The Opal - For the foodie in you

Last night we were lounging around the house for the thousandth time, purposeless and without plans for the evening. For whatever reason (I hate winter, even though we don't have 'real' winter here, contemplation of enduring the whole useless crave/cramp/misery cycle of woe for absolutely no reason...for twenty more years, January twenty-fourth, the troll infestation and poor spelling of Santa Barbara Craigslist, take your pick) I've been a bit down in the mouth lately.

The prospect of an evening perusing my TiFaux options (Rear Window, Ugly Betty, Lakers, 24) and continuing to return my eleventy-billion emails (Actual count of email I missed, sent and still need to catch up on as penance for going to Vegas: 1,427) was not attractive. Having already spent the better part of the week cleaning, I was not about to find a useful project, and it was too cold for a walk. "Cleaning" in this case means doing smoke-saturated laundry*, obsessing over precisely which bin Scott could be allowed to drop his clothes in without destroying the new, zen-like order of my bedroom. *Some by hand! In the bathtub! Like a...person without a washer! Enter our buddy Scott (we call him Scotty) and his wife. These two are true-blue - the first people to offer to pitch in, barbecue, clean up or have fun, they always come on The Walk with us and are really 'our' friends, made as a couple. He rang up to see if we wanted to go to "the opal" with them - their treat. I do not need to be asked twice to go to The Opal (really, it should be called The Opal) and made all possible haste to get ready.

Since there was a symphony at the Arlington, there was a bit of a wait to get seated, so we retired to our living room with some martinis (twist of tangerine, please) and chatted for a while. Once downtown, we had a seat at the 'action bar' (watch the sous-chefs prepare hand-made pizzas and throw them in the wood-burning oven - now that's some action!) and started with my favorite starter*, drinks**, the killer homemade bread (always two kinds!) and Black-Pepper Crusted Seared Ahi 'chip', and the - This sounds fairly simple (isn't seared ahi so...1999?), but they do a fine-chopped Japanese salad with crisp-tender cucumbers, and homemade won-ton rounds for crunch. The pepper crust 'bit' well with the tender ahi and crunchy won-tonwasabi cream sauce bounces off the cucumbers just....right.

*Shredded Phyllo Wrapped Tiger Prawns - Flash-fried phyllo (say that ten times!) around prawns would be a lovely bite on its own, but when you add the curry dipping sauce, killer 'Napa-style' salad, tangerines and almonds and a tangy vinaigrette...Heaven.

"Drinks" - They have hundreds of wonderful wines on their ever-changing list, including the famous '87 Opus One, a huge premium bar and great beer on tap as well. The bartenders are some of the best in town and always have a smile and a new suggestion for you. This night, we sipped: My first love, their Rosemary Lemon Drop (not too sweet, not too lemony), The Flirtini (vodka, peach schnapps, pineapple and a tot of bubbly) - to me, a Blondie with a peachy kick, but I didn't think it required the cherry...a bit too sweet, plus I don't like anything bigger than a twist taking up the room in my glass - better suited for those who like 'girly' drinks. Sour Apple Martinis aren't my thing (again, too girly and they usually taste like a Jolly Rancher) but I heard the one they served Scotty was "excellent".

Our dinner menu:

-Diane had the Sauteed Chicken on penne pasta with a homemade chipotle cream, caramelized onions, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, sweet basil and fresh parmigiano reggiano. I tried this and really couldn't find a thing I didn't like about it - satisfying and savory.

-Scotty loved the Basil fettuccine with sauteed tiger prawns tossed with homemade pesto, tomatoes, roasted peppers and a smoked mozzarella cream sauce. I didn't try this and thought the pasta was a pesto pasta, but Scott did and he said it was really interesting. (In a good way!)

- I tried the Grilled Chicken Scallopini - Rolled with goat cheese and pesto on a salad of baby Arugula and watercress with avocado, tomatoes, herb vinaigrette. They also have this one on the lunch menu (same price - a reasonable $10.95) and even though I gave some to everyone, I didn't finish. The pesto isn't overwhelming, just a seasoning, the four good-sized portions of chicken was perfectly done, not dry, and the huge pile of slightly bitter arugula goes great with goat cheese and those perfect tomato 'fillets'.

