BACKYARD ON THE GRAPE 2025

 Backyard on the Grape is a practice bbq contest held at the fairgrounds in Lodi California. 14 teams dusted the cobwebs from their smokers/bbq's and did a mock battle. A winner was declared but  the teams were there mainly for the open face to face critique judging format. Normally the judging is blind. This means judges never see the cooks and do not know who cooked the entry. Today the cook submits his entry and the judges critique his entry face to face. It is a good learning experined for judges and cook. It helps the cook see what judges are looking for and makes judges articulate their scores.

It was a fun tasty day. Let the bbq season begin.

TALES OF THE CRUMBSWEEPER

Last night we celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary and my birthday. We went to the swanky steakhouse in San Francisco called Harris’. They advertise; acclaimed dry-aged steaks served in a posh, wood-paneled dining room, plus live jazz in the bar. There is a dress code of ‘Business Casual”. We have certain high expectations of the night. Food, service, ambiance and importantly will the ‘Crumbsweeper make an appearance? The Crumbsweeper is a very important aspect of service extraordinaire. The Crumbsweeper is the crescendo of a fine dining experience. The simple act of crumb sweeping is a gesture which cleanses the table after the entrees.  It is not an act of finality but a ritual to prepare you for the decadent courses to follow.

The Crumbsweeper magically appeared twice. The photo is blurry because the Crumbsweeper was so fast and would not slow down for a silly photo. The steaks last night were high and lofty with a price tag to match. My bone-in dry aged N.Y. Strip steak was a buttery/umami bomb. The aging process added certain funkiness and the most beautiful savory flavor. Ms. Goofy had a prime rib that put the “House” down the street on notice. It was tender and beefy which was enjoyed. 

Overall, this was a wonderful celebration. All our expectations were met and we had multiple visits from the Crumbsweeper.  I love you Ms. Goofy. To quote “The Great One” (Jackie Gleason); ‘Baby, you’re the greatest!!’

BOWL OF RED

 We love chili and a bowl of red is a great way to warm up a chilly afternoon. We decided to give Texas Chili Seasoning by Meat Church BBQ a try. Meat Church makes some pretty decent bbq rubs. We browned a pound of hamburger and added the recomended amount of seasoning. We then added some diced tomatoes and a few beans. How did it taste you ask?

    The flavor was good with chili and cumin. There was a slight actually big problem of the amount of salt in this mix. Ms. Goofy got half-way through her bowl and proclamed; Too Salty. You can't win them all. Today was a fail.

CARROT CAKE

 

I am so spoiled by Ms. Goofy. Nobody can say I am not eating my vegetables.

TIS THE SEASON FOR CRAB FEEDS

 

Tis the season for crab feeds. Last night was crab feed number four. They are all good and a great oppurtunity to feast on Dungeness crab. We have local crab and it is also sourced from Washington and Alaska. Regardless of it origin Dungeness crab is a sweet delicat meat that is wonderful. Last nights feast also had a dish of rissotto to accompany. I think I have had my fill for this year.

BUON TEMPO CLUB

 

I am a card carrying member of the Buon Temo Club. This is an Italian Social Club who hosts dinners twice a month in Castro Valley California. I do need to make a disclamer that I am not Italian. I do really enjoy the dinners though. Once a year the Buon Tempo host a free Anniversary diner for members only. Prime rib was the entre and this cut of beef will go down in the food memory books.

   This particular cut seemed to fill the gold standard for prime rib. It was cooked to a perfect, let me repeat perfect medium rare. It was sliced almosst 1 1/4 in thick. It had the most succulent crust you could ever imangine. The crust had spices, maybe a little rosemary and was crunchy/caramilized in spots. There was a slight sweetness from the crust that made me savor every bite of this cut of meat. All I can say is Wow!

STRAWBERRY POP-TART DOUGHNUT

 

Krispy Kreme has a strawberry pop-tart doughnut for sale. Life does not get any better.

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY

 

It was not actually Steve Kirby's 100 birthday. It was more in the mid 70's but Steve said he would probably never get to celebrate a 100th birthday so he was going to throw himself a 100th party anyway. The party was held at the Galileo Italian Club. I just wanted to share a few images of the food because it was impressive. Happy Birthday Steve Kirby.

FIRST PIE 2025

 The first pie of 2025 is a spiritual renewal of life. I do like pie.

PAUL'S FRUITCAKE CORNER REVIEW

 

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we try fruitcakes so you do not have to.

What a tasty journey. Some readers ask do you eat all of these fruitcakes. YES. Please understand that my folly began right after Christmas 2023. Some fruitcakes are seasonal and start to come out as early as October. I do pay for all of my cakes and do not represent any company. I have listed 16 cakes which I reviewed this year. This was not a contest but I do have them listed by my preferences with a few word summaries. It seemed to me the better cakes had the short ingredient list without added preservatives. I found a lot of these cakes through Google searches and some by recommendations by readers. I am not sure what I have in store for 2025 but I do have some fruitcakes that did not make this year’s list which I will share later. I hope you enjoyed my journey, Thankyou

• Dominican Sisters of San Jose…….local & well balanced

• New Calmaldoli Hermitage……sticky dates………

• Swiss Pantry……..nutty

• Anna Mary……nutty

• College of Ozarks….traditional

• Robert Lampert……..expensive & boozy

• Frogtown………coconut and very sweet

• Gethsenami Trappist Bourbon………….bourbon

• Monestary……… crumby in a good way

• Norsland Lefse………chewy and modest ingredients

• Vegan………..pleasantly moist but possibly pretentious 

• Lehmans……….refrigerated and blocky

• Gladys………..cakelike….do not read ingredient list

• Wolferman……..nostalgic flavors

• Trappist Abbey or Lady Guadalupe…………slightly dry

• Frank’s…………..raisins and foreign objects