The Fruit of Friendship

I was at the store yesterday and passed by a bin full of persimmons which quickly reminded me that yes, it is indeed "persimmon season."

I love persimmons!

For those who are wondering what a persimmon taste like, well, they have a flavor all their own. But if I had to make a comparison, I would say that they taste like a cantaloupe and an apple had a baby.

Although they look like tomatoes, they are actually firm (like apples) and sweet (like cantaloupe).

Persimmon season is now a bit bittersweet time for me.

I love the fruit, yet it brings back reminders of the "best friend" I once had, yet haven't heard from in almost a year now.

Her parents had a persimmon tree in their backyard and would graciously pick them for me. That is how and where I got my first taste.

As I just mentioned, I haven't heard from my former "best friend" in almost a year, so it's pretty much guaranteed that the only persimmons I will be enjoying this season are the ones I buy from the store.

As for the friendship, I have said this a number of times before. If she were to call me, or show up at my door today...I would welcome her with open arms and we could start over. That simple act would let me know that she actually does value me and our friendship, more than she values being "right" even in a situation where she was clearly WRONG.

And for those who are saying, "How 'bout YOU be the 'bigger person' and call HER, or show up at HER door?" (I know y'all are saying that), I did...a number of times. My attempts were ignored. Maybe I'm not the best person to say this because of course I'm a bit biased, but I think I'm a decent enough person that I don't have to beg for anyone to "be my friend." Maybe folks who know me would be able to attest to than better that I, with less bias.

So there ya have it. Welcome to "Persimmon Season!"

Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever tried a food that looked unusual and then ended up LOVING it?

Talk to me (while I go eat a couple persimmons)!

Til next time...

Mmm Mmm GOOD!

In my continuing quest to find the BEST Shrimp and Grits in town, my endeavors recently led me to a tiny spot in L.A. called My Two Cents. I gotta tell ya...these things were AMAZING. They were cheesy, flavorful, with plenty of shrimp, and the grits were cooked to PERFECTION.

If the place weren't so far from my home I would definitely be a regular patron.

A couple weeks ago I tried the Shrimp and Grits at Rusty Pot Cafe in Inglewood. Theirs were okay, but NOTHING like the ones at My Two Cents. The service got "two thumbs up" though.

So far, my FAVORITE Shrimp and Grits in L.A. have been from The Flavor Table. Again...another VERY tiny spot, but the food is MIGHTY, in size and in taste.

The ones I had in Las Vegas at Lola's were good, but my runner ups for FIRST PLACE still go to The Midnight Diner in Charlotte, NC where I first discovered that I even LIKED grits. As a child I never ate them because they just looked GROSS. All white and "gritty" looking in the pot. YUCK. And I hated the way that they would mold themselves to the shape of the pot after sitting for too long.

Oh...but once I saw what grits were SUPPOSED to look like, covered with cheese, cayenne pepper, bell pepper, plenty of shrimp, and a sauce that I can't even name (I just know it makes everything POP), THAT's when I became a FAN.

My other FIRST PLACE runner up is Bourbon House in New Orleans, LA (makes sense, right?)
OH EM GEE!!! When I was finished with theirs, I wanted to LICK THE BOWL!!!

Unfortunately, with all of the good, there is often "not so good." My least favorite Shrimp and Grits thus far (and hopefully there won't ever be any that I like less than these) were also in New Orleans (crazy, ain't it?!?) at The Ruby Slipper Cafe on Canal Street. The service was EXCELLENT; the Shrimp and Grits were not. *sigh*

I regret not having tried them at Oohhs & Aahhs in D.C. If theirs are as tasty as the fried chicken wings were (best I've EVAH had!!!) then I surely missed out. No worries, though. I'll be back in D.C. again, and when I'm there I'll head right on over to "U" Street to "get my fix."

So there you have it folks. My quest for the BEST Shrimp and Grits continues. And a "tummy-satisfying" quest it has been!

I'm hungry now, so...LET the DIALOGUE begin: For those of you who live in Los Angeles (or in the surrounding areas), let me know where YOU'VE found the BEST Shrimp and Grits. I'd be happy to go check 'em out.

