Real Cooking

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN CHERYL JOST
I really didn’t want to come home. The weather was a little warmer than what is typical for Northern California in September, but the panoramic views, the fresh seafood, the bustle of the city and the hypnotic rhythm of the waves coming into shore made up for the sizzling afternoon temperatures.



My family was gone last week. Gone from the farm and watching the withering fields. Gone from the daily grind of housework and the over-committed lifestyle I have resigned myself to.



We took the kids out of school and ran away to California for a much-needed respite.



My nephew-my brother’s son-was getting married in Santa Cruz on Sept. 16, so we turned that event into a week-long vacation hugging the California coast.



We started with a day and a half in beautiful San Francisco. It was a first-time visit to that city for our kids, so Keith and I tried to show them as much as we could in a limited time. We stayed in a hotel right on Fisherman’s Wharf so we had easy access to a lot of the city’s most famous sites.



We traveled over the Golden Gate Bridge and went for a late afternoon hike through Muir Woods, a forest of giant redwoods that lies just north of San Francisco.



That evening, we dined on platters of seafood that had been taken from the waters just a few hours before being transformed into our dinners.



I had challenged the kids to try calamari sometime on our trip to the coast. The opportunity arrived with my seafood sampler plate. I handed them each a piece of deep fried calamari without telling them what it was.



“Try this, I think you’ll enjoy it.”



“It’s a little chewy, but I like it,” my daughter commented.



“This is good!” raved my son.



“I’m glad you like it,” I said. “That’s calamari…squid, you know.”



After our meal, we walked along Pier 39, browsing in the shops and taking time to watch the seals that make that harbor their home.



The next morning was packed with visits to Chinatown and Japantown and a drive through Pacific Heights to see the “Painted Ladies,” those rows of restored Victorian mansions, and a ride on a cable car.



A stroll down curvy Lombard Street led us back toward the bay past Ghiradelli Square and then on to Fisherman’s Wharf, where we were just in time to see some Italian fishermen gut squid.



“Calamari just brought in from Monterey Bay.” An old gentleman showed the kids how to cut off the head and gut the creature with one quick flick of his sharp knife.



“Cool” was the overall consensus of the Jost family.



We didn’t eat squid for lunch, but opted to peel and eat shrimp and crab cooked right on the dock and eaten out of hand.



After a quick stop at our hotel to pack our belongings, we decided to spend an afternoon at the Exploratorium, a wonderful hands-on science museum. Then we headed down the coast along Highway 1 to our next stop: Monterey.



I had never been to Monterey, but after visiting this lovely, laid back community, I think I’ve found the place where I would like to retire. Of course, we’ll have to wait until we make our second million. Since we’re still working on our first, retirement may be a ways off.



Some people love San Francisco, but I left my heart in Monterey Bay.



While there, we went to their world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and shopped in Cannery Row. We had some of the best, I mean the best, Chinese food ever and we ate shrimp and Mahi Mahi until we about grew gills.



In fact, it was in Monterey that my son started saying “glub, glub” a lot and then commented that he was ready to eat something that had once walked on land.



We took the rental car out one day and drove down the coast to Pebble Beach (yes, we visited the golf course), Carmel (beautifully quaint) and the awesome Big Sur, where the mountains just seem to fall into the crashing Pacific.



On Friday, we went to Santa Cruz to meet my side of the family for the wedding festivities. But before we caught up with anyone, we drove to the beach to watch the surfers.



The surfers were there, but the waves weren’t. About 30 young men in wet suits were bobbing on the miniscule rollers just hoping that one might turn into something worth riding.



My two California nephews and my one California nephew-in-law all surf, so my son thought for sure that he would be able to catch a few waves with one of these guys. Surely Chris would take time from his wedding preparations to take his little cousin surfing.



“Come back in February, Alex,” he said. “The waves come in February. Until then, it’s just a waste of time. And bring a wet suit, the water is freezing.”



So much for all those California “summer at the beach” movies.



The wedding was held on the side of a mountain in a forest clearing on a historical farm. The bride was lovely, the groom teary-eyed. It was a unique service for a unique couple and the guests came from literally all over the world to wish them well.



We enjoyed a cold buffet of marinated steak and rosemary chicken that was served with a wonderful spinach salad, fresh fruit and sour cream potatoes. The cake, each piece with two different fillings, was a choc-aholic’s dream.



Good food, good times. I didn’t want to come back.



* * *



Now it’s back to the real world-ugh. (Cue music) Rice-a-roni, that San Francisco treat….





School Night Chicken



Rice Taco Toss



1 box Rice-a-roni, chicken flavor



2 tbs. butter



1 (16 oz.) jar salsa



1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped



1 cup frozen corn



4 cups shredded lettuce



1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese



2 cups tortilla chips, broken



1 medium tomato, chopped



Saute rice mix and butter until golden. Stir in two cups water, salsa, chicken and seasoning packet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Stir in corn, recover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked and rice is tender. Arrange lettuce on platter and top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and chips and garnish with tomato. Serves four.

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