Intuitive Mediterranean Moderation.....(It's a long one)

I've been reading ALOT lately. Mostly about eating and I've learned some very interesting things and come to some conclusions. One of the things I've learned is about the French way of eating. I'm not a fan of the French people for the most part, they have not been helpful to us in the past, and regardless of how helpful we've been to them, they've got an imperious, shabby attitude towards us. But they do know a thing or two about food and wine. And how to eat and live apparently, because in spite of the fact that they, as a rule, eat butter, cheese, bread, and dessert regularly, and drink wine like it was water, they have a miniscule obesity rate compared to ours, likewise for their rates of heart disease, one of our top killers.

The differences seem to be in portion sizes,(quality not quantity) the fact that they make mealtime a priority, they eat slowly and savor their food, that they shop for fresh food (not processed) almost daily, and that they walk everywhere. And here's another shocker, their children will eat pretty much anything..no pickiness, no having to fix separate foods for a fussy child. They are raised to appreciate and love all food. Contrast that to our whiny, demanding kids, who are unhealthy from too many McGoodies that they MUST have or else. And contrast their markets and lifestyle when our lives here are flooded with diets and "diet foods" and our obsession with working out at the gym. In between the fast and processed foods, our markets are full of fat free this and sugar free that and low carb nonsense. And yet we are still in poor shape, inside and out. We are simply living too fast, driving too much (hard not to do in California, sadly), spending too much time with our "devices" and not enough time with our loved ones, enjoying life.

I've also been learning about "Intuitive Eating".. the idea that our bodies know when its time to eat, what we need to eat, and how much. Again, it's a matter of slowing down, listening to our own bodies, and eating purposefully and thoughtfully, i.e. when we're eating, we should just EAT.. not watching the tv or running off to a meeting or playing on the computer.

And what if you combined these two ideas.. slowing down, enjoying food, enjoying life, doing things purposefully, eating well, but not eating too much all the time, eating fresh, and moving around much more? I'll let you know how that goes, the trials and tribulations of re-defining the American diet and the American lifestyle. I don't expect miracles immediately, and I don't expect there won't be speedbumps along the way. But it has to be better than what we're doing now.

Brief post on a brief dinner... aka Douggy Fresh Pizza

Since I left Reedley, and Valentino's was sold to extraneous, untalented family members, I've been on the hunt for "the" pizza.... the one that could come closest to mimicking the deliciousness that was the old Valentino's. Still haven't found it, don't know that I ever will.. but I'll always look for good pizza wherever I can find it here in Fresno.
Since it was just me and the man for dinner, we finally picked up the Douggy Fresh 4.99 large pepperoni carryout. Unlike Little Skeezers, it's made fresh. It was a decent size, a respectable amount of pepperoni, the sauce (unlike most in this town) was actually pretty right on, with no dominating odd flavors or saltiness...very balanced. There was plenty of good cheese too. The crust was an oddball... very very soft with a slightly crisp outer crust, like a good dinner roll. All in all, a very reliable source for inexpensive, tasty pizza, that is also convenient to where we are at various times (now with 3 locations around town).

Douggy Fresh Pizza 1585 N Palm Ave 237-3800

1835 Ashlan Ave Ste 102 Clovis 348-1300

newest location @ Chestnut & McKinley

What's a Little Fried Chicken Between Friends?

So out of the blue yesterday, I get a FB message from Chuck..   "Thinking about Chicken and Waffles tonite, you guys interested?"    Are we interested?  Is Fresno hot in the summertime? Of COURSE we're interested..  not only being huge fans of chicken (and waffles) but being huge fans of Chuck (who we hadn't seen for awhile, which is normal for Chuck), we immediately agreed.  Well, *I* agreed and told my man that Chuck wanted us for chicken and waffles that nite.  He looked temporarily perplexed, shrugged and said, "ok".

With the sad demise of Stuft Waffle (it's a sentimental thang...I'll show you the video someday)., There is only one place in town that I know of to get chicken and waffles on a regular basis, and that's Come And Get It, Chicken And Waffles.   As with many of my fave places,  the neighborhood can be..questionable for some people,  in the vicinity of Tulare and E-ish.  And the hours can be confusing..  Fridays and Saturdays only, 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.   and Saturday lunches 10 am to 2 pm but only sometimes...  the point is.. it's all worth it.

The people who run it are welcoming,  our service was excellent..and really..the only decision you have to make is how many pieces of chicken and how many waffles you want.  They occasionally have special side dishes or desserts to show off, but their main business is in the title.

The waffle itself is fresh, hot, soft, and has a slight spice note I can't quite identify.  But to me, the chicken's the thing.  You will wait at least a half hour to get your chicken...  because they fry it to order, properly, in a skillet..and chicken this good takes time.   You will want to dive right in because the smell will drive you crazy..  be careful...it's hot..and it stays hot...temperature wise.   The spice mix in the coating is definitely plenty of salt n pepper... and a blend of beautiful secrets.   It's the first time I've ever found anything approximating my grandma and mother's fried chicken.   I can cook, but I could never come close to it..  and now I don't have to. 

So if you love good, authentic, delicious fried chicken...go...brave the neighborhood, brave the hours and go... your tummy will thank you.   Mine did.

To the person who has been commenting Anonymously lately...

