Fish Tacos

You might be thinking that I'm on some sort of Mexican food kick.  And in some ways you would be right.  Really it's just a matter of convenience.  I hate when ingredients go bad, so these two recipes had similar ingredients, so I made them close together.  But I promise you will enjoy both! When I first heard the term "fish taco" I thought, "Ew gross! Who would want fish in their tacos!"  My husband looked dismayed at my outburst.  BUT thanks to his prodding and poking, my tastes have expanded and I now love fish tacos.  And these were particularly fabulous.  This recipe is also from www.eatingwell.com  I'm kinda stuck on them right now.

Again, this serving is for 2 people so you might want to double it up.  It took me roughly 30 mins! Yay for fast food!

First you want to make the Tomato Avocado Salsa.  Dice a large tomato, add 1/4 cup diced red onion, 1/2 jalapeno minced (or dried jalapeno), 2/3 tbsp lime juice, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1/2 diced avocado, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, and cayenne to taste.

Next in a small bowl you want to combine 3 tbsp flour, 1/8 tsp ground cumin, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp cayenne.  Whisk in 1/3 cup of beer to make batter.

Add two tsp oil to pan on medium high heat.  NOTE: This recipe calls for a nonstick pan and they mean a nonstick pan.  My first go at this I used a regular pan.  I had fish, but all the batter was stuck to the pan...not fun.  Dip your 1 inch strips of tilapia  into the batter, let the access drip into the bowl and then put the pieces in the oil.  Fry into golden on each side (doesn't take to0 long).  Place fish into warm corn tacos (I used flour tacos because I think they're tastier) and then add salsa on top!  That's it.  I added sour cream and hot sauce for a little extra flavor.  What I love about this recipe is it's tasty AND quick, just remember the non stick pan so your not doing dishes for the rest of the night...like me.

Dish-o-the-Week: Barbecue Portobello Quesadillas

That's right friends!  It's been a long time, but there is finally another Dish-o-the-Week!  I think you will be particularly fond of this one, I know Speed Racer and I really enjoyed it.  It's an interesting combo, and of course I cannot take credit for it.  I found this recipe on www.eatingwell.com.  I changed just a few minor things here and there, but I think you'll like it.  ALSO, this is a two for one special, I'm also giving you my Green Green Guacamole recipe in honor of all the green grass outside and as a way of saying sorry it's been so long.  So now, less talk, more drooling.

Note: This recipe is for 2 servings, but I got 4 Quesadillas out of it...so you may want to make more if you're cooking for a group.  It took me roughly 45 min.

Dice 1/2 pound of portobello mushrooms as well as 1/2 of a medium onion.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally.  The recipe says for 5 min, I did mine a little longer. Add onion and continue to stir until the onions are looking golden and translucent.

While the mushrooms and onions are sizzling away and making your mouth water, prepare your delicious sauce.  You will need.  1/4 cup barbecue sauce, we use Stubbs.  (Until I took this picture I never realized the moto was "My life is in these bottles."  It kinda creeps me out, just sayin'.)  Combine barbecue sauce with 1 1/2 teaspoons of tomato paste, 1 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar (I actually forgot to add this, still tasted good), 1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce.  Our grocery store doesn't have the best variety so I couldn't find the chile in adobo sauce, so I added green chiles instead and they added a great flavor to the sauce.

Mmmmm, yummy yum yum yuuuuuuum.  It looks like it's not a lot of sauce, I have to admit I was a little worried, but it's actually just the right amount.  Never fear!

Once your onions and tomato's are done, add them to your sauce and mix until they are coated.  Then lay out your whole wheat tortillas (8-10 inch kind).  On half of the tortilla add Monterey Jack shredded cheese and your mushroom mixture.  Fold the tortilla in half.  Add another teaspoon of oil to your pan and then lightly fry your quesadillas on each side.  Mine took about 3-4 min total.  Now all you have to do is enjoy the cheesy goodness.  That's it..the end...bye bye.....

.......

