Night Out Blogger

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Salute! Beer and Food Pairing Festival

2011-05-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Where are you going to be Father’s Day weekend this year? No plans? Then plan on attending Salute! Salute! is a one of a kind, two day beer and food pairing festival taking place in Ojai. One of the reasons this event is so unique is that instead of bringing all the beers you can easily find in your local supermarket, many of the breweries will be spotlighting their hard to find specialty and limited release beers. Also, many of the beers will be poured by the brew masters so this is a great opportunity for you meet brewers from all over the region. What I find so unique about this event is its focus on beer education. The event is planned as much as an educational event as a party with plenty of opportunities for you to talk to brewery staff and food vendors about flavor profiles and food pairing options. Salute! will feature over 40 craft beer and food vendors as well as local musical talent all day long.

Click card to visit www.salutebeerfestival.com

If you attended the festival last year you will find the event will look a little different this year. For starters, the festival will take place in Ojai at the Ojai Beverage Company. The move may seem counterintuitive to you (it did to me at first); however, the coordinators and co-founders (Christine and Joby) have some pretty good reasons for moving it from the beach to Ojai. The best reason, in my opinion, for moving Salute! to Ojai means the event will be more intimate. In fact, attendance this year is expected to be about half of that from last year which is good news for anyone who does attend. This means shorter lines and more opportunities to taste limited release beers and specialty food items from all the vendors. One thing will remain the same, though, attendees must be at least 21 years old and NO children will be allowed into the event.

Click card to visit Thirty-three Productions

New to Salute! this year will be a VIP Connoisseur’s Dinner that will be hosted at OBC Friday, June 17^th from 6:30 to 10:00PM. Dr. Bill Sysak from Stone World Gardens and Bistro will be hosting the VIP event. This educational beer and food pairing dinner will highlight some rare beers (he won’t tell us what he is bringing) that will be paired with courses prepared by invited chefs. The event will kick off with a social hour (included in the ticket price) where attendees of the VIP session can enjoy a pre-tasting of festival beers. Dr. Bill Sysak will be around before and after the dinner for meet and greets. The VIP ticket also includes one general admission ticket to the festival on Saturday. As if that wasn’t enough, VIP ticket holders will also be granted an hour early entrance into the festival on Saturday. There are limited VIP tickets for this event and it is sure to sell out so be sure to book your tickets to this event soon.

Click card to visit OBC

For those of you who don’t live in Ojai and still want to have a good time and not worry about travel plans there are a few options for you. You can visit the website to see a list of partner Ojai hotels with deals for festival attendees or you can take advantage of the event’s shuttle service. Abtey’s Limousine Service will be providing transportation from two Ventura locations and one location in Oak View. Two of the locations aren’t set in stone yet but there will be shuttle service from the Ventura Amtrak station.

For up to the minute information on Salute! be sure to visit their Facebook page.

Next week I will be hosting a discussion on how to make the most out of your beer festival. This will be an open discussion with very little input from me as I will be looking to you to post your beer festival “survival” tips.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Amazing Bike Paths, Ventura

2011-04-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

I went for a bike ride because I’m on Spring Break and I felt like going out and doing something under the beautiful sunlight.

I pedaled over the 101 freeway via the pedestrian bridge and then down Harbor, crossing over the estuary bridge into Oxnard.

After the Oxnard sign, I saw the sign for McGrath State Beach.

I have lived in Ventura for over 1 year yet I’ve never been to McGrath; it’s always been a sign along Harbor and I assumed just a wee patch of beach for surfers–probably nothing much to it, I thought. Just fenced off and lonely.

No time like the present. I turned my handles into McGrath and followed the curved road to a ranger booth (the ranger and I exchanged waves hello), and then to a little wooden gazebo with plaques warning about Poison Ivy and teaching about endangered species. It was so well preserved and reminding me of a story I had read by Ray Bradbury called A Sound of Thunder. Don’t step off the beaten path when you go anywhere in the wilderness because there’s always the chance that you’ll affect something in the future.

If you haven’t read A Sound of Thunder, you should.

I came to a designated path, stepped off my bike and down the path–I was in awe and amazement at what I was greeted with.

I walked. This space reminded me of Virginia Beach and brought to the surface those sweet-tea memories of traipsing over those wooden boardwalks that lead to the Atlantic shore; except this time I was wandering away from the beach and over protected patches of ecosystem. I rolled my bike slowly and softly, plucking one ear bud from my ear so I could hear–nothing in particular, just wanted to become aware of the cars rushing on Harbor, communication between birds, maybe a little bit of a rustle of leaves as the wind sighed.

The wood turned to dirt and I walked, and I came to a little square, courted by a couple of wooden benches that were spray painted with graffiti. Yet it could not ruin this space.

It’s like Rome.

If you’ve ever been to Rome, maybe you understand that regardless of the overlay of graffiti in that city, there’s this allure and delicacy. With eyes closed and a little imagination, I see the world that existed well before you and I split skin lips to enter this world.

It was an amazing April 12th in Southern California. (Speaking of splitting skin lips, Happy Birthday, Sonnie Rajsombath!)

McGrath

Starting point

Those Boardwalks...

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: The Perfect Pint: Goblet

2011-04-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

In an effort to expand on the “education” part of my “Beer reviews, etiquette and education” motto, I am continuing my series of posts that will focus on beer glassware. Specifically, I will be talking about the glass’s shape and why that particular glass is an appropriate vessel for a specific beer style.

This week I will be discussing my very first “specialty” glass the goblet, an Orval goblet to be more precise. This is a well made sturdy glass with the Orval Monastery logo of a fish and ring on it. Ten years ago, I had to special order Orval and have it shipped to me directly from Belgium if I wanted to taste its special blend of sweet, sour and spice. Nowadays you will be able to find Orval and its matching glass in any self-respecting beer store. If you were going to purchase a goblet, I would recommend this particular glass simply because I have had it for at least ten years and except for the fading logo (I recommend hand washing this glass) it still looks new.

Goblet

Belgian ales (specifically Abbey or Trappist) are commonly served in goblets because their smaller size, usually 10 or 11 oz, moderates consumption of these bigger or higher ABV beers. Belgian ales are brewed to be consumed warmer than most other styles so don’t worry about that cold beer warming up in your hand while you drink it. The goblet has a nice bowl shape that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand for a reason, to warm it up. So feel free to cup your goblet in your hands while you enjoy your next Abbey or Trappist ale and note how the flavors and aromas change as your beer warms.

I don’t recommend goblets for many other beers simply because of their wide mouth which may be second only to the nonic pint glass in terms of surface area. Only a highly carbonated, full flavored beer will be able to hold any kind of head in that glass.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Mid-week Beer - Duchesse de Bourgogne

2011-04-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

The Duchesse is a delicious beer and in my opinion is the epitome of the Flanders Red style. The “sourness” and acidity is balanced by a sweet maltieness before it can become overwhelming. Because of this balance, the Duchesse is a good starter beer for those who are looking to venture into “sour” beers. Its wine-like flavor and acidity also makes this a good beer for those “non-beer drinking friends”.

As you can see from the card there is very little bitterness (10 IBU) in this beer which is common for many sour beers. Instead of hops the brewers balance the malty sweetness by using special yeast and bacteria strains that will sour the beer just enough to balance the sweetness.

In my opinion, this beer is sweet enough to be enjoyed AS desert but could also be paired with earthy flavored cheeses such a camembert and brie or sharp cheeses like blue and cheddar. The elevated carbonation level and acidity of this beer will cleanse and refresh your palate between each cheese sample.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Success Story

2011-04-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Forty years ago today my parents were married. It was a Tuesday and they did it in the Catholic church with my Grandma and Grandpa Kenton as their only witnesses. Mom's dress was a brown and white mini dress (very mini) and Dad wore a blue shirt, and tie with a brown coat. There was a small family party at my Grandparents house, no one remembers what they ate and my Aunt Joanie made a wedding cake.

Forty years later they have one (fabulous) kid, awesome friends and family and an amazing life together. Not bad for a couple who met on a blind date in the 70's.

They aren't much for celebrating this date, preferring to celebrate the date of their first date which surprisingly enough they both remember with better clarity than their wedding day. But I am not one to let an event like this pass without at least a little bit of celebration,

I only went overboard a little bit. Like the custom printed menus that I thought of today. Or the toast in the glass their best friends gave them as a wedding gift.

I told them they had a date tonight and that was it. Then as the week progressed, I finalized my menu and details and had way too much fun planning tonight's dinner.

Oysters on the Halfshell
Tomato, Meyer Lemon, Horseradish Sorbet

Nicholas Feuillate Brut Champagne

Seared Bay Scallops
Pea Puree, Pea Tendrils, Caviar

Baby Greens
Duck Confit, Gala Apples, Goat Cheese
Balsamic Vinegar & EVOO

Foley Winery Bar S Ranch Chardonnay

Rack of Lamb
Wild Mushroom Demi
Roasted Garlic Risotto Cake

Foxen "Toasted Rope" Syrah

For dessert I enlisted the help of a dear friend, lovely lady and talented pastry chef who, in her spare time, whipped up a gorgeous cake that my Dad couldn't get enough of.

Wedding/Anniversary Cake

Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Crunch Cake

Made with love by La Starr Heiliger from La Starr & Co

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: The Perfect Pint: Tulip Glass

2011-04-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

This week I will be discussing my favorite glass style the tulip. Its elegant yet functional shape will enhance almost any beer and in my opinion, it is as close to the perfect glass as you can get. I have several of them in my cupboard now and they are used almost exclusively. The only time I stray from using this glass is if I am enjoying a weissbier (not big enough to hold that enormous wheat head) or a lager (the thin walls allow this beer to warm a too quickly).

Tulip Glass

Tulip glasses can come in a variety of sizes and have either a wide or narrow “bowl” that sits on top of a stemmed foot. The defining characteristic of a tulip glass is in the top third where the glass gently tapers in and then flares out at the opening. Without the flare the glass would be called a snifter. The taper helps create a dense head and the flared opening fits the lips nicely. Some tulip glasses even have a small laser etching at the bottom of the bowl which causes a constant stream of bubbles to cascade to the surface.

Any beer looks beautiful in a tulip but be careful when pouring a bottle conditioned beer into one of these glasses. The yeast sediment at the bottom of these bottles is easily agitated and will cloud up the beer quickly preventing you from enjoying the crystal clear presentation your beer deserves.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: John Cleese at UCSB, 2 years ago

2011-04-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

I went to speak to my adviser about graduation, and when I left Anne’s office I noticed a poster with John Cleese.

What’s this? Here? When?

I traced over the date and time:

TONIGHT!?

After I purchased the ticket, my fantastical mind began to play the rest of our lives together. I’d arrive at Campbell Hall and sit in the front row. Then, after the screening of A Fish Called Wanda, I’d say something to him like, “I loved you in Notting Hill.”

He would frown and sparks would ignite, and he would say he needed to eat and I’d tell him I knew where he could get excellent Taco.

We’d laugh.

We would find real tacos, eat, chat it up, and he would pause. Through his enormous British teeth, he would say, “There’s something lovely about the way the light hits your eyes.”

I’d say there was something lovely about every bit of him.

We would walk along the “American Riviera” and talk about Mickey Roarke and Rutger Hauer and contemplate when the two men would merge and finally become one person. We would avoid conversation about Monty Python because that’s like asking Willie Nelson to sing On The Road Again. But we’d throw a few breaths over his new role as Q in Bond.

Then, under a busted out boardwalk lamp, he’d kiss my cheek. In silence, we’d ride home in his private car and he would ramble to me about his marriage, talking about leaving his wife. And I, desirous of a drama-free life, would say: Nay. It can’t ever be, love.

He would walk me home, all the way to the front door. And as he was staring down at me, he would glance at the bathroom window and whisper into my ear: “only an angel could shit in a bathroom with stained glass.”

I would have to give it back. That kiss. I would push up on tippy-toes while he lowered himself a few feet, and my lips would brand the line of his jaw, just beneath his ear-lobe.

And he would see me inside–I mean, he would see me into my house–or maybe he would see me inside. It’s only the most kindred who can see the essence of us and still fall madly in love anyway. I’d close the door and peek through the blinds and watch as he pushed his hands into the warmth of his pockets and walked to his car and disappeared.

But, of course, ya know, never. Also, have you seen him lately? He’s getting up there…But I thought of this on my way to the library and giggled, so I had to share.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Mid-week Beer - Lindemans Framboise

2011-03-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

“This doesn’t taste like beer!” is probably the most common comment I hear when I introduce this beer to people. Effervescent and sweet with no bitterness (that I can taste) this beer is more reminiscent of a tart raspberry soda than anything else. You can expect the same tart soda like flavorings from the other Lindemans’ products. They produce a variety of fruit (apple, peach and cherry just to name a few) flavored beers.

However, don’t expect that sweetness from any other fruit Lambic style beers you might find on the shelves, Lindemans are by far the sweetest beers I have tasted. Most other Lambic style beers are quite tart and some are down right sour.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: The Perfect Pint: Pint Glasses

2011-03-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

In an effort to expand on the “education” part of my “Beer reviews, etiquette and education” motto, I am starting a new series of posts that will focus on beer glassware. Specifically, I will be talking about the glass’s shape and why that particular glass is an appropriate vessel for a specific beer style.

This week I will be discussing a glass that has become ubiquitous with pubs, bars and restaurants, the pint glass. There are several names (Nonic, shaker and tumbler) and slight shape differences but they are basically the same glass. Pint glasses are the gold standard of beer glasses for home and commercial use with good reason. They are cheap and can be replaced easily. They are easy to clean and store because of their no-nonsense shapes and. These glasses are sturdy and can take a beating before they break. Most importantly to many beer drinkers, they provide a historical standard for individual beer consumption. With exception of the historical measurement (which isn’t even accurate these days) these glasses have little to do with enhancing the overall drinking experience and more to do with convenience to the establishment’s owner.

Pint glasses are hardly the BEST glass for any beer. True, they fit in the hand nicely and their wide openings facilitate easy drinking, however, the wide openings do nothing to condense the foamy head. A thick and dense head on a beer works as a filter allowing a gradual release of aromatics. The relatively large surface area at the top of pint glass encourages a thin head which allows the aromatics to escape quickly and easily.

Because of their size, only low to mid strength beers should be served in a pint glass. Beers with higher alcohol levels should be consumed in moderation and in smaller serving sizes.

Pint Glasses: Nonic, Shaker or Tumbler

The workhorse of glasses. Traditionally used

for any American or English ale.

Nonic Pint

Shaker Pint

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: Dust off the Cobwebs: Let’s Talk Hotels & Highways

2011-03-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

Gonna jump right in!

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing a new Americana Roots band, Hotels & Highways, for a local publication, VC Reporter, check it out!

You’ll get some good background info on the band, and a glimpse at the interview.

But only here, at DDM, will you get the complete, uncut version of my exchange with Erin “Syd” Sidney. And the pictures from their cd release show at Zoey’s Cafe in Ventura last Thursday. Check it!!

DDM: So this tour, it’s like you are hitting places in between all of your homes. How did you all meet, given you live in really different places?

H&H: Ok — so Patrick grew up in Detroit and played music there – after college he was in a successful band called the Patrick Thomas Theory, played all over the midwest. At the same time that he was doing that I was getting a pretty healthy national touring solo singer/songwriter career going. I was based out of Boston and in about 2005 he came and played a show with me and a guy named Todd Martin at a now-defunct club in Boston. He mentioned offhand that if I needed someone to tour with, he was my guy.

I called him a few months later when I had a tour going from CA to VT. We were best friends by the grand canyon and somewhere on that tour or another that followed we wrote the song Live Now in a hotel in Ames, IA. We were staying in a lot of hotels. We were driving on a lot of highways. So…..

Lisa, in the meantime, had been called away from her career as an elementary school teacher when my dear friend Gregory Douglass had connected with her at a gig he played at Skidmore college. She could sing with him and that’s a huge deal because he’s amazing and he took her out on the road as his co-singer.

Somewhere in there she asked me to produce a record for her just as I was moving to NYC and thinking about doing the solo singer/songwriter thing less. Patrick and I had been writing a bit in New York and we were doing this semi-annual gatherings called the Who’s That Pack where us a few other kind of notorious solo singer/songwriters got together and played each other’s songs. Chad Perrone, Tim Blane, Todd Martin, Pat & I made up these comedy/party fests. (There is some genuinely weird/funny youtube stuff on that here)

Anyway, she started coming into the city from her home in CT and we were writing together. Then I introduced her to Pat and the three of us wrote together for her record — and it was great.

SO basically. You take all of those experiences and you put them in our back pockets. Life goes on and this past fall I had a string of college dates booked to anchor a tour. I was not interested in going out and playing them alone and doing my solo material. I was over it. And, further, I’d had an incredibly shitty summer with my step mother dying really terribly from cancer. Pat arranged to borrow a friend’s cabin on a lake in New York, we invited Lisa, I flew in, and the whole thing began. We really just went there intending to write in the spirit of the Hotels & Highways stuff we had done before, knowing that a performance collaboration could be as fun as the who’s that pack and that writing together was something we enjoyed.

DDM: You’ve obviously spent a great deal of time together recording the album, Lost River, but now your time on the road…is there some adjusting taking place? I know what a “road trip” for a family of five is like, and I wouldn’t want to do it again for an extended period of time like you all are doing!

H&H: Ah, well, it’s a built in part of our lives my friend. It’s funny — even my relationship with my wife, who I’ve been with for about 10 years, is built around the idea that I leave for weeks/months at a time. And sure, there’s adjusting, but really it’s the beginning and end that’s an adjustment. Once you’re out here, it’s happening, you have a choice — either make each other’s lives easy and comfy or don’t. We have really closely aligned goals desires schedules and senses of humor. So that helps a lot.

DDM: I’m listening to you now, who are you listening to as you drive across the country on tour?

H&H: Haha, this sounds a little like a pervy chat room — well, *I’m* wearing a dog collar and rainbow colored wig…

This very second Patrick is trying to figure out one of the changes in “Fidelity” by Regina Spektor. Lisa learned it on banjo in the van between Saratoga Springs, NY and Camden, NJ and we just remembered how pretty it is when she sings it.

But otherwise, we’re listening to some standby podcasts – This American Life, RadioLab and some standby records — there’s a fellow named Joe Pisapia who we had the pleasure of visiting in Nashville and singing with. He’s just a true gem. He gave us a copy of a record he made a while ago called Watercolor. Check that out on iTunes. Guy and a girl singing. Just gorgeous. He plays with kd lang now in her band The Siss Boom Bang and was with guster for years. Anyway. Him. And Tony Rice, the classic bluegrass cat. We’re trying to get better at that bluegrass stuff. And then an awful lot of shuffle, which you can actually see by going to my last fm profile and see what I’ve been playing/listening to.

Also I posted my year end wrap up for music I’ve been liking at my blog.

DDM: Who are some of the band’s influences (probably some you mentioned above)

H&H: It really has to do with a feeling more than anything. We like feeling like we’re playing with a sort of adventurous and comfortable at the same time feeling. Like we’re following something and we don’t know where it leads but it feels really familiar too. We have had a lot of fun listening to Fleetwood Mac and various other artists a lot of fun just trying to play our instruments the way we play them and not think too hard about it.

Along with feeling, it’s sound. What happens when you just play and the tape is there to pick up what you are capable of playing, not what you could play if you were…a robot. Hahah.

DDM: Anyone at SXSW who you are all excited to see/meet?

H&H: We have some really good friends down here in the business or on the outskirts of the business. Actual, real, friends, not “biz” people — those are the folks we’re excited to see. The first night we were here though we had a fantastic and totally typical SXSW night — Devotchka in a giant theater, then this woman Hazel Dickens in a cozy room where this 90 year old woman sang her ASS off over classic bluegrass. Then over to see Young The Giant, a way sexier and groovier and spacier and more natural Killers/Coldplay. I love them and the band did too. We finished the night with our hands in the air at a Talib Kwali show.

(DDM drools here…)

Tonight was mellower — saw the strokes at a giant outdoor stage and then I caught up with an old friend named Matt Duke while Patrick saw Portugal. The Man at Stubb’s.

Tomorrow we just chiiiiilllllll out and prep ourselves mentally for our show. I’ll go for a run, Pat will go into town. Lisa will go for a walk, make some lunch. Just a normal day at home on the road.

DDM: Speaking of the tour…It seems your taste in music, and food, are delicious! You’ve got me drooling with your blog posts of tour meals! Are these friends or fans that are treating you so well? And are they competing for “best meal”?

H&H: Ha, no competition. Many of them don’t know we’re doing that. We’re just, you know, trying not to come home and get sick immediately from all the shit we’ve been ingesting. Trying to check each other before we fall off the healthy food wagon. It’s working generally very well, though today I almost made us late for a show by wandering the aisles of this insane organic grocery store and trying to pick up tons of stuff. Pat snapped me out of it.

The folks we featured are part of what we refer to as our fan-mily. I recently had someone introduce me at a party as “a guy that has been a fan of mine for a long time” and that statement just gave me the creeps. So — we blur the line a bit I guess. People are people. Whether they’re on stage or in the crowd.

DDM: Let’s talk about the album! I love it! You recorded it at a cabin in upstate New York! Where? (I have lots of family all over upstate NY) Tell us about the experience of delving into the music for 10 days straight. Does it get much better than that?

H&H: The experience was totally unlike any other, and yet drew from previous positive stuff. I had done a record in a barn in the woods of Vermont in the dead of winter a few years back. Patrick lived in his home studio and Lisa had always dreamed of a cabin recording experience. We all had. So it just came together — we set up Patrick’s home studio, we lived there. We went kayaking, running, walking. We tried to just devote every moment to nurturing creativity. We didn’t drink or dull our minds, we stayed sharp and focused, and we had fun. Every day we’d run the “tape” and play a few blues songs, covers of our own stuff, whatever, get loose, and then explore the latest idea.

