Cooking Single in the City

So I tried to share today's posting of Daily Candy Los Angeles, but for some reason, the link posted isn't quite pulling up the article...so back to the good old fashioned way! "Count down to a very good time. 10. Assemble all elements of this miraculous hangover cure . You’re gonna need it. 9. Turn leftover wrapping paper and tape into a pile of festive toppers . 8. Hit up the Joan’s on Third freezer for mini meat pies and tiny cheese puffs and Trader Joe’s for buckets of meringues, big and small. 7. Put your hands together and make some noisemakers . 6. Give three cheers for Empire City punch , cinnamon caipirinhas , and the Cuzco fizz . 5. Consult the white porcelain god of a different kind: Fill the tub with water and fortune-telling fish . 4. To really let your hair down, you’ ve got to put it up . 3. Cue the music (hello, Miami , Chicago , SF , Dallas , Philadelphia , and London megamixes ). 2. Show off your new moves . 1. Happy New Year!" http://www.dailyca...

Although there are many sweet things life has to offer, none are as sweet as reconnecting with an old friend for the first time. Elizabeth and I met in Tulsa during our first year of grad school almost twelve years ago (we were in seminary, actually) and from the first time we met, it was on! She was fair-skinned, quiet and from Nashville. I was olive, loud and from L.A.. They say opposites attract and in our case, this couldn't be more true! Although we both were living in our places when we met, we'd just end up staying over each-other's places as many evenings usually turned into a slumber party with friends, so we just decided to become roomies, which is what we ended up calling each other, "roomie" (which later turned into "vroomie"...long story). In those three years of school, we had way too much fun! Of course we shared in the normal girlie things that college girlfriends do--late-night studying-n-snacking, all-night prayer (we were in seminary,...

Now that I'm stuffed from eating Maxine's tamales (recipe and pix to be posted at a later time), I thought I'd pop online as I've been surfing the net now for about an hour. Still not married at 39 and with my immediate family all of state, this Christmas season was bound to be a little bit different. I do have to say however, that singlehood during the holidays definitely has it's pluses (although I haven't always felt that way). This year took me to more intimate settings with friends, who like me, are solo-ing it up for the holidays! Yesterday's morn took me to a lovely champagne brunch with my girlfriend, Brynn, on the Marina in Long Beach--cute little diner--Schooner or Later, where I ended up stuffing myself with a short stack of pancakes, hash browns and turkey sausage (I am a firm believer in having both the sweet and salt to balance out a meal!) So now I sit here all alone in raining off-and-on-again Anaheim. Because I'm not much in the mood f...

I don't know about you but I have love, love, loved the rain that has finally kissed us with it's sweet lips. Surprisingly, this morning's rain came with some pretty fierce wind, which having just moved here from Oklahoma (where the winds come crashing through the plains), it somewhat threw me for a loop. After enjoying the sounds of rain from inside the house while working in the garage, I decided I wanted nothing more than to eat something warm and somewhat soupish. Unfortunately I have not done a whole lot of shopping since my move back, leaving with me no choice but to doll up an organic can of beans. This week was kinda tough in that I had a whole lot going on! I had to relinquish the love of my life, Luke, to an adoptive parent who could give him a home, as I am still looking for mine and I staying with friends. My other Beagle, Tulsa, is staying at a bachelor pad with some friends of mine who I've known for a very long time. The plan is for Tulsa and I to move in...

Not quite recovered from my cross-country move back to Cali a little over a week ago, I opted to not start singing in the choir until January. Because I was free, I was able to babysit for The Bates--Is it really even babysitting when the kids are four and older? Oh well, it seemed that the cooking duties would be easy enough as Missy was boiling some water for their Kraft Mac-n-cheese--an oldie but goodie--as I was entering their kitchen! "Easy enough," I thought. Confidently...I might add. This easy task was however, no small job. After being told that the mac needed to be "extra" cheesey, I thought "Well, cheese is my speciality...that should be a breeze!" I was wrong, however, when not one, but all three winced at the sight of my freshly-grated cheese melted in with the regular mac-n-cheese. Convinced that they would change their minds after tasting what I thought was the perfect bite of mac-n-cheese, I prodded them to at least taste it. This pic says ...