Oh.  What's that?  I forgot the guacamole?  You MUST have the guacamole??  Okie dokie then.

This is my favorite guacamole recipe, it's so good! And one of the reasons I love it is that it's not a spicy guacamole, so it's nice for parties.  If you want to spice it up some though, you can.  Just add cayenne or red pepper flakes.

So! You will need 2 medium avocados, 1/4 cup of cream cheese (softened), 2 tbsp onion, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/8 tsp salt, dash of black pepper, and 2 tbsp cilantro.

Mix all ingredients well in large bowl.  Simple.  I just mash mine until it's the consistency I want, I like it a little chunky.  Also, I would definitely add fresh cilantro.  A friend of mine recommended this recently and it has changed my life.  Cilantro is Fan-freakin'-tastic.

Now go stop drooling and enjoy!

March Mischief

Last weekend was Speed Racer's birthday!  The Padre, Mr and Mrs Hokie, and even Mrs Miami and Little Miss came down for the weekend.  Our house was chock full of people but we wouldn't have had it any other way. Everyone got in on Friday and we had a great time staying up late and catching up.  Saturday the boys went off for a manly pancake breakfast, and we ladies slept in and started on cooking the desert for that evening...delicious delicious banana pudding!  Mrs Hokie brought the double boiler and stand mixer (so jealous!) needed for the recipe, apparently it's a Paula Deane recipe and I highly recommend it.

Yum!

Little Miss helped out a lot and was a good sport because all the ladies did was talk, talk, and then talk a little more.

But we enjoyed catching up, it had been awhile since we had all been together.

Once we got all the cooking prepped and the pudding was in the fridge, we headed into town for a ladies lunch.

With all that girl time I think Little Miss was ready for the boys return.  She hung out with them outside while they got the brats and hamburgers ready.  She had them wrapped around her little finger though.  These next pictures of Little Miss and The Padre were all taken by Speed Racer.  I saw this out the window but was mashing up ALOT of potatoes for dinner, when Speed Racer walked by with his camera and starting shooting.  Great minds think alike, huh?

They were feeding this stray that has been around our house a lot.  She's suffered some abuse and we keep trying to get her to come to us.  She only will if you have food, and even then very hesitantly.  She's very sweet and I wish we could find her a good home.

Unfortunately, this is the last picture for the night though.  I had my hands pretty full for the rest of it.  So after this we dug in.  Speed Racer's special hamburgers, brats with sauerkraut, creamy mashed potatoes, and of course...banana pudding.  The girls and I put candles in the banana pudding and had Speed Racer blow them out.  Classic.  Soon after that Little Miss fell asleep on the couch, while the rest of us sat around the bonfire and enjoyed just being together.  All in all I think it was a good birthday, I know I had fun, and hopefully there will be many more like that to come.

Spring

It's the first day of spring and the flowers in my front beds are blooming.  This week they really just came up out of no where and opened up to the world.  I couldn't resist sharing them with you. As I mentioned in my post "I Spy Something..." my Mother helped me plant these flowers last fall.  It was really special to me to be able to spend that time with her.  Although I spent most of the time watching her plant these flowers since I was recovering from surgery, it was just nice to sit and catch up.  These days it's pretty rare that we get time together, just the two of us.  While we were together she told me a story about one of her fondest memories of me as a little girl.  She also told me how she told herself at that moment that she had better remember it.  While she said this I was thinking the same thing about watching her plant these flowers.  I thought to myself, you have to remember this, don't let this memory slip away.  And lucky for me, I have a beautiful reminder.  Each spring, when these flowers bloom, I'll think about that weekend with my Mom and how we planted these together.

Another memory that the flowers in our yard bring, is that of Speed Racer's Grandfather.  He planted most of these flowers, and since I've moved here I've tried very hard to maintain them.  But he must have used the front flower beds for annuals because they were empty before we planted bulbs in them.  Last night though, Speed Racer turned to me as we walked by them in twilight, and said "My Grandfather would have loved to see those flowers, they're really nice.  You did a wonderful job."  That meant the world to me.  When you move into a house that was owned by a family member it's hard to balance the "This is now your house" and the "This holds lots of memories."  So when I look out at my front yard and see the flowers, it just makes me smile.  I just look out and see Speed Racer's Grandfather, and his love for nature; my Mother and I, and the bond that we have; and our future...small little children picking flowers in the front yard.  These are the best parts of home ownership: dreaming, making memories, and keeping memories alive.

