...The Bachelor just did their hometown visits on Monday and one of my favorite moments was when Constantine's father expressed the importance of working at a marriage in order to keep it healthy. This is something most of us have heard, but I am not sure many of us truly understand. What does it mean to "work" at a marriage? And how does a couple stay motivated to continue this calling, year after year? We of course have our own thoughts, but would love to hear yours! So please, take a second and pass on your pearls of wisdom.
Our crew was small this past week as we gathered to say goodbye to our Monday Mates. To celebrate we enjoyed takeout and some themed desserts. I made Emily's Sugar Cookies (because she is oh so sweet), in the shape of hearts of course. And Chantal's Surprise Brownie Bites (due to the emotional roller coaster she took us on this season). The brownie bites are a favorite cooking light recipe of mine. Then I hid nuggets of either caramel and chocolate, or coconut and Craisins, and swirled a bit of caramel on top. All of the roses used for decorating this season had dried, so I used the petals and buds for decorations. And tons of candles. Oh! And don't miss the blog that Steph and Abbey did on all things fashion and Bachelor, here.
Monday's we will miss all of your drama!
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| I love Monday! |
I decided on the heading for my Monday night reviews after spending too much time here. Anybody else do things like that? Anyways, Sultry Synthesis really does describe these wonderful evenings with my girlfriends and this week was no different.
We tackled Fish Tacos this week and completed it, with baby in tow and notes being taken, in 45 minutes. Our goal is that all meals fit into a 30 minute window, thus dispelling the myth that great food takes a long time to prepare. Also, for many of my young professional friends, work goes late and there isn't much time to make a nice meal. And no, I am not following Rachel Ray or any other formulas. These are purely from my kitchen to yours, adapted from years of experimentation and reading almost a hundred cookbooks. That said, fish tacos and a few tips and tricks.
We used 1.5 lbs of cod, seasoned with my favorite seafood seasoning
, put on a broiler pan lined with foil in the oven at 350 degrees. While this was in the oven we made a slaw that I love. We used red and green cabbage, fresh squeezed lime juice, fresh and finely chopped jalapeño pepper, green onion, brown sugar and salt. On the side we finely chopped cilantro and radishes. These I commonly put on the side if there is a possibility anyone other than our family will be eating the slaw, as many people don't like either items. If it is just for us, in they go right from the start!
Everything was put in a large Tupperware and set on the stove where it could warm just a bit. Every now and then in between adding items we would put the lid on and give it a shake. This is the easiest way to keep it marinating and when you are done it goes right in the fridge for leftovers without dirtying another dish.
Pull out the fish, turn off the oven and put some corn tortillas into your already warm oven. I love these ones personally. Transfer the fish to a bowl, flake and add a dash of the seasoning above. By this time the tortillas should be warmed and ready to go!
For the finished product I always put out chopped and chunky tomatoes, salsa and FF sour cream. You can also make available some nice and crumbly Mexican cheese like Queso or Parmesan and finely chopped lettuce. Set everything out so your guests can assemble the tacos themselves (I usually do this as I go along so it is all ready at the same time) and Voila! Dinner is served.
Tips and Tricks
* Slaw can be made with MANY items, just always think: crunchy, sweet, spicy, salt and citrus. Experimentation is key and the results can be sooooo fun! I love grapefruit or oranges for my citrus to add a little punch. Red pepper flakes are great in a pinch for spice. Brown sugar dissolves quickly so I love it for my sugar, but you can use agave, honey, pineapple juice, etc... you get the point.
* If you want your slaw to be softer and have less crunch you can put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, tossing in between, until desired texture is reached.
* Cut jalapeños last as they will make everything cut afterwards on that cutting board spicy.
* If cooking for yourself and you don't want to store the leftover cabbage feel free to just use green cabbage and add radishes for color and crunch. They come in small bunches and are inexpensive.
* For juicing items I love this handy little device.
* For the foil on the broiler, fold the edges up to make sure none of the juices spill out. This makes clean up a snap. And since most fish has been frozen at some point there is bound to be some sort of juice leaking out. If you are in a hurry or don't have a pan or broiler for the fish I make a foil pocket, using two layers of foil for reinforcement, and the problem is solved.