After we left the house and came home from tour, Pat took the tracks back to his studio and added some pieces to the songs and started the long process of mixing.

DDM: Is the album what you hoped it would be?

H&H: Oh, beyond. Pat did such a great job mixing it. It’s a headphones record. It’s a good driving record. I mean, I’m really truly proud of this thing. None of it feels forced or contrived at all to me. It feels like a record of people making music in a room together. That’s what it is.

DDM: Any favorite songs for you from the album?

H&H: That is very difficult to answer. I like the album! I like it as a whole. “Night Song” is pretty special to us all. That was a song we had come up with, tried to record and couldn’t quite capture. It came to us in one take after a day of preparation doing other stuff, little stuff. That song is take 1 on a warm summer night with the cicadias humming away in the background. What a gift.

DDM: You funded the majority of the album through Kickstarter.com, with great success! That is good news, Not all bands/songwriters have been as successful. Tell us about how that worked for you.

H&H: When you have an album, that’s just step one of a possible….hundred…infinite! Steps. We knew in order to bring this record to life we needed:Great artwork, physical product, a decent length and size tour, and PR. So we turned to our fans, asked them for $10,000 in exchange for goods and they met our goal and exceeded it. We raised $13,000 and now I write to you from a hotel room at SXSW, one of the most prestigious festivals in the business, and we have a showcase tomorrow that is listed on the back of every program. I mean, it’s a little mindblowing. We were given a gift from our supporters to be able to get in the van and go where we were needed rather than try to chase dollar signs.

DDM: There is a big difference, I’d think, from working intimately in a beautiful cabin setting to playing gigs in different cities each night. What is like to go from one to the other?

H&H: It’s a good point. I like to call it “getting my head together” before we play. A run, the gym, meditating, just getting my shit together and remembering why we began this journey and where it began and then stepping onstage and trying to honor those core principles: Explore, Say Yes, Don’t Push.

The stages and crowds are different but we try to extract that vibe from the room.

DDM: You’ll be playing at Zoey’s Cafe, next Thursday, for a CD release show. Coming home after being gone how long?

H&H: I left town on 2/24. And it’s home for the blink of an eye, the next night we’re in San Fran and then up the coast and over through Chicago back to the northeast for the big release shows.

DDM: This will be your first “hometown” show with the group?

H&H: Yes!

DDM: Syd, how long have you lived in Ventura? How has the music community in the Ventura area inspired you?

H&H: 3 years, about. I came here nearly every summer through college. Polly and Steve and what they’re doing at Zoey’s as well as all the touring musicians and friends I have that come through are great. Even greater is that I can play in a band like The Pullmen with former members of Shim Come Quick and the MIssing 23rd and get this instant entry into a scene I never would have seen if I didn’t play music. To be in a band with guys that grew up surfing every day, that understand California culture, that understand PUNK ROCK culture and it’s significance, that’s huge for me, it’s such an education. Not to mention a blast.

In it’s own way, it’s a vibrant scene. Not too big, not too small, and it’s growing. I have high hopes for a place like Ventura and you know, I’ll always be a Vermont kid at heart, but I miss it right now! I miss that weird little quirky sweet town. It’s got a real character. It’s a damn shame that the character in most towns gets completely overrun by the soulless mall culture that infects the US like a cancer, but Ventura is putting up a decent fight trying to keep it’s soul. As a guy from the only state without a McDonald’s in the state capital, I respect that 100%.

DDM: What is your connection with Zoey’s?

H&H: Steve and Polly are like family to me. And to so many other musicians around here. I worked there this past summer, got to meet lots of musicians from the area and touring through. Doing sound there is a lot of fun AND really tough. It gave me a whole new level of respect for the guy on the other side of the board. Anyway, for years and years I’ve been coming through and playing there. Now that they’ve moved I feel like the possibilities for what the venue can be have expanded and they’re starting to do more and will expand with the space.

DDM: After the tour, do the three of you go back to your “previous lives”? Are there any plans to continue with more recordings?

H&H: I’m as committed to this band as I ever was to my solo career and I can speak for the band when I say they are too. When I get back I plan to hit the phones and the airwaves putting the plans together for the next steps. We’ll be conference calling, group emailing. It’s amazing, having three band leaders working simultaneously — we get a LOT of shit done and we keep each other honest. We’ll be ready for more! We’re already planning more touring, and we’ve written some songs on the road. This is far from over. That being said — I’m Erin “Syd” Sidney, Pat is Patrick Thomas and Lisa is Lisa Piccirillo — we always have that forum for creative expression if it demands to be put into a different context. But Hotels & Highways is a band, no matter where we are.

Pictures from Thursday night’s cd release show

Zoey’s Cafe, Ventura CA

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Pretty Food

2011-03-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the prolonged absence and lack of sharing.....between work and life I have been a bit too busy to sit down and share my latest and greatest feasts and food adventures. Not to mention the recipes that go along with them.

Tonight is a short, but I couldn't resist sharing with you what mama is making for dinner.

As I sit at the counter recovering from a crazy week at work (translation: drinking wine and NOT standing up all the while singing in my head the song by Dolly Parton "Workin' 9-5" except in my case it was more like 5-9. As in 5am-9pm. Urgh), I was summoned by Mommy Dearest over to the window with a "Jen you gotta get a picture of this!"

So I got up and tiptoes over to the window to find this....

Which in turn got wrapped up so nicely to become this....

"This" is a 3 1/2 pound trout from Lake Casitas that my Dad brought home. I think it might have been as big as my bass.....but I'm pretty sure not. They are a great team, Dad brings home the food, mom makes it pretty and delicious.

Anyhoo....brain is not working so well so I am just going to share with you, eat my dinner and pass out for at least 12 hours.

Whole Fish Wrapped in Grape Leaves

Adapted from recipewizard.com

One 8-ounce jar grape leaves, drained and rinsed

1 small lemon, sliced into paper-thin rings, preferably with a mandoline

One 2 1 ⁄ 2- to 3-pound snapper of any variety: black, striped, or spotted bass; whole large-mouth bass or freshwater bass; any variety of whole drum; or whole parrotfish, orange roughy, ocean perch, tilapia, or trout, scaled and cleaned

1 tablespoon olive oil

Suzi Q Santa Maria Style Seasoning (or Garlic Salt & Pepper)

8 parsley sprigs

8 thyme sprigs

Lay three quarters of the grape leaves on your work surface, overlapping them to form a compact bed that you will later fold up onto the fish; reserve the other leaves to lay over the fish. Lay 4 lemon slices down the center of the leaves.

Score the fish skin three times in parallel, diagonal cuts on each side of the body, cutting down only about 1⁄2 inch, not through to the bones. Oil the fish on both sides with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season each side and the cavity with the Suzi Q. Place the parsley sprigs and another 3 or 4 lemon slices inside the fish's body cavity. Set the stuffed fish over the lemon slices on the grape leaves.

Arrange the remaining lemon slices over the top of the fish, then lay the reserved grape leaves over the body. Fold the bottom leaves up to cover the sides of the fish, tucking them under the top leaves to seal the fish in a grape-leaf packet. Pat to adhere, then tie in several places with butcher's twine to close the fish and the leaves in one packet.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F. Place a metal rack in a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Set the wrapped fish on the rack. Roast until the leaves are crispy and a metal skewer inserted through the leaves and into the flesh comes out hot, about 25 minutes. Untie the fish; discard the grape leaves and lemon slices before serving.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Oh bly me. Nerd Alert!

2011-03-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

I’m familiar with BJs in Oxnard, but I’ve never been to the restaurant.

Ba-dum, cha!

I ate pizookie at BJ’s with a guy I like to call Pi (π) Guy. Pizookie is a desert cookie made to look like pizza (Pizza + Cookie = Pizookie), and BJ’s is… well, if you don’t know anything about BJs, I suggest you watch more porn.

Drumroll… ba-dum CHA!.

Okay, serious: BJs is a restaurant off Oxnard Blvd (1), Southbound side. I walked in and found π guy near the bar. He smelled decent, had manners and personality, 6’1″, and in his face were a killer pair of aquamarine eyes that I could have swam through if he let me, and if I fit in his eye socket.

…and then the interview commenced.

Dating:

Come in. Sit down. Crack a few jokes and then down to business. What do you do for a living? How do you like that? How long have you done it? What do you listen to? What kind of movies do you like?

This interview was derailed when he told me about Pi day, the day devoted to π, a mathematical constant (3.14159265, to be precise) whose value is the ratio of a circle’s area to the square of its radius. The formula has been known for 4000 years, but this (2011) is only the 22nd year of π celebrations.

On π day (3.14), you bake a pie or a pizza, and eat it at 1:59 (3.14159), with others or alone, while discussing the relevance of π. Pi π guy baked a peach pie and intended on eating it at 1:59.

“You can eat it twice in one day if you stay up late enough,” he said.

I appreciated how high up the pole he hoisted that nerd flag.

He was like a cloudburst of data, sprinkling and then showering me with details. Did you know there is also a Pi Approximation Day? Well, 5 days to be exact. The most popular Pi Approximation Day is July 22, because 22/7 is approximately Pi.

“You can eat cobbler on that day,” said Pi Guy. “Because it’s not exactly Pie.”

I did a bit of digging and found that here’s also square root day, celebrated on days when both the day of the month and the month are the square of the last two digits of the year. For example: April 4, 2016 is the next Square Root day.

Geekalicious.

If this world is a circuit and π guy was electricity, my resistance was low and I felt an increase in current flow in direct proportion to voltage. Kismets. Meet cutes. Even if only for a night, some people can grab you and knock your socks off–much like a powered, ungrounded piece of electronic gear.

After Pizookie and beers, we continued transmitting across the parking lot to the Home Depot (hey, it was the only thing open). We lazied up and down the aisles, talking about nothing important for about half an hour, and then we called it a night.

Mmm… Pizookie and beer for dinner and an evening stroll through the screw aisle. Greatest date since 1956.

Maybe dating doesn’t have to be linear, convincing us that there are proper steps (dinner date, call me, movie, meet friends, meet family, move in together) that allow us to coordinate our relationship toward the ultimate goal. And the belief that there is some “ultimate goal”… isn’t that fatalism? Let the adventures fall around you like snowflakes, I say, and don’t assume there is some ultimate destination because then you’ll lose track of the present, which will go unnoticed because you’re too busy struggling to see through the fogged glass of the future, which is just as useful as looking at the past. It’s just intangible. Enjoy what you have now.

May dessert come before dinner, and long walks along the beach be replaced by walks through lumber and hardware… and may BJs last forever.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Mid-week Beer - Speedway Stout

2011-03-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

If you like bitter chocolate and coffee then you have try this beer! Pour into a snifter and let it warm up just a bit. Note how the aroma and the flavors change as the beer warms up. At 12% this beer is a sipper and I think best enjoyed AS dessert.

This midweek.mini-review is a part of my interactive guest review series. Click my Beer Goggles review card and you will be able to read reviews from other beer enthusiasts. You will also find a blank card for this beer that you can save/print and fill out for yourself. Fill out your card, e-mail your review back to me and it will be included with all the other guest reviews. Be sure to include your name and/or beer blog or beer website information with your review.

Blank cards for other beer styles can be found at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/write-your-own-review/ . Right click and save or print. Do you want to use the same font? You can find the free “My Type of Font” at http://www.dafont.com/my-type-of-font.font.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Lost in Translation

2011-03-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

My mother had not been home to her native Philippines for almost 18 years, so when the chance came this year I gladly joined her.

She arrived two weeks prior, and then met me at the airport when my plane landed in Manila. From the airport, we took an 11 hour bus to Candon, which is the next-to-last stop till mom’s town, and arrived at 2am. Momma didn’t expect us to make such good time, so we were momentarily stranded at the small, open air, dirty bus stop.

I hadn’t slept since I left Los Angelees so mom laid my luggage on the ground and set up a make-shift bed. It was lumpy, and mosquitos were buzzing around my head, and the humidity made my skin shiny and sticky, and 20 feet away there were kids pulling an all-night playtime at the city park.

Mom sat on the bus stop bench, and she pet my hair while apologizing for these conditions and the uncomfortable ride from Manila. She added, “Don’t tell your friends about this, okay? Only tell them the beautiful things about the Philippines.”

She didn’t want me to tell my friends that I slept at a bus stop.

3 Halloweens ago

I guess I never told her about my US Navy years and all the bathroom floors I’ve slept on, or how I fell asleep in Kristy’s tub a few Halloweens ago, or the time I blacked out and woke up in a baby crib (don’t worry–the kid was at a sitter’s). There’s also that time I backed into a male urinal and peed in it when no other restrooms were open.

Don’t sweat it, mom. You didn’t raise a priss.

The next day, my Aunt Mina (a mid-wife and nurse) arrived early and brought us through the mountains to Tangaoan, the little town where my mother spent her childhood and where my Aunt still lived in the same house my Grandfather built. That night, I met all of my Filipino cousins for the very first time. They spoke English, but could not understand me–they were used to hearing English through a Filipino accent. One detail of my life clearly needed no translation: I was 32 years old and I was single.

My cousin Margarett (she just finished college and is a cadet in the Philippines National Forces) was the first to inquire if I had a boyfriend. She seemed truly heartbroken when I told her I was single. She touched my arm and asked, “But why, cousin?”

“I just haven’t met anyone I really like.”

She considered this and replied, “Hmm…You have dated?”

“Yes.”

“Are you only wanting a certain kind of race?”

I shrugged. I didn’t know what to tell her. I looked down at the photo album in her lap because I was too exhausted to hold eye contact while trying to form thoughts. I had just arrived after a long flight and drive, great excuse, right? But the truth is, I’m always lost for words when asked why I’m single; I said, “I just haven’t found what I’m looking for?”

Her reply: “I think being an Old Maid runs in our family. It’s okay. Auntie Mitzie is 42, you know? She is still not married. Our cousin Giselle, she is also single. I think it’s a curse.”

Might sound like a slap in the face, but it wasn’t. It was an honest answer from a girl whose female population is generally married by 25.

Margarett chatted with another cousin in Ilocano, and I wondered if she was passing the word: “Ladies, this one’s bearing the mark. Steer clear.”

A few days later we were in Baguio City, visiting my Aunt Goria, and I got to meet my young 25-year-old cousin, Ivy (she teaches English to Korean students). Ivy and I are single so I mentioned the curse to her. I was shocked when she said she was cursed too, and laughed when she gave me a the verbal shopping list of the women in my Filipino family who are educated… and single.

I couldn’t believe that this young and beautiful girl believed she was truly cursed at the age of 25. I shook my head at her and said, “No! In my country we are not old maids at this age, 30 is the new 20.”

A few days later, Mom and I were back in Tangaoan. All across the country, they were celebrating Fiesta, and at Fiesta, the different communities gather at the Baranguay center, children perform traditional Filipino dances, and the adults eat and talk.

I tried to understand conversations with the bits of Ilocano and Tagalog I currently understand, but when translation exhausted me, I began hunting for stuff to photograph. I was a forced tourist.

My uncle Amante found me in the crowd and said, “I’ve been looking for you! I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. The Chief of Police.”

Uncle took my hand and I knew he was up to something. I felt like a little girl being led to her foster parents. When we reached the top of the hill, Uncle said something in Ilocano, stood aside, and I was in front of a Filipino man who looked exactly like Enrique Inglesias, but in uniform.

I’m not attracted to Filipino men, but o sea, el hombre era caliente.

Very obviously a set-up.

“Hi,” I said.

My new friend said “hello” and introduced himself as Augosto, and my uncle Amante slowly backed away. He closed his hands together, as though he wanted us to come together. He said, “Okay… talk…”

And he was gone.

Awkward. I looked at Augosto and smiled.

“Hello…” I said again.

He began to ask questions about the United States, about my childhood, my family, and I answered each question, returning with questions of my own. He smiled gently and admitted his own nervousness at this sudden meeting. He told me he didn’t know that Uncle Amante was going to do this. I could only smile and agree that I, too, was a victim of the flash-flood date.

After about 5 minutes, we said goodbye and went our separate ways. I quickly found my mom and told her what happened. She asked me to locate this cop so that she could check him out.

I pointed up toward the top of the hill and there, with 3 other officers, stood Augosto. He smiled and waved down at me. I waved back. Mom said, “Just be friends! He lives too far, ha?”

I was like, “Mom, we didn’t go carve our names into a tree–we just talked for a few minutes. I think you can relax.”

A few hours later we had to leave. My Aunt Mina, the midwife, had to return to Tangaoan to deliver a baby.

When we arrived at the house, Aunt Mina crossed the street to begin prepping for the newborn while the rest of us started preparing dinner; Mom and I were on the porch, shaving vegetables for the stew. I heard yelling and saw my aunt running toward us through the rain from the house across the street. She ran inside our house for a few seconds, then she was back out again–running and yelling as she crossed the street.

“What was she saying?” I asked.

Mom laughed and said, “She said the baby’s head is coming.”

My Aunt Mitzie came out of the house next, followed by Gladys, my cousin’s wife. Gladys yelled to me, “Want to see? I want to see!”

I scrambled to get the bowl of vegetables from my lap, and slipped my flip flops over my feet. My mom yelled, “Hey! No! Don’t watch! It’s too private!”

I ran after Gladys, the three of us giggling as my mom was still yelling, “Hey! No!”

Being a visitor to the Philippines, having watched men urinate openly, showering with my mom standing in the same room, I have learned that nothing is too private in this country, and almost everything is shared. Everyone is so close, and I don’t mean spatially. There’s plenty of land, but they’re so emotionally close. They struggle together, they endure floods and droughts and famine together, and they pull each other along. It’s called Bayanihan–helping one another without asking for payment.

So when she said to stop because it was too private, I hit the gas.

We arrived at the house and hustled inside. I felt like part of a football team that’s getting ready to huddle for the big play as we bunched up around a bedroom door. I peeked over their heads but was unable to get my real-live-birth fix. I glanced at the slatted windows and saw little eyes peeking in, then heard one of the women shout something at the kids and slam the slats shut.

My Aunt Mitzie, the 42 year old fellow “old maid” in my family, turned and saw me rubber-necking. She reached through the girls and tugged my arm, pulling me forward through the gaggle of women who had all personally experienced this moment.

I felt sudden stage fright. I had my hands up in protest and my feet were dragging.

“You’ve never seen this?” one of the young girls asked.

“No..” I said.

“She’s single, and she doesn’t have babies,” Gladys said.

I felt hands at my back.

“It’s okay! It’s okay!” they said, nodding, pulling me.

I was pushed forward and placed in a chair that was aimed at the open doorway. I had a front row seat and saw a girl lying on the floor, on a bed made of clean sheets and cardboard–preparing for incoming life. My mid-wife Aunt, Mina, was sitting between the girl’s legs. The father was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his wife’s hand.

I braced myself in that chair. I was only 10 feet away from the door of life (if you want to call it that). I watched, not understanding all that was said, but I imagine it was:

“Hold my hand,” the wife said.

“Okay,” her husand replied.

My Aunt Mina said, “PUSH!”

“Okay…!”

“Here’s the head…”

And from the girls who surrounded me: “There’s the baby!”

I, myself, I was too stunned to react with them. I watched the girl’s vagina split open like Steven Tyler’s lips, and then a little blue head emerged. My Aunt gripped the baby’s head very gently as the rest of the body squirted out. I’ve seen puppies and kittens born, but never a human baby–it all happens at the same speed. As soon as that head is out, the body pours out like water. Kinda gross, but kind of cool at the same time. The afterbirth flowed next, followed by a sack of placenta.

I slapped my hands over my gaping mouth and my eyes started to water.

“Oh my God…” I whispered through my hands that reeked of vegetable stew.

The new grandmother came over to where I sat and, in English, said, “Wow.. It’s been some trip for you, hah?!”

And the women all laughed while I shook my head in amazement.

For the two weeks I was there, a day didn’t pass without someone mentioning my single hood and then seeming shocked or saddened by the curse of being an Old Maid. I returned home to Ventura where singleness at my age is as common as blue skies, and I haven’t really talked about my experience of being single in the Philippines, nor thought about it.

I was gently reminded when, on the phone with my mom last week, I asked how the family was. She replied, “They’re good. Your Uncle Amante wants to know when you’re going to write that cop. I think it would be nice if you wrote him, you know? As a Friend.”

I intend on sending a postcard to my Aunts and cousins, but I don’t know about Augosto and the whole long-distance thing. I can barely stand to date a guy who lives in Los Angeles.

“Bahala na,” is also what they say. It means, “Whatever will be will be.”

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Mid-week Beer - Firestone Walker: Double Jack

2011-03-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

This is a great entry level Double IPA with plenty of malty sweetness to balance the aggressive hop character of this beer. A lingering bitterness encourages you to keep drinking but be careful, at 9.5% this beer will catch up to you!

This midweek.mini-review starts a new interactive aspect for HopHeadSaid. Click my Beer Goggles review card and you will be able to read reviews from other beer enthusiasts. You can find blank cards for any style at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/write-your-own-review/ . Right click and save or print and e-mail your review back to me. Be sure to tell me your name and if you have a beer blog or website include that information as well.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Should I poo poo the Puja?

2011-03-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

Apparently, I’m the only person who has never heard of a Puja and those who have, describe them with words like weird, sex, and orgy. By true definition, a Puja is a gathering of people for a specific purpose, such as to teach a spiritual lesson, or as a practice in devotion to the self or to some sort of deity.

Kristy invited me to a Puja in Ojai this weekend.

It was like our own little road trip. We stopped for snacks at a gas station and listened to each other’s music; we had long talks, and also gaps of comfortable quiet.

As we snacked and sang to each other I started noticing that we were getting deeper into Dueling Banjo country.

Don’t tell anyone, but I secretly fear I’ll stop at a gas station in some backwoods town someday, and a guy with a wheat twig sticking out of his lips will approach my car, tap on the glass and say, “Ain’t you a bit far from your neckuh the woods… brownie?”

