A Little Break for Some Vacation Time

Well, I'm heading to Philadelphia this week for a little vacation time. I'm not sure if I'll have internet access so I apologize now for not keeping things here up to date.

In my preparation for this week, I forgot to post Ziggy's WDB photo- bad Mommie! Not to be left out, here's Ziggy.

Martha's Zucchini and Cranberry Muffins

July and August are the months for birthday's for many of my friends and family. I don't need but the smallest excuse to bake something as a "Happy Birthday" from me.

Every other weekend I have a standing appointment to get my nails done-a routine fill and pedicure. I have developed a friendship with a number of ladies who also have appointments around my same time. This was my excuse to bake this morning so I could take these treats with me for this weeks birthday lady.

I had intentions of baking cookies but just didn't have the time with all the events I've been involved in this past week. So, I took out my trusted Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart and came across Zucchini and Cranberry muffins. I just happened to have zucchini growing in my garden and a package of frozen cranberries. All the other ingredients were kitchen pantry or refrigerator staples.

Happy Birthday Cheryl and a belated shout-out to Jenny.

Cookies and BBQ?

One may ask what cookies have to do with BBQ? Well, as a part of this past weekends BBQ competition at Silent Valley was a dessert party the first night. In pot luck fashion, each team was asked to contribute a sweet treat.

I was reading an article about the rise of combining savory flavors in sweet treats so this brought back memories of adding ground hot red pepper flakes to sugar cookie dough. In addition, I thought of also combining the red hot pepper with ground chipotle. You know the rest. Decortaed sugar cookies with a warm kick.

Using a chile pepper and a pig cookie cutter with bold colored royal icing, our contribution was created.



To my favorite sugar cookie recipe, I added 1 tsp ground chipotle and 1/2 tsp ground pepper flakes. The cookies were not as warming/hot as I hoped. Next time, I'll increase the ground pepper flakes to 1 tsp.





The other change I made was to use key lime juice in place of water in the royal icing recipe. The key lime flavor was very mild.

When you bite into one of these, the first flavor is that of a nice sugar cookie. After a few seconds, a gentle welcome and warming sensation occurs in your mouth. Voila! BBQ cookies.

Silent Valley BBQ Competition August 18-19, 2006

See the link below for pictures of Four Q BBQ and the first ever IBCA Western region BBQ competition.

Four Q finished 2nd in Brisket, 4th in Ribs and 4th in Chicken

Sylvie's Flickr Photos of Event
Luis' Photos
BigMista's Photos

Weekend Dog Blogging #47

During the Four Q BBQ practice session at my home where we were cooking BBQ with lots of bones and he couldn't have any, well, you can see he's not happy.

The previous day, I took Ziggy in for his annual physical with the vet. She gave me a bad mommy award as Ziggy is overweight. No more high calorie treats, limit the amount of dry food to 1/2 cup per day and no bones. Ugghh! Zig is going nuts.


From this picture, it looks like somebody cheated and gave him something. Yum!


Weekend Dog Blogging hosted by Cate at Sweetnicks.

Four Q BBQ Practice Session

Four Q BBQ is ready for a little competition. See the link below to pictures from our practice session. A good portion portion of our stuff is loaded up in one truck compared to four separate loads during our first competition.

See photos from Sunday's practice session.

Recipe for Great BBQ

Over the last 5-6 months, I have been reading about, watching BBQ shows, visiting BBQ forums and experiementing with varying recipes for rubs, sauces, glazes and brines in an effort to arrive at my own recipe for great BBQ. The one thing I have learned throughout all of this is that there are umpteen million variations of ingredients to make great BBQ added to other variables including equipment, prep, temp and personal touches.

It is not so simplistic as to take one winning recipe for a rub or sauce, use it and think you also have a winning recipe. I was listing to a podcast the other day where an award winning chef explained that he had no problem sharing his recipes with anyone including competing restaurants. He likened it to Picasso teaching his style to others and handing them the paints. The recipent can not imitate and come up with a Picasso work of art. All to say, a lot about preparing great BBQ is the personal hands on touch of the cook.

