A good example of shocking Californian behavior took place, recently, at an auto repair shop in Newport Beach. After 10 years of going to the same mechanic, I found myself in the market for a new one. I turned to the Internet to find one based on positive reviews. I was pleased to find one with over 40 glowing reviews, but found it a bit odd that all of the reviews were written, exclusively, by women.
I called the number and asked if he repaired brakes, and found that he did. He asked how I found his number and I told him about my Internet search. I asked him why he thought all of the reviews had been written by women, and he didn’t skip a beat when he told me, “It’s because I’m good looking.” He laughed and then said, “Naw, just kidding.” Followed by “No really I am.” I was silent. I thought it best to gloss over all of that and ask for a general estimate for a front-end brake replacement. The price he quoted was competitive so I made an appointment.
When I arrived at the auto shop, I knew he wasn’t kidding about being good looking; he was, and he had a long line of female customers to prove it. He was in his early twenties and looked like he could be a model for Calvin Kline. I left my car for brake service and walked to a coffee shop to wait.
When I returned a woman was standing at the counter chatting with the auto mechanic; at first glance she looked like his mother. I realized while I stood behind her that I was old enough to be his mother, and she was old enough to be my mother.
Their conversation took an uncomfortable turn, when she asked him if he liked shrimp in a breathy voice, like Ginger from Gilligan’s Island. I took a step back and looked at her. She was wearing very expensive clothing, and a 5-carat diamond ring. She was making dinner plans at her home with this young mechanic. Then to my astonishment, she asked what he would like for breakfast, again in vampy Ginger manner. I thought, only in Newport Beach does one encounter such shocking behavior at an auto repair shop. I couldn’t make any eye contact with him as I paid my bill.
As I drove home, I imagined what she would serve him for dinner and, later, breakfast. I think she served him Shrimp Trampy for dinner. It is a fast and easy recipe. The dessert that evening was a cereal bar treat with a big glass of milk. I am calling these, Cougar Crispies. The breakfast would be a version of French toast made with crushed frosted flakes. Tiger Toast seems to be a fitting name for this breakfast dish. I’m sure she made a big batch just in case he wanted seconds.
Shrimp Trampy
1 pound of raw shrimp, deveined, shells removed
4 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
1 tablespoon of salted butter
1 large sprig of fresh basil
¼ cup of sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
salt to taste
1 pound of angel hair pasta, cooked and tossed with a little olive oil
I would add 2 tablespoons of finely minced garlic to this, but I’d be eating dinner alone.
Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta, but don’t add the angel hair pasta until after the Shrimp Trampy has been prepared. The angel hair pasta will cook very quickly so this should be prepared, last, right before you are ready to serve the dish.
To prepare the Shrimp Trampy, measure all of the ingredients and set them aside. Then heat a large skillet on medium heat; add the olive oil and butter. Do not let the butter turn brown, lower the temperature if necessary.
Add the peeled, deveined shrimp to the hot oil. Sauté the shrimp in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes. When the shrimp has turned pink, remove it from the oil and set it aside. Toss the chopped sun dried tomatoes into the oil; add a bit of salt to taste. Warm the sun dried tomatoes in the oil. Remove the skillet from the heat; transfer the shrimp to a large serving dish.
This is the point to put the pasta in the pot of hot water, which should be boiling at this point. I add a few tablespoons of olive oil to my water and a dash of salt.
Prepare the pasta according to manufacturer’s directions (the pasta will cook less than 8 - 10 minutes). Drain into a colander. Put the pasta into the skillet and toss the hot pasta with the oil and sun dried tomatoes. Top the pasta with the shrimp, feta, and basil. Add the slice cherry tomatoes and serve.
Cougar Crispies
The good thing about Cougar Crispies is that they can be prepared ahead of time, so one does not have to spend any additional time in the kitchen when one has a guest over for dinner.
8 cups of rice cereal
3 cups of chocolate rice cereal
½ cup of salted butter
1 bag of large marshmallows
¼ cup of smooth peanut butter
Prepare a cake pan by spraying the bottom of the pan and the sides with Pam. Spray a large wooden spoon with Pam before you get started. Spray the sides of the large pot you will be using on the stovetop.
Heat the butter over medium heat in the large pot and add the peanut butter, stir to incorporate. Add the marshmallows a handful at a time, keep them moving so they do not burn, stir with the wooden spoon.
You may need to turn down the heat at this point. Once all of the peanut butter and marshmallows are melted, remove the pot from the stove top and add the rice cereal, stirring the mixture. Move quickly here to get all of the cereal coated before the marshmallow mixture hardens.
Transfer to the prepared brownie pan. Spray your hands with a bit of the cooking spray, and gently press the mixture down into the pan. Allow to set and cool. Then cut with a knife into large squares. I am sure our friend in Newport Beach served her Cougar Crispies with a big cold glass of milk to her guest.
Tiger Toast
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons of milk
½ teaspoon of vanilla
¼ teaspoon of ground mace
3 cups of frosted flake cereal
8 slices of bread
½ a block of cream cheese
½ cup of hulled and slice fresh strawberries
vegetable oil to use to season the griddle
Wash and hull the strawberries. Slice the berries into thin slices. Set aside. Preheat a griddle pan to a medium high heat. Whisk together the raw eggs, milk, vanilla, and mace. Do not use a tablespoon of the mace; make certain you use ¼ of a teaspoon. Put this mixture in a bowl that is big enough to dip a slice of bread into with ease.
Crush the frosted flakes in a zip top plastic bag by running a rolling pin over them; pour the crushed frosted flake cereal on a plate. Spread one slice of bread with the cream cheese. Put sliced strawberries on top of the cream cheese and top the berries with another slice of bread.
Now it is time to dip the bread and get cooking. Dip the bread into the egg mixture and then press the egg-coated bread into the crushed flakes. Cook two at time so the griddle stays hot. Cook on one side for 2 minutes then flip and cook on the opposite side. Serve with warm berry syrup and seasonal berries. They’re grrreat that way.
