Mar 15, 2013
This past weekend I had the pleasure of my friend Tony coming to visit, and we had such a great time! We worked together several years ago, and now he owns two stores in Dallas, so we deal with a lot of the same things on a daily basis – you know, just “store owner” stuff.
He’s great to bounce ideas off of, we encourage one another… and we laugh A LOT when we’re together. I think everyone needs a friend that “gets” their sense of humor, and I’m blessed that I have that friend in Tony! A weekend full of inside jokes, drinking wine and lounging on the sofa was exactly what I needed (and I think he did too).
Since he took the weekend off to make the trip (to fight the 30-40 mph winds of West Texas), I wanted to make him something special for dinner on Saturday. I decided to go with a Heart of Palm Salad and this Salted Cod dish for three reasons – it’s easy, fresh and delicious!
Salted Cod with Corn and Clams (serves 2)
2 skinless, center-cut 6 oz. cod fillets
1 cup kosher salt
2 ears of corn, shucked
half a lemon
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup flour (for dusting)
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. butter
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 sprigs cilantro
2 cups dry white wine
freshly ground black pepper
1 T. chopped cilantro, for garnish
Sliced artisan bread, for serving
Completely cover each cod fillet with kosher salt and let sit for exactly 10 minutes.
While the cod is getting nice and salty, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the corn. Cook until the corn is done (it will have a nice dark golden color). Remove the corn and let cool enough to cut the kernels off the cob, set aside.
Rinse off the salt and pat dry. Using the flour, lightly dust the fish. Add the olive oil to a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat and add the fish (skinned-side down first). Cook the fish approximately 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Add the garlic, clams, cilantro springs, and thyme sprig to the skillet. Season with black pepper and add white wine. The original recipe called for only 1 cup of wine, but I’ve made this dish a few times and always 
find myself wanting more sauce to dip the bread in… so I use at least 2 cups of wine to start with. Cover the skillet and cook until the clams open, around 7 minutes.
While the clams are steaming, bring a small skillet to med-high heat and melt the butter. Add the corn and stir until heated through.
Once the clams are steamed, discard the herb sprigs and any clams that do not open.
Divide the corn between two large bowls, add the fish, clams, and a generous helping of the sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!
This is such a great dish for getting into the warmer weather! Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from July 2011 Food & Wine – 10 Minute Salted Cod
Mar 12, 2013
Happy Spring Break, friends! My facebook timeline is filled with families on vacation, and although I’m not, I thought you happy Spring Breakers might enjoy my “Top 5 Spring Break iPhone Apps”!
Whether you’re hitting the slopes, lounging on the beach, or cruising with the top down on a road trip, you can put these to use! They also don’t require much pre-planning (as opposed to a hotel or flight booking app), so even if you’re on vacation at this very second, you could download and use them today!
Top 5 Spring Break iPhone Apps
1. Waze (free) – This app combines navigation
with convenience – perfect for a road trip! Other users can report accidents, traffic, and road conditions that might help you on your way across town or across the country. It also has a search feature for gas prices, restaurants, and other landmarks near you, which is nice if you just need to stretch your legs. One of my favorite features is the “Pick Up” option. You don’t need an actual address to find your way to a friend. Simply send a “location request” by text (or email) to the contact of your choice. If they accept, it will automatically send you directions to their location. This feature might be handy if you were in a ski town for instance – you could meet up with your friends at a bar or restaurant, even if they don’t know exactly where they are!
2. Weather Channel (free) – No matter where you’re traveling, it’s always good to know what the weather forecast is! You can scroll through the hourly forecast for the day, so you know when that next wave of snowfall is supposed to hit, or when the wind is expected to pick up. Wouldn’t you just hate to be headed to the beach an hour before the rain storm?
3. Shoot It (free) – This has been one of my favorite vacation apps in the past few years! Shoot It basically turns your phone into a post office. Take a photo (or choose one from your library), add a message, select the recipient from your contacts, and instantly your digital postcard is printed and mailed like a real one – straight from your phone to their mailbox! Pretty cool, huh? Each postcard is only $1.29, so you couldn’t even buy a postcard and mail it for that. Plus, it’s completely personalized with your vacation photos WHILE you’re still on vacation!
4. Food Network On the Road (free) – I’m a big fan of Food Network, so I love that this app has all of the featured restaurants from shows on the Food Network Channel. You can search by location, show (such as Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), or upcoming featured events (like a St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl). If you’re a foodie, this is a great last-minute app for a road trip! On the other hand, if you’re more into planning your fine dining a few days ahead, you might try the Open Table app to snag a great reservation in your destination city.
