Cry Baby, Cry ~
husband in much pain
much crying, moaning, whining
has paper cut on pinky

Poor Wifey ~
lonely blog widow
always coming in second
oops, computer dies ; )

Sugar Daddy ~
wine tasting event
husband tries white zinfandel
adds sugar for taste

I love you Dimples, even though your taste in wine is, shall we say, inconceivable!

Long, long ago in a land far, far away land…well more like a few years ago in Grants Pass, Oregon, a sweet and adorable grandmother opened a restaurant. It was a different sort of place. Most Grants Passians were not used to this style of food. See, grandma’s approach to traditional authentic Mexican cuisine comes straight from Mexico City. Simple, flavorful and spicy. Although grandma, also known as Tita, is shy and speaks little English, she is a pistol in the kitchen. At her side is her son Alan, a perfect complement to his mom. Alan and his mother are two of my favorite people in our small city and their restaurant is placed in my top three places to dine in Grants Pass.

“Tacos, Burritos and More” was the name of the first location. It was a very small place with only five or six tables. I believe I started out with tamales on my first trip in. One of my favorite dishes. The first thing I noticed was the heat. I don’t mean the indoor temperature, I mean the heat of the sauce. WOW! When you dine in an Americanized Mexican restaurant, nothing is spicy unless you ask for extra jalapenos or hope that the chef is hording some ultra secret habanero sauce in the back. Tita does not mess around. Her food is spicy, however you still leave with your taste buds intact.

I was also impressed with the beans. More of a whole bean refried bean always topped with a smattering of Cotija cheese. The rice is great as well. Also, nothing fancy which I love. I really tire of the standard mix of frozen veggies (including lima beans for God’s sake) folded into boring Mexican style rice. Sorry, I don’t like corn and green beans and the like mixed in my rice. And lastly noted was the absence of the standard chips and salsa. At first I thought this odd, but soon forgot about. One could order chips and salsa, however there is a small, small charge. Better than that, you can order chips smothered in a spicy green or mole sauce sprinkled with Cotija. Our personal favorite is the chips and guacamole. The guac is made to order with hot or mild depending your tastes. Yum!

Other delicious items I consumed over the first couple years were the fish tacos. Oh yeah. I love a good fish taco. These tacos are small but flavorful. You get two corn tortillas topped with house marinated and breaded fish, cabbage and a house dressing. Heaven! You can also have the same ingredients in a large burrito served wet or dry. I like mine wet with the spicy sauce. One of my standard orders is the chili rellenos. Oh my! A nice large chili stuffed with cheese, very lightly breaded and fried, topped with a spicy, almost broth like sauce. I have never had better. My next all time favorite is the huevos rancheros. These not only the best huevos I have ever eaten, but it’ll cure most hangovers in a heartbeat. These huevos are topped with that marvelous spicy green sauce. A perfectly fried eggs peaks from beneath the sauce. The tortilla is crisped to perfection. If you really need a boost you can order it with either bacon, ham or chorizo. I kid you not, these are the best huevos ever!

And let’s talk about her specials! Pork chops and potatoes braised in a creamy green sauce that are so tender you do not need a knife. Stews and soups so thick a spoon could stand on its own. Most of the specials I can not and will not attempt to spell or pronounce.

After some time passed, Grandma’s place really started catching on and the business outgrew the building. Fortunately, Alan being a savvy business man, procured the building directly across the street. The building got a new kitchen and some bright splashes of paint. Also, a new name, “Mi Ciudad Tita’s Mexican Restaurant.” Same menu with additions – even more choices – and the same fantastic food.

But wait, there’s more! To quote Alan, “The time has come to move on. There are at least 18 Mexican Restaurants in Grants Pass. Now, the good news, Tita can cook a wide variety of dishes some of you can never guess, so we are transforming the restaurant.” And voila, the “Kalypsso Eclectic Latin Cuisine” restaurant was born. Fortunately all the items from the old menu remained. VERY fortunately, the menu is much bigger and loaded with new items such as Saltados from Peru, Ropa Vieja Cuban sandwiches, Empanadas, Pupusas from El Salvador and much more. Oh joy!

If I thought I couldn’t like this place anymore then I did, I really fall in love with Kalypsso’s around late November of last year. A week before Thanksgiving, Dimples and I took the plunge into vegetarianism. We fretted over places to dine as we live in conservative-ville. Strictly your meat and potatoes sorta town. We love to dine out and knew we would have a hard time finding a place to suit our new needs. Tita did not fail us. At first we feasted on a couple of the regular menus items that were already vegetarian like the Vegetarian Sopes, thick corn tortillas topped with beans, lettuce, tomato, Cotija cheese, Mexican sour cream served with both a spicy guacamole sauce and a red hot sauce. We were not unhappy. After one or two trips in, we ended up discussing our new diet with Alan. He pointed out so many more dishes to try. Tita makes a tamale with cheese and jalapenos served wet or dry. Alan’s favorite way to eat these is after they are steamed, thrown on the griddle to crisp up and then top with either the spicy green or red sauce.

