F.L.E. Mealz

I worked alongside chef Paul of F.L.E. Mealz (Fingr Lickn Eatz) a few years ago, so not only can I attest to his impeccable his culinary skills, but his work ethic and passion for food and his family are paradigms for a happy life. It is a pleasure to finally get a taste of his creations now that he has his own business. Not only does he deliver his food himself, but he follows all the Covid -19 protocols from masks to gloves.

The best part of the food he delivers is freshly made from quality ingredients, and at such affordable prices, you will want to hire him as your personal chef! The portions are generous, the flavors are on point, and he offers a welcome break for me by feeding me when many of my favorite restaurants are on restricted days/hours and I get burn out cooking so often.

I didn't understand that his weekly menu is offered so that each item is available the corresponding day of the week it is listed, so when I sent him a DM to order, I prepaid for the delivery of 4 orders on different days just for convenience and to know that I would not have to cook at least 2 times that week :)

His turkey chili was loaded with beans and veggies, with balanced heat and flavor, which you could adjust with the sliced jalapenos and sour cream accompaniments, and cornbread on the side for only $12 a serving, the large container was a very filling and generous portion.

I love that he included freshly made salsa and cut limes with his chicken fajitas!

This portion was also $12 and I made 2 meals of the delicious beans, rice, and sauteed chicken, onions, and peppers, served with 3 corn tortillas per order.

I can't wait to see what he has on next week's menu so I can schedule in my delicious food delivery for next week!

Pizzana To Go

The health and safety of my loved ones, both in and outside the service and health industries, has meant that I have not eaten at a restaurant in nearly a year. To support my beloved friends and restaurants, I regularly get curbside pick up or sometimes opt for delivery (not using an app whenever there is an option). Today's post is on Pizzana, which I visited almost exactly 1 year ago today! My previous post was about dining there, but I have gotten curbside pick up of both the meal I ate there and the one in this post, and I wanted to encourage everyone to get curbside pick up of their favorite meals in this post. 

For food like pizza, many places now offer the option of uncut pies so that you can heat it at home in your oven. Do it. It makes all the difference to be able to eat a great pizza HOT!

The salads come packed with the salad dressing separate so the greens are not soggy and wilted by the time you get home:) I chose the tricolore for $15 with arugula, treviso, endive, cherry tomatoes, candied walnuts, red wine vinaigrette, and parmigiano reggiano.

The Bianca for $20 with fennel sausage fior di latte, shaved fennel and red onion  was superb, especially with the shaved fennel topping packed separately to top the hot pizza out of the oven.

The only mistake I made was only ordering one pizza and one salad for pick up ;)

Socalo Enchilada Kit

The next best thing to eating out is getting food to go from a favorite restaurant that makes it easy to make/reheat at home. Since Los Angeles still has indoor and outdoor dining banned, there remain only the choices of curbside pick up, or delivery via an app that charges around 30% to the restaurant for the use of their service. I have been opting for curbside pick up in the last few months because every dollar counts to help a restaurant survive until they can reopen. If you can pick up your food, please do.

The next best thing to eating out is getting food to go from a favorite restaurant that makes it easy to make/reheat at home. Socalo offers meal kits like chicken enchiladas for $35 to serve 2 (can be increased for as many people as you wish by 2) and it was a very generous kit that I actually parlayed into 4 meals!

A huge bag of freshly made chips were included

with an assortment of guacamole, salsa, and condiments for the enchiladas were also included with detailed instructions and an ingredient list.

Organic red rice,

baby gem caesar salad, 

and of course four organic yellow corn tortillas filled with Mary's chicken, poblano crema, wild mushrooms, roasted corn, and Mexican cheeses in an oven ready container. Each enchilada was so big and filling I could only eat one!

The meal reheated in my oven at home was convenient, delicious, and a great way to have an easy ready meal without having to cook! They offer other meal kits, so I think the next time I want a break from cooking, I will order a taco kit :)

Justice

 

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hope

 

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.

Desmond Tutu

Divine Delvigne

Delvigne sells their marvelous croissants and breads at both the Culver City Farmers Market and the Studio City Farmers Market, but they also have a Window on Venice Blvd that is open on Saturday from 10am-1pm if you want to pick up a French treat for the week-end. You may order ahead until 2pm for a next day pick up from their menu.

Since January is the time of year for my favorite, the galette des rois, I ordered ahead for a Saturday window pick up via their Instagram page and while I was there, got a few gigantic croissants for $4 each :)

They use grass fed butter from France and the flavor and layers belie their expertise.

The galette des rois for $35 was a very generous portion for 8 with delicate flakey layers surrounding the classic almond filling. The baker, Samuel, told me that he used an almond for the fève to help cut down on tooth damage that can result from using the old fashioned porcelain figurines ;)

I didn't need a paper crown to feel like a Queen eating this :)

Get It Right

 

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.

Oprah Winfrey

The Best

 

When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.

Helen Keller

The Reward

The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.

Jonas Salk

Be A Rainbow

 

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.

Maya Angelou

Socalo Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was unique in many ways, but the gratitude I feel for being healthy, safe, fed, and housed has thankfully been a constant. My favorite day of every year for the past 3 decades has been cooking with my friends the day before Thanksgiving for 30+ people, but to mitigate the spread of Covid 19 this year, we opted to forgo our annual gathering so that we may enjoy a healthy happy Thanksgiving in the future. 