5. Sleep Machine ($1.99) – When I’m away from home, I usually have a hard time falling asleep, so for me, this app is worth the $1.99! You can choose from a long list of ambient sounds (or use your own playlist), create a mix of sounds, and set a timer or alarm. My favorite noises are the fireplace crackle, Beach 3 (lapping waves) and light rain. As someone who always sleeps with a fan going, I can also customize a symphony of fan noise combined with rain. If you try it, I’d love to hear what combinations you enjoy! 
So there’s my top five iPhone apps for all you Spring Breakers. Do you have any must-have travel apps for vacay?
Mar 3, 2013
Today the weather was gorgeous and sunny, so I thought a homemade burger would be the perfect lunch on the patio. To accompany my tasty burger, I made one of my favorite sides- Garlicky Fries! They only take about 30 minutes, and they’re not fried, but they taste amazing.
Garlicky Fries
1 medium Russet potato per person
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on how much you like garlic)
kosher salt
pepper
1-2 T. butter
chopped parsley for garnish (if desired)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the potatoes and chop off both ends, then slice off the sides so the potato takes on a square shape. Cut into fry-sized strips, coat with cooking spray and toss on a baking sheet (make sure you spray the pan too – you don’t want them to stick). Bake potatoes for 15-20 minutes, tossing occasionally to turn. When golden brown, remove from the oven. By the way, for the next step, I’ve found that if I work in smaller batches, it’s easier. Too many fries in the pan make it hard to toss them without smashing them. In a large saucepan, melt some of the butter (I do a little less than 1 T. per batch – too much butter and they’ll just be soggy) and add garlic. Add a batch of fries and toss to coat. Remove from heat, sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley.
Feb 23, 2013
One of my favorite go-to side dishes on a weeknight is roasted cauliflower. It’s just a few ingredients, it doesn’t take long, and it’s delicious {really, even kids that don’t like cauliflower like this recipe}. Try it and see what you think – I think it’s the perfect combination of hearty veggie, garlic, salt… and just a touch of heat – a combination that equals a side of yummy goodness!
Roasted Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower, cleaned and cut into bite-sized florets
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on how much you like garlic)
extra virgin olive oil, approx. 4 T.
red pepper flakes to taste
kosher salt to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a glass baking dish with foil (to make clean-up extra easy). Put the cauliflower pieces in the dish (saving the clean-up of another mixing bowl) and drizzle with olive oil, approximately 4 tablespoons. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes, add minced garlic and toss the cauliflower until it is well-coated with oil and seasoning (adding more oil if necessary to coat).
Pop into the oven and roast for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is a nice golden brown.
Doesn’t that sound easy? It’s a great veggie to prep, put in the oven, and continue cooking your main course while the cauliflower roasts to perfection.
I hope you like this side as much as I do!
Feb 13, 2013
If you need a last-minute Valentine’s Day idea, I’ve got one that is fairly easy but will be a big hit your sweetheart! I did this for a boyfriend in high school (ah, young love), but back then I didn’t think to take photos (silly me) so I’ve recreated the idea for you.
What you’ll need:
A roll of CAUTION tape (I got mine at a local hardware store for $8)
painter’s tape ( or any tape that’s easily removable and safe for walls)
scissors
a black marker or pen
at least 2 dozen helium-filled balloons – you should be able to get these at your local grocery store or florist (I got a combination of foil hearts and regular latex in red, white and pink)
red construction paper cut into large hearts (I made a FREE DOWNLOAD if you want to use that)
A sign for the door (either handmade or THIS FREE ONE I created)
1. To begin, cut strips of the CAUTION tape, each just over a yard long (or long enough to wrap around one side of the door). Secure the strips on the front side of the door, by wrapping around the edge and taping. I did a criss-cross of tape for interest, but you can cover the entire door if you want – have fun with it! Print out (or hand write) a sign that says, “CAUTION: This room has suffered a severe heart attack” and tape it to the door.
2. Cut out the heart shapes and using the marker or pen, write why you love your sweetie. If you use the FREE DOWNLOAD, you can just fill in the specifics. If you make your own, you can also include favorite quotes, stories or whatever you like! It’s good to mention their features, personality, favorite times together, etc. (this is a list of what you love about them so you’ll want to make it good). Roll strips of the painter’s tape, affix to the back of the hearts and place around the room on the walls, furniture… anywhere and everywhere!
3. Release the balloons and let them rise to the ceiling, then individually move them around to cover the room more evenly.
4. Close the door and wait for your lovey to be surprised (and delighted by your thoughtfulness)!
By the way, I think this idea would be great for decorating an office too – and really for any special couples’ occasion – anniversary, wedding suite, or just because!
What do you think? Would you do this for your sweetheart? Happy “Heart Attack”ing!!!
find myself wanting more sauce to dip the bread in… so I use at least 2 cups of wine to start with. Cover the skillet and cook until the clams open, around 7 minutes.
