Cooked: Paellissima Paella!

Hailing from Miami, I have been fortunate enough to have had some of the BEST Paella in the world! I especially ♥ how serious the Spaniards are about their national dish... conquistadors still those people! I've had so many different variations, nothing beats my girl Debbie LaCasa's mothers Paella Valenciana. My GOD that Woman is a beast in the kitchen. I've had some with Rabbit & all sorts of game some heavily influenced with seafood & even had one made with pasta! I have been making Paella for years in a cast iron french oven (I've named her Marilyn) & although I have NEVER had anyone complain about the flavor of my Paella, in fact there is plate licking involved, I have on more than one occasion been told my Paella isn't authentic, because I didn't use a Paella pan!!! 

Ok after the third time the hunt was ON to find a paella pan. Like I learned in the movie Boomerang "you have to coordinate". Originally I was looking for a aqua Dansk Paella pan, but REALLY wanted a Le Creuset one to keep with my cast iron obsession, unfortunately Le Creuset stopped making them a while ago. After a year I found an extremely rare vintage one & wouldn't you know it was in the aqua color I wanted (yes Jesus LOVES me) I named him Luke after Paul Newman's character in Cool Hand Luke. 

After a year of not making Paella I finally used this bad boy last night ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... don't like it, like my way better, less messy. It was like a Paella massacre on the stove & it required SO much more attention I was not accustomed to giving my recipe before. I don't know maybe I'll try it ONE more time, I'm not a quitter but the next time I have a Spaniard over that mops up their plate & has the audacity to say "it was AMAZING... buuuuuuuuuuuut that was not Paella" I'm afraid they & I have a "failure to communicate" & might end up with Luke being slapped in the back of their head!

Either way I will say it was hands down one of the best Paellas I have EVER made! The head on shrimp I got for $1.80 in Koreatown was stunning to look at & tasted so good. Trader Joe's seasonally brings back their Langostino tails... AH-MAY-ZING! This is the first time I have ever added it to "my" Paella I also didn't have any peas off hand & honestly am not a huge fan so I used Trader Joe's Soycatash... & I can't get over the the flavor it added to it & the surprise pieces of corn hidden in all the saffron rice was a nice touch. I also enjoyed the Soycatash had diced red peppers in it so that was less peppers I needed to dice. Speaking of peppers I also used Trader Joe's Melange A Trois frozen fajita peppers... it's BRILLIANT for Single cooks. 

You get 3 kinds of peppers, keep in your freezer so you won't be chucking peppers because you don't have any recipes that call for them & you can't beat that you are getting 3 capsicum flavors, already cut for less than $1.50... this makes me moist I tell ya (ew... I REALLY don't like that word). I made my own stock with chicken wings I grabbed from my neighbor & the chicken I had left over from my Au Gratin potatoes from the night before. 

I also used a fantastic seafood mix that had Crab, Octopus, Calamari, Clams & Mussels this was just PERFECT & I soaked the seafood in Chardonnay before cooking it & it REALLY made the seafood the star of the show. I was originally going to cook for my friend Dan & I but was SO excited about the deals I made, I made enough for My neighbor Keisha, her brother Matt, Dan had leftovers for himself & his roommate & I my girl Rena stopped by today for her taste. None of them Spaniard... damn! Must grab the Magic Eraser & tackle that stove *snort*♥

The Star Studded Cast:

Langostinos:

Seafood Mix

CAN'T BAH-LIEVE how cheap these skrimps were:

I will NEVER understand why people buy canned/box stock?!?! My house smelled like heaven!

Chicken & Chorizo


The Supporting Cast:

Aussie love for my HOT Aussie date ♥ ♥ ♥ finishing salt! This Aussie pink salt is ridiculous not because it's pink, but the delicate crunch & light iodine flavor is incredible AND it's PINK!!! The Paw Paw in the Olive Oil is to DIE for! I picked up the salt at Marshall's & the Olive Oil at Tuesday Morning, I can't stress enough going to close out stores (Ross, Marshalls, TJ Max, Tuesday Morning, Big Lots etc) stroll along their gourmet food section. Wonderful steals... I mean deals!

