bejay9_10, Sadly, I had 2 life-long friends that lost their homes, one in Ramona and one in Poway. Growing up, I remember my Dad hauling livestock for folks every fall during the Santa Ana season. I actually grew up on ranch in the corner of Mexico, Calif. & Arizona. All my agriculture family have relocated to Montana and Wyoming which is where many of them started out originally, so many years ago. Land is just too valuable in California to run cows on. I read recently that California is losing 15% of its agriculture land to housing each year. Someone here said that they did not care what happened to California but we all should care. We all "eat" off that state 6 months out of the year. I cannot blame farmers/ranchers 'tho. They can sell their land to developers and earn more than they could in 2 lifetimes of farming/ranching. As I said, I really miss the California of my youth. It was all wide-open spaces then and you could get on your horse and ride forever. Wyoming is fortunate to have only 500,000 people in the whole state, a statistic that has remained the same for 5 census. Yet, even here, we are begining to see "tract Housing" in the more urban areas (We only have one...Cheyenne. LOL) And I know you all think we live in one big blizzard for 8 months but actually, I am in the far north, just inside the Montana/Wyoming border. We are surrounded by mountains on 3 sides (Big Horn's, Pryor's & Absaroka's) and go most of the winter with no snow on the ground. Huge agriculture area here: cows, Sheep, Sugar Beets, Barley (For Coors & Budweiser) and fabulous Alfalfa hay. I usually average 150 days growing season. After I read your post I remembered that the Bakery was not in Julian but Santa Isabel. They had GREAT bread. Have a great Thanksgiving! Mary

Our favourite vodka sauce comes from Centro. A wonderful restaurant in Toronto.. Or at least it use to be. Haven't been in a while. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Fettuccine Natasha ================== 3/4 pound (375 g) fettuccine Source: Centro - Toronto 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon (15 mL) butter I garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon (15 mL) minced onion 4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced 1/2 pound (250 g) smoked salmon, sliced 1 cup (250 mL) 35% cream 1/4 cup (50 mL) vodka 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) pepper 1 ounce (28 g) caviar (optional) . In a large pot of boiling salted watei~ cook fettuccine until a! dente. Drain, and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter. Stir in garlic and onion, and saute, stirring often, for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until softened and beginning to thicken. Stir in the smoked salmon, cream, and vodka; simmer for 5 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Gently fold in cooked pasta and pepper. Garnish with a rosette of smoked salmon or caviar. CHEF'S SLGGESTION: If a saltier taste is desired, add the smoked salmon at the same time as the tomatoes

This is absolutely the best tuna noodle casserole I have ever tasted. My husband couldn't stop eating it (little did he know he was eating artichoke hearts....) * Exported from MasterCook * Mediterranean Tuna Casserole Recipe By : Cooking Enthusiast Catalog Serving Size : 4 Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 6 ounces egg noodles -- cooked al dente 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 red pepper -- diced 1 clove garlic -- peeled and minced 4 ounces baby portobella mushrooms -- sliced 1 7 oz can artichoke hearts -- drained and chopped 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream 2 4 oz cans bonito del norte tuna -- drained 3/4 cup parmesan cheese -- shredded 3 scallions -- thinly sliced 1/2 cup crispy onions 1/4 cup Italian style panko breadcrumbs Melt butter in large saucepot over medium heat. Add red peppers and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in artichoke hearts and flour. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in milk and heavy cream and cook until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. In large bowl, combine the egg noodles, tuna, scallions, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and sauce mixture. Grease a 10" round casserole, add noodle mixture and top with crispy onions, remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs. Bake in a 400* oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I probably used closer to 8 oz of baby portobellas and I used regular panko crumbs. I used the canned French's onion rings (Cooking Enthusiast sells their "crispy onions" but I've never bought them). The French's onion rings were starting to burn after 15 minutes so don't top with them until the last 8 to 10 minutes or leave them off. I do buy my tuna fish from Cooking Enthusiast -- it's packed in olive oil and wonderful but I am sure regular tuna fish packed in olive oil will work fine, too.

CHILAQUILES EN SALSA VERDE (for 1 serving) 3 small stale corn tortillas cut into pieces 1 cup Salsa de Tomate Verde Cocida (purchased ready made or made according to recipe which follows) 2 tablespoons sour cream 2 tablespoons crumbled farmer cheese or grated mild Cheddar An individual flameproof serving dish 1/3 cup cooked, shredded chicken, warmed A small frying pan Cooking oil (1/4 inch deep) paper toweling A saucepan Heat the oil and fry the tortilla pieces lightly \-\- do not let them become too crisp. Remove from the oil and drain. Heat the sauce, and when it is bubbling add the tortilla pieces and cook them for about 3 minutes. Pour the chilaquiles (the sauce coated tortilla pieces) into the serving dish, cover with shredded chicken, and sprinkle with the sour cream and cheese. Pass under a hot broiler for a moment or two until the cheese melts, then serve. SALSA DE TOMATE VERDE COCIDA (cooked green sauce) A blender 2 cups canned tomates verdes (tomatillos), drained or poached fresh tomatillos 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped 1/4 medium onion, chopped 2 or 3 fresh chiles serranos (or jalapenos), softened and charred on a warm pan 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste A small frying pan 2 tablespoons cooking oil Blend the ingredients together until smooth. Heat the oil and cook the sauce for about 5 minutes, until it has thickened a little and is well seasoned. From The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy with minor editing.