For The Love Of The Game

For The Love Of The Game

Waking up this Sunday morning is most like any other Sunday morning. I wake up, grab a glass of water, open the bedroom patio door, fill the bird feeders and let the world unfold for a moment. This particular morning has some bluejays chitterchattering as they pick the sunflower seeds out of the bird food, I can see fog through the tree outside, hanging up around Cole Valley and Parnassus, and I can hear the St. Ignatius church bells intermingling with the fog horns. A very peaceful way to wake up.

And just like most every morning, while the world is waking up with me my mind swells with excitement for what the new will bring. Maybe I'm one of those annoying people who are morning people, and always wake up happy and excited. Well, I suppose that is only annoying if you are annoyed by it. But I digress..

This particular morning I am excited for what I am making for breakfast for my household: Traditional Eggs Benedict. Not the popular Crab Benedict, or with any non-traditional ingredients like a Chipolte Hollandaise topping the egg and avocado. Although, all of these are really great options as well. But today just a few ingredients, simply prepared, with the melding of textures and flavors as the shining star: A buttered and toasted English Muffin, a slice of warm sweet and salty ham, a perfectly poached egg, topped with a rich, buttery, lemony Hollandaise sause, with a touch of my favorite smokey paprika from Whole Spice.

Today is also a special day because I get to feed some pretty great people some amazing food. My smart, inspirational, funny, talented and energetic friend Karen started her own business, Prickly Pig, and over the past few years she has slowly developed her recipes, gained a great local following, and has started selling her amazing Slow Roasted Pork Sandwiches along with her signature Dry Spice Rub, and Prickly Barbecue Sauce. And just like my take on Eggs Benedict this morning, Karen focuses on quality and flavor in just a few items, that when put together seem so simple visually, then the complexity and depth reach all of the senses as you take a bite. The crunch of the Acme Roll, The cool, tangy, crisp coleslaw, the Prickly Sauce with it's Carolinean style vinegar bite and savory spices, and then the warm, juicy, perfectly roasted pork.

I am blessed with amazing, talented friends all over the world, and Karen is one of them. I love to share in her passion for cooking in the Uptown Kitchen in Oakland, CA, where other local food vendors share a great space preparing food for various events. Just being in the kitchen is a learning experience on it's own. Who's cooking what? What events are the working on? Networking, cooking, sharing stories and recipes.

When all of the cooking and prep is done in the kitchen then the fun really begins. Feeding people feeds our souls. Prickly Pig was asked back for a 3rd time to take part in the Oakland First Friday Art Murmur. This event is always well attended, with local people enjoying the street closed from traffic, shops, art studios, bars and restaurants open their doors, and vendors of all kind line the streets. While it is a lot of work bringing everything to the people, the people enjoy it and it's worth it every time! In the case of this past First Friday the market is set to open at 5pm. However, the health inspector did not get around to our space until nearly 6pm, and that was after tracking him down. The stressful situation was diffused because of a handful of people who were actually waiting for the inspector to arrive so they could enjoy a Prickly Pig Sandwich. What a great feeling!

Once the inspection was over we were good to go and sold Prickly Pig Pork Sandwiches and the Special of the night, Vegan Frito Surprise in a fury from that moment until we sold out, just 10 minutes before the event was over. All the while we were interacting with our friends that came by to support us, community neighbors who know and love the Prickly Pig brand, and new friends who were experiencing the food for the first time. We got into our groove, laughing, dancing, feeding people, making them smile. My heart feels overjoyed.

And now today. Today we are feeding our friends and Neighbors at the bar where we all met, Hobson's Choice. When I moved to The City almost 10 years ago now, I was lucky to find myself in Hobson's with work buddy. It was her local spot, and it was soon to be mine. The friends that I have met in Hobson's have become like family to me. Through the years we've enjoyed holidays together, shared in each others happy times of new jobs, new relationships, and sad times with the passing of loved ones, hard economic times, and the daily grind. But all in all Hobson's has been our Cheers, our living room, and the center of our community.

