Cocktail Confessions

Mark your calenders, and for good reason too.

We all know what September 11th means and stands for.  There’s no denying it’s a pivotal and defining moment in our nations history no matter what ethnic or religious background. 

While there are indeed multiple ways to show your respect, mourn, and remember your own way there is also an annual event held at Hidden Valley Park in Irvine, CA.  It’s near Wild Rivers and the old Verizon Amphitheatre where the 405 and 5 FWY’s meet.

The Orange Country Brew Ha Ha is an event to help show appreciation to our firefighters for both serving and protecting us.  It’s a beer festival where a portion of all proceeds collected will be donated to benefit The Fallen Firefighters Foundation, a non-profit organization that is leading the effort to honor America’s fallen firefighters.

There is scheduled to be over 50 of both San Diego’s and Orange County’s finest breweries.  This should include a selection of over 100 (yes one hundred) crafted beers for your tasting and enjoyment.  Hours are from 12pm to 3pm, Saturday, September 11.  I believe parking is free and the park is very nice, large, and secluded from civilization.

General admission is $35 in advance ($40 at the door, cash-only), so go ahead and buy online.  VIP is $45 and includes 2 extra tastes, VIP parking, 1 hour early entry, and a free beer appreciation seminar (?).  There’s also a $60 Gold VIP deal too, but you can go to the website to check that out and what you get.

No one under 21.  They will have designated drivers available for a $10 fee.

Some extras you can look forward to:

• Over 100 craft beers
• Commemorative festival glass
• Ten 4oz tastes (you can buy more tastes)
• Beer tasting seminars
• Free parking, soda, and water
• More, but too boring for me to list..

Well, anyone up for another foodie review?  Good.  This past weekend I had the pleasure of getting out of the house with my buddy Jon, and we decided to head just slightly out of our geographical comfort zone and head up to the city of Orange.  There’s a lot of interesting restaurants of all ethnic varieties scattered throughout Orange and some really interesting digs in Old Town Orange.

Well, I had a hankering for some BBQ this summer evening, so I suggested to Jon that we open the sunroof up on my Ford Edge, crank up the tunes, drive up HWY 241 and head into Orange the back way and mosey into old Johnny Rebs’.  I’ve been to Johnny Reb’s a handful of times now and it is an interesting place to say the least, and I’d suggest it to anyone who wants a little something different in the barbeque experience.

There are 4 Johnny Rebs’ locations in CA and you can visit their main page and click on the ‘locations’ link to see them all in case you ever make it out to the Golden State.  Personally, I think the one located in Orange is the nicest looking of the bunch.  It has a very unique street facade, that while looking slightly out of place in a somewhat modern city, brings a down south charm to the neighborhood.  It often reminds me of a themed ride you may find at Knott’s Berry Farm or some other Californian ghost town like Bodie.

Red Trolley Ale served here.

Rebs’ was established in 1984 and tries to bring in the influences of Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and North Carolina to the forefront in it’s aesthetic style, food choice, and hospitality.  According to their own website, it was Zagat rated as the Best BBQ Restaurants in Southern California (2004), although its not clear which location.  To be blunt and honest though, a lot of BBQ joint have sprung up in the last few years and I daresay I think I’ve had some better BBQ in 2010 such as Bad to the Bone in San Juan Capistrano, CA amongst a few others as well.

Speaking of hospitality though, Johnny Rebs’ does excel.  Everyone there is extremely nice and helpful and I find the staff generally chatty and pleasant, often coming around the table more than a few times to check on your meal, your satisfaction, or if you need anything else.

Johnny Reb's, Orange

The place itself is a site to behold, both inside and out.  As I mentioned earlier, it has a really nice ‘rustic’ vibe, both inside and out, and the setting and decor itself transports your mind back in time.  I think older folks and kids alike will enjoy the ‘log-cabin’ feeling on the inside, the swamp inspired waiting area outside, and of course the covered patio room located on one side of the building.  It was packed this particular night with a waiting list outside.  They also cater to parties as well and we witnessed the ritual “pig-kissing” and dancing for some old coot’s birthday that the whole place gets involved in as well.

