Miz Shirley Marie's - Wilton, CA

 My Mom dis some guest blogging for me at the horse show while I was away. Miz Shirley Marie's Food Truck was all the rage from what I heard from my fellow cutters. From the jambalya to the wings the food rocked.

Based on the menu alone you know I would have had to the try the Nacho Fries. I can just imagine the boat of deep fried fries smothered in an excessive amount of nacho cheese and then hopefully topped with some sort of sinful protein. Ah yes, I can imagine those fries. 

My friend, Beth was a kind model for what my Mom called one of the "best sandwiches she has ever had in her life"- the Shrimp Po Boy. I thought it was a bold statement but based on the rave reviews from every person who dined with them that day, it must be true.

I like the looks of the sandwich immediately because it appeared to be perfectly sauced. I like a sandwich that is moist and this looks like it is done so. The shrimp were freshly battered and fried, giving each bite a snap. The bun had been warm and browned on the griddle, ding ding! More points earned! But, those fries, look at those glorious fries! I love a good steak fry and those look great.

Ok, my readers if you are located in the northern California area you can check out Miz Shirley's yorself. Their reviews can be found on Yelp: MIZ SHIRLEY MARIE'S and it gives you a link to their locations for the day. Give it a try!

Mar Meadows - Channel Islands, CA

Up way before the sun, I anxiously got dressed and threw on my favorite suit. Today was the day I was going to get to go to the Channel Islands! Technically, we were going to Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the collection of islands. It is 22 miles long and 6 miles wide. Full of caves, beach and volcanic rock! Also home to some really cool surf spots...

My Captain!

My view of the sun rising up over the Pacific Ocean, so beautiful! The ride from the Ventura Harbor to the islands in our little C-Dory is about an hour and a half. The ride out of easy, maybe a bit chilly but nothing more than a sweat shirt and sweat pants could not handle.

We have arrived! We anchored the boat at Mar Meadows, a surf spot that is known for it's easy riding wave. We anchored in front of the wave break so I couldn't grab any cool surf action shots.

I loved the cool foggy photos because it was such a neat place. I felt like I was in a different part of the world. When you are at the Channel Islands you feel so far out of touch, yet you truly are not that far away at all. 

The crest of a wave that Scott was probably surfing on!

I had a pretty cool suit to rock while at the islands and splash around on my foam board but to be perfectly honest, it was pretty chilly! The suit is made by Seea, a super cool suit company. I opted to stay snuggled up on the boat and try to read my new book...

I got through the first chapter nodded off and seriously napped. This was the first day nap that I have taken in a long, long time. I woke up feeling totally refreshed and happy. Boat naps are the best!

The boys came back on the boat and I served up sandwiches that I had made the night before and put in the cooler. Milton's bread, swiss cheese, turkey, avocado, tomato and sprouts were the perfect fuel for the two surfers.

Vanilla Cream Soda's are my new favorite thing. So I supplied these to wash down the sandwiches. If you have not tried them yet please do!

I cannot express how relaxing, breath taking and just how special my day was. It was just a short little half day trip but it felt like I went around the world. I feel blessed to have experienced the joy of the channel islands, hopefully with more adventures to come!

Rabalais Bistro - Santa Paula, CA

My sweet friend Dana and I have started a tradition of our own. Most Mondays she and I meet for lunch to catch up with each other's lives and enjoy a great meal. This trip we decided to meet on the other side of my mountain, Santa Paula, and partake in a little bit of Southern fare.  

I am not sure if this Arugula Salad with apples, candied walnuts, blue cheese and creamy balsamic considers itself "Southern" but it was a lovely way to kick off our meal. I cannot resist an arugula salad. 

I opted for a cup of Seafood Chowder to finish my meal and it was nice. It was not the best ever and contained a lot of potato vs. seafood but it still made for a nice creamy treat. I may or may not have dunked my bread too. 

Dana ordered Shrimp and Grits for her closer and she seemed to like it just fine. There were plenty of grit to shrimp ration so ordering a cup will fill a little gal up! 

The meal was very affordable if you are looking for a meal other than Mexican food while in Santa Paula. There is one literally on every block so if you are feeling for something different Rabalais is your place.

Cajun Cutter Party - NCHA Super Stakes: Fort Worth

The 2014 NCHA Amateur Super Stakes Champion Ron Malone, Trainer to the Stars: Scott Weis and humble foodie: Melissa Weis (myself) wandered over to the "Cajun Cutter Party" sponsored by the Grace Ranch, owner of high performance stallion: High Brow CD. It was a crawfish boil so we just had to check out the propane power for my dad! 

The hostest with the mostest pictured at center flanked by the champ and his trainer! Ron's good horse "Rubys CD" is sired by "High Brow CD" so we wanted to show our support and thanks for what the Grace Ranch does for cutting.

The catfish filets were being breaded and fried up. I was salivating as we walked into the party.

We grabbed our drinks at the "High Brow CD" bar and took our seats to watch the action of what was about to be served!

The crawfish were boiled and tossed with their special seasonings and literally shoveled onto a flat bed trailer...

It was awesome! it was like a free for all if you wanted to grab a plate to go sit or a make shift crawfish bar... shells tossed to the inside.

We prunies didn't know what to expect but we were excited!

Catfish, slaw and hush puppies for all!

We got our hands dirty and ate a couple boxes full. I have to admit learning how to get the meat out is a true technique and I got better as I went along. The work is hard but the reward of the sweet shellfish is great.

We enjoyed the southern fare and had a ball.

Two thumbs up for a great party celebrating the south and their great stallion, "High Brow CD"