- Spicy Filet Mignon Pizza Smoked Mozzarella and a chipotle glaze, tomatoes, red onions and fresh cilantro was Scotts' dinner - he's had this one before and always looks for it on the changing menu every time. Put it this way - for about the price of a good regular pizza, you can be delighted for dinner and lunch the next day.

Just when we thought we couldn't eat a...single...bite...more, out came a beautiful plate with "Enjoy" piped in luscious chocolate on the rim. Floating on a sea of raspberry coulis (not too sweet! hooray! I hate it when dessert tastes like jam!) was a chocolate-shelled something... which turned out to be the "Like Water for Chocolate" Surprise. Belgian Callebaut Dark Chocolate is your friend, and that's all I'm sayin'. You'll have to eat there to discover the surprise bit. The real sweet bit, though, was the generousity of our friends. You can bet my thank-you card is already in the mail.

Recipes for shmoopy-ness

I did not accomplish one single thing today. I'm planning on checking my email and have of course made and fielded some calls, but other than that, nada. The remains of the makings of last nights' amazing low-fat apple crisp* are still in the sink. Laundry is emphatically not being folded or put away. (Yet I find myself writing...how telling, no?)
*Recipe for amazing low-fat apple crisp: Do the usual peel/chop/spice of the apples.
Mix flour, granola and oatmeal in a quest for the perfect texture for the top. Totally forget to chop in the cold butter and instead toss a few thin token slices of it over the top of crisp. Note that the amazing low-fat bit goes right out the window when you *cough, I* go and buy Ben & Jerry's America Pie Ice Cream for a la mode purposes.

No, I have higher priorities, for there is a charming man lying on my couch, wrapped in blankets, freezing, burning and aching with what I am fairly certain is the dreaded flu. In a little while, I'll see if he's resting well and try and give him another aspirin and rub his head, in hopes of getting him to sleep a bit. I have actually promised to make my orzo recipe specially for him tonight - a big deal for me only because I'm shamefully out of the habit of cooking much of anything for dinner.

My patient is a sweet, albeit needy one - this entry will be quick or he'll start calling for me in a little hoarse voi- ..oh, there's the call. He's sick so rarely that I try my best to accommodate his various whims as best I can. After all, it was only a couple of weeks ago that I was more or less out of my head with pain from my wretched teeth. He dropped everything to get me the pain relief and headed straight to the border (dentist). Even when I was crying, mainlining Darvocet and being impossible, he was trying his best to comfort me.

I think this is what they mean by "...and cherish" and "in sickness and in health". Now if we could just get to the health bit. Wish him well, OK?

Orzo Recipe - A One Pot recipe
-1/2 cup orzo, rizo or other teeeeny-tiny pasta
-1 small onion
-1 large carrot, julienned or 1 cup baby carrots, rough chopped
-2 cups/half carton of chicken broth
-1 can white (northern) beans
-1-2 chicken breasts, thawed and cubed
-crushed garlic
-1 tsp. paprika (approximate)
-1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
-1 tsp. curry powder
-cayenne powder to taste (optional - I love using this as a pretty, spicy garnish as well)

-Chop onion, saute in olive/vegetable oil of your choice and a tiny bit of butter over medium heat, add chicken after about 3 minutes. Turn heat to high, searing the outside of the chicken. Add about a tsp. of crushed garlic (I love garlic, you may not) and finish cooking the chicken.
-Add orzo and make sure it gets coated with liquid - I add a little bit of the bean juice here if it seems to dry. Cook on medium for about 5 minutes.
-Drain beans, add. Toss in spices and most of chicken broth, stir and bring to a light boil, stirring continually.
-Add carrots and the remainder of the broth, turn heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

It should be a little brothy, not dry. I toss it in wide-rimmed bowls and add a little paprika on top for color.

