One Question...

SURF REPORT: Cardiff Reef: Small and fun, pretzels to scale.

Question for the men out there.

If it’s a first/second/third date, and dude du jour has already worked up the nerve to call me, why oh why do they not have a place or two in mind already when they call?? Is it asking too much to actually have thought about it first? Here’s the thing. I’m already caught a bit off my game because YOU CALLED ME. I’m way too busy trying to be cute and bubbly and giggle in all the right places… please oh please… don’t make me think on my feet trying to figure out your neighborhood, any place I might know out there, or whatever.

I’m a girl.

I need my freakin’ GPS to get down the street.

I don’t have a geographical restaurant expert that categorizes by zip code hidden in my purse. You’re the Boy Scout; cut me a break at least until the fourth date, huh?

Right.

Okay, so I thought I was doing fine with my version of this recipe (most stuff cut by 66%) until I did some addition (this veggie plus that veggie plus plus plus…) and multiplication (the rice). The original states its side dish for 4. Ya, 4 linebackers maybe! My version serves two heaping portions. Good news is that it’s super yummy cold the next day. Also super yummy reheated the next day.

Next day, have it with a glass of South Sea Magic iced tea from http://joysteaspoon.com//32-south-sea-magic.html Because OMG! So yummy. And you’re supporting a woman owned small business (Who just happens to be a good friend of mine but whatever!) Its damn good tea, especially on a hot spring day, with a slice of California Cutie in it.

SoCal Wild Rice & Corn Salad

INGREDIENTS:
- 1/3 c Long grain and wild rice mix (NOT the quick cook crap!)
- 1 Tbs Lemon juice
- 2 Tbs Olive oil
- ½ c White corn kernels
- 1/3 c Poblano chilies, diced up all tiny like Tiff loves
- 1/3 c Yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 c Yellow zucchini, diced ½”
- 1 small avocado, diced 1/2”
- 1 thin sliced green onion, green and white parts
- ¼ c Chopped cilantro (Excuse to use the fancy food scissors…love those!)
- Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour a glass of wine.
2. Put the rice on to boil and relax for about half an hour. Wild rice takes for freakin’ ever!
3. Pour another glass of wine and start choppin’!
4. Whisk 1 Tbs of the oil with the lemon juice and set aside.
5. Heat the other Tbs of oil in a skillet on MedHi, and add -IN ORDER- the Poblano chili, yellow bell, and corn. Grind a bit of pepper and toss around a bit. Remember when tossing in a skillet YOU MUST COMMIT TO THE TOSS. I realize some of you mens have commitment issues, but if you want this salad, you have to get over it for about 10 minutes.
6. Add zucchini and commit to the toss once again. Little bit salt and pepper here too. Sauté 6-7 minutes until just tender, scrape into a bowl and set aside, toss in lemon/oil dressing.
7. Add rice, toss. Add avo and cilantro, toss. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Take a sip of wine and appreciate your fine skillz. This is gonna be goooooood….

Welcome to My Madness

A friend of mine said to me recently “I always thought you should do something like that”… So here we are. Welcome to my madness. My creative obsession du jour is cooking! Tomorrow it may go back to jewelry, or dresses, or wooly pants for babies who only wear cloth diapers. Which, BTW, is an awesome idea…

Right. Back to the cooking.

So I am the 21st century June Cleaver of the bunch. The Stepford Wife. I should wear an apron and pearls every day, but that would just be overkill. I use all REAL ingredients… no fakey bleached, sugar free fat free taste free crap. Butter. Virgin olive oil. Heavy cream. Whole wheat everything. Raw sugar. To me, a little real fat and sugar is infinitely better than putting chemicals in your body. I repurpose/recycle/reuse/compost almost everything, I have a fairly decent herb garden and a small vegetable garden on my window sill. I live in Southern California… no way in hell I can afford property, but I do have cute little gardening pots, organic soil, and a whole lot of sun and ocean breeze flowing through my windows. Ya, I know, life is hard in paradise…

Here’s the thing: I have no man rushing home from the office because he’s late for dinner. No kids to smile adoringly from the kitchen table. (Right my marrieds? Isn’t that how it works in your houses? Hahahaha…) I’ll get to the point: I hear this so often… “This recipe looks so good, but who wants leftovers of the same thing all week??” Well, my darlings, if there is one thing Miz Sunshine is good at, its testing and faking recipies. And I am willing to share. Maybe you might have enough for lunch the next day, depending on what it is and your appetite, but for the most part… anything that looks good for 6, I can turn into Yummy, Party of One.

Books and books and magazines and printouts and scribbles of fabulous recipies… for 4 or 6 or 8, or -GOD FORBID- 12. Seriously? Who the eff cooks for 12 on a regular basis?

I cook for one.

Me.

Aside from the occasional contribution to the random family dinner gathering, ya… its just June Stepford.

So… you wont find a lot of meat here. A lot of veggie, fair amount of chicken, some bacon now and again… no cows and no fish. If you want cow and fish for one, I am not your girl. We got us here: pastas, chickens, soups, salads, veggies, potatoes in every form, baked goods and desserts YUM. I’ll warn you that the baked goods and desserts presented here most often would serve 12, but I leave those pretty much as is, and somehow I don’t mind eating them 12 times in a row… huh… weird…

Anyway. I hope you enjoy.

If ever you need the undoctored version of a recipe I use, please email me and I will point you in the right direction!

xo
Sunshine