Dreaming of ruffles and lace and ribbons and bows,
of tutus, tiaras and shiny, bright toes,
pig tails, tea parties, and flowery prose.
The pink slide of life…
My heart overflows.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Month: June 2016
Fish Tacos (Burritos)
Piling fresh, healthy ingredients on top of protein-rich fish before wrapping for fish tacos
On Monday, I shared a recipe for Pineapple Blueberry Salsa and told you how I used it to make Fish Tacos for dinner Sunday.
They turned out SO DELISH! And they actually are more like burritos than tacos because we had burrito-sized four tortillas. You could certainly make them smaller by using smaller tortilla shells and cutting the fish into smaller pieces.
I’m still pretty obsessed with the Pineapple Blueberry Salsa, and think it would be great with grilled chicken too.
I decided to lightly bread and pan fry the fish for our fish tacos because that is the way Hubby likes fish best, but you could surely grill the fish too without breading.
It did add a nice crunch and was complemented by the creamy avocado, crunchy red cabbage, and sweet and zippy salsa.
This is a winner winner of a fish dinner. Hope you’ll give it a try!
Fish Tacos
Ingredients:
- 4 5-oz Hake Loins (or cod, haddock or your favorite fish)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 ripe avocado
- 4 flour tortilla shells
- 1 cup fresh Pineapple Blueberry Salsa
Directions:
Prepare three shallow bowls with flour, salt and pepper combined in one, egg and 1/4 cup water whisked together in second, and panko bread crumbs in the third.
Heat olive oil in 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat.
While oil is heating up. Dredge each Hake Loin first in flour, then in egg, and lastly in Panko bread crumbs.
Pan fry two at a time in hot oil for approximately 2-3 minutes on each side until Panko coating is browned and crispy.
Remove from skillet to paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
On a flour tortilla, please Hake loin in center. Top with 2-3 slices of fresh avocado followed by 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage and topped with 1/4 cup Pineapple Blueberry Salsa.
Fold and roll burrito-style. Slice in half diagonally. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I’ll Meet You There
“Out beyond ideas
of wrongdoing and right doing,
there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.”-Rumi, 13th Century
I took a walk this past weekend.
Not the usual path…
Not the usual road.
I took a walk in the woods
behind the house
where I rarely go.
It made me wonder
why I don’t spend more time there
out beyond the daily routine.
Beyond right,
beyond wrong.
I’ll meet you there.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Pineapple Blueberry Salsa
It was HOT here in Mars this past weekend, so Sunday supper called for something light and fresh. I rarely make fish as Hubby is a bit skeptical about it, but I had some frozen Hake loin filets in the freezer that needed to be used.
I was still OOGLING the amazing Fish Tacos I had the night before at Breakneck Tavern – O M G – and thought I’d try some type of version at home.
So I made this super yummy, bright, fresh, fruity and savory (with just a touch of heat) Pineapple Blueberry Salsa to accompany the fish, but it also tastes AMAZING on tortilla chips. I had some Tostitos Wholegrain Scoops, and they were just the ticket to balance out the flavors and allow for a healthy scoop of fruit and veggies in every bite!
This salsa and chips would be a great company or party snack to go with white wine spritzers or some white sangria (and everything goes with Gin and Tonics in the summertime!).
Here is the recipe. Hope you’ll give it a try, and let me know what you think.
Pineapple Blueberry Salsa*
Ingredients:
- 2 cups diced fresh pineapple
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup chopped sweet red and/or orange peppers
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 fresh lime, juiced (or lemon)
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (for a bit of heat)
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cumin
Combine all ingredients and serve with tortilla chips (especially yummy with Frito Lay Whole Grain Tostitos Scoops, or alongside chicken or fish for a fresh and light, summery accompaniment.
Tastes bests when chilled for several hours to allow flavors to fully blend.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
*slightly adapted from Jen @ CarlsbadCravings
The Colors of Summer
Oranges and Yellows…
Citrusy shades of tangerine and lemon,
Sunrises and sunsets,
Joy and warmth.
The colors of summer…
Sweet summertime.
Happy Summer Sunday!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Rustic Barn Weddings
Gable Farm in Watercolor – 10×14
It’s June, and wedding season is in full swing!
Rustic barn weddings have become very popular in our area. As a matter of fact, our son and daughter-in-law had a barn wedding three years ago next month. I had fun creating this watercolor version of Gable Farm, which was their wedding site and a place they have now turned into a venue for others to hold their weddings and receptions.
Colleen has been busy stocking our McKinneyx2Designs Etsy Shop with fun rustic wedding signs made from reclaimed pallet wood. They are super reasonably priced from $10-14.
Wouldn’t these be great little accents for a rustic barn wedding?
If you or someone you know is looking for rustic wedding signs, hope you will check out our ETSY shop.
We have lots of other great rustic home and nursery decor, as well as some of my watercolor art, prints and greeting cards.
