Fat Cat Chef

:: The Fat Cat Skinny ::
Hastings Farmers' Market
Hastings, New York (Westchester County)
914-923-4837

When: Saturdays, June 5 until Dec. Rain or shine, all the stands are under tents.
Hours: 8:30a - 2p
Where: Library parking lot off Maple in Hastings, NY (behind the public library) -- directions and map
Parking: Along street, feed the meters, they're hungry.
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Aristo-Cat Monica & I boarded the Swiftboat for a covert mission to the Hastings Farmers' Market. We motored down the scenic Hudson River, only to come under hostile fire from yet another Westchester County Government tax increase. The concussion from the sales tax increase actually knocked Aristo-Cat overboard, but I deftly manuevered the Swiftboat around to scoop her out of the water, hence qualifying myself to be President someday. (What a bonus!)

But as we waded ashore, it was obvious this Swiftboat expedition was worthwhile: great vendors and a fantastic selection of goodies to plunder.

Bobolink Dairy -- grass-fed cheeses and wood-fired breads. Only at the market June 19 and July 3, 17 and 31

Bombay Emerald Chutney Co. -- hot and sweet chutneys.

If you're looking for the meaning of life -- or for us underachieving, A.D.D.-afflicted Fat Cats, just the meaning of good food and drink -- you'll find the answer at Bread, Coffee, Chocolate and Yoga (affectionately called BCCY by devoted groupies readers).

This is a fun-and-frolic weblog that is published by Fortune in a secure undisclosed location (ok, it's the New York City area... but that's all I'm giving you). You won't find a food blog that has more passion than BCCY.

Bread, Coffee, Chocolate... and yes, Yoga
Granted, our exercise routine here at the Fat Cat Food Fortress is comprised of moving from kitchen to barcalounger to kitchen, so we're kind of skeptical about this yoga stuff (besides, that downward dog thing sounds like part of the canine conspiracy).

However, our tails do start twitching when we talk about bread, coffee and chocolate. Our favorite beverage is coffee, and with BCCY you'll get a steady -- and useful -- dose of coffee wisdom, news and commentary.

Carbs Are Good
But Fortune doesn't stop there. Oh no. Let's move on to bread.

Now, we mock the low-carb folks (always in private, of course, we don't have the spine to mock them publicly), so it's refreshing to see someone promoting the consumption of bread... and pizza nonetheless, our favorite food group.

Take One Chocolate and Call Me Tomorrow...
And chocolate... who doesn't like chocolate? (If there are anti-chocolate freaks out there, we don't want to hear about it). Fortune is always reminding us that chocolate is actually good for you. Like someone needs to twist our paws...

Worth a Daily Visit
Overall, Bread, Coffee, Chocolate and Yoga is a frequently updated weblog that's loaded with practical info about... well, you can figure it out by now.

:: The Fat Cat Guide to Coffee Wisdom at Bread, Coffee, Chocolate and Yoga ::
Since we take our coffee serious here at the Fat Cat Coffeeshop, we scratched up some of Fortune's most useful coffee postings. These articles are a practical guide to learning about -- and enjoying -- specialty coffee.

Coffee Economics
Where your coffee dollar goes, part 1 and 2 -- you'll be surprised...

Plus, background info on the coffee crisis (tip: PDF, right-click and save to your desktop)

Coffee Pots
Everything you need to know about a french press or a vacuum pot coffee pot (more info about vac pots here and at the bottom of this posting).

Coffee Shop Talk
Do you enjoy being a pretentious dinner guest? Well, your gracious host will love to hear you talk about coffee, and banter about terms from this useful coffee tasting glossary. Your fellow dinner guests will love you too. No, really.

Iced Coffee
Discover how to make Australian iced coffee or just good old Stateside iced coffee.

In Closing:
Words of wisdom from someone who knows (that would be Fortune): "Buy fresh, whole beans from your local independent specialty roaster/retailer, coffeehouse, or bean store and grind them yourself in your own home." Amen, sister, amen.