Here it is, episode 11, our upper animas rafting trip with Mountain Waters. You may have heard of great rafting weekends but let me tell you again that the outfit that Mountain Waters has is top notch. I love the footage at 2:10 in the video. We really thought Jerry from Sunnyside Farms was going to dump it right here in the middle of the Class V No Name Rapid. Turns out he is a seasoned pro and pulled out of it just fine. Also, the meal we had was amazing and we had a blast working with the cooks up there. We had a great time and hope to do it again next year. Another great job by Tyler from Action House Media Productions.
So I was watching Food Network the other day and there was a show on called “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” which really got my attention. The show is interesting as it takes different aspects of food such as fried food, appetizers, etc and they interview some of the top food network stars what they classify as the top. It really got me thinking about what is the best thing I have ever eaten and where I ate it. It is hard to say what really tops this list as there are so many factors that attribute to what is best. Things like mood, music, how hungry you were, what your pallet was like at that age, and more. So here are a few food bests for me and although I can’t remember names, I do remember geographic locations and what I ordered. Again, keep in mind that there could have been many dishes that I have eaten that were better but for whatever reason, these stand out.
Pizza – Albany, Australia – Black olive, Mushroom, Pepperoni, and Sausage Pizza. I was in port for four days while in the Navy and ate two a day while I was there. Could have been the ship food I ate leading into it but each slice was a small piece of heaven
Burrito – Santana’s – San Diego, CA – Located on Rosecrans St., The California Burrito gets my mouth watering like nothing else. Ate three a day my last month living there and have spent years trying to replicate it from memory. I have come very close but nothing quite does it like the real thing.
Italian Dinner – Mac’s Diner in Worcester, MA. Paul Mac really does it right with his diner in Worcester. Huge portions and the right price. Lines out the door every time I have tried to go in there. Surf and Turf is some of the best I remember
Breakfast – Hunting Camp, Pagosa Springs, CO – When we go hunting we eat and eat and eat. Breakfast is the best meal of the day in my mind. What is it? A little something we call “The Ultimate Breakfast” Every time we go up there we put a spin on it and eat until we can’t move.
Appetizer – This one is tough. When I am craving fish, I can’t help but throw Ahi and Tako Poke on the list from any deli in Hawaii. On the other hand, Wings, Potato Skins, and Nachos have to be the top things in many places. I love appetizers and have eaten my fair share of them in many places.
Dessert – This one is also tough, really tough. My wife often makes fun of me when it comes to desserts as everything is “One of my favorites” however, the creme brulee sampler at Cosmos in Durango, CO is near the top. Also on the list is a Happy Ending Sundae from Friendly’s, and Whoopie Pies. Oh, also lemon fluff, brown sugar squares, chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, well any pie, cobbler, and, and, and…see what I mean?
Sandwich – Sunnyside Market – Durango, CO – There once was a day not too long ago where the best sandwich establishment existed and it was right here in Durango, CO. The name of the Sandwich was “The Silverton” and it consisted of pastrami, pepperocini peppers, and a lot of love. The only problem with this sandwich is; it is no longer available. Sunnyside Market stopped making sandwiches when they moved from their old location. Still to this day, one of the most depressing. Come on Holly and Jesse!!!! Start making them again!!!
I think that is it. Right now, my stomach is growling like none other. So, what is your favorite thing that you have ever eaten? Time for a snack.
We are just one week out now from the Smokin 4th BBQ event in Durango, CO and it is really coming together. We are going to be down at Buckley Park all day vending smoked brats as well as displaying a few products that we work with. We are very excited because this even has just become a qualifier for national BBQ events. We have 26 confirmed competitors and expect to have a few more as we close in on the event. We also have all 7 bands confirmed and a bunch of vendors coming up to showcase thier products. We hope to see you all out there and be sure to stop by our booth at say hello.
Why is it that sometimes we crave crappy food? What is it about wanting a Super Bird from Denny’s or a couple of Double Cheeseburgers from McDonalds a few times a year? I know I can make burgers, sandwiches, fries 10 – 100 times better than those joints. So why go? I think sometimes we just feel the need to slum it naturally with our food. We do it with other areas of our lives, we go camping which is sort of slumming it with our sleeping arrangements and lifestyle.
