Pearl loves Ceviche

If you need a fresh seafood appetizer in a flash, Ceviche takes only 30 minutes. It is all fresh veggies, and always looks like you spent hours preparing it. It is great during the summer time because it is cold, and fresh.
First, you need get the following ingredients:

-6 Roma tomatoes
-1 long cucumber
-1 Jalapeno
-1/2 white onion
-1/2 lb of cooked shrimp
-tapatio
-garlic salt and pepper
-6 limes, or lime juice

Seriously, this is just about the easiest recipe. As long as you have some sort of chopper, you will be golden.

Start by cutting your toms into quarters, and placing them into your chopper. The way I usually know that they are done, is when they look like chunky salsa. Drop those puppies into a nice size bowl.

Next, do the same thing with the half onion, and jalapeno. Add to bowl.

You will need a peeler for the next step. If not that, than I hope you are a damn ninja with that knife of yours. Peel the skin off your long cucumber. (hehe) Then chop the cucumber into small dices. (the food chopper might make the pieces too small.)

Once you mix it all together it should look a little something like this.]

Repeat the chopping step with your shrimp. I prefer to use my processor because it makes the shrimp into bite size pieces.

Last step is where you let your creative side show. Add the lemon juice, along with garlic salt, and Tapatio. You can add as little or as much as your heart desires. These touches only add to the flavor, or for the Tapatio, make it spicy. You could even add additional jalapenos if you want to get wild and crazy.

Bon Appetit! I mean, ¡Permite come!

Maniladas

When you hear Maniladas, you probably think of a lot of men. If you want to hear about men, go elsewhere, because I am talking about a yummy entree that the whole fam would love! I enjoy watching the cooking channels, in hopes I will learn new techniques on cooking and baking.

 On one of my lazy Sunday's with Pearl, I came across a recipe to die for. It is a combination of Manicottis, and Enchiladas. If you are in to fusion food, this is a great recipe to try out. It is not fat free, or carb free, but it is DELICIOUS! I plan on making it for the third time this weekend. I will let you know how it turns out, in the meantime, check it out, and try it yourself!
Courtesy of Sunny Anderson

Maniladas with White Cheese and Roasted Tomatillo Sauces

Total Time: 1 hr 10 min

Prep 40 min

Cook 30 min

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package manicotti shells
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup sour cream

For the Tomatillo sauce:

• 1 pound tomatillos, quartered
• 1 small red onion, quartered
• 1 jalapeno, halved
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cheese sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups heavy cream, room temperature
• 2 cups grated fontina cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Boil manicotti in salted water for 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water and set pasta aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and mix in chicken, tomatoes, cilantro and sour cream. Set aside.

To make the Tomatillo Sauce:

Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and garlic in a baking dish. Toss with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatillos turn golden around the edges and are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and blend ingredients together until smooth. Use reserved pasta water to thin sauce, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To make the cheese sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add cheese and nutmeg and stir until melted. Season sauce with salt, to taste.
To assemble: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Stuff manicotti tubes with chicken mixture and assemble in a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top. Bake 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Drizzle tomatillo sauce on Maniladas before serving.

Stop and smell the roses

Sometimes you think you have it bad, and it takes someone else's situation to make you realize you really have it good.
Twice a week I go to physical therapy for my shoulder, and as I lay on the torture table, and get my arm yanked back, I think of how much pain I am in, and why did me of all people, a girl who never played athletic sports in high school, get stuck with a shoulder injury.

Today I asked my therapist, "have you ever had therapy?" Thinking maybe he could sympathize my pain. He answered yes. He had broken a color bone in college, and recently, he told me he broke three ribs. You would never guess how, he broke them from coughing too hard. Me, being a smart ass asked him if he smoked. He said no, but radiation and chemo therapy caused him to loose his voice and cough a lot. He said he is now in remission for Hodgkin's lymphoma.

If that doesn't make you stop and smell the roses, I don't know what does.

Wagging your tail over fish

After a long day of work, nothing makes your tail wag more than having amazing dinner plans. What ever tickles your fancy, mexican, italian, japanese. My personal favorite is sushi. It's funny how for twenty something years I wouldn't touch raw fish. In the past year, I went from eating overcooked shrimp, to raw tuna and salmon. Being able to eat sushi is a sophisticated way of dining. You feel like you could sit with the cool kids... pinky up. If you are deathly afraid of having raw fish in your mouth, starting with rolls are always the easiest way to get your paw in the door. To make it even easier, instead of using seaweed in the roll, ask for soy paper. It is much easier to eat, and less fishy.

Who would have known my first blog would be about sushi. Well sinch I am just getting started, I still have to decifer what my nack is. I love food, and alcohol, but I also love fashion and beauty. How about I talk about what ever I want. Sounds like a plan.