A messload of some of the best Indian food in L.A. (all for less than $15!) + two hours of snark-worthy Miss America on TLC = my idea of a great time on a Saturday night.

Too bad Mr. Ink is dragging me out to a karaoke lounge for a friend’s birthday party. I’m sure I’ll have fun once I get there, but as of right now, I just want me some tikka masala and world peace.

So the other night I was seriously craving cake and couldn’t decide which was less work - baking a cake, or making a late night run to Ralph’s. Turns out, baking a lemon pound cake with lemon icing ain’t so hard. Recipe here (but it needs a helluva lot more lemon extract/lemon juice).

Salmon that’s been marinated and pan-seared in my special ramen sauce (read: I got lazy and mixed up the usual sauce I dump on instant noodles) made of ponzu sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, and Sriracha (naturally). It’s yummy, trust me. Note how the Sriracha can also be used for decorative plating.

Watching “Entourage” reruns and baking chocolate chip banana bran muffins in my new silicone cupcake cups. Nice way to spend a Tuesday night.

(Once I tweak the recipe to my liking, I’ll post it up. This batch wasn’t quite sweet enough.)

Spinach, mushroom, tomato and onion omelet topped with blue cheese. I’d include the recipe, but hey, it’s an omelet. You can figure it out. Just make sure you eat it with lots of hot sauce. Mmm.

10 oysters for 10 dollars @ Enterprise Fish Co. last night. Mr. Ink and I each ordered a plateful, and they were DELICIOUS. I’ve never had the privilege of slurping down almost a dozen oysters all by myself, all at once. Still not as good as the freshly shucked Carlsbad Luna oysters we got from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market on Saturday, but way too good of a deal to pass up.

Success! My first attempt at Russian tea cakes. What dainty little things. Also, a second attempt at thumbprints (blackberry, this time).

jojochao:

kimchi quesadillas

Yum. I’ve tried kimchi quesadillas from the various food trucks rolling the streets, but they must be pretty easy to make at home, come to think of it. I mean, it’s basically tortillas, cheese and kimchi. And if I can make my own kimchi bokkeum bap with bulgogi, then how hard can this be?

You know what’s a good way to refuel after waking up early on a Saturday to read to kids? BBQ ribs.

Hands down some of the best BBQ ribs I’ve ever had are from the Prayer Assembly Church of God in Christ, on El Segundo Boulevard just north of Compton. The whole thing operates out of a food truck in the church lot and opens only on Fridays and Saturdays (proceeds go to the church), and can be kind of a hike, depending on where you’re driving from. But get a giant full slab of meaty ribs and tips with thick, smoky-sweet BBQ sauce, with beans and extra sauce on the side (and sweet potato pie for dessert), and it won’t even matter. Nommm.

Before heading downtown to see a play with Mr. Ink, I insist on making a pit stop in Venice. Abbot Kinney has quickly become a mobile eatery strip on weekends, with as many as five or six food trucks lapping up the late night crowd after 10:30 or 11 outside of The Brig. I hate waiting in line behind drunk yuppies bumbling their orders (“Can I - hic - can I get fries with that?), so we avoid the barhoppers altogether and try to catch early bird Marked5 around 6:30 p.m.

The Marked5 Twitter feed informs me that it’s stationed at 1331 Abbot Kinney for the evening, but as we roll up past The Brig, something else catches our eye… the Dosa Truck! I’d heard about the less-than-two-month old Indian food truck only after I put together my original truck stop list, and I don’t know how often it comes to the west side, so we decide to check out Dosa first. Om nom. I LOVE stumbling across random trucks not on my list. It’s like getting a phone call from a number you don’t recognize (which I always hope is someone I haven’t talked to in a while, but usually turns out to be a robocaller).

When Mr. Ink and I walk up to the truck around 6:54 p.m., someone from Marked5 is perched on a bench eating a samosa and chatting with the someone from Dosa. It’s really nice to see the camaraderie between the different food trucks in the area; I’ve been wondering about the nature of inter-truck relationships, and most some of them seem pretty chummy. Dosa has just opened so there’s no line yet and the owner, Leena, dressed in a long-sleeved kurti tunic and linen pants, chats with us as we try to decide what to order. Originally from Brooklyn, she said she’s always loved Indian food and has mulled over the idea for a dosa truck for about five years now. A dosa, we learn, is a South Indian crepe-like dish that is filled with an assortment of ingredients. We opt for the combo special, which includes a masala dosa, samosa and fresh ginger limeade.

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