Big (Sur) News!

Howdy people. It's me. Sorry I went MIA on ya again for a couple weeks here but things have been hopping. I've got news. Could be big.... could be not so big. We will find out very soon.  As you may or may not know.... depends on how long it's been since you last checked in on us, we are in Santa Fe and I have been working at a from scratch donut shop. It's a brand new place which opened up back in October. Things are going well and I have made some very exciting donuts over these past months.

Examples....  this week for Valentine's Day we are doing rose scented sugar and fresh rose petals.

These were for a special event at the farmer's market for winter brew fest. They are Dirty Car Bombs....  it's a chocolate stout cake donut with a Bailey's cream filled donut hole covered in Jameson glaze. Ka-Boom!

Over the holidays.... Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.... yes, another booze infused donut and that is a real all butter pie crust leaf of top. 

A ways back... pumpkin fritters made from organic sugar pumpkins with fried sage leaves and candied pumpkin seeds on top. 

In the world of fried dough... I am willing to push the envelope as far as I can. Why not? Who needs a plain old raised glaze donut when you could have an orange creamsicle instead?

Anyway... enough about donuts. Seriously. I never knew I would spend so much time fretting over fried dough in my lifetime.

On to the news. In a few days I will be flying out to California.... landing in Monterey where my old pal Gordon (aka Cappy) will be rescuing me from the airport and delivering me directly to Big Sur. It's an hour or so down the coastline in the redwoods on highway 1 for those of you unfamiliar. The reason for the trip is my three day try out at the Big Sur Bakery where I may be destined to bake my next round of muffins and danish in a small kitchen with a wood burning oven on the tippy toe edge of the continent surrounded by hippies, a mountain lion or two and a multitude of star fish. Woo hoo! THis restaurant is super fabulous. They source a ton of stuff locally... always using the best of the best ingredients. We have eaten there a couple times and were never disappointed. In fact we had the best wood fired pizza of our lives there a few years back. They have a full bakery case stuffed with everything you could ever want for breakfast fare. I am really looking forward to seeing how their kitchen runs and meeting the chef and staff.

Billy and Rudy are staying home to man the fort. I will do my three day audition and then if it's a go I will scout out sites for parking the Airstream for us to live in. Come Monday when the work is done Gordon and I will be ripping up the coastline... climbing redwood trees and wrestling bears.... oh, what? They don't have bears so.... wrestling sea otters and eating kelp like candy. That's how we roll.

I grabbed a wee little Canon point and shoot camera to take long on the trip so I don't have to drag the nikon along for the ride. It feels like a credit card in my hand compared to the D 80. So tiny! I think it will shoot decent pictures though... and I am stoked to give it a run on one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline on this here planet.

The first few test shots have been good and I love that it shoots square format pics!

Rudy posing for his fans in the Best Buy parking lot. 

Valentine's Stump

Proof of what a well behaved dog we have. Such a regal creature with impeccable manners while out on a walk. 

So yeah! Wish me luck on my weekend adventure! I will report back next week with all the details. I am not bringing my laptop along... so I doubt I will post anything while away. If you are on Facebook with me I am sure I will throw a few posts up there if I am not totally cut off from the ability to do so.

Happy Valentines Day (also Rudy's birthday so Happy Birthday Snoop Dog!) to you all!