Collapsing like a flan in a cupboard

As a rule, I don't eat beef...haven't done so, in fact, for about...hmmm...fifteen to seventeen years. It doesn't go quietly into the night, if you know what I mean. I stopped eating it, not out of an ecologically minded protest against the huge cost in human suffering and environmental damage (which would be plenty good reason, wouldn't you say?) ...but because every time we had a barbeque and I ate tri-tip, I suffered a horrendous stomachache for hours afterwards. Stomaches bad, ergo, no beef for Maya, right? I've done a lot of explaining over the years, it goes along these lines, "No I'm not vegetarian, yes, I love fish, (with the exception of salmon and trout, the hing of the aquatic world) no, not big on pork, but chicken/turkey/quail? Yes please!"

In real life, I'm surrounded by carnivores, with the exception of my mom. She was vegetarian for about seven years, through her pregnancy with me and the next four years or so. Apparently this healthy habit came to an abrupt halt while she was pregnant with Pony and started craving steaks and hamburgers. Naturally enough, I turned out to be the kid who begged for spinach quiche and Pony is a girl who just can't say no to a nice, thick steak.

In the last few years, I've been slowly crumbling under the bad influence of this one and his nefarious consumption habits. I don't prepare beef-based products (or dinner, for that matter, most nights...to my eternal shame) for him, since I subscribe to the "if I'm going to go to all that trouble, I'd better get a meal out of it" kitchen philosophy) for him, so the poor man has two options if he'd like to eat dead cow, I mean, beef:
a) go out (yes please!)
b) grill it yerowndarnself, mister. Outside on the barbeque, February be darned.

A few years back we were in Costa Rica together and I was persuaded to take a tentative bite or four of a delicious, tender steak. Mmmm...steeeeak. Thus began my long, slow, collapse (relapse?) into carnivore territory. To wit:

-I dreamed about making Scott get beef stroganoff at the Brew House. This was all so that I could eat all of his mushrooms (he doesn't like them, strange man) some of the noodles, and one bit of filet. Two days later, I caved to the callings of my unconscious and we went.

-Samplings of beef and accompanying sauce at Opal under the guise of "balancing out that bite I took of your potatoes".

-Flirtations with proscuitto-wrapped grilled asparagus, melon and carpaccio for wedding-related items. Its work, people, work!

All of that aside, I didn't really consider jumping back into the ring, so to speak, until just now. It may be the Ricotta. Oddly enough, I'd never tasted Pizza Hut until last week. Do you hear that sound? It is all my many years of steely resolve just evaporating. Steely resolve being inhaled into the vacuum of my Good Intentions, like so much herb-y, delicious, lightly coated in cheese, chunks of sausage-y pleasure pizza. Either that or the rumblings of protest from my stomach over being subjected to such torment on a Sunday.

Walking It Off

The scores' down, Lakers 111, Phonix Suns 118... me... one Fat Tire from getting sleepy...verry sleeepy. Since Mama and Papa Meepers are still in town (weather is, of course continuing fog/drizzle so they are going nuts over no beach time) I thought I'd do a quick follow-up to that last, rather tart, post. I've got a wedding (lovely, should be easy and fun) tomorrow, so I should be in bed, but my adrenaline is pumping and I already know I won't be sleeping for a few more hours.

Yesterday, my mom got done with hanging out with her friend(s) and came over to our house. I whisked her out of there, so she wouldn't start cleaning or organizing or giving me Fannie Farmer tips on how to boil water. Even she acknowledges, without reproach, that these things are just, "not your strong spot, Pip... just like I can't design a house or plan a wedding..or take up painting.." I do always remind her that the things I am good at STAY DONE. Also, no one will starve or die from a 'bad' painting or a less-than-perfect wedding. I always think that between the two of us, its as though Felix Unger gave birth to Oscar Madison.

We walked from our house down State Street, stopping and looking at shops, plants and cute houses like always, talking about nothing in particular. In my family, saying, "Let's go for a walk" is synonymous with saying, "Let's talk". There were no interuptions (thanks, cell phones) no one "dropping by" right at a dramatic moment, the freedom to be quiet and think. If a moment got overly tense, we could always divert our attentions to a vista, a park or a pressing need for a drink of water.