Platanos!





Messy Pan

Dan the MAN!♥

YUM!

Dan brought cookies, wine & "lollies" *swoon*

AND pretty flowers... his Mama did gooooooooood!♥

My dog Divi is a WHORE!

Who's Your Mama?: My FIRST ♥

Plenty of Women claim to ♥ shoes.. especially after Carrie Bradshaw said it, but I still have my VERY first love... I wore these from 4 months well into my first year on this planet. These must have been a gift to my Mother & her Haitian behind probably stuffed them with tissues to last. I wish my scanner worked so you can see how I LITERALLY grew up in these! I have lost heaps of stuff over the years (Hurricane, Arson, plenty of moves, breakups, loss in storage... HEAPS of stuff) but I still have these! I will ALWAYS have love for my patent leather Mary Jane's that in my very first steps in my walk of life are still here to remind me how precious every day is. I am SO glad my Mother did not have these bronzed & they will ALWAYS be my first ♥

Check out my FAVORITE Broads in the background at my Mom's wedding, wow she was a baby! I miss my Grandmother :*-(

TERRIBLE: My Obsession

I actually switched banks because I wanted the new Hello Kitty card. I was with BofA YEARS ago & I LOATHED them but I actually switched banks because of a debit card that has her face on it... TERRIBLE! I do ♥ it though!

Brain Food/Ab Work: Haitian V

I LOVE being Haitian... this kid is talented & KILLING me!♥

Cooked: I Made Paella...

nuff said... pics & story tomorrow. The flowers are lovely and Amazing ♥Dan Bennett♥ *swoon*♥

Brain Food/Ab Work: Best & Shortest Fairytale Ever

I posted this on my Facebook & was LIVING for the replies, I'll post my favorite reply by a VERY confused Man... enjoy♥

"Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl, 'Will you marry me?' The girl said, 'NO!' And...the girl lived happily-ever-after and went shopping, dancing, spa day-tripping, drank martinis, always had a clean house, never ran out of food, did whatever the hell she wanted, never argued, didn't get fat, traveled more, had many amazing lovers, didn't save money, and had all the hot water to herself. She went to the theatre, controlled the remote, never wore friggin' lacy lingerie that went up her ass, had high self esteem, never cried or yelled, felt and looked fabulous in sweat pants and was pleasant all the time.

The End"


Random Guy's reply: "In reality: Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl, "Will you marry me?" The girl said, 'No!', and the girl began her long spiral down into an emotional abyss. After a couple of years of endless first dates with losers she met on Match.com (her friends bought her a 5 year subscription) she lies in bed at night thankful that the sound of her eight meowing cats drowns out the crackling sound of her drying ovaries. She has also perfected the oh-so-grateful and surprised look every Christmas when her friends buy her a season of Sex In The City on DVD. After walking by a park one day and seeing the man who asked her to marry him (he was playing tennis with a girl who looked like Jessica Alba's hotter sister) she decides to go home and finish the half bottle of flat Champagne left in her fridge and a tub of haagen-dazs which the scale in her bathroom indicates she clearly does not need. She spends the rest of her days crying in her pillow asking herself "When do I get to be Carrie and meet my Mr. Big?"

I'm sorry Honey, you don't.

The End."

(I must admit this was very clever... WRONG but clever)

I'm not one to back away from a challenge: "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Who's this "Saint John" guy... am I being Punk'd? In reality ya'll are NOT all that! A far cry from what as Women we've been conditioned to believe since we were little girls on what a Man is supposed to be. Just a sprinkling of true blue & available Men & an endless sea of pain in the ass little Boys or "Guys" you are obviously the latter AND missed the very first line "A Guy asked" not a MAN! Anywho thank you VERY much for driving the pain in the ass aspect home! 

