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How to Create a 5-Star Dinner for Your Valentine

Bel — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:41:08 +0000

Los Angeles’ Sustainable Agriculture Examiner writer Stan Tran, cooked me a lovely early Valentine’s dinner in the middle of the afternoon. It consisted of chicken wrapped in prosciutto, wine reduction sauce, colorful veggies, a fresh salad and a surprise desert. Watch the video to learn how to cook this meal for your for your very own Valentine (I make a cameo appearance circa 6:48). Here is the ingredient list.

bottle of white wine

1/2 onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 rosemary sprigs

vegetables for 2 (brocolini, 2 carrots), 1/2 lb greens, 1/2 cucumber

about 1 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, tablespoon honey

4 organic skinless boneless chicken thighs, 12 organic chicken wings, can of chicken broth

4 slices of prosciutto, 2 slices of bacon

Surprise dessert ingredients (watch video)

Honey Bunny

Bel — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 22:12:57 +0000

So, I’m in love with a rabbit. His name is Nakamura. Stan and I picked him up from the Los Angeles animal shelter we volunteer at. The moment I saw him I felt he was going to be my bunny. But I didn’t want to make a rash decision since getting a rabbit can be a decade-long commitment (or more), and rabbits are high maintenance pets that need room to roam and lots to chew on. So I instituted a self imposed waiting period in my mind of over a month. It wasn’t at all easy and it hurt me each time I left the shelter without him but now he’s home with Stan and I, and he’s had a positive influence on us, encouraging us to eat more greens.

P.S. HAPPY PAWLIDAYS is TOMORROW (Saturday) all over Los Angeles if you’d like to adopt your own furry friend.

Happy Pawlidays

Bel — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:33:31 +0000

Bunny rabbits* make my heart patter. They’re cute and fluffy yet have complex minds as illustrated by their strict social structure, subtle communication, and strong emotional bonds. I feel like before living in Los Angeles I didn’t quite appreciate that about animals. Maybe Los Angeles has helped me grow up. Volunteering at the LA rabbit shelter with Lisa who’s in her 70’s yet quick as a whip and full of energy, answering any question I have in the most comprehensive way possible, has helped too. She treats every animal as if it’s a being that deserves to feel good. I feel good myself by petting bunnies fluffy white, brown, black, or grey softness, watching them hop around with their big ears flopping up and down.

“Happy Pawlidays” is a pet adoption event taking place Saturday December 18 at tons of locations throughout Los Angeles where you can adopt a pet of your own. You’ll be helping yourself in addition to a divine animal. 25 years of research has shown that pets help lower blood pressure, lessen anxiety and boost our immunity. Don’t forget they provide cuddling and more cuddling.

*Rabbits are high maintenance animals so please do your research before adopting (as with any animal).

The Los Angeles Hillbilly

Bel — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:34:20 +0000

Yesterday a hillbilly crashed into the car I was in with Stan. Stan and I were heading South on Overland at Venice, just about to turn into the parking lot containing the Famina, Yogurtland and Bally’s, when we came across the hillbilly reversing as fast as he could without looking back – typical hillbilly move. As compassionate as I strive to be, this man’s complete disregard for others by slamming into us with his car without even a glace back as he reversed, instantly lit my temper on fire. His first words when he got out of his car didn’t help either. “That was already there!” He said of the damage he’d caused to Stan’s paint and bumper. Right?! The hillbilly allegedly somehow magically and psychically knew without even looking back as he reversed that all the damage he’d just caused to Stan’s paint and bumper was “already there.” His lunatic delusions continued with the outright lie “I was honking my horn!”

Stan realized there was no reasoning with him and said “Let’s not argue, let’s just exchange insurance information.” The clever hillbilly retorted “So you’re admitting fault!” To which Stan replied. “No, all I said was let’s exchange insurance information.” The hillbilly blinked “So, you are admitting fault!” Yes, Stan was admitting it was his fault that he was hit by a lunatic hillbilly who felt the need to floor the gas pedal while reversing recklessly.

I let him have it. “How can you tell such an outright lie!?” It took him a second to come up with a comeback. “We should just forget all this. You don’t want to have to go to small claims court, do you?” He said. “OH, BUT I DO. I’m sure when the judge looks at your driving record versus Stan’s he’s going to rule against you!?” I said looking at his banged up car. “You’re judging me!” He said. He was right. I was judging him, and judging that if he was going to lie to my face, he was going to lie to the judge’s. “So you’re going to PERJURE yourself in court?!” I glared at him. The look in his intimidated eyes made it clear he had no idea what in God’s good name “perjure” meant. It was at that moment I felt sorry for him and this life he’s leading which probably isn’t a very happy one. Nonetheless, Stan deserves to have his car repaired.

Birthday BBQ

Bel — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:13:34 +0000

Saturday I celebrated my birthday at Los Angeles‘ Reynier Park. Yet another birthday. I was thinking “Shit! Am I getting too old to celebrate birthdays?!” This particular one especially since it involved water balloon games, passing an egg in a spoon and whacking a pinata till candies came pouring out.

