Me in Melange

Northwest Favorite...

I think even more than not having to pump my own gas in the rainy season, my absolute favorite part about living in Oregon is crab season!  It just started here and my mouth is already watering.  After work I'm off to buy some dungeness at the Fisherman's Market...$3.50 a pound!  And tomorrow I'm making crab cakes for Ryan and some friends. After living here for 3+ years I've perfected my cakes (one key is to refrigerate them for just a bit before frying them in the saucepan, that way they don't fall apart!)  And the yummiest way to serve them is on a spinach salad with fresh mango salsa... much like this recipe from Emeril.  Yummmm.  Now the only question that still remains is whether or not it is safe for me, miss preggers, to actually eat the crab.  But after much surfing and book reading, I've decided that if it is thoroughly cooked and in moderation, it is ok for me and baby.  Any of you experienced mommas have any input on that?  signed, me {CA}

French Macarons....

I've recently acquired an obsession with French macarons....I'm not sure if it so much the taste (although they are tasty no doubt), but the color is what always draws me in.  When during a search to find these tempting little morsels I came across this blog site which is cool....www.colourlovers.com .  Ever thought, "color so beautiful you want to eat it?"  Signed, ME {lv}

deceptive in a good way

Over Christmas, my Mom and I spent a lot of time talking about nutrition and how kids can be really picky eaters.  I, myself, didn't like much when I was a kid and especially hated salad... well really, I didn't dig on many veggies at all.  But my Mom always insisted on at least trying them and didn't let me get away without eating the portion on my plate, and certainly stayed away from the game of take "X" more bites and then you're done.  But, I doubt that it was very much fun for her or me.  We noticed eating habits of the little ones in our family... and I was thinking that there had to be some better way to get veggies in their diet without going through the hassle of trying to get your picky eater to try something new, let alone GREEN!  I saw Jessica Seinfeld featured on some morning show... with her cookbook, Deceptively Delicious which is an ingenious way of sneaking in veggies to many kid-friendly recipes by using purees.  Now, I totally bought this with the intention of passing it along to LV, as my husband pointed out that we have no need to hide our veggies in our house right now... but I had to test out a few recipes first! Here are my yellow cupcakes...

chocked full of pumpkin puree and a cream cheese frosting!  An instant improvement on plain yellow cake because now it's a source of important antioxidants, beta-carotene and calcium!  I love that!  The book is full of other mother's wisdom, time-saving tips, and of course nutritional info. A great gift to pass along... you'll get it eventually LV!  ;)  signed, me {CA} 

Agave--give it a try!

I've read about Agave in magazines...it is often mentioned when celebs talk about their "special" diets etc.  I actually didn't even really realize what it was, but I noticed it at the market last week and bought some on a whim.  Turns out it is the nectar of a cactus, and resembles honey but the taste is different, milder, not as strong and mild.  I really like it, better than honey for sure.  I think the reason it goes on special diets is that it doesn't raise your blood sugar like sugar or honey (apparently).  Not really sure about the details of why it might be healthier, but I do know the taste is really nice and I'm sort of addicted to it mixed into my mint tea!  Something to try.....  Signed, ME {lv}

a quick gourmet meal

I am always in search of fabulous meals that don't take hours to prepare, cause let's face it after a full day at work who wants to go home and cook for 2 hours... but what I DO want is something that tastes yummy.  Last night I found a keeper!  It's in the October issue of Real Simple, I think the title was roasted Pacific cod with lemon and olives.  I chose halibut instead of cod but this is the run down for the recipe...

Place a 2 lbs cod (or halibut... and I did 1.5lbs) fillet in a heavy pan (I used our brand new iron skillet :)

pour in 3/4 cup dry white wine (should come half-way up the side of the fillet) and a tblsp of olive oil

place 1/2 cup of mixed olives and the zest of one lemon around the fish (zest should be in strips)

season fish with a tsp of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper and 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes

roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile I made some couscous and an avacado/tomato salad to accompany it.... dish up the fish, pour the sauce on top and sprinkle with some flat-leaf parsley.  All together it took about a half an hour and it truly was delicious!  I like to call it cooking in style.  ;)  signed, me {ca}