Taking something love, cooking and feeding people, and bringing it to people I love is simply the best feeling ever. I don't do it to make money. I volunteer my time and support to a friend who I believe in. I do it for the love of the game

The V Word

One of the goals that I set out to accomplish with the concept of From Brain to Belly was to share not only my own thoughts and experience with the psychology, sociology and chemistry of food, but also the experiences of others'. And for this I have asked several friends to guest blog on topics that will help educate and inspire others. Some of the issues that I have witnessed those close to me experience include not only living with but showing who's boss to Type I Diabetes, the concept of "the family that we choose" family dinners and the benefits of an ecologically conscious, plant based diet.

For my first guest blog installment my good friend, the talented, creative Edith Tsacle is sharing her experiences in not only changing her "diet" but how she and her sweet husband Al changed their lifestyle in amazing leaps and bounds:

"Full disclosure: I am very fond of Holly. I am proud of her and her accomplishments, her overcoming many adversities, and remaining a kind-hearted, sweet, bright young woman. When she asked me to write a guest blog for her newly launched blog, I was very happy and honored. I also loved the title: From Brain to Belly, a title that is so very appropriate to describe the journey that I (with my husband) have taken in the last 2 years, a journey Holly asked me to share. This journey has taken us into previously mostly unchartered territory, both of our "brain" and "belly", and ended up connecting them both. Let me explain:

Around 3 years ago, Al (my husband) left on a family business trip to Greece. He stopped in to see my brother, who was in the hospital, having just had a heart attack and a quadruple bypass (he was 61) While there, Al found he had a very swollen leg and was urged to go to the emergency center of the hospital. He had a blood clot in his leg! After 3 weeks of excellent care he was told to abort his original plan to continue to Greece and fly home, which he did. He was put on blood thinners. A few months later, I ended up in the hospital with a TIA (a mild stroke), high blood pressure, borderline diabetes, high cholesterol, and I was 40 lbs. overweight. I know that one can live with medication for all this (with all their side-effects, which one takes added medications for), but it took a few months before I found myself watching a video, "Forks Over Knives", an excellent documentary showing how simple it is to eliminate all the meds by eliminating the cause of all these problems. What a concept!

Al had gotten the diagnoses from his doctor after a year on blood thinners, that he will have to be on the medication (an ingredient in rat poison!) for the rest of his life, since they were not dissolving the clot. I was in dire straights, not knowing when the next stroke will come. So I made the decision, that we would change our diet to the diet prescribed by renownd surgeon, clinician and researcher at the Cleveland Clinic Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. and so many other well known doctors featured in the "Forks over Knives" video.

Well, we quickly realized it was not a "diet", meaning, a method of counting calories and strict limits on quantity of food intake, but it was a way of eating that expanded our options enormously and we never had to count calories or watch our servings. It's what you eat! My weight miraculously just kept coming off quickly and we were always satiated and extremely happy with all the delicious meals that we prepared. After 4 months, Al was scheduled to go for another routine check up. The following day, he got a call from the doctors office, saying that he can stop all medications and that they couldn't find the blood clot! He thought he didn't hear right and they mixed up the tests. No, he was free! I went in to have my check up, and the doctor had me re-take the blood test (cholesterol, saying it can't be right, it was so low). The next one showed it even lower, and he then gradually took me off all medications. We are both elated, needless to say. I had lost 40 lbs. in a matter of 6 months, completely effortlessly, gained an enormous amount of energy and stamina (without "exercise", although that is really important too and it's my resolution now to increase it). Now this new eating plan also had more "side effects" than arriving at one's optimal healthy weight, having increased energy and losing all medications and much more that I mentioned.

I will share some additional effects on the brain as well as belly that we were not prepared for in the next segment, along with a photo and recipe (if I can narrow it down to one …)

You say potato, I say potato

And just like that, the blog is off and running and then stopped at a standstill.

Earlier this weekend I left the sunny and tepid temperatures of San Francisco for the unusual mood swing of a winter wonderland that is the North East. My dearly beloved grandfather passed away this weekend at the great old age of 91. He was lovable, funny, handsome and had an amazing memory for sports statistics. We will forgive the fact that he was a Boston Red Sox fan (!)