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Bon Appétit!

Today for the first time in TWO months, I enjoyed my 45 minute lunch break in the comfort of my very own car. Oh how I've missed that. I love taking my lunch to the car, turning the radio on to a "talk-radio" station, and relishing 45 minutes of "ME time."

Before heading out to my car today, I "prepared" my lunch. That consisted of adding HOT water to my shrimp flavored "Instant Lunch"...known by another brand as "Cup Noodles." Do you know -- at this VERY moment, as I am writing this post, I just learned something new. I always thought these noodles in a cup were called "Cup O' Noodles", or may even "Cup of Noodles." I had no idea that they were called "Instant Lunch" or "Cup Noodles" (without the O' or of in the middle.) The things you learn...I tell ya!

Anyhoo...I digress.

So I added HOT water to my "Instant Lunch" and headed out to the car.

Now as I mentioned earlier, my lunch was shrimp flavored. As I was eating and waiting for bites of shrimp, I began to wonder just how many of these microscopic freeze-dried shrimp-like pieces (like the one pictured) does the maker LEGALLY have to include in each cup in order for it to be labeled as "shrimp" flavored.

In my ENTIRE cup, I counted THREE "barely there" bites of shrimp. Three very well may be the max that are required. We'll see tomorrow when I have another one. And then again the day after that.

Yes, I know that these noodles aren't the healthiest of choices as they are tremendously high in sodium. However, my finances are EXTREMELY tight right now, and will continue to be until I get my next paycheck. So until then, lunch will be noodles. Hey...if it's good enough for college kids, it's good enough for me.

And that leads me to "30 Days of THANKFULNESS: Day 22" - I am THANKFUL for food to eat even when my money is abysmally low.

Noodles may not be"fine dining" or even "average dining," but they are food in my belly -- keeping me from going hungry, so I will thank God for those noodles just as I would thank Him for a meal consisting of the largest king crab legs around. Oh how I love me some king crab legs...actually, ANY kind of crab legs for that matter. Maybe tomorrow I will imagine that my noodles are king crab flavored instead of what they actually are.

With that said, Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you have a favorite "go-to" meal when your money gets low?

When I was little, we'd have fried bologna sandwiches with that slit cut in the bologna so it wouldn't bubble up. May not have been much, but I was never hungry as a child, and I won't be as an adult. Even when the noodles run out, there's plenty of rice in my cupboard. For that too, I will be thankful.

Now talk to me!

Til next time...

Anybody Hungry?

Here recently, I made a decision to stop eating chicken, beef, pork and turkey. The only meat I now eat is that which comes from the water...fish, shrimp, oysters, crab, etc.

I did this about a year ago and it lasted for three months or so. Thought I'd give it another go and see if I can last twice as long (hopefully longer).

One thing's for sure...my new eating habits have caused be to be more conscientious about my meals. They truly take some forethought now.

For example, this morning I woke up and was ready for breakfast. In the past, I would simply fry up some bacon, scramble some eggs, and be good to go. Well...now that bacon is out of the picture I had to find a new companion for my eggs. I couldn't come up with anything. At least nothing that I had here at home.

Going forward I will be sure to stock up on veggies, like onion, bellpepper, maybe some mushrooms and cheese, so that I can make a nice veggie omelette.

As for today though, I was hungry and needed something that was simple, tasty, and fit within my new dietary guidelines.

I found it.

FISH...and veggies.

Yep.

I sauteed a piece of cod, threw in some frozen veggies (carrots, pearl onions, red bellpepper) and VOILA...breakfast was served.

Having an unconventional breakfast such as that one brought back memories of when I was a child and my parents would sometimes make "breakfast" for dinner. Yep...it would be 6:00 pm and we'd be chowing down on pancakes and bacon. As an adult, that has been one of my FAVORITE dinners (although I do waffles instead of pancakes).

Anywhoo...it got me to thinking. What are the "rules" for breakfast. Or are there any "rules" at all? When you get right down to it, breakfast is simply "breaking one's fast" as in..."You haven't eaten all night, so now you're hungry. EAT!" That's all that it is...really. What that first meal actually consists of shouldn't really matter. Should it?