Since Los Angeles has now shut down dining in on patios at restaurants again, a win-win was ordering Thanksgiving dinner from one of my favorite local restaurants, Socalo. Their Thanksgiving feast menu was available for a 2 serving minimum for curbside pickup the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so it was an easy choice to support a local business and forgo the holiday shopping madness of grocery shopping before Thanksgiving.

The turkey roulade included both light and dark meat, and the portions were big enough for me to make 4 meals out of the 2 servings!

with a bright citrus cranberry jam, savory oregano thyme gravy and perky chimichurri sauces on the side.

The lime yams were zesty and delightfully smooth.

The smashed fingerling potatoes and sautéed greens brightened up with some of the chimichurri on top.

I added a chocolate brownie just for good measure :)

About 30 minutes after eating I fell asleep :)

Banana Chocolate Upside Down Cake

I've never tried to make an upside down cake, but when I saw this Banana & Chocolate Upside Down Cake recipe, I decided to try and I'm happy to report my first one was not only lower in fat and sugar than one I could buy, it was delicious warm out of the oven!

It helps to have a glass pyrex baking dish so you can see the bottom after you bake it, and the brownie sized 2 Qt square pan made by OXO (and generously gifted by jean_de_paradis) was perfectly suited for this recipe.

I melted the melted butter and mixed in the sugar on stovetop over low medium heat just until bubbly, then waited for it to cool to room temperature

before adding the sliced bananas. I opted for long slices because that is how it looked in the recipe but it was difficult to arrange the slices to fit the pan without them breaking.

 

After mixing the dry and wet ingredients just until blended with my dough whisk (thanks again jean_de_paradis), the batter was quite runny before I folded in the chocolate chunks to pour over the bananas,

The batter spread very well in the pan, but I made sure the corners were all evenly filled before baking.

The end result was moist, light, and delicious!

The chocolate chunks add a nice surprise in every bite!

Sunday Supper from Lunetta

After cooking and baking all week, it is a nice treat to get prepared food for Sunday Supper and Lunetta provides a delicious menu option that changes weekly for everyone who wants a break from the kitchen.

This week's menu featured grilled organic sourdough with cultured butter,

kale caesar with parmesan, cherry tomatoes, and white anchovy dressing,

market grilled vegetables with red onions, eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper and aged balsamic,

Hugo's Wagyu beef lasagna

and chocolate fudge brownie with whipped cream fraiche.

Minimum order for 2 at $39 per person, well worth it for a the priceless time and energy saved so the pleasure of eating a great meal is the only focus before the work week starts.

Mayura in Honor of Madam Vice President Elect

Mayura is probably my favorite Indian Restaurant in Los Angeles, so the news that California Senator Kamala Harris is now the Vice President Elect, gave me a great reason to order copious amounts of food to be delivered in celebration of the first biracial Indian, Jamaican woman to hold this title. 

I ordered the Tandoori mixed grill of chicken and kebob for $16.95 and every morsel was moist and well seasoned. The lamb had a slight bit of heat, and there were plenty of onions underneath the meat to brighten up the grilled meats.

 One of the main reasons I craved food from Mayura was to get their vegetable biriyani for $11.95. It is a medley of fragrant that could be a meal in and of itself, or serve as a compliment to any of the other dishes.

To add some more vegetables to the mixed grill I got the Eggplant Masala for $11.95 and it was a tender aromatic rendition that is perfect as a main vegetarian course or as a side vegetable dish.

I also got the Chana Palak for $11.95 with spinach and garbanzo beans as a more filling vegetable dish. I could have eaten a completely vegetarian meal with this and the vegetable biriyani and been very happy.

I also ordered a side of Raita with cucumbers, onions, and carrots in yogurt for $2.50, in addition to the fragrant fresh side condiments they provided for the meal. It was a feast of colors and flavors that was both comforting and delicious; a fitting metaphor for the news over the week-end!

Pho Hue Oi Redondo Take Out

I've missed going to many places since Covid 19, but as places adapt to take out and curbside, I now make the drive to satisfy my cravings :) Pho Hue Oi in Redondo Beach was always my favorite Pho outside of Orange County and like any drug addict, my yearnings made me do whatever it took to get satisfaction!

I didn't know how well Banh Beo Chen A5, the steamed rice cakes for $9.95, topped with fried garlic, green onions, ground shrimp, and pork rinds would travel, but they held up very well.

I love their filet mignon rice plate C1 for $14.95 with onions and bell peppers, with rice and delicious spring green salad, and I added an egg roll as an extra indulgence. I love that they give you seasoned salt and lime with the dish to go!

The star of the place is their Pho P1, for $10.50, with a bit of everything from rare filet mignon, brisket, flank, tendon, and beef meatball. They make the best pho broth outside of Westminster!!!! Their take out is packaged perfectly, with the soup separate from the meat and noodles, the bean sprouts, basil, and chili pepper in another bag, and finally condiments like hoisin sauce and sriracha! 

It's the next best thing to eating there during these Covid 19 times. I am grateful for their diligence and flexibility as they make it work with their menu!