Happy Wedding Season and Happy Weekend!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Best Ever Meatballs
Who doesn’t love a great meatball?! Perfect little rounded balls of meat and cheese and bread and seasonings can be simmered in a rich tomato or marinara sauce served over a heaping plate of pasta.
They can be served on a soft Italian roll smothered in melted mozzarella or provolone cheese.
They can be made into great party appetizers when simmered in a sauce of grape jelly or cranberries and chili sauce and eaten from tasseled toothpicks.
They can even be simmered in a cream and beef Swedish Meatball broth served over buttery egg noodles or eaten just as is from a fork for a tiny delectable delight.
Sometimes I just crave a nice plateful of spaghetti and meatballs. When I do, this is my go-to best-ever perfect meatball recipe. I’ve been known to substitute veal for the turkey or simply divide the recipe’s meats half and half with beef and pork. It just depends on what I have on hand.
This week’s had turkey, beef, and sausage simmered in a spicy Puttanesca Sauce filled with chunky tomatoes, black and kalamata olives, capers, onions and garlic. (Trader Joes’s makes a great base sauce that I “doctor up.”) I served it atop whole wheat thin spaghetti, and we sprinkled with fresh, salty shaved Parmesan cheese.
If you are looking for the best-ever, perfect meatball recipe (that is baked, not fried) – look no further. Here it is!
Mangia! Mangia!
Best Ever Meatballs
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground Italian pork sausage
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups tap water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Combine ground turkey, ground beef and sausage in a large bowl. Add minced garlic, eggs, salt, pepper, cheese, and parsley. Combine thoroughly. Add bread crumbs and water, and combine well using your hands.
Shape into meatballs. You can make whatever size you like, but I make mine about 1 inch in diameter.
Line meatballs in a single layer on a baking stone (I love to use my Pampered Chef Stoneware Bar Pan) or any other shallow baking pan with sides.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes until browned and cooked through.
If you are making with sauce for spaghetti and meatballs, add fully cooked meatballs to sauce and simmer for several hours.
Leftovers make great meatball hoagies when served on fresh Italian rolls and topped with mozzarella or provolone cheese.
You can also use as cocktail meatballs by simmering in a sauce made from 1 32-oz jar of grape jelly or 2 cans of Jellied Cranberry Sauce and 2 12-oz jars of Chili Sauce.
No matter what sauce you like (or don’t) with your meatballs, this recipe will provide you with the best-ever perfect meatball.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Journey
“The Journey” Abstract Acrylic
The Journey
Difficult roads
might lead to
beautiful destinations.
Cherish the moments.
Enjoy the journey.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Charlie Guest Post: Malaphors
Charlie Stopping to Smell the Daisies
On a little walk the other day,
Mom made me pose for a
“Stop and Smell the Daisies” photo.
Now, I know I am only a dog,
but isn’t the saying supposed to be
“Stop and Smell the Roses?”
Daisies don’t even really smell that good.
I guess they are kinda pretty if you’re into flowers
and that kind of stuff….
But when on walks,
I’m a sniffin’ for rabbits and chipmunks
and squirrels and deer.
I’d rather smell what another dog
left behind for me to find.
Now THAT is a smell worth stopping for!
Daisies are for “pushing up,”
and that is NOT
a place I want to go.
I think Mom better
“Wake up and smell the Bacon!”
(which I think smells much better than COFFEE!)
Hey – Did you ever imagine a handsome dog like me
was smart enough to understand malaphors too – eh?!
Heck – Mom just learned that word herself!
Woofs & Wags,
Charlie
Charlie is an adopted dog with brown eyes and a white-tipped tail who brings joy and laughter to his family and friends. Charlie is a gifted writer, raving food critic, cat, chipmunk, and donut lover, and exceptionally photogenic model. Some of his best friends are Mike the UPS Man, Cliff the Mailman, and ANYONE who delivers pizza to the house. If you would like to read more guest posts by Charlie, simply type “Charlie” into the Search box at the top right hand corner of this link: https://lifeinbetween.me/. If you would enjoy a companion like Charlie, please consider pet adoption.
Celebrating Summer Solstice
Mixed Media watercolor and acrylic magenta and gold – “Summer Solstice” – 9×12 300lb Arches Cold Press
I was splashing around with my paints this past weekend and decided to try mixing it up a bit by starting with watercolor and throwing on some acrylic to create some mixed media.
I really had no idea where I was going with this when I started… it simply evolved.
And then I realized maybe Mother Nature was speaking to me preparing me for the beginning of Summer Solstice which arrived in the Northern Hemisphere yesterday, June 20, 2016 at 6:34 pm EDT.
I think it started as a flower and ended up looking a bit like the sun – so I decided it is my Mixed Media Summer Solstice!
With summer beginning here, that means our friends in the Southern Hemisphere have just begun Winter Solstice, so may this piece be a reminder of warmth and flowers and sunshine to those entering or ending the season.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 