One time we offered them free advertising on a web site of ours. In return, Tita invited us to a vegetarian feast. I looked forward to this night all week long. We started with Alan’s handmade, hand-shaken margaritas over ice. First came a special dish grandma made just for the occasion. A Mexican squash filled with a thick slice of Cotija cheese and prepared like a chili relleno topped with a spicy light, broth like sauce. I simply could not believe this new taste sensation. As Cotija does not melt but softens, the texture was rich and smooth. I hummed the entire time. Second came a small plate of, well, a pile of stuff. Alan explained that though it sounded terrible, it was really good. It consisted of sautéed potato peels, onions and jalapenos melted with cheese. Alan seemed embarrassed to serve us potato peels, but we were delighted to eat it. We stuffed small corn tortillas with this wonderful odd mixture of deliciousness. Next came enchilada two ways. One with was stuffed with a jack cheese and topped with the green sauce, the other stuffed with crumbled Cotija and topped with a spicy mole sauce. After that and one more margarita, we shared a bean and cheese burrito. Doesn’t sound too special, but it was. Tita’s rice is cooked to perfection and not gooey like some rice can be. One bite into that burrito and the texture reminded me of ground beef. It was very hearty. If I am craving beef, I know I can get over that by having one of these fantastic burritos. Let’s see, after that, well we had one more margarita. I do not recall a dining expedition where I was so elated at the entire experience. After dinner, Dimples asked Tita if he could give her a hug. She accepted graciously.

I have had so many unbelievable dishes here. Green bean pancakes. Stuffed cauliflower prepared in the same fashion as a relleno. Rolled tacos filled with fried potatoes and jalapenos. Chilaquiles Caribenos which consists of corn chips covered in a red morita spicy sauce, sour cream, Cotija cheese and cilantro with black beans. Add carne asada to this or order it the way we do with two fried eggs on top. The cool yolk helps temper the heat.

Kalypsso may not be the fanciest joint in town and it may not have that “truck farm” feel to it as one of their local competitors have. If you like your hot sauce served to you by a guy in a hard hat with lights and buzzers holding the sauce in a bottle with a pair of tongs and some rubber gloves, then this is not the place for you. Kalypsso is not your average taco joint. If you want your food authentic and cooked with real flavor and spice, then please try it. If you know me, you know that I am a truly picky eater. I am a food snob and proud of it. I rarely boast about a restaurant with such shamelessness. Am I embarrassed that I’m gushing? Just a tad, but I am sincere. Let me just say that in all honesty for me, Tita’s food is cooked with such care and tenderness my tummy smiles with pleasure.

Gracias Tita and Alan!

There was a brief time of insanity in my life where I worked for a company that designed computer games. I was there just over a year and pretty much hated every single moment of it. I hated the work. I hated the constant griping customers. I hated the CFO. I hated the programmer that worked in the same room with me. I hated the working conditions. I hated being treated like a maid. Have I used the word hate enough?

Basically it started like this; three months prior to gaining employment at this company, I had been working a dream job at a local wine shop. Things were not going well there. The owner, while extremely knowledgeable about wine, knew NOTHING about running a business. The hours were dwindling to nothing and the fun was fading. I had to leave. But, enough about that, that’s another story all together. I quit the wine shop and delved into a mire of depression. No more dream job, no more income. Fortunately, my honey was able to keep us going financially until I could find gainful employment. I basically let several weeks float by whilst I kept my self busy with depressing evil thoughts and daydreams revolving around me getting a job. Occasionally I would peruse the local paper for Help Wanted. Vowing to never ever get back into working in medical field as an office slave (yet another story all together), I realized I was not meant for much else but that.

Deeper into depression and seven random, excruciating, interviews later, a small ad in the newspaper caught my eye. The add was brief, asking that serious inquiries email their resumes at the address below. After Googling the email address, I gleaned some good information as to what the company was about. Such as, the company was started by Inventor Geek #1 and Inventor Geek #2 in which they created several games for people to play on their personal computers. I tweaked my resume a skosh to highlight some of my better computer abilities. This was not a lie as I did have some, sorta, pretty decent skills thanks to hubby. I sent my resume and waited with just a tad bit of excitement and wishful thinking. Low and behold I got a response back asking me a series of questions. This was to be part of an interview of sorts. The questions ranged from “find the P.O Box listed for our company” to “locate the owner of the domain site of this company” and so on. I think there were about five or six questions, that I felt competent I had aced.