There’s a small bar located centrally within the restaurant, which allows standing or seating for a good 6-8 people and they serve various beers on tap, some common and some uncommon ones as well.  This day, Jon and I both had a large schooner of Red Trolley Ale and it just seemed perfect for the setting.  While the beers are nice and cold and the staff friendly, I was discouraged to hear that the lemonade was actually from concentrate.  WTF?  Concentrated lemonade at a BBQ joint?  That just seems sacrilege and wrong and not an area a fine BBQ joint should be cutting corners on.

There’s tons of peanuts on the floor as well.  It’s one of those places you can get your own roasted peanuts, shell ‘em, and then toss them on the floor.  It’s fun and adds to the charm as well.  But the one bone I have to pick here is that the peanuts aren’t always fresh.  Sorry, but I’ve seen them toss new peanuts on top of the older ones in the barrels there, meaning the older ones never get rotated enough and thus just get older.  Not just this time, but other times my party has commented that we’ve always gotten more than a few stale peanuts, and there just really isn’t an excuse for that either.

For openers, Rebs’ has a really nice lineup of down south appetizers.  I’m not going to list them all here, but you can’t go wrong with their cornmeal dipped fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, sweet potato french fries, fried okra, or my personal favorite: fried dill pickles.  Yup, everyone looks at me sideways at least twice when I order them, but I think I have converted quite a few.  These dill pickles are sliced like a quarter, then breaded in cornmeal, deep fried, and served with a side of ranch dressing.  Yum!  Oh, and I may as well mention here they make their own biscuits and cornbread as well.

Between us, we split an order of the fried dill pickles and an order of sausage.  The pickles were as ever good as I recall, and ths sausage was moist and peppery.  Although when I think BBQ sausage, I think we were expecting more of a traditional hand made sausage, and this was more like a kielbasa link served with BBQ sauce.

Okay, so now onto the main fare: Like most BBQ joints you won’t be surprised to find both beef and pork ribs, fried or BBQ chicken, tri-tip and brisket in various forms, and catfish.  They also have pork chops & gravy, Cajun sausage, and blackened prime rib or sirloin steak.  Now since we are going to a BBQ joint, we are going for the ribs.  But give the menu a good looking over, there are plenty of bbq inspired sandwiches, a few salads and fish dishes as well.  Prices are average to slightly below average from what you’d expect in a BBQ joint.  Expect a dinner meal for two with drinks and appetizers to run about $65, and of course it’d be less for the smaller dishes or lunch.  They also serve a pretty exciting country breakfast as well.

I had a 1/2 rack of St. Louis ribs along with a side of mac-n-cheese, Cajun rice, and biscuit.  Jon had a 2 meat sampler of sausage and ribs along with mashed potatoes, biscuit, and something else I can’t recall right now, maybe baked beans.  The one thing you need to know about the sides is that you can request a second helping of any of your ordered sides, at no additional cost when your server comes back on by to check on you.  For me, I had a second helping of mac-n-cheese, although it wasn’t the best mac I’ve ever had.  Many places make gourmet mac with a combination of 2-3 cheeses, or a creamier texture by adding Velveeta.  Personally, Rebs’ came up a bit short in my book as their mac-n-cheese only uses one type, cheddar, and it was a little one-note and dry.  Same for my Cajun rice….it was a bit dry and bland and not what I was expecting or hoped for.  I did enjoy my ribs however, eating every last one and was happy with the amount of meat and taste I got for St’ Louis style (I usually get baby back pork).

Jon didn’t finish his whole meal, opting to take a portion home, but he seemed to enjoy it none-the-less.

At this point we were pretty full from our meal, opting not to have any desert, but here’s the quick rundown on the sweets: drop biscuit peach or chocolate cobbler, southern pecan pie, key lime pie, fried Mississippi mud pie, apple pie and vanilla ice cream.  I did note one special addition I hadn’t seen on the menu: a banana and nilla wafer pudding parfait I imagine was served in a mason jar that I would have liked to have tried but skipped out on it.

This place was tougher than I thought it was going to be to score.  There are some pretty definitive pro’s, yet a few things that after thinking about it a bit more make me want to hold back.  Overall: 3.