How 'bout you?

It's 10:28 am in my part of the world so "breakfast" is still being served.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you had breakfast yet? If so, what'd ya eat?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

For Here or To Go?

Growing up in Southern California, I have become an expert at Mexican food. Tacos, Enchiladas, Tostadas, Burritos, Tamales...you name it...I LOVE IT!

I probably eat Mexican food more than any other cuisine. That's a bit of a shame when you consider the fact that I am a Black woman and know more about Mexican cuisine than I do about that of my own culture.

When it comes to "Southern food" I guess you could say I do all right. My kids LOVE my fried chicken, which I make about twice a year. My collard greens are pretty tasty. My mac and cheese is AMAZING, but I only make it on Thanksgiving...and thanks to "Joe", I recently learned how to make "melt in your mouth oxtails." He LOVES oxtails! The first time I made them for him, they ended up being more of a stew. That wasn't quite what I was going for, nor what he was used to.

Oh, but when my friend's Mom offered to teach me how to make them "the right way"...he devoured them, and rightfully so. Those things were GOOD!!! I've made them a few times now and they consistently come out DELICIOUS.

Now if I had to make authentic African cuisine, I would simply have to hang my head in shame. I know NOTHING about African cuisine...absolutely NOTHING. Perhaps I should start dining at some of the local African eateries. I'm sure there are some in Little Ethiopia which would be a great start, however, I'd ultimately like to try a variety of African cuisine. I'd better get on that.

So, as I was saying...I'm pretty much an expert when it comes to Mexican food.

Well a couple weeks ago my youngest daughter introduced me to pupusas (shown in the pic). I've lived in my neighborhood for at least seven years and have driven by the local Pupuseria a number of times. Never thought to go in because I didn't know what a pupusa was, nor was I interested.

When my daughter told me about them I decided to swing by and give one a try. Can I say...YUM!

I bought two "queso y frijol" and they were delicious. I'm still not 100% sure about what to do with the tomato sauce that comes on the side. To me, it doesn't have any flavor, but I pour it over the pupusas anyway.

Then there's the curtido (fermented cabbage). Reminds me of kimchi, but not as spicy and it has more of a "slaw" consistency. It comes with the pupusas, and it's good too.

So the past couple times I've gone, I've placed my order "to go." My pupusas come wrapped in foil and the curtido is in a baggie.

Today, I decided to dine in. Oh how I wish that I hadn't.

I ordered my pupusas and went to have a seat. I noticed on many of the tables, the curtido was already out in plastic containers. I thought that was a bit odd.

I purposefully sat at a table that did not have any container of cabbage, with the hopes that MY curtido would come with the pupusas. Well...so much for my plan. No sooner than I sit down, the waitress grabs the container from the table behind me and places it on MY table. It's like a "help yourself" kinda situation. Now you KNOW...the germophobe in me was about to have a coronary. Was I really expected to eat the curtido after God-knows-who had already handled it?!? Ugh!!!

My pupusas arrived and they looked sooo lonely. I can hardly believe what I did next...YES...I stuck the tongs inside the container and scooped out some cabbage from the bottom...hoping that that would be the safest. It tasted the same as when I get it in the baggie, but my germophobic mind was all over the place. Kinda hampered my dining experience a bit.

Will today's experience stop me from going back? Nope.

I will now simply place my orders to go so that I can have the curtido from the kitchen versus the dining tables. That's an easy enough fix...I think.

Oh, and for those wondering, "What the heck is a pupusa?", here's Wikipedia's definition:
"A pupusa (Spanish pronunciation: [puˈpusa], from Pipil pupusaw) is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick, handmade corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz, a cornmeal dough used in Mesoamerican cuisine) that is usually filled with a blend of the following:

cheese (queso, usually a soft cheese called quesillo found throughout Central America)
cooked and seasoned pork meat ground to a paste consistency (called chicharrón, not to be confused with fried pork rind, which is also known as chicharrón in some other countries)
refried beans (frijoles refritos), or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America)."

Now...Let the DIALOGUE begin: What's YOUR favorite ethnic cuisine...and have you ever had a pupusa?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

A pinch of this, a dab of that...

