Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Hello



This is Rudy's new little napping bowl. I hope this provides you with a laugh today :)

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Spring has Sprung!

Hip Hip Hooray! It's FINALLY getting warmer! I have HAD IT with this cold winter! Spring is one of my favorite times of the year because of the temperature change but mainly because everything starts to BLOOM.  They plant tulips on the bluff every spring and they make me happy every time I run by them :)



Fairhope is always beautiful- I mean, all year round we have flowers blooming on top of our garbage cans! -but springtime just doesn't get any prettier. I love to drive around town and see flowers on every street corner, japanese magnolia trees in full bloom and all the camelias!







The Rockies told Aaron to stay in Fairhope during spring training so that he could rehab with the physical therapist at my dad's clinic. Therefore, we have thoroughly enjoyed being "home" for one more month. I have been cooking up a storm- I'm trying to cook as many Julia Child's recipes as I can while the parents are still helping with the grocery bill! Don't worry, they (and Aaron) love every minute of it. Also, the temp has been warm and we have had so much fun at the beach and the pool.



TTFN! Ta-ta for now! :) (name that children's show character!)

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Roasted Recipes

As you may have seen several posts ago, my family went on a deep sea fishing trip and caught some HUGE amberjack...



So I have been coming up with all different kinds of ways to cook all of this delicious fish.

Some people say that amberjack is a little fishy tasting so I came up with several ways to disguise the fishy taste with bold flavors. This recipe is one of them.



I was inspired by Barefoot Contessa's Mustard Roasted Fish and I came up with my own take on this delicious recipe (which I do with almost every recipe I "follow"... what does that say about me?). Anyways, this version is DELICIOUS. You can use this recipe with any kind of fish but I had amberjack in the freezer so that's what I used.

First, you start by seasoning the fish with salt and pepper on either sides.



Next, you make the sauce: (and I don't ever use exact measurements because it really depends on how much fish you're cooking and how much sauce you like)
Sour Cream
Dijon Mustard
Whole Grain Mustard
Shallots (1 or 2)

Isn't this picture appetizing? I was cracking up when I took it..





Mix sauce together.



Spread the sauce all over the fish.



Place the dish in a 400 degree oven and depending on the thickness of the fish it will likely cook about 10-25 minutes. Whatever you do, DO NOT overcook the fish. If you do, you will feel like you're eating rubber. You will know the fish is cooked perfectly when it flakes with a fork.

Ta Dah!! Now how EASY was that? And no one will ever know... Enjoy!



Now for my second "roasted" dish: My Easy Roasted Vegetables. Ina Garten likes to roast vegetables and she's got me hooked. You will thoroughly enjoy eating healthy with this flavorful side dish.

First you start with any kind of vegetables you like to eat. Some that are good for roasting would be: yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, onion, butternut squash, carrots, fennel, broccoli, etc. (And I have roasted all of these and they are delicious!) But today I did yellow squash, zucchini, and tomatoes.



Start by chopping the vegetables in a shape and size you would enjoy eating. But make sure they are all about the same size and thickness because you want them to roast the same.

Place them on a roasting pan. Next, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper. I like to add other seasonings sometimes, so go crazy and do whatever you want! Some good suggestions are: lemon pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, brown sugar for the sweet vegetables, lemon juice, fresh or dried herbs, etc. I say go crazy, but don't add too many seasonings because then you don't get to taste the actual vegetable.

Toss the vegetables in the oil and seasonings and place them in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20-25 min depending on the size and thickness of the vegetable.

And VOILA! You have a healthy, simple, and delicious side dish!



Bon Apetit!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Cruisin the Carribean

For spring break, the whole fam went on a 5 night "Celebrity" Cruise to Key West, Florida and Grand Cayman Island. This was our first cruise we have ever been on and needless to say...



FUN WAS HAD BY ALL.

Our ship left out of Miami, which is a place I would love to spend more time at one of these days...



Our first destination was the quaint little island of Key West, Florida. It is 2 miles by 4 miles and there are palm trees, shops, restaurants, bars, live music, and aqua blue water everywhere you look. It was a happenin' place!







We ate some of the best key lime pie I have ever eaten from this little place called Kermit's Key Lime Shop.



A picture is worth a thousand words.



We walked over the whole island (which isn't very far) and we can all officially say we have stood at the "southernmost point of the United States."



We ate lunch outside while listening to live music, ate sorbet from a charming little ice cream parlor, slipped in and out of shops, drooled over all the yachts, and just had a good time.