Ambiance: 4 – The nostalgic decor, peanuts in the floor, rustic look, and picnic style seating make for a fun and cozy atmosphere for most.  Bathroom could use a little extra love.

Hospitality: 4 – Very friendly and attentive staff who seem to be cheerful and chatty with the customers.  Something you’d expect from the South.

Food: 3 – Decent prices.  Great appetizers and desserts really open and close the show nice.  Main fare was ‘okay’, missing a bit of that smokey element one looks for in BBQ.  Some of the sides were one note and sub standard in some cases, but at least you can get an extra helping if need be.

Freshness: 2.5 – Rice was dry, mac-n-cheese a bit dry, lemonade from concentrate (?), stale peanuts, and ribs missing that ‘it’ factor kinda bummed me out.

Value: 3 – Extensive menu, extra sides, prices are good for the portion size you get

*Santa Fe burger courtesy of FoodTV

So I realize I’ve been a little light on the recipe’s this summer. Not much of a cocktail and grilling blog if you don’t have the content to back it up once in a while. I’m still working on some “how-to” video’s for smoking a brisket…it takes a lot longer than you think, but I made some good headway this past week and I should have the first one posted soon.

Anyway, the kids should be headed back to school soon (if they haven’t already) and summer is starting to wind down, so I think this recipe will fit in nicely. It’s relatively easy, yet looks and tastes like it may have taken some real time and effort, and could be the star of the last summer hoorah.

I give credit to my wife for finding the basis of this recipe from her own online searches. It’s basically a Bobby Flay inspired recipe that stands out great on its own, but like most things, I like to make my own adjustments and spins on discovered recipes and try and make it my own.

This cheeseburger has it’s flavors rooted in the Southwest, a favorite of mine. The queso sauce is rich and spicy and replaces the traditional ‘processed slice’ we’re usually accustomed to, and allows a platform for the roasted pablano chili’s to cling to. Some blue corn chips give the burger an unexpected textural surprise along with their salty crunch.

Ingredients

Burgers

• 1 large poblano chile
• 2 1/2 TBS canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 LBS ground chuck (80% lean) or sub 90% lean ground turkey for healthier alternative.
• 4 large gourmet burger buns, split & toasted. (Check local bakery for fresh goods like a nice ciabatta or potato bun.  Try and avoid the generic burger buns)
• Handful of blue or yellow corn tortilla chips

Queso (cheese) Sauce:

• 1 TBS unsalted butter
• 1 TBS all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups whole milk. (*sub 1/2 cup milk with heavy cream if available for a richer, creamier taste)
• 8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups).  (*Sub Monterrey Jack for a slightly milder, not as spicy alternative if desired).
• Dash of dried chipotle powder for earthy, smokey flavor (*optional)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Directions

1. Coat pablano chili with 1 TBS of canola oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place on grill, medium heat, and turn every few minutes until skin begins to char and bubble on all sides.  Remove chili and place in paper bag or bowl covered in plastic wrap and allow to steam for 15 minutes.  Peel, stem and seed chili at this point, then coarsely chop and set aside for now.
2. To make queso sauce, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add milk/cream, increase heat, whisk constantly until slightly thickened (approx 4-5 minutes).  Remove from heat and then whisk in cheese, a little at a time, until melted.  Season with salt, pepper, chipotle powder.  Keep warm.
3. Divide meat into 4 equal portions.  Form into 3/4″ thick patties and make small depression in the middle of each with thumb.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Using remaining oil (or cooking spray), coat grill and cook burgers over medium flame until desired doneness.
4. Place burgers on toasted bun bottoms, top with a few tablespoons of cheese sauce, a few chips, some of the pablano, then of course, toasted bun tops.

So now the beer pairing:  Personally, I really enjoy Mexican lagers with my Southwestern food.  For me, Negro Modelo is a no-brainer.  Maybe even Modelo Especial or Dos Equis.  Make sure you have plenty of sliced limes nearby.  If Mexican beer isn’t your thing, how about other domestic lagers or an ale?  These pair very well with summer beef dishes.  Try a Fat Tire amber ale, or maybe even Land Shark or Long Board lagers.  They all have a crisp and clean taste in my opinion.  And you can’t go wrong with any of the seasonal summer crafts from Sam Adams.

