamber again
Pump the blaster up
Pull the trigger
Ask your opponent if they feel lucky now?

Features:

Delicious, edible ammo
Pump action single shot or shotgun mode!
Shoots over 40 feet!
Holds large-size marshmallows also
Magazine and barrel are top rack dishwasher safe
Dimensions: 7-1/2in.H x 4in. W x 17in. L
Ages 12 to 120

Oh, the fun I could have...

**Also, for those who don't like guns, they do have a Marshmallow Bow & Mallow... very old school.

Happy 4th of July... tomorrow, but I need to bake today!

2009-07-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

F*ck yeah, America - I made cupcakes for you...

Vanilla Cake frosted with Mascarpone Whipped Cream and fresh Strawberries and Blueberries.

10 Things You Don't Know About Gordon

2009-06-26T12:33:00.001-07:00

In honor of my husband's 40th birthday today I thought I would copy Lauren's post and let y'all in on some fun facts about Gordon, aka Dini!

10) He LOVES singer-songwriters from the 1970's. This man could listen to Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Billy Joel, etc all day long. He enjoys all types of music, but if he had to listen to one type of music all day, everyday, this would be it. He's lucky that I also enjoy the same types of music otherwise our road trips could get out of hand.

9) He gets haircuts when he's stressed out. Whenever he's having a bad day he'll just cut out of work and go visit the barber for some time in the chair. Even if he gets just the slightest trim, I always know when he's been to the barber - he's in the best mood!

8) He has a degree in Art History. Most people look at Gordon and judge a book by the cover... they think he just some grease monkey or more recently a hobo (he has a full beard!) but he's actually really smart and knows more about art than anyone I know.

7) He has a ginormous sweet tooth. Seriously. I have never met anyone who gets out of bed in the middle of the night because he is craving ice cream, brownies, cookies, candy, etc. He has even gone to the lengths of baking at 11:00pm because he has to have something sweet NOW! He still gets mad at me every time I go grocery shopping and I don't buy anything sweet. His all-time favorites are any apple/cinnamon combination (apple crisp, apple pie), my creme brulee (in the oven right now!), my tiramisu, root beer floats and FRO YO! A frozen yogurt place opened up down the street from us about 6 weeks ago and he has 3 - yes THREE - frequent buyer cards filled up. On each card you have to buy 9 servings to get the 10th one free. That's 27 purchases in less than 2 months. And lets not count the times he got frozen yogurt before they even had the cards printed up!

6) He has a first name... and it's not Gordon. He doesn't like his first name, so he just goes by his last name; Gordon. He doesn't mind if someone uses his first name, but it really irks him when I say it. I don't like to use it because I've only ever known him as Gordon. Even our wedding invitations just had his initials... the wedding of Helen Marie to M. L. Gordon. His mom was upset, but it wasn't her wedding! People always ask me "Is his name Gordon Gordon?". Really people? I just say it's Gordon G. Gordini.

5) He's a really good cook and he knows how to make something out of nothing. Whenever we are low on food, and neither one of us wants to go get something to eat, he can take 3 random cans, some meat and possibly some pasta and make an awesome meal. I just cannot watch him do it, because in my chef mind, it's all wrong.

4) He can never remember the lines to a movie, a song or a saying/cliche. Ever see the movie Boondock Saints? He's the bartender! My all-time favorite: "SKATE OR SWIM, DUDE!" It's supposed to be Skate or Die OR Sink or Swim. But he's crafty like that! However, he can remember all the dance moves to Saturday Night Fever...

3) He honks the horn and waves at everyone! Every road trip, every town he honks the horn and waves to strangers. For some unknown reason he loves doing this - it makes him laugh. And he really lays on the horn if we're driving by a golf course!

