Flounder Taco Cups

Two nights ago I hit major blog shame with Beer @ Softball + Smartfood After = Monday Dinner
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I know, I know...
HORRIBLE!!
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Last night I felt the need to redeem myself and redeem myself I did :)

*The small row of arugula I planted in the garden has been growing like crazy! Each day during my lunch hour, I drive home to make myself a delicious 'fresh from the garden' salad...can't beat that!

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Trying to cook with the season's offerings, a good bunch of arugula was harvested for this evening's very important therapy session.

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Now for the fun part...the Taco Cups!
*The recipe I based this dinner creation on called for the small wontons and a regular 12-cup pan. As you've seen in my monster muffins and cupcake, I like to go BIG!
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I used egg roll wrappers and my super nice giant 6-cup tin :)

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The wrappers were brushed with canola oil, carefully fitted to each cup and baked for 6 minutes at 375 degrees. Pretty neat huh?!?!
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What seemed an unlikely combination was the taco filling...

* Chopped arugula, mango, avocado and scallions dressed with an olive oil/lime juice dressing.
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Peppery + Sweet + Buttery + Mild Onion + Citrus/Fruitiness = One Crazy Fusion of Flavors!!!

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The recipe I was working from called for Tilapia, but I substituted with flounder. To accompany this flavor packed filling the fish was seasoned with salt/pepper and pan fried.
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Finally for the topping - Crème Fraiche + Wasabi Powder!

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The finished dish!
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It looked so great from all sides...

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I couldn't resist and ate two haha!

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For me this meal was WOW!

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I really enjoyed the unlikely flavor combinations, which made it an exciting dish to eat...next time I would prefer to grill the fish rather than pan fry (I think that grill flavor would happily accompany this outrageous flavor combo!), not to mention creating the taco cups was so simple, I'm already being to think of other things to fill them with!!

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This was a redeemer meal for sure (recipe posted)!

Recipe for Flounder Taco Cups

(A FoodThearpy revision of Giada De Laurentiis' Tilapia Fish Tacos with Arugula)
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What you'll need:
6 eggroll wrappers
Canola oil
Olive oil
3 cups coarsely chopped baby arugula

1 avocado, halved, pitted and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 mango, peeled and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)

3 flounder fillets (about 8 ounces total)
Crème fraiche

Wasabi powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Taco Cups: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush each side of the wonton wrappers with canola oil and press into muffin pan. Bake for 6 minutes and let cool.

The Fish: Drizzle the flounder fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pan fry or grill (I say grill!).

The Unlikely Filling: Whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lime juice. Add the avocado, mango, green onions, and arugula. Toss until all the ingredients are coated. Season with salt, to taste.

Crème Fraiche w/a Kick: Mix together the crème fraiche, wasabi powder and salt to taste.

To assemble: Fill each cup with filling, lay fish along the top and dollop on some wasabi goodness!

When you house sit for us...

one can expect many surprises and treats...

* The first is this smiling face...literally in your face the whole time :)
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Well that is true, except for when our angel decides he's tired and cuddles up into a little peaceful ball...so cute and innocent right?!?!
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Hubs and I know our pup is an acquired taste and can be a lot to handle for the wrong person. With Hubs gone and the road calling me away from home, third party dog care is something I'm having to to take into consideration.
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Up until my last trip The Sox Family (aka my brother/sister in-laws) have been incredible about taking the Pups into their home for days at a time. Pups loves it and they also seem (or rather claim, haha!) to enjoy it. On the last trip though, The Sox home was booked to capacity with visiting family, so we had to move to Plan B...Blue Light.
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Blue Light is the mother of two wonderful little girls and has a special someone she shares her days with. Coming to my rescue, Blue Light and her whole crew moved into the house for a night and assumed all doggie care responsibilities.
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When one house sits for us, they can expect all sorts of special treats...
for Blue Light and company it was an Asian Feast!
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I picked up some sweet sugar snap peas at the Farmers' Market over the weekend. They were so darn good, how can you not love the summer freshness!?!?
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They were cooked up in sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and salt/pepper.
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I also did a little spin on my mother's fried rice recipe. Trying to be sensitive to kiddos eating this meal, I really wanted to maximize the veggie use. Rather than meat in this rice I went with a combo of carrots and green and red peppers.

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Making this Veggie Fried Rice, Korean-American Style, is pretty easy...

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Begin by heating oil in a wok.

Saute garlic and veggies until softened just a wee bit.

*Note I did cut the veggies up pretty small, just in case that would help in getting the kids to eat it.

