I ♥ fresno

"Burglar victims wake to spice rub, sausage attack"

By Louis Galvan / The Fresno Bee

A burglar who broke into a home just east of Fresno rubbed spices over the body of one of two men as they slept in their rooms and then used an 8-inch sausage to whack the other man on the face and head before running out of the house, Fresno County sheriff's deputies said Saturday.

Lt. Ian Burrimond, describing the crime as one of the strangest he's ever heard of, said a suspect was found hiding in a nearby field a few minutes later and taken into custody on suspicion of residential robbery.

Deputies, he said, had no problem linking the suspect to the crime.

"It seems the guy ran out of the house wearing only a T-shirt, boxer shorts and socks, leaving behind his wallet with his ID," Burrimond said.

Arrested was Antonio Vasquez, 22, of Fresno.

Burrimond said deputies headed to the victims' home in the 300 block of South Thompson Avenue near Kings Canyon Road shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday regarding a burglary in progress.

The victims, both farmworkers, told deputies they were awakened by a stranger applying spices to one of them and striking the other with a sausage.

Both the spices and the sausage, Burrimond said, reportedly were obtained from the victims' kitchen.

After the man fled, the victims discovered the home had been ransacked and that some money was taken, Burrimond said.

Burrimond said the money was recovered, but that the piece of sausage used in the attack was discarded by the suspect and eaten by a dog.

"That's right, the dog ate the weapon," Burrimond said.

"I tell you, this was one weird case."

rub my legs! rub my thighs!

Yesterday I went to a Rogue Festival Barbecue Party, and I amused myself by taking over the barbecue and grilling up some meats. Earlier in the day, I created two dry marinades, and, since I rarely make any meat dishes at home, I had a great time making the rubs and seeing how the final products turned out. I think that at least some of the roguers enjoyed these, but by the time I got around to grilling the chicken that I brought, nearly everyone had either already eaten (nothing I could ever make could compare to airplaynejayne's Basque-marinated Omaha steaks) or were pretty trashed or both. In any case, I thought it was pretty tasty.

Here's what I made:

Chicken Legs with All-Purpose Spice Rub

1/3 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional, but I used it)

This makes about 1 1/4 cups or spice rub, which is enough to season anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds of meat. I used this to season about 24 chicken legs. You can also store this in a jar and it will keep for about six months.

Chicken Thighs with Curry Rub

8 teaspoons curry powder
3 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar

I used this to season about a dozen chicken thighs.

For both the legs and the thighs, I thoroughly rubbed the mixture all over the meats and shook off the excess. I put those puppies on the grill, skin side down, and kept vigil.

Both these recipes come from my favorite cooking magazine, Everyday Food.