Jalapeño Girl

Pig Hunt Movie

The advance promo trailer for a Robert Mailer/Zack Anderson film I worked on last year has been leaked to YouTube and a few other spots on the Internet. It's violent and graphic. And no, I didn't get to cook any of the leftover pig.

The link below goes to the trailer on YouTube, included as well are links to our MySpace Page and Official Website. Please take a second if you have a YouTube or MySpace account and either post a comment or vote. Feel free to pass this along.

Pig Hunt Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WPeJgvJ8rQ

Myspace:
www.myspace.com/pighuntmovie

Official Website:
www.pighuntmovie.com
www.dontbescared.org

Hot Stuff Food Blog Round Up

The best Bay Area food blogs this week are.... here.

How to use 6 pounds of Ricotta Cheese

Not only did I get to gawk at nearly naked women at a recent catering gig; I was also rewarded with a bounty of pumpernickel bread, one batch each of saffron and achiote poached shrimp, bay shrimp salad, and six pounds of ricotta. Oscar was stoked. It's always a treat to bring home a random box or bag of catered goodies because it's sometimes premium items or ingredients that I may not have at home.

So. How to eat one's way through six pounds of ricotta cheese? To start, freeze one of the tubs.Really, should two people be eating six pounds of whole milk ricotta in under three weeks? Then think big: go beyond pasta dinners or cheesecake. How do lemon ricotta pancakes sound, with or without blueberries? I've been obsessing over these pancakes for almost two weeks. Purists may scoff at the use of pancake mix but that's their problem! The first batch we made had us ooooohing and aaaaaahing to each other, and the 'cakes were light, fluffy, creamy, and delish.

LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES

Serve with warm honey or (my favorite) maple syrup. The recipe is adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' on foodnetwork.com.

1 2/3 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups pancake and waffle mix, Krusteaz is recommended
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
2/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Using a rubber spatula, stir water and vanilla in a large bowl. Add pancake mix & stir til just moistened but still lumpy. Stir in ricotta, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir gently to incorporate ricotta & lemon but still maintain a lumpy batter. Fold in blueberries.

Cook pancakes over a medium hot griddle, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. I like to put butter and syrup the entire stack of pancakes & then microwave for 30-40 seconds. Eat immediately while reading the newspaper, chatting with family, and drinking strong coffee.

Hot Stuff Food Section Round Up

Did you read today's food sections? Check out my food section round up here.

Nearly Naked Girls in the Kitchen

No one, and I mean no one complains when scantily clad dancer/model/performer/skate girls in hot pants walk through the catering workspace. Maybe "expect the unexpected" is a super cheesy phrase, but it is an apt descriptor for catering.

This weekend I worked an event on the second floor of a nightclub. We were issued ear plugs. Our stoves were plugged into a confusing thread of cords that may normally be used for sound equipment. It was dark. Thousands of guests were downstairs, and we had a prime viewing spot in the balcony. The performers for the night included a sexy snake charmer lady, roller skating girls, gymnasts who used silky looking sashes to lift, shimmy and pull their way up to the ceiling, and a loud but good funky band. There was also a pair of male gymnasts that did striking moves, but the more macho guests giggled and guffawed. Perhaps they weren't used to all that male flesh. Watching the two guys lift and sweat their way through their act, and I too started thinking about gay male sex.

Guests were not supposed to be in our area, but the performers sometimes used our balcony as a walkway. Female chefs would gawk at the ladies with the slightest whiff of disdain and fascination; the guys did not hide their goofy smiles and open mouths. Our head chef/boss kept offering the ladies food, and they seemed to only want chicken skewers (so that's how they stay so trim and hot!). We'd all put our knives and tools down to slowly watch the ladies as they'd pass by, all smooth, shiny and glittery.

Then there were the unwanted visitors to our space. That'd be the arrogant pushy male guests who would announce their presence and then try to make small talk as they'd greedily grab a nosh here and a bite there. They'd linger and look around, as if they wanted the other guests to see them schmoozing and eating in the "kitchen." On the other hand, maybe they were just like the guys I was working with: trying to get a nice long look at some nearly naked women.

Hot Stuff Food Blog Round Up is baaaaaaaaaaaack

What's on your stove these days? Get some creative ideas in this week's food blog round up from SFist.