This topic was sparked by conversation tonight with some friends who say they “never” go to McDonalds, Taco Hell or any other fast food establishment. I explained, I don’t know what comes over me. Maybe it is related to a childhood memory or maybe it is the amount of sugar in the fries, whatever it is, I just hit my craving and after the way I felt afterwards, I am good for another three to four months. Am I alone with this or do other people feel the same way? Let me know.
At last, Episode 9 is released. We had a great time filming this one as it was at my house the morning after a huge party. This breakfast does cure any hangover so we thought it would be fitting to film it, well, hungover. Let us know what you think and I give you fair warning on this recipe, once you start making it, it gets addicting. I also want to thank Tyler from Action House Media Productions for another great video.
We met the wonderful folks at Cervantes down at the Fiery Foods Festival earlier this year and we immediately fell in love with their product lineup. We have been working together now for a few months and show no signs of breaking up this relationship. When you start talking about what authentic southwest chili should taste like, look no further. I have used their chilies now in an assortment of breakfast recipes, dinners, appetizers, lunches, you name it and it always turns out amazing. The chili is so outstanding that it has become the official chili of The Ultimate Breakfast.
So what makes their products so top notch? The same thing as most products of their caliber, the use of natural and high quality ingredients. Cervantes is located in New Mexico and if you didn’t know, New Mexico is top producing state of chilies. Those fresh green and red chilies go right into every jar of Cervantes Chili. I have used some chili products in the past that are filled with all sorts of preservatives and artificial ingredients. Cervantes avoids all of that and the difference is apparent. Let’s take the Hot Green Chili Sauce for example: New Mexico Green Chilies, Tomatoes, Garlic, Salt, and Lemon Juice. Very simple and very delicious. If you live in the Albuquerque area I high suggest you check out their restaurant and their tequila tasting room. If you are not in the area you can go to http://www.cervantessalsa.com/ to order your own batch. I suggest you start with the sampler pack and go from there as you will not be disappointed.
What a weekend and what a trip!!!! If you ever choose to go rafting, you have to come to Durango and hit the Upper Animas with Mountain Waters. Sure there are other rafting companies that will take you down the same scenic river but what sets Mountain Waters apart is the food that goes along with it. Talk about Man Food.
Lunch was pretty simple on the first day, lots of lunch meat, different breads, fresh vegetables, different flavors of mayo and an assortment of fresh fruit and cookies for dessert. They are doing it right too. Believe me, right at the start of 10 Mile Rapid (Class IV) and No Name Rapid (Class V) shortly to follow, you want a quick lunch and lots of energy as they require you be on your toes and you are paddling hard to get through them.
We finished the first day around 3:30pm where we picked up our food and gear from the Durango Narrow Gauge Train stop in Needleton. Mountain Waters has an outstanding camp there with a complete commercial kitchen. Many different grills were on hand, a large prep table, and all of the camp stoves and accessories to cook anything you want. We changed into some dry clothes as soon as we got our tent set up. I have a new favorite pair of shoes as well. My Terrasoles camp shoes made my day. They are a cozy slipper with a hard sole that I wore all night. My feet were white and freezing when I came out of the boat, these shoes made all the difference. That mixed with some quick soup from Wind and Willow that we fired up with our Jetboil Stove got me warmed up and ready to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.
Dinner was far beyond any expectations. Considering we were miles from any road, miles from the nearest cell service, and on the border of one of the most remote wilderness areas in the country, dinner was awesome. Here was the dinner lineup.
Wind and Willow Tortilla Con Queso Soup
Grilled chicken covered with green chilies, cheese, and bacon
Steak wrapped in bacon topped with onions and mushrooms
Pesto Pasta Salad with fresh vegetables
Dutch Oven Biscuits
Grilled Poblano and Jalapeno Chilies
Fresh Garlic Bread
Garden Salad (Looked great but I avoided it for more steak)
Strawberry and Blueberry Cobbler made with Montanya Rum
I know other folks on the river were not eating anything close to this. Finished the night with some bourbon sitting around the campfire with new friends. I hit the tent early that was pitched just a few feet from the river early as I knew we had a big day ahead of us.
