mmm-yoso!!!

The 2008 San Diego County Fair Part Two- A day at the Fair, with food

mmm-yoso!!!.  You are here.  Cathy is blogging. Enjoy.

Hi.  I know you've been waiting for this post.  The Mister and I met up with Ms. T. at the front gate of the Fairgrounds the other day.

Where Don Diego greeted us, along with an Olympic looking sculpture. We had come in on the Double Decker bus from the free parking area on Via de la Valle, saving us $9 in parking fees. Its a nice ride and kind of fun. There are also a few old yellow school buses, which are...um...smaller than I remember them being. The buses run every 15 minutes and take you right to the front gate, where you can walk in and see the Midway.

There are all sorts of stimulating entertainment, sights and sounds, even at the opening hour (10 a.m.). 

The concession stands remind me why I came here... and I must remember why I came here. To blog! 

The Mister brought this to the table first. The deep fried White Castle cheeseburger. The innards. It is a White Castle cheeseburger and fries ($~6 for the plate) but we were one of the first orders of the day and I could detect just a slight...um...un-freshness in the taste of the oil used to fry the batter. Not rancid, but not fresh. The fries were excellent though. Oh, and the White Castle (it isn't called a burger) was, without the batter, just as I remembered. But I usually don't get it with cheese. The teensy chopped onions and soft mushy bun were good. If I were to grade it, it would get a "C". Passable. 

Gosh, the ads on the stands are overwhelming... Ms. T chose the healthiest and best tasting meal we had all day-the chicken kabob with pickled turnips and fresh hummus-with the large refillable for $2 (including tax) at any concession stand beverage, the total was $20. The kabob was wonderful-fresh chunks of charbroiled chicken breast, crispy green peppers and sweet onion chunks with a side of fresh, home made(a little chunky/not perfectly smooth) hummus and fresh a bit salty in a good way pickled turnips this was the best overall meal.   Definitely an A+. Oh, you read the signs, did you? Of course I got the deep fried Spam (~$6). This was excellent. the batter was more waffle or cornmeal- The Mister said like corn dog batter (I have *never* had a corn dog in my life...really) and quite pleasant. Four big chunks (half a can, I'd say) and two slices of canned pineapple along with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Excellent. I'd give it a B+/ A- only because of that health thing people talk about...people like my Family Physician...(Hi Dr. B at Kaiser!)

So, we decided to walk off some of the 'breakfast' items we ate and look around the Fairgrounds. The Midway rides look the same.  

Home Arts has the quilts displayed so you can't touch them (apparently there was a problem).

The cake decorating contest entrants were also protected. As were the Crafting winners. The Palomar College student woodworking competition was particularly interesting to me and I liked this small table the best. It is very well made with curved walnut sides and maple.  

This was a creative floral design, using a lemon sliced water filled base. There are weekly floral competitions for various flowers. This one was pretty.

Oh, back to some food. Seriously. The foot long hot dog- extremely good quality. Grade: A. With chili (bottom cup)(Grade:B-; It had beans)(About $5) and a $2 Tuesday special 2 ounce sample of the BBQ beef-excellent (grade: A). OK. You can't tell the size? That's a Samsung mobile phone on the tray.

The ubiquitous Funnel cake- top is the $2 Tuesday sample, bottom is the $3 with strawberries and whipped cream regular size. (I liked the plain one better). It's a sweet and was OK, but I don't crave sweets.  Grade: C

The reason I come to the Fair. The cream puffs. $3 regular size vanilla, chocolate mini $2 Tuesday sample.I love the fresh cream and shell made daily. Can't get it anywhere around here, or I would.

More from The floral design competition.  

Finally, an order of Tasti Chips, always a favorite ($5)... Grade:A) I eat the Trader Joe's Hawaiian chips in the blue bag-regularly. I love good chips.

Then back on the free transportation back to the free parking lot. Another year at the Fair.

