Monthly Archives: February 2011

Here is how you should vote on Diablo Magazine’s Best of the East Bay 2011:

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bar menu: The Prickly Pear Cantina

specialty cocktail: Blood O Rita, The Prickly Pear Cantina

margarita joint: The Prickly Pear Cantina

happy hour: The Prickly Pear Cantina

girls night: The Prickly Pear Cantina

picnic spot: Sycamore Grove

ski resort: Donner Ski Ranch

weekend travel: Carmel

new restaurant: The Prickly Pear Cantina

special occasion restaurant: The Peasant and the Pear

chef: Rodney Worth

romantic restaurant: The Peasant and the Pear

dining vibe: The Peasant and the Pear

steakhouse: The Peasant and the Pear

hamburger: Fat Maddie’s Grill

coffee house: Sideboard

breakfast joint: Katy’s Korner

brunch spot: Pasta’s

fish taco: The Prickly Pear Cantina

salad: The Peasant and the Pear

dog friendly: should be outlawed

outdoor patio: The Peasant and the Pear

place for cheap lunch: The Little Pear

comfort food: The Peasant and the Pear

mexican: The Prickly Pear Cantina

asian: Uncle Yu’s Livermore

Iwo Jima – Feburary 23, 1945

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  • The flag was planted on top of Mt. Suribachi with little resistance…at first.
  • The flag pole was actually an iron rod salvaged from a cistern found on the mountain
  • Staff Sergeant Low Lowry was a staff photographer for Leatherneck magazine and took the first picture. After attacked by the Japanese he dropped and broke the camera, but the exposed film was salvageable.
  • While they were retrieving the camera a sword-wielding Japanese officer attacked and was killed by a .45 shot to the head.
  • The flag was replaced by a larger one, and this larger flag is the one in the famous picture.
  • Iwo Jima was not in the main theater of the war, but proved to be an important moment in the war.

Valentine’s Day before the Saint

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In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

The boys then sliced the goat’s hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day around 498 A.D. The Roman “lottery” system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed.

Chicken Mole Enchiladas

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Not this week, but next week…Bachelor Menu:

Mole Sauce

9 Ancho Chilies (stemmed)/or
9 New Mexico Chilies
(Ancho will be sweeter than New Mexico)
1 Tbs Onion Powder
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Tbs Peanut Butter
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Medium Tomato
1/4 Cup Raisins
1/4 Cup Almonds
1 Tablet Mexican Chocolate
1 Slice of Bread
1 1/4 Tbs Salt
6 Cups Water

Directions
Place water in a sauce pan, along with chilies, place on medium heat and steep until chilies are softened. Place chilies, and the remainder of ingredients in a blender along with the steeping water, you may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender. Blend until pureed thoroughly. Return mixture to the sauce pan and simmer for approximately 30 minutes without the lid.

Enchiladas
Vegetable oil (for frying)
2 Tbs Olive Oil
12 Corn Tortillas
2 Cups Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Cups Shredded Rotisserie Chicken

Directions

Place oil in skillet about 1 inch high. Once heated pass each tortilla through the warm oil just enough to fry the top layer, but not crispy. You just want the tortillas to be pliable. Once all the tortillas are fried, place about 2 tablespoons of chicken on each and roll into a taco. Place olive oil and about 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a pan or skillet, cook for about 5 minutes. Lay the rolled enchiladas in a single layer in the pan. Pour another generous helping of sauce on the top and finally sprinkle with the grated cheese. Place in a preheated 425 degree oven just until the cheese is melted and golden brown (approximately 20 minutes). Top with more sauce, and enjoy!