Shecky's Girls Night Out

I love shopping, not as much as Mrs. Miller, but that would be difficult to beat. Last night my friend Lisa and I drove down to DARS (Daughters of the American Revolution) Constitution Hall for a night of splurging and fashion watching. The event was filled with different styles, some very fashion forward thinkers, classic looks, casual, chic, etc. I was very classic in brown tweed pants with a orange tailored shirt. Lisa went the more femine route and wore a black dress with a splash of fun found in a polka dot sash belt. We did a quick walk through to see a glimpse of all the designers and decide which ones needed a further, extensive visit. Lisa was caught by bright beautiful purses, an elegant cape, and antique looking jewelry. I favored fun purses and non-work related clothing. Sadly most of the clothes did not fit. I did however make one purchase of a tailored tan and orange jacket. Lisa scored big time on wonderful finds. She bought the three things that caught her eye all of which were designed by locals. We both left jazzed about new fashions.

Tagged for recipes

I am very honored that my sis tagged me. Why she tagged me I am not exactly sure. I am not an amazing cook and I only cook out of necessity. I like quike and fun recipes. Since moving closer to the coast, I have experimented with fish. Three recipes are for fish and one is just a favorite breakfast/lunch/dinner/dessert recipe. For those that don't live near the coast do not worry. Most frozen fish is actually fresher, because it is packaged at the wharf.

Puff Pastry Salmon
(serves 6)

Ingredients:
2 (12 ounce) skinless, boneless salmon fillets
seasoned salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 (17.25 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/3 cup pesto
1 (6 ounce) package spinach leaves


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Season the salmon fillets with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Divide 1/2 of the spinach between two sheets of puff pastry, and mound in the center. Place a salmon fillet on top of each mound of spinach. Spread the pesto on the salmon fillets, and top with remaining spinach. Moisten the edges of the puff pastry with water, fold to the center, and seal the seams.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden, and the salmon has cooked all the way through. (EJL Note: to check if salmon is done, insert cooking thermometer and the fish should be around 145 degrees F)

Italian Fish
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 pound fish fillets (tilapia, flounder, etc)
3/4 teaspoon butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup diced fresh tomato
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange fish in a medium baking dish. Dot with butter, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Top with tomato, basil, and garlic powder. (EJL Note: if in a pinch use italian seasoning instead of other spices)
3. Cover, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Fish Tacos
(serves 5)

Ingredients:

1 lb white fish fillets, such as tilapia or catfish
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
3 tablespoons ranch dressing
4 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
1 small jalapeno chile, seeded, finely chopped
10 corn tortillas (6 inch)
1 1/4 cups sliced radishes (about 10)
red pepper sauce to taste
Tomatillo salsa

Directions:

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut 1 (18x12-inch) sheet of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of fish fillets with 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix. Place fish on center of foil sheet. Bring up 2 sides of foil so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; folt again, allowing space for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal.

2. Place packet on grill over high heat. Cover grill; cook about 10 minutes, rotating packet 1/2 turn after 5 minutes, until fish flakes easily with fork. Let cool slightly; cut into bite-size chunks.

3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, mix dressing and remaining 4 teaspoons seasoning mix. Add coleslaw mix and chile; toss to coat. Let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, wrap stack of tortillas in sheet of foil; place on coolest part of grill 5 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until steaming.

4. To serve, spoon about 1/4 cup fish chunks and 1/4 cup coleslaw mixture onto each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons radishes. Fold tortillas around filling. Serve with pepper sauce and tomatillo salsa.

Crepes

(makes 4 approx.)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
cinnamon to flavor


Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended. (EJL note: You may need to add more milk to get a smooth more cake batter consistency, should not be as thick as pancakes.)
2. Heat a 8"-10" skillet over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges (EJL note: the whole bottom of the skillet should be coated with batter). When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. My favorite fillings for crepes are honey, nutella, bananas, strawberries. For lunch/dinner leave out the cinammon and vanilla and fill with chicken, vegtables, etc.

Thinking

I love igoogle, especially the quotes of the day.

"The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking." -A.A. Milne

This one is particularly humorous, I hope that my mind is first-rate.

Seattle & Max's Wedding

After a long adventure at BWI, I arrived in Seattle at 1 am. The short story is my flight was canceled on Friday night and was not rescheduled until Saturday night. On Saturday night, the weather delayed my flight two hours. I was so happy to see Dad, Mom, and Heather. We saw Tacoma on Sunday before the wedding. We visited the glass bridge, where this picture was taken.

Max's wedding was located in Stielacoom right off the water. The wedding was beautiful and Meg is a wonderful girl, so perfect for Max.

It was great to see Max, Shea, Uncle David, and Aunt Vickie. The reception was fun. Many of the songs were country, but there were also some classic Frank Sinatra songs.

The next day was spent touring Seattle. We went to the famous Pikes Market Place, on a cruise, ate clam chowder at Ivar's, and toured Underground Seattle. Pikes Market Place smelled a little to fishy at some points. It was fun to see the fish being thrown and all the vendors hawking their goods. We also saw the first Starbucks which is located near the market. The cruise gave a beautiful view of Seattle.

We visited Ivar's on Clay and Rachel's recommendation. The clam chowder was wonderful and we enjoyed watching the Sea Gulls outside. The last stop was the Underground Tour. It was a fun tour. Our guide was a state representative. We found out that Seattle was raised 15 to 30 feet in the early twentyth century. The day ended with my flight back to DC being delayed only a few minutes.

New Clothing line from Sarah Jessica Parker

My co-worker told me about this new clothing line with trendy cheap clothing by Sarah Jessica Parker. I am going to try to visit a store soon. The clothes look fun and trendy. However, it doesn't appear to have a maternity line. So, I guess Heather and Bethy will have to wait until the spring to shop there.

Quote of the day

The quote of the day on www.igoogle.com struck home on my sentiments of the upcoming presidential election candidates.

"Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable." (John Kenneth Galbraith)

I am praying for a good candidate to emerge.

Night Life is Overrated

I experienced DC Night life last Saturday. The evening didn't start until 10 PM! I met two of my soccer teammates at the Front Page in DuPont Circle. The bar was very noisy with music and people yelling. I understand the yelling. The only way to talk was to yell in each others ears. It definitely was not like how the media shows nightlife. After hanging out there for an hour or so, we headed over to a different place that had dancing, Lucky Bar. After being in the place only a few minutes, I saw a girl that had passed out. It was very sad. It was fun to dance a little, one guy there danced very similar to the really funny guy in Hitch. After the evening was over, I had no desire to repeat that experience. It was not easy to get to know people, which is the main reason I went and my ears were ringing afterwards from all the loud noises. So, do not believe the movies, Night life (the bar/dance club scene) is not cool.