In reading through recipes in all the BBQ cookbooks I have accumulated, I find for example that the basic recipe for a rub is very similar throughout all these refereneces. My plight is then to take that basic recipe and tweak it to my liking. This is an ongoing task as I could never be pleased knowing I can always improve and do better.

Next weekend "Four Q BBQ" will be competing in the Silent Valley RV Park Competition in Banning, California. Our team practice is this weekend where we will be fine tuning our team entries.

A Weeks Glimpse

This post is a combination of three posts covering the past week.


Weekend Dog Blogging sponsored by Sweetnicks with Ziggy highlighted.
Ziggy napping again.

He finds a corner in my office to relax while I blog.




Yes, I just celebrated another birthday (the alternative is not acceptable) and my G took me out to eat at a Venice, California bar and grill which I will not name. Yes, I picked it because I was intersted in trying a place I ordinarily would not adventure to. I selected a duck breast entree with polenta and baby turnips, G selected the rib eye with onion rings. We also had a Caesar Salad and fried calamari. Missed those photo opportunities.


Though the entrees were not bad, they were not great nor memorable. Yes, a bar and grill indicates a lot of noise and this one was true to character with acoustics which boosted the noise level. The wait staff was very good and attentive and it's a shame that that is all I can say about the place. This is one place I won't be recommending in that for the price, you don't get the value. The company was great and I did enjoy the sense of celebration. G and I finished a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio wine which helped to soothe the impact of the surroundings. Happy Birthday to me, and many more!

Special thanks to my friends at PBE for the warm birthday wishes.


Last weekend I started prepping for the "Four Q BBQ Team" competition coming up later this month (August 18-19) at the Silent Valley RV Park. This is an IBCA sanctioned event with a few rules which are different from the usual KCBS competitions. Check out BBQ Junkie for more information and links to this event.


Our team will have a practice event next weekend where we will decide how we are going to channel our energies for this event. Pork Butt is not in the event so our emphasis will be on half chicken,spare ribs and brisket. I tried out some new (to me) rubs and sauces which were on the sweet side. Not my norm but I aim to please (judges). I'll see what the team thinks next week.

Many, Many Years Ago Today!

To Me


Today is my birthday and I'm gonna celebrate!

Summer Garden In August

It has been a while since I have posted about the progress of my garden. It is now August and the tomatoes are nearing the end of their growth. Though
I neglected to post pictures of the great harvest I have had with the tomatoes, please believe me when I say I had a truck load.

I planted the summer squash (yellow crook neck and zucchini) rather late. They are both now in full bloom. I also am very proud of my basil plant. The bugs have left it alone and it has thrived producing beautiful leaves to go with the tomatoes some mozzarella cheese and olive oil. Look at how gorgeous it is. Anaheim chilie is my other thriving plant. They are also doing quite well with quite a few chilies in bloom.

Basil
Anaheim Chilie
Yellow Crook Neck Squash
Tomatoes

Weekend Dog Blogging # 44 - Ziggy

Hey Boo!

Ziggy's favorite spot- the window seat where he keeps up with all that's going on outside.

Sweetnicks hosts every week.

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours #3

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours #3. This month, the theme is your tried-and-true recipes.

A collection of notebook binders, xerox copies of recipes, handwritten sheets, newspaper cutouts, magazine cutouts, FoodTV recipes/Internet sources, handouts from cooking classes and you have it, my tried and true collection. Not very pretty, not very organized except for by type of event, but I can find what I need whenever.

I have a binder for cookie decorating, one for holiday events, one for special event, one for BBQ and one for just general day to day recipes.

I have been collecting these recipes for nearly 20 years. One would think I should have an organized system by now. My intention when I first started
collecting recipes "Tried and True" was that I would put together a family booklet (not cookbook per se)of recipes to be used for generations to come. This is still my goal.