2) He is Master San Francisco 1970. His mom entered him into a baby contest when he was 1 and apparently there were 3 categories to win (don't know what they were) so that 3 different babies could win and no one would be left out. That is, until Gordon came along and swept the judges off their feet and won all 3 titles, which had never been done before! So yeah, I married a champion. Here he is with his trophies:

1) He has a HUGE heart. He always tells his friends I Love You, even on the phone. He has several bromances and even calls one of these guys sweetheart! He always stops to help people on the side of the road - especially if it's a family. He rescues animals that need homes. He always opens our home to those who need a place to stay for a night, week and yes, even a month (thank God I don't mind having guests)! He lets our niece, Kylia, paint his nails pink. And most recently, he got a Hello Kitty tattoo on his hand in hot pink because she asked for it.

I seriously could go on and on about that last one. He always surprises me with how much of a heart he has... That may be one of the biggest reasons why I love him, why I've been with him for almost 11 years (and married for 9 and a half of those!) and why I'll continue to be by his side, annoying him and telling him how to do things he already knows how to do!

Happy Birthday Gordon!! I'll stop with all the 'old man' jokes now... XOXO, H

Oh, the in-laws...

2009-06-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

I love my in-laws, I really do. But it is so frustrating (and hilarious) that they always forget shit. When I see them, it's like they forget that I even have tattoos, and they always ask me when I got this one and when I got that one. They ask the same questions every time. I haven't been tattooed in almost 2 years and everything I have, they have seen. But my mother-in-law INSISTS that she has never seen them... I don't hide them, they're on my arms, fingers, legs, etc and she still says that she's never seen them. Ugh, can you say cuckoo? They always ask, what the Latin words on my arms mean, what is the pumpkin on my middle finger for and the '777' I have on my arm - is that because I like to gamble? NO! It's for the the date 07-07-07, which was the last tattoo I got on July 7, 2007, OK? I told you that when I saw you 5 months ago, and again at Christmas.
Holy shit, man.
Maybe I should take a picture of every tattoo I have and turn it into a scrapbook for my mother and sister-in-law. Maybe then they will stop with the same questions... I can only hope.

Bridal Shower

2009-06-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here are a couple of pics from the shower... I didn't get to take as many as I wanted since they were in the middle of setting up and the lighting inside was horrible. But I am just so stoked that everything turned out well. I was feeling overwhelmed with the task of baking 4 different flavors, then I thought back to my chefin' days - HELLO! I used to bake all kinds of stuff all day long, so how could I let this overwhelm me? I also made a neurotic list of EVERYTHING that needed to be done, step by step, and that made everything so easy. It only took me 4.5 hours to bake, frost and clean up everything. Not bad, really.
Anyways, here they are...

From the top:
Chocolate Chipper: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Chips, Madagascar-Bourbon Vanilla Buttercream, sprinkled with mini Chocolate Chips
Latte: Vanilla Cake with Espresso Buttercream and a Chocolate covered Espresso Bean
Mexican Chocolate: Chocolate Cake made with two different Mexican Chocolates, Chocolate Buttercream and a sprinkling of ground Mexican Chocolate
Oreo Explosion: Vanilla Cake with Oreo Cookie chunks, Vanilla-Oreo Buttercream and half an Oreo on top (also, there is half an Oreo on the bottom, but you can't see it until you take a bite)

Sneak Peek...

2009-06-10T13:12:00.001-07:00

No cupcakes today - sorry kids! I am doing a bridal shower this Saturday, and I need my sanity cause the bride wants 4 different flavors (she just couldn't pick 1 or 2). I'm sure if I let her, she would have chosen everything I could make.
Anyways, I wanted to show a little sneak peek of the decorations I made and ordered.

First, I've been seeing these little cupcake flags everywhere and for what people were charging I knew I could make something similar for a lot cheaper. Mission accomplished, I think... they have the bride's name on one side, and Bride to be! on the other. I topped them off with an iridescent bead, to finish the look.

And then to alternate, I bought these cute engagement ring picks

I cannot wait to see the whole cupcake tree assembled and all the little flags/picks in each cupcake! I hope it turns out well! Wish me luck - I start baking on Friday!

Snickers Cupcakes

2009-06-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Cake with Mini Snickers inside, Madagascar-Bourbon Vanilla Buttercream, Caramel Sauce and a sprinkling of nuts!

