'Tis the Season -- Or Nearly So

Both newspaper Sunday magazines featured barbecuing on their covers. I thought it was just coincidence until I remembered that next weekend is Memorial Day aka "The Official Start of Summer, 2010."

Bon Appetit had a cole slaw recipe I'm going to try (someday.)

SAVOY SLAW WITH MINT AND CILANTRO
6 cups (oy!) thinly-sliced Savoy cabbage (the curly kind)
1 cup coarsely-grated, peeled carrots
1 cup coarsely-ground, peeled daikon radish
1 large red bell pepper cut into 2 x 13 in. strips
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (would leave this out - mint is for juleps)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 green onions, sliced
Put all this in a big bowl and mix it up good.

Dressing:
7 T seasoned rice vinegar
2 T sesame oil (this stuff is strongly-flavored; don't let your hand slip)
2 T vegetable oil
2 Serrano chiles, seeded and minced
Mix together, pour over slaw and toss.

The Instant American Native
In an effort to get a tan without having to actually sit in the sun, I bought a tube of L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Self-tanning Lotion at Target. See, I figure the darker you are, the thinner you will appear to be. Sort of the Black Dress theory for your whole body...

Damn! That stuff is FAST! In less than an hour, my blue eyes stared out at an Native American-colored skin. I am, in fact, part Indian so perhaps this potion found it's true home and resonated. It may not streak your clothing (make sure to let it dry) but it damned sure made streaks on my shins. No matter -- I'm TAN.