Now here’s a college art project I can get behind and study for!! 

Just enlist one weed smoking artist with unkempt hair, one mechanical engineering major that needs to get out and breathe some fresh air, and a fraternity (or two, or three) to volunteer their resources, and voila…

BOXEL was created by some University of Applied Sciences students in Detmold (Germany) over one week, tasked with the challenge of creating a summer pavilion in 1:1 scale. Apparently, the beer boxes are not merely stocked on top of one another, but “freely organized,” with slats, screws and bracings holding it all together.

Now hopefully the tear down wil be just as fun.  Maybe some extreme sports enthusiasts who like demolition stunts?

American wheat ale, or American light wheat as it’s also known, is perfect for the hot summer months

This all-American version of a German-style hefeweizen originating in the Pacific Northwest ranges from pale to golden in color and can be quite hazy if not filtered. It has a long-lasting head with a crisp and refreshing taste, and somewhere between a light to medium body.

Unlike their German weizen counterparts, you will not find the telltale flavors and aromas of banana and clove because they are fermented with normal ale yeast. Still, there might still be some fruitiness in the aftertaste coming from ale fermentation.

This style is often served with some kind of citrus fruit wedge to cut the wheat or yeast flavor but is not really needed to enjoy the style.

Its average alcohol by volume (ABV) range is 2.8-7.0 percent

Topher Tastes It

1. Bell’s Oberon Ale from Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, Michigan
(5.80 percent ABV; Available: Summer Seasonal March 30th till October. Current Distribution Area: AL, FL, IA, IN, KY, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, OH, PA, VA, WI Available in Bottles and on Tap)

Loved it.

I poured it from a 12-ounce bottle into a regular old American pint glass, and the first thing I noticed is that it had a nice, thick, almost eggshell-color head and stayed on the beer till the end. There was a hazy pale yellow color to the body of the beer.

Next, it had a somewhat sweet smell that reminded me of the smell of homemade wheat bread. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was there.

The taste … now, this is where this beer shines. There is a defined crispness to with a citrus flavor and a little bit of that wheat beer flavor in the end.

2. Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier from Boston Beer Co., Boston, Massachusetts
(5.50 percent ABV; Available: Year Around. Available in Bottles and on Tap)

This one’s from the kings of the craft beer movement.

I had this beer on tap, poured into a American-style pint glass.

The beer had a nice straw yellow color, with the creamy-looking head that did not last long on the two pints I had. That was OK, because I did not let this beer stay that long in the glass.

Yes, there are blackberries in this beer. You can smell them the second you get it in front of you. There is also a slight spicy scent mixed in with the blackberries, but I was not sure what spices I smelled.

The taste was a bit malty on the first sip, but again, the blackberries showed through and gave the beer a light but distinctive fruit flavor that I quite enjoyed – very light and easy to drink.

3. Terrapin Rye Pale Ale from Terrapin Beer Co., Athens, Georgia
(5.50 percent ABV; Available: Year Around. Current Distribution Area: Ga, Fl, Tn, Al, Va, Pa, Nc, Sc Available in Bottles and on Tap)

This is the beer that launched Terrapin. Back in 2002 the Rye was the first beer John and Spike brewed…at the time it was only available on draft only in our hometown of Downtown GA. That year it won the gold medal for American Pale Ale at GABF.

They brew this beer with 10 percent rye, but it is good American pale ale all the way!

I had this poured from a bottle in to the standard American pint glass, and it had a great honey yellow color that almost bordered on copper at times. The head was a cream color and was not as thick as I would have liked.

I smelled the hops and some spiciness right off, and there was also a hint of citrus in there to round it all out.

The rye is there, full and up front in the flavor of the beer, and a bit of sweetness also. I had an ending of the hops coming through as an aftertaste, but it was all well-balanced and really a great-tasting beer.

It was a very good beer that puts a different twist on the standard American pale ale style. It’s very drinkable, and I would not have a hard time sitting around and drinking more than one in a row.