While never receiving formal training in food preparation, the bellows of my grandfather on holidays still rings loud in my memory, "IIIIIIIIII've peeled hundreds of thousands of potatoes for thousands of men and I swear IIIIIIII'll never do it again!" Of course what would a meat and potatoes man be without the potatoes? His reference was in regards to his cooking duties during his years in the Army. He was a proud, proud man of his service to our country, but never did he peel another potato again. Potatoes, however did play many a role in the feeding of active duty, POW's, and supporters back home. The were *the* staple of WWII.

So on that note, this weeks blogspotting will be more along the lines of foodspotting around the Tri-State area. Some of the warmest moments of mourning with friends and family happen around the table deep with dinners and wines, and coffees and cakes. So raise your glass, and love the one you're with. Cheers!

The Chilaquile Effect

The Chilaquile Effect

Several weeks ago, some friends and I were sharing a last brunch together after a weekend nine of us spent at the fantastically kitschy, comfortable and fun Bear Necessities Cabin in Christmas Village, just south of South Lake Tahoe. The weather called for 3 - 6 inches. No problem we thought with our minimal survival bundles of wine, and pancake mix, but plenty of ipod tunes to keep us going forevs..

Major upside, we stumbled upon Liras Supermarket, providing hot coffee, reasonably priced cheese, wine, crackers, and all of the frozen pizzas we could possibly consume in 2 days.

The first night we found some cabbies crazy enough to bring us into South Lake and we totally hooked it up with the steak and lobster special at the Mont Bleu. The Mont Bleu in South Lake has an excellent Players Club card which awards you such wonderful thing as $1 tacos and margaritas, and the $13 Steak and Lobster extravaganza. Good times to share with good friends. On the second night were were introduced to the wacky, and amazing all you can eat sushi at Sushi Pier. Amazing, and fun, a true locals spot. You must visit 2 - 3 times to get your orders just right.

So Finally, 2 days and 23 inches of snow, here we are on the final morning of our fantastic Christmas Valley weekend and we find ourselves in a great cafe. Honestly everyone had great food, except for Susan and I. We ordered chiliquiles. They contained the usual peasant type ingredients, but they were just lacking something. So a few weeks later I decided my day after holiday mean was going to be some makeshift Chilaquiles. Hey the kitchen was already trashed, what else could go wrong.

I started by grabbing two big handfulls of tortilla chips that had been left out over night. I then took two teaspoons from the bacon rendering reserve from the Christmas of yore - yore being of course two days ago - the fat was heated, the chips were tossed until they were saturated with flavor, and crispy. I then whipped up a sauce using 1/2 jar of Tortillas medium salsa, 1/2 jar of Casa Sanchez med. salsa, and some cumin, chili seasoning, turmeric, chicken stock, and chili oil Korean BBQ seasonings sauce .

Once the chips were sauteed in the bacon fat, they were tossed with all of the other ingredients. I finished the dish with some left over cream cheese , which I softened into a lovely cream sauce for the chiliquiles. I poached some eggs and served them on top, just in case it wasn't indulgent enough.

Now. Go forth and make the world a better place through your experimenting and sharing!

About Brain to Belly

The concept of brain to belly is something that I have been considering for a while now, usually adding my two cents on the topic to other blogs and food sites. As my brain mulls away at the parameters of what this blog should be the only definition I can come up with is that there may be no parameters. Just as our palates grow and mature, foodie fads ebb and flow, seasons change, and so be it in Brain to Belly. Part memoir, part recipe discussion, part musings on the art, science, psychology, and sociology of food.

