Quick Matt Stories

65*f in January!

2012-01-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

California, you have to love the weather. This is one of those things that you enjoy until it is over. Walking in the vineyard today to check out a couple of things and I was greeted by sunshine, clear skies and a whole lot of scenery.

Crab season is here!

2011-11-30T13:25:00.001-08:00

Yeah crab season! I mean, who doesn't like shelling and nibbling on the tasty goodness inside? I went to the store and grabbed two monsters yesterday and plucked all of the tender morsels out for a delicious sandwich.

Clawing my way to the top

Sparkling disgorging video

2011-11-23T19:43:00.001-08:00

Sparkling making

2011-11-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

Making furniture, step 1

2011-11-21T19:45:00.001-08:00

First make a shelf so that you can gauge your skills. If you can put a board straight on top of two other boards then you have a shelf...or a table...maybe a stool. Anyways, here is the assembled piece setting overnight and then possibly staining tomorrow. No idea yet.

Out of shape she says...

2011-08-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

On a normal day I am like a tiger ready to pounce. I like heading into the garden, taking care of the yard and even throwing a brew session together so I can have a cold one after a long days work. A day at work consists of running around a bunch of barrels, moving some machinery and hopping onto the forklift. That was all until I recently hurt my ankle a good bit and it is one of those things that just takes you out of commission in ways that you don't even think about. All of a sudden I found myself not getting up to get water even when I was thirsty. The sandwich in the fridge isn't so easy to make anymore, which makes me begin to plant myself closer to both the water and the fridge. It sounds mildly absurd, I know, but it is true.

I just was at my parents in the mountains and decided that a good little swim was just the ticket on these hot days. I gathered up my stuff, threw on my trunks and headed down to the river. I can hobble along pretty well with one of those limps that makes you look like a man with a story, not so much like a tragedy stricken person. Anyways, I get to the waters edge, wade in up to my shins and dive into the refreshing water. TWANG! That didn't sound or feel too good... I turn back towards the beach and the stinking bank is too steep that I can't get out. Man, I feel useless! I have to get my unkle to give me a hand in order to get out of the water.

This all makes you think about the fact that although this is a rather minor setback in life, it has quite an effect on everyday life. Here I am in the middle of rehab and I still have trouble with stairs, walking across an uneven lawn or even making any sudden moves. I am not a tiger ready to pounce.

I decide that I will head into the doctor to get a followup and just make sure that it isn't any worse than it should be. I arrive and am greeted by a young lady that looks to be a couple of years younger than myself and she starts asking me doctor office type questions. I answer this aides questions only for her to tell me that she is my new doctor! Oh boy. Then she says that my BMI index is a point or two outside the norm and can I do anything to lose a couple of pounds... Huh? Me, lose weight? I feel that I am pretty healthy right now, sure I could do a bit more exercise and get a touch fitter, but I am not overweight...am I? I tell her the natural answer and blame my ankle. I am not taking the fall for my ankle when it is clearly the reason I am out of shape! I could lose some weight, you crass little teenager telling me I could lose some weight.

When I came to, I realized that yes, I could shed a couple of pounds. Around this time is when I drop about ten pounds a year as we go through harvest. It isn't a hard ten pounds either, but it does come off because of a pretty healthy work schedule that includes physical labor. If I threw a bike ride or maybe a morning swim in there I could easily get rid of an extra five or ten. That would put me at a nice and healthy 160lbs or so, which I do admit would be the lightest I have been in five years. Since before Culinary school when I gained 20lbs!

SO, I know that I can't blame my ankle on things, but it can put a mighty damper on things when I can't manage a jog, can peddle slowly on a bike and can't even pull myself out of a pool. I am working on it and will figure it out in the next couple of weeks. Let's see what I can bear to lose.

Dinner for the evening

2011-07-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

I just want to start by saying two things. These pictures are for a forum for hot peppers that I like to partake in. It is about how to grow, eat, drink, talk about, and do everything hot peppers. Next is that this is for the cooking with spice part, with an emphasis on Drunken Cheffing*. So you have to post a picture of food and a drink. Not every picture, but at least to continue the fact that you aren't just taking the same picture over and over of the same food/drink.