The insides... YUM!

Cupcakes!

2009-05-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted something kind of old fashioned today, so I made butter cake with chocolate buttercream!
Delish!!

Craigslist makes me angry!

2009-05-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Why is selling something on craigslist so difficult? I posted an ad on Wednesday for a motorcycle that I'm selling and all I've gotten are 10 emails from people who want to see the bike, but never come by... or one person who has never even seen the bike (except in pics) but has already tried to negotiate the price down 3 times... dude, chill out. I'd be willing to negotiate if you were standing right in front of me with cash in hand. Why email someone that you're interested if you actually have no intention of coming by? Losers!

Me vs. Can Openers

2009-05-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

I broke 3 can openers yesterday. Yes, 3. I actually went out and bought the 3rd brand new one & then it broke last night. Can openers, you win. I'm replacing you all with an electric opener.

Either I'm Baby Huey or the gym is really paying off!

Bummed!

2009-04-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

I am so bummed right now! I was supposed to take off tomorrow for Dragfest this weekend, but everyone canceled on me! Grrrrr... I hate when people make plans and then cancel at the last minute. Thankfully I just made the deadline to cancel the car and hotel room.

Ahhhh... I am so mad right now!

Today's Cupcake Menu

2009-04-29T18:10:00.001-07:00

Vanilla Bean Cake with Rum Buttercream & Toasted Coconut

Sorry you're not here to try one! They are delicious!!

I need a farm!

2009-04-23T12:17:00.001-07:00

I love having a veggie garden! I just wish I had actual land to plant in. We live in an upstairs apartment so we're container farmers for the time being. I took some pics this morning because I want to monitor their growth and see what works and what doesn't. Here's what we got so far:

Walla Walla Onions
Golden Bell Peppers
White Icicle Radishes
Cherry Belle Radishes (heirloom)
Crookneck Squash
Summer Squash
Lemon Cucumbers
Green Zebra Tomatoes (heirloom)
Sweet Chelsea Tomatoes
Sweet Million Tomatoes (much better than the Sweet 100)
Carbon Tomatoes (heirloom)
Butter Lettuce
Bibb Lettuce
Thyme
Italian Parsley
Sweet Basil
Honeydew
Sugar Baby Watermelon
Strawberries

The basil got a little scorched by the heatwave we just had

And last but not least, the Boston Terrier plant. I think it's ready for picking!

Baby was so cute. The soil was warm so she just climbed on in to take a nap! Thankfully there was nothing in that pot yet!

Man, looking at all this stuff I don't think we're going to have too many BBQs this year... there's no room!

Nice Cake... I guess!

2009-04-18T08:59:00.001-07:00

WTF?

Unless it was some little kid's idea (or the cake is for Yoda), I would be pretty pissed to get this cake. Hilarious!!

Or how about these:

I don't want a piece of this cake

Nice apostrophe:

A friend of mine sent me a link to this blog, Cake Wrecks, and I have been goofing my morning away! I can't believe some people actually produce stuff like this.

Tired

2009-04-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am so completely tired today. I have so much to do & not enough hours in the day. Who knew FUNemployment could be so time consuming?

But this made me happy:

I'm just so excited about the Dragfest coming up in two weeks and watching the races. Booyah! Nitro fumes here I come!!!

The F*ck Yeah Chocolate Cupcake!

2009-04-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was having trouble deciding what to make for Cupcake Wednesday. I get kinda overwhelmed thinking of new things to make and how much new ingredients are gonna cost so my creative side takes a bit of a digger. So Dini asked me to make a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate filling.
I made these lil chocolate bombs (I call them The F*ck Yeah Chocolate Cupcake!):

It's Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Whipped Cream Filling, Milk Chocolate Buttercream & sprinkled with Shaved Chocolate! Whew!

And yes, they took a long time to make. I started at 3:00 pm & was finished by 6:00 pm. I'm not making dinner tonight, I want out of the kitchen!