You can get discounted tickets at Ralphs with a $10 purchase. ($10 versus $12 standard admission).  Most vendors have $2 specials on Tuesdays.  I did not try the frog legs.  I grew up eating them and just did not want anything else fried.  They taste like fishy chicken...Sorry

www.sdfair.com  Until July 6

The 2008 San Diego County Fair- Part One: Before the Fairgrounds open

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food.  Today, Cathy is busy writing because Kirk and ed from Yuma are busier doing other stuff.

Hi.  This post was written before the County Fair will open on Saturday June 14.  The Theme of the Fair was chosen about eleven months ago and for this year it is "Summer of Sports" and dates for deadlines to bring entries to the Fair are set -so that everything will be in place when people walk in the gate on opening day.  Not only will things be in place, but awards have been awarded and ribbons are on everything.

You might recall my little little  three part blogging of the Fair last year.  One thing I mentioned (and continue to mention, even to complete strangers in grocery checkout lines) is that the preserved foods are "the heart of the Fair" to me...Preserved foods and Home Arts in general are *the reason* we have a County Fair- why almost every county in the US has a Fair.  The San Diego County Fair is the fifth most attended County Fair in the USA.  If we did not have Home and Hobby, a Student Showcase and Kids Best, the Fair would just be rides, carnival games and a giant Swap Meet sale...oh and wonderfully unusual foods(which will be blogged about in Part Two).

Some of the vendors were in place, since they have no place else to be.  But the Fairgrounds were not really set up when I was there...the Saturday after Memorial Day, when the Preserved Foods were judged. 

These were the entries.  The table in the forefront is where two judges, along with their own "secretary" and "runner" sit. There were a total of six judges. You can see the judges have crackers, lemon slices and water as their palate cleansers- the basket is filled with disposable forks and spoons.

Here is another view.  The entries are set up in Divisions and Categories. The labels with the contestant's names are folded over, so the judging is "blind". Underneath each entry is the recipe the entrant followed. One of the things the judges look for is that the preserved foods were...um... properly preserved.

As a small example, in this Division 3209 of Relishes and Sauces.  The judges had to judge 7 different barbecue sauces, 12 chutneys, 8 mixed relishes, 7 canned salsas and these 5 "other than listed" relishes and sauces.

After reading the label listing dates and type of canning method and seeing that the item in question was preserved properly, as well as the recipe the entrant has provided,  the judge will open each canned item, being certain to hear the "whoosh" sound of a good vacuum seal.  They then check that enough "head room" was used in the preserving process. Usually then the judge will smell the item and then insert a fork or spoon, to check consistency, spoon some out and either taste then, or do the same above steps with each item and then begin tasting.  A lot of wasted calories and possible illness can be eliminated before tasting. 

I took a photo of this beautiful rose petal jelly, which, unfortunately was kind of liquidy and not properly jelled, but looked so very pretty in the jar.  Apparently it also tasted quite nice, but when a judge has 12 different jellies to try and one isn't properly prepared, it is sadly eliminated from getting or even being considered for a ribbon. 

Despite your thinking that it must be exciting and fun to judge jams, jellies, preserves and conserves...well, it kind of isn't.  These judges have to sit down and eat sugar based products for a good three to four hours in a row.  Think about it.  Even if you are a chocoholic and think you could eat chocolates all day every day...really-four hours straight?  The judges basically eat no carbohydrates for one or two days before they have to judge, so the sugar rush won't adversely affect them.  One judge who I spoke to told me she eats no carbs for two days prior and loads up on meat and cheese for breakfast before driving to the Fairgrounds.  Still, she gets kind of shaky and on a sugar high for hours after she gets home, and then crashes the next day.    The Strawberry Jam category this year had 27 entries.  That poor judge had to not only find the best of all of them...but had to taste and re-taste so many jams just of that flavor to determine the best...of 27.

These were some of many entries in the  "other than listed, miscellaneous" division.  See the  Thai Hot and Sweet dipping sauce-2nd from the right?  That is chopped garlic on the bottom, hot chilis in the top layer and a nice sweet oil in between.  Mix it up, put it on a cracker, and you have the Best of Show winner. 