Well...on a whim, I decided to finally visit the Culver City Farmer's Market after being in Culver City for three+ years. I went with no intentions, but I came across this bag of lovely organic lentils. It happened to have a recipe, so I decided to see what ingredients I could buy there at the local market. Turns out I was able to buy almost everything, minus the watercress, chicken broth and the crushed-red pepper. It was very easy to make. Took me just about a half-hour...mmm...maybe a little bit more. It didn't take me very long to cut everything...that's for sure. It was fun trying a new recipe using all local and organic ingredients . What's more is that I was able to share this yummy new "comfy" dish with my girlfriends (who were in their p.j.'s of course). I hung a wreath on my door and enjoyed this hearty soup with my girlfriends to kick off this Christmas season! The kitchen smelled sooo good! Savory Lentil Soup : 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil 1 Fennel bulb,...

So nearly three weeks later I am finally posting the pix-n-a video from the night my nephew, Micah, and I baked sugar cookies. I cannot tell you how many times I hear single friends of mine complaining about how they can't (or don't) get to do fun things with little ones since they're not yet parents. What do I say to that? That I'm sure there are plenty of little ones in or around your life some way or another to shoot that theory right out of the water! Now granted I do tend to lean on the complaining side of not being married for laborings sake, but even that has it's place. Now I realize that some may not be as blessed as I have to a handful of nieces and a nephew to enjoy such things with, but if you have no friends in your life with kids, feel free go out of your way to spend time with those who may need you in their lives. There are tons of programs through communities, local churches and various organizations (Big Brother, etc.) where you can invest into a...

One of the things I enjoy most about traveling to towns and places I've formerly lived, is visiting with old friends. New friends are wonderful, but there's nothing like the old! Though this trip is mostly to gather all of my belongings to transport back to Cali, more importantly, it's to say hello or good-bye to old friends. That being the case, despite all the tasks unchecked in my Franklin Covey Planner, I've managed to squeeze in time (home-time mostly since I don't have a car) to catch up and visit with some old friends--Thursday night was no exception. My old roomie , A.J., had me stay at her place a couple of nights, where we had Ellen, the leader of my old book club, The Tulsa Chick Lit Meet-Up, over for dessert. So Ellen is the kinda of girl who can eat pretty much whatever she'd like because she is a runner (as it should be for those who exercise), so I thought to make a quick little treat--Strawberries, Bananas and dipping chocolate, one treat clearly...

But of course! So yes it's true....I've been touring the States. By touring I do mean visiting, celebrating and babysitting family in Madison, WI, Minneapolis, MN and now I'm officially in Tulsa, OK, where I'll be heading off for California once I gather the rest of my belongings, get my dog, Luke and sadly say my good-byes to friends and family here. Blogging has been a little difficult (to say the least), not to mention cooking. I've yet to post pix from my baking experience with my three-year-old nephew because the USB cord to upload the pix is in my room back in California. Yes, smart move, indeed. Because we had such a great time baking his sugar cookies, I thought I'd look around Tulsa to see what cooking classes they offer for the youngens in this very quaint and cozy city. My sis, now a Tulsa local (but an "East-Los" native), pointed me to The Savory Chef. If I can convince my girlfriends to have dinner here tomorrow night rather than go out...