Downtowner Fudge Pie

Friday night around midnight, I got in the mood to bake.  This happens more often than you would think.  So the only question was, what was I going to make?  The answer was simple.  My FAVORITE chocolate pie.  My mother had made it at Christmas but due to my bout of cluster headaches I was unable to partake ( chocolate + cluster headaches =  even more pain).  It was terrible, no chocolate a christmas!!  The horror.  So, I made up for it this weekend.  This recipe actually came from my Aunt which I'm sure she also got from somewhere.  It's one of those recipes that's just been passed along.  So I'm going to pass it on to you. In mixing bowl, beat 3 eggs until light, beat in 3 T. white caro syrup, 1 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 t vanilla.  That right there is delicious.

Meanwhile, over low heat melt 1 stick of butter and 3 square of baking chocolate.  NOTE: I do this in the microwave just because it's simpler, but you can do this in a saucepan if you wish.  Also by "3 squares" it turns out that means 3 oz.  Hershey now sells bakers chocolate in 1/2 ounce squares so that can be a little confusing.  I also use unsweetened baker's chocolate.

Now at this point you may be tempted to lick this whole freakin' bowl, ahem, but remember this chocolate is unsweetened.  It will not taste as yummy as it looks.  Not yet.  Add slightly cooked chocolate mixture into mixing bowl.

Stir until combined.

Pour into 9" pie pan and bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.  Remember this is a chess pie, so be careful not to over bake.  When it is done it should still shake like a custard.

Mine was not very pretty but very very delicious.  I think the reason it fell and cracked was because instead of stirring in the chocolate mixture I beat it in, thus adding more air, so it puffed up a lot.  WARNING:  This chocolate pie is so good you (and maybe your husband) might just eat the whole thing before the weekend is out...and gain 3 pounds...might happen.  Just sayin'.

I Spy Something...

GREEN!!! Back in October my mother and I spent some time planting bulbs in my front flower beds.   And by my mother and I, I mean, my mother.  This was during the time that I had my tonsils removed, so I was in recovery.  I had a very important job though...I pointed where the flowers should go...yeah...important.  But I digress.  So all through the winter, I was worried they wouldn't come up, and the beds looked all tucked and cozy but well...brown. See Exhibit A.  You really can't tell much is going on there.  But if you look really reeeeally close...

...you can spy some green.

And maybe even a few buds coming up...

And then this is the point where I go, "hmmm I can't remember what type of flowers I planted...hmmm."

But the more I look, the more I see! They're everywhere.  This winter has been a long one and I am so ready for spring to say hello.

In our other bed there is even a tinsy tiny bit of color.  Just a wee bit.

Just enough to remind me that spring will be here soon.  I don't have long to wait.

It's for fun

Did you know photography is fun?? Crazy! I know.  But it is in fact fun.  Here is a teaser of some shots that I took a couple of weekends ago.  It was a sunny weekend, and it was nice just to go and take some photos for fun.  You should try it sometime.  For realz.

10 Reasons Why...

...I am trying to get in shape.  The above photograph was taken the fall of my senior year of college.  And from other pictures that I will not share with you, there was a huge difference between the fall and the spring.  Note the flat stomach.  That is surprisingly absent in those other, horrible photographs. So it's official folks. I've been workin' it every day for almost a month and I've lost 9lbs (and apparently that last 1 lb before 10 is super stubborn).  Now I do not consider myself a big lady, or even plump but there are several reasons why I have decided it's time to tone up.  So of course, since this is a blog, I'm going to share them with you.