As I said, the grounds were barely set up when I was there, but they are almost all set up now.  Hope to see you at the Fair!  If not, I will enjoy and then blog it for you.

You can see more details of dates and times of the fair on the website.  I try to go in as soon it opens in the morning, and park in one of the free lots.  Transportation on school buses and a few Double Decker buses is provided every 15 minutes or so; also free.  Parking this year is $9.

Website

Another event. With food. At Nordstrom

mmm-yoso!!! is just a humble blog.   We talk about what we ate and where we ate it and maybe what it cost.  We tell you if we liked it or not.   Today, Cathy is talking about what she ate...the food was free, but the ancillary costs...oh my!

Hi again.  Yes, Nordstrom has had its "spring event".   My friend was invited and asked me to tag along.  Of course I did, with my camera in one pocket...and credit card in the other pocket.  You remember the last 'event' I went to, right? 

In general,  Nordstrom is a high end clothing and accessory store which rewards its best customers by closing the doors and allowing only the best (i.e. big spenders) ones to attend these twice a year happenings, (close to the Christmas holidays and Mother's Day), for easy shopping while serving adult beverages and fancy snacks.  On a 'regular' shopping day, you can eat at the Nordstrom Cafe inside the store.  These 'events' are catered.

I really got all of my purchases into this one bag, since silk does not take up much space when folded or thrown on the floor...and I ate a lot of goodies in between making those purchases. I started out the evening with a melon martini- a sip already taken before the photo... The server told me it was vodka with melon liqueur and you can see, a melon ball was in the glass.  Very refreshing.

Then I moved on with a miniature barbecue chicken miniature mini teensy slider..which was unusually tasty. (The napkin it is placed on is 4 inches square).

This was followed by a polenta puff topped with ancho chili sauce.

The 'Asian chicken' filled pocket was extremely tasty- ground chicken mixed with a taste of green onions, garlic and ginger made this moist delicate pocket an almost hearty snack .

By far, my most memorable and favorite tasting food of the night was the orzo pasta, with Kalmata olives, cherry tomato halves (richly flavored cherry tomatoes, I might add), artichoke hearts, with a lemon oregano dressing and topped with crispy feta cheese bits.

There was supposedly a S'mores dessert, but I never saw it being handed out. I don't crave chocolate, but I do like marshmallow, so I was a bit disappointed, however I managed to get to the Godiva shop and bought a serving (four) of the candied orange peels dipped in dark chocolate ($2.25) to bring home to The Mister.

Of course, I hit the coffee bar before driving home....

The store holds these events twice a year and I can't wait for the next one in December.

Nordstrom. Nationwide locations listed on the website.

San Diego Tet Festival 2008

This year, the San Diego Tet Festival has a new venue. Instead of Qualcomm Stadium Parking Lot, the festival is being held at Balboa Park. Just like last year, I decided to attend early on opening day, which will allow readers to check it out if they so desire, and not make me feel so bad about posting about a festival after it has ended.

The change in location is interesting in a couple of ways. The grassy setting makes for a more laid back vibe, and the "cultural village" looks much better on grass than on asphalt.

Phuc Duyen Pagoda:

On the flip side; because of space limitations, some areas, like the rides looked really "squeezed in".

As always various vendors, businesses, and community organizations were represented.

Of course, you're wondering about the food, right?

It seems that the laid back attitude had spilled over to some of the food booths. Last year, I arrived right after opening, and all the booths were manned and ready. This year, most of the booths weren't ready when I arrived at about 5pm:

This booth still wasn't open when I left at about 6pm. Too bad.....

I was looking for my "meat on a stick" fix.....

 

So I just moved on down a few booths to get my fix:

mmmmm..meat on a stick, it just wouldn't be a festival without it!

When I saw the sign for Banh Kot, I just had to check it out:

I couldn't wait to get ahold of one of those little pancakes/crepes. But as my luck would have it, just as I got to the window, the booth lost power...so no Banh Khot for me! Bummer......