That said, we always start with an establishing shot, followed by various cooking shots. And by shots I mean pictures, although occasionally I also do mean shots. So you should see the progression as it goes until the end. The end usually is the final plating, not so much the final plate after you ate it. Points for plating, since you can't taste anyone elses food on the internet. Kinda like smell-o-vision, internet-o-taste-a-vision doesn't exist yet.

That also said, only my sister and my aunt will read this outside of my house, so it's for you two :)

*Drunken Cheffing can be actually drunk or just strategically placing some sort of alcoholic beverage in the picture. Occasionally it is the latter, invariably it is the former, currently it is the former due to Lame Duck syndrome.

While the cat's away the mice will play...

2011-07-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

Wendie is out of town. This of course has its upsides and downsides. I am all by myself. There are no dogs to lay with or a conversation buddy. The dishes don't do themselves. I get to do whatever I want. Stay up late, get up whenever, listen to my music, watch my T.V. and eat what I want. Let's just focus on that last little bit, the eating part.

All the fixings for a meal

I love me some food. There are like a handful of meals that I just can't eat on a regular basis and that in itself really emphasizes their special place in my heart.

Wendie is allergic to a shellfish.

It makes for a cheap date, but there never is that special splurge on crab, lobster, shrimp or any sort of bivalve. So really, unless it is fish, we don't eat seafood ever. This means that when I am by myself I go out and grab as much shrimp as possible (it is always frozen and so it's season runs all year). Then my inner Forrest Gump comes out and all of a sudden there is shrimp gumbo, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp on the barbie...you get the idea.

Homebrew and cooking, the perfect combo

Last night began the affair. I am a black bean man. Pintos are fine, but give me black beans and it's hook line and sinker. I make them in a way that they are flavorful and fulfilling and could really be a main course, not just an accompaniment. Roasted garlic salsa is one of those flavors that have you questioning that flavor in the background. What is it. I can't place it. Roasted garlic is the stuff. Then add in the sauteed peppers, onion, mushroom and corn hash and you have yourself a vegetarian heaven!

But I am not a vege no mas! I want shrimp! Out come the most delectable shrimps ever to be frozen and served to you for an excellent value. Kirkland 20-25 tail on, peeled, ingredients: Shrimp, salt. With shells is preferred, but I get these when I just want to eat good shrimp without the fuss. They are the best and have zero added crap to "retain moisture". That is why God created salt. Same priciple, sans chemistry degree and an asshole mentality to try and poison us while overfishing the worlds oceans. But I digress...

The rice should not be burned while you are playing with your camera trying to take pictures of this awesome meal that only you will eat and therefore have zero proof of it's greatness, so pictures will solve all of that. Don't burn the rice. You have to remake it and that is just silly.

The final assembly. "Showing" a burrito as more than a tortilla

To make a long story short, I cooked rice, beans, hash and finished with the shrimps and rolled it all into a burrito. I love you shrimp burrito...mmmmmmm. I made sure to have enough shrimp that I can throw together a portable egg, hashbrown and shrimp breakfast burrito on my way to work. Hardcore tasty. Now on to making Shrimp gumbo...

Hard Work

2011-06-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

It is looking to be a busy couple of months here coming up. First out of the gate we have the end of June to contend with. I mean, gardening, birthdays, heat, gardening, prepping for things at the winery, gardening and trying to do some paperwork. Gardening is one of those things that isn't really all that difficult if you like it, however it will take time to participate in the garden becoming something that produces rather than just kinda grow. I can't tell you how long one spends building the planter boxes, driving to get the compost to help your little veggies grow, unloading said dirt, cutting the barrels in half and then filling them, going to the store for the seeds, trying unsuccessfully to grow the seeds over the course of four months, buying plants and saying screw the seeds, planting the seeds, setting up the irrigation so that you don't spend two hours a night hand watering...I couldn't tell you that it is shy of a part time job amount of hours.

Then we have a couple of birthdays to attend and plan for. They aren't all that difficult, but wouldn't you know it that the Fourth of July is just around the corner from them, as is the bottling of our wine at the winery, followed by a weeks worth of camping. If that isn't enough, then we start getting ready to go to a wedding and another camping trip, followed by another camping trip. This of course is between our gardening that I mentioned before. Once those tomatoes and peppers start to turn any shade of color, then we look into the canning of tomatoes for winter sauce, salsa and soup. The peppers get dehydrated in order to be able to smoke out your behind throughout the cold pepperless winter and spring.