Add cooked rice (I use Korean rice and my handy counter top rice cooker), scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, and black pepper.

Mix until combined and everything is evenly heated.

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There you have it, pretty simple, mighty tasty and provides an additional servings of veggies, well hidden :)

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The centerpiece of the meal - my mother's recipe for Bulgogi!

A Korean stir fry type dish, it is a salty/sweet treat made up of beef, garlic, onions and scallions.
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This was actually one of my lil' sis' favorite things to eat growing up...translating to our family eating it a lot! Her favorite thing to do was to have the sauce poured over her white rice, so of course mom would usually try to make extra. The extra sauce approach has stuck and so when I do whip a batch up, there is plenty of to go around.
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Made the evening before my departure, everything was packaged up and set in the fridge for easy reheating. I also picked up milk, fruit juice, Trout River's Rainbow Red Ale (for the grown ups), ice cream dots and Ben & Jerry's.

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My hope was they would have everything they might need or want...and a couple of special treats :)

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Thank you for the help Blue Light!!

No Hubs = Girls' Night!

The summers are for parties and just because Hubs is gone that is no excuse for me not to host one...in fact it is the perfect setting for a 'Girls' Night'!!!

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I love having fresh flowers in the house. Early on in our cohabitant years, I would occasionally buy bouquets or be semiannually gifted them from Hubs to decorate the house. Since then fresh flowers have fallen into the 'unnecessary expense' category. Hubs is like my Superman when if comes to finances and so at some point in the last few years I decided flowers were not a 'necessary expense'.

The white peonie above was rescued from a snapped stem from our flower beds...the cost was nothing and look at just how fabulously it decorates our coffee table!

Though fresh flowers might be an unnecessary expense when you're trying to save, it becomes a mood lifter when you're trying to just get through life one day at time. With Hubs gone, I fall into the later category and figured the smile these bring is well worth the cost.

There was also one small bunch of peonies hiding in the flower cooler, so I snatched those up as well (I love peonies!).

When it came to the cooking I had my right hand gal on hand to help. Better known to you as my Redneck BFF (let's call her Blue Light), she had her sleeves rolled up, drinking hat on and dove right in...

Of course I had the menu already roughly planned (remember I am a constant planner by nature), but Blue Light decided at the grocery store that she really wanted to contribute a dish of her own. Aiding her with the inspiration, we decided on a pizza-app...

The go-to Shipyard store bought crust topped with fresh mozzarella and prosciutto, served with a side of tasty bottled marinara...BIG HIT!

What added to this pizza's specialness was the use of the pizza stone...works like a charm every time :o)

Quick summary of the pizza -

Preheat Oven the 500 degrees with pizza stone in the middle of oven.

Place refrigerated dough in large bowl, coat with flour and allow to come to room temperature (it will rise a bit during this time).

Stretch dough and place on cornmeal covered pizza peel or cookie sheet.

Brush the top of the pizza with a wee bit of olive oil (garlic olive oil is my fav).

Top with mozzarella and prosciutto.

Transfer from peel (or baking sheet) directly onto the pizza stone and drop the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Cook until cheese is melted and begins to brown.

Nice work Blue Light :o)

Inspired by The Future Mrs. Creature's Mother's creation, I was determined to create spring rolls at home as another app for this Girls' Night.

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The filling was a combination of cooked and cooled vermicelli noodles and mix of napa cabbage, carrot sticks, mung beans, cilantro, lime juice and fish sauce. The meats added included chicken breasts poached in Thai green curry chicken stock and straight up cooked shrimp.

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The filling tasted wonderful, but the technique in rolling them was a challenge. My good friends T/T came to my rescue, arriving just in time to take over rolling. Since then I've practiced one more time, but for the life of me cannot figure out how the restaurants get them so tight and perfect?!?! Tips anyone??

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Accompanying these delicious spring rolls was this outstanding sauce, courtesy of Emeril and made by Blue Light...it's so gosh darn good that I ended up making another batch a week later and used it on more spring rolls and some pasta, YUM!!!!

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Peanut Sauce (Nuoc Leo):
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock or water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped
1 fresh red Thai chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced, optional
Sriracha sauce, for garnishing, optional
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Heat the oil in a small saucepan and, when hot, add the garlic, chile paste, and tomato paste, and cook until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add the broth, sugar, peanut butter and hoisin sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly before serving. Serve in small bowls, garnished with the peanuts, sliced chiles and optional hot sauce. May be served warm or at room temperature.
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The rest of dinner was kept simple, so as to provide the chance for socializing and general merriment.

