Thursday, June 6, 2024
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Reverse Seared Prime Rib
By Zack Chavez
This method for cooking a standing rib roast requires dry-brining the prime rib 1-4 days before roasting to give the most flavorful taste, and slow-roasting at a low temperature followed by a high-heat sear ensures a delicious medium-rare doneness throughout with a savory herb crust.
Ingredients
One (8 pound) bone-in standing rib roast
½ cup SPG*
½ cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Directions
Step 1 - Season roast generously with SPG, Let it rest uncovered, on a rack in the refrigerator for at least overnight and up to four days.
Step 2 - Remove roast from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Step 3 - Preheat oven to 200 deg F
Step 4 - Mix butter, rosemary, thyme, and SPG together in a small bowl; spread butter mixture over roast. Place roast in a large roasting pan.
Step 5 - Bake roast in the preheated oven until internal temperature reaches 120 deg F for medium-rare, about 4 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and tent with aluminum foil; allow to rest, about 30 minutes.and up to 1 ½ hours.
Step 6 - Ten minutes before serving, remove the foil and place the roast back into the oven preheated at 500 deg+ F. Roast until well brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
Step 7 - Carve and serve immediately.
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*SPG is a home made seasoning consisting of 4 units kosher salt, 1 unit coarse black pepper, 2 units granulated garlic.
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Louise Ann Chavez
Louise Ann Chavez
(April 22, 1942 – June 11, 2021)
Born to the late Frances Cummings and Thomas Alfred Spratt in Cortland, NY. The youngest of three children, she is survived by her brother, Gordon Spratt (Terry), of Tellico Plains, Tennessee. Her sister, Doreen Holbrook (Earl), formerly of Coral Gables, FL, preceded her in death.
Louise, or Weezer, as she was called by Gordon growing up, was beautiful and smart, kind and loving, hardworking, resilient and a bit of a rebel. Her grandfather immigrated to the US from England and her family made its way to upstate New York, then moved to Florida from Cortland, NY when she was young. Late in life, as dementia made recent memories fade, she’d happily recount details of childhood visits to a family farm in NY.
Louise graduated from Dixie Hollins High School in St. Petersburg, FL in 1960 as salutatorian, and attended Florida Presbyterian College on a full academic scholarship. (Did we mention she was smart?) But yes, also pretty and surprisingly bold, as she flaunted socials norms (and laws) of the time and took a leap of faith in marrying (eloping, no less) a Filipino steward in the US Coast Guard, Zacarias S. Chavez. After some initial difficulty finding a state and a justice of the peace who would marry them in the South in 1962 (before the landmark 1967 Loving v. Virginia SCOTUS decision), they tied the knot in Walterboro, South Carolina, in a courthouse that son, Carl, and his wife, Thea, recently visited.
But the adventures of Zack and Louise were just beginning then. For decades to come, Louise managed the Chavez family household and raised three successful children (with support from Zack as his military service allowed) as Zack ascended his military career through ET school, Officer Candidate School, DeVry Institute of Technology and the Naval Postgraduate School to rise from his rank as a steward to command of the Coast Guard LORAN Monitor Station Kodiak (where Louise was the “First Lady”) and to serve as XO of Electronics Engineering Center in Wildwood, NJ. During this remarkable career of military service, Louise helped move and resettle the family from St. Petersburg, FL to Arlington, VA, back to St. Pete, to Honolulu, HI, to Los Angeles, CA, to Lakewood, OH, to Phoenix, AZ, to Kodiak, AK, to Yokota Air Base, Japan, to Monterey, CA and to Wildwood, NJ before Zack retired from the Coast Guard after 27 years of service and they moved to Benicia, CA, where he worked for Unisys for a number of years and then later in telecom.
Louise was a loving, but firm, mother, domestic engineer, devoted military spouse, kind friend to many, tennis team player and captain, seamstress, and always the sweetest if not the most outgoing person in the room. She was loved by all who knew her. She played in the bell choir, sang in Sweet Adelines, caught, cleaned, smoked and canned salmon in Alaska, danced in the Tanabata festival and took bus tours around Japan, hiked steep canyons near the Sea of Cortez, sailed in the Caribbean with Zack at various Club Med resorts (until she determined that while he may be a Coast Guard Commander, he was not the best sailor), served as chase crew to get a free hot air balloon ride in New Mexico, climbed a hill at Corde Valle for the surprise wedding of son, Dave, and Beth Lytle, then hiked the nearby redwood coastline, and brought daughter, Tina, together with husband, Dave Davisson, through her love of Benicia’s art glass studios and enthusiasm about making a piece of hot glass during open studios.
Louise is survived by her devoted husband of nearly 60 years, Zack Chavez of Benicia, son Dave Chavez (Beth Lytle) of Morgan Hill, daughter Tina Chavez (Dave Davisson) of El Cerrito, son Carl Chavez (Thea Chavez) of West Sacramento, and nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
Louise was laid to rest at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon. California.
The family wishes to thank the excellent care teams at Heartwood Avenue Healthcare and Suncrest Hospice, who took such loving care of Louise in her last months.
