Afro-Cuban All Stars

Wow...energy, talent and charisma combined! I just attended an amazing performance by the Afro-Cuban All Stars at Chico State Laxson Auditorium, courtesy of Chico Performances.

The super-cool Juan de Marcos Gonzalez lead the band to stardom in 1998 with A Toda Cuba le Gusta, the first album to be recorded during the now-famous Buena Vista Social Club sessions. (Toward the end of the evening, Gonzalez expressed his hope for continued improved relations between Cuba and the U.S., something he feels is likely with the new U.S. President, "Who I like!")

The 14-member band had people on their feet in no time, with their crazy-good rhythm and hot horn section. Their choreographed moves brought the energy up a notch, as the Shaft-like conga player joined the drummer and percussionists in keeping that Cuban beat humming (including one tune in 7/4 time!) The last conga player I remember seeing in a suit and tie was Ricky Ricardo. (Click here to see "Ricky"--aka Desi Arnaz--at his "Babalu" best!) But all these guys were decked out in spiffy suits, some with classy hats (fedora, beret) to boot. All in all, a great, energetic concert performed by supremely accomplished musicians. I'm thinking the only thing that could have made it better was...more cowbell. : ) (Click here for a little YouTube taste of the music.)

Springtime in Chico

Only February, and it's SPRINGTIME in Chico! This corner of Vallombrosa and Mangrove (across from Chipotle) is absolutely my all-time favorite "bloomin' spot" at this time of year. After my mom and I visited the Farmer's Market this morning (wonderful, fresh produce!), we swung over to see whether the blossoms were out. You betcha! Next time you're cruising downtown, swing by and check it out. The blossoms only last a few weeks, so don't miss 'em!

Fair Trade Chico!

On Valentine's Day Chico, CA officially became a "Fair Trade" town! A hard-working group of folks celebrated their accomplishment at the "Hands" near the municipal building. What is Fair Trade? According to one web site, "At its most fundamental level, Fair Trade is the practice of insuring that farmers and workers receive a fair and stable price for their products and labor." (Click here for a more complete definition of "Fair Trade.")

The first fair trade town in the U.S. was Media, PA (25 minutes west of Philadelphia), which acquired the status in 2006. Their web site states, "If buying a Fair Trade chocolate bar here means that somewhere children are going to school instead of working in the fields, we're taking a small step towards a better world with every bite. In a nutshell, that's what it means to be a Fair Trade town!" Sounds good to me. (Click here to view video.)

Local businesses like Bidwell Perk, Grilla Bites, and Chico Natural Foods (click here for complete list) have pledged to put "People before Profits" and have committed to offer at least two fair trade product lines in their businesses. I'd love to see more local businesses follow suit.

In a related topic, I just watched "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" via a Netflix DVD. Pretty interesting documentary about an individual (and rather eccentric) farmer but also about the plight of the farming industry in general over the past few decades. Obviously, this subject should be a concern to anyone who eats!

I Heart my Crockpot!

For "Heart" Day I thought I'd share one of the things I love most in my household (other than BK, Beautiful Kitty, that is; click here for recent photos): my crockpot (aka "slow cooker" to use contemporary jargon). A few years ago I was in Jackson Hole, WY, visiting niece Jenny (THAT adventurous trip is a whole 'nuther story!), browsing through a local bookstore and happened upon a cookbook called NOT Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. Well, with an intriguing title like that, you just know I had to pick it up. (I didn't even know my mother owned a slow cooker cookbook!) What an enlightening experience! Did you know you can make tapioca or bread pudding in a crockpot? How about apple butter? Yep! Not just for beef stew any more, baby. Never one to run out and buy the latest gadget (besides, didn't want to lug it home on the plane), I waited two whole days until I got home to Chico to run out and buy a cool new "slow cooker." Got one with a timer, so it can be automatically set to turn to "warm" after a pre-set period of time. I've since made all kinds of fun things, the hands-down friends & family favorite being Fresh Raspberry Bread Pudding (p. 437 in "Not Your Mother's"). I've often substituted strawberries or used a combination. Amazing!

Another great book I discovered was the Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook, with over 200 recipes. Of course, there are also many web sites with good recipes too. The Vegan Heart Doc shares his favorites along with heart health info. Wellsphere is another site with heart-healthy crockpot recipes. With the advent of the "Slow Food" movement (not to mention the slowing economy), there seems to be a resurgence in home cooking, thank goodness! So you might want to dig around in the back of that cupboard and pull out and dust off that avocado-green crockpot from the 70s (I passed my heirloom crockpot on to my son) and try it. Just a little "slow cooked" food for thought!

Hawkeye & Friend

The other morning as I was working on my laptop at home, I found myself gazing out my back window (shades of daydreaming in high school French class!) at the ornamental crane perched on my fence. I wondered whether the rotating wind-powered wings served to keep birds away from the fruit trees and grapevines lining my yard. Not two minutes later, another fluttering motion caught my eye, and I watched as this gorgeous hawk landed a few feet away from the "scary" crane. Guess that answered my question! There's a drainage canal behind my house, and the hawk appeared to be shopping for lunch. (Fortunately the fence blocked THAT view!) The hawk politely maintained his (her?) pose while I scrambled to get my camera and snapped this photo.

Can anyone tell me what kind of hawk this is?

Giving Thanks

I know "Thanksgiving" is officially over, but I ran across this article online today, 10 Reasons to be Thankful, and thought to myself, "What a great time to be reading something positive!" My next thought, of course, was to share it in my blog. It's good to take a few moments in our daily lives (especially these days) to contemplate the many things we really do have to be grateful for. As is quite obvious to anyone who has read my past blog entries, I'm so grateful to be living in a place like Chico. (See "Stepford Chico?") Friends and I were just discussing that at a busy, sunny Chico Farmer's Market last Saturday. I'm also very thankful for the family I was lucky enough to be born into (see lovely photo of Mom and Dad above, taken in '05 at that very same Farmer's Market) and for the great friends and clients I've met in the 26 years I've lived here (as well as longtime friends from earlier times). What are the top three on your list of 10 Reasons?