Moving further down the line, was this booth with no sign:

  As I peered through the screen, I could see lot's of goodies. So I ended up making most of my purchases here. Arms loaded down, I walked toward the eating area, carefully balancing all my food.

Funny thing about these festivals...you never know who you'll run in to. I first ran into Ellen, aka Mizducky, as I was finishing my meat on a stick....we had a nice chat, and caught up a bit. A while later, as I was giving the food booths one last pass, who in the world do I run into, but Candice Woo! After a quick go round, we found Ellen, and sat down and had a nice chat. For some reason, this just seem to make this festival that much better.....munching on food and "talking story" with two of my favorite people!

Back to the food....it is festival food, and YMMV. But for me and the Missus (and I think Candice and Ellen will agree), the Nem Chua was a winner:

Sour, tangy, and salty...this package of pork sausage "patties" was worth the $5. Chewy, but not tough, and with nice bits of pork skin......the Missus is munching on another as I type up this post. Of course if Vietnamese/Asian food is not your "thing". There is the ubiquitous Kettle Corn booth, Hot Dogs, Cotton Candy...though I don't recall seeing a funnel cake booth, but I'm sure it's hiding out the somewhere.

Some observations: There are decidedly less food vendors than last year, and probably fewer booths as well. This doesn't mean that you won't find some good eats. The admission is the same as last year - $5 for adults, $4 for children. I had no problem finding parking, but I'm thinking parking may be more difficult over the weekend. I'm also thinking that the smaller venue, may mean things get kinda cramped, but hopefully I'm wrong.

San Diego Tet Festival
Balboa Park

Friday, Feb. 8th: 4pm-10pm
Saturday, Feb. 9th: 10am-10pm
Sunday, Feb.10th: 10am-8pm

Admission - $5 Adults, $4 Children

The Very Last Day of 2007-and a preview of 2008! Behind the scenes at the Tournament of Roses! Oh, food, too.

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog about food..and what some of us do to get to eat said food.  Cathy is having her annual adventure North of San Diego and you get to vicariously enjoy!

Hi.  It is the 31st of December and here we are.  We made it through 2007, relatively unscathed and 2008 is right there staring at us.  We have to learn a little different way to type or write the date; new calendars are out on the walls and on the desk, filled with so many blank pages, papers can be filed and gotten ready to start inputting into the new Tax Program on your computer, or in a folder to hand to your Tax Guy or Tax Gal...and still, there is time to relax, because the the first day of the year is a holiday!  A lot of people have breakfast at home with family or friends and watch the Rose Parade on television.  A spectacular event, planned almost a year in advance, yet assembled only a few weeks before it actually can happen, because every visible portion of each float must be covered with something that is, or was alive...thousands of volunteers have been working on the float decorations, sleeping overnight in Pasadena, waking to sticky, glue covered hands and clothing and going at it the next day...and yet, nobody will see these lovely pieces of art and architecture until tomorrow on television...except for you, dear readers!

Oh yes, The Mister and  have this on our agenda every year...We just are skipping the sticky glue covered hands part this year.  Yes. we merely woke up about 4 a.m. today and drove north to Pasadena, to have breakfast with the Pasadena Host Lions Club at the Historic Castle Green Hotel and then take a VIP tour of the final float preparations.

The Hotel is now mostly an apartment building and the eating area is still used for parties and such. We got some food from the buffet: Kind of standard stuff; scrambled eggs, potatoes, fruit, muffins, danish, ham and sausage. One trip only...coffee, cranberry and orange juice too. We didn't care- we were here to take the VIP tour of the final decoration of the 2008 Rose Parade Floats! I am trying to give you views you will not see on television. This 25,000 pound Indian (Native American) float will be one you see on television, mid parade.

Remember, every square inch of every float has to be covered with something that is or was alive. The smells up close are wondrous...and also glue-like.