There you go, some good beer and some good info.  As always, go out and try some new beers (in moderation) and remember that the best beer in the world is the beer you like to drink!

This past weekend Monica and I were able to join our friends for a Flamenco dance and dinner show at the historic El Cid theatre located on the sunset strip near downtown Los Angeles.

The initial incentive was that our friend Brian was able to score some heavily discounted tickets for the show via an offering from groupon.com.  Personally, I have yet to use groupon myself, but I understand that have killer deals daily for various group activities at all kinds of different locals.  I need to check it soon for some additional outings.

In attendance would be Brian and his fiancé, Shea, their friends Chris and his wife, Michelle, my old college buddy Sam and his wife, Alicia, and finally my wife, Monica, and myself. 

We all decided to meet at the El Cid just prior to 7pm, so we took 3 sets of vehicles.  Our own drive wasn’t so bad until we transitioned from the 5 fwy to the 101 north.  The last 15 miles or so seemed to drag on as our average speed was about 15-20mph.  But that is pretty much Los Angeles traffic at any time these days, and we finally pulled up to valet parking at 6:50pm.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was expecting to think the El Cid to look like.  The building itself was built around 1900 by D.W. Griffith and was used to screen the now famous movie, “Birth of a Nation” back in 1915.  In 1950 the building was converted into a mini theater and was know to be a local hangout for stars at the time.

In 1961, the building was converted once again, this time as the ‘El Cid’ restaurant, and made to look like a replica of a 16^th century Spanish tavern.  There have been a few ‘minor’ cosmetic changes over the years I imagine, but for the most part the building itself looks somewhat dated.  That’s not necessarily bad, mind you; it has an intimate and somewhat charming setting and retains a certain Spanish aesthetic one might recognize from a 1970’s Spanish villa.

The walls are a faded white adobe stucco with dated cracks here and there accented with faded red brick and large wood beams.  As you make your way through the sidewalk main entrance you immediately wind down a steep concrete and brick path surrounded by greenery and flowers with irregular steps, (ladies be careful with high heels) until you arrive at a lower patio veranda. 

The patio area has both a few booths lining the outside walls and free standing tables located in the center.  There are free standing space heaters strewn about and a small outside bar that serves various domestic and imported (mainly Mexican) beers and of course cocktails.

[View with PicLens]

Monica and I located our party in a booth at the far end of the patio and enjoyed a couple of cocktails with everyone.  We also posed for a few pictures prior to be seated inside and enjoyed the last remnants of the western setting sun in the open air.  Prices for drinks were a tad hefty.  My Jack on the rocks was $9, and Monica’s Crown on the rock was $10, and these weren’t huge glasses.  Perhaps just a shot, maybe slightly more, poured over ice into a lowball glass.  The girls said the mojito’s were pretty good and Shea was enjoying some fruity looking martini.

At approximately 7:00pm we were asked to line up to be seated at our dinner table.  After a brief wait outside we were led inside down a short and low ceiling hallway to the main dinner floor.  Luckily we scored a nice table right up front next to the raised stage.

Looking about the room, everyone is seated at long tables and surrounded by typical Spanish decorations including the obligatory velvet bull-fighting poster and faux balcony windows lined in ornate rod iron fixtures.  It was a tad dim in the room with stage lighting fixtures overhead.  With everyone seated inside, (I’d guestimate about 75 people or more are here for the show) it was a bit cozy, but the aesthetics lent an air of authenticity.  Restrooms are located in the back and are small.  Despite it’s charm the restaurant does feel a bit dated and could use a fresh coat of paint, a little dusting here and there, and a few minor repairs.

Our tickets included a three course meal (soup, salad, & main dish).  The soup was delicious and reminded me of a Spanish interpretation of Miso soup.  It was a thicker, creamy broth with a light mixture of fresh vegetables.  I really enjoyed it as it had a rich, yet light flavor.  It had the texture of a bisque and a very unique flavor.  Following the soup, the second course consisted of a garden side salad with raspberry vinaigrette.  All in all, it was a typical salad, nothing special but at least it was fresh. 

Since we all considered this evening a treat and we all arrived on an empty stomach, of course we opted to purchase some additional appetizers, or ‘tapas’, as they are known in Spanish.