Next came the face to face interview. This consisted of a sit down with one of the creators (which I’ll call Inventor Geek#1) of the business and the CFO (which I will call Major A-hole), who at the time I had not know was the father of Inventor Geek #1. After your basic interview questions, I was quizzed with some logical puzzle questions. This I found fairly odd as the position was basically a phone receptionist/technical support person, dubbed “Office Assistant.” One of the questions asked was, “Why are round manhole covers better then square manhole covers?” At this point I got fairly nervous thinking to myself, “Now why the fuck would I need to know that to answer a damn phone?” I had just got done telling them I had worked well over 15 years in the medical field as a phone receptionist/scheduler/secretary for both front and back office. I’d had communications training, stress training, conflict training and the list goes one. I was recruited from one medical office to another BECAUSE of my phone skills. However, I was not skilled enough to answer this inane question. I failed said manhole quiz. If you don’t already know the answer to this question, it’ll be answered towards the end of this riveting tale.

Needless to say, I got the job. I was told my duties were to answer phones. Provide technical support for game use. Reply to emails from games users, ship games and do a little light housekeeping. “Uhhh,” I said, “what does that mean?” “Oh,” said Inventor #1, “that just means keeping your desk tidy, maybe dust the room, sweep and vacuum it on occasion.” Seeing that the office was the size of a small bedroom, I was fairly okay with that. I then had one day of training. Yep, that’s it. One lousy day to learn the games, the email system, the phones, the ways to punish people for not playing nice with others, manning the forums and so on. Seemed pretty cut and dry, however things were not as simple as they seemed.

The emails were atrocious. They received about 100 plus emails per day on a slow day. Most were really lame such as “HELP, I’ve lost my log on and password.” Or “How come my Windows game does not work with my new Macintosh?” Fortunately my predecessor had purchased a macro system and had set up a series of quick canned responses. This was most helpful. The phone calls were not this easy. They should have never had phone calls coming in. Ever.

Now most people when playing a computer game are happy go lucky. I mean for cripes sakes, games are fun! They are a source of enjoyment. For a mere $25.00 one purchases a game for LIFETIME. What this means is, you pay the company money and get a nice, fun game to play on your personal computer as a single player against the game’s computer. Fun, no? But, wait there’s more! As a bonus to the purchaser of this game, you also have the privilege to play online against people from all over the world for free! See here, you have bought the single play game as it is stated on the web site and in the directions, but the online play is a bonus, a freebee. You pay nothing for the online play. Oh joy!

There is a simple set of rules for online play and if you break those rules, we CAN take that part of the game away from you. Again, this is stated all over the web site, in the directions and lastly on the forums. Rules are: play nice. No cheating, cussing, stalking other players, spamming or typical rude behavior. You are required to read said rules before you can play online and you are required to check a box saying you understand and agree with said rules. Which of course translates to; scroll very quickly to the bottom of the blah, blah, blah, check the box and play on! What this means to the company is; if you should violate said rule, you may be blocked from playing your FREE online game for anywhere from one hour to lifetime depending on how bad you broke the rules. However, you still have access to play against the computer for as long and as often as you like. Because why? You purchased this game for this intended use. Remember, purchased the single play game against the games computer. That is never taken away from you. What this means to the purchaser is; “I paid money for this fucking game and you can’t take this away from me so I’m going to sue your fucking ass.” What this means to the company is; that you did not read the RULES! YOU FRIGGIN’ IDIOT!

Here is an example of a typical phone call:

Me: Good Morning, Such and Such games, may I help you?

Angry Player: Yeah, I just paid for a game and I got kicked off. What the fuck is going on? Some asshole just started screaming at me. AT ME! I did nothing wrong, that asshole should have been the one to get kicked off. Your referees suck ass. I DID NOTHING WRONG.

Side note: A referee is a volunteer from the gaming community that polices your online play

Me: Let me just check that for you sir. What is your username?

Angry Player: Numbnuts

Me: Okay then, let me take a look.

Now here is the where the fun begins. Inventor Geek #2 and his minions designed the games so that we could review any game at any given time. If someone is lying I can see what just transpired. I typed in the username of Numbnuts and what the? Oh my, what have we here?

Me: Sir, I am reviewing the game as we speak.

Angry Player: What? I didn’t know you could do that.