Monday, April 19, 2021
Nuong Araw
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Thursday, January 9, 2020
58 Years Strong, Zack and Louise
Wedding vows are a serious matter, not to be taken lightly. Yet more than half of all marriages end in a divorce. And let alone to surpass north of the 50 year mark is nothing short of miracle.
This is a love story between a New York Princess, Louise and her Filipino Sailor, Zack. “It would not work,” said the naysayer. Even if it did, other circumstances were stacked against them such as the lack of acceptance of interracial marriage, after all we’re talking about the 1960’s. Traveling to three different states and against all odds, Zack and Louise were able to find a courthouse in South Carolina that eventually married them on January 10, 1962.
Through the gamut of life and with each venture that takes them to different parts of the country from Alaska, Ohio, Hawaii and eventually settling down in California after raising three wonderful children, their love never fizzles. What made their marriage work while others have failed, you might wonder. The answer is surprising simple; love, commitment and respect they have for one another. They never take their love for granted and always are thankful for having each other in their lives. They make time for each other and are committed to spending time together. As a matter of fact, they have never spent a day apart from each other since he retired from the Coast Guard with a rank of Commander. They had differing view points, varying attitudes and belief systems, yet this loving couple respected each other’s opposing views and even found humor in their source of contention.
After trials and tribulations, Zack and Louise not only silenced the naysayers, they are catching up to even George and Barbara Bush. Zack truly believes that the woman of his life, who truly believed in him, was indeed his soulmate and his destiny.
Let’s all raise a toast to the perfect couple, Zack and Louise. May their love continue to flourish and happy 58 years Strong and Counting!
Love,
Thea Chavez and Family
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Thea is our daughter in-law, married to our son Carl
Friday, December 22, 2017
Growing big, contest-winning tomatoes in half-wine barrel containers – My Method
I use half-wine barrels for my containers. They give plenty of room for the roots to grow and they are easy to maintain.
Select your plant. Choose a variety that is known for big fruit. I grow Delicious and Big Zac varieties for my competition tomatoes. I transplant my seedlings into the wine barrels during the first half of April.
Prepare the container by drilling 10 ¼-inch holes in the bottom, then place 2 inches of gravel in the bottom for drainage. Place the container in a location where it will get the maximum sun. You will need at least 8 hours of sun a day. Make sure the container is level and elevated from the ground by at least an inch. Use bricks or 2x4’s to form a base for the container.
Mix your soil thoroughly with the following ingredients in a wheelbarrow before placing it in the container:
Sphagnum Peat Moss, 1.5 cu ft
Vermiculite, 1 cu ft
Sand, 1 60-lb bag
Wood Ash, 2 quarts
Compost, 1 cu ft
Lime, ¼ quart
Fertilizer, ¼ quart. Use slow release granules, NPK = 5-6-5.
You should have approximately 13” of soil from the bottom of the container. Bury the plant deeper than they come in the pot, all the way up to a few top leaves. Place a handful of fertilizer in the hole before planting. Sprinkle a snail deterrent around your plant. Stake your plants with a sturdy, non-pressure treated, 6’ high stake or a tomato cage. The tomato cage must be at least 6 feet tall. Be prepared to tie guy lines to the cage to keep the plant upright when it gets to be top-heavy.
Watering
Water deeply and regularly while the plant is developing, about a half quart of water every two days. If your soil mix and drainage are as recommended above, there is no chance that you will over-water.
Here’s my recommended watering schedule:
Weeks 1-2 ½ quart every 2 days
Weeks 3-4 ½ quart every day
Weeks 5 –6 1 quart every day
Weeks 7-10 1 gal every 2 days
Weeks 11-13 1 gal daily
Weeks 14 to end of season 2 gals daily
I have an automatic watering system. I use a bubbler with an adjustable head to regulate water flow, fed from a ¼ inch tubing. I am able to set the duration and frequency of the watering with a programmable timer that I purchased at our local Ace Hardware store.
Fertilizing
Fertilize your tomato plant with Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble Tomato Plant Food. Feed every 7 to 14 days during the growing season. Follow directions on the package for dosage. Side dress with one cup of slow release granule fertilizer (NPK 5-6-5) monthly.
Pruning Out the Suckers
Tomato suckers are the growth that appears in the crotch between the stem and a branch. If left to grow, they will become another main stem with branches, flowers, fruit and more suckers of their own. You may be setting more fruits if you let the suckers to grow, but if you are aiming for big fruits, get rid of the suckers.
Training Your Plant
While keeping suckers at bay, pick off all flower clusters until your main stem is roughly ¼ inch in diameter. Once you have a nice thick stemmed plant stop pinching the flower clusters and let some go, but only one flower per cluster – pinch the rest. At this point when the tomatoes are now on the vine you should have one tomato per cluster. Continue to pinch off the suckers. Now all you have to do is wait for the tomatoes to ripen, then you can pick the biggest one for your winning tomato in the competition.
Week 28 - It's harvest time!