Some days I ask S to go for a walk and he always asks, "Where are we going?", and I usually toss back an irate, "for a walk, whatd'ya mean where?". Generally when I toss out a destination, he'll say, "Naaaaaaaaah... I don't wanna go theeerrrre... we should go to Oak Park."
Oak Park is a scant two and a half blocks from our house, not even enough time to get started talking and walking, much less have an actual conversation with any more subject beyond what to have for dinner.

On the way down State Street my mom and I went into Fashionique, a gem of a consignment store run by some old Carp. buddies of ours. They have amazing vintage, great brands and such. good. prices. I got two adorable skirts, two darling thin, zip-up hoodies (Chock Late brown and a nice leaf green) and an extra-long, extra-thin pink shirt for sixty bucks! Everything is like new and different or funky enough for my "trying not to look like Morticia Addams" resolution for spring and summer. I picked out an a-dor-able white skirt (linen-y cotton applique work) and another skirt (graphic cream and black) for my mom, she added an adorable black and cream top from Bannana. We spent so much time chatting and trying on clothes that we never made it down to the bead store we'd set out for in the first place.

S. picked us up, we ran home and changed into cute going-out clothes and ran to Montecito to pick up my dad from Cafe del Sol and headed for Opal. The 'dinner scene' my dad had decried the night before turned into "The best service, staff, food we've had in FOREVER!", complete with a gratis creme brulee, courtesy of the owner and my favorite bartender, Esteban*. Both of those gents, plus another one of the waiters, sat down and chatted with us - my parents were out of their heads with the love we got - apparently the service is bad to excruciating in the Aspen area, despite all the money that flies around. My mom wrote them an adorable note on their chalkboard, my dad rhapsodized over the food and (of course) tried dorkily to flirt with the waitresses. They both were surprised at how "reasonable the prices" were for how tasty/organic/nicely presented it was. All in all, it was a smashing sucess - so delectable that we had to take a walk after dinner.
(*He's one of the top five bartenders in Santa Barbara, and will only be at Opal for two more weeks. After that, you'll find him at Stella Mare's. I'm just bummed I won't be able to walk to the best rosemary lemon drop around anymore!)

Dinner Menu, in case you were wondering:

Appetizer:
-Phyllo-Wrapped Tiger Prawns over shredded green with a light coconut curry dipping sauce.
Wine: Foxen Cabernet, 2002
-Paella (me) with prawns, scallops, mussels, Andoulaise sausage and chicken. Heaven!
-Chicken-Wild Mushroom Enchilades (mom)
-Wild Salmon with...something and whipped potatoes (dad)
-Filet tips and a spicey cream sauce, pasta (S.)
and...
-Creme brulee. Mmmmm

Walk it off, indeed

When Chinese Food Attacks

The result of the deeee-licious Chinese food we ate this evening: The List Monster struck. Also the Recipe Monster. So, to soothe the savage Monsters (not beasts), I give you Todays' Ten Things:

Ten: Number of bright pink, (extra orange flowers on big toes) Scrumptious coconut-mint scented and exfoliated toes that Chiada is now sporting. I didn't mention it, but I really should moonlight as a pedicure/massage therapist. For some reason, I don't do hands and nails nearly as well as feet/toes.
Nine: Number of complete (as in: all the way through) songs that have been played so far this evening.
Eight: How many Ginger Kisses* + glasses of wine + Red Tail ales have been consumed. So far.
Seven: Amount of dirty jokes that have been made. See: The Worst Joke Ever. Oh wait a minute. Plus one!
Six: Number of Jimmy Buffet songs we listened to on my Ghetto Blaster before any alcohol was consumed. This in honor of the fact that they are headed down to the Jimmy Buffet/Parrothead parking lot party in Irvine tomorrow. These are pictures from last years' lei-making/pre-party efforts.