Next comes more bottling at the winery, a short spell of no camping, but that doesn't stop the gardening. And now that we have ripe tomatoes and the temperature has reached 95* daily, we start turning on the oven to bake lasagna, pizza and other things that are just foolish to be making when the weather is anything above 70*. Maybe a party should be arranged for August too, you know, just to make sure that there isn't enough on the plate to be done already. As soon as August comes to a close it is harvesting and winemaking time, so then begins twelve hour days seven days a week. That is twelve hours of intense, heat driven, sweaty work followed closely by returning home and making sure that you pick the ripe tomatoes of the day.

Then as you are falling asleep on the couch before another day of the same, then begins the doing of paperwork. Not really the ideal time as you will read the same thing fifteen times and still answer incorrectly, but it is the thought that counts...right? Then I fall asleep and dream of tomatoes, grapes, hot days, and abruptly wake up only to remember that tomorrow is another day.

Cold and Raining

2011-06-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here on a cold and rainy day in Sonoma County. The winery is dead, although I am doing some winemaker stuff that has to be done in order to keep the wine quality up. We are experiencing a very wet and cold spring that has now gone into June and we are just hoping that it warms up. My poor little tomatoes and peppers are unhappily stewing in the mud and will grow at least a foot as soon as the days get to 80+ degrees.

On a happy note, I guess that my water bill is down compared to last year. Used a whole tier less water, so yay for saving money!

Not enough time!

I recently went over to a friends house to participate in a "Chopped" competition. It wasn't just for fun either, I was helping a good friend ready himself to be on the show. He is a great chef and I hope that we were competition enough for him to prepare him for the show. We used a basket of beef ribs, taro root, rhubarb and brussel sprouts. Tough one to prepare on the spot for sure and I was unprepared to use the beef ribs in only 30 minutes. They are something that I have used primarily for soup making, so you cook them for a few hours. That or grilled. So I attempted grilling again here, but with time quickly running out I didn't take the meat off the bone and so served up a massive bone on the plate.

Rib, Taro/Rhubarb Sauce, Brussels and a potato Chip

The winning dish

He beat me out with a hash/stew that was more hash than stew, not enough liquid. Great flavor though. What a great experience too. Lots of fun to compete in a friendly match up and just see how you deal under pressure. I have to admit though, that the adrenaline of the entire thing (only 30 minutes remember) just sapped the life out of me. I went home and went to bed at like 9pm.

Happening Now...

2011-05-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to capture pictures of the birds that I see up at the winery as of late. They are fast little things that hop just as soon as I try to take a picture of them and my camera, as good as it is as a point and shoot, is very slow and can't focus and take a picture quite quickly enough. Then, to make matters worse, the zoom level is all relative and although I can see the bird in the viewfinder, it is still quite small. Imagine the bird being the size of your the internet browser icon at the bottom of the screen. Rather dainty really.

Then I have to go into my photo editor and crop the picture to the size of the bird and "blow" it up so that it is somewhat grainy. Then you have yourself a picture of the birds that I was trying to take a picture of.

Now sure, these pictures aren't all that bad to look at and you can see the lovely colors and details of the bird crisply. But then look at the fact that they are also a bit on the choppy side. They aren't as in focus as you thought they were on the viewfinder and the picture that they were cropped from are radically larger than the finished version we are looking at here.

It all can be fixed by me looking into a way to procure a better version of a camera that will be able to adequately take a fast, focusable and zoomable picture so that I can capture the flight of one of the orioles that we have around. These orioles are beautiful and fleeting. You have to be quick on the draw and also be ready when they show their beady little eyes. One of these days...

Two kinds of fire...

2011-05-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

There are two different kinds of fire out there. The first requires patience and preparation. Last week I went out to my smoker and lit up a chimney full of charcoal and began to soak some grape vines in water. The coals eventually turned white and I dumped them haphazardly into the base pan to begin the heating process. Meanwhile it was time to grab out the salmon that I had been curing in the fridge overnight and prepare it for the trip onto the smoker.

After an hour and a couple of homemade beers later, it was time to place the fish onto the grill and allow the lovely grapevine smoke to do its magic. The trick to this is to make sure that you don't overpower the fish with too much smoke, while at the same time making sure the heat isn't too hot or cold. It is a delicate thing. A thing to do slowly and patiently. A thing to sit down by and watch as the smoke gently wisps out from under the lid and you sip a cold beverage.

