FOOD.FORM.FUNCTION.

Funny funny food faces

2010-02-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

So I found this web post via twitter ( sorry but totally forgot the tweeter). I have pulled my favorites and self captioned. The rest are mighty fine too. Might be a new facebook profile pic coming soon.

"seriously, but what about..."

"Dave?...DAVE??!"

"o my GOOOOOOODDDD!!!"

"hey wait a minute..."

"DAAAAAAA!!!!!"

2009. Year in review.

2010-02-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

Its been a full year and no posts. Humm.... so I thought I would start with the last year in picture form. My time was spent at Massa Organics and this year will be even more of an adventure.
Enjoy.
(BTW the ducks were delish!)

2009

2010-02-23T09:36:00.001-08:00

2009

2010-02-23T09:30:00.001-08:00

2009. Year in review.

2010-02-23T09:15:00.001-08:00

Bike Porn

2009-02-16T12:23:00.001-08:00

I have been addicted for quite some time now. It started back when my current bike was just a glimmer in my eye. Spending hours glazed eyed, drooling over the keyboard. Picture after beautiful picture. I make excuses like "I'm just informing myself" or "I am doing research for the next build, promise". The more time I spend, however, the more I realize that I am not alone. There are plenty of us out there. Men. Women. Maybe even my neighbor, well not my neighbor, but your neighbor might have a bike fetish. The web is full of websites catering to us junkies. Velospace, Cyclofiend, FixedGearGallery, Bicycle Fixation, Not to mention all the trouble you can get in on Flickr. Currently I have it bad for the 650b. I can't get enough. I dream of the conversion I am going to perform on the red bike. Big smooth S turns down a fire road, on big sweet tires, on summer afternoons. On the road, off the road, up hill, down hill. It will be my go anywhere and do anything bike lover.

Now just how to make my fantasy a reality.

I might need to look into one of those disposable income deals.

For sale. "WHAT?!"

2009-02-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

I just learned on materialicious that one of my favorite farm houses is up for sale. These are weird times. (The Builders website is fantastic as well.)

Fav Farmhouse Future

2009-02-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

I recently stumbled across a few blogs that are all about the modern farm house. This has taken up quite a lot of my computer time these days. Being addicted to architecture and to the future Pearson farm house it is pretty fun daydreaming about the "what ifs". Here are some of my favorites.

These few sites and Google are where these images have come from:

farmhousemodern.com
materialicious.com
greenhousevt.blogspot.com
notcot.org

Workin with Massa Organics

2009-02-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

I have been working with Massa organics these days. You can check out the goings on at our Betterfit Ranch Blog. It is also a good way to follow our journey towards our very own real life farm.

Back again

2009-01-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

O man. There has been so much going on. The Holidays came and went. The food was fantastic by the way. Christmas at me Ma’s house was nice, the first one with out my little brother. That was different. A great New Year at our local spot. It is amazing the amount of love and community I feel living in this village of ours. It is a magical place. New jobs for both of us. Wedding plans. Etc… So…rather than feeling oppressed by the feeling that I haven’t kept up my end of the bargain by maintaining my entries. (I am sure there is some psychological story to be told about that guilty feeling.) I am going to tell a few things in the present and maybe a few about the past. Kind of like director commentary or some cool flashback sequence in an obscure indie-movie. So kill the lights and see ya soon.

Throw another Turkey on the Barbie!

2008-12-04T17:45:00.001-08:00

I wrote this some time in Dec and just got around to publish 1/28/09. The food was still fresh on my tongue, the fire still crackling in my ears. There was a slight drizzle that slowed production, but in the end I was happy with the finished product. Before any more time passes, thought I would share a little about the Turkey Day eats. I love to eat. I also like doing things for the first time. It thrills me some. Thanksgiving usually gives me the opportunity to do both, some times successfully.
Turkey day. It was a small party, just three of us. This year I went super tradish, butternut squash puree, roasted potato and sweet potato medley, Turkey, cranberry sauce( made by Mandy), Spinach/ Arugula salad(also made my Mandy). Everything possible was purchased at the Sat, Farmer's Market.

Starters: Cheeses, cow, sheep, goat, chips&dips

The soup: a blend of Acorn squash and Butternut. The acorns themselves were the bowls and the innards became part of the starter. They were worth the work. Velvety and smooth. Google it. It's super easy.

The turkey: done on the Weber with the indirect cooking method. It tends to be a little faster than the oven and less work. No basting or turning required. I make a spice and herb rub mixed into mayonnaise and rub it all over the bird. Put a few cloves of garlic under the skin, insert cheep beer, set on the BBQ and remove in about 3 hours. It is amazing how moist the turkey remains by cooking it this way. The next day sandwiches are perfect. (Might be my favorite part of Thanksgiving.)

The salad : perfect, fresh chevre, bacon from the turkey and greens. With a little oil and vinegar one of the best combos ever! Thanks babe.

Side: jeweled roasted potatoes. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds (before serving), white truffle olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary.

I think we should have Thanksgiving more often.

The Radish

2008-12-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the good'ol Greenhorn folks I was informed about yet another breakthrough from Xtracycle. In this world of consumerism and packaging, it is nice to see people are thinkin outside the "box". Check out the Radish, and maybe plant some of your own.

fall in chico

2008-11-30T17:57:00.000-08:00

Riding off some of Thanksgiving this afternoon I was reminded how much I love Chico. Fall in this town is the best. The fireworks of leaves combined with the autumn light is truly magical. Heading down Esplanade on my red bike through the yellow leaves and onto campus I was comforted in the sound of the Bells. Feels like home. On a bicycle is the only way to you can hear the true heart of this town. The quiet of a campus with its kids home, the laughter out of the downtown pubs, the rushing water through Bidwell. I took the camera along for the ride today. Hope you enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!