Okay so maybe not in yours, but in a garden...for those of you who enjoy watching the Food Network as much as I do, their Barefoot Contessa , Ina Agrden , will be doing a book-signing at William Sonoma tomorrow (the 14 th ) in Santa Monica at noon. Although I realize this narrows the RSVP's to a bare minimum, but for those of you in the area needing to switch up your lunch plans, what a great way to do it...don't forget to visit their clearance section! Address:Williams- Sonoma , Santa Monica 1600 Montana Ave., Santa Monica CA (310) 586-1018 Until next time, look for some fun singles cooking classes or cooking meet-up's in your area (I belong to a fabulous group!!!) and email us about 'em! Bon Appetit ! ~Cyndi, 39 Madison, WI

So now I'm in Madison visiting family for my niece's 1st birthday, and my nephew's 3rd. The nice thing about visiting my sisters who are BOTH married, is that my meals are covered--for the most part. Now, why I'd planned on contributing a few fun dishes to the mix, I realized I didn't pack my usb cable to transfer pix from my camera for posting. :( Until I can get ahold of one, I thought I'd share some cooking classes being offered...just for singles! Rumor has it that I, too, will be holding some singles cooking parties around town..until confirmed, we'll let it sit as a rumor. :) For now, Parties that Cook offers fun classes for singles. If you happen to go, let me know how they work out for ya! I may have to fly to San Fran or Chicago to join in the fun! Chicago : Cooking Crush - Cooking Class & Wine Tasting for Singles. Thursday, November 20 , 2008 @ Just Grapes 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Join us for the launch of Chicago’s Cooking Crush party, a wine tasting...

Tonight's post is short and sweet...kinda like the Brie-Dip I concocted at Brynn's late last night. As you know, Trader Joe's is where I shop for groceries. Sometimes I like to visit merely to walk down the aisle, checking out sauces, syrups, jellies and other spreads. What I came across last week was Mango Chutney. Now I know I like the stuff because I've had it on a dish at a restaurant, but prior to eating there, I hadn't even heard of it (I was still in my early twenties at the time), and since then I've only eaten it one other time. That being said, while I was contemplating on which pesto sauce I should get, and thinking if I really needed another strawberry jam, I "stumbled" on the Chutney, remebering I had seen some on previous visits. Now I couldn't honestly tell you what it consists of, but by the end of the evening, I will know what it is exactly and how to make it. This time, I happened to buy it, along with some Brie and peppered-Poppy...

Being that it was Halloween, all of my married friends (and I do mean ALL) had "trick-or-treat" plans with their families, my Halloween dinner plans were to dine solo. Realizing I had began the defrosting process of my Mahi Mahi from yesterday, I decided to head to Maxine's to cook up dindin . With my dog already at her house, I brought the goods to cook and eat before heading off to Brynn's for a chill night of movies with the singles. I think tonight was one of the first night's in a very long time I wish I had my immediate family--immediate being my hubby, my kids and me. Oh well...so here's the treat that took me to yummy-land for about 15 minutes of the evening. I was by myself, filming it myself, while cooking for myself--yes, I was bored. Excuse the poor filming and the mess...my girl had no napkins, no paper towels, no handles on her cookware...and to top it off, I couldn't find a flippin ' potholder! Never-the-less, her cozy place and my M...

In an attempt for this Blaxican to recover from last night's babysitting events, I woke up groggy, tight-gutted (from the Tums I took in the middle of the night), with burning eyeballs and in need of something to fix me...QUICKLY! For me that could only mean one thing--I needed to make some breakfast. Though I like to tease the Bates about being their lil ' ones nanny (which is SOOO not the case as really Missy and T-Rex are with the kids 24/7), I was left behind as the family of five left for the boys' soccer games. They hadn't even been gone for five minutes when my ingredients were out on the counter and ret -to-go. Maxine called me asking me if I wanted to meet up for some " brekkie " (as Jorg used to call it)...I still say that every now and then...it was cute and kinda stuck with me. Anyhoo ...about my morning plans, I was still "contessa-ing" barefoot and in my p.j.'s, crooning to the sounds of Billie, Dinah, Edie and old Blue-Eyes-- ye...