* Cod is done when it begins to separate and is easily flaked. Personally I always eyeball it as ovens cook differently.
* Allot about 1/2 lb of cod for each guest.
Ratings
Dirty Dishes: Cutting board (1), Knives (1), Citrus juicer (1), Spoons (2), bowls (4 small, 2 large), plates + utensils = LOW
Time: 45 minutes with teaching, 30 minutes at home
Leftover Options: quiesadillas, fish salad, slaw sandwiches, warmed slaw with rice = GOOD
Sides: Lime chips and salsa, quick corn and bean salad = OK
As for the Bachelor this week we filled out our scorecards (a recent tradition) and picked the final five. While we aren't in agrement on this, that is what makes the season so much fun! Our favorite drama queen of the moment is of course Michelle. And sadly she reminds us of that episode of How I Met Your Mother where they talk about how to spot the crazy eyes of a nightmare girlfriend (Season 2 Episode 7). That said this season has some girls that have truly had tragedy in their lives and it makes me very grateful for all that I have been given. Who are your picks for the top five?
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| The bar area set up and ready to go. |
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| Love these roses that Trader Joe's had on sale! |
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| My sweet girlfriends celebrating my birthday this last year. |
I love food and the combination of cooking and watching The Bachelor with my girlfriends on Monday nights simply makes my week. In describing this weekly occurence to Mother-In-Law (MIL) she commented that many of my cooking tricks were new to her and maybe I should lead a class like this for some of my family members. So until that happens I thought this would be a fun place to share some of our experiments.
The idea started as a part of a Christmas gift to my dear friend who wanted to master some tricks on the cooking side. Already an amazing baker, something I struggle with, she asked if we could cook every Monday. So we are making a list (which I will post) and will work our way through some of the essentials of cooking that tend to be more frightening than is necessary.
This week's challenge was Pesto, a delectable treat but many times far to high in calories and spendy for my taste. Over the years I have experimented at great length to cut calories, improve taste and in general make something I love more accessible. So here are a few tips and tricks I have learned and used over the years:
* Use what you have on hand. I make pesto with almost any leafy green, harder cheese and nuts in the pantry. I have used spinach with frozen basil cubes. Spring greens and dried basil (just let it sit overnight). Walnuts, pecans and cashews in the place of pine nuts. Asiago and fontina (freeze it for about 10 minutes before using) in the place of Parmesan. Improvise and taste as you go.
* There is no need for the excessive amount of olive oil. I have made pesto many times only using water and a quick bit of cooking spray to help it all come together. This past Monday we made 3 different types of pesto, used water in each and at most 1 TBS of Olive Oil. The water lets it freeze well and interestingly the comment I get most often is how creamy my pesto tastes. The best part is you can have it twice in one week without feeling guilty!
* Don't add garlic unless its going to be heated. This is mainly a personal rule after many nights of smelling garlic on everyones breath to an excessive degree. Don't get me wrong I LOVE garlic, but not everyone appreciates its residual affect. The other part of this is not feeling like you can't make pesto because you are out of garlic. It tastes great without it and doesn't dominate the scent of the room.
* Just give it a try. Tonight. When I embarked on my cooking journey 7 years ago I would keep a delicious container of pasta sauce always on hand and then embark boldly on one of my hair-brained cooking experiments. This took the pressure off and made the process more enjoyable. If it doesn't turn out the way you like it the noddles are hot so add the sauce and tell yourself that next time it will be sensational!
Our pestos for the night used pine nuts and basil with one option having garlic and the other without. The third was basil with walnuts and Asiago cheese, sans garlic. While more basic than my experiments of the past, these three ideas are great for showing the differences and for giving a base for your taste palate. If your palate is sound then your experiments will be as well.
As for the other half of our night, well there wasn't a shortage of drama. And that is all I will say about that at this moment.<wink>
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| Taken a few days later so the color is distorted. Pine nuts on left, Walnut on right. |
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| Recreated days later with for left-overs with mushrooms and tomatoes. |
