note 2 self. check out sausalito pottery.

This week in genetically modified food...

A few weeks ago now, I was in sacramento at the farmers market (I still prefer it to the one in Moraga, but nothing else in Sacramento trumps life here). One of the farmers whom I have frequent exchanges with informed me about something I was not aware regarding GMO's. He stated that they alter DNA in the same manner the Bubonic plague once did, and its effects are starting to crop up (pun intended) in our genome [that is, we can see its lasting effects when we look at our DNA chart]. Always the skeptic, since I had not concrete facts from him, I decided to research into this further. At this current moment (I am five minutes into the search and got sidetracked with new info) I have not found anything conclusive to validate my farmer buddies claim, however I did find some interesting news.

Firstly: I found an article arguing that transgenics will be necessary in the near future , due to limited farmland and water, in addition to the ever increasing population demands. I beg to differ with the articles claims- but definitely worth a read- check it out here!

the video clip from the site is on youtube, it is called Smart Farming in India.

Second- Something I liked. An article entitled: Why and how to avoid genetically modified food! This article, pulled from the folks at Natural News, points out the adverse effects of GMOS. Calling to attention the position of the American Academy of Environmental Science, who has plainly stated before "Genetically Modified foods have not been properly tested and pose a serious health risk. There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation," this article calls us to strongly oppose transgenics on basis of scientific fact. I do not wish to summarize - as I feel this article is a definite must read but i will quote : "World renowned biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava goes one step further. After reviewing more than 600 scientific journals, he concludes that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans."

Thirdly, finally and much to my relief, a bit of political news, straight from Washington DC. Apparently there is a temporary injunction on Agribusiness' attempt on genetically modifying the sugar beet, and having this new roundup ready beet replace the cane plant as the major sugar-yielding plant. Google Monsanto Beets if interested. Many who are interested are already aware of this almost month old piece of news, no surprise monsanto is behind this nonsense. Sorry for the lag.

To wrap this up: GMO's are bad, don't eat them. It sucks that organics are not "conventional" yet, and you have to pay more for them, I really look forward to the day when they start to label GMO's as such , and "Chalked full of Hormones, Antibiotics and Pesticides" becomes common on food. However this is unlikely until consumers wake up. Fend for yourself, be an educated consumer and make change.

More on this hot-topic soon. This is not all in the world of evil food happenings.

CHOW!

Brunnner (with three 'n's)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have to apologize, for there is nothing to see here except a pan licked clean. Mondays and Tuesdays are pretty hectic days at school. In fact, now that I think about it, I only had one good meal yesterday too, but I digress. Back to today though, I leapt out of bed, in a frenzy at 9:20. Class is at 9:40. I managed to grab an apple, which was in a more obscure location than the water bottle I managed to leave behind. After this measly little morsel got munched, I lamented on how grabbing the water would have served me far better thru out my day. Two came around and I thought i was dying. By Six something had to be done. I neaded a MEAL. One of those Important ones like breakfast or a hearty dinner. But those would not do. I had to one up brunch.

So, I created Brunner. Its a combo of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Not merely breakfast for dinner, but a plate with elements of each. An arrangement so grandiose and filling, by the time you finally get this miracle first meal of the day, all you are left with is the following.

This is what is left. A pan literally licked clean.

There was stir fry in here, it was gorgeous. As it cooked, I thought "Crap, I should run and grab the camera," but it was futile. The aroma kept me drooling over my creation. While plating it, I guess I could have grabbed the camera, but the combo of no food all day and a great smelling/tasting/looking plate before me took precedent. The meat element was provided with a seafood sausage from Trader Joe's (it was o.k, but I would have preferred something sustainable and without pork casing) which doubled as the breakfast element (I normally eat meat sausage like the rest of you but work with me). The rice and veggies added the respective lunch and dinner sections. And Poof (Emeril took Bam)- Brunnner.

This is whats left now:

A dirty boys dorm sink. Sigh.

But the moral of this story is that if ever asked "What is the most important meal of the day" or "What would you like as your last meal" quickly reply "Brunnner."

A proper Brunnner must achieve the following:

1. It must be the first meal of the day.
2. It must be taken after 6. P.M.
3. It must be elaborate, or well cooked, not a small or gross serving.
4. It must be at least two portions large.