Five: How many bar chords S. will teach Chiada this evening.
Four: The amount of extra seconds it would have taken to grab the orchids for the lei's at the first Trader Joe's we visited. Incidentally, also the number of people who screamed in the parking lot, in response to strangers who looked like the guy(s) from Rat Race
Three: Number of stops we made before we got to the correct Chinese food place and had the. best. Chinese. food. I've. ever. had. Since Chiada, S, her husband and I hadn't been to Ming Dynasty, and the food was excellent. Menu as follows:

Ming Dynasty Menu
Ginger Kisses (enjoyed at home) *
Won-ton Soup, chile sauce/Egg-Drop Soup
Egg Rolls, spicy mustard, sweet n' sour sauce
Paper-wrapped Chicken (feathers)
Fried Rice/Steamed Rice
Mongolian Lamb, onions (fur)
Almond Chicken with watercress, ginger, garlic (feathers again)
Stewed Beef, bamboo shoots, garlic and hot mustard (four feet)
Shrimp in Lobster Sauce (fish)
Dessert:
Fortune Cookies - Fortunes included: "Your passions often take over", "Your work enables you to use your creativity", and the Antacid/Digestive Aid of your choice.

Two: Number of feet I jumped backwards when I saw the GINORMOUS Black Widow (maybe) hovering right where I had my hand in the darkness of the garage. Bleeauuaahhhhh!
One: Number of Jimmy Buffet/teen/spoof movies we tried and failed to rent.
Seven Million: Amount of flakes falling off my chin per second.

*Ginger Kisses by Meepers
-Bacardi Black
-Ginger ale
-Fresh strawberries
-sugar
Rim glasses with strawberries, sugar, fill with ice.
2 parts rum
1 chopped strawberry
1 part Ginger ale
Mix roughly and serve.

Worst Joke Ever? Dude, I have a secret fear that my Mom might some day, learn how to use the computer, look me up, read this, and be completely offended. Email me if you really want to hear it.

File Under: lists

Inside Voices

Last night, I got finished with a client meeting and Christie rang me to say that they (Jer, the kids, ... the Family) were all down at Pascucci. (For those of you not familiar - here's my favorite review of the place:

Pascucci's...mmmm

The great thing about Pascucci's for those with kids (read: 98% of our friends) is the noise. The place is cavernous, with high arched ceilings, little brick enclaves, private, velvet-lined booths for parties of two and larger tables and booths for bigger parties. The kitchen opens up to the one of the two bars, and on Saturday nights there's a modern flamenco (like Gypsy Kings) band. Everything from the tables (mosiac tiled with wrought-iron or copper-wrapped edges) to the breadbaskets to the chandeliers are solid and weighty. Should you visit without children, these details might be appreciated for their aesthetic value....but bring a couple of the under-seven set with you and then you'll be singing the praises of the designers.

We sat down to my favorite table in the whole place - its a tile-covered oval that cozies up to a half-booth. If you look up, you see an arched brick ceiling with a chimney style skylight. Seated in the middle of the place, so you're surrounded by all the noise of everyone in the place.

This detail was really wonderful when little Bella looked at me, flipped upside down, dove under the booth with Chad, and munched contentedly on the cheese (alone) from her pizza. The big kids, I mean, the adults, laughed at their antics while trying to keep them from setting the garlic bread on fire or climbing up the back of the booth and diving onto the table.
However, it proved even more useful when she looked at me and shouted in her tiny-loud voice, "You tooted!" and dissolved into giggles. Just for the record - I did not toot. We sipped our Sangiovese and munched our garlic bread, Insalada Pascucci, manacotti while attempting to keep the kids in the upright position. "Attempted" being the key word, here.

A couple minutes after I took these pictures, S. joined our party, just in time for a deeply sinful wedge of flourless chocolate cake and raspberry coulis (four forks, please!). Just prior to his arrival, Bella dove back down into the cushions and returned triumphantly grasping something small and brown.
She held it up, waved it at me and said, "Dis is fer...youuu!" across the table.

"Thank you, Bella...its a guitar pick - wow, are you going to give it to Scott?"

"YEAAAHHHH!" (top of lungs)

"Wow! How nice of you to think of him - do you want him to play the guitar for you later on?"

"YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" (enthusiasm such as should really be saved for football matches, Olympic time trials and Lottery wins) I don't remember if she's ever actually seen him play, but she's certainly made the connection that S. = Music.

S. arrived and I slid into the booth with Christy and the kids and she gave me a sticky-faced smile and reminded me that, "dis is fer your old dad."

Really, that one alone was enough to make me sing the praises of Pascucci's.

Something had to cover my howls after that one!

Something's Fishy Here

Lest anyone think me cruel to animals, I'd just like to comment that S. and I went for a lovely long walk on the beach yesterday. He found a little octopus that we thought was dead, until I saw a tentacle move, so I gently scooped him up and put him in a sheltered tidepool. We checked back on him on our return, and although he didn't look one hundred percent healthy, he wasn't being torn limb from limb by voracious seagulls - likely a plus in his book. We stood and watched him for about ten minutes, marveling at his sleek mantle and killer color/pattern-changing skills and watching him work his little 'jet packs'.

Larger octopi have been known to display problem-solving skills, such as opening containers to get fish, or using fish they are fed as bait to catch fish they do want to eat. They even seem to have a sense of humour - one kept in an aquarium with other tanks in its sight would climb out at night, cross the floor, climb up the side of the tank. Then he'd catch and eat his fish, and climb back into his own tank, and assume an "innocent" position in the bottom. I actually think they are rather adorable - something to about the big eyes or the funny legs-as-hands-as-feet. Herein lies the problem - which I was discussing with S. as we strolled the beach yesterday.
(Shameful confession to follow): I.... looooove... bouillabasse. Not just bouillabasse, but cioppino, fish stew, whatever you want to call it. I've had it in all kinds of places, some that tasted fishy, others that had the great spicy, saffron-y, tomato filled, seafood tang. Gobbled every last little member of the squid/mussel/fish family up with relish (and bread). So what to do, I ask you? I mean really, this* makes me hungry ...but I would happily go round and find and scoop these little guys up and gently place them back in tidepools all day.

Do you have any (small, not life-threatening) such dilemmas? Share. Discuss. Please! Or if you like, please savor the Htapothi Krasato.

*OCTOPUS IN RED WINE (Htapothi krasato)

1kg (2.25lb) young octopus
8tbsp olive oil
350g (12oz) small onions or shallots
150ml (0.25pint) red wine
6tbsp red wine vinegar
225g (8oz) canned tomatoes, roughly chopped
2tbsp tomato puree
4 bay leaves
2tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
black pepper
DIRECTIONS
------------------------------------------------------------
First clean the octopus.  Pull off the tentacles, remove and discard
the intestines and the ink sac, the eyes and the beak.  Skin the
octopus and wash and scrub it thoroughly to remove any traces of sand.
Cut it into 4-5cm (1.5-2inch) pieces and put it into a saucepan over
medium heat to release the liquid.  Stir the octopus until this liquid
has evaporated.
Pour on the oil and stir the octopus to seal it on all sides.  Add the
whole onions and cook them, stirring once or twice, until they colour
slightly.
Add the wine, the vinegar, tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaves, oregano
and several grindings of pepper.  Stir well, cover the pan and simmer
very gently for 1-1.25 hrs, checking from time to time that the sauce
has not dried out.  If it does - and this would only happen if the
heat were too high - add a little more wine or water.  The octopus is
cooked when it can be easily pierced with a skewer.
The sauce should be thick, like a runny paste.  If any of the liquid
separates, remove the lid from the pan, slightly increase the heat and
stir until some of the liquid evaporates and the sauce thickens.
Discard the bay leaves and stir in the parsley.  Taste the sauce and
adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serve, if you like, with rice and a salad.  A Greek essential is
country bread to mop up the sauce.

SERVES 4-6.

Recipe Hour at the Chock

First of all - stormy mountains and the Santa Barbara Mission, which is actually just down (about seven blocks down) from my house. Whilst I don't like the fact that it was built (originally) on the backs of the poor indigenous Chumash indians, it is a lovely-looking building.