We started out day two with an awesome breakfast consisting of bacon (would you expect anything else?), scrambled eggs with onions, tomatoes, and cheese, pancakes, fresh fruit, cowboy coffee, and juice. We had some time after to break down camp and get in a short hike before hitting the river just after noon.
The river had come up a few hundred CFS overnight and it was so much fun because of it. Broken Bridge rapid was the first challenge followed by a number of class III stuff. Although we had a few minutes of hail, the rest of the day was sunny and clear. We pulled the boats out at Tacoma and had a mile and a half hike out to Haviland Lake where the bus picked us up to take us back into town.
We did deal with a great deal of weather on Saturday and a little on Sunday and having outstanding gear made all of the difference. Having good rain gear, footwear, tents, sunglasses,and packs will make or break your trip. i want to say thank you to Osprey Packs for providing us the gear needed to get our equipment in safe and dry, Julbo Sunglasses for making top quality lenses and comfortable glasses that I could wear rain or shine, Terrasoles Footwear for keeping our feet comfortable, Tilley Hats for keeping the sun off our heads and Jetboil stoves for their product line that boils water for coffee, tea and soup in just a few minutes.
Also wanted to thank Casey at Mountain Waters and their outstanding guides for giving us our best river trip of our lives to date. We will be sure to go back and spread the word as they are very professional, knowledgeable about the history of the area, and very courteous camp hosts.
Action House Media Productionswas also with us to film everything. Tyler decided to kayak the trip instead of raft with us but he got some awesome footage of us and has proven once more that he is a long term partner of ours. He is also a bad ass in the river as well.
A few weeks ago we were up in Silverton at Montanya Rum Distillery where we filmed a show on their outstanding mixed drinks that they serve in their tasting room. While we were there we also received an amazing tour of the facility and were educated by Delina on the distilling process. If you have a chance you have to check this place out as it will be something you will not forget. For more information check out: http://montanyarum.com/
This upcoming weekend the CookManFood show will be heading north for a river trip with Mountain Waters rafting company. We are doing the two day Upper Animastrip with some friends and will be filming another episode of our show as well. We will be camping out at Needleton and recording our first of many outdoor adventure shows featuring great products and recipes. Who says you have to eat freeze dried food while you are in the back country? Tyler from Action House Media Productions is going to show us up and kayak the Upper but we are very excited to have him with us filming. Look for the video in the next few weeks.
Since the creation of our new custom smoker and the start of summer, many of our readers and fans have been asking us where we get our wood from. Although we do get most of what we need right in our back yard, we know that many of you do not have that luxury. Rocky Trail Outfittersis one of the best places we have seen to get wood online and have it shipped to you. They have a full line of products ranging from smoking chips for the charcoal smoker all they way up to full logs for your full size custom smokers. They also have an outstanding line of flavors such as Olive, Hickory, Alder, Wild Apple, Oak, and many more. Here is a quick guide to their product lineup and how to use them:
Smoking Chips: Great for your backyard charcoal smoker. Soak the chips for about an hour or two and add to your smoker. Soaking them will help them burn slowly and add great flavor to your meat. I usually rotate smoking chips and charcoal on the half hour. The smoking chips also work well on propane and charcoal grills. If using the propane grill though, be sure to get the Stainless Smoker Box.
Smoking Chunks: Great for every grill or smoker that you have. I have used these in every smoker but what I like best about them is they also work on the propane grill. You can soak these for 2 – 3 hours and just sit them on the grill. They start to smoke pretty quick and take a long time to burn through added great flavor to fish, pork, chicken, or anything else you got on there.
Patio Fireplace Logs: Don’t let the name fool you as this product can easily be used in a full size smoker that only burns wood. No soaking is required. However, it could get pricey if you plan on smoking using only this method for 12 hours or longer.
Overall I am impressed with this product line. I have been using the above mentioned for the past month now and have yet to be dissapointed. For more information go to: http://www.rockytrail.com/smoking-chips-and-chunks.aspx and keep smoking.
