Baja Fresh!

It has been SO long since I've blogged and I'm sorry for that!... Last week was a busy one and on top of that I came down with a cold and didn't have an appetite and the last thing I wanted to do was cook. Last night I was feeling a little better and decided to try something that I have never made...the fish taco. There are so many variations of fish tacos...I was originally going to do a beer batter and then fry the fish, but a) I didn't have enough oil to fry and b) I thought I'd make a lighter version considering I was still getting my appetite back...instead of a crunch slaw to garnish the tacos, I opted for ingredients that I had on hand. I had a big red onion and I was determined to nail the pickling process...my last effort just didn't cut it. This time I brought white vinegar, sugar, salt & 1 bay leaf to a boil, dropped in my sliced red onion and cooked for 30 seconds, removed from heat and let cool completely before I put them in a container to chill it in the fridge. I must say this time I was quite happy with the result! And I'll probablly use what's let over to add a little crunch and zip to sandwiches and/or salads. Back to the tacos...I decided to use Tilapia...a) it looked really fresh at the fish store and b) the fish lady said it holds up to a lot of bold flavors. I seasoned the fish simply...just kosher salt and cracked pepper...added a little olive oil to the skillet and cooked the fish over medium heat for about 7 minutes. While the fish was cooking I took my corn tortillas and wrapped them in a wet papertowel and popped them in the microwave for 30 seconds and kept them wrapped up until I was ready to assemble. There are endless possibilities to taco toppings...however, I just used what I had in the fridge...I made a fresh salsa consisting of vine tomatoes, crushed garlic, canned jalapenos, red onion & a little lime juice. I also had 3 ripe avacados that I needed to use asap and I had recently watched Bobbly Flay make an avacado cream on one of his shows and it was super simple and I had all the ingredients (avacado, sour cream, lemon, salt & pepper.) Just threw them into a food processor and blended until smooth...this was SO yummy I could just eat it with a spoon! I must say these tacos were light and packed with flavor! Next time I'll have to try the fried fish approach.

Players for the Avacado Cream: Avacado, Sour Cream, Lemon, Salt & Pepper

Pulse in the food processor until smooth consistancy

Toppings: Fresh Homemade Salsa, Pickled Red Oion, Avacado Cream & Shredded Iceberg Lettuce

Assembling the tacos!



Buen Apetite!!



How Does Your Garden Grow?

It being Friday and all, I figured why not blog about herbs & cocktails? Herbs tend to add an unexpected, fresh twist on classic cocktails. It usually ends up becoming a talking point because people don't usually see herbs in cocktails unless they're at a super swank bar or restaurant. But for at-home cocktail parties it instantly adds a small but special touch to the evening. Next time you're entertaining, why not serve up one of these refreshing drinks with a little help from the garden- or if you're looking for a simple way to change it up, just throw a spring of rosemary into your next martini for a delicious new flavor!



Lavender Cocktail (Champagne & Lavender Google Image)

Mint Julep 



Basil Cocktail (Image by Martha Stewart)



 

Thyme Cocktail (Image by Liquor.com)

Google Image





Beef Stroganoff

So Tuesday night I decided to venture out of my cooking comfort zone a little bit and decided to make Beef Stroganoff...first time for everything! It was actually pretty easy and super yummy!

Ingredients: Sirloin, Shallots, Thyme, Sour Cream, Beef Broth, Cognac, Egg Noodles & Parsley

Cut steaks into cubes and salt & pepper liberally

Sear the meat

Remove the seared meat from the pan and let rest

Amazing flavor at the bottom of the skillet

Saute shallot & butter

Add sliced mushrooms & thyme

Add beef broth & cognac and bring to a boil

Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream

Serve over egg noodles and enjoy!



Hey Everyone!
I'm sorry I've been slacking on the blogging front...We were away this weekend...BS had a work event in West Palm and I got to tag along! We stayed with our good friends, had yummy food, wine & weather...what more could you ask for!? BS played some golf with his friend Brad while Brad's gf Ali and I hit the pool! Nothing is worse than coming back from a fantastic vacation (warm weather) and having to go to work (and 20 degree weather.) Exhausted from a late flight back to Boston I was finding it hard to function on only 1 cup of coffee when I received a big box at my desk! BS and I agreed that our V-Day gift was our trip to West Palm...but BS never ceases to amaze me...I opened up the box and saw gorgeous roses! Isn't he the best?! I'll have to thank him by cooking up something special tonight (which I will blog about obvs...) Here are a few pictures from our trip to West Palm as well as the V-Day flowers.

Enchiladas

Perfect Friday night dinner...enchiladas. This was my first attempt at making enchiladas and even though they turned out AMAZING, I did learn from 1 mistake...soak the tortillas in enchilada sauce (I only had 1 can so I didn't do this) or add a little water to the tortilla and pop in the microwave for 10 seconds. The first couple tortillas that I rolled ended up cracking and breaking apart. Other than that, this was a SUPER easy dish.

1. Saute ground beef, onion in a skillet
2. Add taco seasoning to the meat mixture
3. SOAK corn tortillas in enchilada sauce
4. Put thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish
5. Fill tortillas with meat mixture, green chilies, olives, tomatoes, shredded cheese & shredded lettuce
6. Roll up the tortilla and place in the casserole dish (seam side down)
7. Spread enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas, added more shredded lettuce and shredded cheese
8. Place in oven at 375 degrees for 20min.
9 Top with a little sour cream and fresh lime

Ingredients: Tomatoes, Corn Tortillas, Olives, Green Chilies, Taco Seasoning, Ground Beef, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Enchilada Sauce, Limes, Sour Cream, Shredded Iceberg Lettuce & Onion

Chocolate Croissants...Perfect Start to a Saturday Morning!

Ok, so I can't take any credit for this post...BS came home the other night with a tube of Croissant dough. I hadn't had those in ages! BS then tells me that he's going to use some dark chocolate that we had in the freezer to make Chocolate Croissants...brilliant! So simple and definitely classed up an average Saturday morning!