Fish Tacos

These very simple tacos come from my new cookbook, Everyday Food. We made these last Saturday (I'm a little behind on my blogging.) I had Mahi Mahi on hand, so I substituted that. They were pretty good, but nothing fabulous. I was a little disappointed with the fish, I think. Maybe it would have tasted a lot better if it was fresh. (I can only get it frozen in K-ville.) The lime/jalapeno/sour cream sauce was yummy. I also wondered if I would have liked it more if the fish was battered and fried, or if it was grilled instead of just cooked in a skillet. I'll have to try a different recipe next time.

Too Much Cooking for One Day!

I tried some new recipes on Thursday. First I made this white chocolate fruit tart for my friend Erin's birthday. The crust and the white chocolate mousse I found on epicurious.com, and then I just used nectarines, blackberries, strawberries, and kiwis with an apricot glaze. I think this white chocolate mousse is fabulous.

Then I made whole wheat bread. It's so good. I can't even describe it. It's so good- you have to make it. Click here for the recipe.

Then I made a new recipe: Bistro Chicken with Rosemary-Roasted Potatoes. It's from Cooking Light. It was pretty good for a healthy recipe. The potatoes needed to cook longer than the recipe specified to start to carmelize and form a skin. I've attached a link, but didn't bother with a picture.

Lastly, I tried a new recipe from my new cookbook for Spinach with Orzo and Feta. We both really liked this.

Great Friends

These four amazing women are some of the main reasons I love Kirksville so much. Over the past two years, we've become great friends as we "suffer" through the medical school journey together. (I use the quotation marks because while I think many of us find this journey a difficult one, I can't really call it suffering with thoughtful and supportive friends like these!) In a couple of months, they will all be moving to different areas for rotations. I will be so sad to see them go! From left to right: Ashley is a great friend. I think we might have the same sense of humor. Bobby and I love to hang out with her and husband Justin and play games or have dinner. She and Jill listened to me A LOT while I was trying to cope with Franny's diagnosis. I always feel weird if a day goes by and we haven't talked on the phone. She is very generous and always looking for ways to help others. Inside joke for Ashley: Monster Jugs. Melody is one of the most creative people I have ever met. She has so many interests and SO MANY talents. I once went to her house for a "Melody" lesson, so I could learn how to be a little more Melody-like. Her energy and enthusiasm as well as her impressive talents are really inspiring. Jill and I hit it off the first time we met, and so did our daughters. Her daughter is the famous Alyssa- Franny's very best friend. We feel so lucky to have found these two. Jill is so thoughtful and loyal- she has been a really great friend to me. One time we were on the phone and she could tell I was having a hard day so she showed up on my doorstep with a package of red vines- it was the perfect thing! Erin is always so positive and cheerful. She is kind to everyone and a fabulous cook. I love to trade recipes with her. I really don't think there is anything this girl can't handle- she is so impressive with how much she can juggle between SAA, her church responsibilities, her home responsibilities, and all of her many interests and talents. All of these women are great mothers and friends, and I don't know what I would have done here without them! I love you girls!

To these four gorgeous and talented individuals (each of them is a dedicated reader of this blog), I offer a piece of advice for your last few months in Kirksville: do not eat at that new restaurant "The Manhattan." The service was awful! I can't even tell you how the food was because we were there for a whole hour today and noone ever brought it out, so we just got up and left.

Bedtime without Daddy

Last night Bobby had to stay late at school for a test, so Sophie and I tried to make her bedtime routine fun, since he's the one who usually puts her to bed and he does a much better job than I do.

Also, here's a video of Sophie showing off her new clapping skills.

May is project month

I am notorious around these parts for projects that never seem to get finished. And since we are moving soon and I don't want to move all these unfinished projects, I'm giving myself an ultimatum.... okay, not an ultimatum, because I don't actually believe I can finish all five projects before the end of the month and I certainly have no intention of abandoning them if I don't. Rather, I'm giving myself a deadline- I want to finish my projects by the end of May. It's a goal. I seem to have recovered some of my lost energy in the last few days and I feel motivated to get things done!