Never with a dull moment in her home, Maxine couldn't even wait to get me into her home before serving a plate of hot egg rolls...not from the Panda Express, but fresh off her stove! I can tell you that although I wasn't exactly craving egg rolls before arriving at her home, I was more than overjoyed right to the last gulp. Maxine, like any other mom, is a single girl's dream on an afternoon where one's meal hadn't completely been thought out. Now what I'm not saying is to go knocking on the door of a friend who, like you, might be single-- especially not if they, who like my Maxine, happen to be a single mom. On the other hand if you're lucky, then you, like me, will enjoy the benefits of having a dear friend like Max. Since she said they're a " sinch " (or is it "cinch"?), she wanted to donate her quick 20 - 25 minute recipe to our blog so others, like me, could enjoy this simple and fast recipe...enjoy! Ingredients: 1 dozen egg ...

There’s nothing like making lunch at a girlfriend’s who, although is looking forward to the dish you’re preparing, refuses to read your blog. Such is the case with my girlfriend--we'll call her "O". So immersed in her tug-of-war between not one, but two, men, she can only concentrate on such matters one issue at a time. Destined to make lunch alone while she tottered back and forth on who to call back and what to say, I made my way to her kitchen to make the lunch I'd been craving all week long--a Feta Cheese Sandwich with Basil, Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar on a French Baguette! I love this sandwich for so many reasons--not only is it tasty, but it's an easy-make for that afternoon picnic at the beach. Don't live near one? Okay, a park. But it's very simple to make and easy to pack. Now back to O--I can't say I don't know where she's coming from...I can remember the times when recapping through my head the last conversation I had...

Ever wonder how some guys just seem to get it all right? They're sweet, they've got the looks, charm AND they can cook, to-boot? There was a time I thought that one out of four was good enough, but seems like nowadays there ain't no point in settlin ! If the mug's good to go, then make sure the eateries and everything else follow suit--that was one thing our ex-bachelor, Luis, made sure of! Making sure he had the dress for success in the kitchen, he called upon our friend, wife and mother of three (with another on the way), Missy Bates of Orange County to help. Using Trader Joe's as her store of choice, her on-camera ease is one sure to help any single with an evening of hosting-at-hand...take notes by clicking on the arrow below! As the oven is warming up for the toasting of the baguette, don't forget to chill a well-paired bottle of Pinot Grigio , as well. You can pick up a pretty inexpensive bottle at Trader Joe's! For the non-Trader Joe's cities, vi...

Not a cook?!! Maybe a baker? Definitely an Olympic-worthy left-over warmer... I told Cyndi that I would need to write for that category! Yes, that's me--that I had the inspiration for a dish was miraculous. It was even a thrill to shop for the ingredients and picture myself, oh so chef-like, putting the ingredients together, spending hours in the kitchen enjoying the creativity and the smells and then when it came to that first bite... I realized ...chef-like? Was I crazy, I could win "Not Top Chef"! It wasn't all I dreamed it would be and I wouldn't be rushing home to MY leftovers. In fact, I knew I would be desperately snagging money from my "I thought I might get a vacation" fund in my meager budget to buy food I would actually look forward to eating. It's really bad when you won't even eat your own cooking!! Me...write for this blog? Well, even the worst of cooks eventually hit on recipes that are YUM enough to be remembered and just can...

...only it was a Saturday. Of the 39 years I’ve spent being single, one thing’s for sure--I never feel more alive, content even...as when I’m preparing a meal for myself–Dinah Washington never failing me with candles aglow, wafts of a freshly-picked bouquet of flowers, while enjoying a slightly chilled glass of Zin–Cellar 98 to be exact. Saturday morning it happened to be breakfast, which now that I’m thinking about it, is definitely one of my favorite meals to chef! With Edie’s purring of La Vie En Rose in the background, I can’t help but smile as my sweet Luke is well-aware of the joy that resounds throughout the living room and kitchen, his tail being living proof. I’m not sure why making breakfast makes us so happy, but it does--just something different in the air. Could it be that it’s a new morning, thus making the day’s possibilities endless? While most Saturdays my cooking is for both, my roomie and I, this particular Sabbath is solely for one (although I definitely enjoy the c...