The Tapas were very good.  In addition to standard chips and a hearty and spicy salsa our table also ordered the following: fried calamari rings (served with lemon wedges), crab stuffed mushroom caps (with a lobster cream sauce), fresh ceviche, and fried manchego cheese (served with pesto sauce).  I can tell you everything was good, but the stand out item was the manchego cheese, well, more so the fresh pesto sauce.  That pesto was da bomb!  Everyone really enjoyed that, but we all agreed that all of our selections were good.  On average, the tapas range between $8 – $11, except the chips and salsa ($4), although I’ve been to other Spanish restaurants where the tapas were a bit more unique and felt more original than the offerings here at El Cid.

The actual main dish was next and as stand alone items they range from $15 to $20, unless you get the paella, (made for two) and has a price $35.  The one thing I didn’t understand is that if you chose to have a single serving of the Paella, they charge an additional $10!!  That seems pretty extreme since paella is just a rice dish to begin with, so why the need to charge $10 more for half a portion makes no sense to me.

Flamenco Exceprt: Part I

To be continued…..

Taken from Fox News:

A 110 proof beer, the world’s strongest, was launched Thursday by a British firm selling the tipple for $762 a bottle.

The blond Belgian ale, named The End of History, is an astonishing 55 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and is presented in a case made from stuffed animals, including stoats and squirrels.

Made by BrewDog, based in Scotland, the beer is infused with fresh juniper berries and nettles from the Scottish Highlands and was developed using an extreme freezing technique.

Hundreds of pints of beer were used during the process, which was repeated dozens of times to produce just enough for a 330 milliliter bottle — hence the record breaking cost.

James Watt, the company’s co-founder, said: “This is the beer to end all beers.”

BrewDog drew criticism last year over the launch of a 32 percent beer, which was later trumped by a German brewery that produced a 40 percent strength liquor — BrewDog then created Sink The Bismark, at 41 percent.

However Watt said The End of History was made to offer beer drinkers more choice: “We want to show people there is an alternative to monolithic corporate beers, introduce them to a completely new approach to beer and elevate the status of beer in our culture.”

He said the first two bottles were sold to a beer fan in Denmark.

I’m about two weeks late in posting this entry (as I also happen to be behind in a lot of entries I have stored up in my head) but I’d like to share with you my experience with the 34th annual Huck Finn’s Jubilee just outside of Victorville, CA.

I first read about the festival in Westways’s magazine provided by the Auto Club of Southern California.  A small little blurb in the “getaways” section in the back referenced this festival to be chock full of bluegrass & country music, a banjo championship, period games and life demonstrations of yesteryear, arts & crafts, and of course country vittles.  The idea of eating smoked bbq ribs and roasted corn on the cob while listening to old school Americana in a picnic like setting sounded very fun and intriguing.

It’s been a while since both Monica and I have been able to get out of Orange County, or do something a bit more exciting than sitting about the house on the weekends doing various chores.  I kinda made a commitment to myself that we would try to get out and do more things this summer.  They needn’t be expensive, lavish, or far away, but I wanted to take advantage of more sunny weekends by ourselves or with friends rather than to look back at yet another summer come and gone with nothing to show for it or talk about.

Granted, Monica doesn’t really care for bluegrass music, but I know my friend Brian Liles does.  So I invited Brian and his fiancee Shea to go with us.  Luckily, Victorville is just about 85 miles from my house and we couldn’t have had better weather.  It’s been a tad cooler than usual for this time of year, and the same went for the desert where we drove to as well.

The Jubilee was held at the Mojave Narrow’s Campground, just outside Victorville at 18000 Yates Road.  Mojave Narrow’s is a very nice and impressive campground.  It’s tucked just outside a residential area and only a few miles from actual downtown Victorville, if you need to go into town for supplies.  It’s basically an open oasis of trees and rolling meadows along the side of the Mojave River.  In addition to a huge campground suited for both tents and RV’s, they have nice covered picnic patio areas, restroom facilities, along with areas for both fishing and hiking.  They also boast a good size playground with water park like attractions for the kids, and you can even rent horses by the hour for horseback riding.  I was very impressed by this place and if I ever were to go camping in the future with family or friends, I’d highly recommend this place.  It doesn’t hurt that it’s not that far from our home either.  As a personal bonus to me, there is a large railway nearby in which train enthusiasts can watch large shipping convoys roll through a few times a day.