About the author

My name is Holly and I am 36, raised in New Jersey, flirted with Southern charm in Virginia and Georgia, and settled now for the past 10 year in California. Because writing about yourself is difficult, and I am not yet well known enough to have forwards written by Michael Pollan, Gael Green, or Thomas Keller, I have asked a few friends whom I have shared cooking and eating experiences with to say a few words:

"Warm, spectacular, gracious. Humorous. Non judging (I'm sure there is a better word here)"

"The first phrase that comes to mind when thinking of your relation to socializing is Holly-days. Your love of the caramel apple martini and the Cosmo were worthy of Carrie Bradshaw. We’ll skip the cheese-atarian comments. But you have always appreciated good food. Some of the meals we shared (many times with your uncle)were the best in my life. in Napa, Greystone, ect. You made some good slow cooker meals and I still appreciate that raw food place you introduced me too. I miss the oysters with the sauces with Jerry and the gang every Super Bowl Sunday. And while they are delicious the funnel cake and the Jersey diners probably weren’t that good for us. A strong honorable mention to Duartes and the Pescadero Gas Station Wet Vegi-Burrito days."

"Food is - Art, Community, Culture, Identity - Life"

"An unpretentious experiencer. Appreciates the skill and expertise of others. Gracious."

"A master at whipping up a gourmet meal on any budget and with as few or as many ingredients as possible. A zen chef with a passion and love for all things beautiful and pure. Tastes ranging from homemade perogies to southern comfort food to exotic sushi. I love being around this girl and I miss our times in the kitchen chatting, drinking wine, eating & ignoring the pile of dishes we leave in our wake."

Historically speaking

For most of my childhood life my father was a food scientist in a large national food and beverage lab. He had no formal training in his career, but could make what he referred to as *magic* happen with acids, bases, starches, polymers, having an innate understanding of the physics and chemistry of food preparation. My earliest memories were of his small office filled with science text books and stacks of cookbooks and binders of recipes. His expansive, sterile lab with shiny stainless steel tables, glass cabinets filled with the workings of current projects, and recognizable industrial grade kitchen appliances like blenders and mixers and bizarre equipment, the likes of what I would learn to be a spray starch machine, or something like that. One of his points was very clear; food, particularly prepackaged processed food could be good or bad for you. As he pointed to a wall of plastic 2 liter bottles of a brand name soda project he was working on he looked sternly at me and said "never drink that. That is not good for you. It is marketed to look like it is good for you, but sometimes the people in charge don't have your best interest in their own." I think I was five at the time and the lesson was filed in my brain in the same category of look both ways before crossing the street, and don't touch that stove, it is hot. The well known and much consumed product contained an ingredient known as Glycerol Ester, or more commonly known as wood rosin which is used as a polymer in glue, or to make color or flavor stick to a food product. The reason my father warned me to stay away was because wood rosin is a carcinogen. No it isn't.. Yes it is.. See, things can be confusing. Let's help each other sort them out.

Smell, touch, taste, feel

As I worked my way through college much of my experiences were in restaurants, bars and catering companies. I learned to prep and sous chef, to taste food and beverages for the purpose of description and education, I mimicked techniques, I tried things at home. I attended dinner parties with friends and strangers that felt by the end of the night bonded like family through a love of food and wine. This is how I express my love and appreciation and experience great connection: through the sharing of meals.

Food became my art, my science, and an expression of myself. Appreciation for the aesthetics of produce, meats, cheeses, wines, beers, and sea offerings at the amazing local farmers market has educated me that food can be beautiful, and meet the needs of the senses in many different shapes and forms.

The good, the bad, and the eh

And so as Brain to Belly comes together recipes are my take of experiences that I have had that I feel I could expand upon, share, or make over to be well, just better. The most recent experience I had was a mediocre version of Chiliquiles, that left me knowing I could do something better than the way the dish was prepared. And there I was, in the mess of a kitchen the day after a big Christmas dinner surrounded by half empty sauces and spices and items for the recipe lists of the night before, and a few handfuls of corn chips that were left open and beginning to stale. While my partner went to the coffee shop around the corner to pick up lattes, he opted for a bagel, and I figured the kitchen couldn't really get any messier, so I began emptying the refrigerator and created a satisfying tasty plate of Chiliquiles that kicked the previous weeks restaurant offerings butt.

A final note

This site is meant to be an evolving experience. I fall into the majority of the population when I consider myself mostly health conscious part of the time. Some recipes are designed to highlight the fresh sensory experience of simple, minimally altered dishes, while others are steeped with indulgent renderings of meats, creams of this or that, salt, fat, and booze.

Welcome, and enjoy!