**Bonus Points For Eating it all.

It was amazing. Definitely recommended for all my fellow collegians. But now Captain Amazing is off to find a way to clean his mess without a sponge (I'm not touching it- no way) and tackle another nights of homework!

Eat well. Ciao.

Ev.

Chef is off to college. The dorm food is great.

It has been a long and beautiful summer, and it has finally come to a close. Marked by fantastic meals and great weather, 2009 is definitely a year to be remembered. On top of work, business planning and the start of school last week, Ev has been a very busy man. However thanks again for all the support, as the site is not going neglected. In fact the quite the opposite, I am alloting myself more time to work on the site.

School food is new. I live in a small town now so it is a larger effort to gather food. However the farmers market last sunday was fantastic (have you ever eaten a red peach?) and even though near everything closes at 9. The food in the cafeteria [far left] is not my favorite, but the suite we live in has a kitchen (a small one shared amongst 6 men) and thus, life is good. For example todays lunch of smoked salmon, local strawberries and an unpictured grilled cheese topped instant ramen (pun) by far.

Being a Californian I have unparalled access to a diverse food culture. I can find almost everything in California. Living in the Bay Area, I am a stones throw from Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco and a load of small unique towns and smaller cities. In the past week I have eaten Vietnamese Pho, plantain Chips in Marin, Visited HUGE asian market on the Berkeley Marina while maintaining a fridge full of goodies. It is awesome to live here. Im so lucky. My classes are highly interesting, though plenty challenging (economics and philosophy double major). The philosophy classes talk often of ethics while in economics we study the science of making decisions; I now more than ever think about our american food system and why it is the way it is. Why is Coca-Cola is still successful in keep its vending machines on campus. Why do people still drink Coke. Is it wright or wrong for Companies to distribute a food product for nothing more than profit? Is it morally permissible to sell somebody something that you would not eat yourself. Is it economically viable to run a food business honestly? Will the need for capital and the need for proper satiation find an equilibrium? They have us reading alot...

Needless to say I am having fun, and I have not forgot about the site! Keep Posted Foodies!

P.s. The durian fruit I thought I was adventurous enough to try was so foul-smelling my roommate almost puked, and I couldn't bring myself to try it. Its in the freezer now, zip-locked and under control. Do I smell Shenanigans?

Speaking of Shenanigans, I thought someone would get a kick out of my classy first dorm meal. This pic is from last week, on move in day, after all my crap was unpacked my suitemate pointed out a tupperware with combo pizza crammed inside of it and said that I was more than welcome to have a slice, as he didn't like cold pizza. Well I Do! Ironically I had the cheapest beer Trader Joe's sells- (don't ask me why, this one deserves a post all of its own) and paired the two for an instant college experience.

Chef Everett is Back, The Site is Under Construction and More!

OK, so here I am and this is a brief snippet of what I did this weekend. Before me is an 84 page snippet from the California food code. What is going on you ask? I'm about to make dinner, but other than that:

In the past few weeks my Internet situation in Sausalitio is still unresolved, but i have used this to my advantage and decided to take this blog in another direction.

• I will be buying a real domain name. I am working on the layout now.
  
• I am committing to doing 3 posts per week, one with video. I am still shooting for seven but am not going to fall behind to three weeks of unfinished posts.
  
• I am getting the permits and necessary licensing to make strawberry salsa and salad dressings and sell them at the farmers market. I have been writing business plans and statements and doing research all day.
  
• I am taking on two staff members to help with writing.
• My brother Miles has been enlisted to help with web layout and graphic design (although his photography is better than mine.
• I am pressing on with the cookbook and want to continue with the writings so I will have enough material for a book. Cookbook out in 6 months or so!
• We are designing t-shirts with an awesome New American Cuisine Logo.
  

So I would really just like to say thanks for all the visits and support. Stay tuned for more great stuff!


p.s. This downtime should be all over this week. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

So This Is What I got @ The Farmers Market Today!