Me: Yes, and sir, I see here that you have violated our terms of service. You have called the player that you speak of a <insert “N” word here>, a liar and a bitch. I would be happy to send you a copy of the text along with the copy of the TOS. I agree with the time out that was issued to you by our referee, however you can still enjoy the single player game that time is up.

Angry Player: YOU FUCKING BITCH NAZI. YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A WHORE.

Me interrupting: Sir, if you continue to speak to me like that I am going to hang u……

Angry Player: ….I’M GOING TO SUE YOUR ENTIRE COMPANY. YOU CAN’T…

Me interrupting: Sir…

Angry Player: …DO THIS TO ME. I PAID FOR THIS FUCKING GAME, I OWN IT AN…

Me: Click

Five minutes later and in the middle of another crisis, (this time I am now attending to an email from a very upset game referee because another ref from another of the company’s many games is spreading rumors on the forum about them. The first referee is so upset she is going to quit after five years of donating her time both night and day for this company without hardly a thank you!) the phone rings again. Now we have caller ID, however due to the email I am attending too, I failed to check the incoming number.

Angry Player: DON’T YOU EVER HANG UP ON ME YOU FUCKING COW, I AM GOING TO…

Me: Click

Back to email to smooth things over. The Angry Player calls in five, six more times which all go to voicemail. This sort of thing happens all day long. In email and on phone. Some of these players are really sick. Lots of cyber sex in the games, stalking of other players, death threats and lots of racist remarks just to name a few. It’s endless. It’s tiring. I would rather baby sit 17 toddlers at once then put up with this crap from adults over a frickin’ game.

Let’s see what else? There was the day that Major A-hole called me into the office and asked me to clean cat puke off the front porch. After that came the day when my job duty  which previously consisted of cleaning my own room turned into cleaning the entire office both upstairs and down. This included the bathroom which looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. I rarely used it. Only in case of dire emergencies and only when I could layer mounds of toilet paper around the rim of seat so that I could sit on it without contracting a deadly bacteria. Once there was, well, actual shit ON the toilet seat. I kid you not. I was expected to clean it up. I also did shopping and recycling. Lastly, I got talked into some bookkeeping duties and preparing payroll for which I had no experience. This meant I had to work directly with Major A-hole. There were several days of constant contact with him where I came home in tears after dealing with his controlling, self important, “men are smarter then women” behavior. He is a woman hater. He would regal me with stories of how he would yell at his secretaries “back in the olden days” like he was proud of it. I called my predecessor one day after a really bad episode and asked him if he was ever asked to clean house and cat puke, do the books or put up with Major A-holes insults. “Hell no,” he said. “And if they would have asked me to do any of that, I would have said ‘Hell no.’ Actually, they would have never even asked me to do such things.”

Let me take a moment to talk about my office mate. I call him “The Slug.” Unfortunately, my desk faced the back of his bulk and I could see his computer screen. He started working at the company about a month after me. He was fine for the first month and then he started really bugging the crap out of me. He ate junk food all day long. He rarely did actual work. The Slug played computer games, surfed the web, texted people, emailed friends, anything to get out of work. He also called in sick a lot. I mean, sometimes once a week. He was never on time for work. As much as I hated working there, I was always on time and only called in sick once. I finally complained to Inventor Geek #1 about The Slug but he just shrugged it off. I’m pretty certain the The Slug was the one that left the shit on the toilet seat. That was just his style.

I was a hard worker. All the game referees loved me. I supported them when the owners of the company did not. I commended them on the volunteer work they did for us in policing the games. And I made sure to send the occasional bouquet of flowers when someone got sick or faced a death in the family. I was fair and reasonable to the customers and gave lots of players chances that I probably should not have given. I had lots of compliments from people who purchased the product for my patience and promptness with their problems. I even had a fellow send me a CD of some songs he had recorded. I got a few nice cards in the mail. There was a very nice newly widowed customer that purchased a game and had trouble using it. We spoke often by phone and spoke about our families. I had another customer from California who worked at the CBS studios, invite me to view a TV show she was in charge of if I ever visited that area because I helped her with a difficult technical issue. I did a good job.

Did I ever get anything in return? No. I got criticized right in front of The Slug and the newest employee (which I call The New Cool Dude) from Inventor Geek #1 for raising my voice on the phone on two occasions. Why do you ask, did I raise my voice? Re-read the example of the phone call from above and imagine it three times worse. Over a freakin’ computer game I got called every name in the book and was threatened at length. This did not matter to Inventor Geek #1. Doubting myself and abilities to handle bad phone situations, I asked The New Cool Dude who sat near me what he thought. The New Cool Dude had heard the guy on the phone screaming obscenities at me. He was shocked. He told me that I have always been great on the phones. Way more calm and patient then he could ever be given the circumstances.