No one ever said the morning after would be fun, but this morning proved to be different as I logged on only to find a response to yesterday's entry. There are few things I enjoy more than reading a reader's response to someone's blog--when it's my own, it "ups the ante" just a tad bit more! Okay, well maybe there are more than a few things I enjoy more than that, but I enjoy it never-the-less. Now I know that a blog is just that--writing or blogging whatever you'd like(in this case, I'd ), only hoping to find readers somewhere out there who'll land on, and read your page. But it is after all my blog, and therefore my opinions, which by now I realize not all agree with. After logging on and seeing that Yogiwan took the time to do just that this morning--respond, I decided to do a little research as to who this person (or persons) may be as I thoroughly enjoyed the validity and sincerity of their comment, which in part read: " ...However, the...

...to cook up a dish at the drop of a hat? While most married friends of mine would say "of course," I'd have to say that I've got plenty of single friends whose kitchens are barer than a plate of already-eaten bones followed by the feasting of dogs (and I'm just not talking in a "Bachelor pad", either). The thing with singles, is were just happy to host parties, because although we may live or be alone, we really are a fun group of people and love the sounds of other humans in our homes! I've been invited to homes where my single friends were forced to "make shift" in order to create the simplest of dishes--whether for grilling or even a simple saute, although the ingredients were there to eat, the goods needed to cook them on, were not...this ought not be so. I think it's easy to overlook the importance of these staple utensils for many reasons--some singles eat en route to work, for others, their first meal of the day is lunch, whic...

For some baking comes easy, for others not so much. Single mom, Maxine Stevenson, shares a quick recipe for that sweet-tooth that may come at any time of your day! Now my suggestion to you would be to take a trip to the market for these ingredients and/or bakeware if you don't already have them--Pampered Chef has some great stoneware (link to where you can order your first stoneware provided below). Of course you can always cheat and bake the cut-n-bake cookie dough already made for you, but why go there if you can at least chef it up on your own with a recipe that'll not only have you eating that soft, chewy cookie (or golden brown) in less than 15 minutes, but will also leave you feeling like a pro! Besides, everyone can always use a little practice in the baking department...and what better way to make amends, say thank you or "wink" at someone, than to bring them a little tray of treats the next morning? Whatever the occasion, click on the arrow below for a sneak...

Trader Joe's! Next best thing to Diamonds--in my book, anyways. I have to say I was rather disappointed in how quick I fell off the wagon with my gun-ho approach to a new me at 40! Oddly enough, I woke up yesterday morning, took my friend's kids to school, and then off to Tom's #4 we went. For one, it is amazing to me how many Tom's there are. Are they all just one big chain? One thing they have in common--the yummiest, fattening foods one can ever find! You can smell the grease as you are exiting the ramp, readying to turn onto their street (which in this case would be Orangethorpe). I have to say though, I was encouraged as an ex emailed me after reading Sunday's blog forwarding me weight-loss tips via an email article entitled, "A Breakfast Favorite that Blasts Fat?" Wow, so it's come to this. Truly, the man is a gem and is as sincere as he is disciplined. He, in fact, has got to be one of the most disciplined people I know (especially when it come...

Trying to relocate my life to Los Angeles has been a major adjustment. For one, I forgot the external pressures of what it means to be a thirty-something-single female in the city of Angels--meaning that my size 10's and sometimes 12's are NOT the norm in a town where thick is not acceptable! While I am preparing the soil for my official return home to Tinseltown, I must now face the hard facts--I can no longer eat breakfast burritos steaming with fried potatoes, melted cheddar cheese, re-fried beans and egg whites with a side of chilied -carrots and a large Coke. It is time to turn to something much healthier on the heart, the body and for now, the ego. This state of being is somewhat daunting as not only is it my goal to get healthy again, I have got to also shed some pounds and tone--the big 40 is less than one year away, so carbs can no longer be my best friend. I was really hoping that my rejoining 24-Hour Fitness would be sufficient, but let's be real here. There is ...