Cate at Sweetnicks is sponsoring this monthly event. Go check her out for this wmonths roundup. Thanks Cate.

The Heat Is On

It has been a very hot weekend in all parts of L.A. including the coastal areas. For documentation and to look back on later, I just had to do a cut and paste of the urgent weather message for Southern California. Now you ask how does this relate to food? Well, I didn't cook anything and don't feel like cooking. All that sounds good to me me is a nice fruit smoothie and lots of water. Kick back and try to chill.

Ziggy and J know how to beat the heat during another weekend of dog blogging #44 hosted by Sweetnicks.





Urgent Weather Message

All times shown are local to Los Angeles.
Today
Hi: 101°
Lo: 70°

DANGEROUS HEAT AND HUMIDITY ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA MAY RETURN IN VALLEY AREAS MONDAY...

.A VERY STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE...VERY WEAK ON SHORE FLOW...

AND SOME MONSOONAL MOISTURE IS COMBINING TO BRING EXCESSIVE HEAT TO MUCH OF SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA AGAIN TODAY. ALTHOUGH AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES HAVE GOTTEN A SLOW START DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS AND CLOUDINESS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY...IT IS STILL DANGEROUSLY HOT ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. FOR THE REMAINDER OF TODAY...HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL PEAK TO BETWEEN 101 AND 112 DEGREES IN THE VALLEYS AND IN LOWER MOUNTAIN AREAS. ACROSS INLAND PORTIONS OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST...HIGHS WILL RISE TO BETWEEN 95 AND 100 DEGREES... EXCEPT 100 TO 108 IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN FROM BEVERLY HILLS TO THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS.

WITH RATHER HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ACROSS THE AREA...HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL RISE TO BETWEEN 15 AND 115 IN THE VALLEYS AND LOWER ELEVATIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS...AND TO BETWEEN 100 AND 110 ACROSS INLAND SECTIONS OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY COASTAL PLAIN. THE MAXIMUM HEAT INDEX VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR LATE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING.

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM PDT THIS EVENING.

VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH HIGH HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS HEAT INDEX VALUES BETWEEN 105 AND 115 DEGREES FROM LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE HIGHEST HEAT INDEX VALUES ARE EXPECTED IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN FROM BEVERLY HILLS THROUGH THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS.


AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING MEANS THAT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF DANGEROUSLY HOT TEMPERATURES WILL OCCUR. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE LIKELY. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER...TRY TO STAY OUT OF THE SUN...PREFERABLY IN AN AIR- CONDITIONED ROOM. CHECK UP ON RELATIVES...NEIGHBORS...AND CHILDREN AT PLAY.

Weekend Dog Blogging #43

Ziggy spent another Sunday afternoon with his best cousin J. A day of fun, laughter, and good times.

Weekend Dog Blogging brought to you by Sweetnicks.

Decorated Sugar Cookies

This is a link to a post featuring the recipe to the decorated sugar cookies. Kitchen Gifts is a site which I often use for ideas and to purchase cookie cutters (the diva cutter came from them). Many of my baking supplies come from Surfas located locally in Culver City.




Colored Fondant



Fondant applied using Simple syrup as a glue.










Some of my other cookies are featured on my Flickr site.
Heart Cookies
Football Cookies
Miscellaneous Designs
Holiday 1
Holiday 2

Finally Got to Bake Again

You all know my first cooking passion are my decorated sugar cookies. Well, for the past 5 months I have not taken the time to indulge myself until this past weekend. I had a few incentives including a few family and friend birthdays to get me going. I also had this idea in my head that I would create a sort of diva cookie with an ethnic influence. I tried using fondant as the primary decorating tool with a little royal icing for the finishing touches. I did discover that making a "kente cloth" type pattern with fondant will take a little more practice.

