Fruity Fish Fold-overs

We've been experimenting on making some fish tacos this summer, and while this wasn't very "taco-y" it was YUMMY. :) I started with the intention of making a fruit salsa, but once we started omitting things that each of us don't like we just sort of ended up with a fruit salad with tomatoes on the side. Still really good and very summery dinner; I can't wait to make this one again. For the breaded cod, we found a some really good panko crusted cod at Costco, but they're more like fish-fingers rather than fillets, so we used 2 "fingers" per tortilla. You'll want to adjust depending on the size of your fish pieces.

4 8-inch flour tortillas
8 pieces breaded cod
1 avocado, chopped into small chunks
1 lime
1 mango, chopped into small chunks
1/3 of a fresh pineapple, chopped into small chunks
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
lettuce, chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded monterey jack cheese

Bake the fish as per box instructions. Meanwhile, chop fruit and combine in a bowl. Just after chopping the avocado, squeeze the lime over it to prevent browning. You can add the chopped tomato to the fruit mixture or keep it on the side, however you prefer. Just as the fish is ready, lightly toast the flour tortillas. Layer tortillas with fish (squeeze lemon on fish if desired), cheese, fruit mixture, tomatoes, and lettuce. Fold over to make a wrap and enjoy.

mmmm, grill roasted potatoes

not a very original recipe, but they were YUMMY!

10-15 new potatoes, cut into quarters
5-6 large cloves of garlic, minced
about 2 tbsp olive oil (enough to coat mixture)

we made a little foil cooking tray that we could just put straight on the grill. tossed the potatoes, garlic and oil in a large bowl. stirred that around until everything was well coated (use your hand, it's just easier). then spread that out on the foil and roast over a low to medium-low grill. the potatoes were done in about 40 minutes.

first garden on my own

there is a sad trail of dead plants littering the path of my adult life, so i claim temporary insanity when i decided to try my had an a little bit of container gardening this year. i decided to keep it easy, and to only grow things that i knew we'd use: basil, dill, and grape tomatoes.

well, the dill died right away. which sucks because we use it all the time on salmon and in other dishes.

but the basil and grape tomatoes have really taken off on me. i drastically underestimated how big the tomato plants would get, they're towering over their pots now. i've given up tying them to little stakes in their pots and am just letting them take over the rails in the front porch decking. and the tomato plants have given me lots of silly excitement this year, once when they bloomed and now that they're actually growing little tomatoes. i'm getting all giddy again as they're starting to ripen.



i also underestimated the basil, they've gotten too big for their pots too. and we have a LOT (so if you have any recipes that use basil, please send them my way). i was surprised then they started to get little blooms on them, googled that night and found out that's BAD - they were going to seed which makes them crappy. good news is, if you catch them right away, take off the top 1/3 of the stem that's seeding and then give it a couple weeks the flavor will go back to normal. i have been surprised at how fast the basil leaves regenerate after picking them. so it seems i will never run out of basil. well, if i can successfully transfer the plants to indoor living come winter that is....

shredded barbeque chicken

really easy way to make some shredded barbeque chicken. i'm going to use this for a barbeque chicken pizza. if there's left overs it'll be good to throw on a bun for quick sandwich.

2 packages of chicken breast tenders
1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce

put chicken and sauce in a crock-pot, cook on medium for approximately 3-4 hours, until it is very tender. let cool slightly when done, then shred with forks.

can be done ahead of time. when you reheat, put in glass bowl, drizzle a bit of water over it, cover tightly with cling wrap, and microwave. this will add enough steam so your meat doesn't dry out.

easy white rice

super easy rice that is good on its own or if you're using it as a bed for something else yummy.

1 can (13-14 oz) coconut milk
1 can water
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

in a pan put rice, milk, and water (just measure the water into the same can the coconut milk came from). bring to a boil. cover and boil for 10 mins, then lower to a simmer until the rice has absorbed the remaining liquid; stirring occasionally. fluff up before serving. reheats well.

Any day that ends with ice cream is a good day.

as the last moments of the 4th of July 2009 tick away, i'm enjoying a bowl of yummy homemade ice cream topped with my caramel sauce (recipe already posted). the recipe for the ice cream needs to be tweaked some more, so i'll post it another time. now excuse me... *nom nom nom*

thick gooey caramel sauce

perfect for ice cream topping or filling inside chocolates:

one back of soft caramels (like what you'd use to make caramel apples)
about one cup heavy whipping cream (equals to the small carton available at the grocery store)

in a double boiler, with the water in bottom pot simmering, unwrap the caramels and place them in the top bowl. add 3/4 cup of cream and let heat, stirring occasionally. as the caramels melt, add more cream to get to the right consistency you want. remember the mixture will thicken once it cools, so keep that in mind as you add cream. once fully melted, remove from heat, let cool slightly then pour into a bottle with a spout. can be used right away as a hot caramel ice cream topping, or let cool completely. store at room temperature. enjoy. :)