So - I gave myself a five and a half year late wedding present - or, let's say, an early six year anniversary present (Note to Self: Anniversary Six, not till June, don't get your knickers in a twist over what to get the Boy Who Has Everything. Yet.), shall we? I find that the Big Number Six's traditional present is "Iron", so the fact that I FINALLY started using my cast iron pans? A nice bit of accidental dovetailing.

The biggest motivation here, of course: Corn Bread. Say it with me: Corrrrrrn Breeaaad Mmmmmm. Not that dry, overly fluffy, have-to-drink-a gallon of water to re-hydrate your mouth crap. Also not the inch-tall, weighs-as-much as the pan, salty stuff that begs for a big of seasoning. No, no.... when I think "Corn Bread" - THIS is what I'm talking about. Check it:

-1/2 cup, minus 2 TBSP. butter
-2 eggs
-1 cup buttermilk
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 cup yellow cornmeal
-1 cup flour
-One ten inch, cast-iron pan*, a whisk and a spatula
*bonus: You only have one dish, from mixing to serving. That is what I'm talking about - what with no dishwasher and all, I appreciate the simple things.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Preheat oven to 375

1) Melt butter in the cast iron pan over low heat. Remove from heat, add sugar, stir until dissolved.
2) Combine buttermilk and baking soda in a 2-cup measuring cup (so that it has room to "bubble up" somewhat)
3) Add eggs to sugar and butter, stir well.
4) Alternate adding buttermilk, cornmeal and flour, Whisk/stir well; scrape sides of the pan clean, so the edges don't burn.

5) Bake in a PRE-HEATED (not me yelling, the writer of the recipe capitalized this, knowing that I'd be stirring and go, "Meh..who cares if I wipe the edges off?") oven at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

I like it hot from the pan, with butter and honey and served with hot chile or soup, S. requested it for breakfast today, but I'd already given some away and eaten some of it with sausage for breakfast Yesterday. The early bird catches the .... cornbread.

Enjoy! I'd like to package it and send it to some of those Hollywood lollipop girls, that'd fix them right up.

As Aunty Mame once said,
"Life is a banquet, and most suckers are starving!"

Off to go read The Wind in the Willows" to S.

Glutton for Punishment

Yesterday was a very, very special treat all round - I'll tell you why:

Got to spend actual Time with my good friend Christie (no kids this week! Yeah for grandparents!) doing grown-up things. To wit: Shopping extravaganza (by which I mean, perusing, commenting and at times making fun of clothing, not actually BUYing it.) Drinking tea whilst it was hot, with breaks for ... absolutely nothing. More shopping, also (I can't QUITE recall...) a scandalous mid-week, mid-day martini. We had a brief break for my trip out to Costco to see Exactly How much More Blind I am this year than last year. Answer: More! Blind! ... and did you know that I can now read the labels on the items at the back of Costco from the front door? Now you do.

To celebrate their blissfully child-free state (temporarily, any rate) we walked down to

Opal

(see below for review) and met Christie and Jeremy. Naturally, I still had to wear three inch plus! strappy, thin heels, because ... truly feel that wearing cute shoes and a nice-ish shirt makes up for the fact I wear jeans everywhere. (Silly me!) Fortunately, no foot pain/sprains to report since one of my few maddd skilllz is the ability to more or less hike in the most ridiculously innapropriate footwear.

Dinner was Scrumdiddlyumptiosly good and included some or all of the following:

-Ginger/mandarin martini, large steak and killer sauce, veggies, etc
-Rosemary-infused lemon drop (I've made these at home to great applause) Phyllo-wrapped tiger prawns with curry sauce
-Bubbly, Paella including scallops, mussels, clams, andoulaisse sausage, chicken and possible light case of food poisoning. Yummy!
-Vino - Filet mignon with New York peppercorn sauce (extra sauce requested as it was so, so, so delicious) and taties, steamed veggies.
-Dessert: Two creme brulees, one a Jack Daniels chocolate (SO! Good!) and the other vanilla with berries. MMMMM!

I leave you to guess who got what. I'd go back there and have it all over again in a SECOND. Just not the after-effects, thankyouverymuch.

Some people just don't learn. Apparently, I am one of them.

