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Autumn is one of the nicest times of the year in Los Angeles. We often have clear, sunny days. They can be bright and warm, without being stifling. Even the sky seems bluer. It's the perfect time of year to pack a lunch and take it on the road. There are so many wonderful places in Los Angeles to enjoy a meal outdoors. The park, the beach, up to the mountains or out to the desert. Beauty is all around us, so it's just a matter of deciding where to go and what setting to enjoy.

But picnics can make a lot of trash. Plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic wrap. All destined to be used once, then spend the next 100 years in a landfill. Well just the thought of all that garbage ruins the occasion for me. It really does. So when I take my meals outdoors I try and give them an environmentally friendly spin. I don't pack our finest china, but I do use real dishes, real glasses and I try to find other creative ways to eliminate the trash.

But let's be clear. The rules for this challenge were to 'whip up' a four part meal (entree, side, drink, and dessert), that was easily transportable and fit into the cooler provided. All these other constraints I took on voluntarily. I even threw in two extra courses (an appetizer and cheese course). Which means my post could have veered into dangerous territory, filled with lots of tedious photos and tons of useless blather. When I say I want to cut down on the garbage, well that is an editorial decision as much as an environmental concern.

So I opted for a video. It clearly shows me packing my meal and transporting it. Saving you (and me) from blog overload. CLICK here or on the screen grab below to watch my Project Food Blog Challenge #6 video.

I am going to try and cover a lot of ground today!

Not only do I have a recipe, Cold Orange Chili Oil Noodle Salad with Steak. Which you probably fully anticipated. But what you might not have expected is a guest post and primer on sake.

So let me take a moment and wind my way through all the events that led to noodles and sake landing on Sippity Sup. It all starts with La Fuji Mama. How many sentences begin that way? Rachael is a real life blog instigator, so I need to give a shout out to her. She recently taught a super fun sushi making class at my house. She called it Sushi 101 and you can read all about it HERE. Not only did we learn how to make temakizushi (a traditional hand roll in a cone shape) and maki sushi (sushi rolls), but we had a special guest that evening. His name is Kay Inoue and he is with Banzai Beverage, importers of premium (you guessed it!) sake.

I really enjoyed all the sakes I tasted that evening and Kay had so much interesting information that I just had to ask him to do a guest post.