1. I have always been an athlete.  Yes, that is a picture of me holding an AK47...I've always enjoyed a little target practice.  It's a good stress reliever.  But back to my reason.  I've always been an athlete.  In middle school I prided myself on being able to keep up with the boys in gym class.  Remember the Presidential Fitness Test?  My goal was never to just get the presidential level, it was to get the presidential level in the boys section.  Can you tell I have brothers?  In high school I was a pole vaulter.  For a long time being athletic has been an identity for me, and I miss that.

2. I feel good.  Over the past couple years I have dealt with a slew of health issues.  And now that I have taken care of the majority of them, I'm ready to push on.  I'm not tired, or drugged out, so I want to take advantage of this time and make the most of it.

3. I have bad habits.  For a very long time, even through college, I have been that girl who could eat an entire box of doughnuts, wait an hour and then be ready to eat a large pizza by myself.  Post college...not so much.  But I have developed those bad eating habits.  And I want to change those now before it's too late.  More veggies and more fruit please!  This being said, I think a healthy BALANCED diet is important.  I'm not the kinda girl that says no to cake.  If you invite me to your birthday, I'm going to have cake...now I just might not have the whole cake.

4. Wedding Season.  As a photographer, wedding season is creeping up and wedding season is a busy season.  If you have ever shot a wedding, you know that it is very physical.  As the photographer you are constantly moving, running from place to place, going from kneeling to standing and back again...all with a lot of extra weight on your body.  Those eight hour wedding can exhaust you.  This year I want to be in the best shape I can be so I can deliver the best pictures that I can.

5. Bathing suit season.  I love wearing bikinis.  Always have, always will.  But for now I would like to still comfortable wearing a bikini, so I'm gonna be honest with ya, that's definitely a motivation.

6. Confidence.  When your health is good, then you can tackle everything else.  I have a feeling 2011 is going to be a year of lots of change for me, and I want to feel good about that.  I also want the confidence to do the things I love.  I love hiking, canoeing, camping, biking, and just generally being outdoors.  The past couple of years I have been hesitant about doing some of those things because my health has not been what it should be.

7. Babies.  Now hold the phone before everybody gets their panties in a wad.  I am not pregnant and do not have plans to be pregnant any time soon.  BUT  I would like to enjoy an awesome bod before it changes again in a big way, and I want it to be ready for that change whenever that time does come.  As a woman who wants kids eventually, I feel like it's part of my job to make sure I'm healthy.

8. Jillian Michael's kicks my butt and I like it.  I've been doing some of the Jillian Michael's work out videos, and they are high paced and great.  So reason #8 is that I like to suffer.  For realz.  No, but I do love the feeling of a good work out, and I love that I'm seeing results.  That's what keeps me going.

9. Being Sexy.  Being sexy has many aspects, and I am not an advocate for stick thin women.  I love my curves, and I have no desire to look like I did when I was 13 (crooked bangs, glasses, and legs like a baby colt...no thanks).  The trick is finding whatever helps you feel good about yourself and stick with that.  As the famous line in Working Girl goes, "I have a head for business and a bod for sin, is there anything wrong with that?"  I may not have head for business...or really even a bod for sin...but I've got an eye for photography and a bod that can keep up with me...so that's a start.

10.  Why not?  At the end of the day, why not do what's best for me?

Jellies

If you have never been to the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN then you are missing out.  Not only do they have a fabulous new penguin exhibit, but it's my favorite place in the world to just watch the jelly fish.  They are so relaxing and just beautiful...in the tank. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

The Long Winter

It's been a surprisingly cold winter here in Tennessee.  Usually we don't get snow, or ice, or snow and ice together.  But a few weeks ago, just as the Christmas season was kicking off, we woke up to this. Speed Racer gave me the out to not go to work, but I could see the gleam in his eye...he wanted to try out the Range Rover in the snow.  So as I put on layer upon layer of electric underwear, it's toasty, Speed Racer braved the snow and ice to take a couple photographs.  I can't say we really sacrificed a lot.  I road to work in a truck with heated seats, a very warm heater, heated windshield, and heated steering wheel.  Needless to say, I got to work early.