When I was researching what cruise line we should go on I was told that Celebrity had the best food and they were right. Every night we would eat dinner in the Grand Restaurant and let me tell you something- we ate like Kings and Queens. The food was absolutely unbelievable and was definitely the highlight of my cruising experience. It was a French menu which made me giddy every time I looked at it! I mean for once I could actually interpret a fancy menu! In previous posts I have expressed my newfound love for French food and every meal we ate on the ship was full of it!! I cannot even begin to tell how many pastries, croissants, creme brulees, and anything else french that you could think of that we ate! I loved tasting some of the same dishes I have made at home. They were presented so beautifully and tasted fabulous. We all agreed that we ate more this past week than we have ever eaten in our entire lives. I took a few pictures but not as many as I should have:



Yes I know... no one, except mom, ever ate just one dessert. How could you pass these up??



I ate caviar for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised!



They even had some Italian food on the menu! This was the best Tiramisu I have ever tasted and the little espresso bean for decoration is gold! They paid attention to every exquisite little detail.



After dinner every night we would go to the shows. We saw dancing, singing, and some great comedy.





Our second visit on the cruise was to the Grand Cayman Island. We got to snorkel on two different coral reefs and we swam with stingrays... Now as most of y'all know, I do not do ocean creatures. So to swim around in that huge ocean (the water was crystal clear so that made it less scary) and to touch and KISS a stingray was a huge accomplishment for me. I was most definitely not going to kiss the poor slimy creature but Aaron picked me up (with his one good arm) and physically FORCED me to. It was quite a sight to see.

I wish our underwater camera pictures were developed but they're not yet so these will have to do for now.



The snorkeling was one of the highlights of the trip because of all the beautiful coral and colored fish we got to see.



So after everyone had seen all they could see we get back in the boat to catch some rays... so where's Aaron? He's still snorkeling! We were cracking up at him... he loved it.



On our way back to Miami we sailed along the coast of Cuba... and that's as close to Cuba as I ever want to be. It was a good view for laying out on the ship though.





We had the time of our lives and we have all decided that we are going to be cruisers. The fact that you can see multiple exotic places, eat all the fine food you want, and soak up the sun in a relaxing atmosphere is unbeatable in my opinion. This was Aaron's very first official family vacation and he had a blast. We all decided that adding Aaron to the mix made it the most fun family trip ever!







This has been a VERY long post so if you're still here thanks for reading! :)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Cotes de Porc Sauce Nenette

And you're probably thinking, "yeah yeah in English please..."
The other night I made Julia Child's Pork Chops with Mustard, Cream, and Tomato Sauce. And it was FINE!!

But let me tell you one thing: While cooking through this book I have noticed that french food is not always the healthiest food out there. But it is fun to splurge every now and then because believe me- it is worth it! What I have found through cooking these recipes is that almost every french dish will have at least one if not all of these ingredients:
cream
wine
fresh herbs
and last but most definitely not least... butter!

Here is how I made it:

Dry the pork chops off with paper towels (this helps the browning process).
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a heavy fireproof casserole dish (such as a Le Crueset) and brown the chops on both sides.



Brown both sides and transfer the chops to a plate. Pour all the fat out of the pot so you can add the butter and garlic.




After you add the 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 halved cloves of garlic, transfer the chops back to the pot and baste all of them in the butter. Cover and cook the pork chops on medium heat in the pot for about 25-30 minutes. (You could also place the pot in the oven just hot enough to hear the chops sizzle for the same amount of time).

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.

You will need 1 and 1/2 cups of whipping cream.



1 tablespoon of dry English mustard and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.



To make the sauce:
Simmer the cream with a little salt and pepper in a small saucepan for 8-10 minutes or until it has reduced to 1 cup.



Meanwhile, stir the mustard and paste in a bowl and then beat in the hot cream.



Remove sauce from heat and chop about 2 tablespoons of fresh basil and then stir in the sauce. The heat will cause the basil to infuse the sauce and it makes the sauce!


When the pork chops are completely cooked, pour the sauce over the chop and eat up!!
Yuuummmmmm.....!


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

A King and a Queen

So last Friday night my family (Aaron, mom, dad, julie and jessica) went to New Orleans to see GEORGE AND REBA!! And let me tell you one thing- they put on quite a show! George Strait is one of my favorite country music singers so to have the opportunity to see him in concert was a dream come true.




And I have always liked Reba but never just loved her... That is until last night. She is an amazing entertainer and boy does she make you proud to be a redhead!  She was the cutest thing!


She came out in this hot little number for the encore.  SO sassy! 

And not to leave Leanne Womack out- she was great! Her voice is just as pure live as it is on a CD. Her and Reba sang a duet on stage together and it would give anybody goosebumps!




But after all was said and done I could have listened to George all night long and then some... no wonder people say he's the KING of country music!!

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