06 Jul 2012 8 Comments
in Observations, Pork, Recipes Tags: happy hour, Inn of the Seventh Ray, Pebbles, pork shoulder, salmon, Skinny Girls, summer, Topanga
A few nights ago, we had our first Skinny Girls & Mayonnaise live event. A happy hour party co-hosted at the children’s clothing store called “Pebbles” owned by our pals, Annie and Vince.
Come On, Be Happy! Hour co-host with polenta, sausage & salsa pomodoro
Now, you may reasonably point out that a children’s clothing store is not the most appropriate place for an alcohol-fueled feast. But actually, it fit in quite nicely with our philosophy about food and lifestyle. More
18 May 2012 8 Comments
in Observations, Pork, Recipes Tags: Animal, cooking, food, Lazy Ox, pig, pig roast, Pork, pork shoulder, Spanish cuisine, Umamicatessen
Pork season is almost here!
What is pork season, you may reasonably ask?? Is it the time when the young wild piglets sprout up from the earth after a spring rain? Is it the brief window when the pig molts its old skin, and is tender and new beneath before the new skin hardens?
Henri, napping amidst the rosemary
No, no… nothing like that. It is the time when the weather grows warm, and I begin noticing the racks of baby back ribs in the grocery store. More
30 Mar 2012 13 Comments
in Pork, Recipes Tags: Dominican cuisine, Dominican Republic, Latin America, pernil, Pork, pork shoulder, recipes, roast
As you may know from various previous posts, I am a fan of the pork shoulder. It’s the biggest, least expensive cut of the pig — and the best. I’ve featured it slow smoked North Carolina-style by my neighbor Chris; I’ve featured it wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted in the Yucatan Mexican style; and I’ve rubbed it with fennel and done my own Italian take on the grill. And here it is yet again, a glorious new guise, this preparation courtesy of my friend, Monica Schneider.
Monica tending her octopus.
Monica and her husband Don are full of life. They eat, drink and love with an unhinged abandon that I admire and enjoy having in my life. Monica is the product of two islands that share the commonality of living life with a certain unrestrained passion — the Dominican Republic and Ireland. More
23 Aug 2011 20 Comments
in Observations, Pork Tags: cochon, Henri Toulouse, mascot, pig, Pork, pork shoulder, Skinny Girls, teacup pig
What to get for a 10th anniversary gift for the wife who has everything? Well, sure … I picked up a nice watch and some diamond bling… but was looking for something a little unique. How about a pig! It’s certainly original…
Henri sunbathing
Many things go through your head when you buy your wife a new pet pig as a surprise anniversary gift. The first, after the money has changed hands and the pig is now yours, is, “My god, what have I done??” More
22 Jul 2011 7 Comments
in Cooking Tips, Observations, Pork, Recipes Tags: barbecue, brisket, Carmageddon, North Carolina, Pork, pork shoulder, Stubbs, Texas, vinegar, Watermans
My neighbor Chris, a man of noble appetite and impeccable palate, invited us over for a Sunday barbecue. It was the much-hyped, much-feared “Carmageddon” weekend, in which the busiest freeway in the country would be shut down for two days. No one was going anywhere. So the commute 50 or so feet to the Watermans’ house sounded perfect. And I took it as a good omen when I saw Chris out in his pajamas at 8 a.m. that morning, tending to his smoker.
The Man & his smoker, "R2D2"
Chris hails from Florida, close enough to the smoking belt of the Deep South to count. More
skinny girls & mayonnaise 