After about five months on the job, I asked Inventor Geek #1 if I could take an hour lunch break instead of a half hour. I had never asked for anything else up to this point, not even an extra day off. I explained I wanted to take an hour lunch with my hubby. His answer, “Well, I guess so. Just don’t make a habit of it.” An extra half hour lunch in a five month period is not a habit GEEK.

Finally I hit the end of my rope. Let me rephrase that. I finally figured out why round manhole covers are better than square ones. A square cover can fall thru the manhole where a round one cannot. One day after our annual Christmas party, I received our bonus check stubs from Major A-hole to enter into the books. I am a reasonable person. I know my skills and contribution to the company were minimal compared to what the programmers could offer the owners. I knew they made good money. What bothered me more then anything was the bonus given to The New Cool Dude. He had been employed with the company for about 88 days. He had not even finished his 90 day probation. On top of that, he had already given his 2 week notice. Being a particular savvy guy, he soon saw that his job duties did not mean what was actually verbalized to him. He did not even attend the Christmas party. He was already mentally checked out. I had worked hard, cleaned the shit and the puke, put up with abusive nonsense from crazy people over games of cards and backgammon. I had faced embarrassment for being reprimanded in front of co-workers. Suffered demeaning comments about how stupid women are in the work place from Major A-hole. I was thanked for this with a bonus of $136.00. The New Cool Dude was rewarded for working a grand total of 88 days with a check for $400.00. He didn’t even make his two week notice, he bailed after the first week. A couple months later I landed a job elsewhere. For unknown reasons, I actually cried in front of Inventor Geek #1 when I gave notice. I did not belong here. I was a square cover trying to fit in a round hole.

Memorial Day at Eagle Point Cemetery

I called him Gramps, he called me Stubs. Born in Long Creek, Oregon in 1915, Gramps was a kind, soft spoken man of few words. Grandpa was a native Oregonian, served in World War II, married my grandma, had three wonderful children, joined the FAA and was grandfather to three spoiled grandkids.

Grandpa and his twin Maurice

Master-Sergeant Mervin C. Conger was the radio chief of the 414th Night Fighter Squadron, serving with the 22nd Tactical Air Command of the 12th Air Force, which furnished the air support for the Fifth Army in the victorious northern Italy Campaign.

In 1942, Gramps married Helen M. Hull during a leave from the service. After the war, Grandpa joined the reserves and held various jobs until joining the FAA. He stared his career as an Air Traffic Controller in  Alaska and a few months later the whole family moved up with him. By know there were three children. His career in the FAA, took him from Anchorage, Alaska to the San Francisco International Airport to and later to the Lake Tahoe Airport where he eventually retired. I remember vividly, Grandpa got word that Sammy Davis Jr. was flying in to Tahoe. The entire family got dressed up to the nines and met Grandpa at work. We got to see Sammy and he patted me on the head.

Gramps and Grams

Grams and Gramps ready for a hot date

Not one to retire for too long, Gramps and Grams eventually moved to Netarts Bay and managed an R.V. park and marina. Those were the times I remember the most. We always had so much fun visiting at the coast. Grandpa always took us crabbing and clamming and fishing. Lots of parties and happiness. After they finally retired from the park, they bought a home with a view of the bay and the park they loved. Eventually, my wonderful grandma passed away at their last stop together near the bay. Shortly after, we moved Grandpa to Grants Pass, where he lived with his youngest daughter who took care of him until he passed in 1996.

Big Catch in Alaska

Camping in Nevada

Grandpa always had a smile and a pat on the head for us grand kids. He loved to hunt and fish and camp. He always played games with the family. He never said a harsh word. To me he was kind and gentle and oh so quite. He loved his family and we loved him.

Rise oh mighty fire...RISE!

My darling husband makes for such a good subject. Thankfully he takes it well, mostly cause he knows it’s true. One day while he was sick in bed with a horrible migraine headache, a few silly poems popped in my . Yes, I kicked my man when he was down, however once again, anyone who knows my dearest, knows that this is a 100% Dimples all the way.  Last week I bought you “Husband Poetry“, this week, I bring you “Husband Haiku”. A compilation of two forms  of Haiku poetry (very loosely based of course). Traditional style Haiku and Tanka poetry.