The result of my creative endeavor is an assortment of bikini or apron clad bears and my cookie divas.

Ziggy Goes Swimming WDB #42

It's not easy to get pictures of Ziggy in the pool. He won't get in willingly unless I bring him in with me and of course my camera isn't waterproof. I did manage these shots through a little trickery (hopefully he will forgive me).
Another heated weekend in Los Angeles. Weekend Dog Blogging #42 hosted by Sweetnicks.

G's Smoked Fish

Earlier this week I posted about my adventures in the backyard smoking ribs and cornish hens. G was also busy. He had gone deep sea fishing the previous day and caught much of nothing. With a freezer full of his previous fishing adventure catches (chunks and fillets), he decided to smoke what he had. This included primarily tuna, yellowtail and a barracuda. The fish was brined overnight in a mixture he puts together which has rock salt, brown sugar and bourbon (I think). In the past when he smokes fish, he takes it out of the brine, pats it dry and hangs the fish to air dry in a cool area. With limited time, he skipped this step on this run.

He got out his New Braunfels Smoker, loaded it with charcoal, alder wood chunks and rosemary with a water bath. The fish was smoked at a very low temperature (200-210)for about 8 hours. He is not looking for moist fish. The result is not what you would expect from the process. G and friends describe it as very good tasty smoked fish (I'm not a fish eater). It is not meant to be served as a main course, but rather as an appetizer, snack, in salads or some of the smaller pieces are like fish jerky and are meant just to nibble on. It does make very good tuna salad.

He vacuum packs serving portions and then he's good to go.

July 4th Holiday Weekend 2006

I have been so looking forward to this holiday weekend. Four days off from work and no set plans or a list of things to do.

I decided to smoke some Cornish Hens and Ribs in the WSM. How pretty it was to see the smoke rising from the WSM as it was lifted to the skys and viewed through the suns piercing rays. May I also add that the smell was fantastic.

I mentioned previously that I received some sample bottles of Budweiser's newly released BBQ sauces. I opened the regular BBQ and the Beechwood BBQ sauce. Both were actually quite good. I must also add, that this is a sincere comment. I actually like them both better than the sauces I have currently in my refrigerator (Masterpiece and Stubbs) including the one I made from scratch. There is a mellow sweet taste, however, no spice or heat.

I did sauce some of the rib tips and country style ribs I prepared prior to pulling them off the WSM. I left the baby backs without sauce as G prefers it this way. The sauce also went well with the cornish hens. I haven't tried the wing or basting sauce yet.

Ribs

The temperature on the WSM ran a little low this cook. I had a hard time getting it above 215. The hens stayed on for 3 hours and the ribs I pulled after 5 1/2 hours. I did foil the ribs the last hour to keep them from drying out. This is the first time I tried this method. I liked the result. Moist and tender.

Cornish Hens


Ribs after foiling.

I'll Show You Mine If You show Me Your's #2

This month we have the second editon of "I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Your's". The theme this month is "Spices- cabinets, shelves, racks". This event is hosted by Sweetnicks. (Addendum- you have to go and check out Sweetnicks new blog layout.)

This is one view of my main spice cabinet. Yes a little bit of everything including my BBQ rub seasonings, varying bulk spices, extracts for baking, cocoa powder, sauces and even sesame seeds.





One of my friends sent me this Dean and Deluca spice assortment. The package is so pretty, I don't want to open it. The spices in this assortment include, fennel, anise, caraway, tumeric, thyme, sumac and a slew of others for me to experiment with.











Another view of my main spice cabinet.







I tend to buy seasonings in bulk to use when I compound my BBQ rub. These I wind up storing in a cabinet on my back porch merely due to the quantity. Turbinado sugar, maple sugar, ground mustard, sea salt, muscavado sugar and more behind these containers. Surfas is my souce for many of these.




Spice rack wich I just display on my counter. I do refill many of the frequently used containers from my bulk stock.