Champagne is NEVER flat in my wine fridge set at 42 degrees loaded with the French relics of potential suitors that didn't make the cut. I have the distinct pleasure to be surrounded by super sexy, brilliant, sincere, supportive Women we feed one another, encourage each other, always have drinks together & sometimes we'll indulge in an episode of Sex and The City... (that I bought for myself with my own money I'm not spending on some Loser I'm desperately trying to make feel secure on tacky lingerie & over the top presents to show my love or therapy because the SOB doesn't know how to communicate!) we watch it to stay optimistic but mainly for the fashion but now the Movie is on DVD we find ourselves laughing at how old & haggard they all really look after dealing with ALL those years of little Guy's insecure BS! 

Cat's are for wusses my pitbull Divi is the LOVE of my life & Jessica's hotter sister can have him & ALL his baggage! She'll get the stretchmarks from all the big headed kids she's pushing out & essentially raising by herself. She'll tire of his drunken rants, his insincerity, his daddy issues, his inability to keep it or get it up, the unnecessary farts in her face contact me for encouragement & tell me how much she admires my life & my rock hard ass, leave his ridiculous behind & keep the house, kids, 1/2 his money & botox the years of grief away! My Rockstar of a Man is still evolving as am I & when we're both damn good & ready are paths will cross.

The END"

Captain McDouchy Douche: "Hahahah, sorry... I promise I meant no harm and was just being funny. Cheers. Hahaha, I do love your response though.

Moi: "I know... I'm always up for a little tit for tat.... keeps me from Match.com

♥ "

If you read all of that you get a funny companion video too! It's a double dose of laughs... hell it's the day before Friday you DESERVE it

Brain Food/Ab Work: "Diddly Diddly Dee DA DA DA Know You Know... HA!"

Between My Headphones: Field Trippin' Soundtrack

My playlist today while I was enjoying the Market♥:
Beggin': Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Pilooski Edit)
Crap Kraft Dinner: Hot Chip
Naked As We Came: Iron and Wine
We All Fall In Love Sometimes: Jeff Buckley
Someone To Love: Kate Earl
I Cry: Lamb
Don't Speak: Leela James
The Beggar: Mos Def
Indulge Me: Olive
Everything In Its Right Place: Osunlade And Erro
This Mess We're In (ft Radiohead): PJ Harvey
Wish You Were Here: Radiohead
Tsunami: Res
No Surprises: Shawn Lee
Sign Your Name: Terence Trent D'Arby
Chocolate Jesus: Tom Waits
Overcome: Tricky
Creep (live Radiohead Cover): U2
Worth Repeating: Beggin' Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Pilooski Edit), my goodness I listened to this one day for 3 straight hours... it was like a descent into madness... SO MUCH FUN! I didn't repeat it that much today but a couple of times♥

TERRIBLE: Manouschka The Plant Killer Guerrier

YUP that's what I should change my middle name to... it's RIDICULOUS! I'm a murderer? I have absolutely NO green thumb & I should go to jail! I KNOW this about myself yet I still convinced myself when I found these beautiful floral plants at the 99 Cent Store "If they die, at least they're 99 cents" isn't that just TERRIBLE!!!! 

I'm a Monster I KNEW they were going to die but I bought them anyway because they were cheap... unbelievable. It was a stunning Spring-like day when I got these last month, Spring in February, that's like drugs so that's my excuse... yeah that's it. 

Speaking about TERRIBLE & the 99 Cent Store it's terrible that I can't go in there without full make up on because my ex goes to the gym next door... must be my punishment for being a plant killer, well that AND the fact he's face is about to be splattered on buses & billboards all over town in a month.... UGHHHHHHHH shoot me instead please!

Cooked: Potato Au Gratin Chicken & S-MAC-K N Cheese Cupcakes

As promised 411 on my dinner last night. AT EDB's I remembered this really funny story about this cute kid I met at a Talent & Modeling competition in NYC when I was like 14. There was a commercial competition & he had Arnold Drummond cheeks, spiky Blonde hair & a THICK Tennessee accent... smack your Mama cute, this kid was.♥ 

His commercial was for Shake N Bake & Boy do I wish Blogger had an audio option you HAVE to hear how this kid said it! You'll pee yourself for sure. Anywho, I got to thinking when was the last time I had Shake N Bake? 