That fear always turns into a fantasy where I have to hump the guy silly in order to regain my freedom.

Up and up, and deeper and deeper (oh yes!) into Ojai we went.

On my facebook, I posted as my status:

If I die today, it’s because Kristy took me to some weird mountain cult and they sacrificed me to some old man who sucks on used underwear and worships chicken bones (or something). I love you all.

When we were near the destination we still had at least 30 minutes before game time so Kristy pulled off at a vista point.

“Giving me one last look at the earth?” I asked her.

She smiled and continued to rend gummy bears apart with her teeth, and I began to wonder if she had ever tore through human flesh with those same choppers. After 17 years, was there a side of Kristy I had never seen?

“Hey,” I said, as she chewed gummys, “I don’t feel like riding Hale Bop tonight.”

She smirked, “Oh please.”

Then it was time for us to head toward the Puja.

The directions Kristy received stated: “You will see a sign that reads Do Not Enter. This does not apply to you.”

About a mile down the road, the pavement turned to dirt and we passed a sign that read: Do not enter.

To Kristy, I said, “This does not apply to you.”

She continued onward, slowing the car when we wobbled over potholes and dirt hills. I continued to text my last goodbyes when Kristy said, “Dude, you’re not going to have access to your phone out here.”

“Convenient. No access to my phone so my blood curdling screams will disappear into the hills, you murderer?”

“Oh, dude,” she said with a giggle of endearment.

The dirt road began to show signs of civilization. Old trailer-park looking homes with scarecrows on the front lawn.

“I hope we’re going the right way,” Kristy said.

“I’m sure we are. I just saw a guy holding a still-beating human heart, and he was pointing this way.”

When we came around the final turn, we were looking at an amazing log home with a grand view of green hills and valleys.

It was beauteous.

Kristy was still driving very slowly when she spotted something strewn across the yard, like dried out pumpkins.

“I wonder what those are?” she asked.

I delivered my final wisecrack: “Remnant human skulls.”

Kristy parked, we grabbed our Yoga mats and pillows and entered the compound. All around us, wearing comfy yoga pants–even pajamas–were guys and girls my own age, and they were all attractive and in great health. Considering that this could become an orgy, I started picking out which guys I would wanted in my Mari Sandwich.

We were asked to remove our shoes, just like my childhood, and welcomed to grab a cup of hot green tea (after we paid our $25 entry fee, of course).

After we were shoeless and tea-filled, we found a seat inside a big room with Christmas lights strewn across the ceiling. The universe is sometimes within reach, I guess. We just have to want it.

Everyone laid their mats out in a circle, and mingled a bit until the leader of the Pooj had us take our seats. She introduced herself and then we introduced ourselves.

The beginning of the Puja was simple enough: Talk to two strangers in the room and tell them about your hopes.

Then it picked up speed. We began participating in exercises that were not sexual in nature, but meant to teach us–this small group of unknowns–to be more outgoing, and to nurture and love each other, complete strangers, so that maybe in those 3 short hours something would stick and we would remember to treat the rest of the world in the same loving way.

In any other blog I’d be more than happy to blanket you with the details of my experience, but in this case I don’t think details will do the Puja any justice. It isn’t something that really requires foreknowledge or expectations, and I can only promise: your skull will be used as a lawn ornament and you will not end up on a pyre surrounded by flames and, unfortunately, no group orgies. Everyone’s clothes stayed on.

I will tell you it was worth the money, but I’m not sure if I could afford to pay that price again for these lessons that should come as naturally as breaking wind: Treat others fairly and kindly. If the world really is going to end in 2012, wouldn’t our greatest attribute be how much happiness and love we brought to other lives? Maybe that’s just me.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Road Closed for 6 months

2011-03-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

I’m on a mission.

Six months of celibacy. Clear all the crap out of my head from my previous relationship and get some perspective.

Luckily, a guy I dated last year called me a few weeks ago after 1 year of radio silence. We have a mutual non-interest in each other, therefore it’s the perfect situation to achieve my mission of celibacy. I call him Ventura Dude (VD for short).

This week Ventura Dude invited me to his parents’ place in the Ventura Keys to SUP board.

After I reached his parents’ street, I put my phone aside and began searching house numbers. When I arrived at 3864, I parked on the street and did as Ventura dude said:

“Go into the gate and it will be open. Just come around the side of the house, you’ll find us in the back.”

I walked to the gate, reached over and opened the latch.

“Hello?” I called, stepping across the threshold and closing the gate.

Two little yap yap dogs ran around the corner of the house from the backyard and began barking furiously at me. I tried not to show my fright (and also slight irritation)–damn that Ventura Dude, he said nothing about ankle biters.

I looked around the side of the house for a path out back, but there were kayaks blocking the walkway. I went to the front door, dogs nipping and barking, and I pressed the doorbell.

“Hello…?” I called, my voice beginning to crack as I sensed that the little butt holes at my feet were ready to break some skin.

The doorbell rang. I couldn’t see inside because the front door was solid and the windows were curtained. Venura Dude’s ‘rents were a bunch of recluses, I guess.

I tried knocking with a heavy fist and then waited, smiling at the peephole.

When no one answered, I dropped the smile and tried to be nice to the cute four-legged furballs who wouldn’t shut the fuck up.

I went back out the gate, then around to the other side of the house where I found another gate.

Maybe he meant this one?

I pushed the gate open about half a foot before it slammed into an old lawn mower. Beyond the lawn mower I was able to spy some shrubs and an overgrown path that was impossible to walk through.

“What the hell?” I asked myself, wondering what kind of freak Ventura Dude was, and who the hell his parents were to think a person could come through either of these passages.

I latched the gate again, looking down at my toes to make sure they didn’t catch at the bottom of the fence. When I looked down, I saw that the cement was marked with tiny hand prints and several names.

As I read the names, I noticed that Ventura Dude’s name was not among the little imprints. Then, I read: The &&&& Family. Wait a second… Ventura Dude’s last name wasn’t &&&&.

My phone rang. It was VD himself.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m at 3864,” I replied. “Thanks for warning me about the GD dogs.”

“Okay,” He said, “Now come down a few more houses to 5864.”

My bad.

When I arrived at his parents house, a much nicer two-story Spanish style home with a manicured walkway and full access to the back deck, VD introduced me to his mother and her friends.

After a short talk with the ladies, VD and I walked down the ramp to the dock where our boards were waiting.

He helped me aboard my board, and after we knocked those puppies into gear, we started talking. Well, I mostly listened to him talk about his current (lack of) relationship status, and I tried to give him advice when dealin’ with… the ladies…

I was amazed that, after only a few minutes, I was no longer shaking and struggling. I was paddling like a pro, like those old guys you see in summer when the sea is as calm as land. Someday, I want to be one of those old guys–minus the hairy droopers, of course– with no purpose, but to find some sort of inner peace and relaxation on my board.

It’s amazing how quickly we adapt to adversity isn’t it? Yes, that had double meaning.

Six months of celibacy? Pfft. I can do this.

Peace of cock.

Cake, I mean!

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: The Soapbox Yogi

2011-03-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I ran 5 miles.

I started at my apartment on Poli and ran toward Seward. Music against my ear drums, blood throbbing through my veins, and junk–good and bad–going through my head. I stomped those sidewalks, nodding to other pavement smashers who breezed by. I passed Ventura High School and then the County Medical Center, I made an S through the Ventura College Campus, and I skidded to a stop when I arrived at Bryn Mawr.

This is where my friend Ventura Dude lives. The run was nuts, and I felt exhausted like fresh-squeezed turds, so I text and asked if he could drive me home. He said he would.

Ventura Dude is a bad ass. Too bad I’m recently broken.

Up.

We dated briefly last year, and when there was no mutual love connection we stopped talking. No hard feelings. Then, out of the Hueneme grey, he called me. It’s like what Reggie said: somehow, they know.

When I arrived at his doorstep, he said, “You look like shit.”

I thanked him.

He grabbed his keys. Being in his Benz again sparked memories of an earring I lost during our brief dating stint. It looked bohemian, made of gold, with golden webbing across the center.

He opened his center console, and replied, “If it’s here, it’s probably stuck to used condoms.”

I had poker face.

He frowned, and said, “Jees, I thought that would at least get a response.”

Then I saw a twinkle. It was buried alive, but not stuck to rubbers. As he moved more stuff, I recognized the netting. It looked tarnished, but there it was!

I screeched, pushed past his hands like Charlie Sheen pushing through porn stars for the Vodka bottle, and pulled my earring to safety.

I held it to my cheek and sang Reunited by Peaches and Herb, then I gave it air-kisses. Little miracles.

And my run, well, that was a little miracle, too. Last year, while dancing at an 80s club in Hollywood, I did a stage dive in heels; when I landed, I heard a *crunch* in my right knee cap. The doctor said there was no permanent tear or break, but like anything badly hurt, it would take time to heal.

I used to run 15k’s, and this is the farthest and least painful run I’ve had since the injury.

Hear that?

There’s always hope for healing, it just takes time.

You would think I was hinting about the healing over my recent break-up, but this is where the story takes a Palm Street dip.

You see, last week I screwed up big time; and at the same time, someone screwed up on me me pretty bad.

My dad has a bad joke for every occasion. And this joke just fits right now:

“Did you hear about Sam and Kathy Wong and their new white baby?”

“No, Dad.”

“Yeah, everyone is saying two Wongs can’t make a White.”

I can’t tell you what my screwing up was, but I definitely caused pain to another being.

Badly.

And though I forgive others when they wrong me, I never expect to let others down, especially in such a way that is mean without question, or hurtful, or causes heart break.

The fault I feel for opening this Pandora’s box is the most regret-filled feeling in this world. And regret is like an envelope that smothers you, and you can’t breath for a while, and you feel like the world’s biggest butthole. I advise my friends to live without regret, because you own your actions and you should always act knowingly and purposefully. Advice that I was forced to swallow that on the night I totally F’d up.

So enveloping was this feeling, that I couldn’t see through the haze of my own screw up to remember how badly I was fucked over.

But I realized today, after Yoga, after I breathed an Om with the rest of the class and felt their energy radiate through me, and I was filled with this euphoric calm, that forgiveness isn’t just about pardoning the other person, it is about pardoning yourself, too. If you can’t even forgive the person you love most–you–you can’t possibly begin to forgive another.

Why is it important to forgive another person who hurts us?

I realized, during my drive home from Yoga, as my little Honda was hugging the curves of PCH and I was seeing the stretch of the Pacific–this open space that has seen and holds so many secrets, that exists and will exist much longer than my time on this earth–that anger, grudges, and that cruel handshaking is worthless.

You are not a robot.

If you can get to this point of universal forgiveness, and you can see Love and feel it from the inside and then 360 degrees around you, then you are a supreme being because you are an all loving being.

But lets be smart about it, too, and remember: forgiving and forgetting are two completely different ideas.

And maybe all this sounds corny to you because you came to Date Night to laugh, but instead you got a message from my spirit to yours. Well so be it. Stephen King does it all the time, after all. And, honestly, one of my favorite Stephen King quotes applies:

“I still believe in the resilience of the human heart and the essential validity of love; I still believe that connections between people can be made and the spirits which inhabit us sometimes touch. I still believe the cost of those connections is horribly, outrageously high, and I still believe the value far outweighs the price which must be paid. They are old fashioned concerns and beliefs, but I would be a liar if did not admit that I still own them… and that they still own me.”

A couple of nights ago while out on a monogamous date with Ventura Dude, and before my epiphany, I said, “I’m an asshole.”

Ventura Dude strained his fingers out in front of him, and he said, “Are you an asshole or a Bitch? Because you called yourself a Bitch 5 minutes ago, and you can’t be both.”

“I’m an asshole,” I said, shaking my head.

“Good. You’re an asshole. Now shut up so we can find a place to eat.”

Ah, Love that is rough is the best love to have.

I’m not really too much of an asshole, but I’m also not a robot.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Ladyface Ale Companie: Picture City Porter

2011-03-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

Ladyface Ale Companie, located in Agoura Hills, is a Belgian-centric restaurant that features a wide range of their own handcrafted beers. At the time of this post Ladyface Ale Companie had no less than eleven of their beers on tap. Click here to see their current tap selection, which includes several guest taps.

Picture City Porter comes in two different versions: regular and bourbon-fied. It is my understanding that this is a limited edition (available in small quantities and/or for special occasions) beer so be sure to ask if the bourbon barrel version is available if you want to experience the beer in this review.

When you order a beer that comes from a bourbon barrel it is hard not to have any preconceived notions about the aromas and tastes you will encounter. Try to put any of those notions aside and dig a little deeper, you won’t be disappointed. Picture City Porter is a treat and a challenge to taste; and with a little digging you will discover a wonderful, complex beer.

Served in a pint glass, the traditional drinking vessel, Picture City Porter poured an opaque brown with a diminishing off-white head. I think it would have had better head retention if served in a less traditional tulip shaped glass. However, what it lacked in head retention it made up for in the wonderful lacing pattern it left on the inside of the glass.

Generally I don’t care for pint glasses as they tend to let the aromas dissipate too quickly (as well as the head) which can eliminate a layer of complexity that could be enjoyed throughout the session. However, this beer held its own against the mighty mouth of the pint glass. The bourbon aroma is a thick and unmistakable layer that floats on the beer’s surface and will greet your nose just a tick before each drink. While it does dissipate a bit, the bourbon aroma hangs around for the whole session. I love the bourbon aroma but the real pleasure in this beer is finding its hidden layers. If you “squint” just a bit you will discover an all but hidden layer of subtle earthy notes wafting just behind the bourbon. For me it was reminiscent of freshly turned soil with a mix of herbs sprinkled about.

My first thought as I tasted the beer was “Where is the bourbon?” The bourbon aroma was so powerful that I was certain that each drink would be overrun with bourbon flavor. Instead, roasty malts dominated the palate with a subtle burnt toast flavor that was mixed with a chocolaty sweetness. The dark malts and hops provide a moderate bitterness that keeps the sweetness in check.

As the tasting progressed I started to discover two more hidden layers. The earthy notes showed up again but this time in the flavor. My guess is that these earthy notes are a result of the beer being aged in oak barrels. Then from under the earthy notes a new layer emerged, almost as an afterthought. Spice. This layer can be easily missed if you aren’t paying attention because you won’t experience it until you exhale. After you swallow take a moment (your frites won’t cool down that much) and enjoy this final stage of tasting a beer that is so often overlooked. Exhale. Feel the spicy esters float to the roof of your mouth and then up and out of your sinuses. Was this spice caused by the hops or the oak or was it a magical combination of the two? I’m not sure but I AM glad it was there.

The beauty of this beer is in its layers. Its tough guy persona (the bourbon aroma) is just a façade that is protecting its more delicate almost hidden layers. Picture City Porter rewards those who stick around to get to know it. Do yourself a favor, pull up a chair and introduce yourself to this beer.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Summit Brewing Co - IPA

2011-03-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

If your travels take you to the Minnesota or the any of the Mid-West states be sure to try this beer. Its mild hop aroma, balancing sweetness and medium body make it an easy drinking beer. This IPA is a wonderful combination of the English and American styles.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Mid-week Beer Goggles review

2011-02-23T16:31:00.000-08:00

It probably comes as no surprise to you that my favorite beer style is the IMPERIAL IPA. I love beers with huge hop aromas and flavors and this beer has that in spades! Hopsickle lives up to it’s name and is one of my favorite examples of this style. However, this beer is a “pallet wrecker” (but in a good hophead way) and if you are planning on including this beer in a tasting lineup be sure to save it ’til the end.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Happy VD

2011-02-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I was on a skating team called The Anchorettes. We were sponsored by the US Navy, we wore little sailor costumes, and performed ridiculously easy routines to the beats of Whitney Houston, The Beatles, and The Carpenters

How odd for young girls to skate to the songs of romance?

Maybe not too odd if you had background on the team manager, a 50 year old man named Bill. Don’t puke up your Valentine’s day chocolates, but Bill was molesting half of the girls on the team. As the testimonies alleged, Bill would make the girls stand around him in a circle while he jerked off, holding a gun in his other hand, telling them, “If you tell your parents about this, I’ll kill them.”

Apparently, on an occasion Bill decided to play “ring around the rosy cock,” there was a new girl on the team, and she must have thought: “You can suck it, old man.”

She told her parents about the circle jerk, and the Anchorettes–as we knew them–became a part of Long Beach Naval Base history.

Anyway, the point of that not-heart-warming-at-all story is that I learned to do a little bit of skating on 8 wheels. Granted, it’s been about 2 decades since I’ve stepped foot into any kind of classic skate, so when Kristy and I went to the Skating Rink (off Victoria in Ventura) and I slid my toes into those many-times-borrowed rentals, I felt like a Virgin.

I laced up and came to stand slowly, as though I were on land mines. I started off like a sputtering car, and with flailing arms, made my way to the rink with Kristy close behind.

I touched my wheels to the edge and looked down at the shimmering lights, like stars, beneath me. Up above, turned a disco ball, surrounded by multi-colored, opaque bulbs, pulsating to the rhythm of each song. Kristy and I held hands like Thelma and Louise approaching the cliff, and took the plunge.

Kristy clung to the wall for dear life as we tried to find a momentum.

A child skated in front of me, and my hips jerked. Hula hoop without the hula hoop. Nervous beads of sweat formed on my upper lip.

“Do a few tricks,” Kristy said, knowing my history.

I glanced at her.

What an asshole.

After the first two or three laps, I was a little more comfy. Here I was: single on Valentine’s day. But why did everyone else look single? There was a birthday party, so plenty of kids, a couple couples, and more singles than what is tucked into a stripper’s panties.

Where were the especially young, under-aged couples? It seemed when I was a chubby little turd back in 1985, there were a lot more kids at rinks. What did they do on Valentines day, 2011?

At about 8:30, the birthday party ditched the rink. Then there were about 15 adults left to rock out.

I became more daring–I started doing quick spins. Coming up on my stoppers like Michael Jackson in Billie Jean. I went heel-to-heel and skated circles around Kristy. Suddenly, it was LBC circa 1986 and I was an Anchorette again!

I rocked!

Too Close by NEXT started bleeding out the speakers, and I felt the music vibrate through to my inner soul sister. There was a couple at the rink that night, an older black couple that stole the eyes of everyone. They were that couple you could tell had clocked some time together. They held hands, and their movements were in near-perfect sync. It was lovely, like two swans on a pond, and it caused me to long. For something Meaningful. Whether short term or long term.

That old couple made me happy.

Too Close moved me. I had the white-man’s overbite, I twisted my head from side to side–right, left, right, left– I pushed those skates to their limit.

I danced.

Recently heart broken? Fuck it. I was Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley. I was having the Time of My Life.

No screwing around: Baby refused to be in this corner.

I threw one leg back and grabbed the ankle; I grabbed the back of my neck with my other hand. I was dancing. I was a festival… I was a parade.

Well, a Gay Parade because my skating went queer. I almost had a firm grip on that skate, but it slipped from my fingers, then my balance gave. I made a valiant attempt to stay upright, but the crash went through my right ass cheek; the impact sent a shock wave of pain up my ass, spine, and it ended in my brains.

One of the other singles, a girl, rolled to stop next to me. “Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

I nodded and smiled. It seemed to sting all over: ass, head, and ego. Not to mention, well, you know, the old heart was already aching for peace.

When I was on my feet again, I rolled toward Kristy and dragged the stopper till I hit the rink wall. She was sitting at a diner table, sipping a slushy.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, guess I should wait before I attempt some shits like that again.”

It’s like everything, I suppose. Get the fuck up, dust off your bottom, and keep on keepin’ on.

I like that I was able to feel like a little girl again, minus the child-molesting team manager. Oh, and in case you were wondering: Bill was charged in California, then extradited back to Kansas where he was charged with more crimes. He was sentenced to 20 years back in 1987.

As for broken hearts, I think of all the months to be screwed up from a break-up, November through February are the worst. The rain, the snow, the couples snuggling, the hearts in every window with the words “LOVE” staring you down. Another thing, and this is going to sound trite so excuse this moment, but it is pure truth: there is nothing in the world like the True Love of amazing friends, especially when it forms a shield, like a protective firmament, around you to pull you along and protect you from any more pain… and gets you through heartbreaks of any sort.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Waiting with Bated Breath

2011-02-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Dinner Off the Hook

Okay, I figured I’d better wait a few days so no one feels guilty or under the gun to try and compete with this on short notice… (BTW this is Jen's Mom writing this one) :)

For the last several years our husbands make up for any shenanigans they may have foisted upon us by planning some sort of Valentine surprise for us. We look forward to it with eager anticipation as it’s the one time of the year we’re totally pampered and waited on hand and foot by our men. The content of the event is a total mystery until the last minute.

It started with one of the guys making dinner for his sweetie and expanded to three couples. We’ve been wined and dined in the finest style, whisked away to the Awahnee Hotel in Yosemite, spa’ed at Ojai Valley Inn. One year they “stole” our cars while working out and had a limo waiting to drive us back home (a 10 minute limo ride) to a gourmet meal they’d prepared. And let’s not forget the Cajun Extravaganza that had enough delectable’s to feed a small zip code. We actually had to have a “day after” party to eat it all.

I should note that while we do love to travel and do the out of town thing, what really gets us giddy is for them to cook us a nice dinner. Did I mention that they won’t let us in the kitchen, they wait on us AND clean up the kitchen? I know I’m a lucky lady and I’ll re-up his contract based on this one special day a year.

This year we were told the day before to be out of our respective homes by 1:30 PM. Hmmm, 3 houses? Perhaps a progressive dinner? I’m the nosiest of the girls so I drive everyone nuts trying to figure it our each year. One day I’ll grow up. Maybe.

They instructed us to go have a drink someplace. As we didn’t want to be “on our lips” by dinner time we chose to do what any red blooded American woman would do. We shopped. At 4 PM we were summoned while resting our feet in the Macy’s shoe department. We were to proceed to Mary Jane’s home where the guys had been slaving away all day.