Once we parked our vehichle and slapped on a little sunscreen, we made our way to the Jubilee entrance walking through an endless sea of organized camper trailers.  As soon as we walked in you can’t miss the large steel and aluminum outdoor concert stage set up to the right.  Here, various musical acts play throughout the Jubilee’s three day festival and people bring their own blankets and lawn chairs to set up.  There are a few areas with trees that provide shade, but the majority is uncovered so make sure you have your hat and sunscreen.  Luckily there was an on-again, off-again breeze that day so it was quite pleasant.

[View with PicLens]

On this particular day we had a chance to watch the banjo championships at around noon, but later that night The Oak Ridge Boys and various other acts would be playing.  Just west of the main stage was the vendor and craft fair where small mom and pop businesses sell various country wares, clothing, jewelry, camping gadgets, packaged foods/condiments/spices, etc.  Think of it as a small ‘county swap meet’.  Monica was able to purchase various Father’s Day gifts in the form of garlic stuffed olives and green beans from Gilroy, CA.  We tasted regional jams, mustard’s, spices and more.  There were a few people actually selling puppies as well, but as a dog lover myself, I did feel a little uneasy at this practice….who knows what the health of these puppies were, or if these were ‘puppy-mill’ owners who are not responsible breeders.  The dogs sure were cute, but with no paperwork and no guarantees of health and proper vaccinations, it seems odd to be selling animals at a campground and fair.

The one thing we did notice early on and take great umbridge too was that there were no beer vendors to be found.  This may be because this is a public campground and insurance costs or permits may be unfeasible for the jubilee, but we were all very dissapointed with this discovery.  If we would have known there was no alcohol to be sold, we most assuredly would have brought our own cooler.  At this point, I knew in the back of my head we weren’t going to be here all day long.  It was nice enough my wife agreed to come out with me, but with no adult beverages to wet her whistle, I was clearly pushing my luck.  And I don’t blame her, I think we were all hoping to have a nice craft beer, or two, or three while listening to the music.

[View with PicLens]

Speaking of beverages, I may as well discuss the food as well. In an earlier post, I reviewed Ptrains BBQ efforts on their wings and smoked pizza, but there were other vendors as well.  In addition to the roasted corn on the cob, baked beans, there was another bbq rib tent, a place that sold hot dogs, corn dogs, and brats, a few drink vendors (basically soda, lemonade’s, bottled water), and of course ice cream as well.  Some of the smells were definitely enticing.  However, that being said, I was a bit let down by the overall size and somewhat limited choices actually present.  The website for the Jubilee, while not incorrect, at least led you to believe that the ‘Vittle Village’ would be bigger than it actually was.  I was really hoping for multiple BBQ tents and a larger variety of regional foods that Mark Twain would have enjoyed, but it just wasn’t present.  Most places only took cash, which was to be expected I suppose, but maybe the website could have let you know roughly how much cash a family should bring just in case they weren’t camping and bringing their own food.

More to come in Part 2….

This is more or less a quick entry on the state of affairs over here at my blog.

I’ve got a few things lined up in the coming days and weeks including some additional video’s and a podcast I just recorded with my buddy Brett who visited from Idaho this past week.  I’ll have some new recipes up soon, including Cuban burgers (that were a hit at this Friday’s last BBQ), grilled zucchini boats with a bacon gremolata, a new cocktail recipe dubbed ‘The Camel Toe’ for you vodka and tropical drink lovers, and a refreshing watermelon sangria.

I’ll have a few stories to share that took place with my friend Brett, especially our afternoon visit to Turq’s in Dana Point where we get talked to death by druken senior citizens, some additional video of the San Clemente Pier, a review of the Original Pedro’s tacos, some random shots at Cook’ Corner, Dana Point Harbor, S.C. Pier, and more.