This is the biggest farmers market in Sacramento. Every Sunday from 8am to 12pm-
the streets surrounding 8th & W, become an organic food mecca. Today I purchased (I'll try to go from left to right) blackberries, mixed nuts, strawberries, two avocados, two green and one yellow cucumber, one bunch of the freshest beets I had ever seen, a watermelon, a torpedo onion, a bunch of stuff for tomato sauce, ratatoullie or pasta (ill keep you posted), one sin qua or chinese okra, dandelion greens and a few apples.

So. I have to get cooking.

Do You Kanteen?

I hate plastic water bottles. I don't know why but I do. It has gotten to the point in my mind where a plastic bottle of water only negligibly a better option than a carbonated soda. How did this happen? Here is a partial list of my reasoning.

• For starters, most water that is bottled is of low quality.
• I am not big on giving my money to large companies (Starbucks, Wal-mart, McDonald's, Pepsi etc..) and the thought of giving Coke $1 for a bottle of Dasani or Pepsi $3 for a large Aquafina makes me bristle. The net cost for them is under $0.04 for even a large bottle of water- I'm not going to get mathematical tonight, but this equals HUGE profits!
• Then there is the whole issue of what am I drinking? Where did it come from, how is it processed, why does Coca Cola find it necessary to add magnesium sulfate, salt and potassium chloride to Dasani (potassium chloride actually will stop your heart- they use it in the third lethal injection shot)? Is it tap or not?
• Finally, the question remains- how harmful is the actual plastic?

So awhile back I acquired a Nalgene- one of those big plastic bottles that is reuseable and is BPA free. But then those KleenKanteens came out and that seemed like a better idea, after all they are metal- the next best thing to pgood old fashoned glass. I still find it amusing that we humans have a long history with glass and metal as our water receptacles- then came plastic and screwed things up royally- HAS ANYONE SEEN THE PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH?

So I guess I was just disenchanted with my Nalgene after it sat in my car for a weekend and it sure did leech plastic smell into the water- be it BPA free or not, that cant be good for you. Long story short, I couldn't fathom buying a $20 metal water bottle, but the truth is this is a one time thing, and I am doing it. Remember, live well- eat well AND drink well. I am buying mine tomorrow. Plus its dishwasher safe. And spend the money to buy a real one not an aluminum knock off- you will be happy you did.Especially if you have ever paid $20 or more over the course of your lifetime for some plastic bottles of tap! I'm not sure if I want a KleenKanteen or a Sigg, two reputable brands- I will probably go with Sigg because they look a bit more durable and they have a few styles I like.

*On another note- I did eat out tonight but am done reviewing the Marin County eateries atleast for the week. I have no intentions of becoming a food critic and am attempting to focus back on food politics. [But tonight was pizza with anchovies from Pizzeria Antica, if curious. It was ok- but I hear there is a pizzeria in Mill Valley that trumps anything that comes out of Anticas ovens! Ill keep you posted].

P.s. I sailed today, if you saw four lasers near the golden gate from 4-8, one was yours truely! And this time I had a wetsuit so there was no repeat incident from last thursday.

Finally- this is not my last post on water. This is my first of many. We are mostly water and ought to make it a point to drink good water. Stay hydrated. Don't drink mystery tap water, fluouridated water or chlorinated water- more on that later. To find out about tap water contaminants in your water click here.

Chowder!

Kombucha!

O Kombucha. How do I love the? Let me count the ways.

Many thanks to Kate, my sailing instructor co-worker for turning me on to this magical healing elixir. As I post this, I realize a couple of things:

1. Firstly- Live well, drink well really is a philosophy- It all started with cutting out soda for me- It has been 7 years now, I quit when I was a high school sophomore. When I discovered Yerba Mate, I was able to quit coffee cold turkey- three years now. At first I stuck strictly to the loose tea which I brewed myself. Then I discovered the Guayaki brand of Yerba and started drinking Mate all day every day- Hot Loose Tea in the morning and evening and a $2.60 guilty pleasure around lunch (The red pure heart is my favorite). For those who dont know Yerba Mate has more caffeine than coffee, massive amounts of theobroma- chocolate's active ingredient (similar to caffeine), and more antioxidant content than orange juice and green tea combined!
2. Kombucha is massively healthy- I noticed it the first time I drank it. It feels good for you in the same manner as eating a large (ranch dressing-free) veggie platter (vs junk food or a soda) would. It is made with mushrooms- this should be a plus to anyone who eats mushies for their health content; fungi have some amazing healing properties.
   