Oh yes… A five course feast with matched wines awaited. They made it all themselves (nary a Bristol Farm or TJ product on the table) outsourcing only the Crème Brule from Jen (Yes, the one who usually posts in this blog.) We’re still collectively sighing.

Valentine’s Dinner February 13, 2011

1st Course
Assorted Cheese and Fruit Platter Kiwis, apples, pears, blackberries, yellow and red raspberries Brie, smoked gouda, gorgonzola and crackers Wente Chardonnay

2nd Course
Seared Sea Scallops w/ lemon mustard crust Beringer Chardonnay 3rd Course
Marinated Shrimp and Avocado Salad Recipe Can be found at: Marinated Shrimp and Avocado Salad It’s a keeper! Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

4th Course Grilled Salmon with Lobster Hollandaise, Roasted Baby Potatoes, Asparagus
Paraiso Pinot Noir 2008
Napa Cellars Zinfandel 2008

5th Course

The Best Crème Brule in the World (You’ll have to ask Jen for the recipe)

Tobin James Zinfandel 2008

Wow, huh?!!??! And there’s only 361 days until the next one.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Great Divide: Oak Aged Yeti

2011-02-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of my TOP 10 favorite beers. This is a huge beer in every way. The aroma punches you in the face, the taste punches you in the mouth and the alcohol will punch you in the head. Try this beer AS dessert or pair it with a big dense piece of German chocolate cake or cherry tart.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: How a Housewife Gets to The Grammy’s

2011-02-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Yep. I’m going to The Grammy’s tomorrow! Like, not going to hang out in the street and watch everyone walk the red carpet. I am walking the red carpet. Yep!! I’m really excited. But how does a housewife with a music blog get to mingle with the famous?

Nepotism.

Yep.

And I’d do it again. See, my husband works on design for the star studded event. That’s his work you see here. He, and the agency he works for, were in charge of the look. Which got him tickets to the event. So while I didn’t get to go to the only awards show that means something to me for ME, I’m going! I rented a dress, from a great company called One Night Affair, because I don’t have the means for a designer dress in my housewife budget, but I had enough to rent a designer dress for the night. And a complimenting clutch.

I’m getting glammed up! Hair and makeup done at noon, headed to a pre party by 2pm, and the awards in the early evening. I’m giddy. I’m looking forward to live performances from Arcade Fire, Mumford and Sons, Ray LaMontagne, Muse, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber (I put them in the order of my interest, that’s right, it’s probably the opposite order than about 90% of any other viewer, but that’s okay too).

When my kids found out Justin Bieber was performing (I have three boys in elementary school) one said to me “Mom, if you get to talk to Justin Bieber, can you tell him something from us?” Awww, I said sure! (How cute, right?) He said “tell him we think his music SUCKS!” LOL. Wow, jealous much? I’m sure I won’t meet him, but if I do, I don’t think I’ll tell him that.

I’m sure he already knows.

Anyway, here is a glimpse of the dress

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Debbie Does Music: Delaney Gibson video premiere “La Di Da”

2011-02-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday night the house was packed at Zoey’s Cafe in Ventura. We were there to see the premiere of the lovely Delaney Gibson’s video “La Di Da”. Directed by Travis Mauck and produced by Matt Holwick, this whimsical video about falling in love is just adorable and fun!

Not only did we get to see the video, Gibson performed some new and old songs in a full concert. This was her last show in the VC for quite awhile. We’ll miss her brightness on the west coast while she tries her skills in the Big Apple. I hope she doesn’t fall in love there, we want her back!

This night started off great too! Joshua Bartholomew opened for Gibson. This guy has an amazing voice and you definitely need to check him out. He has a great story too! He went to Nashville to check out the music scene, and never went back (to Canada). This month he’s in California and he’s got that itch again. He may be calling Cali home soon! Let’s hope! He’s got some great tunes and sounds like some great opportunities in the works too!

After Bartholomew played for us for awhile, he and Gibson played a couple of tunes together, one from her album, Hurricane and Forget Me Nots, Rain or Shine, which they never actually performed together before. Today’s technology allowed the duo to harmonize in two different studios, Gibson in LA, and Bartholomew in Nashville. The tracks fit together perfectly on the album, but the live version was full of passion, something I love about live music.

Gibson was backed on stage by her band, and in the audience by her devoted friends and family. The band, consisting of some of Ventura’s best talent included Joe Baugh, guitar; Sam Bolle, bass; Tony Cicero, drums; and Laura Mihalka, cello. This group just make Gibson, who sounds amazing solo, sound even better with a layering of great sounds.

Well, on with the show, check out the video La Di Da, and let me know what you think!

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Road Kill

2011-02-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

When I was 19, I was stationed at Naval Training Center, North Chicago. I was a naive virgin, dragged to Navy hotel/motel parties by chicks and dudes who had seen a whole lifetime of booze and butts that I had yet to sink into. I always hoped I’d meet some sweet sailor who would dig me enough to wait patiently for me to spread ‘dem knees.

But I usually ended up meeting some douche who, encountering my imagiMari (you like that?) chastity belt, sought a pair of puss lips that would part; then, I’d eventually drink enough to pass out on a chair or the floor because the beds were, eh hem, taken.

Oh those Navy-Hotel-Party nights!

I tried to evacuate before the waking hours. Before all the beer goggles had fallen off, before the fog lifted from the fields, and the drunks, as everyone woke up wrapped in used condoms and regret.

Some of those times I’d find myself stuck in the heart of Chicago and have to catch a two hour train back to base, and sometimes I’d have to walk just-far-enough so that I could afford cab fair back to the barracks. I promised myself, when I left Chicago, I would never get stuck somewhere again, and if I was miserable, I’d just leave.

I found myself in such a SHITuation last week.

I drove to Los Angeles to celebrate Kristy’s birthday. We watched a taping of Conan O’Brien, and then we went to dinner. After dinner, my man friend called and said he wanted spend time with me. It was about 8pm, so I drove to his house.

We went for a walk in the hills overlooking the city of LA, and then we went back to his place. At 11pm, I decided I needed to drive back to Ventura. On an average day, I could probably manage the drive, but on this little shit of an evening I was sick and felt like I was dragging the weight of a dead body around.

When I stood to leave, I suddenly felt as though the sandman had punched me in the face. I told him, “I think I’m too tired to drive home.”

He said, “You can make it.”

I was a little surprised. We had been seeing each other for about 3 months, we became exclusive in the past month, and I had stayed the night before–lots of times– so I didn’t get it.

“Actually,” I replied, “I can’t.”

“Have you ever fallen asleep on the road before?” he asked. “I haven’t. I’ve done that drive tons of times.”

“Uh, I’m kinda sick and not feeling my normal energizer-bunny self. I seriously don’t think I should drive.”

“You just want me to ask you to stay, and I won’t. Besides, I’ve got a lot of work to do and I’d keep you up.”

We went back and forth and I realized there was no point in arguing, and I wasn’t going to drive and die, so I walked past him and said, “I’m staying. I know I can’t drive home like this.”

Why was this an argument? I thought. You argue about dumb shit, like who the best Weekend Update anchor was (Best: Dennis Miller Worst: Norm MacDonald) –but you never debate letting your loved one drive home if they’ve admitted exhaustion.

Inside his home, I stripped and crawled into bed. Suddenly, music pumped from his computer speakers (his office is also his bedroom); and I hoped, after a minute, he might consider me sleeping and turn the music down a notch. After a few minutes I realized: this guy didn’t want me here.

I crawled out of bed and put my clothes on.

“I fucking get it,” I told him, grabbing my things. I said: “I’m going home.”

He must not have heard me because at the junction of the 405 South and the 101 North, he texted: “Did you leave?”

I told him I was going to a friend’s house in Calabasas, and I also told him he should never call or text me ever again.

I wasn’t going to a friend’s house, though; I just wanted to get home.

In Agoura Hills, the anger faded and the exhaustion set in. In Westlake, the bumps along the highway were good enough to wake me up when my eyes started to close.

This made me even more angry. I thought about how I was putting myself and those around me in danger, and how stupid this was, and how I wanted him to feel the sting of my words. I heard Dave Chappelle’s voice in my head, “Stings, don’t it! OOooh, that shit burns!” I remembered those Navy nights, stuck without options, and here I was–options–but, still, optionless–

FUCK!

At Camarillo, I started to think about what it would be like to have Abraham Lincoln’s picture in my wallet–oh shit, Abraham Lincoln? I was on the edge of sleep.

I ramped the volume through the crusted stereo speakers and rolled down the windows to feel the blast of 101 air whipping up my hair and all all the trash in my car. I was all-too-happy to see California Street, and that beautiful-neon “Ventura.”

After four days, we spoke.

He listened. I told him everything that you, reader/friend, understand was wrong about that night. He replied that he could not appreciate that I “couldn’t handle my shit” and wasn’t a big girl who knew when to leave. That I should have asked earlier in the evening if it was okay to stay the night which, he said, it was–though an inconvenience.

I realized that we both made points that, to ourselves, sounded reasonable. And I realized: we were both right… but maybe just not right for each other. Maybe he needed a girl who was a little more organized, and who lived within spitting distance.

Whereas I live in Ventura, and I’m a little scatterbrained, possibly the brainiest girl you’ll ever meet with the least mental organization you’ve ever encountered. And maybe I need Superman, which means I will be single forever.

For fuck’s sake–that’s okay with me, as long as I don’t nearly die leaving Superman’s Crystal Palace late at night.

Rod Steele, wanting to knock me out of my funk, found me a date on Craigslist. The date showed up in drag–red wig, velvet skirt, and heels.

Would you believe he was straight and one of the sweetest first dates I had ever had? After our date, he emailed and invited me to join him on a naked date because he’s a member of the Southern California Naturist Association.

I probably won’t attend, but if I do, I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Lake Yes

2011-02-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

For those of you that are local to the Ventura County are, you should be aware of a large body of water that lies within the Ventura/Ojai area and is famous for a few things.

Lake Casitas was the site for the rowing competitions in the 1984 Olympics, the rings are still visible on the docks.

Johnny Cash used to fish and drink there....and is known for the drinking more than the fishing as he was known to pass out on the boat and get "lost". Law enforcement may have been involved once or twice.

Big mouth bass fishing, some of the largest bass in the state, are recorded at this lake.

By people who know how to fish for the darn things, of course.

For people like me and most of my friends, the lake is better known as Lake "No" or Lake "No Fish" because seriously??? For 30 something years I have fished at that lake and only recently have I been successful at catching anything other than a buzz.

Yay for besties & buzzes!

But in the last couple of years there are fewer and fewer boats on the lake due to the quarantine of boats based upon the possibility of importing the rather destructive Quagga Mussel from another body of water. Quarantining your boat is quite frankly a pain in the butt to say the least but it has one very nice advantage.

Whereas on a beautiful day four years ago there would be dozens of boats on the lake all trying to hook the big one, nowadays you are likely to find 10 or less boats on the lake on any given day. Less boats = less people on them to fish = more fish willing to jump on to the end of my worm laden hook.

So far this year I've been out twice and have cruised around the lake with my bestie and fishing buddy, picnicked in sheltered coves and caught 3 large mouth bass and one bluegill. My friends did pretty darn good too, catching 2 fish each, all of very respectable size.

Large Mouth Bass!

So Proud!

But fishing is very hard work....so you have to come outfitted with provisions with which to keep your energy up and your morale high (in case the fish happen not to be biting). So our standard is to hit the lake with a cooler full of beverages of an alcoholic nature (morale boosters), bottles of water (to keep hydrated) and various forms of what I consider to be picnic food (ballast).

(Because one beverage might not be enought we always bring a variety)

One day it is cheese, crackers, prosciutto and fruit, the next day it might be pita chips with assorted dips, olives and spreads. Whatever the selections it needs to fit a few criteria to be considered for a boat picnic as the space is limited, cooler space is reserved primarily for beverages and damn it, I am not eating crap food just because I am on a boat doing something outdoorsy.

This last trip I went with the pita chips and dip, but also wanted some protein in the mix. A quick inventory of the fridge and a consult online and I had a perfect "entree" for us on the boat. Light and tasty, it was perfect as a munchie on my pita chips, but would also be pretty awesome as a sandwich in between some good chewy bread.

Chicken Salad with Red Grapes and a Bleu Cheese Sherry Vinaigrette

2 Chicken Breasts, skinned & deboned

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup Red Grapes, Quartered

3 Stalks Celery, diced 1/4"

3 Green Onions, chopped

1 Egg Yolk

1 T Dijon Mustard

1/2 cup Crumbled Bleu Cheese

1 T Sherry Vinegar

2 T Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Olive Oil

Poach the chicken breasts gently in the broth (not boiling), remove and cool before chopping in to 1/4-1/2 inch chunks. Mix in with the grapes, celery & onions.

In a food processor, blend the yolks, mustard, bleu cheese & vinegar. Drizzle in the olive oil bit by bit until it is blended completely. Season with Salt & Pepper to taste.

Mix in with chicken and chill. This gets even better as it sits and thinks about itself.

Salt & Pepper to Taste.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Pauwel Kwak Review

2011-02-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today I am starting a mid-week Beer Goggles review. This mid-week entry will “officially” review beers from the extensive “My Beer List” page. This mid-week review won’t review any Ventura Co. beers and will more often than not feature a non-California beer. These reviews will be short and sweet and hold tight to the Beer Goggles format.

When possible, I will list any local establishments or stores where the reviewed beer can be purchased. If you know of a different place where the beer can be purchased (bar, restaurant or store) please leave a comment to the review.

Since I am not interested in reliving any disappointing beers from my list, this mid-week review will focus only on beers I would order again or beers I think you should stock.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Anacapa Brewing Co: English Dry Stout

2011-02-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

The weekend is almost here and there is no better way to celebrate it than with a tasty beer. If you are going to be in Ventura this weekend be sure to stop in at Anacapa Brewing Company (472 E. Main) and try one of their new beers called English Dry Stout.

The beer poured opaque black with a dark tan head. The cascading carbonation down the side of the glass was so mesmerizing that I almost forgot what I was doing and I nearly skipped the second step in my tasting procedure. Don’t shortchange yourself here; take the time to smell the beer before you taste it. If I had jumped to the tasting step I would have missed the mouth-watering aromas of cola, licorice, molasses and smoke that were wafting out of this beer.

This beer had the palate-consuming quality that marks a great craft beer. It covered all my taste receptors from the front to the back of my mouth starting with sweet malt up front that gave way to bitter chocolate. The bitter chocolate then gave way to subtle coffee notes. Then just before I swallowed, the lively carbonation gathered up all those flavors, before any one of them could dominate, and washed them down. This carbonation also cleanses your palate and leaves your mouth refreshed and ready for another drink. Be careful though, this medium bodied, dry beer is easy drinking and at 5.9% it is certain to catch up with you.

There was a fair amount of lacing (lace pattern on the sides of the glass) left by the beer’s head as the beer was consumed. Think of lacing on the glass the same way you do about anything lacey, it does little to conceal or cover-up, but it looks pretty and lacing on the glass is no different. Lacing has little impact on the overall taste of the beer but it adds another layer to your visual enjoyment. The amount of lacing left on the glass can be impacted by the style and cleanliness of the glass in which it was served. If you want to see some good lacing use a tulip shaped glass.*

I gave this beer my top ranking (Stock This One!) which will be pretty easy to do since you can get a growler filled with this delicious goodness right there at the bar. If this review prompted you to visit Anacapa Brewing Company so you could taste their English Dry Stout be sure to let them know you read this review.

Tip: Growlers are great if you want to bring craft beer to a party or keep on hand for the big game but here are a few things you will want to keep in mind.

Double check the cap to make sure it is tight. Can you think of anything worse than pulling your growler out of the fridge only to find out that there was a slow leak and you now have a half-gallon of flat beer? Flip top style caps are the best but most growlers come with screw on caps.
Growlers will keep your beer fresh for quite a wile IF the growler was clean and it was kept at serving temp or below.
Initially, they may seem like an expensive addition to your bill but many pubs offer discounted beer prices on growler refills.
Once you open the growler you will want to consume the beer as soon as possible. It will go flat the same way a half filled two-liter bottle of soda will.
Last but certainly not least. There is no other feeling like walking out of the pub with a half-gallon bottle of beerJ

* I am certain there would have been more lacing if this beer had been served in a tulip shaped glass instead of the nonic tumbler style pint glass. This is probably the most common criticism I have of brewpubs in general. I want to see higher quality and/or style appropriate glasses used in all pubs. Traditionally a stout would have been poured into a nonic tumbler, but is that the best vessel for this lively American version? I think not! I know there are good reasons the nonic tumbler style pint glasses are so common. They hold a lot of beer, they are easy to clean stack and store, they are sturdy and cheap to replace.

However, if I had to pick a glass style (and I did) I would choose a short-stemmed tulip shaped glass commonly used for Belgian beers. For me this glass does it all. The shape creates a small opening at the top, which helps to hold a thick head. The thick head prevents the aromas from escaping too quickly and provides another level of complexity throughout the beer. The small opening also channels the aromas directly to your nose as you are drinking the beer. As the beer is consumed the shape of the glass also promotes a lacing of the thick head on the sides of the glass. Often there is a small etching in the bottom of the glass. The etching causes a cascade of bubbles to rise up the middle of the beer adding to the beauty of straw or amber colored beers. For darker beers, the tulip glass gives you the opportunity to view (the same way a wine taster would) the visible spectrum of colors that can range from garnet to black.

Cheers!

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: Live Shows: DDM Produces Mom’s Acoustic Night Out!

2011-02-03T11:54:00.000-08:00

Last week I had a moment where my two lives collided. My mom life, and my music life came together for a good cause! I produced a Mom’s Acoustic Night Out at my kid’s elementary school. Singer/Songwriter Mikey Wax, from New York, played for a small group of mom’s at Sumac School in Agoura Hills. It was intimate and fun.

I got the idea for the show when Mikey, whom I interviewed back in November, was promoting a “house concert” series in California. His goal? To get more people to know his music and his name. His strategy is unique and fresh (hmmm…that’s why I liked it!) If you can round up 25 of your friends at your house, he will come play…for free! In return, he promotes himself. He sells merch and asks for your email address to add to his database.

Mikey Wax, photo by Watts Juniper Production

Being an indie singer/songwriter these days means you need to have at least a basic foundation in marketing yourself. Mikey has at least that! He has been doing house concerts for over a year in different parts of the country. I think he fell in love with California last week, the temperatures alone made it worth his time. But the mom’s at our show definitely made it fun. “You are a refreshing group of moms, I’m really glad to be here!” (He’s savvy too!)

I didn’t want this to be a run-of-the-mill school event, so I came up with some cool ideas myself. I asked for the concert to be held in the library, not the Multi Purpose Room (can you say stark??). I turned off the overhead fluorescent lights and brought in lamps and candles. I offered hot tea and baked goods. I even made lanyard style passes for tickets. It was definitely a cool event for some hip moms! The only down side? It was on a Monday night and we didn’t sell out. But the upside was a small group of lovely ladies swooning over the voice (and looks, he’s a doll!) of Mikey Wax.

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: When Beer Goes Bad

2011-01-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

Last week I came across a bad beer, which happens every once in a while. So, I did what I think every brewery would want us to do, I e-mailed the brewers and told them about my experience. I included all the important info: production date of the beer, store where I purchased the beer, and conditions in the store. I did this for two reasons. Probably the most important reason was that I really wanted them to know that this particular beer wasn’t being treated well at that store. Also, I wanted them to know that I hadn’t been discouraged by the experience and that I was looking forward to tasting a fresh sample soon.

The brewery responded the very next day apologizing for my experience and wanted me to understand (as well as I want you to understand) that they have little control over their beers once it is delivered to the stores. After delivery, it is then up to the storeowner to take care of his/her inventory. Certainly, some do it better than others and this can have an unfair impact on a brewery especially if you decide not to buy their beer again.

The brewer also invited me to stop by their brewery and told me they would be happy to replace my bottle with a fresh one. However, before you go and start complaining to breweries about their beer in hopes of a replacement, you need to keep a few things in mind:

Do you know the beer style you are drinking? Maybe it IS supposed to taste like that.
Give a detailed description of your tasting experience to explain the flavors you did taste. This will help the brewers identify any problem.
Tell the brewer where you bought the beer. They may consider changing vendors if enough people complain about the conditions.
Don’t judge the brewery by that one beer.
Don’t rant if want to be taken seriously.

I decided to use this recent experience as an excuse to explain three common off-flavors found in beers. Also, at the end of each description I indicate who you should contact if you do encounter any of them.

Oxidation happens when oxygen is introduced into the beer sometime after fermentation and before it is consumed. The resulting taste is something like wet cardboard or paper (don’t ask me how I know what that tastes like). Generally bottles or cans are flushed with CO2 before filling to avoid oxidation. This is also why beertenders will overflow your growler when they fill it up. This purges any O2 out of the bottle so your beer won’t oxidize before you drink it. Unfortunately there isn’t anyway to tell if the beer you have in your hand is oxidized until you open it. The good news is that this off-flavor is very rare. Contact the brewery if you encounter this off-flavor.

Light struck is a term used to describe a beer that has been exposed to ultra-violet (UV) light. UV light causes a chemical break down, which in turn releases previously hidden sulfur compounds out of the beer. The resulting taste and aroma is reminiscent of skunk (again, don’t ask me how I know what that tastes like). This is especially problematic for beers in clear or green bottles because they filter out very little UV light. Unprotected beer can be “skunked” in a matter of minutes and can easily happen to the beer that is in your glass especially if you are outside enjoying the warm SoCal sun. Unfortunately there is no way to tell if a beer is skunked before you buy it but you can reduces the chances if you avoid bottled beer that is sitting out in the sunlight or under florescent lighting. Reach for the bottles packaged in boxes or the ones toward the back of the shelf in the dark. Oh yeah, and keep your beer in the shade. Contact the storeowner and notify brewery if you encounter this off-flavor.