“How old are you turning?” Paula’s boyfriend Toby asked. I made him guess. “Bel, that’s very immature. That‘s what a child would do.” My brother Richard had to let me know. I looked around to see everyone enjoying their turkey dogs, veggie burgers, hamburgers (even though I’d like cows to be consumed more infrequently), and the made-from-scratch refried bean and garbanzo bean dip I created that tasted like a scrumptious cross between hummus and bean dip.

Water balloon volleyball involved our team of girls on one side of the net holding a bed sheet taut to fling a water balloon over the net to the boys’ team who had to fling it back with a sheet of their own without breaking it or getting it out of bounds. This was a game that involved teamwork, uncontrollable laughing and screaming by the more sissy players when a water balloon came smashing/splashing over.

After our final game of water balloon volleyball I overheard Javier announce “I think I’ve found my calling,” which validated all my immature childlikeness which has its very own place in society.

”Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha

Horn Shark Eggs at Palos Verdes

Bel — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:04:33 +0000

Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Beach is the closest to me. Palos Verdes is about 25 miles South which is where Stan and I found the Horn Shark eggs. See for yourself.

West Hollywood Halloween Parade

Bel — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:08:33 +0000

Poison Ivy Bel

This Halloween I was at the largest Halloween celebration in the world, the West Hollywood Halloween Parade just West of Los Angeles. Usually it consists of people in costume, walking the street en masse. This year there was an actual parade, however, including members of the Rocky Horror Picture Show cast, stage performers and city officials being transported in pedi floats down Santa Monica Blvd. I missed that. But Stan and I had a great time seeing all the ridiculous, hilarity taking place like the guy dressed as a hot dog yelling “I’m a hot dog! I’m a hot dog!” as Lady Gaga walked by, Dorothy and the tin man skipped hand in hand and the dozens of cops and swat team joked with the revelers and posed for photos.

The Queen’s Breast

Bel — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 06:21:02 +0000

My brother Richard recently went to a sand sculpting competition at a nearby beach and texted me this photo of himself behind a sand sculpture of a king and a queen who have been evicted from their castle. Quite apropos to the times.

My bro Richard with a royal sand family

What I myself first noticed, however, was that one of the Queen’s breasts was far bigger than the other and the king appears to be looking away in shame. Probably what that says about me is that I care way too much about the appearance of breasts?! Which can’t be good. Below is a giant turtle. Enjoy.

Cars, Traffic in LA

Bel — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 06:07:37 +0000

I sit in traffic with dozens of other people in Los Angeles each in our own individual car we think is so great – a metal box to get around in. In New York you might be a businessman in a suit and tie holding your briefcase, or a high school kid carrying a backpack, but there you are sitting next to a tattered man who begs for $10 a day, across from a girl reading Pride and Prejudice, unable to get away from your fellow human being, forced to witness various manifestations of humanity up close and personal as you move to your destination.

Last night I met my friend Luis at a vegetarian restaurant called Orean up in Altadena. He doesn’t have a car and coincidentally just finished writing his book called Death of a Gas Guzzler.

What about efficient mass transportation here in Los Angeles? Quick electric railways were used around the country for years. General Motors though, put the kibosh on that by buying all the train tracks to purposely and methodically put them out of use, and thus make money selling the polluting cars currently strangling our lungs and our smog-filled city of Los Angeles. “An organized campaign to deprive the American public of their splendid electric railway systems,” stated the assistant US attorney general. Cars kill over 40,000 people a year.

So as Luis and I sat on a bench at Oreans eating, a man who looked poor, with the speech of someone who was slow of mind came up to us and said “I’m looking for something to eat.” I surveyed the situation. My friend Luis, on the other hand, immediately responded with “Yes, man, order whatever you’d like and I’ll pay for it.” Luis did was what I wished I had done. “I don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight because all of the homeless shelters are full, but I really appreciate this.” The man said. It was raining. In other news, I did volunteer work at the bunny shelter this morning.

Heal the Bay in LA

Bel — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:04:04 +0000

Just when I think I’ve mastered simple modern tasks like parking a car I feel like a damn reject when it takes me forever to parallel park because for some reason my back tire is two feet away from the curb and no matter how hard I try to reverse and go forward, reverse and go forward, it appears I’m farther than the 18” or less to the curb required by California law to avoid a ticket. Phew! That was earlier today. Finally I did it though, and proceeded into my new apartment and handed Stan his half of the tuna sandwich I purchased at the Subway on Alameda in Burbank.

In other news, THIS Saturday morning is Coastal Cleanup Day which is the largest, single-day volunteer event in the world. I’m gonna volunteer at a beach near me (I’ll figure out which one tomorrow) and if you can, please bring friends and help clean a beach. Click below for the beach nearest you.

“From 9:00am until 12noon, over 14,000 volunteers from all over Los Angeles will take action to rid our beaches and inland waterways of unsightly and harmful debris. Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) is an international event with over 90 countries around the world participating, making it one of the largest volunteer efforts on the planet!”