3. It is going to cost me (in addition to my Mate fix) $3 to $5 a pop, a day. These glass bottles of vinegary mushroomie goodness are well worth it however, and my favorite so far is the guava. Perhaps I should consider making my own- Its cheap and easier than brewing beer.

*Disclaimer* though I do not have any firsthand knowledge of kombucha, I have read that it is unadvisable to those who have pre-existing medical conditions and/or compromised immune systems.

For those of you who dont like mushrooms please dont avoid this one, it tastes more like a beer/vinegar than mushrooms- (but I do reccomepnd flavoring the first time around). If mushrooms and beer are not your thing AND you cant fathom gulping this down for your health, my hands are tied and I can't help you.
The chinese knew of this drink since 300bc. It is known for its universal healing powers. I am currently drinking a bottle a day (or two) of G.T's Kombucha and will continue to do so for a 14 day trial period- Ill keep you posted. On the bottle it says it supports: anti-aging, cancer prevention, immune system, digestion& metabolism. Body alkalinity, cell integrity, weight and appetite control. Being made of a fungi, I am prone to believe some of these health claims. Try it out for yourself if you havent already, and Yerba Mate too!

Live well, eat well, drink well, be merry! No bad days!


**P.S.
So I think Im back into the swing of things- to all my loyal fans, Im sorry for being lazy, I let the birthday pull me away from my second (or third) job, but all thats over. The internet is better,I am getting a new laptop soon (mine was stolen and currently my p key is busted on this one) & I am committed to bringing either a recipe, a review or a food related news article every day from now until the launch of my cookbook in late September and my book book around January.

Caio,
Chef Everett Lacey

last day of downed blog. the camera just came in and its awesome. the new antanna is here but the wi fi is still slow!

i diiscovered fresh turmeric root @ the co-op today. and i must say i love turmeric and i had no idea how flavorful the fresh root could be.

Pics and Recipies From Sundays Farmers Market Experiment

So, as I said, on Sunday I ventured to the farmers market, and tried to see what I could nab for exactly $10. I grabbed a great ddeal of fresh organic produce and tried to make a fantastic breakfast, lunch and dinner with what I got, using only minimally things in the fridge/cupboard which I did not pick up on sunday. It was a success, and I appologize on my end for the delay but here are the pictures and recipies. Who ever said eating healthy has to be expensive? It does not have to be, but it sure can be time consuming to cook for yourself 3x a day!

(be sure and check out the post on what I grabbed for $10 to understand why I love the market)

SO HERE IS WHAT I MADE

Breakfast:

This was the finished product. (The pastry is not shown, i cut it half diagonally and served it once it was warm!) It included coffee, the melon, a bowl of cherries, and sliced potatoes (not sure wether to call these hash browns or scallop-ish potatoes.

I whipped some cream for the coffee, cut the baby melon, and sliced potatoes and cooked them in my favorite cast iron pot with some garlic, onion and olive oil in my cast iron pot. Simple as that. I ground my own fresh cinnamon for the coffee because it has an awesome flavor all to itself. Garnish was a homegrown tomato.
Total estimated cost:

$3

Lunch: Quinoa Salad

The garbanzo beans and the quinoa came from my cupboard (must haves, for any cupboard- I do have a few cans of beans but I do normally carry fresh black eyed peas, pintos, lentils and garbanzos- but i used canned ones for this recipe due to time constraints). I stole the idea for this salad from food stylist Carrie Ann Purcell, but if you check out her recipe, you can see I took this Idea in a different direction:

Chef Everett's Red Quinoa Salad

1 Cup Red Quinoa-- Uncooked

1 Large Can Garbanzo Beans

5 leaves of Kale- Chopped

1&1/2 C. Fresh Tomatoes- Diced.

3 C. Yellow and Green Summer Squash.

Garlic to taste- one or two cloves.

1/2 C. Purple Onion Diced.

1/2 C. Bell Pepper- Diced.

