Naomi: Cooking for one and for friends



For years now, even before I wrote the recipes in what I think of as my "static blog," Fiftytworecipesfrommymother, at the request of my children, Sarah and Sam, Sarah had been urging me to keep a daily (more or less) record of my cookings--the meals I make for myself in my (surprisingly) solitary life as well as those I make for friends. For whatever reasons, I've never done it.


But, after months of wandering, I've finally begun. As I haven't quite mastered the art of cooking for one, and love throwing together grand meals at the last minute, I have been encouraging friends to call to check on what I might have on hand any evening for a quick meal. Instructions can be found in my entry for March 20th--What's in Naomi's Refrigerator.

This is primarily a record of the meals I prepare for myself and others, accompanied by "mug shots" of the food (when I remember to photograph before eating). Shot by my phone, with no styling, they may not capture their subjects at their best, but so be it.



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

July 18th. Love the Locals at Ozuma. Dinner at Kate's. Rajas con Crema.

First thing in the morning, roasted the golden beets as well as the pasilla peppers and one aging red pepper.  Not clear what their ultimate destiny would be, but the time for roasting was nigh.

Gina is in town, and I'd arranged to join a Santa Monica lunch party.  I'd told Katya about my recent discovery of Ozumo  with it's Wednesday Love the Locals specials, and we agreed to lunch there after meeting at the Santa Monica Market.  We were a grand party--Katya, Joe, Gina, and Patricia.  Would they have a table big enough?  Not in the sun?  We settled into a booth inside, and everyone was pretty impressed with the food (the service bordered on the non-existent, but we were still happy enough).

Big day for eating with minimal cooking.  Dinner at Kate's in Beverly Glen.  Time to drive the car.  A reminder of rush hour traffic heading east.  Called before leaving to see if anything was needed (knowing the sorrow of those last minute ingredient anxieties).  An onion was requested.  Learning that Kate was making a serious Mexican stew, I told her I'd roasted pasilla peppers and we decided I'd make Rajas con crema on arrival.

Chuck, Gail, Annette and I were treated to a grand meal--an excellent guacamole followed by the stew (the name which now escapes me, but it was delicous) with tortillas, salad and my traveling rajas.  There were a few unlikely drops of rain as we settled onto the patio to eat--and an even more surprising burst of thunder lightning and a few more giant raindrops as I drove home, but we were able to dine in fine style on the patio and I do believe an excellent time was had by all.


Dinner at Kate's.
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