Bacterial infections happen when sanitation breaks down during the brewing or the bottling phase and bacteria is introduced into the beer. Bacteria will eat any sugar left over from fermentation, which will destroy the malty flavors and body of a beer causing it to become “thin” and almost watery. If the contaminated beer is stored for an extended period of time it can also cause the beer to over carbonate and create a “gusher”. A gusher is a beer that erupts like a volcano and continues to spew out the long top after it has been opened. Another side affect from a bacterial infection is a sour beer. You will probably know about the infection long before you drink the beer because it can have a vinegary aroma. If the aroma didn’t grab your attention the puckering effect will, when you drink it. Don’t be alarmed if you drink a beer with a bacterial infection. You won’t to get sick from it. I drink ‘em all the time; in fact one of my all time favorite beers is a sour beer. However, the brewers of sour beers KNOW how to brew them and understand how to use the bacteria to create a delicious flavor profile. Unfortunately there is no way to tell if a beer is infected before you open it. The good news is that brewers take sanitation very seriously and unintentional infections are rare. Contact the brewery if you encounter this off flavor.

Cheers!

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: At least my friends liked it.....

2011-01-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

Unbeknown to me, there are more than one species of pine nut....who knew? From continent to continent they vary slightly in taste, texture and chemical makeup. And only very recently (since about 2001) has a syndrome known as "pine mouth" come to light.

I personally think it should be called "crap mouth" as damn near everything you eat tastes like crap. But that's just me.

It doesn't matter if it is sweet, salty, fatty or bland. Once in your mouth the food takes on a flavor that I can only describe as a handful of pine needles combined with the pith (white bitter part) of an orange. It's seriously enough to make you not want to eat anything.

Which for me, sucks.

Seriously.

I researched the web and found that it can last from just a few days after eating them, to up to 2 weeks. It eventually goes away, but there is little you can do about it. Some acidic foods can minimize the effects so I thought I would try some citrus juice at work. I grabbed some OJ out of the fridge and it was pretty good, although I am not much of a juice person.

When I got home I figured it couldn't hurt to add vodka to my OJ and see what happened (since wine tasted like ca ca, boo hoo!). And you know what?

It tasted pretty damn good!

I was cooking dinner for my friends that evening and had the whole menu planned out....my citrus and salt baby back ribs, German potato salad and orange bread pudding for dessert. (Friend was bringing salad....no worries, we got our veggies!) Naturally while making the potato salad I had to test the bacon to see if my taste buds were really THAT effed up (please God, no!). And fortunately I found the second thing that didn't taste like poop....bacon.

Go figure.

So I am thinking.....how can I survive on bacon and screwdrivers for up to 2 weeks????

As it turns out, probably pretty well if I didn't have to work or drive.

I made dinner half sloshed on vodka (as I rarely drink it and had no lunch to speak of) and my friends assured me that it was delicious. They even went back for seconds, so I know I did OK. I think it tasted OK, but am pretty sure my taste buds were worn out from the vodka, so I'll have to take their word for it!

The German Potato Salad recipe is from my Nana, labeled on a recipe card, "My" German Potato Salad. It is everything I remember of her...warm, a little sweet, a little tart and very sassy.

Nana's German Potato Salad

6 Cups Red Potatoes, Cooked and sliced in to 1/4" slices

3 Scallions, sliced thin

6 Slices of Bacon (or more if you are feeling the need)

3 Hard Boiled Eggs, 2 chopped, 1 sliced for garnish

1/3 cup Water

2/3 cup White Vinegar

1/4 cup Sugar

2 T Flour

Salt & Pepper

*Optional

1/4 tsp Dry Mustard

1/4 tsp Celery Seed

Fry the bacon until crisp and reserve 3 T of the fat, chop the rest of the bacon and set aside.

Mix sliced potatoes, scallions, chopped egg and bacon together in a bowl.

In a small pan, mix together the rest of the ingredients and cook slowly until the dressing is thickened, season to taste with salt & pepper. Pour over potatoes and mix thoroughly. Put in whatever serving bowl you plan on using and garnish with the sliced egg.

This should be served relatively warm, I left it in the stove while I was cooking everything else and it was the perfect temperature. You can also microwave it briefly if it isn't warm enough.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: A Fairy Tale Recipe

2011-01-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time (1997 ish) in a land far far away (Los Angeles) a young and beautiful but very unmotivated girl (me) decided that instead of working as a waitress and dancing away her life in the trendy LA clubs she would go back to college (for the 3rd time) and expand on the skills as a cook that her evil mother (not really, it just makes the story sound better) had forced on her since she was a poor underprivileged child (again, fabrication to make the story more interesting). And finally one day she would become famous and cook like Julia Child on TV. And she would live happily ever after with a fat paycheck and lots of friends and admirers who not only loved her cooking but her sparkling personality.

So off to Santa Barbara did she go with dreams of being a chef fluttering about in her brain. Chop, dice, slice and plate....stir and saute and everyone would be so amazed by her skills that the years of schooling (bad word...hate school) would fly by.

Yeah frigging right.

She did chop dice and slice....and she scrubbed pots, pans, floors and grills, took apart ovens and hoods to clean and fix them and most of all learned that she wasn't as special as she thought she was. There were in the first 6 months, 60 students with the same dream. And some of them were as good as the girl (but not very many), some were worse and some were just there to waste time and space.

For the most part, the ones that stuck bonded and became friends although there were a few in the crowd that were just no fun at all and were not invited to any of the reindeer games held at East Beach, the Ranch or the Flintstone house. (Those are the ones that do not read this blog). The ones that bonded not only learned to work together, but to cook together and became a bit of a yin/yang. (you know....you pick up where I leave off....I'll fill in where you aren't able blah blah blah).

After 12 years and a separation of many many miles (Seattle to Ventura) the girl found that the bond forged all those many many years ago had not been broken and that it was just as perfect cooking with of of her lovely friends this weekend as it was so long ago at the kitchen in the ranch house on Highway 150.

After a yummy lunch in Montecito (where lovely friends Daddy paid, bonus!) and several glasses of delicious wine, they put on their thinking caps when presented with a gift of fresh Alaska halibut from the friends brother who also happened to bring organic carrots and greens from the family ranch.

Brother requested Halibut chowder, but the recipe called for too much cream, milk and butter for the girls (they were constantly watching their girlish figures of course) so they opted to do what they do best and NOT follow the recipe.

In to the pot went 1 chopped onion and some olive oil which they stirred until it was soft and browned. They added 3 cloves of garlic (which was not nearly enough for the friends VERY Italian Daddy but oh well....), 2 large shredded carrots and 3 small russet potatoes which were peeled and diced in to 1/4 inch chunks.

In to the pot went about 10oz of chopped tomatoes (canned...but fresh would work too!) and 16oz of chicken broth (you could use fish stock if you had it). Meanwhile the girls were enjoying glasses of Daddy's wine, for he has a nice cellar and a good palate and someone has to drink it, right?

Stir, stir, stir....boil bubble toil and trouble....chop up the fresh Kale (about 1 bunch if you were to get from the grocery store) that Aunt Sandy & Uncle Roland brought in to little shreds and toss it in to the pot. They then poured another glass of wine and let the stew simmer until the potatoes were nice and tender.

More liquid was needed after while (not wine silly...they had plenty of that!) so they added about another cup or so of chicken broth to the pot and then took some liquid out and mixed it with the roux (butter + flour, cooked just a bit) on the side and blended that back in to the soup to thicken it.

About 2# of fresh halibut was trimmed and chopped with care (even though the girl was questioned by Dad to see if she knew what she was doing, Ha!!) in to 1# chunks and set aside for introduction at the last minute so as not to overcook and get rubbery.

A touch of heavy cream, salt and pepper and then the halibut which was cooked ever so gently in the chowder until it was just done.

Crusty bread and a bottle of Carhartt Vineyard Pinot Noir and they all lived happily ever after! (Especially after a second helping of chowder for all!)

And maybe they were happier after a bottle of Byron Pinot Noir for the girls after a very long and trying day...but who's counting????

The End

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Road Trip Review

2011-01-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a road trip to Legoland. “What does Legoland have to do with beer?” you ask. Well, it wouldn’t be a road trip for me if I didn’t at least visit one new brewery/beer bar or try a new beer and this trip included both!

About 15 miles from Legoland there is little brewery wonderland called Stone World Bistro and Garden. This is one of the best beer bars I have ever been to and I would rank it as an equal to Brouwer’s Café in Freemont, WA near Seattle. Not only do they serve all the Stone offerings but they also have an extensive tap and bottle list. However the goodness doesn’t stop there, the food menu is incredible. I had a spicy crab cake that paired well with Stone’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. My kids had two different mac and cheese offerings that were just the right amount of adventurous for kids. They also have a great vegetarian selection. My wife was impressed that there wasn’t one garden burger or portabella burger-thingy on the list!

This is a popular destination so be sure to make reservations. Their website does say that Fridays and Saturdays are busy and indeed they are. I called at noon to make reservations for Saturday evening and I couldn’t even get a person. I was transferred immediately to a recording telling me that they were fully booked for the evening but I was welcome to come in and put my name on a waiting list. I thought there would be no way we would get in but my wife convinced me that we should at least give it a try. We did get there early (4:45) and we did get a table right away. So, I suggest you get there early or make your reservations well in advance if you are there on the weekend.

The next day we visited Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach for lunch. If you like BBQ and beer then you will love this place. This is my second time visiting Beachwood BBQ and it won’t be the last. While this isn’t necessarily a vegetarian friendly place, my wife (a vegetarian) suggested we go here so she could have the bleu cheese grits with fried arugula, again.

Beachwood BBQ’s beer list is quite impressive. Don’t take my word for it though, check out their hop cam. I especially like their hop cam because it helps me to mentally plan my food/beer pairing before I even get there. I enjoyed Beachwood BBQ’s 4^th anniversary beer (review coming soon) which was described as a golden imperial stout. Talk about a rule breaker but it paired very nicely with my brisket sandwich and hushpuppies.

Not only is this a great beer destination they are also the producers of my new favoritel iApp. This FREE app comes equipped with their most updated menus, hop cam images and bottled beer and wine lists. But, my favorite function on this app is the beer journal. It uses the same categories I use on my Beer Goggles section with easy to use touch selections to quickly add information without having to type every word. You can get quite detailed without having to type out a single word. Now I don’t have to worry about remembering my old school beer review notebook. You can find the app in iTunes store.

Cheers!

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: Brandon Nathaniel, an Interview

2011-01-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

When you are young, and have had a dream for 10 years, it is a big deal. When it comes true, it’s pretty amazing. This Friday night, Brandon Nathaniel’s dream of performing with Toad The Wet Sprocket, his musical inspiration since childhood, is coming true! He will be opening for the band at The Key Club in LA on January 14th. Tickets are available here.

Brandon and I chatted about the experience, about his musical career, and his trip to Utah over the holidays.

DDM: so…how was your trip?

Brandon: Pretty amazing! I reconnected with some friends i have out there that i haven’t seen in years.

DDM: I saw you were doing some writing while you were there. I love facebook status updates!

Brandon: I was. I am. Working on some new songs

DDM: Oh good!! That’s always good! So the trip was inspiring I guess?

Brandon: To say the least.

DDM: Awesome! Can you tell me what the inspiring part was?

Brandon: Ya, the change of atmosphere and pace. Cold weather. I have a strong affinity for cold weather and I think that all the people I met, and things I thought about while taking a break from a busy reality got me to thinking, which gets me to writing!

DDM: That’s great! You also played while there, right? Where did you play?

Brandon: A private show was set up at my publicist’s family’s house in West Jordan, which is in the Salt Lake Valley. Lots of family friends, and people who have heard about my music came to see me play and just hang out and have a good time

DDM: Nice! House Concerts are big! KC Turner in San Francisco is really promoting this kind of thing.

Brandon: They’re more intimate than larger venue shows, granted there’s nothing like the thrill of playing live on a stage, but getting to meet and talk with each and every person who is listening closely is very rewarding

DDM: So lets talk about influences. I know Glen Phillips is a huge influence on you. He is so talented! Why Glen (for those who don’t know much about him)? And who else?

Brandon: Well I grew up listening to TTWS. They stemmed from Santa Barbara and I spent my younger years in Oxnard. There was a lot of buzz about them and their music was always playing in the house while my mother forced us to clean. lol. Their music was a huge part of my childhood and musical development thereafter. As far as other bands/artists, I have a pretty big ear. Was obsessed early on with classical music, until i got that 90s sound, then after that i was hooked on anything with an acoustic, organic sound. I’m also a huge Snow Patrol fan.

DDM: Nice. So you grew up with music? Parents musical? How did you first start?

Brandon: Not a drop of musical background from any family members. My uncle gave me a keyboard as a gift when i was about 5 years old. I took a couple months of keyboard lessons, then used the material they gave me (books, lessons etc) to teach myself the piano and to read music. I was playing classical Beethoven by ten years old, then finally picked up the guitar 4 years later.

DDM: Wow! That’s impressive! Were your parents wondering where the heck that all came from?

Brandon: I think it was a surprise to them that rather than being a normal ten year old kid who was into ten year old things, i was spending hours sitting in front of a musical instrument. I still wonder if they were maybe worried about me, haha. But ya, I was told later on that one of my great great grandma’s played piano and sung.

DDM: lol. I can relate. I have a 10 year old who is not into what most 10 year olds are. But he dropped guitar (along with his younger brothers) after 6 months. I’m hoping at least one of them gets back into it.

Brandon: I think it takes a certain attention span to devote the time needed to learn to play.

DDM: Let’s hope! So, once your parents figured out you really loved this, how did they encourage you?

Brandon: Well I was finally upgraded to an actual “piano” when i was about 13. they gave me some continued lessons, but i just worked better on my own. I was watching aPBS program one morning and saw this older man playing the classical guitar, and i was watching the way he was playing and thought to myself “I could so do that!” and the very next day asked my dad to buy me a guitar, and within a couple months I had my first acoustic and still have it to this day. On a side note, I was homeschooled from 3rd grade to my freshman year of high school, so i feel like i wasn’t influenced by anyone outside of my own realm. I kinda lived in my own world and it gave me all the time in the world to practice as much as i want and just not have distractions.

So my parent’s decisions to homeschool me and to give me the tools needed to progress, even inadvertently, benefited me greatly

DDM: Awesome. My 10 year old is begging to be home schooled. I did for his 1st grade year, but with three boys, it’s so hard!

Brandon: I can imagine. My parents have 3 boys, I’m the eldest. We drove my sister nuts.

DDM: Wow. (By the way, I joked with Brandon last week about what makes a cool mom. I told him most young artists I interviewed said their mom’s were named Debbie. There was a long pause…and Brandon said…”actually…my mom IS Debbie too!” HA!) Did your mom home school all 4 of you?

Brandon: No, just my sister and I. My first younger brother wasn’t born till mid 90′s then youngest 5 years after that.

DDM: So you have a brother who is like 10?

Brandon: 15 and 10, yes exactly

DDM: Wow! either of them into music?

Brandon: 15 year old i’m pretty sure is tone deaf, but is an amazing artist. absolutely stunning artwork. The 10 year old is, and can sing, and I’ve tried teaching him. but nowadays video games and the other distractions out there don’t give him the ample time to sit down and practice.

DDM: Yes. Video games. It’s a shame. The video (game) killed the radio star.

Brandon: haha that is so true, or the Mozart’s out there too. Killed them or at least slowed them down.

DDM: Ya. that is a huge plug for homeschooling. And throwing out the games.

Brandon: Yea, I agree with it. all geniuses are socially awkward anyway. But at least they’re geniuses.

DDM: Except for me!

DDM: So, you decided to go to high school instead of homeschool?

Brandon: yea after a few years of not having too many friends, I was ready to go back, and did so my freshman year. Like a sheep to the wolves that was. I didn’t know what to do, so, i stuck close to my guitar. I carried it everywhere. I wasn’t even in any music classes. Just played on every lunch, break, before/after school, it didn’t matter. i was a scrawny 100 lb kid carrying a huge dreadnought guitar in a big black heavy case everywhere i went.

DDM: And that got you friends?

Brandon: Lol! Ya, I made friends, many of which i still see today! Then my sophomore year transferred to a newer high school that was built in the area lived in and started to get more involved in music. The choir teacher even made me a deal to get me to join his class

DDM: Good! Where did you go to High School ?

Brandon: Capistrano High School first my freshman year then Tesoro High School. I graduated with two of the guys from Local Natives. I think that school is a breeding ground for entertainers.

DDM: Wow! I’d say so! Ok, so you graduated High School, and then…college? Diving right into the music scene?

Brandon: Banking. I started working 9-5.

DDM: Wow. didn’t see that coming

Brandon: Lol! I didn’t really get serious about getting into the music scene until about March of last year. I always wanted to play but i didn’t have a goal in mind. I just knew I had to work, and once you start working those kinds of jobs, you get “stuck”.

DDM: ahhh…yes… for me it was an insurance industry job for seven years. I know how it goes.

Brandon: I tread water for years trying to figure out how to ultimately stop working and do what I loved to do. And finally did so last year.

DDM: Wow. Big step. How did you financially pull it off (I’m not going to ask “rob the bank?” )

Brandon: Ha! Nope! I saved a little. I sold everything, got rid of everything I didn’t need and have kept it on a “as needed” basis. I’m much happier when I live simply. I also played shows here and there.

DDM: So living in OC, you can still live simply? Alert the press!

And so now you have a manager and a publicist, and a record?

Brandon: Yes. Working with management, PR and have a pressed ep which was released beginning of summer last year.Once I released the ep, I cut my ties working a job, and never looked back.

DDM: Inspiring!When you make that decision to be true to yourself IT WORKS!!!!

Brandon: YES!! I felt like i had to make a decision, because it wasn’t being made for me. and i needed to just do it. I’m a happier person for it and I just feel more honest with myself too.

DDM: And next week you play at the Key Club opening for TTWS!!!!

Brandon: SIX days exactly! I can’t even begin to describe my excitement. Obviously to play alongside them but to see them as well. I havent seen a live Toad show since New Year’s Eve 2001 at The Roxy. I was about 16. its been almost exactly one decade. I hold this show coming up so dear to my heart I don’t think anyone “could” know what it means to me unless I told them the amount of influence they’ve played in my life.

DDM: It has gotten me all excited too! I love a good live show, but what I really love are the stories like this, behind what is the “show”. I am not musical in any way, besides knowing what I like! But I love a good story. This is a GOOD story, Brandon! I’m excited for you! Stories like this are why I write!

Brandon: Aww, thank you!! I’m glad I could be a part of it!

DDM: You are it!

(at least this week! ) hehe

Brandon: haha! Its funny, I’ve actually met Glen (Phillips) twice! Once 10 years ago, and again last year. I flew out to NYC to see him play with WPA at the City Winery. I think the coolest thing is, that even though he’s met thousands of people I know he knows who I am. Which to me is just awesome.

DDM: WPA will be at hotel cafe on 1/25!! I’m soooo there!!!

Brandon: I’ll be joining you then! WPA is amazing.

DDM: So, tell me your band member’s names and how you all came together

Brandon: Gustin Flaig (drums), I met Gustin last year at a show i played in Tustin. i shared the stage with Tori Blake, who is an upcoming pop singer/songwriter. He’s been working with her for awhile.

Bobby Hasbrook (elec guitar) Bobby and Gustin are good friends, since childhood. I asked Gustin if he knew anyone that could play my style of music and would want to play some awesome shows and Bobby showed up right away.These guys are the most dedicated musicians i have ever played with

Phillip Nguyen (bass) I met through my friends that played behind me previously. He was willing to come on board and play behind me when I played at the Roxy and opened up for Paul McCartney’s guitarist Brian Ray. Phillip rocked.

DDM: So, you guys are ready?

Brandon: We are ready and even ready for an encore song should the crowd desire!

DDM: Nice! I’m looking forward to it! Any new songs?

Brandon: Most definitely. I always write. it’s the most important thing to me next to performing. I’ve written probably over 100 original songs. Going to be playing all new material besides “Can’t Believe” which is featured on the EP.

(and also featured here, on DDM folks, take a spin on the mp3 player to the right)

I was really impressed with Brandon. He has a love for music that is inspiring. And he is definitely on his way to something bigger! Take a listen, become a fan, and support young artists, like Brandon!

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Magic Hat Brewery

2011-01-05T23:33:00.000-08:00

I came across this blog interview by Pintley.com and I needed to share it with you. Magic Hat is one of my favorite breweries and not because I like everyone of their beers. I don’t, in fact I may enjoy less than half of their beers, #9 is one that I do, but I love that they are trying something new with almost every batch. This adventuresome spirit works for them and their loyal drinking fan base. For example, you won’t find a style printed on their labels. You can approximate a style for each one of their beers but they are very good at taking a base style and twisting back and around again so many times that it becomes hard to recognize.

I had the pleasure of visiting their brewery in Burlington, VT a few years ago. You get a feel for their brewing attitude long before you walk through their doors. A giant rusted sheet metal tower thingy with cut out shapes stands out above their main building beaconing you to their door. A surreal carnival-like image that promises to be fun but as you get closer you realize it was probably put together by a two fingered ride mechanic. ”Have no fear, you will be safe once you get inside” my inner voice was telling me and was I glad I listened. Their “gift shop” has more of that carnival freak show atmosphere except there are no carnies but there is great merchandise not to mention samples of their beer! A perfect mix if you ask me.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Drunkest Cities

2011-01-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

I found this list quite interesting especially since Sioux City, IA (I taught kindergarten there for 14 years) ranked 14 well ahead of powerhouse drinking towns like Portland and Seattle.