Olive Oil

Cayenne Pepper, Paprika & Curry Powder- 1/2 tsp each
Cumin 1/4 tsp


STEPS
Cook quinoa. Once finished, place 2 cups of it in large bowl with the garbanzos. In large saucepan with hot oil, sautee squash, onion and bell pepper until almost tender (3-5 minutes) add spices, garlic and kale. Add tomatoes when finished, then mix everything to the large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

Dinner: Grilled Fish with a Carmelized Onion and Peach Arugula Salad

Dinner was awesome! At the farmers market, I got a whole fish for $2, and a bunch of Arugula for $1, plus I had a peach, so -- I made caramelized onion and peach Arugula salad, and grilled the fish. I bought it of the asian fish truck (certified organic) but it wasn't gutted and they do not label their fish- so I didn't know what kind of fish it was. No worries, I pulled out my favorite cookbook- the Art of Cooking- made by master renaissance chef Maestro Martino of Como. (Its in the public domain, so do not rush off and buy it unless you want to, view it here) In it he tells how to cook every type of fish. Being a whitefish, I grilled it and served it with apple cider vinegar. When I grilled the fish, I gutted it (only because it I did not catch it myself), scaled it, added some julienned garlic clove and a few olives (olives not from the market), salted the outside and wraped it in foil. It cooked for all of 10 minutes and was served with the leftover red quinoa and a lemon wedge.

So I was proud of myself for successfully making an awesome days worth of food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for two- All for just $10 and some ingredients already found at home. If your not already shopping the farmers markets - try it for yourself!

Food, INC.

Chef is still recovering from hypothermia and last nights prawns vindaloo is churning my stomach like an unruly tide. No awesome post tonight, however, Karl Weber's Food Inc. just came out. Be sure to watch it. Check out the book here and the review here. Along with Raj Patel's Stuffed and Starved, this is the #1 must read of the summer!

Its My Birthday

Crazy Day. Went Sailing after work, capsized my boat while my friends on the chase boat were off galavanting and having fun. Ended up in the SF bay with no wetsuit for 25 minutes and was mildly hypothermic when I got out the water. I have sailed on a small boat on that water since I was 8 (14 years now) and have never had an experience like that. Froze my butt off- and was reminded of the dangers that lie out here. They say that if you can sail the bay you can sail anywhere, true. But never again am I going out without a wetsuit.
I shivered for an hour or two afterward, and being my birthday, I decided to go to my favorite Indian Restaurant- India Palace in San Rafel. I ordered prawns vindaloo- vindaloo being the hottest thing o the menu. I ordered it extra-extra hot. You should have seen the look on the waiters face. But sure enough it was just what my body needed- that and a 22oz King Fisher. The vindaloo definitely packed some heat but washed down well with my beer and when I finished, I felt (almost) as if nothing had ever happened.
Who knew, spicy food can cure hypothermia?

So yes it is my birthday- The site might be a little unexciting for until the weekend is over, I plan on having a few celebrations. However, I am getting a faster internet connection and new digital camera on Monday and a new laptop in the next month or so, so keep checking back- as all of these technological goodies will increase my productivity tenfold! The camera will do youtube format clips so i can do video recipes!

More on the High Fructose Corn Syrup Debate- Introducing Pepsi Arm!!!

So heres a little known fact, this week marks the one year aniversary of the American Medical Association releasing their official position on High Fructose Corn Syrup. Last june an article was published (much to the delight of the Corn Industry) by the A.M.A which stated that "high fructose corn syrup does not contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners." Citing that having only 4 caloriws per gram like sugar and honey, in moderation this is a fine product. Well if I were Corn Syrup I would aprove of this message...Sadly, however, I am not.

Thank god we are all on the same side when it comes to trans fats (they are BAD, you can ingest less than 2 grams per day safely- and US products dont label trans fat under .5 grams per serving).
I see where the AMA is coming from. It does have onlty 4 calories per gram, and it would take a massive amount for someone to become obese off of it, but it so prevalent in american food

1. It is nearly impossible for an uninformed consumer to avoid
2. The body does not break it down like sugar. Sugar is bad for your kidneys in large amounts, but expect a kidney failure after consuming Super Size Cokes or 44oz Big Gulps on a regular basis.

Which brings me to the new phenomenon called Pepsi Arm! Take an arm, outstretch it at a 90 degree angle. Dont flex like you want to show off your bicep, instead smack your tricep. Does it Jiggle?? Now flex and repeat the smacking motion. Does it still Jiggle?? If yes, have pepsi arm.