This is the back of the Lions Club International Float.. and this is what it looks like from the front. As I said, every square inch on every float must be filled in, and judging was about to happen in less than three hours. If you look close, you can see glue on the back of these Marguerite flower heads and the blank space they were being placed onto the float just behind. Other flowers had been cut and placed in water vials and were also ready to be used for 'spot fills'. OK, here are some other floats...for a sneak peek! AND SO ANYHOW...It was lunch time and we were hungry, but the streets of Pasadena were starting to line up with people claiming a spot along the parade route and we wanted to stay away from those crowds, so jumped on the freeway, started heading East, and decided the"Covina" exit at Citrus Avenue sounded nice...and we saw this sign in a non-descript mall...and stopped The menu was simple- So. we ordered...The pastrami sandwich ($5.25).

Very large, lots of meat, juicy, nicely spicy(not too much pepper), good fresh bread. No jus to dip in, however, there was enough juice on the bread to make it wonderful as a last bite. I wanted the gyros sandwich special ($6.99) included fries and a medium drink...the gyros was wonderful, meat cut in thick slices from a spit and perfectly juicy and flavorful, topped with a tangy tzatziki sauce, chopped onions and chopped tomatoes. In my quest for wonderful onion rings and knowing they are pretty much always perfect from these Mediterranean places that have gyros, I ordered the SMALL size ($2.59). I was not disappointed in the size, nor the quality and spice of the breading and crispiness; I was merely disappointed in myself that I could not finish it all...

P&G Superburgers 1030 N. Citrus Avenue, Covina open 7 am-11 pm, seven days

We wish everyone out there a Very Happy 2008!  (or "2000 ate" as ed so succinctly put it) Have a safe day!

Holiday Bowl 2007-a great tailgate, with 4 hours and 17 minutes of game interrupting it

mmm-yoso is just a little blog about food and things related to food.  Today, Cathy is sharing a small adventure.

Hi, again, everyone!  Hope you are having a nice time during this time of many holidays and parties and anticipating the New Year.  The Mister and I have  one annual event we  *must* attend - the Holiday Bowl- one of 31 college football Bowl Games which are played by chosen ranked teams almost daily starting on December 20 and culminating in #1 versus #2 in the nation playing each other for the title of "National Champion" on January 7, 2008.

Truth be told, we don't really care about the game much; we go to attend a tailgate in the parking lot, with about 100 of our closest friends from around the world (retired and active military as well as Lions, Rotarians and Optimists) not many of whom remember our names; they just know we bring the Garlic Beef.

About 18 pounds this year.  It is small end rib roast, which was on sale at Albertsons, coated with a paste made of chopped garlic (about 5 pounds), oregano and paprika, held together with olive oil, salt and pepper and flashed for about 20 minutes in a 500° oven, then turned down to 325° for about 20 minutes a pound.  We made 6 pounds of rolls to go with, and served with several horseradishes and mustards.  (This "Atomic" horseradish is more pickled, or Kim Chee-ish in flavor and low in heat. One of the ingredients is parsnips)

So, anyhow, this year, 120 people brought some sort of food-and drink- to share, and we caught up on the past year when we really did not see each other much.

This table had mostly desserts.  That bowl was filled with chopped fresh fruit and sangria.  The yellow sheet pan in front was the most wonderful Italian ricotta based cheesecake which had rum soaked raisins in it (I have the recipe)...there were a few "regifted" items also, like Kirkland (Costco) brand Belgian chocolate cups, which were wonderful, and many homemade cookies and fudges.

There were sandwiches and pizza from Filippi's, turkey wraps from Costco.

As you can see, a variety of items to share... there were three different "seven layer dips" and chips also, as well as barbecued and fried chicken...shrimp, sweet potato casserole, pasta salad, cole slaw...raw veggies and dip...you know  FOOD!

This year, Mr. T could "only" find a 24 pound turkey to smoke starting at 3 a.m. the night before (it was still steaming hot when he cut into it).

Mr. T's turkey is always stuffed with his famous rice stuffing, which I crave on this annual basis.

I am so sorry; I cannot rotate this photo on my iBook or on the PC, so turn your head. 