When you look to showcase the flavors correctly, it will take a couple of hours under low heat to achieve the perfect goal of light, flaky, moist and smokey fish. It is a thing of patience and preparation.

That being said, there is another kind of fire. The kind that is fast, furious and doesn't wait for anything or anyone. This kind of fire can only be described one way...serious.

I was outside throwing the ball for the dogs yesterday and decided that it was time for a quick sip of water on the hot day that it was. I tossed the ball one last time, stepped inside and walked a couple short steps towards the cupboard. Outside my front window I saw a pickup truck speed by with a CalFire emblam on the side and thought to myself, "Self, they must be late for lunch or something, because nobody drives that fast down the cul-de-sac." I grabbed my glass and went for the water while peering out my back window at the brilliant sunny day. Then the sun was blocked out. Strange, I thought. I leaned closer to the window and looked towards the sun for a tree or something and noticed a little bit of smoke. I didn't think that you would barbecue at ten in the morning, but hey, some folks do things outside the box. Then the smoke turned black and I thought, that looks like a car or something must be on fire. So I stepped outside. That smoke is very close to my house and billowing out, there are sirens in the background.

I run out the front door and look down the block only to see a humongous house fire burning not four houses down the street. The men in the pickup truck are running around yelling if there is anyone inside the house. The flames are tearing out of the garage and you can hear the heat exploding containers inside. Then arrived three fire trucks, followed by as many onlookers in their vehicles. The fire still raced ahead, collapsing the roof of the garage and moving on to the fence and the main part of the house. Then the firemen scrambled to attach hoses to the hydrant, more trucks arrived, more onlookers arrived, everyone was outside.

The water finally started flowing and there were three or four hoses trying to save what they could. Firemen running in and out of the house, neighbors worried that the fire might spread, people arriving by the dozens to see what was happening. I ran inside to call a neighbor whose house might be affected and then ran back out to make sure it was contained. The house smoldered and was eventually subdued. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. What had seemed like such an effort by the firemen to save the house, looked at first glance as all for naught. Then from a different viewing angle I noticed that the fire had torn though the entire roof, but the living area of the house was for the most part, untouched. All of this had happened so quickly and yet so slowly that I had to look at my clock to find out the length of time it actually took.

15 minutes to burn, 45 minutes to put out and a lifetime to rebuild.

New and Improved

2011-05-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

I was envious of my sisters lovely blog look and feel, so I decided it is time to update mine and perhaps even post something once in a while! I love putting up pictures for sure, but I have to admit sitting down and writing isn't always my idea of a great idea. That being said, I guess that if I look at this as more of a "nifty way to keep in touch", then maybe it will make me put more and more up. There we go, that is how I will think about it. Sweet!

Toast

2011-04-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

Sadness

2011-04-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

So family and friends, I had a great friend pass away at the tender age of 38. He was a a teacher and a student in many ways and we will all miss him. If you go to my Oct 11, 2009 post of Steve with a toast or something like that, you will see a happy picture of him. I and all of his friends will miss him for sure and it is a sad day here in Sonoma County. Wish I could brew another beer with you buddy.

Cheers!

Finished bottles

2011-04-27T11:41:00.001-07:00

More sparkling wine

2011-04-20T10:16:00.001-07:00

Sparkling wine!

2011-04-18T15:52:00.001-07:00

Surf and Turf

2011-04-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

Fishing

2011-04-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Garlic, Greens and Onions

2011-04-10T17:52:00.002-07:00

Project of the day

2011-04-10T17:52:00.001-07:00

Pinot Noir

2011-03-31T15:56:00.001-07:00

Springing

2011-03-26T10:05:00.001-07:00

Fig tree getting in on the action

Darth Matt v2.0

2011-03-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

First vines 2011

2011-03-17T10:38:00.001-07:00

Drinking some Whiskey

2011-03-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

Vegetarian Indian Curry Lunch

2011-02-19T12:22:00.001-08:00

Is it better for you

2011-02-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

SF Beerweek opening Gala

2011-02-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

Awesome lasagna and greens

2011-02-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

Darth Matt

2011-02-10T19:35:00.001-08:00

It didn't quite fit

2011-02-07T15:04:00.001-08:00

Bees in the mustard

2011-02-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

Bread mayne!