Pepsi arm is a condition caused by multiple contributing factors:

1. Soda, High Fat and High Sugar Diets.
2. Lack of strenuous exercize.

It is a condition first seen in america but as our values spread the whole world over, it only gets worse. It is a hypothesis of mine that the condition which I call Pepsi Arm is a dietary phenomenon. It is reversable. If you have this condition, you most likely have abdominal fat (a very unhealthy place to store fat). The solution is simple:

1. Reduce your calorie content OR switch to more nutrient dense foods (Oranges vs concentrated orange juice, potatoes vs potato chips, fruit vs fruit roll ups, meat and bread vs a low density, filler added mcburger, etc)
2. Up your calorie burning.

I am a small dude, I weigh 130 lbs. But I have ripped abs, cant squeeze any tummy fat, and can see almost every muscle under my skin, but this took effort. I worked out 6 days a week, one hour a day for just one semester (5 months) and went from 125lbs and 15% fat to 130 lbs and under 5% body fat (Im probably at 4, you cant measure accurately under 5%). This means went from 18.75 lbs of fat which i didnt even know I had down to 6.5 pounds of fat. I also gained 18 lbs of muscle @ this time.

During all of this i almost quit, because the scale didnt say that i was making any progress- I remained the same weight for almost the entire 5 months, but in the end my results were very impressive to me even if the scale only noticed a 5lb increase!

I share this because many Americans need to know what I have believed for years. Diet is king and exercize is queen!

In the cane fields in south america (guatemala i think), I have read that the workers live on sugar cane but are incredibly muscular and non obese. THEY AVERAGE ALMOST 6000 CALORIES A DAY TOO! but the key to their health is that they burn those calories every day thru hard work.

So no, high fructose corn syrup may not make you fat, but you will make yourself fat if you more calories than you burn on a regular basis. Furthermore, I personally avoid products which I cannot verify if they are Genetically Modified or not, and since there is huge money in due to government subsudies, and most of it is G.M these days, I cannot ever be certain if the high fructose corn syrup is GMO free or not. My advice, stay away.

Chew on that.

Eating Out (Day 2) Beef Microbrews and More!

The Internet is slow so I did tonight's posting from my cell phone. The new job is awesome, but it totally drains me by the end of the day (its not all fun and games working teaching little kids how to sail). With that said, I might be in the kitchen a little less and venturing out in the big scary world of other peoples food more. Tonight I jogged to the top of the hill in Sausalito/Cloudview (above the golden gate bridge from sea level; awesome view). When I finished I had a beef craving like nobodies business- but it was almost 8PM and Sausalito closes up fairly early. My grandpa, the local, recommended a place in town called Saylors (Sausalito is a boat town, I think the place might be called Saylors Landing but i didn't see that on the sign) which stays open late.
So off to Saylors I went. I sat by the bar because I was a party of one. There I got to ham it up momentarily with the owner Sean Saylor. All in all I was fairly impressed, the food was great, the owner was a cool guy, they have a happy hour AND THE CILANTRO-LIME SALAD DRESSING ON THEIR GREEN SALAD BETTER THAN MY HOUSE DRESSING! I definitely have to pick and pry his brain for the recipe some time this week when I go back there for happy hour.
And on that note, I am a big beer fan. I love fresh and local microbrewed beers. In Sacramento, I tend to buy Hefewizen that is made in Sactown, which is less than a week old by the time I get my hands on it. No matter what your beer preference is, fresh beer is always the best beer. With that said, I am now closer to Petaluma and instead of opting for Sacrament made Hefeweizen, I have tried the local favorite (and locally made) LAGUNITAS IPA. It is a fantastic beer. But their LAGUNITAS CENSORED COPPER ALE was worth writing about, and almost singlehandedly made me rethink Hefewizen as my favorite style of beer. I think I may just be partial to the orange wedge they serve with hef. Seriously worth a try!

Anyhoo. that's all folks. If you happen to be in town and want to try some reasonably priced Mexican food- Head down to Saylors. But if you are not in town but are able to get your hand on some (fresh) Lagunitas - DO TRY IT- I recommend the Censored Copper Ale (No copper in the bottle, lol)!