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Grilled Pepper Mix.

Perfectly grilled asparagus.

I say perfect here, because the tops had that slight crisp that happens when you have just the right amount of oil and just the right temp...so good!

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Earlier in the week I had the opportunity to visit Hubs and my old stomping ground in MA and made a special trip to the butcher shop.

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Tequila-Lime Marinated Chicken Breast...

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and Steak Tips.

I marinated the steak in a Korean Style Sauce. A couple of friends liked it so much the took the remaining marinade home to use the following day haha! An unfortunate thing did happen during this final step of grilling dinner...we ran out of gas! Don't you just hate that?!?! Well of course we do not have a second tank on hand as back up (though Hubs, I am beginning to think we should!).

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With T/T heading up the meat grilling portion of our evening, we brought the partially cooked beef inside and finished it on a grill pan. It was of course tasty and not bothered by the broken cooking/grill time...phew!

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The night was a great success, filled with laughter, catching up, games, toenail painting (for some unlikely recipients haha) and plenty of food and drinks!

Thank you to all the wonderful hockey girlfriends who made it!!! And a very special thank you to Blue Light for being the great Redneck BFF you are haha!

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I can't wait to have another summer party!!

Parties are fun, parties are good and parties make me smile...especially when I am hosting them =O)

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It does look as though the next party could be as soon as next weekend, as we prepare for our annual benefit ice hockey tournament...Hockey Fights MS! Woohoo!!!!!!!

My OOB Inspired Dinner

The week following the crazy Bachelorette Weekend, I had a craving for some more tuna.

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Inspired by my meal at Yellowfin's in Old Orchard Beach, I decided to try creating my own at home version of the sesame encrusted tuna.

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The tuna in the grocery store looked and smelled alright...

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so I went for it and picked up this tuna steak.

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I sliced the steak into three strips...
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...and coated them with sesame seeds. Now I am not sure of the actual process, anyone else know if the sesame seeds are supposed to go on before you cook or after?!?! I figured since I was using un-toasted seeds, it couldn't hurt to do it first and then they could pick up the nutty toasted flavor while cooking.
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My parents had picked up this can of wasabi powder for me a while back. I decided for an accompanying sauce to mix some up in soy sauce.

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I cooked the tuna in a nonstick pan and ended up varying degrees of doneness. Oops! I think this was mostly the pan's hot spots, since the fish was cut into pretty even chunks. A plus to having such a variety of donenesses is that it allowed me to determine just how well I like my tuna cooked at home ;)

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For some reason snow peas seemed like the perfect side for this dinner, so I cooked some up in garlic, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper.

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I was actually very impressed by this creation. It not only tasted great, it left me feeling satisfied and not overly stuffed!

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The single tuna steak proved to be too much for one person, so I saved the rarest pieces to eat the next day for lunch. I simply microwaved for 30 seconds to remove the chill and enjoyed for the second time!

Looks like I've got another successful fish dish to add to the 'can do' list haha!!

The Future Mrs. Creature's Bridal Shower

My Best Friend's Wedding...

IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!

Having been engaged for almost 1 year now, we've begun the round of first time wedding craziness! The planned date is for late July...though I don't know what the menu will be, I can't wait to tell you all about it!!
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The Future Mr. and Mrs. are the cutest things ever! They work hard, own a wonderful house, a great piece of land and two of the most beautiful labs (black & chocolate) to make their lives complete...at least for now ;-)

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The Future Mrs. Creature was a lifesaver for my big day. Hubs and I kept our wedding party small with his Big Bro (aka Papa Sox) as the best man, my Lil' Sis as the Maid of Honor and then we each selected one special person to serve as groomsman and bridesmaid. The Future Mrs. Creature was my pick and she was fabulous!! With my Lil' Sis in Chicago it was difficult for her to fulfill many of the duties, though she did what she could by email and phone. Instead the many bridezilla moments, chaos, showers, bachelorette etc were bestowed upon the one and only Future Mrs. Creature.

She filled her role with grace and unbelievable calm...now it is payback time. I keep waiting for an opportunity to help or assist with some major or minor wedding detail, but so far I've been off the hook. Other than showing up to events, giving an occasional yes/no to our festive plans, or sharing my thoughts/opinion on occasion, I've had it relatively easy.

On May 22, 2010 we kicked off the engagement and upcoming wedding celebration with the traditional Bridal Shower...a beautiful day, gorgeous setting, and fabulous company made this a day to remember!

