Shannon Larratt is Zentastic

At this point I'm really sold on using my coffee grinder to make fresh spice mixes… The flavor of sauces and pastes you can generate is so much richer (but without being overpowering) than you can get from the same combination of pre-powdered spices.

Today my mix was half cascabel and half guajillo peppers in a sesame seed and almond butter (all fresh ground from whole seeds and nuts) with a little salt and brown sugar — a further experiment in the hot and sweet sauces I've been playing with lately. It's on top of zucchini, garbanzo beans, fresh chiles, yellow peppers, and sliced broccoli stalk, fried in sesame oil, fresh lime, and fresh garlic for about five minutes. I ate it with a whole wheat bagel. Also, I had some chickpeas left over, so I made a little side salad with the spice mix, half a lime, and a touch of sesame oil. On the chickpea salad it maintained a lot of its sweet nutty taste that got lost in the stirfry.

When I write these entries people invariably send me very nice messages asking for exact recipes, or even flattering me with the suggestion of putting together a cookbook. Honestly though, everything I post on cooking is really simple. I have no real knowledge on the subject and certainly no training — I just do it because I enjoy it, and you can do the same. Cooking good food is really, really easy. Anyone can do it! Seriously, once you've tried a few times, you'll see how simple this stuff is and how silly it would be to post in-depth recipes of what I eat.

As you know if you read this page regularly, Rachel and I own a beach subdivision out on the West Coast of the Baja (about a 45 minute drive from here in La Paz) that a few IAM members and friends have lots on as well. They're putting in a mega marina about a mile or two up the beach, so I imagine it's going to turn out to be a killer investment, but that's not really my department.

Anyway, we went out there today (the first time I've seen it personally) and I took a bunch of photos:

Parked near the beach looking toward the water.	Walking toward the beach, looking up and inland.	Standing on the beach dunes.	Local fishermen a ways down the beach.	Looking down the beach.	Looking up at the beach from the water.
Jay on the beach.	Rachel looking at the ocean, with fishermen in the background.	Walking away from the beach.	Parked at the top of the property looking at the ocean.	About half way down the property looking up at the inland portion.	The truck is parked at the back of the property and I am standing at the front.

If you're interested in a lot (1/2 acre beachfront lots in Baja California Sur, both right on the beach and set back), Rachel is who you have to talk to… It's a nice place to drop out at, and a solid place to stash and build some assets if you're thinking that way as well. Assuming you're not an IAM member, you can drop her a line at rachel@bmezine.com.

I got this article sent to me re:pierced eyeglasses that I thought was pretty funny. Is it really asking that much that writers at least, say, type basic terms like Anatometal into google? Talk about some terrible writing and researching:

The Ultimate Rimless?
Body modifications like ear piercing, tongue piercing, and lip piercing may be the craze today, but the latest and arguably most far out piercing is…eyewear. A “barbell” made of anatometal (an implant grade metal of stainless steel or titanium) is concealed behind the skin and attached to aluminum nasal mounts called brackets. The drilled lenses are then screwed in place. As James Sooy states, “They feel exactly like a regular pair of glasses. Actually, I put the nose pads on to keep them from swinging around, so all the pressure is placed there just like any other pair of glasses. Since they have no frame on the side (editor’s note: no temples), I can wear them while I sleep and still roll onto my side.” Now that’s innovation!