A funny thing called time.

2008-11-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened since that last post. So much so that it is hard to put it all into some sort of sequence. Most of the summer went up in smoke. Really, Northern California burned for something like 3 months. Markets were slow, things were a little off. But, really the good stuff starts in October.
October. This is the snap breakdown of the dates from Oct. 13 thru Nov. 13.
Oct. 13 we finalized outside investment for Pedrozo Dairy and Cheese. This meant that we could start growing our company to where we needed to be for output and inventory. More cheese faster. It was like we had won the lottery.
On the 21st we were headed to Italy. Mandy and I had been chosen as the only cheesemakers to rep California during Terra Madre. It was a frickin' life changer. While in Turin, bam, we get engaged. Fall colors in the trees, Valentino park, Italy. Nice.
Back at the farm and farmers markets by Oct 31st. Things feel strange. Learn my Pops has lymphoma, head to SoCal. Spend the week with the family down there.
Nov 4th election day, OBAMA WINS!
On Thursday Nov 6th we were informed over the phone that we "are no longer a good fit for the company." Our company. The company that we helped build, put on the map, give up everything for two years for. We "just didn't understand the commitment it takes."
Nov 10th, Betterfit Ranc h is born. All our energy is now for us. Change is good. Change is freedom.

cows hate me

2008-04-12T21:44:00.001-07:00

Milking twice a day is making things a little crazy. I talk to the cows now, though I only know them from the utter down. Like the cow whisperer only smaller and more sarcastic. It’s nice to watch sunsets every night, but I miss the night life at times. It was also nice when I talked to people instead of bovine and I could manage to stay up later than 9:30. Wouldn’t change it for the world. Good night.

For a little more detail and some different perspective check out the the dairy princess diaries.

whats with the blog?

2008-04-06T14:25:00.001-07:00

Milking cows
Selling cheese
Making cheese
Farm work
Helping with grant
Shipping cheese
Farmers markets
Milking cows
Business meetings
Milking cows

Living a life of cheese and not much more

For a view into what has been taking up all of my time these days check out these pics

see you soon!

maybe.

Back on the horse-Texas part One

2008-02-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

After a maybe not-so-brief hiatus, it's back to blogging land. I think we'll start with Texas. So, about two weeks ago I went to Texas -- San Antonio, to be more specific. Yep, first time. It was not as big as I was expecting. However, it only took about 5 minutes to hear the first racial slur, something about curry and feet, which came from our cabby Skip Jennings. The trip was for several reasons: to see a Spurs-Lakers game in Texas, to get the band back together, and to eat red meat smothered in BBQ sauce. All were achieved. The game was a Laker loss but highly enjoyable all the same, even though the beer tasted a little funny in our souvenir cups. It was a good first night in a new town. We learned about the shady night life on our tour through a shabby neighborhood after the game, thanks to the one-toothed cab driver named wheezy. Had a few cutthroat games of pool and finished it off by avoiding going to jail for boat theft and enjoying 2 dollar carbombs in one of our many stops in an Irish pub. Damn it was a good day! Tomorrow we set off to eat our way to the Alamo.

homework

2008-01-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Prepping for the weekend markets today I had the feeling that I forgot to do my homework. Stupid blog. I know I've have chosen this on my own accord but, I barely like to shave, let alone have some thing to say on a daily basis. So instead I thought I would introduce my bike project. I've become obsessed with bikes. Even contemplating going to bike school to become a frame builder. However, you have to start somewhere and project one is a Bridgestone 100 conversion to a porteur style ride. The goal is to make cheese deliveries around Chico on two wheels. Bridgestone, blog. Blog, Bridgestone. A little txt and an introduction!
Feeling better already.

fade to black

2008-01-09T18:59:00.000-08:00

The power was out for 52 hours. 24 of those hours were great; vacation-like. There was reading, lounging and eating. Then it became more eating--lots more. The fridge was getting warm and it was getting dark. We have a vintage 1-ton gas stove that is a pain to clean but cooks food to perfection. After pulling what was left of our farmers market veggies out of the fridge we needed something to tie it all together. YES! Those short ribs that we traded cheese for with Tyler from Big Bluff Ranch were still in the freezer. Some chopping by candlelight, some cut herbs from the garden, and three hours later, the house smelled like a house should. There is something amazing about cooking your food on something so purposefully designed, and with the OG chrome! There is something even more special about eating by candlelight during a storm.

Blackout Short Ribs
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, halved
4 med. carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 med. leeks, cut into 1-inch slices
2 lbs. boneless beef short ribs
2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup beef broth
1/3 c dairy sour cream
1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1. Place mushrooms, carrots, and leeks in a big soup pot. Place beef over vegetables. Sprinkle with lemon peel, pepper, rosemary, thyme and salt. Add broth. Cover; cook on low for three to four hours.
2. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat and vegetables to serving dish. Cover to keep warm.
3. Skim fat from remaining cooking liquid. Measure 1 cup cooking liquid. Place in a saucepan. In a small bowl stir together sour cream and flour. Stir into cooking liquid. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly; cook and stir for 1 minute more. Ladle sauce over meat and vegetables.

seedling

2008-01-09T16:55:00.000-08:00

I've lived in chico for the past 13 years, a transplant from pasadena, ca. I spent a good many years on the campus of CSU chico, finishing as an art student. Worked with an architect drawing plans. Spent a few life-changing months traveling europa. I was lucky enough to find a great-paying job that allowed me to stay in a town that catered to college life. There was travel, a steady paycheck, and health insurance. 6 months ago I gave it all up.

I now sell cheese.