All in all, there were eight tables packed solid with food from our group,

Along with three portable grills...

So, at about 4 p.m., we had to pack up everything and go inside the stadium, looking back and the full parking lot then finding our seats and watching the opening ceremonies (the unfurling of the U.S. flag across the entire length of the playing field, by the U.S. Marines, the flyover of the four F/A-18 Hornets from the  Marine Corps Air Station Miramar) Then the coin toss, the start of the game (when it was 53° inside the stadium...up until-finally- the end of the first quarter, when it was 40° inside the stadium) (there were a tremendous amount of game delays due to reviews by the officials), to sideline events (the photo of the awarding of the Weinerschnitzel Weiner National Championship Winner is one of those up there) to -finally- half time and the Marching bands, during which the Texas Band did a very nice routine in a traditional manner and the Arizona State Band did some unusual musical tributes, including Guns N Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" and Lynard Skynard "Freebird" done with marching band instrumentation..and finally the High School marching bands joining together in a tribute to the 70's in a disco themed performance and ending in fireworks.

Usually the football game is close all the way, but this time, the University of Texas had the highest scoring (21 points) first quarter in 27 (of 30) Holiday Bowl games.  So, anyhow, the game went *really* long (4 hours, 17 minutes) and a bunch of our group (as well as most of the stadium crowd) left before the game was over, but not all of us!

Yep; back out to the parking lot for leftovers...but since so many people had left, we "only" had three tables of leftover food to share.

and gallons of hot apple cider.   Unfortunately, the people who usually bring the turkey chili could not make it this year, and the people who bring the hot water for the instant coffee (and Irish Whiskey additive), forgot the hot water thermoses at home.

We enjoyed our leftovers and hot beverages as we waited for the parking lot to empty. 

I hope all of you have enjoyed your holidays also.  One more to go!

Somerton Tamale Festival

Believe it or not, Kirk is letting ed from Yuma do another post on mmm-yoso.   Any rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated, though I have been buried under stacks of student papers for the last three months. I finished grading on Friday, and (seredipitously) on Saturday, the south Yuma county town of Somerton was hosting its first annual Tamale Festival.

It's always a little scary going to the "first annual" of any event; sort of like showing up the first day a
new restaurant has opened. Do they know how to do this right? Are they ready for what is going to happen? But this was a tamale festival. Me miss a tamale festival that's only a few miles from where I live? Not gonna happen - which explains why I was pulling into the first annual Somerton Tamale festival, a little after noon on Saturday.

The central two blocks of downtown Somerton had been closed off, and both sides of the street were  lined with little tentlike coverings under each of which there was one or more tamale vendor happily selling single tamales, combination plates, and bags full of dozens of tamales.  As advertised, there were well over 20 vendors, far too many even for the intrepid stomach of mmm-yoso to sample. What's more, not a single restaurant name could be found; these were all the real deal, homemade tamales prepared according to traditional family recipes.

To pay for the tamales, one had to purchase tickets,and since this was for a good cause (college scholarships for local youth) I bought a few more than I needed.

My first sample came from this nice young woman. At first the rich chili flavor seemed deceptively  mild.The long shreds of abundant beef were full of meaty flavor accented by a deep red chili sauce - all complimented by the slightly sour stuffed green olive. After I was half way through, I realized that there was a distinctly picante note of hot chile flavor probably from the thin shreds of green chile mixed in with the meat and sauce.

Then I went across the street to try one of the few tamales de puerco. This was another rich,  succulent, spicy, treat. This one was slightly doughier andsaltier than my first tamal. The porky goodness of the meat was a perfect match to the dried red chile sauce.

As soon as I saw these women standing over their tamale kettle, I knew I had to sample their wares. They were having a good time and showed me the festival's largest tamal.

When I said I wanted a sweet corn and cheese tamale, they insisted that I also had to have one of their tamales de res. Who was I to argue with two abuelas? The beef tamal had more of an upfront heat than the first two I had sampled earlier.