You are clearly a troubled individual...   clearly a person with too much time on their hands...  clearly immature, mentally unstable, drugged, lonely... who knows...   But no matter what you say,  God hears you and feels for you as His child...  He will also deal with you accordingly...  To me, you're just another person in a sea of people....  Lots of people have nothing better to do then to try to bother others...  but you don't bother me..  all it makes me do is to feel sorry for you.  Because happy people don't say ugly things, fulfilled people don't try to hurt others,  and no matter what you say, you can't erase the fact that my life is good, that I have dozens of blessings, that I am happy, and you are not.   So whatever your issues are brother, they are not mine to deal with, I will just add you to my prayer list and go on with my life, and maybe someday you'll grow up, or get help, or achieve something with your life so that you won't need to waste it here.

Enchilada Casserole on the cheap

This delicious casserole that serves 4, was made with the meat from 3 leftover chicken drumsticks, a 77 cent packet of shredded garlic jack, part of a 1 dollar 10 pack of flour tortillas, 33 cents worth of cilantro, a 10 cent lime, a dollar can of green enchilada sauce, 1 dollar tub of cream cheese, 25 cents worth of green onions, a quarter's worth of cherry tomatoes, and spices I had on hand.

You know how I am with recipes, so I will do my best to tell you what I did.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Preheat oven to 350 F.
1 regular can green enchilada sauce
1 2 cup package shredded garlic jack
a handful of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup cilantro
meat from 3 drumsticks
1/2 bundle green onions (green part only)
small tub cream cheese
5 or 6 flour tortillas, regular size
Chili powder, salt, and cumin to taste
zest and juice of 1/2 small lime.
1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips

Place a quarter cup of sauce on bottom of 8 inch round cake pan.
Place 1 tortilla over sauce.
In food processor, mince chicken, set aside in medium bowl
In food processor, mince half of greens and tomatoes, add to chicken.
In food processor, mix other half of greens,lime zest and juice, and tomatoes with cream cheese, add to chicken bowl. Add spices and mix together well.
On first tortilla, spread a couple of heaping TBSP full of mixture, top with a bit of cheese. Repeat until you run out of chicken mixture, reserving 1/4 cup cheese. Top with final tortilla and rest of green sauce.
Top with crushed chips and bake for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
Let set for about 15 minutes to become more firm.

Another Rant Thing....

I debated as to whether or not to post this on this blog or on my "Stuff Only I Care About"..otherwise known as "shit that I say".. Since this is obstensibly food related, I chose here...lucky readers...

I was watching Bizarre Foods America: Miami, tonite and was fine until they got to a restaurant that served extremely expensive items.. a "Kobe" hot dog, a "Wagyu Beef" steak (33 dollars per ounce), both things I learned from an article in Forbes don't even exist in this country. Also, Japanese spider crab for 200 dollars, and a large prime rib chop for 400. I don't know who to be angrier at, the restaurant for charging these prices or the consumers who gladly plunk their money down. I'm a firm believer in capitalism, but I have a real problem with restauranteurs who both perpetrate fraud with the whole "Kobe" thing, and who charge ridiculous prices. There was also an ice cream truck with pole dancers. I liked the various ethnic vibes in Miami (Cuban, South American, Jewish) but I disliked the whole Roman Orgy feel of the hedonistic excess and focus on image.

I've said it before, as much as I occasionally dig the pampering vibe when I need it, I"m a barefoot Okie girl at heart.. I like places 'of the people' and 'for the people'..real food for real folks, and if Miami has so much focus in the wrong direction, think I'll just avoid it, thanks.

Food Truck Friday @ Manchester!

This is just a quickie post since I'm supposed to be staying off the computer this weekend to destress!
Friday was our usual day at Manchester Farmer's Market to see what's new with the food trucks.   First the good stuff:
Summertime Pies has been expanding their menu lately and Friday was no exception...  can you say Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie or Pulled Pork Empanada with a Cilantro Lime Sauce? YUM!!!
The strawberry pie was baked in their 5 inch round tin, lovely flaky crust, a layer of sweetened soft cream cheese, big juicy glazed strawberries, and whipped cream applied til you say "when".  It's perfect for summer and my new fave pie from Summertime. 4 bucks and worth every penny.  The picture is testament to the fact that we dug in before we realized we needed a pic.

Then there was the pulled pork empanada, tender bbq pulled pork, ensconced in that flaky crust, drizzled with a new sauce that was redolent of cream, cilantro, and lime.  I know there are other things in that sauce but that's their secret.  Double Yum!

I apologize again for the pic, it was wrapped in foil and a bit stuck to the top which I promptly licked off unashamedly.

Now on to the Tako BBQ truck..  we've eaten our way through most of their menu, and last week's incredible Shrimp mango tacos, and Korean Philly was so good I thought that might be the pinnacle...wrong!  How about Spicy Spam with Grilled Pineapple tacos?  Oh YES!  These are my new fave from this vendor.  Sweet, heat, meat, what more could could you want?

At a mere 2 dollars apiece, how could you not indulge?

My only complaints for this day, was that we went looking for K's Pasta who had promised to trot out his newest creation, a breaded and fried chicken or beef torta with homemade potato chips.  But alas, when we went at 11:30, they weren't there!  I hope all is well with these good folks.

I also saw that more people are coming out to Manchester Farmer's Market and patronizing the trucks...and I'm happy to see it.  So keep making Friday, food truck day!