I moved to Orange County a year and a half ago after spending my entire life in the Bay Area.
(Do you know how hard it is to be a Giants fan in Dodger territory??!)
Now that I live here, I like to play this game. It’s called Is This Better Or Worse Than Northern California. It’s easy. It goes like this:
Traffic: WORSE. Waaaay worse. The-commute-on-my-way-home-
Back home, there are pockets of traffic in consistent places, and you learn how to avoid them. Don’t take I-80 home from the mall after 4ish. Travis Boulevard is a nightmare at lunch time. They are the same every day.
But not here. Whoooooa, not here.
Here, it’s not unusual to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic at 11 at night. I have seen motorized wheelchairs on the sidewalk go faster than I was driving. I promise this has happened to me.
Chances of seeing a celebrity: BETTER.
One time I was driving and passed Britney Spears in her Mercedes G Wagon and almost ran a red light to follow her, but the light was the stupid picture taking kind, and I so didn’t need a $400 ticket. It was seriously exciting.
I also met Lindsey Vonn at work. She is very nice and pretty, and has a very cute, loopy signature.
And although I wouldn’t necessarily call him a celebrity, we did meet D-lister Topher Grace at Disneyland. We got out of line and (I am ashamed to admit this part) ran after him and asked him to take a picture with us. He said, “I’m sorry, but if I take one with you, I have to take one with everyone.”
……um??
We looked around, dumbfounded, because no one else was trying to take a picture with him. No one noticed him because no one cares about That 70’s Show anymore.
It was the best part of our day. We spent literally the rest of the day making fun of him and how horrible of an actor he is. We texted everyone we thought would think it was funny. I had laughing cramps. And it’s still funny six months later.
The Ocean: BETTER.
I’ve got to say that hands down, this is my favorite thing about Socal. I love the beach. I love dolphins. Is there a word stronger than love? Because that’s what I have for dolphins. It’s ridiculous. I love that I get to see them on my drive to Trader Joe’s (true story!!), and that dolphin watching tours are so cheap (we’ve gone four times!).
Back home, going to the beach is an all day adventure that doesn’t always turn out well…it’s not always warm, and it’s usually pretty windy, but you drove an hour to get there so damn it, you’re staying.
Socal people love their seafood. Sushi and fresh fish specials in abundance. So the other day, I decided to pretend I like seafood. I decided to cook shrimp.
Baby steps.
I felt like such a grownup. I went to the seafood counter at Ralphs and said in my best grownup voice, “Hello. I would like to buy half a pound of shrimp please.” La la la, he weighed it out, and handed me the little package. I said thank you and went home to start dinner.
This is a very hands on meal. You have to touch shrimp, and shrimp is really smelly. Fresh corn is messy and hairy and flies everywhere, but it is STUPID how fun it is to shuck. SO FUN.
And fresh corn cooking on the stove is one of my new favorite smells. Seriously. I want my kitchen to always smell like that.
You can use whatever meat you want if you’re not a fan of shrimp, but I was going for something oceany. That big beautiful Pacific was inspiring me.
And for the record Northern California, you’re still winning.
Grilled Chile Relleno
serves 4, 270 calories each
Adapted from Cook This Not That, 2011
2 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 tbsp canola oil
8 oz. cooked shrimp, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 can (14-16 oz.) black beans, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I accidently used mozzarella cheese, oops! But it was really good.)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 poblano peppers
1. Shuck corn. Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the corn and cook for 5-7 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, then combine with the shrimp, beans, cheese, lime juice, cumin, and salt & pepper.
2. Prepare a grill or grill pan. (I don't have one, so I used just a flat griddle and it worked just fine.) Remove the tops of the peppers and scoop out the seeds. Use a spoon to stuff the shrimp mix into each pepper. Don't over-stuff, it will fall out all over the griddle!
3. Place the peppers directly on the grill and cook about 10 minutes, until the skins have lightly blistered. (I flipped mine after about 5 minutes.) Serve with a little salsa!
Enjoy!
Amanda
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