Along with two un-pitted green olives (twins) , there was one additional secret ingredient. Yes, that is a french fry, so maybe California burritos truly have along history.

The corn and cheese tamale was perhaps a little doughy, but the sweetness of the corn and the mild cheese flavor made a nice contrast to what had come before.

The next beef tamal that I purchased came from a couple guys who were hawking their product like carnies outside a sideshow. Theirs was the mildest of the afternoon and contained the most potato. Nonetheless, it was full of beefy goodness, and the beef flavor was nicely balanced by strips of green chile.

By now, I was full enough that I could wait in a line for the spicy beef tamal.

At first bite, I was disappointed; it hardly seems spicier than the previous mild version. However, two or three bites into it, I became aware that yes, indeed, this one packed some fiery punch.

My last tamal (and dear reader, by now I was eating for you rather than satisfying any hunger that I might have had) was made by using a different approach. Not only was this beef shredded, but it seemed to have been sliced or chopped at some point as well, so there were no long shards of beef.

This one also had no potato and the least amount of chili flavored sauce (if any at all) - excepting of course the cheese and corn tamal. It also had a very thin layer of masa, so all together it was extremely beefy, but perhaps a little greasier than its predecessors.

Throughout the festival, music was playing, and as I was getting ready to leave, one of my favorite local bands, the Chuckawalla Rhythm Kings, began playing.

It is certainly a unique group. Probably the only group named after a lizard of the Desert Southwest performing Celtic folk music. Certainly the only one performing this day at a tamale festival, that's for sure.

When I went to get my half dozen tamales to go, the purveyors of my two favorites from the afternoon had already run out, so throwing caution to the winds, I got my tamales to go from a completely different vendor. Who says I'm not a risk taker? Right now, I have no idea whether they are any good or not as the last thing on my mind is eating another tamale today.

Seeing the turnout and tasting the tamales, I am convinced that the Somerton tamale Festival is going to become a new tradition (now that's an oxymoron). In any case, it's also a good thing.

A quick word from our "Eastern Bureau".....

That would be Ed from Yuma:

"Guess where I will be on Dec 15."

"You also might want to announce the festivities at the
blog. After all, now's the time to come to the Yuma
area. Plus the chance to taste 20 different vendor's
tamales is unprecedented, at least in my experience.
Also what could be a more traditional food for Xmas? I can't tell you how much I am looking forward.

Somerton is between Yuma and the border."

Ed

Somerton's First Ever Tamale Festival

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 15th-2007

TIME: 11am-10pm

WHERE: City of Somerton-Main Street (Highway 95). Traffic will be detoured through local traffic.

BENEFIT: Proceeds will benefit scholarships to first generation college students attending Arizona State University.

Click on the poster to enlarge.

And just in case you haven't had enough turkey yet....

This is something called "The Gobbler"($5.99) from Sandwich Emporium. Turkey, cranberry sauce, and potato salad(!), on "stuffing bread". All you need is some gravy! It actually tastes pretty good. I've been told it'll be available through Xmas.

Have a great weekend!

St George Serbian Orthodox Church Serbian Festival

I just got home, and thought I'd post this ASAP. Over the past week, I've been driving past the banner(s) for the Serbian Festival/Bazaar at St George Serbian Orthodox Church several times a day. Disappointed that I missed the festival last year, this year, I made a point to attend.

The festival itself is not very large, and is very laid back. There is entertainment, a bazaar, raffles, a wine and beer bar, and of course.....Food!!!

If I really needed motivation to attend....the Serbian Roasted Pig would be more than sufficient. The menu consists of 3 offerings, and as you can see, I choose the pig($12).

The vinegary cole slaw went well with the salty-rich pig, which was very moist and tender. The crisp skin was a bonus. Taking into account that this was festival food, I thought it to be quite good.

Need more motivation?

Of course there are pastries and snacks. The lady who assembled my pastries was very nice, and helpful, and also talked me into getting a Meat Murek:

Filo Dough pastry filled with meat.

And of course I got a nice selection of pastries for the Missus: