eG Foodblog: CaliPoutine (2011) - Surviving and Thriving in the Land o

[CaliPoutine]

I'm loving all this, Randi! I've enjoyed each one of your food blogs and this is no exception. Oddly enough, I actually knew about the Santa Monica ex-pat British thing. My stepdad is English and when we lived in Reseda (1969) we used to go to a pub in Santa Monica called the Mucky Duck (long gone now) and eat fish and chips made with plaice - first time I'd ever tasted it. Your fish tacos look fantastic. I am in love with fish tacos, but have to make them for myself because I've never had one at a restaurant that wasn't too spicy (another supertaster here, I've been told - I like strong flavors, but can't do heat). I remember your Canada kitchen redo - I'm amazed at what you can accomplish in so much less space in California - quite a change in space and comfort. Funny what love does to you, huh ?

Thanks Kim, I was a bit weary about blogging again because of the change in my relationship and culinary life.

Funny you mention the kitchen. When I told my mom I wanted out of my marriage, she said " but you have such a great kitchen". I said " Mom, I cant stay in a bad marriage for the kitchen". I know we will redo our kitchen here within the next 5 months so its all good. Love is grand : )

[IowaDee]

I'm am so enjoying this. I grew up in your neck of the woods. Our first apartment was right across the street from Santa

Monica High School. I was too young to appreciate the wonderful foods available to me and too poor to buy them anyway. I

love going back and seeing all changes. Culver City and Venice are entirely new worlds and the restaurants are amazing. Off

topic a bit, but I seem to remember you mentioning that you were an eBayer in your last blog. Do you still do that? I find it almost too

easy to buy cookbooks from there!

[Shelby]

Enjoying your blog, Randi!

Do you think you'll ever get back into catering or anything like that? Do you miss it? I'm pretty sure you don't miss the Senior Center stuff, though lol.

I've never had a fish taco. They are something I've always wanted to try, but I haven't because my husband turns his nose up at them. He has it in his head that they are like a regular taco and he hates anything tomato (like salsa) with fish. Sigh. I need to show him a picture of yours.

Shelby,

I hate raw tomatoes, I never eat salsa( unless its mango salsa) so tell your hubby you dont have to have salsa with fish. Can you get corn tortillas where you live? A fish and chips shop opened on the corner in my former town in Ontario. I bought some of the fried halibut, brought it home and made fish tacos out of it( with corn tortillas that I brought back on a previous visit to Cali). I brought one up to the shop so the owner could try it, but he just didnt get it at all. LOL. I couldnt even buy corn tortillas in Exeter, I think most ppl who dont know about them or havent been exposed to them, prefer flour. We have quite a few Mexican markets here that make their own tortillas, I could eat them warm out of the package and be very happy.

My catering days are long over. I only did it in Ontario out of necessity. I have psoriatic arthritis and its really hard on my joints to be cooking non-stop. The arthritis is the reason I went back to college and law school, because I couldnt cook anymore. I do still bake a few times a month. For instance, I baked my aunt and uncle an anniversary cake last month, I baked a few things for Rosh Hashana and I'm going to bake a cake this week for a "cakewalk". Anyone ever make a "boob" cake?

Whenever we go to my aunts for dinner or to a potluck, I always bring a few things. I belong to a few foodie groups and I'm throwing a big retirement party for Julie next month. She's also in the airforce reserves and she is retiring from that after 27yrs. All those things satisfy my cooking needs. Oh, I also bake stuff for Julie's work a lot. Cops will eat anything, as long as they know where it came from. LOL.

I can't get the "good" kind of corn tortillas, but I can get them. I'm definitely going to make these...I just won't tell hubby what he's actually eating LOL.

I'm sorry about your "Arthur" as I call it. I have a tiny bit in my hands already, but nothing as severe as yours....I can imagine how hard it is to cook.

I've never made a boob cake, but I've eaten pasta shaped like boobs before...

[CaliPoutine]

Lunch today

I had the chicken mushroom pastry thingy from The Tudor House. I forgot to mention that they cost 3.25. It was very flaky, made me wonder if it is made with lard. I had some knudsen cottage cheese on the side. I was very, very thirsty a couple hours after eating this.

Dinner tonight is a repeat of last night for me. I'm making Julie a copycat of the salad we had the other day. I went to Sprouts today and bought Organic romaine hearts( a package of 3 for 1.50). I also got organic celery for 1.50. Everyone says that groceries are so expensive in California, but I havent really found that to be true. Maybe I just know how to shop.

Morning iced. I told you, I have a lot of those tumblers.

I remembered another thing I miss from Ontario. Liberte yogurt. I can find it here at Whole Foods, but not the big canisters and not the lowfat variety.

[CaliPoutine]

I'm am so enjoying this. I grew up in your neck of the woods. Our first apartment was right across the street from Santa

Monica High School. I was too young to appreciate the wonderful foods available to me and too poor to buy them anyway. I

love going back and seeing all changes. Culver City and Venice are entirely new worlds and the restaurants are amazing. Off

topic a bit, but I seem to remember you mentioning that you were an eBayer in your last blog. Do you still do that? I find it almost too

easy to buy cookbooks from there!

I went to Santa Monica High School. I remember walking to Tommy's on Pico for lunch sometimes. Everytime we go back to Santa Monica, I see another restaurant I want to try. Yesterday, I saw 3 places that I put on my list.

Good Memory. We ebayed a lot. My ex would go out yard saleing( sp?) and I'd list and ship from Michigan. A lot of the items were sold were vintage kitchen items. For instance, we sold a vintage le crueset pate terrine, a vintage Le Creuset hot chocolate pot, various copper pots and those metal ice cube trays. Those ice cube trays were the start of our ebaying. I dont sell anymore, I dont have the time and I cant find those great bargains at yard sales/thrift stores/rummage sales anymore. Most of the people we sold to were in California. The last time I went yard saleing, I bought a vintage armetal platter for 2.00. I ended up keeping it because I left so many of my kitchen servingware back in Canada.

[Darienne]

I remembered another thing I miss from Ontario. Liberte yogurt. I can find it here at Whole Foods, but not the big canisters and not the lowfat variety.

I'll raise my spoon to you, CaliPoutine, tomorrow morning as I eat my (whole fat) Liberte yogurt from the large size container.

[CaliPoutine]

Dinner tonight.

I pan seared some chicken cutlets for J's salad. She enjoyed the salad a lot, she said it tasted just like the restaurant. I did use their dressing.

[Peter the eater]

I'm catching up on another great Calipoutine eG Foodblog. Thanks for sharing!

I very much like the look of those fish tacos. Nobody makes them out my way which is damn shame. Only time I've had one was in New Hampshire and the vendor said he was trying to emulate the Tacos de pescado from a beachside restaurant in LA somewhere. What I remember most is the crunchy corn shell with grilled Mahi-mahi inside with lots of sriracha mayo. Does that sound traditional?

[CaliPoutine]

I'm catching up on another great Calipoutine eG Foodblog. Thanks for sharing!

I very much like the look of those fish tacos. Nobody makes them out my way which is damn shame. Only time I've had one was in New Hampshire and the vendor said he was trying to emulate the Tacos de pescado from a beachside restaurant in LA somewhere. What I remember most is the crunchy corn shell with grilled Mahi-mahi inside with lots of sriracha mayo. Does that sound traditional?

Hi Peter,

The fish tacos served out here are mostly deep fried( mahi mahi or halibut) in a soft corn tortilla( usually two tortillas, one on top of another, not fried), with shredded cabbage, a white sauce and a squeeze of lime. Sometimes they add salsa.

The very first fish tacos I ever tried were from The Reel Inn( used to be on 3rd street promenade and one in Malibu). They added cheese to the tortilla, which they melted and grilled the fish. I cant remember much else about it, except that I loved them.

There is a fast food chain out here called Rubios. On Tuesday, their fish tacos are 1.50. They used to be 1.00, then 1.25. I can't stand them. The tortillas is hard and the fish looks like a fish stick.

[CaliPoutine]

Breakfast.

My version of Migas. Torn corn tortillas, eggs( in my case, 1 whole egg, 2 whites), red onion, black japonica rice, spinach and some leftover chicken. Also topped with some "authentic Mexican cheese"( a blend from Sargento). It looks like crap, but it was good. Lots of protein, so It will keep me full for awhile. When I do it again, I'll leave out the spinach. Too strong.

Today is Officer appreciation day at Julie's station. Local businesses bring in food for all the officers. Breakfast, Lunch and dinner. I asked her to take some pics. She said she thinks one of the businesses might be Outback( chain steak house restaurant).

Edited October 12, 2011 by CaliPoutine (log)

[heidih]

The migas look and sound good to me. Was the rice leftover? I have not explored the colored rices other than brown. Can you describe the taste and texture as well as how you have been using it?

I may have to head around the corner to Bed, Bath & Beyond to check out those tumblers

[CaliPoutine]

The migas look and sound good to me. Was the rice leftover? I have not explored the colored rices other than brown. Can you describe the taste and texture as well as how you have been using it?

I may have to head around the corner to Bed, Bath & Beyond to check out those tumblers

Yes, the rice and spinach were leftover. I was going to make a quiche with a rice crust( a recipe from a Culinary Mystery Novel), but I didnt get to it. The rice is nutty and chewy. Similar to brown, but with a bit stronger flavor. I cant remember the last time I used it. I was looking for brown in the pantry and I came across that.

Make sure you use a 20% off coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond. Those cups range in price from 14.00-19.00.

[Toliver]

I remembered another thing I miss from Ontario. Liberte yogurt. I can find it here at Whole Foods, but not the big canisters and not the lowfat variety.

Talk to the Whole Foods manager and see if they can order the larger containers and/or the lowfat variety. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Thanks for blogging again!

[ScottyBoy]

There is a fast food chain out here called Rubios. On Tuesday, their fish tacos are 1.50. They used to be 1.00, then 1.25. I can't stand them. The tortillas is hard and the fish looks like a fish stick.

They have crept all the way up here to NorCal as well. I went once...done with that.

Always lame when a chain restaurant claims something so sacred like a fish taco and screws it up.

Finally went into a certain chain that claims "worlds best hamburgers".............bleh. I'm starting a class action lawsuit

[andiesenji]

The migas look and sound good to me. Was the rice leftover? I have not explored the colored rices other than brown. Can you describe the taste and texture as well as how you have been using it?

I may have to head around the corner to Bed, Bath & Beyond to check out those tumblers

Yes, the rice and spinach were leftover. I was going to make a quiche with a rice crust( a recipe from a Culinary Mystery Novel), but I didnt get to it. The rice is nutty and chewy. Similar to brown, but with a bit stronger flavor. I cant remember the last time I used it. I was looking for brown in the pantry and I came across that.

Make sure you use a 20% off coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond. Those cups range in price from 14.00-19.00.

That quiche with rice crust sounds lovely. Which culinary mystery? I love them.

I'm certainly enjoying your blog. It is reminding me of all the things I miss since moving up here. It was so easy to jaunt over the hill to Santa Monica and West L.A. (and points further south and east) when I lived in the valley. Now it takes most of a day for a round trip. Sigh!

[CaliPoutine]

Lunch today was at the hospital. I figured if they're going to bill my insurance company 100 grand for my treatment, I might as well eat the lunch. Oh, yeah, thats another thing I miss from Ontario. Free health care.

I could chose from meatloaf or chicken alfredo( with peas and carrots). I could also chose something from the grill. I got a turkey burger with cheese and fries. They gave me dessert, I had 1 bite. It was so rich, it was not a cake, rather a very dense mouse.

Later on, I ordered a fruit plate. It looks a lot better than it tasted. The melon was hard as a rock.

Its 100F today, really hot and I'm exhausted. I stopped at Whole Foods on my way home and got a piece of baked chicken and some sides from the hot bar. On Wednesday, the hot bar and the salad bar are 5.99lb( regular 7.99). Julie is having dinner at the station tonight.

Edited October 13, 2011 by CaliPoutine (log)

[CaliPoutine]

The migas look and sound good to me. Was the rice leftover? I have not explored the colored rices other than brown. Can you describe the taste and texture as well as how you have been using it?

I may have to head around the corner to Bed, Bath & Beyond to check out those tumblers

Yes, the rice and spinach were leftover. I was going to make a quiche with a rice crust( a recipe from a Culinary Mystery Novel), but I didnt get to it. The rice is nutty and chewy. Similar to brown, but with a bit stronger flavor. I cant remember the last time I used it. I was looking for brown in the pantry and I came across that.

Make sure you use a 20% off coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond. Those cups range in price from 14.00-19.00.

That quiche with rice crust sounds lovely. Which culinary mystery? I love them.

I'm certainly enjoying your blog. It is reminding me of all the things I miss since moving up here. It was so easy to jaunt over the hill to Santa Monica and West L.A. (and points further south and east) when I lived in the valley. Now it takes most of a day for a round trip. Sigh!

The quiche is from Crunch Time( by Diane Mott Davidson). Its called florentine quiche and has cottage cheese instead of half and half. Julie wont eat it, so I was going to make half a recipe. I just didnt get around to it.

Sometimes it takes most of the day for me to get to Santa Monica too. On Monday, there was a car accident and it took almost an hour an a half to get home. If I can leave the westside by 2pm, I'm usually home in 30-45min. Next time you're in my neck of the woods, let me know and we can have lunch.

[robirdstx]

The quiche is from Crunch Time( by Diane Mott Davidson). Its called florentine quiche and has cottage cheese instead of half and half.

Hi Randi,

Enjoying your blog! I'm currently reading another of Davidson's culinary mysteries - a friend gave me a whole box full of her books. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but my friend has and she said they worked well.

[CaliPoutine]

Any Kitchen Nightmare fans? Julie and I and our friends are going to be on in 2 weeks. The episode is Burger Kitchen. I can't wait to see how it was edited, because the food wasnt that bad( we went before the restaurant had the Gordon makeover). We did have some issues, so I'm sure we'll be on the episode. The cameras were in our face a lot.

[heidih]

The quiche is from Crunch Time( by Diane Mott Davidson). Its called florentine quiche and has cottage cheese instead of half and half.

Hi Randi,

Enjoying your blog! I'm currently reading another of Davidson's culinary mysteries - a friend gave me a whole box full of her books. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but my friend has and she said they worked well.

This all sent me to Amazon to order the few I have not picked up at library sales - though not the newer ones out only in hardback - Kindle is looking good. I've not tried the recipes but have used some of the concepts and they are a great way to relax (or as my kid says "chillax" - chill out and relax)

[CaliPoutine]

Dinner last night.

I picked up this baked chicken breast and some mashed and corn. This was around 5.00. The chicken was dry. The dogs were happy In hindsight, I should have just picked up some salad. That meal had too many carbs for me. My blood sugar was higher this morning than it has been all week.

Breakfast today.

Julie had cherrios( she's off today) and I had 2 scrambled eggs with a laughing cow light cheese wedge. I also had 2 small pieces of onion rye( from the freezer)with light cream cheese. The bread is from Bea's Bakery in Tarzana. When I have a craving for rye, thats where I go. They have really good Black and White cookies too. Julie is addicted to those. I'm glad we live about 30 miles from Bea's.

[CaliPoutine]

Cant forget my morning iced.

We're going out to a local Mexican place( not a chain) for lunch. Not sure whats on the dinner menu yet. I have to pick up some buttermilk for the boob cake, so dinner might come from Trader Joe's.

Some of you might remember that I'm diabetic. I'm currently participating in a clinical trial for a drug that is already on the market, combined with insulin. I have to be careful regarding carb intake so as not to have too high or too low of a blood sugar. I only take the injection at night. Previously, I was on Byetta. Byetta prolongs gastric emptying so you stay full longer. When I first started Byetta years ago, I was so nauseous that I didnt eat much and lost 35 lbs within 4 months. This new drug makes me feel full too, but I'm not at the full dose yet.

We are heading to Long Beach tomorrow for the weekend(we're dogsitting). I think I'm going to make a reservation @ At Last cafe. An awesome restaurant that has been featured on Diners, Drive Inns and Dives. Saturday night we're using a groupon for an Italian place in Belmont Shore. I might do some baking while I'm at my aunts, she has a great kitchen for cooking/baking.

[heidih]

Just saw your Yelp review of At Last - sounds like something my friends and I should check out. We are adamant about supporting the independent diners.

This will be the 3rd Sunday of the month so the Antique & Collectible swap meet will be going at Veteran's Stadium next to Long Beach City College. Have you been? Lots of kitchen collectibles - sometimes even a bargain like these gorgeous bowls I posted about. We will head to Dale's Diner after. (Cajun burger for me, Loafer for my friend and Grilled Cheese for her veg sister).

[CaliPoutine]

Just saw your Yelp review of At Last - sounds like something my friends and I should check out. We are adamant about supporting the independent diners.

This will be the 3rd Sunday of the month so the Antique & Collectible swap meet will be going at Veteran's Stadium next to Long Beach City College. Have you been? Lots of kitchen collectibles - sometimes even a bargain like these gorgeous bowls I posted about. We will head to Dale's Diner after. (Cajun burger for me, Loafer for my friend and Grilled Cheese for her veg sister).

Thanks for reminding me about the swap meet. I think we will check it out. If you're free on Friday and would like to join us, let me know. I'll call this afternoon for a reservation.

Now I have to go check out Dale's diner.

[Mr Holloway]

Great blog CaliPoutine

You will be happy to be in California

Ontario is starting to get cold

Shane

Edited October 13, 2011 by Mr Holloway (log)