The Daily Beast‘s Drunkest US cities.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Christmas Aliens

2010-12-23T23:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is rough writing this blog.....not so much for the lack of recipes or lack of cooking that I do, but more for the inspiration and funny or interesting stories that I use to deliver the recipes. Sometimes it takes me a few days to come up with something and other nights I am hit with my creative muse right in the middle of cooking and am able to write and cook simultaneously.

This week I KNEW I wanted to share with you a cooking adventure and recipe but was on the fence about how to deliver it until I got an email from a dear friend who was unfortunately accosted by aliens this last week and narrowly escaped if only by the grace of my cooking.

I was in possession of 6 whole days off from work this last week and used the first two to make confections galore. You might remember Toffee Claus from last year....she is well and alive and despite the crummy weather, made enough toffee for about 30 gift bags.

Also included were the very well received Almond Florentine Cookies from last year, which I didn't make nearly enough of this year (lesson learned), dark chocolate bark with dried fruits, hazelnuts and sea salt and my new favorite......Peppermint Patties and Dark Sunshine bites.

So without further adieu, the email read as follows:

Hi Jen,

Thank you so much for the holiday sweets. I have a little problem....You won't believe it!

I was on my way home from work last night with my bag of treats (yes, I had sampled). I made a quick stop at the grocery store and when I opened my door an alien was trying to abduct me! When I thought of all the things of value that I had with me, I offered up my most valuable prize which was my treats. He happily took the treats and left me alone! Whew, thanks to you, I am safe....but the real problem lies in the fact that the bag was addressed to "Mike and Heidi" and since Mike is out of town with the boys, until Thursday, he will miss out on the yummy treats! Possibly if you have some extras Mike can have his own bag of yummy treats sometime and we will guard them from the aliens :)

Lots of Love,

Heidi

Seriously???? Even if I was out of treats I would have made more....not only because these are a couple of my favorite people, but also....aliens????? How awesome is that????

So I fixed up a goodie bag for Mike and the kids and handed it off today.....I hope that his daughter saw it home safely because after 20 pounds of sugar, 7 pounds of powdered sugar, 12 pounds of butter, 10 pounds of chocolate, 8 pounds of nuts, 2 pounds of dried fruit, 20 hours of cooking, 10 hours of wrapping and packaging and another 2 days of delivering, Ms. Toffee Claus is done for the season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, I hope that your season is as blessed as mine with wonderful family, fabulous friends and always good food.

Peppermint Patties

From Gourmet Magazine, December 2007

With alternate option for Orange flavored, which I called Dark Sunshine bites

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (less than 1 pound), divided
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

10 ounces 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate

Make filling:

Beat 2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar with corn syrup, water, peppermint extract, shortening, and a pinch of salt using an electric mixer (with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium speed until just combined. Knead on a work surface dusted with remaining 1/4 cup confectioners sugar until smooth. Roll out between sheets of parchment paper on a large baking sheet into a 7- to 8-inch round (less than 1/4 inch thick). Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove top sheet of paper and sprinkle round with confectioners sugar. Replace top sheet, then flip round over and repeat sprinkling on other side.

Cut out as many rounds as possible with cutter, transferring to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, gather scraps, re-roll, and freeze, then cut out more rounds, freezing them.

Temper chocolate and coat filling:

Melt three fourths of chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove bowl from pan and add remaining chocolate, stirring until smooth. Cool until thermometer inserted at least 1/2 inch into chocolate registers 80°F.

Return water in pan to a boil and remove from heat. Set bowl with cooled chocolate over pan and reheat, stirring, until thermometer registers 88 to 91°F. Remove bowl from pan.

Balance 1 peppermint round on a fork and submerge in melted chocolate, letting excess drip off and scraping back of fork against rim of bowl if necessary, then return patty to sheet (to make decorative ridges on patty, immediately set bottom of fork briefly on top of patty, then lift fork straight up). Coat remaining rounds, rewarming chocolate to 88 to 91°F as necessary. Let patties stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.

A few notes/variations:

For the Dark Sunshine Bites I used the zest from 1 orange and substituted Orange Extract

Garnish for the Peppermint Patties for us was crushed Peppermint Sticks

Garnish for the Dark Sunshine bites was bits of Candied Orange Peel

Make sure the filling is well frozen before dipping in the chocolate!

Don't roll any thinner than 1/4 inch, otherwise they tend to droop when you are coating them with chocolate.

Feel free to use small cookie cutters for fun shapes, but avoid shapes that have skinny forms like candy canes or snowflakes as those tend to break easier. Rounds/ornaments were great, trees, bells, light bulbs and even the gingerbread men worked well.....we only lost a few angel wings in the process.

As you get towards the end of the filling, feel free to roll it in to little balls and dip those in chocolate, they are delicious no matter what shape they are in.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Mission Street: Pale Ale and IPA

2010-12-22T23:25:00.000-08:00

I am giving you a twofer this week reviewing two offerings found only at Trader Joe’s: Mission Street Pale Ale and Mission Street India Pale Ale. What makes these beers local? Well, two things make these beers local in my book. First, there are umpteen TJ’s in Ventura County. I know that is a stretch especially since you can find TJ’s all around the country but since you can probably find one within a 30 or 40 minute drive I classify that as local. Secondly and most valid reason is that these beers are contract brewed by Firestone Walker’s breweries just up the 101 in Buellton and Paso Robles.

All of the Trader Joe’s branded beers are contract brewed and I haven’t found one that wasn’t a solid well brewed beer. With brewers like Firestone Walker, Gordan Biersch and Montreal’s Unibroue routinely contributing to TJ’s beer line it isn’t hard understand why that is.

On to the reviews:

Mission St. Pale Ale is a wonderful session beer. A session beer is a beer that is light both in body and ABV and can be enjoyed in moderation with little worry of becoming inebriated. Mission St. Pale Ale poured a golden straw color with a head filled with tight white bubbles that lasted throughout the pint. The first whiff was full of hops and as that dissipated the aroma settled into a mouth watering mix of hops and malt. The beer has a moderate hop bite though not as pronounced as a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The hops are tamped back by a firm malt backbone but finishes dry. The dry finish and a lingering hop taste do nothing to quench your thirst but don’t worry at 4.6% ABV you can enjoy a few of these before its time to go home.

Back in October I raved about Firestone Walker’s Union Jack as my go to beer (one that I stock and drink when my homebrew is gone) but it has been replaced by Mission Street IPA. The good news for Firestone Walker is that it was replaced by another one of THEIR beers.

Mission St. IPA poured a crystal clear dark straw with an off-white head. The aroma was full of citrus hops though not as pronounced as Union Jack. The beer has a great citrus hop flavor (a mix of grapefruit and tangerine) and the sharp piney bitterness that is rounded off by a solid malt backbone. This is a really good example of an American IPA and while I don’t have the specific IBU for this IPA it is well within the hop guidelines. At 6.1% ABV Mission Street IPA is right in the middle of the ABV range but take care not to enjoy this one too much because it will sneak up on you. All in all this is a great everyday beer and at $5.99 a sixer you can’t afford to miss this beer.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: I thought this would be titled “Being In The Right Place At The Right Time”

2010-12-20T22:54:00.000-08:00

But instead, it’s titled “How The Accordion Came Between Me and Butch”.The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood was the setting. As I dodged the rain to get into the venue, I happened to see a musician checking in, who said he was with Butch Walker’s band.

Right Place.

He was also inquiring about getting passes for his friends who were coming to the show. Since the evening was a benefit for LAFD Spark of Love Toy Drive, musicians didn’t get any passes for this show.

Right Time.

I offered up my two extra tickets to the guy. Followed with a “and you can introduce me to Butch”. He agreed, “no problem!”

I was giddy. As I reached into my purse to hand him my business card, he slipped through the door calling over his shoulder “I’ll see you inside”

But…wait…

There were hundreds of people inside. Hundreds. But not my “In”. He was nowhere to be found. Butch wasn’t going on for three hours, he probably wasn’t even there yet, so I relaxed with a drink, my camera and a standing spot close enough to get a few shots of some great talent!

There was Meiko, who looked like a little girl in her candy cane striped tights and pig tails, but sang about what happened when she fantasized about having a hot affair with Santa before killing him, because her manager suggested she write a Christmas song. This girl has spunk. And lungs.

There were the The Weepies, who’s harmonizing is breathtaking, and music makes you want more.

And, of course, there was Butch Walker. Whose stage presence makes you dance, and who sang four Christmas songs, including Little Drummer boy and Winter Wonderland. With an accompanying accordion player among the six others on stage. An accordion player who never introduced me to Butch. Oh well.

Right Place

Right Time

Wrong Want.

I’m okay with that. But I don’t trust accordion players anymore. I think that’s only fair.

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Debbie Does Music: Shawn Mullins

2010-12-15T22:51:00.000-08:00

As a busy mom, being a hipster is hardly likely. After I get three boys to school, get some exercise in, run errands, do laundry, blah blah blah, there is a good chance I missed anything hip on any given day.

But what that does mean, is when I hear a voice I love, I’m excited, and it’s New To Me Music!! I don’t care if it’s a year old, a decade old, or released today. And if you are busy, you may feel the same way.

We can’t all be cool, and I wear my “Uncool Mommy Blogger” crown proudly.

Today I’m all excited about Shawn Mullins. His new album, well, new to me (it actually came out in October of this year), Light You Up, is FANTASTIC! The album’s namesake song is hot! Serious make out session song (for those young hipsters, anyway). The rest of the album is definitely more of a country feel (he is from Georgia, after all) than the radio hit, but it’s all good. He even has a song titled The Ghost of Johnny Cash (the only country singer I truly have loved). Tinseltown is a keeper, as is California. This is not your daddy’s country music.

As I get excited about New To Me Music, I sometimes wonder “where the HELL have I been??” This is his 18th album, it’s not like he’s a newbie. Oh ya, that’s right, I have three boys, ages 10, 7 and 7, I’ve been in a cloud of non-hipness for a good portion of those years. But, baby, I’m back! DDM is here to let all you mommies and non-hipsters wear your crowns with pride as well.

An added bonus, you can get Shawn Mullins (New To Me) album, Light You Up, for $5 if you get it on Amazon this month. That is a bargain for some truly good music. Give yourself an early Christmas present today, or a late Hanukah present! You will be glad you did.

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Dizzy Flashback of San Diego…

2010-12-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

Good music is like a religious experience. By “religious” I mean having your lungs crushed by a lyric or note, and feeling like you’re on to something sublime and so rare that you believe only people who shared your soul could have the capacity to understand, and in that shattering moment you feel like you’ve merged with this music, and that the particles in your body are being edited, as though you’ve been teleported through a transpod and come out The Fly on the other end.

When I was in college in San Diego I wanted to meet the man of my dreams during one of these religious experiences, and what better place to find twoo wuv than the place where souls are most open and receptive?

I was taking a Jazz History class and required to attend live jazz shows. In the Gaslamp District of San Diego was this place called Dizzy’s, and one jazzy night I got all gussied up. I put on a cute black dress, tied a red ribbon in my hair, grabbed my favorite coat from the closet and went to Dizzy’s.

When I arrived, I grabbed my coat from the backseat and threw it over my arm, and walked. I could already hear the brass from half a block away, and I thought: this could be the night I meet him, the one. Am I the only girl who does that? Holds that silly feeling that maybe, here (wherever here is), I’ll meet him?

It’s a bit puerile, but fuck it.

Inside Dizzy’s, I felt a slight chill so I pulled on my jacket. I whipped out my little notebook (so that I could write about the concert for my music class) and I listened. I let my soul open so I could feel that slight mingling with the stars in the heavens. Then I got a whiff of cat piss.

My roommate, Bette, had an unusually large-testicle’d cat that she called “Big Poppa.” Big poppa was an outdoor/indoor cat who liked to drain his nut sack into the furry, loose pussys that roamed the block in Normal Heights; it seemed he liked to come home and drain his bladder on my clothing.

I knew something smelled strange, but I didn’t want to admit it was me. I had just walked in and didn’t want to leave. Dammit, I came here to meet my son-of-a-bitch soul mate who, might I add, was taking his sweet-ass time finding me on earth. Where the hell was he, anyway? Africa? I’m right here, pal. Ma’ can’t ring the triangle for eternity. You come and get it, for fuck’s sake or you’re going to be assed out.

I sat in cat-urine stink for one entire song before leaving. I knew that others had probably smelled it, and I knew that if my soul mate smelled Big Poppa’s piss he might avoid me.

I don’t know why, five years later, I’m suddenly reminded of Big Poppa’s bladder issues, but it got me to thinking that perhaps beautiful, live music is one more place to meet the loves of our lives–whether friends or lovers. I guess I must search Ventura for a venue which plays good, live, fresh music.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Debbie Does Music: The Day the Music Died

2010-12-09T22:47:00.000-08:00

There were tributes around the world yesterday. It’s trending on twitter, viral on facebook, and everyone knows WHO John Lennon was (even if they spell it Lenon, but I digress…)

Among some of the tributes, was a live show last night in Ventura, CA where singers/songwriters played Lennon songs. The ustream video is here! Let it play while you work today. Some great talent today, has Lennon to thank yesterday, for inspiration.

There is a lost interview with Lennon, that occurred three days before his untimely death. A portion of it is here, and it will be printed in Rolling Stone Magazine in it’s entirety this Friday.

“What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean,” Lennon, then 40, told the magazine of fans and critics who didn’t exactly stay loyal to him during his five-year break from music.

“I’m not interested in being a dead f–king hero…so forget ‘em, forget ‘em.”

Lennon also empathized with another up-and-comer: “God help Bruce Springsteen when they decide he’s no longer God…They’ll turn on him, and I hope he survives it.”

As for his Beatles buddies, Lennon intimated that he would be open to returning to the road with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. However, he saw no need to rush any reunion, putting it to the interviewer that “there’s plenty of time, right?”

“We just might do it. But there will be no smoke bombs, no lipstick, no flashing lights. It just has to be comfy. But we could have a laugh. We’re born-again rockers, and we’re starting over.

“There’s plenty of time, right? Plenty of time.”

There’s that bittersweetness we were talking about.

The topics of conversation only grew in depth and breadth from there (though nine hours of talking will do that to you).

“Give peace a chance, not shoot people for peace,” Lennon said at one point. “All you need is love, I believe that. I’m not claiming divinity. I’ve never claimed divinity. I’ve never claimed purity of soul. I’ve never claimed to have the answer to life. I can’t live up to people’s expectations of me, because they are illusory.

“The hardest thing is facing yourself. It’s easier to shout ‘revolution’ and ‘power to the people’ than it is to look at yourself and try and find out what’s real and what isn’t, when you try pull the wool over your own eyes and your own hypocrisy…that’s the hardest one.”

And for all the deep thoughts revealed, there was also plenty of humor…even if it was at the expense of some fans.

“When I was younger, one…I could say ‘when one was younger,’ but maybe they’ll think that’s too ego…you know, I’m not allowed to speak on that level, because that upsets the little turds, right?

“So let’s put it like, when I was younger, I used to think that the world was doing it to me and that the world owes me some thing…When you’re a teeny bopper, that’s what you think. I’m 40 now, I don’t think that anymore, because I found out it doesn’t f–king work. One has to go through that. For the people who even bother to go through that, most assholes just accept what it is anyway and get on with it.”

Many of life’s big questions, eerie in retrospect, also popped up.

“We’re all part of it, there’s no separation in that respect,” Lennon said. “Am I real? What is the illusion I’m living, or am I not living? I deal with it everyday, the layers of the onion.”

“Don’t be afraid to be afraid. Yes, I’m often afraid and I’m not afraid to be afraid, it’s not at all scary. At least when [the world] is all right, let’s enjoy it.”

Lennon also discussed his childhood, and his constant struggle to balance his desire to be tough, citing Marlon Brando and James Dean, and to be the Oscar Wilde-like “sensitive poet.”

“It’s more painful to try and not be yourself in a way,” he said. “People do spend a lot of time trying to be someone else all the time, I think it leads to terrible diseases.

“I come from the macho school of pretense. I was a suburban kid imitating the rockers. But it was a big part of one’s life trying to look tough…I thought that’s what it was, trying to be the tough James Dean all the time. I still drop in to that when I’m insecure.”

Lennon said he later learned how important it was to develop one’s—er, his—weaker side, crediting Yoko Ono with helping him see that.

“That’s what feminism is all about. That’s what Yoko’s taught me. Yoko’s been telling me all the time, it’s all right, it’s all right.

“I was torn between being Marlon Brando and the Oscar Wilde part of me…If you showed the other side, you were dead.”

The overarching theme of the interview—or at least of the pieces that have so far been released—are, oddly enough, about how much control we truly have over life.

“We always have a choice, but how much of it is preordained? It’s very strange sometimes. And that’s a good ending,” he told the interviewer.

I think we all have a favorite Lennon or Beatles song, and I know I have fond memories of listening to my sister’s White album over and over with her. I think I’ll listen today, with the rest of the world. And just maybe, today will be a day of peace. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: This and That

2010-12-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

I will be doing something a little different for my review this week. I won’t be reviewing any beer but I will be reviewing several beer related items.

The first item I wanted to review this week was a new beer location in Camarillo. Located inside the Village Commons Market the BEER CAVE is a welcome addition to the beer scene in Ventura County. This store gets it right. None of the beer is outside the cooler (at least the good stuff) AND the cooler is dimly lit. This helps to significantly reduce any heat or light damage that can occur when beer is left out on the shelves for even a short period of time. They also have “Cave Coats” for you to wear if you are just browsing and want to or need to linger in the cooler.

Another thing that tells me the folks at Village Commons Market get craft beer is they were just getting ready to put BeerAdvocate rating tags on the beer. How many times have you been in a store where there are Wine Spectator ratings all over the place and then you go to the beer section and you are left to fend for yourself? Keep in mind though; these ratings will only compare beers that are the same stylistically. Last thing, you can tell a lot about a person by the books they leave around the house. When I purchased my sixer of Firestone Walker’s Velvet Merlin I noticed that there were three different beer books on the counter. This tells me that they are interested in beer and it doesn’t take much reading in any of those books to become an authority on any given beer. Who knows, maybe someday they will write a beer blog. If you stop in, mention you heard about them here at HopHeadSaid.

The second item is a beer review site called Pintley.com. This weekend I was listening to a podcast interview with them on The Brewing Network so I decided to see what they were all about. Pintly is way more than a review site, it is a recommendation site. Think of it as the Pandora for beer drinkers. Here is how you get started, sign up (it’s free) spend one minute (literally that is all it takes) to rate 20 beers they pick. From there they will make recommendations to you based on the beers you liked. The more beers you rate the better the recommendations for you will be. It is a great way for newbie craft beer drinkers to get beer recommendations when they are out and about. I would set up the account from your computer first (a little more convenient) but then they have apps for your favorite phone so you can take it with you anywhere. You can also set up wish lists (remember GOOD beer makes GREAT gifts) and share your beer reviews with friends. My user name is hopheadsaid become my friend and see what my top choices are.

Lastly, it is time for the celebration/holiday/winter warmer seasonal beers. Some of the best flavorful and malty beers of the year come to life in the winter months. This is the time of year when many breweries will spice up their regulars or brew special batches of higher alcohol beers to keep you warm on a long winter’s night. Here are a few suggestions:

- - -

Crisp Medium Body:

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Full Sail Wassail

New Belgium Brewing 2 Below

Pyramid Snow Cap

Red Hook Winterhook

Summit Brewing Winter Ale

Full Bodied Sippers:

Full Sail Old Boardhead

Kulmbacher Eisbock

Wychwood Brewery Bah Humbug!

De Ranke Pere Noel

Avery The Czar

Great Divide Old Ruffian

Great Divide Yeti (oak aged)

Sierra Nevada Big Foot Barleywine

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Happy Holidays.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: To Tubeify or Not To Tubeify?

2010-12-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

The modern day Napster? Maybe. Too good to be true? Probably. Playing with it now? Definitely. Tubeify is the menaje trios of Last.fm, Billboard and Youtube. Brought to you by Tomas Isdal, a University of Washington PhD student.

Basically, the gist of Tubeify is to turn youtube into a jukebox of sorts with an easy to use interface. But Youtube alone can’t get you the cool factor of the Time Traveler feature. This allows you to search any given time period since 1964, the interface uses Billboards top 100 of each said period, and pops out video selections for you to peruse while you experience sight and sound from your time selection.

I immediately went to my high school graduation year. Can you guess what that was? Here is a snapshot of it:

So I sat and took a listen/watch down memory lane. I’ve never actually experienced some of these songs in video form, since the greatness of Youtube came long, LONG after those days for me. Sigh.

This is the sort of thing that can get you lost for a few hours, so don’t take it lightly. But do take advantage. I have a feeling the Big Brother “Label” won’t be liking how the music is being shared for free.

You do need an invitation to get onto Tubeify. Get it here, and go and play for the day, or night. Or all day and night. It makes music fun! Click on the “request invitation” and add your email. You’ll get an email from Tubeify in just a few minutes and get started. Be warned, you may not want to stop.

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Big Island Imperial Pale Ale- 2010 Bourbon Barrel Aged

2010-12-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Before I get started with the review I want to talk about the term imperial. You will find the term imperial used in many styles and what this really means is that one or more of the beers attributes is out of the accepted style guidelines. More bitterness and/or more malt and/or more alcohol, do you get the picture? The most common beer styles that use this label are IPA’s and Stouts.

Imperial IPA (also known as Double IPA or DIPA) i probably my favorite beer style. These are BIG beers. They have BIG hop aromas and high IBU’s. Hops are used to balance the BIG malt base in these beers. The malt base in these beers also produces a lot of sugar that is then converted to alcohol and so these beers have BIG ABV’s. Any one of these BIG’s can be too much on their own so it is up to the brewmaster to find that sweet spot and create one BIG balanced beer.