2011-02-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Start and finish of a "sourdough" bread

Cherry blossom, in January?

2011-01-30T16:07:00.001-08:00

Tonights bread

2011-01-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

Goat rock video 2

2011-01-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

Fishing

2011-01-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

Fishing the coast

2011-01-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

Fishing the coast

2011-01-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Fishing the coast

2011-01-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

Winery during racking and blending

2011-01-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

Cold day in the vineyard

2011-01-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

Cold day

2011-01-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

When there is frost and you work with water, not fun.

Home made falafel

2010-12-20T17:22:00.001-08:00

With pickles, tomatoes, tzaatziki and a homemade rice and lentil pancake (very strange and delicious). Wowza!

Starlings Have Arrived

2010-12-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Dry Creek Valley is full of Starlings right now, probably about 100,000 or more. Pretty impressive.

Starlings

2010-12-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

Why not to quit Foodmaxx!

2010-11-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

Pre-Thanksgiving dinner

2010-11-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

Fishing video

2010-11-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Fishing

2010-11-15T17:33:00.001-08:00

Fishing

2010-11-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

Fishing at blackpoint

2010-11-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

Enjoyed last night

2010-11-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

Quite enjoyable really, not bad for twelve year old Zin! Still had fruit.

My plant problem

2010-11-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

Winemaker hands

2010-11-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

Peppers from the garden

2010-10-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

Cookoff German Style Beer

2010-10-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

So begins a day

2010-10-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Brats, home made Buns and the finished product

2010-09-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Football beverage

2010-09-12T11:16:00.001-07:00

Harvest is here...again

2010-09-12T10:48:00.001-07:00

Turkey Burger and Tater Tots

2010-09-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

Pasta Carbonara and Salad

2010-09-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Watched 300

2010-09-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Wanted to know if it was painted on or working out. I think both
happened, cause I have no definition on my abs right now.

Delicious Hot Dog

2010-08-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Cool misty morning and a hummingbird

2010-08-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know if on the enlarged picture you can see it, but that hummingbird is all wet and ruffled. His eyes are closed and he just called out. Probably a she actually.

Peppers

2010-08-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

Jack likes yogurt

2010-08-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Todays Harvest

2010-08-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

De Arbol, Jalapeno, Cayenne and a rogue Zuchinni. Damned Zuchinnis!

Peppers

2010-08-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

From the top, Carribean Red, Orange Habanero, Chile De Arbol and the Del Diablo pepper.

The Garden

2010-08-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Official high, 106.9*f

2010-08-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

From the home and the winery

2010-08-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Outside in the sun, rather than shade

2010-08-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

In the herb box with dark dirt it got to 127.5, on the bucket it hit 126. That is mother freaking hot in my book. I have no A/C either. So in the shady side of my house out back it says 103*f right now and in front where my garden is it is showing these temps. Time to do some baking...right?

Effing hot and climbing, cold drink

2010-08-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Shrimp, greens, cheddar grits and homemade beans

2010-08-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Dinner tonight

2010-08-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Tarragon alfredo chicken sandwich with a fried garden zuchinni.

Dinners

2010-08-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

Wanna ride?

2010-08-08T21:31:00.001-07:00

Hot pepper plants

2010-08-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Gobo Root / Burdock Root

2010-08-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Dinner and drinks

2010-08-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

My Bag of Basil

2010-08-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Basil with size ruler

2010-08-05T19:18:00.001-07:00

Big ass bowl of Basil and still more in the bag

2010-08-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hot peppers

2010-08-05T11:47:00.001-07:00

Tequila and hot peppers

2010-08-05T10:32:00.001-07:00

Pizza Night

2010-08-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Habanero

2010-08-03T11:42:00.001-07:00

Pizza night

2010-08-03T11:11:00.001-07:00

Spectacular Squash, you can touch it ;)

2010-07-25T16:50:00.001-07:00

Dirty mushroom!

2010-07-16T19:22:00.001-07:00

Grape bunches

2010-07-08T10:35:00.001-07:00

My Garden, June 1

2010-06-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

More Bay to Breakers

2010-06-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Bay to Breakers more

2010-06-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Bay to Breakers

2010-06-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Night before Bay to Breakers

2010-06-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank the drunk behind the drunks.