my tamale addiction goes back to a central american hitch hiking trip way back when...

here's a twitter inspired simple classic from chow. you can check it out here. chow's great for those who don't want to fuss too much with over the top preparation, like this one from momofuko (i'm goddam sure these wings are awesome). but...

this hog cheek just came out from the crawl space under my house after hanging for two years. looks disgusting don't it? well after some clean up...

after a long hiatus from this classic i got back into the swing with this experimental loaf. simple mix of 85% lean ground chuck and ground pork...

so yeah the battle of the hoisins was decided well before this 'taste-test' as suggested by my 5 pound food service can of Lee Kum Kee. the Kikkoman jar lurks in the back of the fridge relegated to pinch hitter status. Sun Luck and House of Tsang were defeated long ago...

slow roasted pork shoulder, a wild rice/mushroom pilaf souped up with a little pureed peas and cream. fresh picked cabbage with cider vinegar and sugar. dot of sour cream to finish. pyramid snowcap ale.

this month's random product endorsement is a excellent instant noodle bowl from Nongshim. if you're fortunate enough to have a World Market near by you can get this tasty 'RAMYUN' there. if not you can get it online at their website. and yes, as you guessed it's as Korean as kimchi...(click 'read more' below if you want)

chickens are funny and frustrating. being ruthless foragers they once again breached one of my many hastily hacked veggie barriers and devoured part of the winter salad green crop. their egg laying cycles are influenced by hours of daylight. they stop laying eggs when the days get shorter, say late september or october. i grant them a month leave and then start a timed light in the coop to simulate summer-like conditions. this gets them laying again and occasionally at the start of a new laying cycles you gets some anomalies... like double yolked eggs or this mini-me.

it actually worked! moved the late harvest green habanero's from the green house to the main house and voila, they went from green to a vibrant, festive holiday red.