Big Island Imperial Pale Ale just wasn’t big enough for the brewers at Island Brewing Co. No siree. They decided they should take one of their biggest beers and make it a little more complex by aging it in bourbon barrels. As a point of clarification, sometimes there is a small amount of bourbon left over in the barrels that can affect the flavor of the beer. However, the bourbon flavor and aroma usually comes from the beer’s direct contact with the bourbon barrel’s “marinated” wood. The flavor and aroma imparted in the beer are influenced by the age of the barrels (how many batches have been conditioned in it) and the amount of time the beer spends in the barrels. At any rate my reaction to this beer is something that can best be explained in this quote from the movie THE CHRISTMAS STORY when Ralphie is helping his dad change a tire. Only I said this when I took my first drink…

“ Oooh fuuudge!”
“Only I didn’t say “Fudge.” I said THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the “F-dash-dash-dash” word!

This is one big and tasty beer but let me start with the nitty gritty. This is a small special release (I had bottle 236 of 275) aged in bourbon barrels which takes up a lot of space and energy for conditioning and thus demands a premium price. A 650ml bottle or “bomber” costs $25. Don’t let that price scare you away after all you aren’t going to be drinking this beer every day after work. However, this is a great special occasion beer. Also this beer is so big (taste and alcohol) that you will want to share it with one or two friends. Please don’t sit down and drink this all by yourself, it is NOT a Bud Light and you are not at a kegger.

True to Imperial IPA’s it poured deep dark amber with a small lacy head (alcohol can inhibit the proteins needed to form a thick dense head) and the aroma screamed “I’ve been aged in a bourbon barrel”. There might have been hops there but they were certainly overpowered by the bourbon. The beer was malty and smooth with a warming alcohol sensation. The malt was quickly replaced by a hop bitterness that was then quickly replaced by bourbon. By the end of my glass (I shared the bomber with one other person) the beer started to get a little over the top. That is an incredible statement for me and those that know me can attest to that but it is true. I think if I had shared it with one other person and enjoyed an 8-10 oz pour instead of 12-14 oz pour I wouldn’t have hit the wall with this beer. My suggestion for you is to enjoy this BIG beer in small pours and enjoy it you will.

Need more Hop Head Said? You can find extra beer info, drinking tips, old reviews and geeky brew nonsense on my blog. http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Too Much in Chumash?

2010-11-30T08:24:00.000-08:00

A man that I’m sort-of dating invited me on a mini vacation for a weekend of eating, drinking and… gambling.

If you take the 101 North out of Ventura to Santa Barbara, and then drive toward Solvang on Highway 154 you will eventually arrive at Chumash.

We hit a little bit of traffic, but arrived at the casino late Friday night and spent the evening on slots, while slamming Jack and Cokes and losing our money.

The next day, Saturday, we walked around the resort, and enjoyed a lovely dinner. During the dinner I jokingly said, “We should get plastered tonight, and then find different people to hook up with, take them back to our hotel and hump them in front of each other.”

Let me slow the locomotive so you can hop aboard. In case you don’t know me: if my suggestion sounds crazy, 99% of the time it’s probably just a joke. Personally, the thought of finding a random-swinger couple and slamming nasties in a foursome kinda makes me want to yak.

What I didn’t realize at this point was that my He Pal silently took me seriously.

After dinner, we went out to the casino and started our downward slip-and-slide on booze, plinky-plink sounds, and bright flashing lights.

Moreover, we continued to get progressively shit-face wasted.

We found a small bank of machines and a fantastic cocktail waitress, and began to play some slots. Then, an old man who looked like Eric Clapton in the 70′s sat between us at the machines.

I walked away to go to the restroom and told my date, “Hey, I’ll be right back.”

When I returned, my He Friend was gone.

The old dude tipped his ball cap and said, “Your buddy said he’d be right back, and that he was just going to pee pee with his wee wee.”

Yep. That sounded like my Guy.

Then 70′s Clapton man started talking at me, “Listen, don’t ever compromise yourself.”

I didn’t know what to make of this little gold nugget he was passing my way, so I said, “That’s great advice.”

“No, I said don’t ever compromise yourself,” he said, and it felt forceful this time. He told me that he was married for 20 years and she died two years ago, and that he’ll never find another. He said I could find love anywhere, with anyone, and that men come and they go. That I didn’t have to fall for the first guy that came along, and he repeated his mantra, that I should never compromise myself.

“I’m not compromising,” I said, not quite sure why I was continuing the conversation. I turned to the cocktail waitress and grabbed my Bud Light.

“Why are you drinking Bud Light?” 70′s Clapton asked.

“Because I like the taste.”

“Stand up.”

I stood.

“Mmm… you are hot. You don’t need to be drinking Bud Light.”

This guy had Date Night Blog written all over him. “Dude, I can’t drink Budweiser. It tastes like urine.”

“You need to be drinking Michelob.”

“Would you prefer I melted margarine and just drank that from the plastic tub?”

We were quiet for a few minutes. I was sucking down my beer, waiting for my co-pilot to get back from his leak.

Then 70′s Clapton started telling me about his new girlfriend. He said, “I tell her every day that she’ll never live up to what I lost 2 years ago.”

I nearly spit up. “You tell her? Jesus! How do you think that makes her feel?”

He swatted my comment away, “I don’t care! She needs to know!”

“That’s hurtful.”

I started looking for my dude, but that dude was no where to be seen.

“Forget about him,” Clapton said.

“No, I need to find out where he is.”

“You are fine as hell. Let me buy you a drink.”

At this point, I guzzled the remainder of my beer and went on a hunt. After 10 minutes of frustration, I finally found my weekend HeMan leaning one cocky arm against a machine and himself into an older blond lady who was laughing at some joke he’d just smeared all over her like a cheap latex condom.

I punched his shoulder and said, “I’d like to leave.”

I didn’t wait for him because I didn’t want to have a discussion in the middle of a casino. I didn’t want to be that couple. I turned around and walked toward the exit. He followed me out the door, calling my name.

I told my man friend that I was pissed because he left me talking to the old geezer so he could hit on chicks. And why was he doing that when we came together, as a team?

He replied, through the slur and stink of Jack Daniels: “We had an agreement.”

“What agreement?”

“You said you wanted to make out with other people tonight and get nasty, and I’m just fulfilling my half of the deal.”

I almost shit my pants. “What? I was kidding!”

He replied, “I don’t know when you’re kidding. Half the time you seem like you’re serious.”

“Also,” I added, “What kind of crap were you telling that old man at the bar when I was gone? He was telling me not to compromise myself and that there are tons of better guys out there? Did you say something rude about me?”

“What? I would never say a bad thing about you.”

Bad idea, Mari. Man friend went from aloof, to incredibly pissed and ready to beat up 70′s Eric Clapton.

I felt like I was in the Navy again, holding off some dude full of testosterone and trying to prevent a fight between sailors. At the same time, a couple of guys walked out the double glass doors to have a smoke as my male locomotive tried to choo-choo through me.

“Get ready to bail me out of jail,” He said. “I’m going to teach that old fuck a lesson!”

“Ask these guys if that sounds reasonable!” I said, trying to diffuse a situation I feel I caused. I leaned with all my weight, like a barricade.

“Okay,” He said, or slurred. He went to the two guys and said, “Hey, guys… man to man. Can I get your opinion on something?”

The heavy-set bald guy with tattoos running up the length of both arms said, “Sure.”

“So my friend here was telling me that this old man was hitting on her and telling her she shouldn’t compromise herself. What would you do? Would you kick his ass?”

The big bald guy blinked at my date and said, “I’d let it go, man. I mean, it’s not worth it. She’s obviously not upset.”

“Thanks,” my dude said. “You’re a good guy.”

I then took Hefriend aside and set the matter straight: there was no agreement and I was kidding. There is no single cell in the structure of my entire body that ever wants to tandem another couple and have a swinger party. And didn’t he know me? After all this time? That I’m not the freaky type who wants to see the person I’m with making out/having sex with another person?

He seemed reluctant, but eventually agreed.

Then, like a puppy with broken legs, one of the sweetest guys in the world (when he’s sober, of course) followed me down the hallway, slamming into walls and slumping against the elevator doors; up to our 5th floor room.

Inside, he stripped his clothes so fast that it came off like a one-piece suit. He did a ballerina twirl and landed on the bed, face down in the sheets, and his bare-white ass up and facing me.

Goodnight, Moon.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Debbie Does Music: Local Singer/Songwriter Showcase

2010-11-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday night I had the opportunity to watch and photograph some amazing young talent in my area. Although this was a local setting, it could have happened just about anywhere. Unsigned young talent, acoustic setting, a panel of expert judges and a room full of family, friends, some professional musicians and singers, all there to witness the finale of a competition that started in July.

And there was some great new talent. There were young pups with guitar in hand and some with accompaniment thanks to talented friends and family. I’m going to showcase a few here because I really truly enjoyed their efforts. If you would like to see any of the artists from that night, check out the ustream video in it’s entirety from Zoey’s Cafe.

The winner of the Showcase was Mimi Gilbert, an 18 year old from Ojai, CA. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from Mimi as she begins this journey in the music world. I hope she sticks with it, it’s a tough road.

Something I’ve been noticing, and it rang true at the finale as well, is a phenomenon I think that’s been going on over the past few years with singer/songwriters. Rather than it being a category of musicians (someone who writes their own music and sings it), it has become a genre of sorts. It’s as if singer/songwriter is a synonym with folk/acoustic/alternative. Throw in indie and you have yourself a genre for sure. I’m in no way saying this is a bad thing, for I really love a good folk/indie/singer/songwriter. Some of my favorite talent fits perfectly into that genre.

However, I think, like most trends, it’s going to get old. Fast. And then what? What about singer/songwriters that can’t sing like Jack Johnson or Norah Jones? Are they still considered singer/songwriters? Or do they have their own category? Alt fusion, perhaps? It’s almost an epidemic. Except epidemics are usually featured in the news as scare tactics. This only gets scary when the untalented step on stage. I’ve noticed that even then, though, folks seem to go along with the spirit of the singer/songwriter and chalk up off-key and out of tune to alternative. Go figure. Maybe it’s something I am missing the boat on. But I’ve heard enough good (and bad) artists to know the difference, I think.

Although I liked nearly all the performers on Saturday, there was only one that stuck out, almost as if he was shouting “I’m not like the others!” and really, his passion, near anger at times, really WAS different. Elijah Behar would fit my Alt Fusion category, I’m sure of it. He technically is a singer/songwriter, but not the genre as much as the category. I spoke with Eli to learn a little more about what makes him go outside the box of the “singer/songwriter” genre.

“I’m very connected to what I’m singing. I may come across as angry, but it’s only what I’m feeling about the song. I actually felt really connected to the audience once on stage.” Behar said he knew from the beginning he wouldn’t win the competition, he was too far outside the “box” to be the favorite, but with this being only his second live acoustic performance (he’s the front man for the band Marquee from Ventura, since 2008, so he’s had band performance experience), I thought he did exactly what he should have done. He represented Eli. Not a genre.

I get that it’s hard to define yourself when you start something new. Influences come from everywhere. Heck, I deal with that as a writer (and a mom!) it’s not easy being true to yourself when it’s so easy to see what others are doing, and compare yourself to them. I say kudos to all the singers/songwriters, whether they are in the category or the genre, as long as they are doing it for the right reasons.

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Peace & Riot: Richard Riehle

2010-11-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

My friend Damion Stephens is directing a movie called Peace and Riot, filmed on location in downtown Ventura and parts of Ojai. I got roped into the role of “Assistant to the Director” because I’m a nosy asshole and I’m always up in Damion’s grill.

On set, Dames calls me his Girl Friday because I assist with everything. Almost everything.

Hey, I’m not gonna shine any knobs around here if you get my drift.

I have met, and spent a reasonable amount of time with each actor and have memories to last a lifetime. For example: Don’t ever sing the theme from The Wonder Years to Ben Savage and jokingly say, “Oops. Wrong brother.”

You will swiftly be put in your place.

Richard Riehle joined the cast and crew last week for the Honkey Tonk Bar scene, downtown at Zoey’s, a swanky little bar and eatery off Santa Clara.

Richard has a crazy resume of TV and film credits, and he has one of those memorable faces that everyone recognizes.

I’ll prove it to you:

See? Bet you know him from somewhere, right?

In Peace & Riot, he plays Raymond, an ex-Marine gone cupid. His character talks tough and tries to help our Scott (Ben Savage) fall in love.

Off screen, Richard has a thick horseshoe mustache, is soft spoken, but pretty spunky if you get him going.

The first Saturday morning in Ojai, at Rancho Grande (a 220 working horse ranch), he joined us in the chow hall for breakfast, wearing brown and red flannel, one side untucked, and a pair of blue jeans. He wore a pair of blue-framed glasses, and was reading from a several-times folded piece of paper he had pulled from his shirt pocket.

On that piece of paper were all of his lines, hand-written, from Damion’s script. It was his personal cheat sheet.

During breakfast, Ken, the caretaker of the property, said, “Richard, I know I’ve seen you in a lot of movies… Could you name a few for me?”

“Well, most people usually recognize me from a movie I did a few years ago that was really popular called Office Space,” he said, “But I was also in a Lethal Weapon 4, a TV remake of that movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Glory…”

He had me at Glory.

Sure, he went on to talk about hanging out with Mel Gibson on set, and how fun Mel was, and how unfortunate Mel’s current troubles are, but when he started talking about Glory, I was like a 2nd grader listening to Shel Silverstein poems for the very first time. Little embarrassing hearts were floating out of my eyes.

Glory was critically acclaimed. Oscar winner for best supporting actor (Denzel Washington), Best Cinematography, Best sound, and Golden Globe winner of Best Performance (Denzel), Best Director (Edward Zwick),

Starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Denzel Washington. I like to think that I was 2 degrees of separation from Sarah Jessica Parker.

As he was speaking, my heart swelled up and my eyes sprung leaks. You see, Glory–for me–is one of the most amazing and touching and brutal and grotesque (especially because we’re talking about human nature) movies I’ve ever seen.

I must have sounded like quite the pussy when I said, “I cry every single time I watch that movie, I’m getting teary eyed just listening…”

I think that’s what it is about celebrity that can make us completely oblivious to one but stricken down by another– a real good spotting tickles me so much.

I’ve never been around any kind of movie set–

Unless you count that time I was on The Price is Right, but forget about that. I never made it to contestant’s row, and my friend Rena and I spent every commercial break pretending to choke each other, very exaggeratedly, with hopes that we’d get our 5 seconds of fame.

–so being a noob on this set, I couldn’t tell you what is par for the course, and what’s completely wrong. But I can say that watching Richard made me nervous. Watching him perform is always fun because you never know what he’s going to do next with his character, Raymond. He’s an expert ad-libber–his ad-libbing has even caught Ben Savage off guard and made the entire crew burst into laughter. During filming, I was inside the cabin and peeking out at the actors during scenes and I spotted Richard between the apple trees, waiting for his cue. He was talking to himself and making hand gestures as though someone else was there. The reality was that he was rehearsing lines to himself.His professionalism makes me not want to fuck up. Like when your dad sees you walking the stage at graduation… the last thing you want to do is trip on the steps and bust your ass on stage.

At dinner that Saturday night, Alan, our Director of Photography, said, “That guy’s a fucking star.”

Opinions are like assholes, Alan. That’s what my dad always says. Anyway, Alan, our assholes are twinsies.. because I totally agree.

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Debbie Does Music: The Beatles are finally on iTunes!

2010-11-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

I’m sure you’ve heard Apple’s big news this morning! After 10 years of iTunes, Apple and The Beatles have come to an agreement. You can finally download all your favorite fab four records digitally through iTunes.

Why, you ask, did it take so long? “For years, the big impediment was a long-running legal dispute between Apple and Apple Corp., the record label the Beatles owned. Soon after Jobs and Steve Wozniak launched Apple Computer in the mid-1970s, Apple Corp. sued its namesake, charging trademark infringement. But the companies settled their differences in 2007, with Apple gaining ownership of the “apple” name, logo and related trademarks, some of which it licensed back to Apple Corps.” according to an article this morning in the Mercury News.

In 2008, Apple succeeded in bringing all of Radiohead’s releases to iTunes after heavy negotiations as well. Prior to June of 2008, Radiohead would not agree to “unbundle” albums for individual song sales.

I think this is a win-win. I’ve been wanting to add The Beatles to my digital library for a very long time. Now to decide which album to get first…any suggestions?

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Bits and Pieces

2010-11-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

I love little bites....hors d' oeuvres, appetizers and canapes, tapas and mezze and even petit fours when I am craving sweets. Nothing pleases me more than a meal made up of bunches of fun little bites where I can taste all manner of things in one meal without overeating. I also love going out to dinner with people who like to share too. Ordering four different starters, salads and entrees and then passing them around to taste pleases me to no end. Stingy diners...don't bother going out with me, I am a sharer. :)

So when asked to bring something to a friends house for dinner, I went with the appetizer course and pretty much went a little crazy in the kitchen creating a mezze platter.

Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese....sweet and hot cherry peppers stuffed with prosciutto & jack cheese....garlic and oven dried tomato sauteed mushrooms....homemade hummus with oven dried tomatoes and artichoke pesto dip with smoked potato chips.

So many good little bites that it's hard to know where to start. So I will start with the bacon since it is my favorite food group. :)

The first couple recipes can be made for 2 people or 200 people, just make as many as you need. The dips make about 2 cups each....and you can make as many of the potatoes as you want.

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Gorgonzola

The bacon wrapped dates are a favorite of mine, we make them at work and everyone goes nuts over the sweet/salty/savory combination. They are heavy though and I recommend only eating one or two to save your rear end from resembling the Goodyear blimp. For every slice of bacon, you'll need 2 dates and about a teaspoon of bleu cheese. Cut the slice of bacon in half and par cook it in a pan (slowly)until it is soft. Slice the dates lengthwise and take the pit out, keeping the date intact. Stuff a slice of bleu or Gorgonzola cheese in there and smash the date shut. Wrap the bacon around it and secure with a toothpick. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.

Cherry Peppers Stuffed with Cheese & Prosciutto

You can go a couple different routes on the cherry peppers...You can buy the Mezzeta brand from any old grocery store and they are a little more spicy/savory, this time I tried the brand from Trader Joe's and they are more of a spicy/sweet with the spicy kicking in at the very end. Either way they are delicious! Cut a small chunk of cheese and wrap it with a skinny slice of prosciutto and stuff it in the pepper. My mom likes to use Asiago or a saltier cheese, I happened to have Jack in the house so that's what got used! It is also nice to stuff a little sage leaf in there as well...adds an earthiness that is a great counterpart to the sharper flavors of the pepper & cheese.

Garlic & Oven Dried Tomato Sauteed Mushrooms

I used 1 container of mushrooms for this recipe, about 8 oz. Press 3 large cloves of garlic in to a pan with 1 T olive oil and saute over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add about 2 T white wine (glug glug) and 2 T minced oven or sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (if using dried, reconstitute them in hot water and pat dry before mincing). Add 1 tsp thyme and salt to taste. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until mushrooms are cooked through.

Oven Dried Tomato Hummus

Hummus is one of those things that you can tweak 7 ways from Sunday in terms of flavor...your base recipe is 1 can of drained garbanzo beans, some garlic (can be raw, smoked or roasted), a squeeze of lemon juice and enough olive oil to get it to the texture you want. Just throw your ingredients in the food processor and turn it on....add goodies like oven or sun dried tomatoes (in olive oil or reconstituted-use less olive oil in the main part of the recipe if using ones in OO), drained artichokes, basil or ready made pesto. Season it to taste with salt and serve with pita crisps, crackers or fresh veggies.

Artichoke Pesto Dip
OK....this recipe stemmed from a new book Mama got me and I tweaked it just a bit and OMG did it turn out good...Seriously a keeper!

1 can of artichoke hearts, drained

3 cloves smoked garlic

2 T Pesto (from the nice lady @ Ojai Farmers Market)

1 T Olive Oil

2 oz Goats cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Blend everything in the food processor until smooth. Serve with smoked potato chips.

Yep...I said smoked potato chips.

I have told you before that one of the best gadgets I own is my cooktop smoker and I ain't lyin'. My Mom has done smoked potatoes before as a side dish, but they are thick cut, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside...I was looking for something that would serve as a vessel for my fabulous artichoke dip. And these little guys fit the bill perfectly.

So I sliced the little Dutch Yellow potatoes thin...like you would if you were doing scalloped potatoes. I tossed them with a little olive oil and a couple good shakes of kosher salt. Then I smoked them on low/med for 20 minutes with maple wood chips. Take them out and lay them on a sheet pan and bake them in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350.

These were so good that I did it again for dinner with my parents on Monday, I am pretty sure my Pops ate about half of them in 2.5 seconds standing over the counter so that counts as a winner in my book.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Island Brewing: Pumpkin Cask Conditioning Ale

2010-11-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Island Brewing’s taproom in Carpinteria. To get to this gem tucked away in an industrial complex you will walk along a narrow path between the building and the train tracks from Linden St. You will pass several business doors (none of them serve beer) and a lonely alley. You may start to lose hope, and you may start to feel like you aren’t ever going to get a beer but just keep moving forward you are indeed on the right path. You’ll round a corner and there it will be, most likely filled with many others who have made the same trip and are enjoying their reward.

The unassuming location, happy people all around and the late afternoon sun will make for a great tasting experience. Sit inside next to the window if you are chilly or on the front patio and watch the sun set over Carpenteria City Beach while you enjoy your beer. The only downside (for lack of better words) to this location is the train that occasionally goes speeding by. However, one could argue that the train may also be the thing that makes this place so special. The noise and the momentary obstruction of a sunset is just a small reminder that life could certainly be worse so enjoy the little things like beer. Also, the tap room seemed to be a family friendly place which is important for fellow mommas and pappas who want to enjoy a beer after a day at the beach. There were little ones all around having fun, eating their delivery or carryout while grown-ups enjoyed their beer and set a good example for responsible alcohol consumption.

This week I will be reviewing one of Island Brewing’s cask conditioned ales but before I get into the review I do want to take a few moments to explain cask conditioned ales. Long ago before stainless steel kegs, before the wide mouth freezer changing logo specially lined aluminum cans and even before bottles there was the wood cask or firkin. Partially fermented beer was stored in these casks, moved in these casks and served from these casks when the beer had completed fermentation. Traditionally these casks were kept in the cellar (45 to 55 degrees) and served from a tap in the bar. The beer is generally pulled up from the cask by beer engine (small hand pump) and poured into your glass.

Today, these casks are usually stainless steel which is much easier to clean and hand pumps are still used but the beer can also be “pushed” with a very low pressure of CO2. Because a cask conditioned ale is all natural (no pasteurization, no preservatives, no filtering) and stored at a warmer temp the beer continues to mature, theoretically allowing the same beer to change over time. However, cask ales should be consumed quickly to avoid any “off” flavors or aromas that can develop from overactive yeast or oxidation. Lastly, because these beers are served warmer and they are not force carbonated there is not as much CO2 in solution so these beers appear to be “flat” to many and especially Budmiloors drinkers. The lower carbonation level allows the subtle complexities of the malt in these beers to be experienced.

The beer reviewed in this entry is Island Brewing’s Pumpkin Cask Conditioned Ale. Whenever I see a cask conditioned ale I always give it a try, even when it has Pumpkin in the title. My trepidation with fruit or spiced beers is that I want a beer not a slice of pie or berry jam or even a vanilla bean. Too many times when there is fruit or spice mentioned in the name of a beer then you can expect the beer to be, say, a liquefied piece of pumpkin pie first with some carbonation. This beer from Island Brewing is NOT that! Pumpkin Cask Conditioned Ale is a beer first although it does need a shorter name. My beer was poured with a small white head that left a wonderful lacy pattern on the glass. It was an opaque (remember it was unfiltered and so there are all kinds of goodies and good for yous suspended in this beer) straw colored ale. There was just a hint of pumpkin in the aroma covering up an even more distant hop aroma. I discovered on my initial drink a warm (comparatively), smooth and malty beer. Exhaling after the drink a light pumpkin vapor (not pumpkin pie spice) followed that persisted throughout the beer to remind me that there was something special in this beer. I would order this beer again.

Now, it’s time for me to come clean. I wasn’t always a fan of cask conditioned beers. It took awhile and some persistence but mostly because I think we have been so brainwashed that beer should be COLD and FIZZY by bikini clad ladies that it is/may be hard to enjoy a cask conditioned ale right away. However, this would be a good introductory cask beer for anyone. It is full of malty goodness and low to medium body so it won’t fill you up. If you don’t care for cask ales at first I encourage you to continue trying them when you can and hopefully you will be begin to appreciate if not enjoy this special beer style.

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Debbie Does Music: Things I’m Looking Forward To This Week

2010-11-10T13:18:00.000-08:00

It’s gonna be a goooood week, I can tell!

Tonight, I’m taking some friends to Hollywood to see a young singer with a sweet voice. Skyler Stonestreet is a girl from Santa Barbara who stole my heart when I heard Dream Away.

Careful, she’ll steal yours too with that pureness…

Saturday night I’ll be attending Shades of Day’s album release party at Zoey’s Cafe in Ventura. This rockin band from Ventura is pure talent, peeps. I’m looking forward to the party, and to next week, when I’ll sit and interview them. I hope they still like me after they have to sit with me for an hour or so…Here’s a sample of SOD from The Freak Fest in Ventura last month…

Debbie Does Music: Mikey Wax Interview

2010-11-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

I’m excited about tonight! I’ve finished my interview with Mikey Wax, listened to his albums more than a few times and get to see him at Genghis Cohen in Hollywood this very evening! If you are in the LA area, you can too! He goes on at 8pm, and I’ll be the blonde snapping pics of him!

Before you come out to listen, check out my interview this week with the lad from Long Island…

DDM: I love your sound! I heard your album For Better or Worse last week, and really liked it! How long have you been singing/songwriting?

MW: Thanks! I’ve been writing songs forever- basically since I started playing piano around age 8. It was always a natural thing for me. I used to come home from school and play piano for hours. At first I only wrote instrumental songs, but I eventually built up the courage to begin singing when I was 18.

DDM: Is it all you thought it would be? I mean, I know it’s a lot of hard work, and a lot of time, and not always a lot of profit…(sort of like what I do too…)

MW: It’s a lot of hard work, but since I love it, it’s more like an exciting challenge. The key is to keep writing better songs, touring consistently and networking…and keeping expenses low!

DDM: What part of the job do you like best?

MW: Writing, performing, recording. I like it all!

DDM: Touring. Tough? Exciting?

MW: Touring is extremely freeing. I love it… Being on the open road. I feel like I’m serving my purpose when I’m playing music for people every night. Plus the high after playing a great live show is unbeatable.
DDM: The album For Better or Worse is about relationships. Are there personal experiences that go along with any of the songs you are willing to share?

MW: It’s probably safer not to Sometimes the songs are ideas and emotions taken from real life experiences, and sometimes there are certain lines that just sing well and relate to people even though they may not have been personal experiences.

DDM: Your latest album The Traveler is also great, reminds me of John Mayer, in a good way. You’ve heard that before, though.

MW: Thanks! The Traveler album was a fun, simple process, and I think it captured some of my best songwriting on songs like “Birmingham” and “Goodbye Too Soon”

DDM: You did something really cool, and brave, and offered the EP for free through your website. Seems it was a good idea. Do you see it that way? Months later? (ps. Because I’m a mom who doesn’t have much time to herself, I didn’t get mine for free! But still love it)

MW: I’ll give you a free copy at the show Yes, I’m very happy with how it helped spread the word. Part of the deal was that people who downloaded the album had to join my e-mail list or follow along on twitter. As a result, my e-mail list grew to over 10,000 fans, and twitter to 9,000 fans, plus it created more buzz about my previous albums too.

DDM: Do you have a favorite cover song? Why?

MW: My favorite songs to cover would be songs that I have no justice covering because I could only ruin them haha. I enjoyed doing my cover of “La Vie En Rose”

DDM: What’s next?

MW: I’m currently recording 3 songs in LA with producer Warren Huart (the Fray, Augustana). I have plans to eventually release a new album in 2011, and continue touring and expanding my fan base.

What more can you ask for on a Friday night? Good music, cute singer, nice guy, and a girl with her camera, ready to capture it all.

You can become a fan too! Visit Mikey’s official site at www.mikeywax.com. You can also become his fan on facebook (like me!) or follow him on twitter @mikeywax

Wanna hear him now? Click to listen to his song 02 In Case I Go Again it’s beautiful.

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/

Date Night - A Blog by Mari: Peace & Riot

2010-11-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Today, I went from shop to shop along Main Street, Ventura, and handed out bright-red lettered fliers with the words Peace and Riot on the front, with pictures of Jake Busey and Ben Savage squeezed between the words.

I politely pushed these fliers into the hands of shop owners and said, “My friend is making a movie, it’s his first movie ever. Long time writer, first time director and we need Extras on Monday, November 8th, 11AM for this bar scene. Could you help out?”

I gave a flier to Mallory at Beehive Hair Salon (a tattooed red head whose served up a pretty stiff cocktail while I got my hair did), the cute girls at Blenders in the Grass, a young employee sifting through bags of clothes at Buffalo Exchange, chicks making chocolate at Truffle Hounds, a gal cutting hair at a salon next to Sportsman’s bar, and many others. I expected to get elevator eyes (that look people give you when you don’t belong–like the look Pretty Woman got when she went shopping on Rodeo Drive), but I was happy to get bright smiles.

You see, my friend Damion has been a struggling writer for 10 years and this is his dream. They call films like these passion projects (films on a tight budget) which is as simple as the name implies: movies made for the passion of film rather than for the passion of $$.

And I’m a writer too–as much as I may have fooled you into believing I’m only this thirty-something hunting for Dongs and Love. Yo no solo un “man hunter” yo tambien una que believes en passion!

I love writing + I love seeing dreams come true = door to door fliers

Most of the movie is shot on location up in Malibu Lakes. A few scenes are filmed in Ojai, and the bar scene is filmed at a popular Downtown Ventura night spot.

I’m hoping there will be a slew of different Ventura locals on set that day because I want to make friends… and maybe I’m still on a man hunt. I figure it’s a great way to meet all sorts of different locals from around downtown.

Therefore, I propose that If you haven’t got anything to do, you should join us!

Published by permission. Visit Mari's blog at http://www.mari-go-round.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Anacapa Brewing Company

2010-10-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

This week I had the opportunity to do my first official review of Anacapa Brewing Company’s beer. First of all it would be hard for the ambience to be any better. Anacapa Brewing Co. is located in a long and narrow 115 year old building in downtown Ventura. Right behind the bar, almost in reach, is enough brewing equipment to make any beer geek go “Ah, I’m home”. Mash tuns, and boil kettles and fermentors, oh my! The visit started off with a warm welcome and prompt beer service. It is so nice to walk into a place, sit down and have your beer in minutes.

There were three Anacapa beers (Seward Blonde Ale, Santa Rosa Red Ale, Benny Hanna Espresso Stout) on tap when I visited. I started with the Benny Hanna Espresso Stout brewed with locally roasted Beacon Coffee (5777 Olivas Park Drive, Suite R, Ventura). The beer poured so opaque black that when I held it up to the light and I didn’t even get a garnet glow through it. Now that is a dark beer. It had a thick, compact, tan head but was poured to the top of the pint glass so it didn’t last too long. The aroma was a mouth watering roasty bitter chocolate. My initial taste was filled with the smoky flavor of dark roasted malts that gave way to a tart flavor in the back of my palate which really helped to balance the smoky flavors. It took me awhile to place that tart flavor then I realized my favorite coffees often have the same flavor. Mmmm, combining two of my favorite liquids and it works for me!

The second taste found a bitter chocolate flavor that stuck around for the remainder of the pint and helped to balance this beer’s sweetness. The balancing bitterness in this beer comes from two sources: the hops and the dark roasted malts. The dark roasted malts work together with the hops and add a pleasant complexity to the bitterness. So instead of being just plain bitter (like an English pale ale) the unfermentable sugars left behind in the dark roasted malts help to round off any bitter edges. For me this beer had a near perfect mix of smoke, bitter chocolate and a refreshing tartness.

Note: Often the smoky and bitter chocolate flavors found in a beer only come from the dark roasted grains used in the recipe. Malt is always kilned to stop germination and to ensure that it is dry enough so it doesn’t mold while it is packed and stored. Malts are also kilned to produce different flavor and color profiles. The longer the malt is kilned the darker and more intense the flavors become. Flavor profiles can range from toasted grain to bitter chocolate to burnt coffee.

http://anacapabrewing.com

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Ignoring Instructions

2010-10-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

As I might have mentioned before, my Dad is the best dad ever. For multiple reasons, but specifically this week for growing a pumpkin patch solely so he could have a pumpkin carving party.

Bear in mind, I have no kids and am an only child so all the kids must come from other areas of our lives....my friends kids, grand kids of friends and friends of the grand kids. We managed to round up a very respectable crowd of families to go hunt in the pumpkin patch for their preferred pumpkin.

Including the "oldest" 5 year old in the group, Pam, who had to have her wine while picking out her pumpkin.

The kids drew, cut and scooped out their pumpkins and made a very wide variety of scary, cute and gross pumpkins to display for us. The adults, of course, supervised as we do so well.

Some favorites are:

Vomiting pumpkin by Trevor

Carnivorous pumpkin by yours truly....The kids liked it so much that not only did I make two of them I also sent them home with the kiddos.

And then of course we had to have dinner, right? So mom vacillated between things like BBQ chicken and a few other easy and crowd friendly menus and finally settled on pulled pork sandwiches and Cole slaw with sloppy Joe's for the kids. Perfect dinner...easy to make ahead and keep in a crock pot!

When I left work on Sunday and was getting ready to head up to the house I called as I almost always do to make sure she doesn't need anything last minute. On a random impulse I asked if she had arranged for dessert.

As mentioned a week or so ago, my mom does not bake. Nor does she crave dessert like so many people do. So when I asked her if she had anything planned, she said no, she had bought some Halloween candy and put it in a bucket. "It should be enough for the kids and the big kids" she stated. Yeah right.

I ignored her. As did two of our other friends who not only have sweet tooth's, but are also great cooks. Terry made graveyard cupcakes with gummy worms coming out of them and Telva did up her chocolate chip cookies. Me? I got home and in 20 minutes I whipped up a batch of Raspberry Blondie's. And at the end of the night there was barely a crumb of all three desserts left.

Picture brown sugar and butter with a little flour wrapped around fresh raspberries and you might come close. But not quite until you get the crunchy crust and the gooey inside will you get the full scope of this dessert.

So damn simple, but at the end of the night when all that was left was one sorry little corner piece I was feeling pretty darn good about my dessert and about the fact that I had ignored my mom's instructions! Especially when people started asking for the recipe....

Raspberry Blondies

2/3 Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 Pint Fresh Raspberries

Cream the butter & sugar together until well blended. Add eggs & vanilla and beat well. Add all dry ingredients in and mix thoroughly. Grease a 9x13 pan and spread the batter in the pan, it will be a bit thick. Dot the top with the raspberries, no need to push them in, the batter will "swallow" them during cooking.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Cool before cutting & serving.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: Are you ready for random?

2010-10-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Some things mom and I have learned in the last few days.....

Duck fat makes a very good toe moisturizer.

Frying clams inside makes for a very slippery kitchen floor. (flip flop removal recommended)

A bushel of cherry tomatoes can be converted in to only a couple pint jars with time, heat and patience.

Peeling apples goes much faster with two people.

My Grandma Kenton has peeled well over 24,000 apples in her lifetime for apple pie.

An extra glass of wine helps dull the pain of having to clean up after a cooking extravaganza.

After two days of chopping dicing, peeling, slicing, browning, frying, mixing, blending, seasoning, baking, rendering and packaging we have made multiple meals for ourselves and others. And damn it we had fun doing it. :)

Between the two (three when Grandma helped me peel the apples) of us we made Duck Confit (to share for the future), Chicken & Dumpling Soup (for my Bapa), Fried Razor Clams from Washington (for dinner), Oven Dried Tomatoes (to can, for the future), Mustard Braised Rabbit (for dinner-don't judge, it is freaking fantastic) and two Apple Cranberry Crisps (one for us, one for our friends).

Last week my Dad was up in the Lockwood Valley area quail hunting with a buddy and came across an apple tree with the apples falling off, littering the ground. Not being one to ever waste anything he promptly asked the owner of the property if he could liberate them. He then instructed me that I was to make something tasty with them. Once again, Dad brought me home something tasty....I do love that man!

As I am not much of a pie crust girl (more of a tart...hee hee), I went back to one of my favorite standbys for almost any fruit. The very American Crisp. Super easy to make and so perfect with less than 10 ingredients. You can tweak it any which way to suit your tastes with different spices or flavorings, different fruit, cornmeal or oatmeal instead of flour. To be really honest, they are kind of hard to mess up as long as you have the general proportions correct. The following recipe has a great autumn feel to it, the appples are still a little crisp and the cranberries add just the right amount of tart.

Apple & Dried Cranberry Crisp

From Gourmet Magazine, 1993

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits

9 McIntosh apples (about 3 pounds)

In a small saucepan simmer the cranberries, the cinnamon stick, and the water for 10 minutes. Drain the cranberries and remove the cinnamon stick. In a small bowl blend the flour, the brown sugar, the salt, and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal and toss the mixture well. Peel, core, and slice the apples thin and in a buttered 9- by 13-inch glass dish toss them with the cranberries. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the fruit and bake the crisp in a preheated 400°F. oven for 25 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Hop Head Said - A Blog by Curtis: Island Brewing: Starry Night

2010-10-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

This week I (well my taste buds, anyway) took a little road trip to Carpinteria to sample some beers from the Island Brewing Company. They produce six regular beers and from time to time a seasonal or limited release. Watch their blog to discover when they release a new specialty beer or visit their website to find their “brew near you”.

Today, I will be reviewing Starry Night Stout which is a limited release from 2009. I found this beer at The Wineyard in Thousand Oaks where they carry Island Brewing Co.’s regular lineup as well as bottled special releases. In beer terms, limited or special release means that it is not one of the regular beers brewed and that it may not be brewed again for quite some. Sadly, sometimes limited release means that the beer will never be brewed again. Limited release brews are generally beers that can be kept around or aged for an extended period of time so if you find a limited release beer that you like it is always good to stock up.

Starry Night Stout was a pleasure from start to warm and fuzzy finish. This is the kind of beer I loved on a cold South Dakota winter day and one that I now enjoy on an “chilly” (the folks back home are laughing over this) overcast day in California. In my opinion, Starry Night Stout is everything a big stout should be. It is full bodied and roasty but without that unpleasant burnt malt bitterness found in some stouts. It is smooooooth and worth the nearly $8 I paid for the 22oz bottle. I was more than happy to refill my glass and finish that 22 in one sitting. Wanna try something different? Drink this beer for desert or use it in these brownies. You haven’t lived until you’ve had beer for desert!

Too, often I come across people who equate dark beers with bitter beer. That misconception comes from drinking Guinness from dirty tap lines or from a tap jockey who doesn’t know how or have the equipment to pour the perfect pint. Guinness is probably the best known stout and/or dark beer and if it isn’t served correctly it can be a very bitter beer. It is an unfortunate misconception because many Budmiloors drinkers are missing out on some very tasty dark beers like Starry Night Stout. You don’t have to worry about serving Starry Night correctly though because anyway you pour it into your glass you will enjoy it.

Enjoy your sensory vacation.

TIP: Bring your chilled beer out of the refrigerator and let it warm up for about 15 minutes before you serve it. This releases the CO2 from solution which in turn releases the subtle or not-so-subtle aromas. Also warming your beer prevents the beer from numbing your tongue and hiding the subtle or not-so-subtle flavors. Now you know why Budmiloors wants you to drink beer ice cold

Published by permission. Visit Curtis' blog at http://hopheadsaid.wordpress.com/

Food in Life - A Blog by Jen: She Don't do Dough

2010-10-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

My mom is a lot of things and talented in the kitchen is really close to the top of the list. She routinely makes awesome meals for my Dad, for me, for friends and for family. She tackles every ethnic background from Mexican to Italian, Thai, Moroccan and Americana and manages not to just make it edible, but most often incredible.

But everyone has an Achilles heel and my moms self admitted weakness is baking.

She has at least 3 recipes for "no fail pie dough", recipes for cookies, cakes and brownies and probably hasn't made any of them for 20+ years. She has a kind of fear of baking mainly because of the exact-ness of the process. If she can't adjust as she goes, tweak seasonings or salt, substitute accordingly based upon what she has on hand she is equivalent to a frustrated artist. In her very own words "She don't do dough".

After a trip to Santa Fe with girlfriends wrapped around cooking and killer restaurants my Mom came home with new cookbooks and recipes and enthusiasm for southwestern cooking.

I came over tonight to find her with beautiful stuffed chiles, guajillo chile & pumpkin seed sauce, a beautiful salad and enough blue corn gnocchi to feed a family of 20.

With flour smeared on her cheek and a touch of self righteousness to her tone, she told me the tale of making blue corn gnocchi that started a few hours prior to my arrival. She read the recipe a few times to make sure she had all the ingredients and understood the steps. Followed the instructions to a tee.....And still wound up with dough too wet to make gnocchi. She then consulted other cookbooks for advice and adjusted as needed until the dough "felt" right and finally found she had the right consistency. When she found the right consistency, she also found she had enough gnocchi dough for about 20 people instead of for just the three of us.

So while getting recipes from well known restaurant chef's is a fun thing, be forewarned, the recipes may not always turn out as well as what you get in the restaurant. Perhaps the potatoes weren't dry enough. The eggs a smidge to large. The fog in Ventura made the dough too wet....it could have been any number of things that made the dough not quite right the first go-round.

In the end we enjoyed the stuffed chiles, gnocchi and sauce immensely.Tomorrow, she will freeze the 4 pounds of leftover gnocchi for future use.

And I have a beautiful picture in my head of Mom with flour on her face and defiance in her eyes because, damn it, she conquered the dough.

Printed by permission. Visit Jen's blog @ http://foodinlife.blogspot.com/

Debbie Does Music: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

2010-10-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

The parody here is killing me! New album, The Suburbs. LA shows at The Shrine, sold out. Me, stuck, well…in the suburbs. Ya, that mostly sums up DDM much of the time. But I still enjoy good music, not always like my counterparts who don’t have kids, a house in the burbs, and a bunch of domesticated animals…but hey…

I wish they could have stopped here, in Thousand Oaks, as part of the tour, or maybe even at my house. I mean, I am THE EPITOMY of The Suburbs!!!! We could have had a house concert!! I would have invited enough people to make them happy. And I could have cooked, or ok, ordered in, for them.

Instead, I sat at home, and read tweet after tweet of peeps saying things like “Arcade Fire looks like a musical brigade up there! Amazing”@grimygoods and “My heart is so full right now. My mind is blown from how amazing this show is.” @Seraphina_L. And if you search twitter for #arcade fire you can see all the other comments from their adoring fans. It didn’t help. It was great for them, but darn it, sitting at home is harder when you know the good stuff is happening!

So, you should check them out, if you haven’t already. They are from Montreal, not a burb, but where music by this talented bunch of indie rockers is made. The album is one cool ‘burb tribute.

Try it. From one exurbanite to another, you’ll like it.

Check out their site/blog You can check out songs, video and merchandise here, as well as see what they did to help Haiti.

You can follow them on twitter @arcadefire, but if your smart (and lucky) you will go to a show and see them live, soon. And then you can make me jealous, too. You can tweet me @debbiedoesmusic and rub it in.

Printed by permission. Visit Debbie's blog @ http://www.exurbmagazine.com/