In my quest to get healthy and fit, I've had to re-think my lunch options. That pretty much means NO EATING OUT, and packing HEALTHY lunches for work. This has forced me to try some new things. My meal choices are fairly limited because for the most part, I'm a PESCATARIAN. I rarely eat chicken, beef, pork or turkey. I pretty much stick to fish, shrimp, crab, and oysters...anything that lives in water.

So for this week's lunch I decided to make tuna salad. I've never been a big fan of tuna, and when I do eat it, I'm a bit of a "tuna snob" and it has to be Albacore. Pricey? Yes. But I just don't like "chunk light."

Yesterday I made my way to the store and picked up some albacore, red onion, bellpepper, celery and spicy brown mustard. I came home and mixed that up with some garlic powder, relish and kalamata olives which surprisingly yielded a pretty tasty tuna salad.

You may have noticed that I left out in ingredient that most folks add to their tuna salad -- MAYONNAISE. I do NOT like mayonnaise...AT ALL. So I purposefully left that out.

Now I'm on a bit of a "tuna kick" and I'd love to "spice it up" a bit. Not necessarily making the tuna "spicy" because I don't like spicy food, but just experimenting with different variations of tuna salad. I already know that next time I want to add some green onion, and garlic hummus has also been suggested. There are just sooo many ways to go with this.

Here's where YOU come in...

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What's YOUR favorite tuna salad recipe?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Don't Eat the Meatloaf!

So I have this friend whose nails are always nicely done, although long, curved and a bit pointy.

I keep my nails fairly short and squarely rounded.

The fingernails brought back a memory of an incident that took place with a coworker years ago who invited a bunch of us to her house for dinner.

We get there and she had decided that she'd throw some burgers on the grill.

As I'm in the kitchen helping her prepare, I noticed her doing something to the patties that almost made me THROW UP.

She had long fingernails and the meat was getting stuck underneath.

I'm sure that you can guess what happened next, and you probably wanna throw up now too.

But just in case...let me help you out.

She scraped the meat from under her nails and mashed that stuff right back into the patty. HOW GROSS WAS THAT?!?

Needless to say, I only and chips and dip that night and passed on the burgers.

As a result of that experience, I have always advised my kids to NEVER EAT MEATLOAF MADE BY A WOMAN WITH LONG FINGERNAILS! Of course, this goes for hamburger patties too...but there's somethin' extra special about meatloaf and how you really have to get your hands all in it when making it. So yeah...meatloaf...no thanks!

Now...Let the DIALOGUE begin: What's that grossest thing you ever saw someone do while they were preparing a meal, and...if you are a woman...do you wear your nails curved or squared?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Baked, Boiled, Fried and...

Yesterday evening I took a trip to my local "big box store". I was only there for toilet paper. But I have recently figured out that the toilet paper is very strategically placed in the store. Do you know where they keep it? IN THE BACK OF THE STORE! That means that folks have to pass by EVERYTHING ELSE to get to it, and then pass by THE REST OF THE STUFF to get to the register. So going in for ONE thing and coming out with JUST THAT ONE THING is virtually IMPOSSIBLE.

They got me well before I got to the toilet paper. I was going up and down the meat aisle and right next to that are the yummy side dishes. Oh what a variety there is to choose from! So I looked at THIS, and I looked at THAT, and soon thereafter found myself pushing MASHED POTATOES around in my cart. MASHED POTATOES!!! I can't tell you the last time I even had mashed potatoes, but all of a sudden my mouth began to water at the thought of enjoying spoon after spoonful. And when I got home, I did just that. Heated those bad boys up and got MASHED POTATO WASTED!!!

NO, that's not something that I do often, and YES I know that mashed potatoes aren't "good for me". But I wanted them, and after the week I'd had...I NEEDED them.

Once they're gone, I'm sure that I'll be "over it" and won't have another spoonful of mashed potatoes for who knows how long. But for now...while they're here...I'm gonna enjoy them.

So how 'bout you...

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What is YOUR favorite "comfort food", and how often do you have it?

Talk to me!

Til next time...