Haiku  (5-7-5 onji format)

Camping Part Duex ~

wood is smoldering

my fire skills inadequate

wife starts huge bonfire

Tanka (5-7-5-7-7 onji format)

Veggie Pants ~

dirty pants on floor

a science experiment

how long will they stay

two month later pants grow mold

four months and have fresh mushrooms

In your Face ~

put leftovers in fridge

let husband know for lunches

husband dies of hunger pains

can’t see leftovers at eye level

Baby, it’s cold out there~

forgot the jacket

doesn’t like to be mothered

it’s freezing cold out

pouts that I forgot jacket

calls mother to whine

Blueberry and Lemon Curd Cheesecake

If you love love love cheesecake, this is a must have. This is recipe is from a bakery I used to work for that has been sadly closed for some years. I have tweaked it on and off over the years to make it easier for home baking. I also played around with different berry mixes and jams and curds. This cheesecake is unique in that the berries are layered in the middle of the batter, instead of as a sauce on the top. It’s a rather intensive recipe and takes time, but well worth the effort!

Berry Crumble Cheesecake

~Crust:

1 1/2  C graham cracker crumbs

1/3  C sugar

1/3  C melted butter

Mix ingredients and press into the bottom of a prepared 9 or 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. After crust is done, raise oven to 450 degrees.

~Batter:

1# plus 8oz cream cheese – softened (set cream cheese out about an hour before)

1 C sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 TB orange or lemon zest

1 TB orange or lemon juice

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar until incorporated scrapping often. Add eggs one at a time, scrapping after each egg. HOWEVER, do not over beat your batter. Now you can add the vanilla and citrus of choice.

~Filling:

2 C Berries of choice

1/3 C sugar

1/2 C Jam  or Curd  *see notes at bottom

Mix together. If this berry mix is too runny whisk in 1 tsp cornstarch.

~Crumble:

1 C flour

1/4 C sugar

pinch of baking powder

3 oz chilled butter cut in cubes

Toss flour sugar and baking powder. Cut in butter with pastry knife.

~Assembling:

Pour half the batter over the crust. Sprinkle half the crumble over the top of the batter. Now carefully top the crumble with the berry mix. Pour the rest of the batter in the pan. Top with the remaining crumble.

~Baking:

Bake for 15 minutes at 450 (lay a piece of foil over the top to prevent it from browning too fast. Take the foil off after the 15 minutes). Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. When you remove your cheesecake from the oven, immediately run a thin knife along the edges, pressing the knife against the wall of the pan to loosen the top. This prevents cracking as the cheesecake cools and contracts.

Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake.

*Berry Combo’s

Strawberry, Raspberry, or Blueberry with Orange Marmalade or Lemon Curd

Cranberry with Apricot Marmalade

Standard issue camping attire

Ah, Dimples. I gotta love him. First, I taught him how to fish, which turned into near disaster. Then we went camping. I’m a glutton for punishment. This poem came to my brain as I was tossing and turning in a thin sleeping bag, whilst Dimples was snoring comfortably with ALL the extra blankets. Anyone who knows my dearest husband, knows that this poem is a 100% representation of his bad self.

Husband, Oh Hus-band
Hus-band

Totally out of his safety zone
Longing for the comfort of his sterile home

Husband, Oh Hus-band

Not one to mess with Na-ture
Can’t even start a Fi-re

Husband, Oh Hus-band

Thinking fondly of computer programm-ing
And staying up late World of Warcraft-ing

Husband, Oh Hus-band

Scared of buzzing insects always bit-ing
Protecting food and drink with lots of nett-ing

Husband, Oh Hus-band

Nowhere to “go” but in the sticky brush
Wishing there was a place to sit and flush

Husband, Oh Hus-band

Face full of pain and very concentrate-ed
It’s been five long days since he has poop-ed

Husband, Oh Hus-band

Hus-band

All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.

- William Shakespeare

Arcata Plaza

We took off early evening and planned on eating dinner somewhere along the way. Whenever I’m near the ocean my desire to eat fish and chowder becomes overwhelming. My Uncle had told us about a restaurant in Crescent City, California that had great fish and chips. I can not think of one restaurant in Crescent City that has decent food, but I trusted him on this one. The place, Chart Room, located on Anchor Way at the marina near the one and only surf shop in the city. As we drove up I saw that people were standing inside the door. Not a good sign for us as we wanted to eat and run, but a good sign that the food must be partially decent at the least. I ran in and asked the waitress how long the wait was and it was too long for us, plus they were closing in 30 minutes. It did smell good in there but also looked frantic.

