MASTERING THE ART OF BBQ | RANCHO A GO-GO + DA-LE RANCH COOKING DEMO AT SoCo FARMERS' MARKET

Anybody can grill. But, it takes talent and years of practice to truly master the art of Barbeque.  And if there's one thing that Owner & Pitmaster Chris of the Rancho A Go-Go Barbeque gourmet food truck knows, it's how to do real, authentic, "Low & Slow" Bb-Q.  Combine Chris' knowledge of the grill with the beautiful, farm-fresh, all-natural meats from local farmer Dave of Da-Le Ranch in Lake Elsinore, California, and you have a match made in heaven. These two paired up for a first-ever Bb-Q Cooking Demo at SoCo Farmers' Market this past Saturday, and crowds gathered to watch the magic unfold before their eyes, noses & tastebuds.

Chris of the Rancho a Go-Go Barbeque Truck (left) and Dave of Da-Le Ranch Meats (right) wow the audience with their amazing Tri-Tip Cooking Demo at SoCo Farmers' Market this past Saturday 1.28.12.

The smell of smokey Tri-Tip filled the air as Chris slowly barbequed throughout the morning hours leading up to the demo.  By the time the meat was taken off the grill, a crowd had gathered who were hungry for both some Tri-Tip sandwhiches & some Bb-Q knowledge. And they weren't disappointed!

After tasting how amazing the Tri-Tip was and what a difference it makes to source local, fresh, farm-raised meats, many were like me and immediately flocked over to the Da-Le Ranch booth to pick up a lil' something to try on the barbeque at home.  My husband is a certified Bb-Q fiend, so I knew he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to smoke some of Da-Le Ranch's babyback pork ribs (one of my personal favorites!).  And, oh dear God. They were some of the best ribs I've ever tasted - tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone amazingness.

Time to try it at home: Passin' the time with a beer as the Da-Le Ranch babyback pork ribs smoke to perfection.

After tasting these ribs, I know I'm going to be a regular customer of Dave's. The ribs are just the tip of the iceberg of what's available... pretty much every cut of meat - including organ meat, marrow bones, fats, sausages, you name it - Dave has on-hand. You can catch both the Rancho a Go-Go Barbeque Truck and Da-Le Ranch Meats almost every Saturday at SoCo Farmers' Market in the parking lot of the SoCo Collection / OC MartMix in Costa Mesa from 9am - 2pm.

Also - a quick side-note - Dave is looking for help with developing his Da-Le Ranch web site. Any web-savvy folks out there who would like to help out a local farmer in exchange for meat (What better form of payment can you think of?! Yum!), please contact him at dave@da-le-ranch.com.  Thanks, and happy Barbequing!

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SIMPLE. BEAUTIFUL. DELICIOUS. | ART WITH APPLES

When was the last time you paused to admire the natural, unique beauty of an apple? Until recently, I must admit that I'd taken these gorgeous little treasures for granted. That was until I discovered a Food Photography contest being hosted by Pink Lady Apples in the UK. Their Food Photographer of the Year contest boasts nine categories in which amateurs & professionals alike can enter - one of which sounded too fun to pass up - 'An Apple a Day'!

In the 'Apple a Day' category, the Pink Lady judges are asking for images that showcase, "the simplest, most delicious of foods represented in the most inspiring way."  It was a perfect excuse for me to spend a cloudy Sunday afternoon scouring the market for the most vibrant variety of apples I could find (yes, I think I looked like an insane person picking up every apple, examining it, putting it back, picking up another... this went on & on for about 45 minutes) and then photographing them in every creative way I could dream of. I was in food-photographer-nerd heaven!

The variety of apples available here in the United States is staggering - everything from electric green Granny Smith apples, to bright Red Rome apples and everything in between - Pink Lady, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Macintosh, Red Delicious - each its own shade with its own pattern, as infinitely unique as snowflakes.

Entries in the contest are being accepted through next Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 - and winners will be announced in April. I'm looking forward to entering - it's really not about the competition for me as much as it is how grateful I am to see Food Photography being celebrated on a global scale and how excited I am to participate. And, every entry into the 'An Apple a Day' category generates a £2 donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, the chosen charity of Pink Lady - Food Photography for a great cause - what's not to love about that?! Here's to apples - simple, beautiful, delicious.

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NEW FOR 2012: A LIL' SOMETHING FUN FOR FELLOW DOG LOVERS - "A SUSAN-A-DAY"

Last month my friend & fellow photographer, Kate Noelle Kernutt of Kate Noelle Photography suggested I do a lil' something new for 2012... We all know I love photographing food, as well as landscapes, motorcycles and Americana.  But, another favorite subject of mine is dogs.

Our 3 Dogs: Susan the English Bulldog, with her sidekicks, Rose & Percy the Pugs

My husband & I have three dogs - two pugs, named Rose & Percy, and an English Bulldog, named the oh-so-appropriate name of Susan (my husband felt it was best to name her a human name, so when guests came over we could say, "Have you met Susan yet?" And, then in would walk a 45-pound wrinkly bulldog.)

All three are very, very funny - and very cute.  And Susan is particularly so.  So, Kate suggested I pull together a Tumblr blog featuring a daily photo of Susan's adorable-ness.  Hence, "A Susan-a-Day" Blog was launched on January 1st - and for 2012 I'll be bringing you 366 days (it's a Leap Year, after all!) of Susan (and her sidekicks, Rose & Percy). Because we all can benefit from a daily smile courtesy of Susan's adorable English Bulldog mug.

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