I've heard about people using potato chips or instant potato flakes to bake crispy chicken. Being a resourceful chick-a-dee I whipped out my trusty food processor & grinded down some instant Potatoes Au Gratin a guest left at my house. I mixed a couple of my FAVORITE chips, Thin & Cripy Habanero Chips. OH MY GRAVY so good! I stumbled upon them at the 99 Cent Store (the one thing I can thank George Bush & this funky economy for right about now). 

I brined some chicken legs I bought at Trader Joe's for $2 & popped in, Ch mac n cheese cupcakes I had in the freezer. Now this is NOT your Mama's mac n cheese these are my S-MAC-K N Cheese!

I've got kielbasa sausage, red & green peppers, 8 different cheeses, spicy seasoning & parmesan crust on top.... better than making out, I tell you! Now since it was my first time experimenting with this I can't tell you enough of how AMAZING it was AND they were BAKED so none of the guilt or the extra 30 minutes on the treadmill.. no Sir ree Bob. I'm a crunch girl, the fact the Gratin potatoes were already super crunchy added such a contrast in texture between the crispy coating & the extremely juicy chicken. This is DEFINITELY a keeper & just goes to show you that life's greatest adventures are in the kitchen. Don't be afraid to try ANYTHING new.♥

The Star-Studded Cast
♥

Breading Station





Finger lickin' good FOR REAL!

Field Trippin': Koreatown

Tomorrow night I have a hot date with one of my FAVORITE Dan's (yes I have more than one... sue me). I promised to make him Paella. If there is anything I've learned from my last field trip to an Asian Market is they have the BEST seafood, what I love about K-Town though is all the Latinos that live in the area so I can find mad spices I usually have my Mom ship me from Miami... Babygirl even sends me dried Salt Cod so I can make my infamous Bolinho de Bacalao (Cod balls) I love my Mother. She's slamming in the kitchen & her way of shopping & seasoning the meat as soon as she gets home & freezing it is where Single Serving got it's motto♥.

The market was AMAZING! I highly suggest if you have an Asian, Latin, Persian, Kosher, Armenian, Russian & a European market near you, just grab your ipod & stroll along EVERY aisle. Feel, smell, taste as much as possible & be amazed at how incredibly helpful people are about telling you about their food & culture. I ask SO many questions it's probably the most interaction outside of work I actually have with another human being Single Serving has taken SO much of my time. For a little over $20 I bought Clams, Mussels, Tiger Shrimp, Head On Shrimp & spices... I can't BELIEVE how I scored! I bought some chorizo at the 99 Cent store & use the rest of the marinated chicken from last night's dinner to add to my Paellissima Paella. Enjoy the pics... I had such a BLAST!


You know that God LOVES us, why? Because we have RIBS!!! Heck apparently Woman were created from one & he loves us the most.... HA!♥


I found a single black bean in a barrel full of black rice, I found it poetic

AH.. Masa... SO going to make Arepas soon!

Ok so I just died & gone to Goya Heaven. When I first moved here I would have my Mom ship most of this stuff out to me from Miami... who knew it was in K-Town the ENTIRE time!♥

LIVE Halibut... GET OUT! I feel a Yo Mama joke coming on here... "your Mama was so ghetto she took you fishing at the Halibut tank in K-Town!" *snort* NAH... needs more work

Looks like these guys didn't make it, Halibut on the rocks!

OK this is where the fun stopped! CHICKEN FEET... oh my goodness, TOTALLY reminds me of my trip to Haiti & my Mom was mopping these up like they were shrimp... terrible!

OK... seriously they have Chicharron in a Korean Market?!?!?! DAMN YOU HOLLYWOOD & your unrealistic body expectations. I will see you puppies soon... AFTER Pilot Season!

Fresh Seaweed... a VAT of fresh seaweed, I can swim in this!

A VAT of Kimchee, my girl Andrea can swim in this naked (nice Kenny)


I SCORED... just realized they didn't charge me for the Mussels & the Tiger Shrimp... ROCK ON!

Brain Food/Ab Work: "No Mo Sugar & Rice!" HA!

This one goes out to my bible beating family! Thanks for the prayers Tante Michele. Just brilliant!♥