Cigars Cards and Mile Markers

Monday, July 9, 2012

it's becoming an obession (a good one mind you)

for those of you who know me  well then you know that i love food.  i don't just love taking pics of my food either.  i love cooking, i love eating, i love finding somewhere new to eat during my travels and lately i've been reading more cook books which makes all of the above happen much more often.   on friday i dropped about $200 on groceries and whenever that happens the kitchen becomes a mess for quite awhile.   last night i spent some time reading a curry cook book, while attempting to go to sleep, but then had to get up in the middle of the night just to mess around and taste some new spice combinations.  then i woke today with food on the brain and it wasn't too long before breakfast was being made.   which consisted of broiled pugliese bread with avocados & smoked paprika, fried rice cakes (w/ garlic, shallots, tomatoes, spinach & ground black onion seeds), a few slices of flash fried tomatoes w/ sea salt & tarragon and of course pork.......w/ a spice mixture i made last night consisting of cardamon, turmeric, black onion seeds & coriander.   sadly, no pic was taken as the lighting wasn't good.  it seemed a bit overcast just before i ate or the sun had just gone down to much, not sure.  food pic tip:  use natural lighting at all times.  DO NOT use a flash as it flushes away the color of your food.  i also use a couple of iphone apps to bring out the colors when the lighting isn't perfect.   4am pic from last night/this morning:



i also spent some time last night looking for bulk spices.   i found a few sites that should get things rolling for now as one in particular even has some spices i can buy in seed form and then grind myself.   that should definitely make for some fresher dishes.   i also discovered how good black onion seeds are for all of us.   i discovered these little tasty seeds in london in may 2009 at a tesco super mart.   with my 20 pack of stella stubbies in hand i happen to pass down the spice aisle and started having a look at what they had.  naturally i bought a few things and the black onion seeds were the most intriguing.  after i returned home from that trip i used them up very quickly.  so on this last trip back in november i purchased a one pound bag and i am currently going through it quite quickly.  i also picked up some other herbs and spices i'd never heard of before.   like sabzi polo which is an iranian herb mix consisting of parsley, dillweed, chives and coriander leaves. 

below are two meals i threw together after friday when i loaded up on food.   the first was breakfast the other day consisting of polenta w/ paprika & tarragon, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocados w/ olive oil, scrambled eggs w/ shallots, almonds and black onion seeds and of course some tasty bread w/ lots of nuts in it.  



this next picture is some pizza i made about 3 or 4am one night after a show.   it's made with ciabatta bread w/ tomato bisque, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, parsley and a spice or two on top (i forget).  i was out of cheese, so that's why i didn't use any.  although i must say it turned out quite well even w/ the lack of cheese.




i somehow avoided playing cards last night after work and tonight and all i've been thinking about all night tonight (along w/ cards and one other thing) here at the apt is all the delicious food that i have here and what the hell i'm cooking next.   someone please come over and help me eat this food.   seriously, it's 12:20am in fort worth on a monday night and if anyone wants to come over right now i'll cook for the both of us.  i'm gonna be up a long time tonight anyway.   heck, last monday night i had a visitor at 3am, so why not again tonight.  right?   i'm not a day person folks and i don't have rules about when you can and can't come over.

between work, gigs and being sick pretty badly in late may/early june i have lost about 20 pounds since mid april.   i have a feeling with all this cooking and eating that those 20 pounds are gonna come back really soon.  oh well.  no way i'm depriving myself of good food just to be thinner.  that's like not going out all the time just to make sure you get 8 hours of sleep every night.   no thanks.   i'll pass.   i have a life to lead and i'd rather lead this one and live a shorter time than live to 100 and be miserable the last 20 years.   life is about quality not quantity.  usually when the show's all over and the gear is packed up most people are looking to continue the party somewhere else.   i usually want to just come home and cook.  it must be a sign of getting old...........or getting wise.   i'm not sure just yet. 

it's now time to cook something..............again.  as i'm usually hungry every 4-6 hours anyway.  then it's time for a tasty smoke and this bottle of tasty ale:


it's my last night off until saturday so i'm making use of the best i can.  

Saturday, December 31, 2011

TWENTY ELEVEN............THROUGH THE LENS

i'm no wordsmith.  never have been.  never will be.  my brain feeds off images and emotions.  so instead of boring you with some long lengthy year end review crap and fancy phrases about looking forward to new things and new adventures next year..........i'll just leave you with my twenty eleven as seen by my eyes and captured by my camera/iphone.   for the most part in chronological order.................

 













(i did NOT take the next three.  rhonda davis did, but this occasion could not be left out)





















 (reunion in september 2011 of my first band circa 1992)



















next year is the big FOUR 'O.   i can only hope for more great food, good smokes and to travel a good 50K miles or so all over this great big planet.