Plan B. There is another restaurant about one minute away named The Grotto. I had eaten there years ago and it was fair so we decided to give it a try. We arrived at 7:40 pm. The place only had two other tables occupied. The hostess was just writing the nights special on the board. I thought that a bit odd that she put it up so late. The menu was very pricy for what I had wanted. Small Fish and Chips for $11.95. Large order was $13.95. I ordered the small plate with a cup of clam chowder. Hubby ordered scallops, baked potato and a salad. The menu noted that all fish came breaded, battered or grilled. Sautéed was and extra $1.00. OK this is another oddity. Why charge more for sautéed? Unfortunately my honey did not notice this and the waiter did not ask him.

As we waited for our food, the restaurant filled to capacity. We were shocked. All we could think of was that when the Chart House closed, everyone came to the Grotto. The place turned into a zoo.

Dinner arrived. First bummer was the scallops. Hubby wanted sautéed scallops and got breaded. The scallops were soggy. Frozen scallops always hold a lot of water. He was not happy with that potato either. It tasted like it sat in the baker all day long. The mealy waxy texture is a turn off. My plate was equally unappetizing. The chowder had an odd flavor to it. Some sort of herb or seasoning that I could not put my finger. My small fish and chips order was actually very large. Four pieces of fish, a large pile of fries and a small scoop of overly boiled mixed veggies. What, no coleslaw??? . Also on the plate was about one tablespoon of tarter sauce and about two tablespoons of cocktail sauce. I normally do not see cocktail sauce for fish and chips. I took the veggies off my plate immediately. The water from the veggies was making the fish soggy. The fish was battered, though not a beer batter. It was fair but again soggy. The fries were as okay as can be. I had to ask for extra tarter sauce and waiter came out in a huge cup of the stuff, so much so that it was wasted. This will be the last time we eat at the Grotto.

Saturday morning we were up and at ‘em. We decided to hit the festival early at the suggestion of Uncle Steve. He said the crowds got large and rowdy around noon. We meet his lovely adorable girlfriend at the festival and headed off to the first tent. The festival is held at the Arcata Plaza. I have always loved this little college town. There are shops and restaurants built around a square quaint park. The festival is held around the park. The center of the park had a stage and music. There must have been over a hundred vendors. Mostly food and about four local microbrew and wine tents. The first Oyster we tried was barbequed with a light cucumber salsa. I must admit the salsa was great; the Oyster was just ok for me. Off to the next tent. Fried Oysters with hot sauce. I tried just one and decided that was enough Oyster tasting for me. Hubby, Uncle and his girlfriend loved them. I could tell they were in heaven. Next we tried the taco tent. The three had Oyster tacos. I had a steak taco. This was delish! Grilled steak topped with a spicy coleslaw mixture, salsa and lime in a corn tortilla. Next hubby got three barbequed Oysters with garlic, sherry and herbs topped with salmon tartar. As I watched the three devour those, I noticed a couple people with ears of barbequed corn. OH YEAH! That’s more my speed. This was our next stop…but wait, Uncle Steve found a booth that had Oyster Pierogi’s. These came with sautéed onions. While they ate those I ordered Cheese Pierogi’s. Also with sautéed onions and a side of sour cream. These were very nice. Whilst I was eating those, hubby found a stand that sold kabobs. Are we EVER getting to that corn? He got a chicken kabob that we all tried and agreed was very good and thought to come back for more. Off to find that corn. Yea! We ordered three ears. Boy was that corn good. White corn barbequed in the husks and slathered with butter, salt and pepper. I was in heaven.

As we meandered around the plaza more Oysters were consumed and the square was filling up fast. I lost track of all the Oysters they tried. Somewhere along the way they all tried an Oyster Shooter with roe. Double yuck. I heard moans of joy from the three. We found one of the stands we were looking for that sold Fish Tacos. Oh my, these were good. Nicely battered pieces of white fish, cabbage, salsa, a spicy sour cream sauce, cilantro and lime. Delectable! At this point we decided to find a spot in the park and watch the Oyster calling contest. This was divided into ages from three up. There were some pretty adorable kids and some very drunk and funny adults. The kids pretty much yelled out remarks such as “HELLO OYSTERS!” The adults had poems and songs and even a rap or two. One song was titled “Oysters over troubled Waters” and one was “We don’t Shuck our Oysters in Arcata”. All in all, pretty hilarious. Full of Oysters and wall to wall people we decided to head for home. Sadly no pictures were taken by any of us. Hard to hold a camera, a drink and a plate of Oysters at a crowded festival.

http://www.oysterfestival.net/about.php

Winners of this years best of Oysters;

Best Oyster according to the judges:
-1st Tomo’s Oyster Sushi
-2nd Tomo’s Oyster Shooter
-3rd Folie Douce Japanese grilled oysters
The people’s choice:
Curly’s Grill