Review Says:
Opal is big with the pre-theater and post-concert crowds in Santa Barbara’s diverse, colorful theater district, offering a varied and original bistro-style menu heavy on wine-friendly foods with eye-opening flavors. We love to start with the rich oba fish wrapped in prosciutto, served on a bed of soft purple potatoes, red and yellow cherry tomatoes and crab meat; or tiger prawns wrapped in shredded phyllo dough and served with a silken coconut curry dipping sauce and a salad of napa cabbage, Mandarin oranges and toasted almonds, an inspired experiment originally developed to celebrate Julia Child's 90th birthday. Among the gourmet pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven, we recommend the version topped with prosciutto, goat cheese, garlic and spinach. The main course lineup features the best-selling lemongrass-crusted fresh salmon filet, served with apple-and-orange-zest jasmine rice and a Thai curry sauce; and filet mignon prepared two ways, chile-crusted or herb-grilled. The wine list is one of the most impressive in town, with 300 served by the bottle and 40 poured by the glass. And the full bar features a long list of inventive cosmos and specialty grappas.

It actually IS that good, and the prices and portions are very decent. How nice!


Today's bonus: I saw six horribly squeeee!-inducing baby puppies (long soft hair Chihuahuas, NOT the horrid little bug-eyed vibrating kind) and a kitten (darling snub-nosed Persian) in posh pet shop in Montecito today, however was able to reason that paying $200.00 per pound for puppy is not an economical choice. We should all rejoice over that one!

Table Dances and Tacos

Remember how I said I've been painting furniture? That up there is a (bad) picture of the stool that I painted. Now, whilst I am somewhat proficient in the Doing Things that Do Not Matter or Help in the Running of my House- I'm not so much with the cooking bit. The crazy table is below - I still need to put a few coats of clear varnish on them both to protect them, but you get the general picture.


I'm not much of a chef - more like a short-order cook with the wrong order. But here is recipe that seems to be a crowd-pleasing hit. So I give you: Maya's Magical Tacos! I learned to make them at the knee of my mom, who is quite a genius in the kitchen and if I had one culinary wish, it would be to be able to duplicate her pinto beans. mmmmm beeeannnns...

They are sooo easy to make even one who is physically incapable of cracking an egg without getting shells in the yolk or boiling pasta without later cleaning up the stovetop, such as myself, can make them. So I wish to share with you in the bountiful ease that is this "recipe" and I use that term lightly, cause sometimes I just don't have something, and I don't use it.

Maya's Magical Chicken Tacos - More chicken and tortillas serves more people. This would probably feed 2 or 3 hungry people and about 4 not-so-hungry. Precision is my middle name.

-One Packet Lawry's CHICKEN, (not beef, but CHICKEN) taco powder. Note: Not optional, but can be substituted with the SPICY taco powder.
-2-3 frozen chicken breastsss (bebos is what we used to call them when I was a tiny tot) Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes and chop them up, just before cooking (duuuh!)
-1 large onion. NOT OPTIONAL Chop fine and divide into two parts. The larger part gets sauted with a little bit of vegetable oil until the onion starts to turn transluscent. Now add the chicken. Cook for a minute or 2 on high, than turn to medium-low and add about a cup of water and all the taco powder. Mix, cover and don't let it burn.
THAN ADD: 1 generous shmear of garlic paste, or some garlic powder, or chopped fresh garlic..whatever, just get some garlic in there.
-1 small handful per person of mixed greens (I use the pre-washed ones from Trader Joe's) and you can chop them up a bit. You could use plain old lettuce or whatever you have handy.
-Throw a few tablespoons of sour cream into a plastic baggie so you can strategically place it in little bits, instead of big blops.
-Grate a bunch of cheddar cheese.
-One or two flour (or corn, but I like flour better) tortillas per person. Fry in a skillet of veggie oil and set on some paper towels to blot.

Now, throw the meat, veggies, chopped onions, cheese, sour cream and whatever else you like on tacos in the shell. Make sure to eat them on a colorfully painted table for two. Or three. Or four.


Maya