O My Soul

Oooooh! Honey child! I had me some good soul food several days ago!

I happened to be in the Inglewood hood and Boss Man suggested that I try this little joint:

Fried catfish nuggets, crawfish etouffe & cajun fries with ranch dressing and free french bread were delivered to me within 10 minutes. I ate all of the catfish, fries, my french bread & some of that etouffe & rice. The catfish was fresh & had a nice crunchy outside. The etouffe was fantastic! They don't skimp on the crawfish. Every spoonful has crawfish. The tomato base roux is something special. Nice & buttery.

I was so stuffed but actually contemplated getting the hot wings...I came to my senses. Them hot wings and I will meet next time I'm in Inglewood... to be continued...

Off My Chest

OK, I’mma gonna rant for just a little.

You people who are expecting or have newborns (or not so new borns,) you have successfully annoyed the hell out of me. Ya, I said it…you people.

You people need to knock it off. All the goo-ing and the ga-ing, the I’m so complete now that I am pregnant/have a child, the now the world revolves around me cuz I am pregnant/have a child, the lavish parties for the one year old…guh!

You are not more special because you are with child or have a child. Your child is not more special than anybody else’s child. Your child is not too precious to be disciplined. Your child is not too precious to be spanked. You musta forgot we are all created equal. We just have varying degrees of stupidity.

Naughty Blonde showed me this article a while back and I totally agree. I was reminded of this article when a good dining experience was interrupted by unruly children and their parents who are too fat & too lazy to discipline them.

Parents: Your Kids Aren't That Special

Of course, Cafferty isn’t the authority on parenting and he admits that. I may not agree with all his views, but the guy’s got a point here.

Who are you people who allow your children to run around like rabid dogs in a restaurant when fast moving waiters are delivering plates of hot food to hungry customers?

Who are you people who allow your children to circle a stranger’s dining table, stand a little too close to the stranger and just stare with somewhat retarded looks on their faces?

It’s not cute, it’s f*cking annoying.

If, indeed, having children is such a special thing and if, indeed, your children are such miracles then step up. Step up and teach them to respect the earth, its resources and its inhabitants. Teach them to be responsible, productive members of society.  Otherwise they are just whiny, bitchy, self-important little brats with an outrageous sense of entitlement. Just. Like. You.

Next time, when you people are trying to have a good dining experience, don’t be surprised when I start circling your table, invade your personal space and stare.

And then you can tell me how cute and appropriate that is.

I Brake for Pho

There's something about water drops falling from the sky that confuses Southern Californian drivers, especially the Asian drivers. OK, not all the Asians, just the older ones and yes, most of the female ones. sigh Their usual bad driving is almost considered bearable when compared to their patience wearing, fist shaking, curse inducing driving when it rains.

Yes, I'm a female Asian driver, but not a bad driver. I don't brake for no apparent reason. I don't make a left or right turn from the middle of the road. I can successfully parallel park on the first try 99% of the time. When I make a 3 point turn, it's a 3 point turn, not a 13 point turn. I can go on...

Despite knowing there would be maddening traffic due to this record setting storm, I drove myself into the heart of Alhambra. This weather calls for PHO 79. I order the usual hot bowl of pho ga and deep fried eggrolls with spicy fish sauce. The fried, crisp eggroll skins give such a satisfying crunch when you bite down. Each order comes with four eggrolls. Yes, four. I know there are only two pictured.


So if i can put myself in bad Asian drivers' way, what are you waiting for?

Go out.
Eat.
And be fat.
Like me.

Caliente!

My mouth is burning.

And in several hours my bung-holio will be burning. It's worth it.

I found a recipe that claimed to be the Chevy's roasted tomato salsa. I made it tonight and it actually is the recipe! I love it! I was about to cave and buy a huge tub of it from Chevy's but now that I know the secret...I'll be making and eating this for a few weeks straight.

Below is the recipe, my tweaks in parentheses. And, of course, don't forget the riesling!


6 medium tomatoes
10 small jalapenos -red is best (I only used 4 freaking jalapenos & it's plenty hot)
1/4 medium Spanish onion
2 garlic cloves (I used 3, could even use 4 cloves)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro - chopped
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt (I think 1 teaspoon salt is salty enough)
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke, mesquite-flavored (Use it if you have it handy, but I didn't think it was necessary)

1. Preheat your barbecue grill to high.

2. Remove any stems from the tomatoes, then rub some oil over each tomato. You may want to cut the tomatoes in half for easier grilling. You can leave the stems on the jalapenos.

3. Place the tomatoes on the grill, on medium, and cook about 10 minutes.

4. Place the jalapenos onto the grill. TIP: To adjust the heat, cut in half and scoop out seeds roasting skin side to the flame.

5. Allow Tomatoes and jalapenos to cook an additional 10 minutes and turn.

6. When almost the entire surface of the peppers has charred black you can remove them from the grill.

7. The tomatoes will turn partially black, but when the skin begins to come off they are done.

8. Put the peppers and tomatoes on a plate and let them cool.

9. When the tomatoes and peppers have cooled, remove most of the skin from the tomatoes and place them into a food processor. Pinch the stem end to remove them from each of the peppers and place them into the food processor as well. Toss out the liquid that remains on the plate.

10. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and puree on high speed for 5-10 seconds or until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

11. Place the salsa into a covered container and chill for several hours or overnight while the flavors develop. Makes about 4 cups.

Chubby Chased?

A cutie in the next line at the local big name grocery store looked over and smiled. I smile back and think "So glad i'm not wearing sweats!"

Maybe one out of 20 times I actually want to be chubby chased and this was one of those times. He was tall, good looking, great smile and knew how to dress himself.

Perhaps it was the hunger that confused me or the giddy anticipation of the yummy mint chocolate chip ice cream that clouded my sixth sense, but I was completely caught off guard by what came out of cutie's mouth.

Cutie: Those are great strappy heels, girl!

And with those six words, I realized this was no chubby chaser. This is the kind of guy who appreciates great heels, the kind of guy who is gay.

By the way, hell's yeah, they're damn sexy 3 inch bronze strappy heels.

I Heart Eggs

No, your eyes doth not deceive thee. That is a little heart shaped pan. A little story behind this pan. And oh, I absolutely see the irony this little non-stick pan serves up.

1. It was gift from a friend, make that a former friend.
2. Former friend insisted I cook more for my BF, now an ex.
3. I never cooked that much when I was with that ex, much less make him heart shaped eggs.
4. Former friend and the ex became an item.
5. I'm no longer fond of the former friend or the ex.

Just kidding on point number 4. It woulda been funny if it was true.

Regardless of how & why I have this little item, I found it while searching for a loaf pan. I figured since I found it & I can eat eggs all day, every day, I whipped up this little yummy bite.

Sunny side up, on top of fresh arugula, drizzled with sweet chili sauce. YUM!

When I can eat carbs this weekend, I'm gonna put that amazing creation on top of sharp cheddar cheesed bread. I may just have a dozen eggs on Saturday morning.

PS - In case you're wondering what to wash it down with....Riesling!

Crunch. Chew. Sip. Repeat.

How can it be that it's taken me so long to discover that guac & chips with riesling is a fantastic combination?!?

In case you haven't discovered the combo, you should really try it. The sweet crisp riesling cuts through the creamy guac and adds a new dimension to it.

I made a huge bowl of it with 4 avocados, 3 roma tomatoes, cilantro, fresh garlic, lime juice & salt. Yes, I ate half of it and downed 2 glasses of riesling. It was a great dinner.

And I slept well that night.