This upcoming weekend, my wife and I are going to the Huck Finn Jubilee up in Victorville, CA with our friends Brian and his fiance Shea as well as my college friend Sam and his wife Alicia.  We’ll be there for the beer, food, and good ‘ole bluegrass music and banjo championships.  I expect to get some good vittles there and hopefully taste some good brews.

On the technical side of things, I just upgraded the NextGen Gallery here to v1.5.3 and I also finally purchased a ’shoot & share’ video camera in the form of the purple Kodak Playsport along with a 8GB SD card.  I’ve posted a few videos up at YouTube, and I hope to not only use it this weekend at the Jubilee, but also do some grilling recipe and preparation “How-To” videos here in the future.  I also have to finish the Earthbox series that I began a few weeks back.  I already have some great jalepeno peppers and tons of cilantro that we are using.

I did have one bummer issue that happened over the weekend.  This past Saturday my Behringer 502 USB mixing board died on me.  I was actually right in the middle of recording a podcast with Brett and at about the 40 minute mark there was a slight pop in my earphones and when I looked at the screen for status I noticed a flat line on Audacity.  The board is just over a year old (March ‘09)  and I purchased it through Amazon.  Of course I don’t have the box anymore, so I’m gonna try and get an RMA straight from Behringer, and looking at their support website it appears that they make you jump through hoops for repair. *Sigh*.  The good news is I picked up my Zoom recorder and was able to finish our podcast, but I’ll have to mash the two files together and do some additional editing before I get the next episode posted….maybe in another week since this weekend is already claimed.

As promised here is part 2 of my grilled portobello mushroom recipes.  First off we have a another somewhat easy recipe with a bit of Asian flair.  Second recipe is a bit Italian inspired but could be adapted for mediterranean tastes easily if you substitute in some black olives and goat cheese.

Asian Flair Portabello Mushrooms

Clean and stem mushrooms.  You can clean the gills out with a spoon by scraping them out and discarding.

In a bowl, make a paste my combining the following: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 bunch of fresh parsley (chopped fine), 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/4 cup of fresh olive oil.  *As an option, you can add a little fresh ginger (oh, say 1/2 tsp or so) and maybe a little bit of Asian sriracha sauce for heat).

Rub oustide of caps with 1/3 the paste you made in the prior step.  With remaining paste, fill inside of caps and season with salt and pepper.

Grill on BBQ over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to shrivel on edges. Remove and serve.

*Optional: Sprinkle a tiny bit of sesame seeds on finished mushroom for extra flair.

 Serve with a good Japanese beer like Kirin or Sapporro.

Spinich and Sauage stuffed mushrooms (intermediate and adaptable)

Clean 4 large portobello mushrooms (get the biggest ones you can find)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Using a grill safe frying pan (or I suppose you could do this on the kitchen stove as well) heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and crumble in 12oz of mild or hot Italian sausage until brown and then remove to bowl. (*Sub turkey sausage for health conscience diets)

In same pan, add 1 finely chopped white onion and saute for approx. 2 minutes.  Then add 1/2 tsp or more of freshly minced garlic to pan and continue to cook until onion begins to brown.

Add sausage back in along with 1/2 cup tomato sauce or finely chopped tomatoes (*and optional pinch of red pepper flakes) and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add in about 8oz of coarsely chopped spinach leaves, stir until evenly distributed and allow for them to wilt down.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella, and optional 2 Tbsp each of fresh chopped basil and fresh chopped parsley.

Brush gill free mushrooms with olive oil and place on grill face down for about 4 minutes or until they begin to soften.

Remove mushrooms and now carefully stuff with sausage mixture.  Top of with sprinkled mozzarella cheese and place back on grill, stuffed side up.

Grill, covered, for approx 5 minutes or until cheese begins to melt and brown.

Remove and serve immediately.

As I stated at the top of this post you can adapt the above recipe for varying tastes.  Using the same basic principles, how about stuffing with a grilled chicken sausage and pesto filling?  How about instead of using Italian sausage you were to brown minced lamb, and then add in some black olives and goat/feta cheese for something a bit more Mediterranean.  Use your imagination.  Pair with a good Italian red wine.