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There are six of us in the bridal party, with only two (myself and the NYC chickie) not in the immediate geographic area. With that said it was all local hands on deck. I drove down the morning of to find my mother already preparing my contribution to the feast. An hour prior I swung by the party location to see if there was anything I could do to help. The other girls and mothers were busy at work in the kitchen and setting up...off the hook again! Instead my sole mission was to deliver the beautiful Bride to Be (B2B) fashionably late.

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I headed off to the Future Mr. and Mrs. Creature's house and when I arrived I found the B2B dressed in a gorgeous coral'ish colored summer dress painting her nails. We sat and caught up on life, gossip, wedding planning, so on and so forth. This shower was not a surprise to the B2B, so she was eager to get going to make it on time. In order to kill some time (and take the edge off) we enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine.
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Immediately upon arrival the Mother of the Bride (MOB) gifted her daughter this oh-so appropriate drinking vessel...haha!

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The festive drink of the day was this delicious spin on a mimosa...sweet fruit nectar/punch and sparkling wine dressed with delicious fruit.

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Of course we all enjoyed a few of these throughout the day!
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The party was an Asian Potluck theme and nearly all of the items were homemade.
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These are Classic Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting baked by MOB. She creatively dressed them to make these Asian Carrot Cupcakes...
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Oh, I have an idea! I think I might have to play around with the delicious combo of making Carrot Ginger Cupcakes...sounds good right?!?!
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And here it is...the Mango Sticky Rice Platter! A beautiful presentation by one of the Bridesmaids...really a dazzlingly simple arrangement that was nothing short of holy freakin' yum!!
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It's already June 3rd and I still can't shake the thought of this absolutely scrumptious combination from my head or stomach haha!!!!!!
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Elegant, handsome? Not sure what the right word is here...
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A skilled arrangement of salty prosciutto and cheese wrapped asparagus, tied together with fresh chive. While not all that Asian, the sight and palatableness of these added much joy to the day's tasty offerings!
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MOB also made these...homemade Spring Rolls! I have been dying to make these at home and even have the special wrappers on hand to do so. However like with the double boiler, I am intimidated by the technique of hydrating the dried wrappers. After seeing MOB prepare these and consuming my fair share, I'M GOING FOR IT! Perhaps even as soon as this weekend!!
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Chocolate...when you fill a house full of women, you need to have some chocolate on hand. To be honest, I didn't actually try of one of these (I was too busy with the sticky rice), but based on what I've heard they were 'soooo good!' Even just looking at them, you can tell they were good...soft chocolaty cake filled with creamy chocolaty filling, oh yeah!
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One of the extended family members produced this giant bowl of Peanut Noodles. Not sure of her recipe and would actually kind of like to get it...this dish was DELISH! I have had many, many versions of Peanut Noodles, but this one had the PERFECT balance of flavor. I prefer my noodles to have a strong sweet, salty peanut buttery flavor and this definitely brought it!!
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As you can probably guess this was my contribution to the party.
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Kim Bop...a traditional Korean seaweed wrap. My mother's version includes pork, pickled diakon, spinach, carrot and egg. My friends just love this stuff and actually call it sushi...I've given up on trying to correct them haha!
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Originally the plan was for my mother and I to make this together, but when I arrived to town she of course had already started. As they always do when I come home, I was told to relax and just enjoy myself...so I took Pups for a walk. It's always a mini vaca when visiting my parents haha!
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Here are the shower gifts for guests. The local bridesmaids once again took control of this and did such a wonderful job! So creative and festive...nice work ladies!!!
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In addition to the food above there was grilled beef, chicken, fried rice and dumplings.
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B2B digs in...and so do we all. Everything was delectable!!
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After the late lunch we moved onto gifts. The usual embarrassing items suggestive of the wedding night and being newlyweds were of course present (I contributed to that side of things), as well as a TON of kitchen and household items from their registry.
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All in all the Future Mr. and Mrs. Creature made out well...VERY WELL :o)
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After gifts, we had dessert...and boy oh boy did I have dessert!
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We discovered the mango sticky rice in combination with the locally made coconut ice cream was OUT OF THIS WORLD! I can't even tell you how much of this I ate...it's actually hard to say, since each time I brought a plate of it out the other gals couldn't keep their folks out of it as well!!!
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The day was absolutely fabulous! I miss seeing these girls so often and always have a great time with them when I do visit :o)

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The Future Mrs. Creature's next big event...the Bachelorette Weekend! Yes, that's right we've begun a tradition (with my bachelorette last summer) of turning this typical one night event into a three day, two night party/adventure!!! Can't wait...expect there to be some delicious seafood coming from that one, cause we're headed to the coast!