Shuck and Chuck 2008 champions:
Shucker: Aidan Semingson
Sucker: Conor Eckholm

Back at the house the three were barely awake. I was in the mood for more fun and I was actually a bit hungry as I hadn’t consumed as much as they had. After a rest we decided a walk on the beach would perk them up. We drove up the coast to Triniad. The beach was beautiful but extremely windy and chilly, so much so we didn’t walk very far. Trinidad is a beautiful little fishing town. Most of it sits on a bluff above a gorgeous inlet were the water is blue green. There are fishing boats moored in the inlet that are only accessible by smaller boats or dingies. The pier has cranes attached that lower and raise boats from the water for repair. This is a must stop place for any traveler.

http://www.humboldt1.com/~popenoe/scenes/Trinidad.htm

Wind blown and hungry, we headed off to dinner. We decided more barbeque was in order. We headed off to Porter Street Barbeque. Porter’s is nothing fancy, but has some of the best bbq I have had in the Pacific Northwest. There is a large bbq pit outside that they load with meat every morning. The menu is small and no nonsense. BBQ chicken, pork or beef. Homemade sides and the BEST clam chowder I have ever eaten. Made with red potatoes, tender clams and seasoned perfectly.
Three of us had the BBQ chicken sandwich. This came shredded in big chunks, smothered with bbq sauce on toasted garlic bread. They have a fixins’ bar for your sandwiches. Hot peppers, horseradish, salsas, peperoncinis and more. Also a big bucket of warmed barbeque sauce in case you needed more on your meat which of course I did. That was one fine sauce, slightly spicy, thick and dark red. Hubby had beef ribs. They looked good but messy. His came with a side of slaw and chili. That chili was great! Lots of beef to beans and spiced just right.

Porter Street Barbeque
665 Samoa Blvd
Arcata, CA 95521

http://www.northcoast101.com/menus/menu_viewer.php?id=1395

We decided to continue our gluttonous journey and head for Bon Boniere. An ice cream and bakery establishment located back at the Arcata Square. Homemade ice cream is pretty hard to pass up. I had a scoop of chocolate orange chip and a scoop of mint cookie. Very creamy and refreshing. I think that did it. I was done and ready to fall into a coma of happiness.

Bon Boniere
791 8th Street
Arcata, CA 95521
http://www.bonboniere.biz/

Sunday, Uncle Steve suggested that he and his sweetheart follow us back to Crescent City, about an hours drive north to have lunch at the Chart Room. What a great idea. I would have my fish and chip fix after all. The Chart Room is nothing fancy but boy is it good. The clam chowder was excellent. We had the Samll order of a Seafood combo with fish, scallops and prawns beer battered with lots of tarter and cocktail sauce, crispy fries, coleslaw and garlic toast for $9.95. The fish was hot and crispy good and a great ending to a wonderful happy weekend!

Chart Room Marina & Restaurant
130 Anchor Way
Crescent City, CA 95531

Published in 1973, in which de Groot writes about the time he spent at a French inn by that name (L’Auberge de l’Atre Fleuri in St-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, Savoy) and the good meals he ate there. It addresses the logic of constructing a meal of several dishes so that they harmonize with one another, to the use of primarily local and seasonal ingredients to contribute to this harmony, and also an internal harmony within individual dishes. It is also a snapshot of old-school aperitifs, such as kir, and illustrates how a kitchen of little pretension can put out world-class food in an environment of passion, hard work, sound technique, long experience, etc. One of the more interesting aspects of the book is that de Groot was blind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Auberge_of_the_Flowering_Hearth

My Comments~

After reading a fantastic article in a local magazine about a woman’s trek and failed attempt to find The Auberge of the Flowering Hearth in Southern Oregon, I decided I had to have it. She painstakingly drove from Grants Pass, to Rogue River, Glendale and Medford searching high and low. Even though she came back empty handed, she had a grand time trekking through our lower half of the state. All along the way she describes to her friend the reasons she must have this book. I can see why.

Never have I read such a remarkable tale of a journey filled with excitement, longing, passion and love of food. Filled with magnificent descriptive narrative of de Groots travels to a place far away and almost unbelievable, and recipes so divine they are almost un-attemptable, this book took me on a fantastic voyage. Each page better then the next. de Groot takes you from the curvy rocky roads to the Inn, to the pristine kitchen of Mademoiselle Ray and to the rustic markets of Gernoble with Mademoiselle Vivette. These remarkable women teach him the art of a well balanced meal using the valley, rivers and local famers to supply them with the freshest ingredients.

If you are a cook, chef or just have a deep love for food and travel, I encourage you to read this book. It will leave you hungry and read to pack your bags for your own journey to the Auberge.