So here's an example of one of my forsaken projects: the infamous quilt. I took this project on in JANUARY 2006! I drove to my sister-in-law's house near Louisville, KS and we spent a few days putting this quilt top together- it's meant to be a gift for my good friend's baby present. Her daughter Emma is getting close to 18 months old! (I'm so sorry, Betsy.) I really only have a few more blocks to hand-stitch, then it needs the binding and that will be it! Apparently hand-quilting doesn't do it for me. I did enjoy putting the quilt top together, but that could be because of all the great conversation and time spent with Jen. Meanwhile, it looks pretty nice draped in the corner of my family room.

It makes me excited thinking I could actually finally finish this and four other projects by the end of the month! Stay tuned for progress reports.

Basil Alfredo Pasta, Almond Angel Food Cake, and my new favorite earrings

After tonight, my blog will be featuring recipes from www.cookinglight.com, because that's what I need to be doing: cooking light. I find that I'm usually attracted to recipes that call for butter, heavy cream, etc. That is not going to help me get off this baby weight. But tonight, as a last hoo-rah, we had one of Bobby's favorites: Basil Alfredo Pasta with Goat Cheese. We add a few chicken breasts, sliced and sauteed in olive oil.

2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
18 oz fresh spinach fettucine (or just dry regular fettucine if that's all you can find)
8 oz chevre (goat cheese), crumbled
½ diced seeded fresh plum tomatoes
½ cup slivered fresh basil leaves
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 chicken breasts, sliced and sautéed in olive oil

1. Bring cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until thick, 20 to 30 minutes. Then add the chopped basil and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and fettuccini, and cook at a rolling boil until just tender.
3. While the pasta is cooking, add half the chevre to the basil sauce. Return the pan to low heat, stir, and heat through. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl.
4. Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce and chicken, and toss lightly. Top with the remaining goat cheese, tomato, slivered basil, and black pepper. Serve immediately.

I started checking out the Cooking Light website today and found what looks like some pretty good recipes. I brought dinner to a friend who just had a baby and the dessert was Almond Angel Food Cake with Creme Anglaise and Macerated Strawberries. I confess I love recipes with fancy, descriptive titles of 10 words or more.

And these are my new 80's earrings I bought from forever21.com. I love them! It's a store that my little sisters shop at in California. If you like cheap clothes, and you're desperately trying to hold on to your last shred of fashion sense like me, you should check it out. I can't believe I bought these, because I never, ever thought I would go back to any semblance of 80's fashion. But when I saw these $2.00 plastic earrings, I had to have them! My nose looks huge in this picture.

Trashy Food

I love Nigella Lawson. I checked out her book Nigella Bites from the library this week and there is a whole chapter on "trashy" recipes. I really liked the idea so I thought I'd feature one of my favorite "trashy" recipes here. Nigella has the following criteria for a trashy recipe: it should contain at least one brand-name ingredient. In the case of my Southwestern Chicken in the Crockpot- that ingredient is Pace Medium Salsa - "Chunky Style". Next, it should use a "low-rent" ingredient, one that food snobs would turn their noses up at- for my purposes here, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips maybe? I am going to add to Nigella's list that it should be prepared using some kind of gimick-y kitchen tool or appliance.

This is everyone's favorite recipe that I have. It's the easiest recipe I make and it tastes pretty good. I'd venture to guess that 75% of you who know me and read this blog already have this recipe, but for those of you who don't, you're going to like this one.

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar Pace medium salsa - chunky style
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
lime wedges
chopped cilantro
chopped avocado

Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks and then sprinkle cheese on top and let it melt until you're ready to serve. Serve over tortilla chips with desired toppings.

I've learned a lot from Nigella, like maybe it's okay to cook with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom every once in a while... :)

"Yes, I want whatever I do eat to be good, but there is surely a place- and in my heart a very fond one- for a bit of kitsch in the kitchen." - Nigella Lawson